Light distribution control device and vehicle headlamp system

Abstract

A light distribution control device (20) used in a vehicle headlamp (21) capable of changing a light distribution pattern projected to the front of a vehicle, includes: a position information acquisition section (23) that acquires current position information of the host vehicle; a travel direction information acquisition section (24) that acquires current travel direction information of the host vehicle; an image acquisition section (25) that acquires a captured image of the current surroundings of the host vehicle; a headlamp control section (22) that controls the light distribution pattern; and a communication section (26) that can communicate with an external server (34), the external server (34) storing: position information (34B) acquired at a past travel time, travel direction information (34C) acquired at the past travel time, and light point information (34A) on at least a light point included in a captured image captured at the past travel time, the light point information (34A) being related to a coordinate within the image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a light distribution control device and a headlight system for vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] A beam distribution control device is known that uses sensors such as cameras mounted on the vehicle to detect oncoming or advancing vehicles, thereby controlling the beam distribution of the headlights to prevent glare from these moving objects. (For example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2 below.)

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-037240

[0006] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-094127 Summary of the Invention

[0007] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0008] However, the light distribution control devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the following problem: there is a possibility that objects that should be illuminated, such as signs or streetlights, may be mistakenly detected as moving objects and irradiated instead of the objects that should be illuminated.

[0009] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide a light distribution control device and a vehicle headlight system capable of accurately illuminating light to an object.

[0010] Methods for solving technical problems

[0011] The present disclosure provides a light distribution control device.

[0012] A light distribution control device used in vehicle headlights capable of changing the light distribution pattern projected onto the front of the vehicle includes:

[0013] The location information acquisition unit obtains the current location information of this vehicle.

[0014] The direction of travel information acquisition unit acquires the current direction of travel information of the vehicle.

[0015] The image acquisition unit acquires currently captured images of the surrounding area of ​​the vehicle.

[0016] The headlight control unit controls the light distribution pattern, and

[0017] A communication unit capable of communicating with an external server, which stores the location information obtained during past travel, the travel direction information obtained during the past travel, and light spot information of light spots contained in the captured images taken during the past travel, which is at least related to the coordinates within the image.

[0018] The headlight control unit controls the light distribution of the vehicle headlights based on the light spot information obtained by the communication unit from the external server, which corresponds to the past position information and direction information that are consistent with the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle, and determines whether the light spot contained in the current captured image is a light spot from a moving body.

[0019] The present disclosure provides a light distribution control device.

[0020] A light distribution control device used in vehicle headlights capable of changing the light distribution pattern projected onto the front of the vehicle includes:

[0021] The location information acquisition unit obtains the current location information of this vehicle.

[0022] The direction of travel information acquisition unit acquires the current direction of travel information of the vehicle.

[0023] The image acquisition unit acquires currently captured images of the surrounding area of ​​the vehicle.

[0024] The headlight control unit controls the light distribution pattern, and

[0025] A communication unit capable of communicating with an external server, which stores the location information obtained during past travel, the travel direction information obtained during the past travel, and light spot information of light spots contained in the captured images taken during the past travel, at least related to the coordinates within the images;

[0026] The headlight control unit performs light distribution control, so that...

[0027] If the number of times the communication unit obtains past position information and direction information that are consistent with the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle from the external server is less than a predetermined value, the area containing light spots that are determined not to be from the moving object in the current captured image will not be illuminated, or the amount of illumination on it will be reduced.

[0028] When the number of acquisitions exceeds a predetermined value, the region containing the light spot that is determined not to be from the moving body in the current captured image is illuminated without reducing the amount of illumination light.

[0029] The present disclosure provides a light distribution control device.

[0030] It is a light distribution control device used in vehicle headlights that can change the light distribution pattern illuminating the front of the vehicle.

[0031] The light distribution control device includes:

[0032] The location information acquisition unit obtains the current location information of this vehicle.

[0033] The direction of travel information acquisition unit acquires the current direction of travel information of the vehicle.

[0034] The identifier identifies the object based on object-related information associated with objects around the vehicle.

[0035] The headlight control unit controls the light distribution pattern, and

[0036] A communication unit capable of communicating with an external server, which stores the location information obtained during past travel, the travel direction information obtained during the past travel, and the first identification result of the object identified by the identifier during the past travel.

[0037] The headlight control unit controls the light distribution of the vehicle headlights based on the light distribution control command from the light distribution control command generation unit, the first identification result obtained by the communication unit from the external server, which corresponds to the past position information and the direction of travel information that are consistent with the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle, and the second identification result of the object identified by the identifier during the current driving.

[0038] The present disclosure provides a light distribution control device.

[0039] A light distribution control device used in vehicle headlights capable of altering the light distribution pattern illuminating the front of a vehicle includes:

[0040] The location information acquisition unit obtains the current location information of this vehicle.

[0041] The direction of travel information acquisition unit acquires the current direction of travel information of the vehicle.

[0042] The identifier identifies the object based on object-related information associated with objects around the vehicle.

[0043] The headlight control unit controls the light distribution pattern, and

[0044] A communication unit capable of communicating with an external server, which stores the location information obtained during past travel, the travel direction information obtained during the past travel, and the first identification result of the object identified by the identifier during the past travel.

[0045] Headlight control unit

[0046] Based on the first identification result and the second identification result of the object identified by the identifier during the current driving period, it is determined whether the object is a moving object.

[0047] Based on the number of times the location information and direction of travel information were acquired during past driving operations, which are consistent with the current location information and direction of travel information of the vehicle.

[0048] If the target is determined not to be a moving object, the probability of performing light distribution control in a manner that illuminates the area containing the target without reducing the amount of illumination light is increased.

[0049] When the object is determined to be the moving body, the probability of performing light distribution control in a manner that either does not illuminate the area containing the object or reduces the amount of illumination light on it is increased.

[0050] One aspect of the vehicle headlight system disclosed herein includes:

[0051] A light distribution control device, capable of altering the light distribution pattern projected onto the front of a vehicle, is used in vehicle headlights. This headlight has a light source unit with multiple light-emitting sections arranged in a matrix, each capable of individually altering the amount of emitted light.

[0052] An external server, located outside the vehicle, is capable of communicating with the light distribution control device;

[0053] The light distribution control device has:

[0054] The location information acquisition unit acquires the current location information of the vehicle.

[0055] The direction of travel information acquisition unit acquires the current direction of travel information of the vehicle.

[0056] The image acquisition unit acquires currently captured images of the surrounding area of ​​the vehicle.

[0057] The headlight control unit controls the light distribution pattern, and

[0058] A communication unit capable of communicating with the external server;

[0059] The external server stores the location information obtained during past driving, the travel direction information obtained during the past driving, and light spot information of light spots contained in the captured images during the past driving, which is at least related to the coordinates within the image.

[0060] The headlight control unit controls the light distribution of the vehicle headlights based on the light spot information obtained by the communication unit from the external server, which corresponds to the past position information and direction information that are consistent with the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle, and determines whether the light spot contained in the current captured image is a light spot from a moving body.

[0061] One aspect of the vehicle headlight system disclosed herein includes:

[0062] A light distribution control device, capable of altering the light distribution pattern projected onto the front of a vehicle, is used in vehicle headlights. This headlight has a light source unit with multiple light-emitting sections arranged in a matrix, each capable of individually altering the amount of emitted light.

[0063] An external server, located outside the vehicle, is capable of communicating with the light distribution control device;

[0064] The light distribution control device has:

[0065] The location information acquisition unit acquires the current location information of the vehicle.

[0066] The direction of travel information acquisition unit acquires the current direction of travel information of the vehicle.

[0067] The identifier identifies the object based on relevant information about the object surrounding the vehicle.

[0068] The headlight control unit controls the light distribution pattern, and

[0069] The communication unit is capable of communicating with the external server;

[0070] The external server stores the location information obtained during past travel, the travel direction information obtained during the past travel, and the first identification result of the object identified by the recognizer during the past travel.

[0071] The headlight control unit controls the light distribution of the vehicle headlights based on the light distribution control command from the light distribution control command generation unit, the first identification result obtained by the communication unit from the external server, which corresponds to the past position information and the direction of travel information that are consistent with the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle, and the second identification result of the object identified by the identifier during the current driving.

[0072] Invention Effects

[0073] According to this disclosure, a light distribution control device for improving safety with high precision and a headlight system for vehicles can be provided. Attached Figure Description

[0074] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle headlight system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0075] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle headlight according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0076] Figure 3 This is an example image showing a photograph taken in front of a vehicle.

[0077] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the format for light spot information.

[0078] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating light distribution control using light spot information.

[0079] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing the light points mapped onto the feature space.

[0080] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing the light points mapped onto the feature space.

[0081] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of a light distribution pattern.

[0082] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle headlight system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0083] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle equipped with a headlight according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0084] Figure 11 This is an example image showing a photograph taken in front of a vehicle.

[0085] Figure 12This is an example diagram showing the format of the first identification result, location information, and direction of travel information.

[0086] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating the object recognition process during the current driving phase.

[0087] Figure 14 This is a diagram showing an example of a light distribution pattern. Detailed Implementation

[0088] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "this embodiment") will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For ease of explanation, the dimensions of the components shown in these drawings may sometimes differ from the actual dimensions of the components.

[0089] Furthermore, in the description of this embodiment, for ease of explanation, the terms "left-right direction" and "front-back direction" are used appropriately. These directions are relative to... Figure 2 The relative directions set for vehicle 1 are shown. Here, "left-right direction" includes both "left direction" and "right direction". "Forward-backward direction" includes both "forward direction" and "backward direction".

[0090] [First Implementation]

[0091] <Composition of Vehicle Headlight Systems>

[0092] Reference Figure 1 , 2 The vehicle headlight system 100 of the first embodiment of this disclosure will be described below. Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle headlight system 100. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 1 equipped with a vehicle headlight system 100.

[0093] like Figure 1As shown, the vehicle headlight system 100 includes a vehicle control device 10 and a beam distribution control device 20. The vehicle control device 10 is configured to control the driving of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control device 10 is, for example, composed of at least one electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit includes: a computer system (e.g., a SoC (System on a Chip)) containing one or more processors and one or more memories, and electronic circuits composed of active and passive components such as transistors. The processor includes, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit). The memory includes ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM can store the vehicle control program. The RAM may also temporarily store vehicle control programs, vehicle control data, and / or vehicle position information, direction of travel information, and spot information. Furthermore, spot information refers to information related to the spots captured in the image in front of vehicle 1. The processor may also be configured to expand the programs specified by various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM and perform various processes in cooperation with the RAM.

[0094] The vehicle control unit 10 includes a sensor control unit 11 and a camera control unit 12. The sensor control unit 11 is configured to control the position sensor 31 mounted on the vehicle 1. The camera control unit 12 is configured to control the camera 32 and radar 33 mounted on the vehicle 1.

[0095] The position sensor 31 is, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) that can acquire the current position information of the vehicle 1.

[0096] Camera 32 is, for example, a camera that includes an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary MOS). Camera 32 is configured to acquire an image of the front of vehicle 1 and send the image to the imaging control unit 12. Camera 32 can be configured as a single-lens reflex camera or as a stereo camera.

[0097] Radar 33 includes at least one of millimeter-wave, microwave, and lidar (e.g., a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) unit). For example, the LiDAR unit is configured to detect objects in front of vehicle 1. Specifically, the LiDAR unit is configured to transmit 3D mapping data (point group data) representing the environment in front of vehicle 1 to the imaging control unit 12.

[0098] The light distribution control device 20 includes a vehicle headlight 21, a headlight control unit 22, an image acquisition unit 25, a position information acquisition unit 23, a travel direction information acquisition unit 24, a communication unit 26, and a storage unit 27.

[0099] The vehicle headlights 21 illuminate the area in front of the vehicle 1 with visible light. The vehicle headlights 21 include, for example, the right headlight 21A (see reference...). Figure 2 ) and left front headlight 21B (refer to Figure 2 The right headlight 21A and left headlight 21B are configured as follows: each has a light source (not shown) arranged in a matrix with multiple light emitting sections capable of individually changing the amount of light emitted from each section. In the following description, by controlling the amount of light emitted from each light emitting section (including the concept of emitting / not emitting light), the illumination of each arbitrary area is switched to be irradiated / not irradiated, thereby changing the illuminance of the light in each arbitrary area.

[0100] The location information acquisition unit 23 acquires the current location information of the vehicle 1 obtained by the position sensor 31 via the sensor control unit 11.

[0101] The direction of travel information acquisition unit 24 calculates the change from the previous position information of the vehicle 1 based on the current position information of the vehicle 1 obtained from the position information acquisition unit 23, thereby acquiring the current direction of travel information of the vehicle 1.

[0102] The image acquisition unit 25 acquires the current captured image obtained by the camera 32 and radar 33 via the shooting control unit 12.

[0103] The communication unit 26 can be communicatively connected to the external server 34 via wireless communication such as Wi-Fi. The communication unit 26 can also communicate with the external server 34 via the vehicle control device 10, in which case wireless communication is performed through devices on the vehicle side.

[0104] The external server 34 is configured to store programs or various data (light spot information 34A, position information 34B, travel direction information 34C, etc.). Furthermore, the light distribution control device 20 may also include the external server 34. Additionally, the external server 34 may be composed of multiple servers. Furthermore, the external server 34 can be configured through local deployment or as a cloud server.

[0105] Storage unit 27 may be configured as, for example, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), flash memory, storing programs or various types of data.

[0106] The headlight control unit 22 includes a light distribution control unit 22A. The light distribution control unit 22A receives a currently captured image from the image acquisition unit 25, receives the current position information of the vehicle 1 from the position information acquisition unit 23, and receives the current direction of travel information of the vehicle 1 from the direction of travel information acquisition unit 24. Furthermore, the light distribution control unit 22A, via the communication unit 26, retrieves past position information and past direction of travel information that are consistent with the current position and current direction of travel of the vehicle 1 from among multiple past position information and past direction of travel information stored in the external server 34. Additionally, via the communication unit 26, it obtains past light spot information 34A corresponding to the past position information and past direction of travel information from the external server 34. It should be noted that the aforementioned "consistency" includes the difference between the current position and past position information, and the difference between the current direction of travel and past direction of travel information, each falling within a specified range. Furthermore, the light distribution control unit 22A determines, based on the current position information of vehicle 1, the current direction of travel information of vehicle 1, and past light spot information, whether the light spots contained in the current captured image are light spots from other moving objects such as vehicles, and controls the illumination range of the vehicle headlight 21 according to the determination result. The light distribution control unit 22A can perform, for example, control to enlarge or reduce the illumination range of the vehicle headlight 21, and control to move the illumination direction in the left, right, up, and down directions.

[0107] <Images>

[0108] Next, refer to Figure 3 The following is an explanation of the image taken from the front of vehicle 1.

[0109] Figure 3This is an example diagram showing a photograph of the front of vehicle 1 captured by camera 32. Figure 3 In the example shown, the captured image contains light spots from streetlights, light spots from signs, and light spots from other moving vehicles. The light distribution control unit 22A first detects regions 40A, 41A, and 42A that are light spots in the captured image, obtains light spot information related to the light spots in each region, and stores this information in the external server 34 via the communication unit 26. Furthermore, the light distribution control unit 22A obtains past light spot information 34A stored in the external server 34 via the communication unit 26, and determines, based on this past light spot information 34A, whether the light spots in the current captured image are from other moving vehicles.

[0110] <Light Spot Information>

[0111] Next, refer to Figure 4 The following explanation is provided regarding the light spot information.

[0112] Figure 4 It is a diagram in a format that shows information about light spots. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the light spot information 34A, as a feature quantity, includes the XY coordinates within the captured image, the number of pixels within the region containing the light spot (e.g., a circular region or a rectangular region), the hue including hue H, chroma S, and luminance V, and circularity. Furthermore, the XY coordinates within the captured image are defined, for example, with the center of the captured image as the origin, setting the horizontal position of the light spot as the X coordinate and the vertical position of the light spot as the Y coordinate. Furthermore, circularity is a percentage value representing how closely each light spot approximates a circle. Additionally, each light spot information 34A is assigned a light spot information ID, which corresponds to the acquisition time indicating the moment the light spot information 34A was acquired, the vehicle 1's position information 34B at the time the light spot information 34A was acquired, and the vehicle 1's direction of travel information 34C. The vehicle 1's position information 34B is, for example, composed of latitude and longitude obtained from map information. The vehicle 1's direction of travel information is, for example, represented using 16 azimuths. As an example, light spot information 34A with light spot information ID 0001 was obtained at 7:16 on January 21, 2020. It indicates that at the location of longitude 139.6917 and latitude 35.6894, the travel direction of vehicle 1 is northeast-east.

[0113] <Collection and Processing Flow of Light Spot Information>

[0114] Next, refer to Figures 5-8 The following describes the collection and processing flow of light spot information 34A.

[0115] Figure 5This is a flowchart illustrating light distribution control using spot information. First, the position information acquisition unit 23 acquires the current position information of vehicle 1 at predetermined intervals, the travel direction information acquisition unit 24 acquires the travel direction information of vehicle 1 at predetermined intervals, and the image acquisition unit 25 acquires the current frontal image of vehicle 1 at predetermined intervals (S101). Next, the light distribution control unit 22A acquires spot information related to the spot included in the current image (S102). Next, the light distribution control unit 22A, via the communication unit 26, retrieves past position information and past travel direction information that are consistent with the current position information and current travel direction information from among multiple past position information and past travel direction information stored in the external server 34. Furthermore, via the communication unit 26, it acquires past spot information 34A corresponding to the past position information and past travel direction information from the external server 34 (S103).

[0116] Next, the light distribution control unit 22A determines whether the number of times past position information and past direction information that are consistent with the current position information and the current direction of travel have been acquired is above a predetermined value (S104).

[0117] If the number of acquisitions exceeds the specified value (Yes in S104), proceed to step S106.

[0118] In step S106, firstly, the light distribution control unit 22A calculates the first feature quantity of the current light spot information and the first feature quantity of the past light spot information. Here, the first feature quantity includes, for example, the XY coordinates within the captured image, the number of pixels in the region containing the light spot, the hue (H), chromaticity (S), luminance (V), and circularity. Furthermore, the light source information includes at least two feature quantities as the first feature quantity. For example, the light source information may include the X coordinate and the Y coordinate within the captured image as the first feature quantity. Next, the light distribution control unit 22A maps the current light spot information and the past light spot information onto a two-dimensional feature space composed of the two first feature quantities. Figure 6 The diagram illustrates a two-dimensional feature space where the x-axis is set as one of the first feature quantities, the y-axis as one of the first feature quantities, and the mapping is... Figure 3 This is an example of a graph showing the light spots contained in a current captured image and the light spots contained in past captured images. Figure 6 In this process, light spots from streetlight 40 are mapped into sample area 50, light spots from sign 41 are mapped into sample area 51, and light spots from other vehicles 42 are mapped into sample area 52. Furthermore, the light distribution control unit 22A cannot determine the origin of each light spot. For ease of explanation, the expression "light spot from streetlight 40" is used only to distinguish each light spot.

[0119] Next, the light distribution control unit 22A determines whether the density of the number of samples of each light point contained in the current captured image is above a predetermined value (S107). Here, the density of the number of samples of each light point is determined because the streetlight 40 or the sign 41 is often present in the same location, while other vehicles 42 are not often present in the same location. Specifically, in past captured images taken at the current position and current direction of travel of vehicle 1, there are light points from the streetlight 40 or the sign 41. The characteristic quantity of the light point information of these light points is close to the current and past values, therefore... Figure 6 Similar to sample regions 50 and 51, the sample density increases in the feature space. On the other hand, past images taken at the current position and direction of travel of vehicle 1 do not contain light spots from other vehicles 42, such as... Figure 6 As in sample region 52, the sample density in the feature space is reduced. This allows for the determination of whether the light points in the current captured image originate from a moving object based on the sample density of each light point. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, step S107 determines whether the sample density of each light point in the current captured image is above a predetermined value, using the light points contained in past captured images and the light points contained in the current captured image as a reference. However, this determination can also be performed using only the light points contained in past captured images as a reference. This improves the real-time performance of the determination process.

[0120] If the density is above a predetermined value (Yes in S107), the feature quantity of the current light spot information and the first feature quantity of the past light spot information 34A are calculated and mapped onto a one-dimensional feature quantity space composed of one of the second feature quantities (S108). Here, the so-called second feature quantity is, for example, the XY coordinates within the captured image, the number of pixels in the region containing the light spot, the hue including hue H, chroma S, and luminance V, and the circularity. The first feature quantity and the second feature quantity may be at least partially the same or different. Figure 7 The diagram shows a graph mapping the light spots contained in the current captured image and the light spots contained in past captured images in a feature space where the horizontal axis is set as one of the feature quantities, luminance V.

[0121] Next, the light distribution control unit 22A determines whether the second feature quantity (brightness V) of the light spot information of each light spot contained in the current captured image is above a preset threshold Th (S109). Here, the determination is made for the second feature quantity of each light spot because if there is a traffic jam or other issues at least at the current or past location of vehicle 1, and multiple other vehicles 42 are present, the determination criteria in step S105 alone may not be sufficient to accurately determine whether the light spots contained in the current captured image originate from a moving vehicle. Specifically, even if past captured images did not contain light spots from other vehicles 42, the current captured image, during a traffic jam or other similar event, contains multiple light spots from other vehicles 42. Figure 6 The sample density in sample region 52 increases. Therefore, in situations such as traffic jams, it may not be possible to determine whether the light spots in the current captured image are from moving objects simply by looking at the sample density of each light spot.

[0122] Therefore, the determination criteria for step S109 are set based on the characteristic that the brightness V of light spots from moving objects such as other vehicles 42 is high, while the brightness V of light spots from moving objects other than streetlights 40 or signs 41 is low. Thus, as... Figure 7 As shown, even when the sample density in sample region 52 is high, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the light spots contained in the current captured image are light spots from a moving object.

[0123] If the second feature quantity of the light spot information contained in the current captured image is not above a preset threshold Th (No in S109), the light distribution control unit 22A determines that the light spot is not a light spot from a moving object (S110). On the other hand, if the density of the number of light spots in the current captured image is not above a predetermined value (No in S107), or if the number of light spots in the current captured image is above a preset threshold Th (Yes in S109), the light distribution control unit 22A determines that the light spot is a light spot from a moving object (S111).

[0124] Next, the light distribution control unit 22A illuminates the area containing light spots from outside the moving body without reducing the amount of illumination light, and controls the vehicle headlight 21 in a manner that does not illuminate the area containing light spots from the moving body or reduces the amount of illumination light thereon (S112). Figure 8 This is a diagram showing an example of the light distribution pattern of a vehicle headlight 21. Figure 8In the example, light spots from streetlight 40 and sign 41 are determined not to be from moving objects, and therefore light distribution control is performed to illuminate regions 40A containing light spots from streetlight 40 and regions 41A containing light spots from sign 41 without reducing the amount of illumination. Furthermore, light spots from other vehicles 42 are determined to be from moving objects, and therefore light distribution control is performed to either not illuminate region 42A containing light spots from other vehicles 42 or to reduce the amount of illumination thereon.

[0125] Based on the above structure, by detecting light spots from moving objects within the captured image, the misdetection of objects that should be illuminated as moving objects can be suppressed. Furthermore, by illuminating objects that should be illuminated, such as signs or streetlights, while ignoring moving objects, glare from moving objects can be prevented, improving safety. Additionally, by employing an external server, this vehicle can utilize the location information, direction of travel information, and light spot information of other vehicles, and other vehicles can utilize the location information, direction of travel, and light spot information of this vehicle.

[0126] As described above, the light distribution control device of the first embodiment controls the light distribution configuration of the vehicle's headlights based on the vehicle's current location information and light spot information stored on an external server. For example, locations with a high number of pedestrians are identified as areas that require attention when driving and are stored as light spot information. As a result, drivers of this vehicle or other vehicles can easily notice the presence of pedestrians, thereby significantly improving the safety of this vehicle or other vehicles.

[0127] Furthermore, in step S104 above, if the number of times past position information and past direction information that are consistent with the current position information and the current direction of travel are obtained is determined to be less than a predetermined value (No in S104), the number of samples of past light spot information required to determine whether a light spot is from a moving body is not obtained, which may lead to the misidentification of light spots from other than the moving body as light spots from the moving body. Therefore, the light distribution control unit 22A may also be configured to control the vehicle headlight 21 to prevent the illumination of areas containing light spots from other than the moving body and areas containing light spots from the moving body, or to reduce the amount of illumination on these areas (S105).

[0128] In the first embodiment described above, an example was described in which the light distribution control device 20 acquires light spot information 34A and performs light distribution control on the vehicle headlight 21 based on the acquired light spot information 34A. However, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, a device for acquiring light spot information 34A and a device for performing light distribution control based on light spot information 34A may be provided in the vehicle 1.

[0129] [Second Implementation]

[0130] <Composition of Vehicle Headlight Systems>

[0131] Reference Figure 9 , 10 The vehicle headlight system 1100 according to the second embodiment of this disclosure will be described below. Figure 9 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle headlight system 1100. Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 1001 equipped with a vehicle headlight system 1100.

[0132] like Figure 9 As shown, the vehicle headlight system 1100 includes a vehicle control device 1010 and a beam distribution control device 1020. The vehicle control device 1010 is configured to control the driving of the vehicle 1001. The vehicle control device 1010 is, for example, composed of at least one electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit includes: a computer system (e.g., SoC, etc.) including one or more processors and one or more memories, and electronic circuits composed of active components such as transistors and passive components. The processor includes, for example, at least one of CPU, ASIC, FPGA, MPU, GPU, and TPU. The memory includes ROM and RAM. The ROM can store vehicle control programs. The RAM can temporarily store vehicle control programs, vehicle control data, and / or vehicle position information, driving direction information, and object-related information. In addition, the so-called object-related information is information related to objects around the vehicle 1001. The processor can also be configured to expand the programs specified by various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM on the RAM and perform various processes in cooperation with the RAM.

[0133] The vehicle control device 1010 includes a sensor control unit 1011, a target-related information generation unit 1012, and a light distribution control command generation unit 1013. The sensor control unit 1011 is configured to control the position sensor 1031 mounted on the vehicle 1001. The target-related information generation unit 1012 generates target-related information and sends it to the light distribution control device 1020. The light distribution control command generation unit 1013 generates a light distribution control command for the vehicle headlight 1021 and sends it to the light distribution control device 1020.

[0134] The position sensor 1031, for example, is a GPS, which can obtain the current position information of the vehicle 1001.

[0135] The light distribution control device 1020 includes a vehicle headlight 1021, a headlight control unit 1022, a position information acquisition unit 1023, a travel direction information acquisition unit 1024, a communication unit 1025, and a storage unit 1026.

[0136] The vehicle headlight 1021 illuminates visible light in the area in front of the vehicle 1001. The vehicle headlight 1021, for example, is the right headlight 1021A (see reference). Figure 10 ) and left front headlight 1021B (refer to Figure 10 The right headlight 1021A and the left headlight 1021B are configured as follows: Each headlight has a light source unit (not shown) arranged in a matrix with multiple light-emitting units capable of individually changing the amount of light emitted from each unit. In the following description, by controlling the amount of light emitted from each light-emitting unit (including the concept of emitted / non-emitted light), illumination / non-illumination is switched for each arbitrary area, thus changing the illuminance of the light for that arbitrary area.

[0137] The location information acquisition unit 1023 acquires the current location information of the vehicle 1001 obtained by the position sensor 1031 via the sensor control unit 1011.

[0138] The direction of travel information acquisition unit 1024 calculates the change from the previous position information of the vehicle 1001 based on the current position information of the vehicle 1001 obtained from the position information acquisition unit 1023, thereby acquiring the current direction of travel information of the vehicle 1001.

[0139] The communication unit 1025 can be communicatively connected to the external server 1032 via wireless communication such as Wi-Fi. Furthermore, the communication unit 1025 can communicate with the external server 1032 via the vehicle control device 1010, in which case wireless communication is performed through devices on the vehicle side.

[0140] The external server 1032 is configured to store programs or various data (first identification result 1032A, location information 1032B, travel direction information 1032C, etc.). Furthermore, the light distribution control device 1020 may also include the external server 1032. Additionally, the external server 1032 may be composed of multiple servers. Furthermore, the external server 1032 can be constructed through local deployment or as a cloud server.

[0141] The storage unit 1026 is, for example, an HDD or a flash memory, configured to store programs or various types of data.

[0142] The headlight control unit 1022 includes a recognition unit 1022A and a light distribution control unit 1022B. The recognition unit 1022A receives object-related information from the object-related information generation unit 1012, identifies the object based on the object-related information, and outputs a recognition result (second recognition result). The light distribution control unit 1022B receives the current position information of the vehicle 1001 from the position information acquisition unit 1023, receives the current direction of travel information of the vehicle 1001 from the travel direction information acquisition unit 1024, and receives a light distribution control command from the light distribution control command generation unit 1013. Furthermore, the light distribution control unit 1022B, via the communication unit 1025, retrieves past position information and past direction of travel information that are consistent with the current position and current direction of travel of the vehicle 1001 from among multiple past position information and past direction of travel information stored in the external server 1032. Furthermore, the communication unit 1025 obtains the identification result 1032A (first identification result 1032A) of the past object corresponding to the past location information and the past direction of travel information from the external server 1032. It should be noted that the aforementioned "consistency" includes the difference between the current location and the past location information, and the difference between the current direction of travel and the past direction of travel information, each falling within a specified range. Furthermore, the light distribution control unit 1022B controls the illumination range of the vehicle headlight 1021 based on the light distribution control command from the light distribution control command generation unit 1013, the first identification result, and the second identification result. For example, the light distribution control unit 1022B can control the magnification or reduction of the illumination range of the vehicle headlight 1021, and control the movement of the illumination direction in the left, right, up, and down directions.

[0143] <Vehicle's field of vision>

[0144] Next, refer to Figure 11 The following explanation is provided regarding the driver's field of vision for vehicle 1001.

[0145] Figure 11 This is a diagram showing an example of the field of vision in front of vehicle 1001. Figure 11 In the example shown, the field of view includes streetlights, signs, and other vehicles (moving objects) as landmarks. The landmark-related information generation unit 1012 acquires an image of the area in front of the vehicle 1001 from an image sensor (not shown), such as a camera mounted on the vehicle control device 1010, and detects the area 1040A containing streetlights, the area 1041A containing signs, and the area 1042A containing moving objects. Furthermore, the landmark-related information generation unit 1012 measures the distance from the vehicle 1001 to the landmarks in each area and the angle relative to the landmarks, generating distance information and angle information. In addition, the landmark-related information generation unit 1012 sends the landmark-related information, including distance information and angle information, to the headlight control unit 1022. Figure 11 In the example shown, the object-related information includes distance and angle information for each of the areas containing streetlights (1040A), signs (1041A), and moving objects (1042A). It should be noted that the object-related information generation unit 1012 can also generate distance reliability (representing the reliability of the distance information) and angle reliability (representing the reliability of the angle information), and include these reliability values ​​in the object-related information.

[0146] The identifier 1022A identifies the object based on the object-related information from the object-related information generation unit 1012, sends the identification result to the light distribution control unit 1022B, and stores it on the external server 1032 via the communication unit 1025. The identification result (second identification result) sent to the light distribution control unit 1022B is used as reference data for light distribution control during current driving. The identification result (first identification result 1032A) stored on the external server 1032 is used as reference data for future light distribution control during driving.

[0147] <First Recognition Result>

[0148] Next, refer to Figure 12 The recognition results output by the 1022A recognition device are explained below.

[0149] Figure 12 This is a diagram showing the format of the first identification result 1032A, location information 1032B, and travel direction information 1032C. The first identification result 1032A shows an object as a street light, sign, line-of-sight marker, or other vehicle (oncoming or forward vehicle). Furthermore, each first identification result 1032A is assigned an object ID, corresponding to the acquisition time indicating the moment the first identification result 1032A was obtained, the location information 1032B of vehicle 1001 at the time the first identification result 1032A was acquired, and the travel direction information 1032C of vehicle 1001. The location information 1032B of vehicle 1001 is, for example, composed of latitude and longitude obtained from map information. The travel direction information of vehicle 1001 is, for example, represented using 16 azimuths. Additionally, the correctness of the first identification result 1032A is indicated. The correctness of the first identification result is determined manually after the first identification result 1032A is output by the recognizer 1022A. The manual judgment is based on an image of the front of the vehicle 1001 obtained by an image sensor, such as a camera mounted on the vehicle control device 1010. The correctness of the first recognition result is judged manually because if the recognition accuracy of the recognizer 1022A is low, there is a possibility that the recognizer 1022A may misdetect the line-of-sight guide as a vehicle in front. By indicating the correctness of the first recognition result, the recognition accuracy of the recognizer 1022A can be improved.

[0150] exist Figure 12 As an example, the first identification result 1032A for object ID 0001 indicates an oncoming vehicle. This first identification result was obtained at 7:16 AM on January 21, 2020, indicating that at a location of longitude 139.6917°, latitude 35.6894°, the direction of travel for vehicle 1001 is northeast-east. Furthermore, if the first identification result 1032A for object ID 0001 is a correct identification result, it will be marked as such.

[0151] <Recognizer>

[0152] Next, the configuration of the identifier 1022A will be explained.

[0153] The recognizer 1022A is, for example, a supervised learning model that has completed learning. Specifically, the recognizer 1022A uses distance information and angle information sent from the object-related information generation unit 1012 as learning data, and learns from the correctness of the first recognition result determined by a human as correct data. Furthermore, the completed learning model can be a neural network composed of multiple layers, and the model update timing can be a specified time interval or a specified travel distance.

[0154] Based on the above structure, the recognition accuracy of the identifier 1022A is improved by the number of times the position information and direction of travel information obtained during past driving are consistent with the current position information and direction of travel information of the vehicle 1001. Furthermore, the accuracy of the light distribution control of the headlight control unit 1022 is also improved. Specifically, when the identifier 1022A determines that a currently moving object is not a moving object based on the number of acquisitions, it increases the probability of performing light distribution control by illuminating the area containing the object without reducing the amount of illumination light. Furthermore, when the identifier 1022A determines that a currently moving object is not a moving object based on the number of acquisitions, it increases the probability of performing light distribution control by not illuminating the area containing the object or by reducing the amount of illumination light on it.

[0155] <Object Identification and Processing Flow>

[0156] Next, refer to Figure 13 The process for identifying and processing objects during the current driving phase is explained below.

[0157] Figure 13This is a flowchart illustrating the object recognition process during current driving. First, the recognizer 1022A acquires the current object-related information of the vehicle 1001 from the object-related information generation unit 1012 at predetermined intervals (S1101). Next, the recognizer 1022A outputs a recognition result (second recognition result) from the current object-related information (S1102). Then, the light distribution control unit 1022B acquires the current position information of the vehicle 1001 at predetermined intervals via the position information acquisition unit 1023, acquires the travel direction information of the vehicle 1001 at predetermined intervals via the travel direction information acquisition unit 1024, and receives a light distribution control command from the light distribution control command generation unit 1013 (S1103).

[0158] Next, the light distribution control unit 1022B retrieves past location information and past travel direction information that match the current location information and current travel direction information from among multiple past location information and past travel direction information stored in the external server 1032. Furthermore, the communication unit 1025 obtains the past identification result (first identification result 1032A) corresponding to the past location information and past travel direction information from the external server 1032 (S1104). Furthermore, the light distribution control unit 1022B calculates the proportion of identified vehicles as moving objects from the first identification result 1032A and the second identification result, and determines whether the proportion is above a predetermined value (S1105). Here, if the identification result is an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle, the count of moving objects is incremented by 1. Furthermore, as... Figure 12 As shown in the object ID 0002, if the first identification result 1032A, although indicating a moving vehicle, is incorrectly identified, the count of non-moving objects is incremented by 1. Furthermore, based on the number of outputs of the first identification result 1032A, the identification accuracy of the identifier 1022A is improved, thereby further reflecting... Figure 12 The identification results shown are obtained at similar times. The identification results can also be weighted to calculate the proportion of the above-mentioned moving objects.

[0159] If the proportion of the first identification result 1032A and the second identification result being a moving object is above a predetermined value (S1105 Yes), the light distribution control unit 1022B determines that the object is a moving object (S1106). If the proportion of the first identification result 1032A and the second identification result being a moving object is not above a predetermined value (S1105 No), the light distribution control unit 1022B determines that the object is not a moving object (S1107).

[0160] Next, the light distribution control unit 1022B controls the vehicle headlight 1021 to illuminate the area containing light spots other than the moving body without reducing the irradiance, and to ignore or reduce the irradiance of the area containing light spots from the moving body, based on the light distribution control command and the above-mentioned determination result (S1108). More specifically, when the orientation control command is an illumination command for a low beam orientation pattern, the light distribution control unit 1022B controls the vehicle headlight 1021 to illuminate the low beam orientation pattern, regardless of the above-mentioned determination result. Furthermore, when the orientation control command is an illumination command for a high beam orientation pattern, the light distribution control unit 1022B controls the vehicle headlight 1021 to illuminate the area containing light spots other than the moving body without reducing the irradiance, and to ignore or reduce the irradiance of the area containing light spots from the moving body, and to illuminate the low beam orientation pattern, based on the above-mentioned determination result.

[0161] Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the beam pattern of a vehicle headlight 1021 when the beam orientation control command is a high beam orientation pattern illumination command. Figure 14 In the example, regarding streetlight 1040 and sign 1041, since they are determined not to be moving objects, light distribution control is performed such that the area 1040A containing streetlight 1040 and the area 1041A containing sign 1041 are illuminated without reducing the amount of illumination light. Furthermore, regarding other vehicles 1042, since they are determined to be moving objects, light distribution control is performed such that the area 1042A containing other vehicles 1042 is not illuminated, or the amount of illumination light to them is reduced.

[0162] Based on the above structure, moving objects within the field of view can be detected with high precision, thereby suppressing the misdetection of objects that should be illuminated as moving objects. Furthermore, by illuminating objects that should be illuminated, such as signs or streetlights, while ignoring moving objects, glare from moving objects is prevented, thus improving safety.

[0163] As described above, the light distribution control device of the second embodiment of this disclosure is configured to control the light distribution of the vehicle headlights based on a light distribution control command from a light distribution control command generation unit, a first object recognition result stored on an external server, and a second object recognition result identified by the identifier during current driving. This allows for high-precision identification of objects around the vehicle, suppressing the misdetection of objects intended for illumination as moving bodies, thereby improving safety. Furthermore, by using an external server, the vehicle can utilize the location information, driving direction information, and first recognition result of other vehicles, or other vehicles can utilize the location information, driving direction information, and first recognition result of the vehicle.

[0164] Furthermore, in step S1104 described above, if it is impossible to obtain a past first identification result 1032A that corresponds to past position information and past direction information that are consistent with the current position information and the current direction of travel, respectively, the number of past object-related information samples required to determine whether an object is a moving object cannot be obtained, and objects other than moving objects, such as line-of-sight guides, may be incorrectly identified as moving objects. Therefore, the light distribution control unit 1022B may also be configured to control the vehicle headlight 1021 in a manner that either does not illuminate the area containing the moving object or the area containing the moving object, or reduces the amount of illumination on it.

[0165] In the second embodiment described above, an example was described in which the identifier 1022A acquires a first identification result 1032A and a second identification result, and the light distribution control unit 1022B performs light distribution control on the vehicle headlight 1021 based on the first identification result 1032A and the second identification result. However, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, a device for acquiring the first identification result 1032A and the second identification result, and a device for performing light distribution control based on the first identification result 1032A and the second identification result, may be respectively provided in the vehicle 1001.

[0166] The embodiments of this disclosure have been described above. It should be understood that the technical scope of this disclosure is not to be limited by the description of these embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that this embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications to the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention as described in the claims. The technical scope of this disclosure should be determined according to the scope of the invention as described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0167] This application is based on Japanese patent applications filed on March 27, 2024 (Takunin 2024-051259) and March 27, 2024 (Takunin 2024-051260), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A light distribution control device, used in a vehicle headlight capable of changing the light distribution pattern projected onto the front of a vehicle, comprising: The location information acquisition unit obtains the current location information of this vehicle. The direction of travel information acquisition unit acquires the current direction of travel information of the vehicle. The image acquisition unit acquires currently captured images of the surrounding area of ​​the vehicle. The headlight control unit controls the light distribution pattern, and A communication unit capable of communicating with an external server, which stores the location information obtained during past travel, the travel direction information obtained during the past travel, and light spot information of light spots contained in the captured images taken during the past travel, which is at least related to the coordinates within the image. The headlight control unit controls the light distribution of the vehicle headlights based on the light spot information obtained by the communication unit from the external server, which corresponds to the past position information and direction information that are consistent with the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle, and determines whether the light spot contained in the current captured image is a light spot from a moving body.

2. The light distribution control device according to claim 1, The headlight control unit performs light distribution control, so that... If a light spot in the current captured image is determined not to originate from the moving object, the area containing that light spot is illuminated without reducing the amount of illumination. If a light spot in the current captured image is determined to be a light spot from the moving body, the area containing the light spot is illuminated without illumination or with reduced illumination light.

3. The light distribution control device according to claim 1, The headlight control unit determines whether the light spot in the current captured image is a light spot from the moving body based on the current location information of the vehicle, the past location information and travel direction information obtained by the communication unit from the external server that are consistent with the current location and travel direction of the vehicle, and the light spot information of the light spot in the current captured image.

4. The light distribution control device according to claim 3, The headlight control unit calculates the feature quantity of the past light spot information, which corresponds to the past position information and the direction of travel information that are consistent with the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle, obtained by the communication unit from the external server, and the feature quantity of the light spot information in the current captured image, and maps them onto the feature quantity space. Based on the density of the number of light spot samples in the feature quantity space, it determines whether the light spot is a light spot from the moving body.

5. The light distribution control device according to claim 4, The feature quantities include at least one of the following: the horizontal position of the light spot in the captured image, the vertical position, the number of pixels, the hue, chroma, brightness, and roundness of the rectangular area.

6. The light distribution control device according to claim 5, When the density of the number of light spot samples in the feature quantity space is above a predetermined value, the headlight control unit compares at least one of the feature quantities of the light spot with a threshold value to determine whether the light spot is a light spot from the moving body.

7. The light distribution control device according to claim 1, The headlight control unit only determines whether the light spot is from the moving body.

8. A light distribution control device used in a vehicle headlight capable of changing the light distribution pattern projected onto the front of a vehicle, comprising: The location information acquisition unit obtains the current location information of this vehicle. The direction of travel information acquisition unit acquires the current direction of travel information of the vehicle. The image acquisition unit acquires currently captured images of the surrounding area of ​​the vehicle. The headlight control unit controls the light distribution pattern, and A communication unit capable of communicating with an external server, which stores the location information obtained during past travel, the travel direction information obtained during the past travel, and light spot information of light spots contained in the captured images taken during the past travel, which is at least related to the coordinates within the images. The headlight control unit performs light distribution control, so that... If the number of times the communication unit obtains past position information and direction information that are consistent with the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle from the external server is less than a predetermined value, the area containing light spots that are determined not to be from the moving object in the current captured image will not be illuminated, or the amount of illumination on it will be reduced. If the number of acquisitions exceeds a predetermined value, the region containing the light spot that is determined not to be from the moving body in the current captured image is illuminated without reducing the amount of illumination light.

9. A vehicle headlight system, comprising: A light distribution control device, capable of altering the light distribution pattern projected onto the front of a vehicle, is used in vehicle headlights. This headlight has a light source unit with multiple light-emitting sections arranged in a matrix, each capable of individually altering the amount of emitted light. An external server, located outside the vehicle, is capable of communicating with the light distribution control device; The light distribution control device has: The location information acquisition unit acquires the current location information of the vehicle. The direction of travel information acquisition unit acquires the current direction of travel information of the vehicle. The image acquisition unit acquires currently captured images of the surrounding area of ​​the vehicle. The headlight control unit controls the light distribution pattern, and The communication unit is capable of communicating with the external server; The external server stores the location information obtained during past driving, the direction of travel information obtained during the past driving, and light spot information of light spots contained in the captured images during the past driving, which is at least related to the coordinates within the image. The headlight control unit controls the light distribution of the vehicle headlights based on the light spot information obtained by the communication unit from the external server, which corresponds to the past position information and direction information that are consistent with the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle, respectively.

10. A light distribution control device used in a vehicle headlight capable of changing the light distribution pattern illuminating the front of a vehicle. The light distribution control device includes: The location information acquisition unit obtains the current location information of this vehicle. The direction of travel information acquisition unit acquires the current direction of travel information of the vehicle. The identifier identifies the object based on object-related information associated with objects around the vehicle. The headlight control unit controls the light distribution pattern, and A communication unit capable of communicating with an external server, which stores the location information obtained during past travel, the travel direction information obtained during the past travel, and the first identification result of the object identified by the identifier during the past travel. The headlight control unit controls the light distribution of the vehicle headlights based on the light distribution control command from the light distribution control command generation unit, the first identification result obtained by the communication unit from the external server, which corresponds to the past position information and the direction of travel information that are consistent with the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle, and the second identification result of the object identified by the identifier during the current driving.

11. The light distribution control device according to claim 10, The headlight control unit performs light distribution control, so that... If, based on the first and second identification results, the object is determined not to be a moving object, the area containing the object is illuminated without reducing the amount of illumination light. If, based on the first identification result and the second identification result, the object is determined to be the moving body, the area containing the object is not illuminated, or the amount of illumination light is reduced.

12. The light distribution control device according to claim 10, The recognizer includes a learned model that has been learned from the object-related information obtained during past driving.

13. The light distribution control device according to claim 12, The object-related information includes at least one of the following: the angle information of the object relative to the vehicle, and the distance information from the vehicle to the object.

14. A light distribution control device, used in a vehicle headlight capable of changing the light distribution pattern illuminating the front of a vehicle, comprising: The location information acquisition unit obtains the current location information of this vehicle. The direction of travel information acquisition unit acquires the current direction of travel information of the vehicle. The identifier identifies the object based on object-related information associated with objects around the vehicle. The headlight control unit controls the light distribution pattern, and A communication unit capable of communicating with an external server, which stores the location information obtained during past travel, the travel direction information obtained during the past travel, and the first identification result of the object identified by the identifier during the past travel. Headlight control unit Based on the first identification result and the second identification result of the object identified by the identifier during the current driving period, it is determined whether the object is a moving object. Based on the number of times the location information and direction of travel information were acquired during past driving, which are consistent with the current location information and direction of travel information of the vehicle, respectively. If the target is determined not to be a moving object, the probability of performing light distribution control in a manner that illuminates the area containing the target without reducing the amount of illumination light is increased. When the object is determined to be the moving body, the probability of performing light distribution control by not illuminating the area containing the object or by reducing the amount of illumination light on it is increased.

15. A vehicle headlight system, comprising: A light distribution control device, capable of altering the light distribution pattern projected onto the front of a vehicle, is used in vehicle headlights. This headlight has a light source unit with multiple light-emitting sections arranged in a matrix, each capable of individually altering the amount of emitted light. An external server, located outside the vehicle, is capable of communicating with the light distribution control device; The light distribution control device has: The location information acquisition unit acquires the current location information of the vehicle. The direction of travel information acquisition unit acquires the current direction of travel information of the vehicle. The identifier identifies the object based on relevant information about the object near the vehicle. The headlight control unit controls the light distribution pattern, and The communication unit is capable of communicating with the external server; The external server stores the location information obtained during past travel, the travel direction information obtained during the past travel, and the first identification result of the object identified by the recognizer during the past travel. The headlight control unit controls the light distribution of the vehicle headlights based on the light distribution control command from the light distribution control command generation unit, the first identification result obtained by the communication unit from the external server, which corresponds to the past position information and the direction of travel information that are consistent with the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle, and the second identification result of the object identified by the identifier during the current driving.

Images