JP6287969B2 - Automobile driving support device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automobile driving support device that supports a non-driving task in which a driver visually observes a navigation display screen.

  In general, while driving a car, the driver visually recognizes white lines and curbs located on both sides of the driving lane in order to travel stably in the host vehicle lane. Response to is delayed.

  Here, the non-driving task refers to in-vehicle devices and their display units that move the driver's line of sight, such as the driver visually observing the navigation display screen, selecting music with an audio device, or making a call using a wireless telephone device. It is an operation.

  In other words, since the surroundings are bright in the daytime, the driver can see the white line with peripheral vision, but the surroundings are dark at night, so the driver visually recognizes the white line on the center line. The reaction for performing the non-driving task while maintaining a certain stable running is delayed.

  Incidentally, in recent years, headlights to which LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamps that are brighter and more controllable than halogen lamps have been used (hereinafter referred to as “LEDs”). The headlight is referred to as “headlight”, and the headlight to which the halogen lamp is applied is referred to as “halogen headlight”).

  Inventors of the present invention, when using such LED headlights at night, compared with daytime, the operation unit and display unit provided in the vehicle, specifically, the driver's line of sight movement. It has been found that the driver's out-of-drive task for the operation unit and the display unit that require an operation is greatly reduced (for example, the operation time is long or the operation start timing is delayed).

  In particular, it has been found that the movement of the line of sight to a non-driving task is lower when an LED headlight is used than when a halogen headlight is used. The present inventor has a glare phenomenon due to the difference in brightness between the road surface illuminated by the LED headlight and the non-illuminated peripheral part, and this glare phenomenon deteriorates the spatial cognitive characteristics of peripheral vision, It was assumed that due to the increase in the load of central vision, the decrease in the movement of the line of sight to the non-driving task described above occurred.

  By the way, in patent document 1, when it determines with the preceding vehicle position existing in the irradiation range by the headlamp of the own vehicle, in order to reduce glare and annoyance felt by the driver of the preceding vehicle, A high beam variable headlamp system is disclosed in which the irradiation range is changed so that the vehicle position is outside the irradiation range of the headlamp of the host vehicle.

  However, this Patent Document 1 does not disclose or suggest any relationship between the line-of-sight movement to the non-driving task and the irradiation range of the headlight.

JP 2014-51190 A

  Therefore, the present invention secures the illuminance of the surrounding area by the LED headlight when requesting a task outside of driving, enhances the driver's understanding of the behavior of the vehicle, and gives the driver a margin while maintaining a certain stable driving. An object of the present invention is to provide an automobile driving support device that can speed up the movement of the line of sight to an outside task.

  An automobile driving assistance apparatus according to the present invention is an automobile driving assistance apparatus that supports a driver's non-driving task, and includes an LED headlight having a variable irradiation range and a central area on a road surface that extends in front of the vehicle. And a mode in which the LED headlight is used to irradiate the central region, and a mode in which the peripheral region is irradiated in addition to the central region. And a headlight control means for controlling the irradiation and a non-driving task detection means for detecting a non-driving task request of the driver, and the non-driving task is detected from the time when the non-driving task request is detected by the non-driving task detection means. Until the end, the headlight control means controls the irradiation of the central area and the peripheral area.

  According to the above configuration, the headlight control means performs irradiation control to the aspect in which the LED headlight irradiates the central area on the road surface and the aspect in which the peripheral area is irradiated in addition to the central area. The non-driving task detection means detects the non-driving task request of the driver. From the time when the non-driving task request is detected by the non-driving task detection means to the end of the non-driving task, the headlight control means Irradiation control is performed on the region and the peripheral region.

  As a result, when a non-driving task is requested, the illuminance of the surrounding area by the LED headlight can be secured, and the driver can visually recognize the white line or / and the curb in the peripheral view. In addition, while maintaining a certain stable running, it is possible to give a margin to the driver and speed up the line-of-sight movement to the non-driving task.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the amount of light at the time of irradiation in the peripheral region is set to about 10 times the amount of light in the central region.

The above configuration has the following effects.
That is, if the amount of light in the peripheral area is excessively increased, glare increases and the nighttime spatial cognitive characteristics are deteriorated due to stress. The most effective light amount according to the visual sensitivity can be achieved, and as a result, it is possible to increase the ease of movement of the line of sight to the non-driving task.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the peripheral area is set to an area on an extension line connecting the driver's eye point and the left and right front pillars.

The above configuration has the following effects.
That is, by the above setting, the viewing angle when the driver visually recognizes the front of the host vehicle is set to about 40 degrees, and this angle corresponds to a portion where cells of the human eye contributing to peripheral vision are densely arranged, Cells react properly to external movements. Since it is possible to achieve a light distribution that supplements vision in a place where the cell density of the human eye is high, it is possible to further facilitate the movement of the line of sight to a task outside driving.

  According to the present invention, when a task other than driving is requested, the illuminance of the surrounding area by the LED headlight is secured, the behavior of the driver is grasped, the driver is given a margin while maintaining a certain stable driving, and driving There is an effect that the movement of the line of sight to the outside task can be accelerated.

Control circuit block diagram of automobile driving support device of the present invention (A) is a schematic block diagram of high beam LED, (b) is explanatory drawing which shows the central area irradiation aspect by high beam LED, (c) is explanatory drawing which shows the irradiation aspect of the center area | region and peripheral area by high beam LED. Explanatory drawing which shows the structure of low beam LED Characteristic diagram showing experimental results on the difference in driver response time between daytime and nighttime It is a figure which shows the gaze distribution of the driver measured when driving | running | working normally at high speed, (a) is a figure of the gaze distribution measured in the daytime, (b) is measured when the low beam LED is used at night. (C) is a diagram of the gaze distribution measured when using a halogen low beam at night. Explanatory diagram showing the difference in road surface illuminance between LED headlights and halogen headlights Characteristics of photosensitivity to retinal eccentricity during daytime Characteristic diagram of photosensitivity with respect to retinal eccentricity when low beam LED is irradiated at night Characteristic diagram that verifies the characteristics of light sensitivity to retinal eccentricity under different light distribution conditions Flow chart showing headlight control processing Explanatory diagram showing an example of the driver's field of view in the daytime Explanatory drawing which shows an example of a driver's field of view at the time of central region irradiation at night Explanatory diagram showing an example of the driver's field of view when illuminating the central and peripheral areas at night

  When requesting a non-driving task, the illuminance in the surrounding area is secured by LED headlights, and the driver's behavior of the vehicle is improved. In an automobile driving support device for supporting a driver's non-driving task, an LED headlight having a variable irradiation range, a central area on a road surface extending in front of the host vehicle, and a host vehicle traveling lane Of the white line and / or the peripheral area including the curb located on both sides of the LED is controlled to irradiate the central area with the LED headlight and the peripheral area in addition to the central area. Headlight control means and non-driving task detection means for detecting a driver's non-driving task request, and driving by the non-driving task detection means. Between the time the task request is detected to operation outside task termination, it was achieved by configuring to irradiation control and the central region and the peripheral region by the headlight control unit.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a driving support apparatus for an automobile, and FIG. 1 is a control circuit block diagram of the driving support apparatus.

  In FIG. 1, a headlight control system 100 constituting a driving support apparatus includes a CP 10 as a control means. The CPU 10 includes a driver monitoring camera 11, a radio telephone device 12, a navigation device 13, an audio device 14, a brake. An LED headlight 30 comprising a first high beam LED 21, a second high beam LED 22, a third high beam LED 23, a fourth high beam LED 24, and a low beam LED 25 in accordance with a program stored in the ROM 17 by input from the pedal stroke sensor 15 and the vehicle interior display 16. The RAM 18 as a storage means stores necessary data.

  The driver monitoring camera 11 is a camera that is provided in the passenger compartment and shoots the driver's eyeballs and hand movements. The driver monitoring camera 11 supplies a signal corresponding to the captured image data to the CPU 10.

  The wireless telephone device 12 includes a communication terminal in which a transmitter and receiver that can communicate with the outside of the vehicle are integrated, and in this embodiment, in particular, a call end signal is supplied to the CPU 10.

  The navigation device 13 is a system that displays the position of the host vehicle detected by GPS on a map screen and provides route information by voice or screen display, and includes a display device that visually displays the map screen.

  The audio device 14 can receive AM (amplitude modulation) broadcast and FM (frequency modulation) broadcast, and reads music and other information recorded on an MD (magnetic disk), a CD (compact disk), a memory card, etc. It is configured to be reproducible, and includes an operation unit that performs channel selection or music selection operation.

  The brake pedal stroke sensor 15 detects the stroke of the brake pedal that the driver depresses, detects a braking operation, and outputs this braking signal to the CPU 10.

  When there is a possibility of a rear-end collision with the preceding vehicle, the vehicle interior display 16 alerts the driver to that effect, and when the vehicle approaches an intersection with a history of frequent traffic accidents, The driver is alerted to indicate that it is before a so-called near-miss intersection, and a rear-end warning display signal or a near-cross signal is output to the CPU 10.

  The LED headlight 30 is a first high beam LED 21, a second high beam LED 22, a third high beam LED 23, and a fourth high beam LED 24 (hereinafter referred to as “ And a low beam LED 25 for irradiating light in the vicinity of the host vehicle downward from the high beam LED 31. The high beam LED 31 and the low beam LED 25 are controlled by the CPU 10 (specifically, the low beam LED 25 may be controlled by the CPU 10 via an actuator (not shown)).

  Here, the high beam LED 31 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2A is a schematic configuration diagram of the high beam LED 31, and FIGS. 2B and 2C are schematic diagrams showing specific examples of irradiation patterns by the high beam LED 31, specifically, FIG. (B) and (c) of FIG. 5 are views of the irradiation range of the high beam LED 31 as viewed from above.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the high beam LED 31 includes four segments (packages) in which a first high beam LED 21, a second high beam LED 22, a third high beam LED 23, and a fourth high beam LED 24 are arranged in parallel in the vehicle width direction. Has been. The high beam LED 31 is configured to be individually switched on / off by the first high beam LED 21, the second high beam LED 22, the third high beam LED 23, and the fourth high beam LED 24 under the control of the CPU 10, and the first high beam LED 21. The second high beam LED 22, the third high beam LED 23, and the fourth high beam LED 24 can be individually changed in illuminance (light quantity). Such a high beam LED 31 is employed in each of the right and left LED headlights 30 of the vehicle.

  2B and 2C, R21 indicates the irradiation range of the right first high beam LED 21, R22 indicates the irradiation range of the right second high beam LED 22, and R23 indicates the irradiation range of the right third high beam LED 23. R24 indicates an irradiation range of the fourth high beam LED 24 on the right side. L21 indicates the irradiation range of the left first high beam LED 21, L22 indicates the irradiation range of the left second high beam LED 22, L23 indicates the irradiation range of the left third high beam LED 23, and L24 indicates the left fourth high beam LED 22. The irradiation range of the high beam LED 24 is shown.

  FIG. 2B shows an irradiation pattern when only the first LED 21 is turned off and all others are turned on for both the right and left high-beam LEDs 31. This irradiation pattern is a mode in which irradiation is performed around a central area on the road surface extending in front of the host vehicle.

  FIG. 2C shows an irradiation pattern in the case where all of the first high beam LED 21, the second high beam LED 22, the third high beam LED 23, and the fourth high beam LED 24 are turned on for both the right and left high beam LEDs 31. Yes. This irradiation pattern is a mode in which, in addition to the central region, a peripheral region including white lines and / or curbs located on both sides of the vehicle lane is irradiated.

  Next, the low beam LED 25 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing an irradiation range of the low beam LED 25 viewed from the side of the vehicle. In FIG. 3, A <b> 1 and A <b> 2 each indicate an example of an irradiation range of the low beam LED 25.

  The low beam LED 25 is configured so that the optical axis can be changed in the vertical direction by an actuator (so-called aiming adjustment is possible) under the control of the CPU 10. Specifically, when the irradiation range A1 is applied, when the optical axis of the low beam LED 25 is raised, the irradiation range A1 is switched to the irradiation range A2. Thereby, the irradiation range by low beam LED25 will expand in the direction away from the own vehicle. For example, when the vehicle speed increases, the optical axis of the low beam LED 25 is raised, and the irradiation range by the low beam LED 25 is extended far away so that the far field of view is secured. On the other hand, when the irradiation range A2 is applied, when the optical axis of the low beam LED 25 is lowered, the irradiation range A2 is switched to the irradiation range A1. Thereby, the irradiation range by low beam LED25 will reduce in the direction approaching the own vehicle. For example, when the vehicle speed decreases, the optical axis of the low beam LED 25 is lowered so that the irradiation range by the low beam LED 25 is pulled back to the host vehicle side.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, the optical axis of the low beam LED 25 is switched to two stages. However, in practice, the optical axis of the low beam LED 25 can be switched to three or more stages, for example, depending on the vehicle speed. The optical axis of the low beam LED 25 is appropriately switched to a plurality of stages of 3 or more.

On the other hand, in FIG. 1, the CPU 10 described above includes a line-of-sight movement determination unit 19 and a headlight control unit 20.
The line-of-sight movement determination unit 19 is a non-driving task detection unit that detects a driver's non-driving task request based on a signal corresponding to the driver's eyeball or hand movement taken by the driver monitoring camera 21.

  The headlight control unit 20 is centered on the central region by the LED headlight 30 among the central region on the road surface extending in front of the host vehicle and the peripheral region including white lines and / or curbs located on both sides of the host vehicle traveling lane. (See FIG. 2 (b)) and a mode of irradiating a peripheral region including white lines and / or curbs located on both sides of the vehicle lane in addition to the central region (see FIG. 2 (c)). ) And headlight control means for controlling irradiation.

  Then, the CPU 10 described above includes the headlight control unit (headlight control unit) from the time when the non-driving task request is detected by the non-driving task detection unit (see the line-of-sight movement determination unit 19) to the end of the non-driving task. 20), in order to obtain the irradiation pattern shown in FIG. 2C, the central region and the peripheral region are controlled to be irradiated together.

  As an example of the above-described non-driving task, when the driver operates the communication terminal of the wireless telephone device 12, when the driver views the map screen of the display device of the navigation device 13, the audio device 14 selects a channel or selects a song. There are other cases where the vehicle interior display 16 is visually observed.

The detection of all these out-of-driving task requests can be determined by the eye movement determination unit 19 based on this image signal by capturing the eyeball movement and hand movement of the driver with the driver monitoring camera 11.
However, in addition to this determination, the driver's holding of the communication terminal of the radiotelephone device 12 and the operation of the operation unit of the audio device 14 are used together to detect the task outside the task more reliably. May be.

The non-driving task is ended by placing the communication terminal of the wireless telephone device 12 at a predetermined location, the driver moving the line of sight from the map screen of the display device of the navigation device 13, and from the audio device 13. That the channel selection end signal or the music selection end signal is input to the CPU 10, the driver operates the brake pedal based on the alert display on the vehicle interior display 16, and the CPU 10 braking operation signal is input from the brake pedal stroke sensor 15; Can be detected.
Instead of using the braking operation signal from the brake pedal stroke sensor 15, the vehicle speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor is input to the CPU 10, and the end of the non-driving task is detected based on the decrease in the vehicle speed. May be.

[Events discovered by the inventors]
Next, before explaining the control contents of the embodiment, an event discovered by the inventors of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 4 shows experimental results on the difference in line-of-sight movement to the driver's non-driving task with respect to the operation unit and display unit in the vehicle between daytime and nighttime. In the experiment, a predetermined task was imposed on the driver during high-speed driving (for example, 100 km / h) during the daytime and at night (low beam LED 25 was lit), and the time from the task start signal to the driver's line of sight was measured. . This task displays a randomly selected number group on the display panel on the instrument panel in the passenger compartment when a start notification sound is issued as a task start signal, and a specific number is displayed in this number group. The driver answers (two choices) whether or not it is included.

  FIG. 4 shows that when such a task is imposed on the driver during high-speed driving, the time from the task start signal until the driver's line of sight reacts (that is, the driver's line of sight begins to move from the timing at which the task start signal is issued). Measurement time). In this case, the movement of the driver's line of sight can be obtained, for example, by monitoring the movement of the driver's eyeball by the driver monitoring camera 11 or the like. Specifically, the vertical axis in FIG. 4 shows the ratio of the time from the task start signal to the line of sight measured at night when the time from the task start signal to the line of sight is set to 1. Is shown.

  As a result of such an experiment, as shown in FIG. 4, it was found that, at night, the time from the task start signal to the reaction of the line of sight significantly increases compared to the daytime. From this result, it can be said that the driver's line-of-sight movement to a non-driving task deteriorates at night. In addition, when the time for displaying the number group as described above is changed variously and the driver is asked whether there is a specific number in the number group, the correct answer rate when the driver answers is further measured. It was also found that when the display time is short, the correct answer rate is significantly reduced at night compared to daytime. From this, it can be said that the driver's line-of-sight movement to a non-driving task deteriorates at night.

  The present inventors have inferred that such a deterioration in the movement of the line of sight to a non-driving task at night may be due to the difference in usage of the driver's line of sight at night and daytime, and measured the line of sight of the driver. The result is shown in FIG. (A)-(c) of FIG. 5 has shown the driver | operator's gaze distribution measured when drive | working normally at high speed. Specifically, the position of the driver's line of sight is measured over a predetermined time, and in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the positions of the plurality of lines of sight measured in this way (indicated by circles in the figure). ) Are superimposed. 5A shows the gaze distribution measured in the daytime, FIG. 5B shows the gaze distribution measured when the low beam LED 25 is turned on at night, and FIG. As a comparative example, a line-of-sight distribution measured when a low beam (hereinafter referred to as a halogen low beam) to which a halogen lamp is applied at night is turned on.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, it was found that the driver's line of sight hardly moved during the daytime. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, it was found that the driver's line of sight moves greatly at night using the low beam LED 25. From this result, the present inventors, in the daytime, the driver collects distant information by central vision and visually recognizes the white line on the road surface by peripheral vision, whereas at night, the driver collects distant information by central vision. The points to be collected are the same as in the daytime, but the driver thought that it was difficult to see the white line on the road surface by peripheral vision, and that the white line on the road surface was visually recognized by moving the central view by moving the line of sight. That is, the present inventors have inferred that the load of central vision increases at night. The inventors of the present invention have inferred that such an increase in the load of central vision at night is due to the deterioration of spatial cognitive characteristics of peripheral vision. Incidentally, the driver uses white line information (or / and curb information) on the road surface in order to grasp the position, speed, and the like of the vehicle on the traveling lane.

  Note that central vision means visual recognition in the central visual field, which is a region with a viewing angle of about 2 ° located at the center of the human visual field region, and peripheral vision is visible in the peripheral visual field other than the central visual field. It means to do.

  On the other hand, referring to FIG. 5C, the driver's line of sight may not move much at night using a halogen low beam as compared to the night using the low beam LED 25 (see FIG. 5B). found. Therefore, the present inventors have not only made the difference between daytime and nighttime, but also the use of the low beam LED 25, that is, the characteristics of the headlight to which the LED lamp is applied. It was assumed that the load on central vision due to the worsening of

  Therefore, the present inventors examined the cause of the deterioration of the space recognition characteristics at night from the viewpoint of the characteristics of the LED headlight 30. Here, the characteristics of the LED headlight 30 will be described with reference to FIG. Specifically, in FIG. 6, the difference in illuminance between the LED headlight 30 and the halogen headlight will be described. In FIG. 6, the solid line characteristic (a) indicates the relationship between the front distance of the vehicle and the road surface illumination by the headlight with respect to the LED headlight 30, and the dotted line characteristic (b) indicates a general halogen head. The relationship between the front distance of the vehicle and the road surface illumination by the headlight is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen that the road surface illuminance of the LED headlight 30 is considerably larger than the road surface illuminance of the halogen headlight in the region near the host vehicle. Generally, in the area near the host vehicle, the LED headlight 30 is set to maximize the road surface illuminance by maximizing the ability of the LED headlight 30. By doing so, the vicinity of the host vehicle is made brighter. On the other hand, in an area far from the own vehicle (for example, an area away from the own vehicle by 30 m or more), the road surface illuminance of the LED headlight 30 is set to be less than a predetermined value in order to comply with the headlight regulations. ing. Therefore, the road surface illuminance characteristics of the LED headlight 30 and the halogen headlight are substantially the same in a region away from the host vehicle to some extent.

  From the characteristics shown in FIG. 6, the LED headlight 30 has a larger difference in road illuminance due to the concentration of bright areas in a narrow area as compared with the halogen headlight. When the present inventors use such an LED headlight 30, since the irradiation area is quite bright, glare (glare, generally referred to as dazzling because it becomes less visible due to dazzling shine) As a result, the non-irradiated area became difficult to see, and as a result, the above-mentioned deterioration in the spatial perception characteristics of peripheral vision at night occurred. In other words, because the illumination area of the LED headlight 30 is quite bright, the difference in road surface illuminance becomes large, and the area corresponding to peripheral vision is felt very dark because the adaptation state of the eyes has changed. It was assumed that the white line was difficult to visually recognize, and that the phenomenon of visually recognizing the white line occurred by moving the central vision by moving the line of sight.

  In short, the present inventors found that glare caused by the difference in road surface illuminance due to the LED headlight 30 deteriorated the spatial perception characteristics of peripheral vision at night, thereby increasing the load on central vision. I guessed.

  7, 8, and 9 show the characteristics of the photosensitivity with respect to the retinal eccentricity. The optical sensitivities are based on the retinal eccentricity of 10 deg, and the 10 deg photosensitivity is indicated as “1”. ing.

  FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram of light sensitivity with respect to retinal eccentricity in the daytime, and the daytime luminance distribution indicated by the dotted line in the figure is equivalent to the daytime sensitivity indicated by the solid line in the figure.

  FIG. 8 is a characteristic diagram of light sensitivity with respect to the retinal eccentricity when the low beam LED 25 is irradiated at night. The luminance distribution characteristic (b) at the time of irradiation with the low beam LED 25 indicated by a dotted line in FIG. The sensitivity characteristic (a) also decreases as the retinal eccentricity shifts to the temple side.

  FIG. 9 is a characteristic diagram in which characteristics of light sensitivity with respect to retinal eccentricity are verified by changing light distribution conditions. Characteristic (a) is night sensitivity, characteristic (b) is luminance distribution at the time of low beam LED 25 irradiation, characteristic (c). In addition to the condition of illuminating the central region shown in FIG. 2B, the peripheral region is appropriately irradiated with the first high beam LED 21 as shown in FIG. In addition to the condition of irradiating around the central region shown in FIG. 2B, the luminance distribution and the characteristic (d) are extremely high in the peripheral region by the first high beam LED 21 as shown in FIG. Is a luminance distribution when the ambient light amount is excessively supplemented.

  In each of the characteristics (c) and (d), the light sensitivity is improved at the retinal eccentricity of 20 deg or more because the peripheral light quantity is larger than the characteristic (a). However, as in the characteristic (d), the light quantity in the peripheral area is improved. If it is excessively increased, dazzling increases and the nighttime spatial cognitive characteristics deteriorate due to stress.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, the amount of light at the time of irradiation of the peripheral region (when switching from the state of FIG. 2B to the state of FIG. 2C) is set to about 10 times the amount of irradiation of the central region. In addition, the most effective light amount according to the human night visibility is configured to increase the ease of movement of the line of sight to a task outside driving.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the headlight control process by the CPU 10, FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the driver's field of view in the daytime, FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the driver's field of view at the central area irradiation at night, and FIG. These are explanatory drawings which show an example of a driver | operator's visual field at the time of night of a center area | region and a periphery area | region.

  11 to 13, 32 and 33 are left and right front pillars, 34 is an instrument panel, and 35 is a steering wheel. The concentric circles in FIGS. 11 to 13 are the viewing angles of the driver corresponding to the retinal eccentricity.

  FIG. 12 shows an aspect (corresponding to (b) in FIG. 2) in which the left and right second to fourth high beam LEDs 22, 23, 24 irradiate around the central area on the road surface extending in front of the host vehicle. As shown in the figure, it is formed inside white lines (or / and curbs) located on both sides of the vehicle lane.

  FIG. 13 is an aspect (corresponding to (c) of FIG. 2) in which the central region and the peripheral region are irradiated by the left and right first to fourth high beam LEDs 21 to 24. The light distribution area e2 It is formed up to the outer region including the white line (or / and curb) located on both sides of the vehicle lane.

  In order to secure this light distribution area e2, the peripheral area is set to an area on an extended line connecting at least the driver's eye point and the left and right front pillars 32 and 33.

  With the above settings, the viewing angle when the driver visually recognizes the front of the host vehicle is set to about 40 degrees. This angle corresponds to a portion where cells of the human eye contributing to peripheral vision are densely arranged, Cells respond appropriately to movement. The human eye has a high cell density, and the light distribution is made up to supplement the vision, so that the driver can easily move the line of sight to a task outside the driving.

  In vehicles such as sedans where the front pillar stands at a relatively large inclination angle from the rear end of the bonnet, when a concentric curve (two-dot chain line) is virtually drawn at the center of the field of view when the driver is driving, The front-seat-side front pillar base is located on the 40-degree curve, and the right-side 40-degree curve all enters the driver-seat-side side window region.

The operation of the automobile driving support apparatus configured as described above will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
In step S1, the CPU 10 provides vehicle-side provided information including rear-end collision alerting information and near-miss intersection information, driver monitoring camera information by the driver monitoring camera 11 (specifically, information on the driver's eye movement and hand movement), Read other necessary signals.

  The line-of-sight movement determination unit 19 formed in the CPU 10 is based on the driver monitoring camera information, and the presence / absence of various out-of-motion task requests by the driver, that is, the driver's eye movement and hand movement corresponding to the out-of-drive task request. It is determined whether or not is started.

  Next, in step S2, the CPU 10 displays warning information (rear-end collision warning information or near-miss intersection information) on the vehicle interior display 16 and determines whether the driver has visually recognized the display information. The request is determined to be prioritized, and when NO is determined, the process proceeds to step S3, and when YES is determined, the process proceeds to step S7.

  In step S <b> 3, the CPU 10 determines whether or not there is a request for an out-of-drive task such as a driver using the radio telephone device 12, viewing a map screen on the display device of the navigation device 13, or selecting a channel or selecting a song with the audio device 14. When there is no non-driving task request, the process returns to step S1, while when there is a non-driving task request, the process proceeds to the next step S4.

  In step S <b> 4, the CPU 10 controls the irradiation of the first high beam LED 21 in addition to the irradiation of the second to fourth high beam LEDs 22, 23, and 24 via the headlight control unit 20 formed therein. That is, it is configured to irradiate the peripheral region in addition to the central region (see FIG. 2C and FIG. 13), and secures the light distribution area e2 shown in FIG. As a result, the illuminance of the surrounding area by the LED headlight 30 can be secured, and the driver can visually recognize the white line and / or curbstone in the peripheral view. While keeping the running, it is possible to give the driver a margin and speed up the line of sight to the non-driving task.

  Next, in step S5, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the non-driving task is finished. This determination is based on the fact that the driver has placed the communication terminal of the wireless telephone device 12 at a predetermined site, the driver has shifted his line of sight from the map screen of the display device of the navigation device, and the audio device 13 selects the CPU 10 The determination can be made based on the input of the end signal or the music selection end signal.

  Then, when NO is determined in step S5, the process returns to the above-described step S4 and continues to irradiate both the central region and the peripheral region, while when YES is determined, the process proceeds to the next step S6.

  In step S6, the CPU 10 restores the irradiation range of the high beam LED. That is, the first high beam LED 21 is turned off, and the second to fourth high beam LEDs 22 to 24 are irradiated around the central region (see FIG. 12B and FIG. 12), and the light distribution shown in FIG. Area e1 is secured.

  On the other hand, if YES is determined in the above-described step S2, the process proceeds to the next step S7. In this step S7, both the central region and the peripheral region are irradiated as in the above-described step S4 (in FIG. 2). (C), see FIG. 13), and the light distribution area e2 shown in FIG. 13 is secured, thereby ensuring the illuminance of the peripheral area by the LED headlight 30, and the driver can see the white line or / As a result, it becomes possible to visually recognize the curbstone, and as a result, the driver's grasp of the vehicle behavior is improved, and a constant margin is given to the driver while maintaining a certain stable driving speed, so that the line-of-sight movement to the non-driving task is accelerated.

  Next, in step S8, the CPU 10 determines whether or not a braking operation has been performed based on the output from the brake pedal stroke sensor 15. If NO is determined, the process returns to step S7 to irradiate both the central region and the peripheral region. On the other hand, when the determination is YES, the process proceeds to step S6 described above, the first high beam LED 21 is turned off, and the second to fourth high beam LEDs 22 to 24 are irradiated around the central region ((b) of FIG. 2). 12) and secures the light distribution area e1 shown in FIG.

  As described above, the vehicle driving support device according to the above-described embodiment is a vehicle driving support device that supports a driver's non-driving task, and includes an LED headlight 30 having a variable irradiation range and a front side of the host vehicle. Of the central area on the road surface that spreads and the peripheral area including white lines and / or curbs located on both sides of the vehicle lane, the LED headlight 30 irradiates the central area as a center ((b in FIG. 2) )), A mode of irradiating the peripheral region in addition to the central region (see (c) of FIG. 2), a headlight control means (see the headlight control unit 20) for controlling irradiation, and a driver's non-operation task A non-driving task detection unit (see line-of-sight movement determination unit 19) for detecting a request, and when the non-driving task request is detected by the non-driving task detection unit (line-of-sight movement determination unit 19) The headlight control means (headlight control unit 20) controls the irradiation of the central area and the peripheral area from the end of the non-operating task (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 10). ).

  According to this configuration, the headlight control means (headlight control unit 20) irradiates the central area on the road surface with the LED headlight 30 (see FIG. 2B) and the central area. In addition, the irradiation control is performed in such a manner as to irradiate the peripheral area (see FIG. 2C), and the above-mentioned non-operating task detection means (gaze movement determination unit 19) detects the driver's non-driving task request. The headlight control means (headlight control unit 20) is located between the central region and the periphery from the time when the non-driving task request is detected by the non-driving task detection means (line-of-sight movement determination unit 19) to the end of the non-driving task. The irradiation control is performed on the area.

  As a result, when a non-driving task is requested, the illuminance of the surrounding area by the LED headlight 30 can be secured, and the driver can visually recognize the white line or / and the curb in the peripheral view. It is possible to speed up the movement of the line of sight to a non-driving task by giving a margin to the driver while maintaining a constant stable running.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the amount of light at the time of irradiation in the peripheral region is set to about 10 times the amount of light in the central region (see FIG. 9).

This configuration has the following effects.
That is, if the amount of light in the surrounding area is excessively increased (for example, about 100 times), dazzling increases and the nighttime spatial cognitive characteristics deteriorate due to stress, but the amount of irradiation light is set to about 10 times. By doing so, it is possible to obtain the most effective light amount according to the human night visibility, and as a result, it is possible to enhance the ease of movement of the line of sight to the task outside driving.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the peripheral area is set to an area on an extension line connecting the driver's eye point and the left and right front pillars 32 and 33 (see FIG. 13).

This configuration has the following effects.
That is, by the above setting, the viewing angle when the driver visually recognizes the front of the host vehicle is set to about 40 degrees, and this angle corresponds to a portion where cells of the human eye contributing to peripheral vision are densely arranged, Cells react properly to external movements. Since it is possible to achieve a light distribution that supplements vision in a place where the cell density of the human eye is high, it is possible to further facilitate the movement of the line of sight to a task outside driving.

In the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment,
The non-driving task detection means of the present invention corresponds to the line-of-sight movement determination unit 19 of the embodiment,
Similarly,
The headlight control means corresponds to the headlight control unit 20,
The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for an automobile driving support apparatus that supports a driver's non-driving task.

19: Eye movement determination unit (non-operation task detection means)
20 ... Headlight control unit (headlight control means)
30 ... LED headlights 32, 33 ... Front pillar

Claims (3)

An automobile driving support device for supporting a driver's non-driving task,
LED headlights with a variable illumination range;
Of the central area on the road surface extending forward of the host vehicle and the peripheral area including the white line and / or curb located on both sides of the host vehicle traveling lane, the LED headlight irradiates the center area around the center area, A mode of irradiating the peripheral region in addition to the region, and headlight control means for controlling irradiation,
A non-driving task detection means for detecting a non-driving task request of the driver,
Driving support for an automobile configured to control the irradiation of the central area and the peripheral area by the headlight control means from the time when the non-driving task request is detected by the non-driving task detection means to the end of the non-driving task. apparatus. The automobile driving support device according to claim 1, wherein the amount of light at the time of irradiation of the peripheral region is set to about 10 times the amount of light irradiated at the central region. 3. The automobile driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral area is set to an area on an extension line connecting the driver's eye point and the left and right front pillars.

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