WO2024069916A1

WO2024069916A1 - Lighting control device and lighting control method

Info

Publication number: WO2024069916A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/036640
Authority: WO
Inventors: 達矢寺田; 光生下谷
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2022-09-30
Filing date: 2022-09-30
Publication date: 2024-04-04

Abstract

This lighting control device (10) comprises an obstacle detection unit (11) that detects obstacles around a host vehicle, a driver recognition state assessment unit (12) that assesses whether a driver of a host vehicle has recognized an obstacle, and a lighting control unit (13) that controls the irradiation direction and irradiation mode of light emitted by a lighting device of the host vehicle. The lighting control unit (13) irradiates an obstacle with light when the obstacle is detected, and, in accordance with the result of assessing whether the driver has recognized the obstacle, controls the irradiation mode of the light with which the obstacle is irradiated.

Description

Light control device and light control method

This disclosure relates to a lighting control device that controls lighting devices in a vehicle.

A lighting control device has been proposed that supports driving by illuminating an obstacle detected ahead of the vehicle with a flashy (conspicuous) illumination pattern that emphasizes its presence, thereby informing the driver of the presence of the obstacle (for example, see Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2007-38878 A

The lighting control device in Patent Document 1 continues to illuminate the obstacle with a flashy illumination even after the driver recognizes the obstacle. However, illuminating the obstacle with a flashy illumination is bothersome to the driver who has already recognized the obstacle.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a light control device that can illuminate an obstacle in an illumination mode that is appropriate for the driver's state of awareness of the obstacle.

The lighting control device according to the present disclosure includes an obstacle detection unit that detects obstacles around the vehicle, a driver recognition state determination unit that determines whether the driver of the vehicle has recognized an obstacle, and a lighting control unit that controls the direction and manner of illumination of light emitted by the lighting device of the vehicle. When an obstacle is detected, the lighting control unit illuminates the obstacle with light and controls the manner of illumination of the light illuminated on the obstacle depending on the result of the determination of whether the driver has recognized the obstacle.

According to the present disclosure, light can be irradiated onto an obstacle in a manner that corresponds to the driver's state of awareness of the obstacle.

The objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a light control system according to first to third embodiments. 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of a state in which light is irradiated by the lighting device before an obstacle FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a first irradiation mode of the assist irradiation light. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a second irradiation mode of the assist irradiation light. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the first irradiation mode of the assist irradiation light. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the second irradiation mode of the assist irradiation light. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the light control device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a third irradiation mode of the assist irradiation light. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a modified example of the third irradiation mode of the assist irradiation light. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a light control device according to a second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the light control device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a light control device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a light control device.

<First embodiment>
Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a light control system according to a first embodiment. The light control system assists a driver in driving by illuminating an obstacle detected ahead of the vehicle. Hereinafter, illumination of an obstacle with light for driving assistance will be referred to as "assistance illumination." It is assumed that the light control system is mounted on a vehicle, and hereinafter, the vehicle equipped with the light control system will be referred to as the "host vehicle."

As shown in FIG. 1, the light control system according to the first embodiment includes a light control device 10, a light device 20, a surroundings detection device 31, and a driver state detection device 32.

The periphery detection device 31 is a sensor that detects the situation around the vehicle, and provides the light control device 10 with periphery information, which is information on the detection results of the situation around the vehicle. The periphery detection device 31 is composed of, for example, a TOF sensor (time of flight), such as a radar or ultrasonic sensor, or a camera. The detection range of the periphery detection device 31 includes at least the area ahead of the vehicle.

The driver state detection device 32 is a sensor that detects the state of the driver of the vehicle, and provides the light control device 10 with driver information, which is information on the detection results of the driver's state. The driver state detection device 32 is composed of, for example, a camera that photographs the driver. The driver state detection device 32 detects one or more of the driver's line of sight, facial direction, facial expression, and movement.

The light control device 10 has the function of controlling the operation of the light device 20, and includes an obstacle detection unit 11, a driver recognition state determination unit 12, and a light control unit 13.

The obstacle detection unit 11 detects obstacles around the vehicle based on the surrounding information of the vehicle obtained from the surrounding detection device 31. More specifically, the obstacle detection unit 11 detects the position of an obstacle present around the vehicle (its position relative to the vehicle), and identifies the coordinates of the obstacle's position in an XY coordinate system, for example, with the X axis representing the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the Y axis representing the width of the vehicle.

The driver recognition state determination unit 12 determines whether or not the driver has recognized an obstacle based on the driver information acquired from the driver state detection device 32, specifically, information that can determine where the driver is looking, such as the driver's line of sight and facial direction, and the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 11. Whether or not the driver has recognized an obstacle can be determined, for example, by whether or not the driver looks toward the obstacle.

The light control unit 13 controls the direction and manner of illumination of the light emitted by the lighting device 20. In particular, when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit 11, the light control unit 13 controls the direction of illumination of the light emitted by the lighting device 20 to illuminate the obstacle as a support illumination. At this time, the light control unit 13 controls the illumination manner of the light illuminated to the obstacle according to the result of the determination by the driver recognition state determination unit 12 as to whether the driver has recognized the obstacle. The illumination manner of the light illuminated to the obstacle is controlled by the light control unit 13 controlling at least one of the color tone, illuminance, and light distribution of the light emitted by the lighting device 20, the degree of dynamic change of the light, and the illuminated object to be projected. The illuminated object is a figure, a character, or the like. The figure may be a two-dimensional figure or a three-dimensional figure, but a three-dimensional figure is more effective at attracting the driver's attention than a two-dimensional figure.

Note that a dynamic illumination pattern refers to an illumination pattern that changes with the passage of time or with changes in the distance to an obstacle. An example of a dynamic illumination pattern is an illumination pattern in which the color tone gradually changes over time. On the other hand, a static illumination pattern refers to an illumination pattern that does not change even with the passage of time or with changes in the distance to an obstacle.

In the first embodiment, when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit 11, the light control unit 13 sets the illumination mode of the light that the lighting device 20 irradiates on the obstacle to a first illumination mode, and starts support illumination of the obstacle. In addition, when the driver recognition state determination unit 12 determines that the driver has recognized an obstacle, the light control unit 13 changes the illumination mode of the light that the lighting device 20 irradiates on the obstacle in support illumination (hereinafter referred to as "support illumination light") to a second illumination mode. Here, the second illumination mode is closer to the illumination mode of the light of the lighting device 20 before the obstacle was detected than the first illumination mode.

The lighting device 20 includes a headlamp 21 and a support illumination light 22 consisting of an auxiliary light or the like, and can realize various illumination modes according to instructions from the lighting control device 10. In this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, the headlamp 21 performs general forward illumination that illuminates the area ahead of the vehicle in response to the driver's operation of a light switch (not shown), regardless of the result of obstacle detection, and support illumination for obstacles is performed by the support illumination light 22. Therefore, the illumination mode of the support illumination light is determined by the light emitted by the support illumination light 22.

However, if the headlight 21 is capable of controlling at least one of the color tone, illuminance and light distribution of the light, the degree of dynamic change of the light, and the projected illumination object, some or all of the functions of the support illumination may be performed by the headlight 21. For example, when increasing the illuminance of the support illumination light, instead of increasing the illuminance of the light that the support illumination light 22 irradiates onto the obstacle, the headlight 21 may increase the illuminance of the light that it emits in the direction of the obstacle. If all of the functions of the support illumination can be performed by the headlight 21, the support illumination light 22 may be omitted.

A specific example of the operation of the light control device 10 will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, assume that when there is no obstacle ahead of the vehicle 100, the light device 20, under the control of the light control device 10, is only performing forward illumination using the forward illumination light 101 emitted by the headlamp 21, and the support illumination light 22 is turned off.

After that, as shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that an obstacle 200 appears in front of the vehicle 100. Also, it is assumed that the driver does not recognize the obstacle 200 at the time of FIG. 3. In this case, when the obstacle detection unit 11 detects the obstacle 200, the light control unit 13 drives the support illumination light 22 to start support illumination, which illuminates the support illumination light 102 emitted by the support illumination light 22 toward the obstacle 200. At this time, the driver recognition state determination unit 12 determines that the driver does not recognize the obstacle, so the light control unit 13 sets the illumination mode of the support illumination light 102 to the first illumination mode. As a result, support illumination, which illuminates the obstacle 200 with light, is performed in the first illumination mode. The first illumination mode may be a flashy (noticeable) illumination mode, which can increase the degree to which the driver is alerted to the obstacle.

After that, when the driver recognizes the obstacle 200, the driver recognition state determination unit 12 determines that the driver has recognized the obstacle 200, and the lighting control unit 13 changes the illumination mode of the support illumination light 102 from the first illumination mode to the second illumination mode as shown in FIG. 4. The second illumination mode is closer to the illumination mode of the light of the lighting device 20 before the obstacle 200 is detected, i.e., at the time of FIG. 2, than the first illumination mode. Since the support illumination light 22 is turned off at the time of FIG. 2, for example, by making the illuminance of the support illumination light 102 in the second illumination mode lower than the illuminance of the support illumination light 102 in the first illumination mode, the second illumination mode can be closer to the illumination mode before the obstacle 200 is detected than the first illumination mode.

The illumination mode of the support illumination light after the driver recognizes an obstacle (second illumination mode) is closer to the illumination mode of the lighting device 20 before the obstacle is detected than the illumination mode of the support illumination light before the driver recognizes the obstacle (first illumination mode), which prevents the driver from feeling annoyed by the support illumination light after recognizing the obstacle.

In this way, the lighting control system according to the first embodiment can illuminate an obstacle with light in a manner appropriate to the driver's perception of the obstacle.

If it is determined that the driver has recognized the obstacle before starting to illuminate the obstacle with light, the light control unit 13 may omit implementing support illumination in the first illumination mode, and may set the illumination mode of the support illumination light to the second illumination mode from the beginning to start support illumination.

The illumination mode of the support illumination light 102 may be changed by changing at least one of the color tone, illuminance, and light distribution of the support illumination light 102, the degree of dynamic change of the light, and the illuminated object to be projected. For example, when changing the illumination mode of the support illumination light 102 by color tone, if the color of the forward illumination light 101 emitted from the headlamp 21 is white, the color of the support illumination light 102 in the first illumination mode may be red, and the color of the support illumination light 102 in the second illumination mode may be yellow, etc.

In addition, when the irradiation mode of the support irradiation light 102 is changed depending on the degree of dynamic change of the light, since the forward irradiation light 101 is static in that the irradiation mode does not change, for example, the first irradiation mode may be dynamic in that the irradiation range of the support irradiation light 102 oscillates as shown in FIG. 5, and the second irradiation mode may be static in that the irradiation range of the support irradiation light 102 is fixed as shown in FIG. 6. When both the first irradiation mode and the second irradiation mode are dynamic, the degree of dynamic change of the second irradiation mode may be smaller than the degree of dynamic change of the first irradiation mode. The mode of dynamic change of light may be any mode, such as vibration, blinking, or color change.

In addition, when changing the irradiation mode of the support irradiation light 102 by the light distribution, in the first irradiation mode, the irradiation range of the luminous flux of the support irradiation light 102 may be narrowed and irradiated to the obstacle, and in the second irradiation mode, the irradiation range may be widened. Alternatively, in the first irradiation mode, the outline of the support irradiation light 102 may be made clear, and in the second irradiation mode, the outline of the support irradiation light 102 may be blurred. If the irradiation range of the support irradiation light 102 is widened or the outline is blurred, the support irradiation light 102 becomes less noticeable (less prominent), so even in these cases, it can be said that the second irradiation mode is closer to the irradiation mode before the obstacle was detected than the first irradiation mode.

In addition, when the irradiation mode of the support irradiation light 102 is changed depending on the irradiation object, a prominent irradiation object (e.g., a three-dimensional figure or character) may be projected with the support irradiation light 102 in a first irradiation mode, and a less prominent irradiation object (e.g., a two-dimensional figure or character) may be projected with the support irradiation light 102 in a second irradiation mode.

As described above, there are various possible methods for changing the illumination mode of the support illumination light 102, and the methods are not limited to the examples described above. For example, a combination of multiple methods may be used, such as changing both the color tone and light distribution of the support illumination light 102.

The second illumination mode may be the same as the illumination mode of the light from the lighting device before an obstacle is detected. In that case, it is essentially the same as ending the support illumination when the driver recognizes an obstacle, and it is possible to prevent the driver who recognizes an obstacle from feeling annoyed by the support illumination.

In addition, in this embodiment, an example has been shown in which the headlights 21 of the lighting device 20 are on before an obstacle is detected (FIG. 2), but the headlights 21 may be off. In other words, the "illumination state of the light from the lighting device 20 before an obstacle is detected" also includes a state in which the lighting device 20 is off.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the light control device 10 according to embodiment 1. The operation of the light control device 10 will be described below based on the flowchart in FIG. 7.

When the vehicle starts traveling and the light control device 10 starts operating, the obstacle detection unit 11 acquires information about the surroundings of the vehicle from the surroundings detection device 31 (step S101). In addition, the driver awareness state determination unit 12 acquires driver information from the driver state detection device 32 (step S102).

The obstacle detection unit 11 determines whether or not an obstacle has been detected around the host vehicle based on the surrounding information of the host vehicle (step S103). If no obstacle has been detected (NO in step S103), the light control unit 13 checks whether or not support illumination is being performed (step S104). If support illumination is being performed (YES in step S104), the light control unit 13 ends support illumination (step S105), and then checks whether or not the host vehicle has finished traveling (step S106). If the host vehicle continues traveling (NO in step S106), the process returns to step S101, but if the host vehicle has finished traveling (YES in step S106), the light control unit 10 ends operation.

On the other hand, if an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit 11 around the vehicle in step S103 (YES in step S103), the light control unit 13 checks whether a predetermined support illumination implementation condition is met (step S107). The support illumination implementation condition is a criterion for determining whether or not support illumination should be performed. In this embodiment, the support illumination implementation condition is that an obstacle is within the illumination range of the headlights 21. Therefore, in step S107, it is determined whether the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 11 is within the illumination range of the headlights 21. However, the support illumination implementation condition is not limited to this example and may be any condition.

If the obstacle is within the illumination range of the headlights 21, it is determined that the support illumination implementation condition is met (YES in step S107), and the driver recognition state determination unit 12 determines whether the driver recognizes the obstacle based on the driver information (step S108). If the driver does not recognize the obstacle (NO in step S108), the light control unit 13 sets the illumination mode of the support illumination light emitted by the support illumination light 22 to the first illumination mode and performs support illumination (step S109). On the other hand, if the driver recognizes the obstacle (YES in step S108), the light control unit 13 sets the illumination mode of the support illumination light emitted by the support illumination light 22 to the second illumination mode and performs support illumination (step S110). Then, the process proceeds to step S106.

If, in step S107, the obstacle is not within the illumination range of the headlight 21, it is determined that the support illumination implementation condition is not satisfied (NO in step S107), and the process proceeds to step S104. At this time, if support illumination is being performed (YES in step S104), the light control unit 13 ends the support illumination (step S105). Therefore, even if an obstacle is detected within the illumination range of the headlight 21 and support illumination is started, if the obstacle subsequently moves out of the illumination range of the headlight 21, the support illumination will end. In other words, the condition for ending the support illumination is when the obstacle moves out of the illumination range of the headlight 21 and the support illumination implementation condition is no longer satisfied.

<Embodiment 2>
The light control device 10 according to the first embodiment starts support illumination in a first illumination mode, and then when the driver recognizes an obstacle, changes the illumination mode of the support illumination to a second illumination mode that is less noticeable than the first illumination mode, thereby preventing the driver from feeling annoyed.

In the second embodiment, a third illumination mode that is more noticeable than the first illumination mode is further introduced, and a light control device 10 is proposed that changes the illumination mode of the support illumination to the third illumination mode when the driver does not recognize an obstacle for a certain period of time even after support illumination has started in the first illumination mode, thereby directing the driver's attention to the obstacle. Furthermore, the light control device 10 of the second embodiment changes the illumination mode of the support illumination to the second illumination mode, as in the first embodiment, when the driver recognizes an obstacle after support illumination has started in the first or third illumination mode. The configuration of the light control system according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 1).

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the light control device 10 sets the illumination mode of the support illumination light 102 to a first illumination mode and starts support illumination by illuminating the support illumination light 102 to the obstacle 200. If the driver recognition state determination unit 12 determines that the driver does not recognize the obstacle even after a certain period of time has passed, the light control unit 13 changes the illumination mode of the support illumination light 102 illuminated to the obstacle 200 to a third illumination mode, as shown in FIG. 8.

The third illumination mode is more different from the illumination mode of the light of the lighting device 20 before an obstacle is detected, i.e., at the time of FIG. 2, than the first illumination mode. Since the support illumination light 22 is turned off at the time of FIG. 2, for example, if the illuminance of the support illumination light 102 in the third illumination mode is made higher than the illuminance of the support illumination light 102 in the first illumination mode, the third illumination mode can be made to deviate more from the illumination mode before an obstacle is detected than the first illumination mode.

When the driver does not recognize an obstacle, the illumination mode of the support illumination light changes to a third illumination mode that is significantly different from the illumination mode of the lighting device 20 before an obstacle is detected, rather than the illumination mode of the support illumination light before the driver recognizes the obstacle (first illumination mode), so that the driver's attention can be guided toward the obstacle and the driver can be encouraged to recognize the obstacle.

In this way, with the lighting control system according to the second embodiment, if the driver is late in recognizing an obstacle, the obstacle can be illuminated with light in an illumination mode that is appropriate for the driver's state of perception of the obstacle.

In addition, if the driver recognizes an obstacle after starting the support illumination, the illumination mode of the support illumination light changes to a second illumination mode that is closer to the illumination mode of the lighting device 20 before the obstacle was detected than the illumination mode of the support illumination light before the driver recognized the obstacle (first illumination mode), as in the first embodiment, so that the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

In the second embodiment as well, the illumination mode of the support illumination light 102 may be changed by changing at least one of the color tone, illuminance, and light distribution of the support illumination light 102, the degree of dynamic change of the light, and the projected illumination object.

For example, when changing the irradiation mode of the assistive irradiation light 102 depending on the degree of dynamic change of the light, the first irradiation mode may be one in which the irradiation range of the assistive irradiation light 102 oscillates as shown in FIG. 5, and the third irradiation mode may be one in which the irradiation range of the assistive irradiation light 102 oscillates with a larger amplitude than the first irradiation mode as shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the light control device 10 according to the second embodiment. The flowchart in FIG. 10 is the same as the flowchart in FIG. 7, with steps S111 and S112 added. Steps S101 to S110 are the same as those in FIG. 7, and therefore their description will be omitted.

Step S111 is executed when it is determined that the driver does not recognize the detected obstacle (when the result of step S108 is NO). In step S111, it is determined whether a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of the support irradiation.

Step S112 is executed when the driver does not recognize an obstacle and a certain period of time has elapsed since the start of support illumination (when a YES determination is made in step S111). In step S112, the light control unit 13 sets the illumination mode of the support illumination light emitted by the support illumination lamp 22 to the third illumination mode and performs support illumination.

In step S111, if a certain period of time has not elapsed since the start of support illumination (NO in step S111), the process proceeds to step S109, and the light control unit 13 sets the illumination mode of the support illumination light emitted by the support illumination lamp 22 to the first illumination mode and performs support illumination.

<Third embodiment>
In the second embodiment, when the driver recognizes an obstacle after starting the assist illumination, the same operation as in the first embodiment, that is, the illumination mode of the assist illumination is changed to the second illumination mode which is less noticeable, is performed. However, the same operation as in the first embodiment does not necessarily have to be performed. In other words, the technique of the second embodiment can be implemented without being combined with the technique of the first embodiment.

In embodiment 3, an example is shown in which the technology of embodiment 2 is implemented alone. The configuration of the light control system in embodiment 3 is the same as that of embodiment 1 (Figure 1).

Here, in the third embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the "third illumination mode" in the second embodiment, i.e., the illumination mode that is significantly different from the illumination mode of the light of the lighting device 20 before an obstacle is detected than the first illumination mode, is referred to as the "second illumination mode."

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the light control device 10 according to the third embodiment. The flowchart in FIG. 10 is the same as the flowchart in FIG. 7, except that steps S108 to S110 are replaced with steps S201 to S204. Steps S101 to S107 are the same as those in FIG. 7, and therefore their description will be omitted.

In the third embodiment, when an obstacle is detected and it is determined that the conditions for implementing support illumination are satisfied (YES in step S107), the driver recognition state determination unit 12 determines whether the driver recognizes the obstacle based on the driver information (step S201). If the driver recognizes the obstacle (YES in step S201), the light control unit 13 sets the illumination mode of the support illumination light emitted by the support illumination lamp 22 to the first illumination mode and implements support illumination (step S202). Even if the driver does not recognize the obstacle (NO in step S201) or if a certain period of time has not elapsed since the start of support illumination (NO in step S203), the process proceeds to step S202, and the light control unit 13 implements support illumination in the first illumination mode.

However, if the driver is still unaware of the obstacle (determined as NO in step S201) for a certain period of time after the start of the support illumination, a determination of YES is made in step S203, and the light control unit 13 performs support illumination in a second illumination mode (i.e., an illumination mode that is significantly different from the illumination mode of the light of the lighting device 20 before the obstacle is detected than the first illumination mode) (step S204).

When the driver does not recognize an obstacle, the illumination mode of the support illumination light changes to a second illumination mode that is significantly different from the illumination mode of the lighting device 20 before an obstacle is detected, rather than the illumination mode of the support illumination light before the driver recognizes the obstacle (first illumination mode), so that the driver's attention can be guided toward the obstacle and the driver can be encouraged to recognize the obstacle.

The lighting control system according to the third embodiment can illuminate the obstacle with light in a manner appropriate to the driver's state of awareness of the obstacle if the driver is late in recognizing the obstacle.

<Hardware configuration example>
12 and 13 are diagrams showing examples of the hardware configuration of the light control device 10. The functions of the components of the light control device 10 shown in FIG. 1 are realized by, for example, a processing circuit 50 shown in FIG. 12. That is, the light control device 10 includes a processing circuit 50 for detecting an obstacle around the vehicle, determining whether the driver of the vehicle has recognized the obstacle, and controlling the direction and manner of illumination of light emitted by the lighting device of the vehicle. When an obstacle is detected, the processing circuit 50 irradiates the obstacle with light, and controls the manner of illumination of the light irradiated to the obstacle according to the determination result of whether the driver has recognized the obstacle. The processing circuit 50 may be dedicated hardware, or may be configured using a processor (also called a central processing unit (CPU), processing device, arithmetic device, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) that executes a program stored in a memory.

When the processing circuit 50 is dedicated hardware, the processing circuit 50 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these. Each function of the components of the light control device 10 may be realized by a separate processing circuit, or these functions may be realized together by a single processing circuit.

13 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the light control device 10 in the case where the processing circuit 50 is configured using a processor 51 that executes a program. In this case, the functions of the components of the light control device 10 are realized by software, etc. (software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware). The software, etc. is written as a program and stored in the memory 52. The processor 51 realizes the functions of each part by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 52. That is, the light control device 10 has a memory 52 for storing a program that, when executed by the processor 51, results in the execution of a process of detecting an obstacle around the vehicle, a process of determining whether the driver of the vehicle has recognized the obstacle, and a process of controlling the direction and state of irradiation of the light emitted by the lighting device of the vehicle, and the processor 51 that executes the program irradiates the obstacle with light when an obstacle is detected, and controls the state of irradiation of the light irradiated to the obstacle depending on the result of the determination of whether the driver has recognized the obstacle. In other words, this program can be said to cause a computer to execute the procedure and method of operation of the components of the light control device 10.

Here, memory 52 may be, for example, non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and their drive devices, or any other storage medium that will be used in the future.

The above describes a configuration in which the functions of the components of the light control device 10 are realized either by hardware or software, etc. However, this is not limited to the above, and the configuration may be such that some of the components of the light control device 10 are realized by dedicated hardware, and other components are realized by software, etc. For example, it is possible for the functions of some components to be realized by the processing circuit 50 as dedicated hardware, and for other components, the functions to be realized by the processing circuit 50 as the processor 51 reading and executing a program stored in the memory 52.

As described above, the light control device 10 can realize each of the above-mentioned functions through hardware, software, etc., or a combination of these.

In addition, it is possible to freely combine each embodiment, and to modify or omit each embodiment as appropriate.

The above description is illustrative in all respects, and it is understood that countless variations not illustrated may be envisioned.

10 Light control device, 11 Obstacle detection unit, 12 Driver recognition state determination unit, 13 Light control unit, 20 Light device, 21 Headlight, 22 Support illumination light, 31 Surroundings detection device, 32 Driver state detection device, 50 Processing circuit, 51 Processor, 52 Memory, 100 Vehicle, 101 Forward illumination light, 102 Support illumination light, 200 Obstacle.

Claims

an obstacle detection unit that detects obstacles around the host vehicle;
a driver recognition state determination unit that determines whether or not a driver of the host vehicle has recognized the obstacle;
a lighting control unit for controlling a direction and a state of illumination of light emitted by the lighting device of the vehicle;
The light control unit irradiates light onto the obstacle when the obstacle is detected, and controls an irradiation mode of the light irradiated onto the obstacle depending on a determination result of whether the driver has recognized the obstacle.
Light control device.
When the obstacle is detected, the light control unit sets an illumination mode of the light to be irradiated onto the obstacle to a first illumination mode and starts irradiating the obstacle with light, and when it is determined that the driver has recognized the obstacle, the illumination mode of the light to be irradiated onto the obstacle is changed to a second illumination mode.
The second illumination mode is closer to the illumination mode of the light of the lighting device before the obstacle is detected than the first illumination mode.
The light control device according to claim 1 .
When it is determined that the driver recognizes the obstacle before starting to irradiate the obstacle with light, the light control unit sets the illumination mode of the light to be irradiated to the obstacle to the second illumination mode and starts irradiating the obstacle with light.
The light control device according to claim 2.
The light control unit changes the illumination mode of the light to be irradiated onto the obstacle to a third illumination mode when it is determined that the driver has not recognized the obstacle even after a certain time has elapsed since the light control unit irradiated the obstacle with light in the first illumination mode,
The third illumination mode is more different from the illumination mode of the light of the lighting device before the obstacle is detected than the first illumination mode.
The light control device according to claim 2.
When the obstacle is detected, the light control unit sets an illumination mode of the light to be irradiated onto the obstacle to a first illumination mode and starts irradiating the obstacle with light. When it is determined that the driver has not recognized the obstacle even after a certain time has elapsed since the light was irradiated onto the obstacle in the first illumination mode, the light control unit changes the illumination mode of the light to be irradiated onto the obstacle to a second illumination mode.
The second illumination mode is more different from the illumination mode of the light of the lighting device before the obstacle is detected than the first illumination mode.
The light control device according to claim 1 .
The light control unit ends the illumination of the light to the obstacle when the obstacle is out of the illumination range of the headlights of the host vehicle.
The light control device according to claim 1 .
The light control unit controls at least one of a color tone, an illuminance and a light distribution of the light, a degree of dynamic change of the light, and an illumination object to be projected, thereby controlling the illumination mode of the light to be irradiated to the obstacle. The light control device according to claim 1.
The light control device according to claim 7 , wherein the illumination object is a graphic or a character.
The first illumination mode is a dynamically changing illumination mode, and the second illumination mode is a static illumination mode.
The light control device according to claim 2.
The second illumination mode is the same as the illumination mode of the light of the lighting device before the obstacle is detected.
The light control device according to claim 2.
An obstacle detection unit of the light control device detects an obstacle around the vehicle,
a driver recognition state determination unit of the light control device determines whether or not a driver of the host vehicle has recognized the obstacle;
A light control unit of the light control device controls an irradiation direction and an irradiation mode of light emitted by a lighting device of the host vehicle,
The light control unit irradiates light onto the obstacle when the obstacle is detected, and controls an irradiation mode of the light irradiated onto the obstacle depending on a determination result of whether the driver has recognized the obstacle.
Light control method.