WO2025205287A1 - Light distribution control device and vehicle lamp system - Google Patents

Abstract

A light distribution control device (20) that is used for a vehicle headlight and capable of changing a light distribution pattern projected to the area in front of a vehicle (1), the light distribution control device comprising: a position information acquisition unit (23) that acquires current position information of the vehicle (1); an advancing direction information acquisition unit (24) that acquires current advancing direction information of the vehicle (1); an image acquisition unit (25) that acquires a current captured image of the surroundings of the vehicle (1); a lamp control unit (22) that controls the light distribution pattern; and a communication unit (26) that transmits, to an external server (34), light spot information (34A) including position information acquired during travel, advancing direction information acquired during travel, and identification information of a target which is a light spot in the captured image captured during travel. The lamp control unit (22) controls the light distribution pattern on the basis of the current captured image, the current position information, and the light spot information (34A) acquired from the external server (34) and including past position information and advancing direction information that match the current position and advancing direction of the vehicle (1).

Description

Light distribution control device and vehicle lighting system

This disclosure relates to a light distribution control device and a vehicle lighting system.

Light distribution control devices are known that use sensors, such as cameras, mounted on vehicles to detect preceding and oncoming vehicles and control the light distribution of headlights to prevent dazzling moving objects. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2.)

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-037240 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-094127

However, the light distribution control devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the problem of mistakenly detecting targets that should be illuminated, such as signs or streetlights, as moving objects, and potentially failing to illuminate the intended targets.

The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a light distribution control device and vehicle lighting system that can more reliably illuminate the object to be illuminated.

A light distribution control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes:
A light distribution control device used in a vehicle headlamp that can change a light distribution pattern projected in front of a vehicle,
a location information acquisition unit that acquires current location information of the vehicle;
a travel direction information acquisition unit that acquires information about the current travel direction of the host vehicle;
an image acquisition unit that acquires a current captured image of the surroundings of the host vehicle;
a control unit that controls the light distribution pattern;
a communication unit that transmits to an external server light spot information including the position information acquired during traveling, the traveling direction information acquired during traveling, and identification information of targets that are light spots in the captured image captured during traveling,
The control unit controls the light distribution pattern based on the light spot information including the past position information and the traveling direction information that respectively match the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle, which are obtained from the external server, the current position information, and the current captured image.

A light distribution control device according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes:
A light distribution control device used in a vehicle headlamp that can change a light distribution pattern projected in front of a vehicle,
a location information acquisition unit that acquires current location information of the vehicle;
a travel direction information acquisition unit that acquires information about the current travel direction of the host vehicle;
an image acquisition unit that acquires a current captured image of the surroundings of the host vehicle;
a control unit that controls the light distribution pattern;
a communication unit that transmits to an external server light spot information including the position information acquired during traveling, the traveling direction information acquired during traveling, and identification information of targets that are light spots in the captured image captured during traveling,
The control unit
controlling the light distribution pattern based on the light spot information including the past position information and the traveling direction information that are acquired from the external server and that respectively coincide with the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle, the current position information, and the current captured image;
Regarding the light spot that appeared in the captured image when traveling at the same point,
At the time of the first running when the light spot information has not been created, the light distribution pattern is controlled so that the periphery of at least a part of the light spots of all the light spots is not illuminated or the amount of illumination light is reduced,
During normal driving when the light spot information is created, the light distribution pattern is controlled so that the amount of light irradiated onto the periphery of at least some of the light spots from targets that are not moving objects is not reduced.

A vehicle lighting system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes:
a vehicle headlamp capable of changing a light distribution pattern projected in front of the vehicle;
A vehicle lighting system including a light distribution control device,
The light distribution control device includes:
a location information acquisition unit that acquires current location information of the vehicle;
a travel direction information acquisition unit that acquires information about the current travel direction of the host vehicle;
an image acquisition unit that acquires a current captured image of the surroundings of the host vehicle;
a control unit that controls the light distribution pattern;
a communication unit that transmits to an external server light spot information including the position information acquired during traveling, the traveling direction information acquired during traveling, and identification information of targets that are light spots in the captured image captured during traveling,
The control unit controls the light distribution pattern based on the light spot information including the past position information and the traveling direction information that respectively match the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle, which are obtained from the external server, the current position information, and the current captured image.

This disclosure provides a light distribution control device and vehicle lighting system that can more reliably illuminate the target object.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle lighting system. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a problem with the light distribution control device according to the comparative example. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the overall flow of the light spot information creation process performed by the creation unit. FIG. 4 is a table showing an example of feature amounts used to determine the type of light spot. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the light spot information created by the creating unit. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining in detail the flow of operations when the creating unit performs the light spot detection process in step S12 of FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining in detail the flow of operations when the creating unit performs the light spot tracking process in step S14 of FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining details of the process of storing the light spot information created by the creating unit. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the overall flow when the light distribution control unit performs light distribution control. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the integration process performed by the light distribution control unit. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a light distribution pattern controlled by the light distribution control unit.

An embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as this embodiment) will be described below with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the dimensions of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each component.

Furthermore, in the description of this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, the "left-right direction" and "front-rear direction" may be referred to as appropriate. These directions are relative directions set for the vehicle 1. Here, the "left-right direction" includes the "left direction" and the "right direction." The "front-rear direction" includes the "forward direction" and the "rearward direction."

<Configuration of Vehicle Lighting System>
[Overall configuration]
A vehicle lighting system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle lighting system 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle lighting system 100 includes a vehicle control device 10, a light distribution control device 20, and a vehicle lamp (vehicle headlamp) 21 that can change the light distribution pattern projected in front of the vehicle 1, all of which are mounted on the vehicle 1, and an external server 34. The vehicle 1 is also equipped with a position sensor 31, a camera 32, and a radar 33.

The position sensor 31 is, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) or a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and acquires position information indicating the current position of the vehicle 1.

The camera 32 is a camera that includes an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 32 acquires captured images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1, including the area ahead of the vehicle 1, and transmits the captured images to the vehicle control device 10 in accordance with communication standards such as in-vehicle Ethernet ("Ethernet" is a registered trademark) or MIPIA-PHY. The camera 32 may be configured as a monocular camera or a stereo camera. The camera 32 may also be provided in the light distribution control device 20.

The radar 33 includes at least one of a millimeter wave radar, a microwave radar, and a laser radar (e.g., a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) unit). For example, the LiDAR unit is configured to detect objects ahead of the vehicle 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the light distribution control device 20 is connected to the radar 33 via the vehicle control device 10. In the light distribution control processing described below, the light distribution control device 20 may use detection results from the radar 33 in addition to position information from the position sensor 31 and images captured by the camera 32. However, this is not limited to this configuration, and the light distribution control device 20 may be configured not to use detection results from the radar 33 in the light distribution control processing.

The vehicle lamp 21 includes a light source unit (not shown). The light source unit can be configured to include, for example, multiple LED elements arranged in a matrix. In this case, the light distribution control device 20 can control the on/off of each individual LED element to switch between illuminating and non-illuminating any area within the irradiatable area, or can control the current value supplied to each individual LED element to change the illuminance of any area within the irradiatable area.

Note that the external server 34 may not be included in the vehicle lighting system 100.

[Vehicle control device]
The vehicle control device 10 controls the driving of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control device 10 is configured, for example, by at least one electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit includes a computer system (e.g., a System on a Chip (SoC)) including one or more processors and one or more memories, and an electronic circuit configured of active elements such as transistors and passive elements.

The processor may include, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and TPU (Tensor Processing Unit).

The memory includes ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). For example, vehicle control programs are stored in the ROM. For example, vehicle control data, current position information, current direction of travel information, etc. are temporarily stored in the RAM.

The vehicle control device 10 includes a sensor control unit 11 and an imaging control unit 12. The sensor control unit 11 controls the position sensor 31. The imaging control unit 12 controls the camera 32 and radar 33.

[Light distribution control device]
The light distribution control device 20 includes a lamp control unit (control unit) 22 , an image acquisition unit 25 , a position information acquisition unit 23 , a traveling direction information acquisition unit 24 , a communication unit 26 , and a storage unit 27 .

The location information acquisition unit 23 acquires location information acquired by the location sensor 31 via the sensor control unit 11.

The traveling direction information acquisition unit 24 acquires information about the current traveling direction of the vehicle 1 by calculating the amount of change between the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 23 and the position information acquired immediately before that position information.

The image acquisition unit 25 acquires the current captured images acquired by the camera 32 and radar 33 via the imaging control unit 12.

The communication unit 26 is connected to an external server 34 so that it can communicate with the external server 34 via wireless communication such as 5G or Wi-Fi. The communication unit 26 may also communicate with the external server 34 via the vehicle control device 10, in which case wireless communication is performed using a device on the vehicle side.

The external server 34 is configured to store programs and various data. Note that the external server 34 may be configured from multiple servers. The external server 34 may also be constructed on-premise or may be a cloud server.

The storage unit 27 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or flash memory.

The lighting fixture control unit 22 includes a creation unit 22A and a light distribution control unit 22B. The lighting fixture control unit 22 acquires position information from a position information acquisition unit 23, traveling direction information from a traveling direction information acquisition unit 24, and captured images from an image acquisition unit 25.

The creation unit 22A in the lamp control unit 22 creates light spot information 34A regarding light spots present around the vehicle 1 based on position information, traveling direction information, and captured images acquired while the vehicle 1 was traveling in the past. The light spot information 34A includes the position of the vehicle 1 at a past point in time, the traveling direction at that point in time, and the positions of light spots in the captured images captured at that point in time. The creation unit 22A then outputs the created light spot information 34A to the communication unit 26, and the communication unit 26 transmits the light spot information 34A created by the creation unit 22A to the external server 34. When the external server 34 receives the light spot information 34A transmitted from the vehicle 1, it stores the light spot information 34A.

The light distribution control unit 22B in the lamp control unit 22 acquires light spot information 34A stored in the external server 34 via the communication unit 26. The light distribution control unit 22B then controls the light distribution pattern of the vehicle lamp 21 based on the acquired light spot information 34A, current position information, current traveling direction information, and the current captured image. For example, the light distribution control unit 22B can switch between illumination and non-illumination, or change the illuminance, for any area within the illumination-capable area.

<Explanation of the assignment>
Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining a problem with a light distribution control device according to a comparative example. As shown on the left side of Fig. 2, it is assumed that a current captured image contains light points from street lights, signs, and other vehicles that are moving bodies.

In such a case, the light distribution control device according to the comparative example may mistakenly detect light points from streetlights, signs, and other vehicles as all being from other vehicles. If such a mistaken detection occurs, as shown on the right side of Figure 2, the light distribution pattern of the vehicle lamp may be controlled so that it does not illuminate or reduces the amount of light emitted not only from light points from other vehicles, but also from light points such as signs and streetlights that should actually be illuminated. Note that in Figure 2, the area illuminated by light from the vehicle lamp is hatched.

In contrast, in the light distribution control device 20 according to the present disclosure, as described above, the light distribution control unit 22B uses the light spot information 34A created by the creation unit 22A to more appropriately control the light distribution pattern of the vehicle lamp. Below, we will explain in detail how the creation unit 22A creates and saves the light spot information 34A, and how the light distribution control unit 22B controls the light distribution.

<Creating and saving light spot information>
[Overall flow]
3 is a flowchart for explaining the overall flow of the light spot information creation process by the creation unit 22 A. First, when the creation unit 22 A acquires a captured image from the image acquisition unit 25 (step S11), it performs a detection process to detect one or more light spots included in the captured image (step S12).

Next, for each detected light spot, the creation unit 22A provisionally creates light spot information 34A that associates the position of the vehicle 1 at the time the captured image was taken, the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 at the time the image was taken, and the position of the light spot in the captured image (step S13). Note that the light spot information 34A at this point does not include tracking tags or type information, which will be described later.

Next, the creation unit 22A identifies the same light spot that appears in multiple consecutive captured images, and performs tracking of the light spot from the time the light spot appears in the captured image until the time the light spot disappears from the captured image. The creation unit 22A then adds the same tracking tag to multiple pieces of light spot information 34A related to the same light spot (step S14).

Next, the creation unit 22A acquires the characteristic quantities of the light spot based on multiple pieces of light spot information 34A that have the same tracking tag attached (step S15).

Figure 4 is a table showing an example of feature quantities used to determine the type of light spot. As shown in Figure 4, feature quantities of a target object include, for example, the X and Y coordinates in the captured image when it appears, the X and Y coordinates in the captured image when it disappears, and the average, maximum, and minimum values of the number of pixels in the captured image. The X and Y coordinates in the captured image refer to, for example, the center position of the captured image as the origin, with the horizontal position of the area containing the light spot (hereinafter referred to as the "light spot area") being the X coordinate and the vertical position of the light spot being the Y coordinate.

Furthermore, the target's features include, for example, the number of frames of the tracked captured image, the direction of movement from the time of appearance to the time of disappearance in the captured image, the total amount of movement, and the amount of movement per frame.

Furthermore, the feature quantities of a target object include, for example, the difference in X coordinate, the difference in Y coordinate, the total value of the X coordinate, and the total value of the Y coordinate between when the target appears and when it disappears in the captured image. Further, the feature quantities of a target object include, for example, the average values of the R (Red) value, G (Green) value, B (Blue) value, H (Hue) value, S (Saturation) value, and V (Value) values in the captured image, as well as the difference between each value when the target appears and when it disappears. Further, the feature quantities of a target include, for example, the average value of circularity, the circularity at when the target appears, the circularity at when it disappears, and the difference in circularity between when the target appears and when it disappears.

Returning to the flowchart shown in Figure 3, the creation unit 22A performs a type determination process to determine the type of the target object, which is a light spot, by using these acquired feature amounts, for example, in a type determination program stored in advance (step S16). The type of target object is a street light, sign, etc.

The type determination program is, for example, a program constructed using supervised learning with a multi-layer neural network. For example, the type determination program may be an analytical algorithm that uses supervised learning, such as LightGBM.

Next, the creation unit 22A adds type information indicating the determined type to each piece of light spot information 34A used to acquire the feature amount (step S17). The creation unit 22A then stores the light spot information 34A created by this process in the external server 34 via the communication unit 26 (step S18).

Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a database of light spot information 34A created by creation unit 22A. Each piece of light spot information 34A shown in Figure 5 includes the latitude and longitude indicating the position of vehicle 1, the angle indicating the direction of travel of vehicle 1 when north is 0 degrees, target type information, the X and Y coordinates of the light spot area in the captured image, and a tracking tag. Target type information is information that indicates the type of target the light spot is. For example, target type information is information that indicates whether the light spot is another vehicle, a street light, or a sign.

For example, one piece of light spot information 34A shown in Figure 5 indicates that the type information of the light spot included in an image captured when vehicle 1's latitude is 35.10839 degrees, vehicle 1's longitude is 138.362 degrees, and vehicle 1's driving direction is -40.8264 degrees is 3. For example, when the type information is 3, the light spot indicates a street light. Furthermore, light spot information 34A further indicates that the X coordinate of the light spot area including the light spot is in the range of 3.4375 to 3.66666667, the Y coordinate of the light spot area is 4.5037037 to 4.68148148, and the tracking tag is 328.

[Light spot detection process]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining in detail the flow of operations when the creation unit 22A performs the light spot detection process in step S12 of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the creation unit 22A performs a grayscale conversion process on the captured image (step S21). Next, the creation unit 22A performs a blurring process on the captured image using a Gaussian filter or the like to remove noise (step S22). Next, the creation unit 22A performs a binarization process on the captured image (step S23) and assigns a label to each group of pixels converted to white (step S24).

Next, the creation unit 22A acquires information such as coordinates, area, and shape for each labeled pixel group (step S25). Then, based on the acquired information, the creation unit 22A excludes pixel groups that satisfy predetermined conditions, such as pixel groups with elongated shapes or pixel groups whose area is equal to or less than a predetermined value, from among the multiple labeled pixel groups (step S26). This makes it possible to exclude light reflected from white lines, etc., from the targets to be determined as types of targets.

[Light spot tracking process]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining in detail the flow of operations when the creation unit 22A performs the light spot tracking process in step S14 of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the creation unit 22A acquires the captured image of the Nth frame and the captured image of the N+1th frame (step S31).

Next, the creation unit 22A checks whether the change between the coordinates of the light spot area in the captured image of the Nth frame and the coordinates of the light spot area in the captured image of the N+1th frame is within a predetermined range (step S32). If the change is within the predetermined range ("YES" in step S32), the creation unit 22A determines that the light points captured in each of these light spot areas are the same target (step S33).

Then, the creation unit 22A associates the light spot information corresponding to these light spot areas with each other. That is, as described above, the creation unit 22A attaches the same tracking tag to these corresponding pieces of light spot information (step S14 shown in Figure 3). By repeating this process, the creation unit 22A can track light spots that are the same target.

On the other hand, if the change is not within the predetermined range ("NO" in step S32), the creation unit 22A determines that the light spots reflected in each of these light spot areas are different targets (step S34) and terminates the tracking process.

Note that the method for associating light spot areas that represent the same target is not limited to the method described above. For example, the creation unit 22A may be configured to perform light spot tracking processing using an extended Kalman filter or the like.

[Storage of light spot information]
Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining details of the storage process of light spot information created by the creation unit 22A. As shown in Fig. 8, the creation unit 22A divides the area indicated by the map information into a plurality of areas and stores light spot information 34A for each area in the external server 34. Specifically, the creation unit 22A performs primary mesh processing to divide the area indicated by the map information into a plurality of areas, for example, by dividing the area in east-west directions by 2/3 degrees of latitude and by dividing the area in north-south directions by 1 degree of longitude.

The creation unit 22A also performs secondary mesh processing, which divides each area that has undergone primary mesh processing into smaller areas, for example by dividing it into eight equal parts in each of the east-west and north-south directions.

Furthermore, the creation unit 22A performs tertiary mesh processing, dividing each area that has undergone secondary mesh processing into smaller areas, for example by dividing it into ten equal parts in each of the east-west and north-south directions. The creation unit 22A then saves, for each area that has undergone tertiary mesh processing, light spot information 34A created from the captured image of that area on the external server 34.

Specifically, a folder for storing light spot information 34A is created on the external server 34 for each area for which tertiary mesh processing has been performed. Each time the creation unit 22A creates light spot information 34A, it identifies the area and stores the light spot information 34A in the folder for the identified area from among the multiple folders stored on the external server 34.

When the creation unit 22A acquires position information, progress report information, and captured images, it repeatedly creates and saves light spot information 34A. As a result, multiple pieces of light spot information 34A are accumulated on the external server 34.

<Light distribution control by light distribution control unit>
9 is a flowchart illustrating the overall flow of light distribution control performed by the light distribution control unit 22B. First, the light distribution control unit 22B identifies an area that includes the current position of the vehicle 1 from among the multiple areas for which tertiary mesh processing has been performed, based on current position information (step S51).

Next, the light distribution control unit 22B identifies a folder corresponding to the identified area from among the multiple folders stored in the external server 34. Then, from the light spot information 34A stored in the identified folder, the light distribution control unit 22B identifies one or more pieces of light spot information 34A including past position information and traveling direction information that respectively match the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and acquires this information from the external server 34. For example, the light distribution control unit 22B identifies and acquires light spot information 34A in which the past position of the vehicle 1 is included within a predetermined radius R from the current position of the vehicle 1, and the past traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is included within a predetermined angle S from the current traveling direction of the vehicle 1 (step S52).

Next, the light distribution control unit 22B detects light spot areas contained in the current captured image (step S53). Next, based on the multiple light spot information 34A acquired in step S52, the light distribution control unit 22B identifies light spot areas contained in the current captured image that contain light spots other than those of moving objects (step S54).

Here, the multiple pieces of light spot information 34A extracted by the light distribution control unit 22B often include multiple pieces of light spot information 34A with the same target, i.e., multiple pieces of light spot information 34A with the same tracking tag. For this reason, the light distribution control unit 22B performs an integration process that collectively handles multiple pieces of light spot information 34A with the same target (step S55).

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the integration process performed by the light distribution control unit 22B. In more detail, the light distribution control unit 22B first integrates multiple pieces of light spot information 34A with the same tracking tag for each trip of the vehicle 1.

Specifically, the light distribution control unit 22B acquires a first representative value of the XY coordinates of the light spot area indicated by each of the multiple pieces of light spot information 34A with the same tracking tag, out of the multiple pieces of light spot information 34A acquired during the first run of the vehicle 1. The first representative value is, for example, the average value or median value of the XY coordinates indicated by each of the multiple pieces of light spot information 34A.

Furthermore, the light distribution control unit 22B acquires a first representative value of the XY coordinates of the light spot area indicated by each of the multiple pieces of light spot information 34A with the same tracking tag, out of the multiple pieces of light spot information 34A acquired when the vehicle 1 travels through the same area for the second time. In this way, the light distribution control unit 22B integrates the multiple pieces of light spot information 34A and acquires a first representative value each time the vehicle 1 travels.

Furthermore, the light distribution control unit 22B extracts, from the first representative values for each run of the vehicle 1, multiple first representative values whose X and Y coordinates of the light spot area indicated by each first representative value fall within a predetermined range, i.e., multiple first representative values whose X and Y coordinate differences are small. The light distribution control unit 22B then obtains a second representative value, which is a representative value of the multiple extracted first representative values. The second representative value is, for example, the average or median of the multiple first representative values. This allows the light distribution control unit 22B to combine multiple X and Y coordinates corresponding to the same target into a single X and Y coordinate.

Note that the light distribution control unit 22B is not limited to a configuration that performs the integration process described above; for example, it may perform the integration process by using a clustering process such as the X-means method.

Returning to the flowchart shown in Figure 9, the light distribution control unit 22B compares the XY coordinates in the captured image with the XY coordinates of the second representative values for each light spot area included in the current captured image.

Here, it is assumed that the difference between the light spot area included in the current captured image and the XY coordinates that are the second representative value is less than a predetermined value. In this case, the light distribution control unit 22B determines that the light points included in this light spot area are the same as the target object common to the multiple pieces of light spot information 34A used to obtain the second representative value. In this way, the light distribution control unit 22B determines the target object for each light spot area included in the current captured image (step S56).

Then, if the type of light spot included in the currently captured image is a moving object, the light distribution control unit 22B controls the light distribution pattern so that the area around the light spot is not illuminated or the amount of light illuminated around the light spot is reduced. On the other hand, if the type of light spot included in the currently captured image is other than a moving object, the light distribution control unit 22B controls the light distribution pattern so that the area around the light spot is illuminated without reducing the amount of light illuminated around the light spot (step S57).

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a light distribution pattern controlled by light distribution control unit 22B. Similar to the captured image shown in FIG. 2, the current captured image includes light spot area 40A, which shows light spots from street lamps 40, light spot area 41A, which shows light spots from signs 41, and light spot area 42A, which shows light spots from other vehicles 42, which are moving bodies (left side of FIG. 11).

In such a case, the light distribution control unit 22B can identify that light spot area 40A and light spot area 41A are light spots of a target other than a moving object, and that light spot area 42A is a light spot of a target that is a moving object. Therefore, the light distribution control unit 22B can appropriately control the light distribution pattern so that light spot area 40A and light spot area 41A are irradiated with the same amount of light, and light spot area 42A is irradiated with a reduced amount of light.

Note that while vehicle 1 is traveling in an area where it is traveling for the first time, there is no light spot information 34A containing past position information and traveling direction information that respectively match the current position and traveling direction of vehicle 1. For this reason, light distribution control unit 22B may be configured not to control the light distribution pattern as described above, for example, if the number of light spot information 34A containing past position information and traveling direction information that respectively match the current position and traveling direction of vehicle 1 is less than a predetermined value.

In other words, in such a case, the light distribution control unit 22B, like the light distribution control device according to the comparative example described above, controls the light distribution pattern so that light from the vehicle lamp 21 is not irradiated onto all of the light spot areas 40A, 41A, and 42A included in the captured image shown in FIG. 11, or the amount of light irradiated is reduced.

As described above, in the light distribution control device 20 according to the present disclosure, the lamp control unit 22 controls the light distribution pattern based on light spot information including past position information and past traveling direction information that respectively match the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle 1, acquired from the external server 34, as well as current position information and the current captured image.

With this configuration, it is possible to estimate the target of a light spot in the current captured image and determine whether or not the light distribution from the vehicle lamp should be irradiated onto that light spot, or whether or not to reduce the amount of light irradiated, thereby more appropriately controlling the light distribution pattern of the vehicle headlamp and more reliably irradiating the target object. Furthermore, by using the external server 34, vehicle 1 can use light spot information created by other vehicles, and other vehicles can use light spot information created by vehicle 1.

Furthermore, in the light distribution control device 20, if the type of target that is a light spot included in the currently captured image is a moving object, the lighting fixture control unit 22 controls the light distribution pattern so that the area around the light spot is not illuminated or the amount of light illuminated around the light spot is reduced. On the other hand, if the type of target that is a light spot included in the currently captured image is other than a moving object, the lighting fixture control unit 22 controls the light distribution pattern so that the area around the light spot is illuminated without reducing the amount of light illuminated around the light spot.

In this way, visibility can be ensured by illuminating objects that need to be illuminated, such as signs and streetlights, and by limiting illumination for moving objects, dazzling of moving objects can be prevented, improving safety.

In addition, in the light distribution control device 20, the creation unit 22A identifies multiple pieces of light spot information 34A for the same target from the multiple pieces of light spot information 34A based on multiple captured images acquired consecutively. The creation unit 22A also acquires feature amounts for the target based on the identified multiple pieces of light spot information 34A, and determines the type of the target based on the acquired feature amounts.

In this way, by using multiple light spot information for the same target, the type of target can be determined more accurately.

In addition, in the light distribution control device 20, the creation unit 22A identifies multiple light spot information 34A of the target based on multiple captured images acquired during the period from the appearance to the disappearance of the same target, out of multiple captured images acquired consecutively.

In this way, by determining the type of target using captured images from the time the target appears until it disappears, the accuracy of type determination can be further improved.

In addition, in the light distribution control device 20, the light spot information 34A created by the creation unit 22A further indicates the position of the light spot in the captured image. Furthermore, if the position of the light spot in the captured image indicated by each piece of light spot information 34A among multiple pieces of light spot information 34A for the same target falls within a predetermined range, the lighting fixture control unit 22 obtains a representative value of the position indicated by each piece of light spot information 34A, and uses this representative value to control the light distribution pattern.

This configuration reduces the amount of data used to control the light distribution pattern.

Furthermore, in the light distribution control device 20, the creation unit 22A creates new light spot information 34A based on the newly acquired captured image and stores the newly created light spot information in the external server 34.

This configuration allows light spot information to be added or updated, enabling more appropriate control of the light distribution pattern of vehicle headlights.

In addition, in the light distribution control device 20, the light spot information created by the creation unit 22A is stored in one of multiple groups depending on the capture position of the captured image used to create the information. The lighting fixture control unit 22 identifies one of the multiple groups based on newly acquired position information, and controls the light distribution pattern based on one or more pieces of light spot information 34A included in the identified group.

This configuration reduces the amount of light spot information data that is read when controlling the light distribution pattern.

Furthermore, in the light distribution control device 20, if the number of light spot information 34A containing past position information and traveling direction information that respectively match the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is less than a predetermined value, the lamp control unit 22 controls the light distribution pattern so that the area around the light spot in the current captured image is not illuminated or the amount of light illuminated around the light spot is reduced. On the other hand, if the number is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the lamp control unit 22 determines the type of target that is the light spot in the current captured image based on the light spot information, current position information, and current captured image, and if it determines that the target is other than a moving object, controls the light distribution pattern so that the amount of light illuminated around the target is not reduced.

Furthermore, in the light distribution control device 20, when driving at the same location, the lamp control unit 22 controls the light distribution pattern so that, for light spots that appear in the captured image obtained, the periphery of at least some of the light spots is not illuminated or the amount of illumination is reduced during the first driving when light spot information 34A is not stored in the external server 34. On the other hand, during normal driving when light spot information 34A is stored in the external server 34, the lamp control unit 22 controls the light distribution pattern so that the periphery of at least some of the light spots from targets that are not moving is illuminated without reducing the amount of illumination.

<Modification>
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration has been described in which the creation unit 22A in the light distribution control device 20 creates the light spot information 34A, but instead of the creation unit 22A, the external server 34 may create the light spot information 34A.

For example, the creation unit 22A associates the captured image with the position information of the vehicle 1 at the time the captured image was captured and the traveling direction information of the vehicle 1 at the time the image was captured, and transmits this to the external server 34 via the communication unit 26.

When the external server 34 receives a set of captured images, position information, and traveling direction information transmitted from the vehicle 1, it can create light spot information 34A based on this information, in the same way as when the creation unit 22A creates light spot information 34A, and store the created light spot information 34A. In this way, when the external server 34 is configured to create light spot information 34A, the processing load on the lamp control unit 22 in the vehicle 1 can be reduced.

As explained above, this specification discloses the following:

(1) A light distribution control device used in a vehicle headlamp that can change a light distribution pattern projected in front of a vehicle,
a location information acquisition unit that acquires current location information of the vehicle;
a travel direction information acquisition unit that acquires information about the current travel direction of the host vehicle;
an image acquisition unit that acquires a current captured image of the surroundings of the host vehicle;
a control unit that controls the light distribution pattern;
a communication unit that transmits to an external server light spot information including the position information acquired during traveling, the traveling direction information acquired during traveling, and identification information of targets that are light spots in the captured image captured during traveling,
The control unit is a light distribution control device that controls the light distribution pattern based on the light spot information including past position information and traveling direction information that respectively match the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle, which are obtained from the external server, the current position information, and the current captured image.

(2) The control unit
When the type of the target that is a light point included in the current captured image is a moving body, the light distribution pattern is controlled so that the periphery of the light point is not illuminated or the amount of light illuminated to the periphery of the light point is reduced;
If the type of target object that is a light point included in the current captured image is other than a moving object, the light distribution pattern is controlled so that the amount of light irradiated around the light point is not reduced.

(3) The light distribution control device further includes:
a creating unit that creates the light spot information,
The creation unit
Identifying a plurality of pieces of light spot information of the same target from the plurality of pieces of light spot information based on a plurality of captured images successively acquired by the image acquisition unit;
acquiring a feature amount of the target based on the identified plurality of pieces of light spot information;
The light distribution control device according to item (1) or (2), wherein a type of the target is determined based on the feature amount.

(4) The light distribution control device described in item (3), wherein the creation unit identifies the plurality of light spot information of the target based on a plurality of captured images acquired during the period from the appearance to the disappearance of the same target, among the plurality of captured images acquired consecutively.

(5) The light spot information further indicates a position of the light spot in the captured image,
The light distribution control device according to item (3) or (4), wherein, when the position of a light spot in the captured image indicated by each of the plurality of light spot information of the same target falls within a predetermined range, the control unit acquires a representative value of the position indicated by each of the light spot information, and controls the light distribution pattern using the representative value.

(6) The light distribution control device further includes:
a creating unit that creates the light spot information,
The creation unit creates new light spot information based on the captured image newly acquired by the image acquisition unit, and stores the newly created light spot information in the external server. A light distribution control device described in any one of items (1) to (5).

(7) The light spot information is divided into any one of a plurality of sets according to the imaging position of the captured image used for creation and stored in the external server,
The control unit identifies one of the plurality of groups based on the newly acquired position information, and controls the light distribution pattern based on one or more pieces of light spot information included in the identified group.

(8) A light distribution control device used in a vehicle headlamp that can change a light distribution pattern projected in front of the vehicle,
a location information acquisition unit that acquires current location information of the vehicle;
a travel direction information acquisition unit that acquires information about the current travel direction of the host vehicle;
an image acquisition unit that acquires a current captured image of the surroundings of the host vehicle;
a control unit that controls the light distribution pattern;
a communication unit that transmits to an external server light spot information including the position information acquired during traveling, the traveling direction information acquired during traveling, and identification information of targets that are light spots in the captured image captured during traveling,
The control unit
controlling the light distribution pattern based on the light spot information including the past position information and the traveling direction information that are acquired from the external server and that respectively coincide with the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle, the current position information, and the current captured image;
Regarding the light spot that appeared in the captured image when traveling at the same point,
At the time of the first running when the light spot information has not been created, the light distribution pattern is controlled so that the periphery of at least a part of the light spots of all the light spots is not illuminated or the amount of illumination light is reduced,
A light distribution control device that controls the light distribution pattern so that, during normal driving when the light spot information is created, the amount of light irradiated onto the periphery of at least some of the light spots from targets that are not moving objects is not reduced.

(9) A vehicle headlamp capable of changing a light distribution pattern projected in front of the vehicle;
A vehicle lighting system including a light distribution control device,
The light distribution control device includes:
a location information acquisition unit that acquires current location information of the vehicle;
a travel direction information acquisition unit that acquires information about the current travel direction of the host vehicle;
an image acquisition unit that acquires a current captured image of the surroundings of the host vehicle;
a control unit that controls the light distribution pattern;
a communication unit that transmits to an external server light spot information including the position information acquired during traveling, the traveling direction information acquired during traveling, and identification information of targets that are light spots in the captured image captured during traveling,
The control unit controls the light distribution pattern based on the light spot information including the past position information and the past traveling direction information that match the current position and the current traveling direction of the vehicle, which are obtained from the external server, the current position information, and the current captured image.

The above describes an embodiment of the present disclosure, but it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of this embodiment. This embodiment is merely an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications to the embodiment are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and the scope of equivalents thereof.

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the light distribution control device 20 acquires light spot information 34A and controls the light distribution of the vehicle lamp 21 based on the acquired light spot information 34A, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle 1 may be provided with a device that acquires light spot information 34A and a device that controls light distribution based on the light spot information 34A, separately.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-051258, filed March 27, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims (9)

A light distribution control device used in a vehicle headlamp that can change a light distribution pattern projected in front of a vehicle,
a location information acquisition unit that acquires current location information of the vehicle;
a travel direction information acquisition unit that acquires information about the current travel direction of the host vehicle;
an image acquisition unit that acquires a current captured image of the surroundings of the host vehicle;
a control unit that controls the light distribution pattern;
a communication unit that transmits to an external server light spot information including the position information acquired during traveling, the traveling direction information acquired during traveling, and identification information of targets that are light spots in the captured image captured during traveling,
The control unit is a light distribution control device that controls the light distribution pattern based on the light spot information including past position information and traveling direction information that respectively match the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle, which are obtained from the external server, the current position information, and the current captured image. The control unit
When the type of the target that is a light point included in the current captured image is a moving body, the light distribution pattern is controlled so that the periphery of the light point is not illuminated or the amount of light illuminated to the periphery of the light point is reduced;
2. The light distribution control device according to claim 1, wherein, when a type of a target that is a light point included in the current captured image is other than a moving object, the light distribution pattern is controlled so as to irradiate the periphery of the light point without reducing the amount of light irradiated thereto. The light distribution control device further includes:
a creating unit that creates the light spot information,
The creation unit
Identifying a plurality of pieces of light spot information of the same target from the plurality of pieces of light spot information based on a plurality of captured images successively acquired by the image acquisition unit;
acquiring a feature amount of the target based on the identified plurality of pieces of light spot information;
The light distribution control device according to claim 1 , wherein a type of the target is determined based on the feature amount. The light distribution control device according to claim 3, wherein the creation unit identifies the plurality of light spot information of the target based on a plurality of captured images acquired during a period from the appearance to the disappearance of the same target, among the plurality of captured images acquired consecutively. The light spot information further indicates the position of the light spot in the captured image,
4. The light distribution control device according to claim 3, wherein when the positions of the light points in the captured image indicated by each of the plurality of light spot information of the same target are within a predetermined range, the control unit acquires a representative value of the positions indicated by each of the light spot information, and controls the light distribution pattern using the representative value. The light distribution control device further includes:
a creating unit that creates the light spot information,
The light distribution control device according to claim 1 , wherein the creation unit creates new light spot information based on the captured image newly acquired by the image acquisition unit, and stores the newly created light spot information in the external server. The light spot information is divided into any one of a plurality of sets according to the imaging positions of the captured images used for creation and stored in the external server,
2. The light distribution control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit identifies one of the plurality of groups based on the newly acquired position information, and controls the light distribution pattern based on one or more of the light spot information included in the identified group. A light distribution control device used in a vehicle headlamp that can change a light distribution pattern projected in front of a vehicle,
a location information acquisition unit that acquires current location information of the vehicle;
a travel direction information acquisition unit that acquires information about the current travel direction of the host vehicle;
an image acquisition unit that acquires a current captured image of the surroundings of the host vehicle;
a control unit that controls the light distribution pattern;
a communication unit that transmits to an external server light spot information including the position information acquired during traveling, the traveling direction information acquired during traveling, and identification information of targets that are light spots in the captured image captured during traveling,
The control unit
controlling the light distribution pattern based on the light spot information including the past position information and the traveling direction information that are acquired from the external server and that respectively coincide with the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle, the current position information, and the current captured image;
Regarding the light spot that appeared in the captured image when traveling at the same point,
At the time of the first running when the light spot information has not been created, the light distribution pattern is controlled so that the periphery of at least a part of the light spots of all the light spots is not illuminated or the amount of illumination light is reduced,
A light distribution control device that controls the light distribution pattern so that, during normal driving when the light spot information is created, the amount of light irradiated onto the periphery of at least some of the light spots from targets that are not moving objects is not reduced. a vehicle headlamp capable of changing a light distribution pattern projected in front of the vehicle;
A vehicle lighting system including a light distribution control device,
The light distribution control device includes:
a location information acquisition unit that acquires current location information of the vehicle;
a travel direction information acquisition unit that acquires information about the current travel direction of the host vehicle;
an image acquisition unit that acquires a current captured image of the surroundings of the host vehicle;
a control unit that controls the light distribution pattern;
a communication unit that transmits to an external server light spot information including the position information acquired during traveling, the traveling direction information acquired during traveling, and identification information of targets that are light spots in the captured image captured during traveling,
The control unit controls the light distribution pattern based on the light spot information including the past position information and the past traveling direction information that match the current position and the current traveling direction of the vehicle, which are obtained from the external server, the current position information, and the current captured image.