JP6997658B2 - Optical axis control device, optical axis control method, vehicle lighting system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for controlling the direction of the optical axis of a vehicle lamp.

Generally, the headlights of a vehicle are adjusted so that their optical axes are within the specified range. In addition, by appropriately controlling the optical axis of the headlights up and down, auto-leveling technology that prevents glare (dazzle) from being given to the driver of the preceding vehicle or oncoming vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "the vehicle in front") (auto-leveling technology). Optical axis automatic adjustment technology) is known. Such a technique is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-98304 (Patent Document 1). In this prior art, the position of the tail lamp of the vehicle in front is detected by image recognition processing, the irradiation target is set based on the position, and the angle when the optical axis of the headlight is directed to the irradiation target is calculated. Then, the direction of the optical axis of the headlight is controlled to the calculated angle.

By the way, in the vehicle lighting equipment to which the above-mentioned auto-leveling technology is applied, when a relatively inexpensive image recognition device is used as a means for detecting the lamp position of the vehicle in front, it is appropriate in a situation where a plurality of vehicles in front exist. It may not be possible to adjust the optical axis properly. For example, on a three-lane road, consider a case where the own vehicle is in the central lane, the vehicle in front is in any of the three lanes, and the vehicle in front of the central lane is the closest to the own vehicle (see FIG. 5 below). ). In such a case, it is desirable to adjust the optical axis so that the cut-off line CL is arranged at a position that does not give glare to the closer front vehicle 110B (see FIG. 5A). The cut-off line CL referred to here is the upper end of the irradiation range of the so-called low beam (passing lamp). However, an inexpensive image recognition device outputs only the left tail lamp position of the leftmost front vehicle 100A and the right tail lamp position of the rightmost front vehicle 100C in the situation. Therefore, the optical axis is adjusted so that the cut-off line CL is arranged according to the positions of the left and right tail lamps, which may give glare to the vehicle 100B in front of the center lane (FIG. 5). (B)).

JP-A-2015-98304

One of the specific aspects of the present invention is to provide an auto-leveling technique capable of performing appropriate optical axis adjustment even when an inexpensive image recognition device is used.

[1] The optical axis control device of one aspect according to the present invention is a device for controlling the optical axis of a headlight for a vehicle, and obtains first information about a plurality of vehicles in front obtained by image recognition processing. When the second information about the plurality of vehicles in front obtained by using the reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave emitted in front of the own vehicle is acquired and the first information and the second information do not match. Based on the second information, one of the front vehicles closest to the own vehicle is specified among the plurality of front vehicles, and the optical axis of the headlight installed in the own vehicle corresponding to the one front vehicle. It is an optical axis control device that generates and outputs a signal for controlling.
[2] The optical axis control device of one aspect according to the present invention is a device for controlling the optical axis of the headlight for a vehicle, and (a) an image using an image taken in front of the own vehicle. An information acquisition unit that acquires first information about a plurality of vehicles in front obtained by recognition processing and acquires second information about the plurality of vehicles in front obtained by using reflected waves of electromagnetic waves emitted in front of the own vehicle. And (b) a determination unit for determining whether or not the first information and the second information match, and (c) the second information when the first information and the second information do not match. Corresponding to the target vehicle identification unit that identifies one front vehicle closest to the own vehicle among the plurality of front vehicles based on the information, and (d) the one front vehicle specified by the target vehicle identification unit. The optical axis control device includes a signal generation unit that generates and outputs a control signal for controlling the optical axis of the headlight installed in the own vehicle.
[3] The optical axis control method according to the present invention is a method for controlling the optical axis of a headlight for a vehicle, and obtains first information about a plurality of vehicles in front obtained by image recognition processing. When the second information about the plurality of vehicles in front obtained by using the reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave emitted in front of the own vehicle is acquired and the first information and the second information do not match. Based on the second information, one of the front vehicles closest to the own vehicle is specified among the plurality of front vehicles, and the optical axis of the headlight installed in the own vehicle corresponding to the one front vehicle. It is an optical axis control method that generates and outputs a signal for controlling.
[4] The vehicle lighting system according to the present invention is a vehicle lighting system including the above-mentioned optical axis control device and a headlight unit whose optical axis is controlled by the optical axis control device.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide an auto-leveling technique capable of performing appropriate optical axis adjustment even when an inexpensive image recognition device is used.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle lighting system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining detection of a vehicle in front by an image pickup device and a rider device. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the optical axis adjustment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a predetermined procedure of the control unit in the vehicle lighting system. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state of optical axis adjustment by the vehicle lamp system of the present embodiment.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle lighting system according to an embodiment. The illustrated vehicle lighting system can variably set its optical axis according to the situation of the vehicle in front when irradiating light to the front of the own vehicle, and has an image pickup device 11, a rider device 12, and a control unit 13. , A pair of headlight units 14L, 14R are included.

The image pickup apparatus 11 captures the space in front of the own vehicle and detects information such as the position of the vehicle in front, and has a camera 11A and an image processing unit 11B. The camera 11A photographs the space in front of the own vehicle, generates image data, and outputs the image data to the image processing unit 11B. The image processing unit 11B detects the position of the vehicle in front, which is a vehicle existing in front of the own vehicle, by performing a predetermined image recognition process on the image data obtained from the camera 11A.

The rider device 12 emits a laser beam (for example, pulsed light of infrared light) to the front of the own vehicle and measures the time until the reflected light returns to the front vehicle existing in front of the own vehicle and various other things. Detects the position of the object and the relative distance to the own vehicle.

The control unit 13 is for controlling the overall operation of the vehicle lighting equipment system, and is configured by, for example, executing a predetermined program in a computer system including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. The control unit 13 has a front vehicle condition detection unit 20 and an optical axis control unit 21 as functional blocks. The front vehicle condition detection unit 20 corresponds to the "information acquisition unit", the "determination unit", and the "target vehicle identification unit", and the optical axis control unit 21 corresponds to the "signal generation unit".

The front vehicle situation detection unit 20 detects the situation of the vehicle ahead existing in front of the own vehicle based on the detection result (first information) by the image pickup device 11 and the detection result (second information) by the rider device 12. Performs processing such as identifying the vehicle in front that is closest to the own vehicle. The "situation of the vehicle in front" referred to here is, for example, the number of vehicles in front, their respective positions, the relative distance to the own vehicle, and the like.

The optical axis control unit 21 is a control signal for adjusting the optical axes of the headlight units 14L and 14R based on the relative distance of the vehicle in front closest to the own vehicle specified by the vehicle condition detection unit 20 in front. Is generated and output to each headlight unit 14L, 14R.

Each of the headlight units 14L and 14R is provided on the left and right sides of the front portion of the own vehicle, and is for irradiating the front of the own vehicle with light, and has a light source 30 and an optical axis drive unit 31, respectively. The light source 30 emits light according to the drive voltage, and various light sources such as halogen lamps, metal halide lamps, and LED lamps are used. The optical axis drive unit 31 variably sets the optical axis of the light source 30 by, for example, swinging the light source 30 in the vertical direction. Although not shown, the headlight units 14L and 14R may be provided with a reflector for reflecting the light emitted from the light source 20, a lens for condensing the light, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining detection of a vehicle in front by an image pickup device and a rider device. In this figure, when traveling in the central lane of a three-lane road, the state of the own vehicle 100 and the three front vehicles 110A, 110B, 110C traveling in each lane in front of the own vehicle 100 is shown by a schematic plan view (bird's-eye view). Has been done.

In the situation shown in FIG. 2, the image pickup apparatus 11 detects and outputs the left tail lamp position of the leftmost front vehicle 100A and the right tail lamp position of the rightmost front vehicle 100C. Each tail lamp position is indicated by a relative angle with respect to a predetermined position of the own vehicle 100. Specifically, the left tail lamp position is represented by θL and the right tail lamp position is represented by θR, and the numerical values are detected and output. Further, when there is only one front vehicle (for example, the front vehicle 100B), the image pickup apparatus 11 detects and outputs the left and right tail lamp positions of the front vehicle. The image pickup device 11 may further output the relative distance between each of the front vehicle 100A and the like estimated based on the image data and the own vehicle 100.

On the other hand, in the situation shown in FIG. 2, the rider device 12 detects and outputs the coordinate positions of the preceding vehicles 110A, 110B, and 110C in the XY plane (horizontal plane) with respect to the predetermined position of the own vehicle. .. The rider device 12 may further output the relative distance to the own vehicle 100 for each of the front vehicles 110A, 110B, and 110C.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the optical axis adjustment. Here, a schematic side view of the own vehicle 100 and the front vehicle 100B is shown. As shown in the figure, it is assumed that the height h of the mounting position of the headlight unit 14R (or 14L) of the own vehicle 100 is known, and the height H of the irradiation target position in the front vehicle 110B is set to a predetermined value. If the relative distance d between the own vehicle 100 and the vehicle in front 110B is known, the angle θ (= Tan ^-1 {d / (h—H)}) for controlling the direction of the optical axis can be obtained. For example, the angle θ is 0.57 ° as a reference, and the angle is set within the range of 1.57 ° in increments of 0.01 ° from 0 ° to 18c, depending on the difference from the reference 0.57 °. The angle change value is set. Here, the height H of the irradiation target position may be set corresponding to a position below the position of the rear glass or the side mirror in most vehicle models, for example. Further, the height H of the irradiation target position may be set corresponding to the tail lamp position (height) obtained by the image recognition process.

The above method of determination is an example, and further adjustment may be given to the angle θ determined above. Further, when the position of the tail lamp of one vehicle in front can be specified by the image pickup apparatus 11, the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 may be used. That is, there is no limitation as to how to obtain the angle θ for adjusting the optical axis, and various known methods can be used.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a predetermined procedure of the control unit in the vehicle lighting system. In the processing procedure shown here, the order of each processing may be changed as long as the processing results are not inconsistent or inconvenient, or other processing may be included between the processing.

The front vehicle condition detection unit 20 acquires the detection result of the front vehicle from the image pickup device 11 (step S11) and the detection result of the front vehicle from the rider device 12 (step S12).

Next, the front vehicle condition detection unit 20 determines whether or not the conditions of the front vehicle based on each detection result match (match) (step S12). Specifically, the detection result by the rider device 12 includes the number of vehicles in front, the position, the distance, and the like, while the detection result by the image pickup device 11 includes information on the positions of the left and right tail lamps, but the number of vehicles in front. Is not included.

Therefore, when the number of vehicles in front of the detection result by the rider device 12 is one, the front vehicle condition detection unit 20 of the present embodiment matches (matches) with the detection result by the image pickup device 11. to decide. On the other hand, when the number of vehicles in front of the detection result by the rider device 12 is two or more, the front vehicle condition detection unit 20 does not match (match) with the detection result by the image pickup device 11. to decide.

When the conditions of the vehicles in front do not match (match) according to the detection results (step S12; NO), the front vehicle condition detection unit 20 is the one closest to the own vehicle based on the detection results by the rider device 12. The vehicle in front is specified (step S13).

When the rider device 12 outputs the relative distances of the vehicles in front as described above, one of the closest vehicles in front can be specified based on the relative distances. When the rider device 12 does not output the relative distance information, the closest vehicle in front is specified by calculating the relative distance based on the coordinate values indicating the positions of the vehicles in front. Can be done.

When the nearest vehicle in front is specified, the optical axis control unit 21 obtains the optical axis adjustment angle based on the relative distance between the vehicle in front and the own vehicle (step S15), and corresponds to this optical axis adjustment angle. An optical axis control signal is generated and output (step S16). Based on this optical axis control signal, the optical axes of the headlight units 14L and 14R are adjusted. After that, the process returns to step S11 and the subsequent processing is repeated.

On the other hand, when the conditions of the vehicles in front are matched (matched) by the detection results of the image pickup device 11 and the rider device 12 (step S13; YES), the optical axis control unit 21 is detected by the image pickup device 11. The optical axis adjustment angle is set based on the tail lamp position (height) of the vehicle in front (step S17), and an optical axis control signal corresponding to this optical axis adjustment angle is generated and output (step S16). Based on this optical axis control signal, the optical axes of the headlight units 14L and 14R are adjusted. After that, the process returns to step S11 and the subsequent processing is repeated.

In step S17, the optical axis adjustment angle may be set based on the relative distance of the target vehicle in front, or the optical axis adjustment angle may be set in consideration of both the tail lamp position (height) and the relative distance. May be done.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state of optical axis adjustment by the vehicle lamp system of the present embodiment. FIG. 5 shows the state of each vehicle in front as seen from the own vehicle. Here, as an example, consider a case where the own vehicle is in the central lane, the vehicle in front is in any of the three lanes, and the vehicle in front of the central lane is the closest to the own vehicle on a three-lane road. In such a case, according to the vehicle lighting system of the present embodiment, the position and the relative distance of the nearest front vehicle 110B are detected, and the cut-off line CL is arranged at a position that does not give glare to the front vehicle 110B. The optical axis is adjusted so as to be (FIG. 5 (A)). The cut-off line CL is the upper end of the irradiation range of the so-called low beam (passing lamp). On the other hand, in the vehicle lighting system of the comparative example, only the left tail lamp position of the leftmost front vehicle 100A and the right tail lamp position of the rightmost front vehicle 100C are output and cut according to the left and right tail lamp positions. Since the optical axis is adjusted so that the offline CL is arranged, there is a possibility of giving glare to the vehicle 100B in front of the central lane (FIG. 5 (B)).

According to the above embodiment, even when an inexpensive image pickup device (image recognition device) is used, by adding the detection result by the rider device, appropriate light is applied even in a situation where a plurality of vehicles in front exist. It is possible to adjust the axis.

The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified and carried out within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the image pickup device and the rider device are used to detect the vehicle in front, but in the same manner as the rider device, an electromagnetic wave is emitted to the front of the own vehicle and the reflected wave is used to detect the vehicle in front. A possible detection device (eg, a radar device using millimeter waves) may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the optical axis is adjusted by swinging the headlight unit, but the optical axis adjustment method is not limited to this, and for example, a plurality of light source elements arranged in a matrix are used. A light source may be used. In that case, the row of light emitting elements to be lit may be changed up and down according to the optical axis adjustment angle.

11: Imaging device 11A: Camera 11B: Image processing unit 12: Rider device 13: Control unit 14L, 14R: Headlight unit 20: Front vehicle status detection unit 21: Optical axis control unit 100: Own vehicle 110A, 110B, 110C : Vehicle in front CL: Cut offline

Claims (6)

A device for controlling the optical axis of headlights for vehicles.
The first information about the plurality of vehicles in front obtained by the image recognition process is acquired, and the second information about the plurality of vehicles in front obtained by using the reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave emitted in front of the own vehicle is acquired. When the first information and the second information do not match, one front vehicle closest to the own vehicle among the plurality of front vehicles is specified based on the second information, and the one front vehicle is dealt with. Then, a signal for controlling the optical axis of the headlight installed in the own vehicle is generated and output.
Optical axis controller. A device for controlling the optical axis of headlights for vehicles.
While acquiring the first information about a plurality of vehicles in front obtained by image recognition processing using an image of the front of the own vehicle, the plurality of obtained by using the reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave emitted in front of the own vehicle. The information acquisition unit that acquires the second information about the vehicle in front,
A determination unit for determining whether or not the first information and the second information match, and
When the first information and the second information do not match, the target vehicle identification unit that identifies one front vehicle closest to the own vehicle among the plurality of front vehicles based on the second information.
A signal generation unit that generates and outputs a control signal for controlling the optical axis of the headlight installed in the own vehicle in response to the one front vehicle specified by the target vehicle identification unit.
Including optical axis control device. The signal generation unit generates and outputs the control signal according to the relative distance between the one front vehicle and the own vehicle specified by the target vehicle identification unit.
The optical axis control device according to claim 2. The second information includes information indicating the number of the plurality of vehicles in front.
The determination unit determines that the first information and the second information do not match when the number of the vehicles in front specified based on the second information is a plurality, and specifies based on the second information. When the number of vehicles in front is one, it is determined that the first information and the second information match.
The optical axis control device according to claim 2 or 3. It is a method for controlling the optical axis of the headlights for vehicles.
The first information about the plurality of vehicles in front obtained by the image recognition process is acquired, and the second information about the plurality of vehicles in front obtained by using the reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave emitted in front of the own vehicle is acquired. When the first information and the second information do not match, one front vehicle closest to the own vehicle among the plurality of front vehicles is specified based on the second information, and the one front vehicle is dealt with. Then, a signal for controlling the optical axis of the headlight installed in the own vehicle is generated and output.
Optical axis control method. A vehicle lighting system including the optical axis control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and a headlight unit whose optical axis is controlled by the optical axis control device.

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