Light distribution control device for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a light distribution control device for performing light distribution control that contributes to early recognition of a pedestrian by suppressing improper operation caused by improperly recognizing ambient environment at night by a driver.SOLUTION: A light distribution control device includes a first ambient environment recognition device (11 or the like) for recognizing an ambient environment of a vehicle M and detecting first target information in the recognized ambient environment, an own vehicle position information acquisition device 36a for acquiring vehicle position information, a second ambient environment recognition device (36a, 36b) for acquiring map information of a prescribed range based on the vehicle position information and second target information included in map information based on the vehicle position, a lighting system 39 for radiating illumination light, and a lighting control unit 26 for performing light distribution control of the illumination light from the lighting system. The lighting control unit compares the first target information with the second target information, discriminates a target undetected as the first target information in the second target information, sets the discriminated target as a light distribution candidate target, sets a light distribution priority of the set light distribution candidate target, and performs light distribution control on the basis of the set light distribution priority.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a light distribution control device for a vehicle that controls the light distribution of illumination light emitted from a lighting device of the vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in vehicles such as automobiles, various sensing devices are used to acquire various information such as the environment surrounding the vehicle, as well as the steering angle, map information from a navigation system, or the direction of the driver's face and line of sight, and based on the acquired information, various light distribution control technologies are proposed for recognizing the vehicle's direction of travel and the driver's point of gaze, and adjusting and controlling the irradiation range of illumination light emitted from lighting devices such as headlights in accordance with the recognized information, for example in JP 2010-105880 A, JP 2010-100073 A, JP 2009-73284 A, JP 2006-273092 A, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-105880 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2010-100073 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2009-73284 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2006-273092 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional technologies disclosed in the above publications, light distribution control is performed mainly focusing on the vehicle's traveling direction, the driver's gaze point, etc. Therefore, no consideration is given to targets that exist in the area around the vehicle (driver) but in areas outside the vehicle's traveling direction or the driver's gaze point, i.e., targets that are not recognized by the vehicle's cruise control device or the driver because it is nighttime and illumination light from a lighting device is required.

[0005] Here, objects that are not recognized by vehicles (drivers) at night include, for example, crosswalks near intersections and pedestrians on said crosswalks, as well as oncoming lanes or central medians on intersecting roads.

[0006] Specifically, for example, when a vehicle is attempting to turn right at an intersection at night, if there is a landmark such as a median strip on the intersecting road side and the landmark is not recognized reliably, there is a possibility that the misrecognition will result in driving operations that steer the vehicle in the wrong direction.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a light distribution control device for a vehicle that can prevent erroneous entry (driving in the wrong lane, etc.) caused by erroneous operation, etc., resulting from the vehicle's driving control device or the driver's misperception of the environment around the vehicle at intersections at night, and can perform light distribution control that can contribute to the early recognition of pedestrians, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a light distribution control device for a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a first surrounding environment recognition device that recognizes the surrounding environment of the vehicle and detects first target information in the recognized surrounding environment, a vehicle position information acquisition device that acquires position information of the vehicle, a second surrounding environment recognition device that acquires map information of a predetermined range based on the position information of the vehicle and second target information included in the position-based map information of the vehicle, a lighting device that emits illumination light, and a lighting control unit that performs light distribution control of the illumination light emitted from the lighting device, wherein the lighting control unit compares the first target information with the second target information to identify targets in the second target information that have not been detected as the first target information, sets the identified targets as light distribution candidate targets, sets a light distribution priority of the set light distribution candidate targets, and performs light distribution control based on the set light distribution priority. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle light distribution control device that can prevent erroneous entry (driving in the wrong lane, etc.) caused by erroneous operation due to the vehicle's driving control device or the driver misperceiving the environment around the vehicle at intersections at night, etc., and that can perform light distribution control that can contribute to the early recognition of pedestrians, etc. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a driving control device including a light distribution control device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a light distribution control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram for explaining a specific situation when light distribution control is performed. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart of a light distribution control process performed by a light distribution control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] A flowchart showing a subroutine of the target information comparison process (processing of step S6) in the flowchart of FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. The drawings used in the following description are schematic, and the dimensional relationship and scale of each component may be different for each component in order to show each component at a size that can be recognized on the drawing. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated form with respect to the quantity of each component, the shape of each component, the size ratio of each component, the relative positional relationship of each component, etc. shown in each drawing.

[0012] In explaining the configuration and operation of this embodiment, a road system based on left-hand traffic, in which the vehicle traffic section is on the left side in the direction of travel, is used as an example. However, the configuration and operation of this embodiment can be applied in exactly the same way to a road system based on right-hand traffic by switching the left and right sides.

[0013] First, a schematic configuration of a driving control device including a light distribution control device for a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a driving control device including a light distribution control device for a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] 1 has a basic configuration substantially similar to that of a conventional driving control device of this type. Therefore, the following description will be limited to a schematic description of the driving control device 1, and a detailed description will be omitted.

[0015] The driving control device 1 has a camera unit 10, which is an on-vehicle camera device fixed to the front upper center part of the interior of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle) in which the driving control device 1 is mounted.

[0016] The camera unit 10 includes a stereo camera 11, an image processing unit (IPU) 12, an image recognition unit (image recognition_ECU) 13, and a driving control unit (driving_ECU) 14.

[0017] The stereo camera 11 is a device that functions as a recognition unit that recognizes the surrounding environment of the vehicle. The stereo camera 11 has a main camera 11a and a sub-camera 11b. The main camera 11a and the sub-camera 11b are arranged, for example, in the vehicle interior of the vehicle at symmetrical positions on either side of the center in the vehicle width direction, facing forward (in the traveling direction).

[0018] The main camera 11a and the sub camera 11b are configured, for example, with a CMOS image sensor. The main camera 11a and the sub camera 11b capture two images of the surrounding environment of a predetermined range of an area in front of the vehicle from different viewpoints at a predetermined imaging period synchronized with each other to generate a stereo image. The stereo image data thus generated is output to the IPU 12 as surrounding environment image data (image data representing the surrounding environment while the vehicle is traveling).

[0019] The IPU 12 receives the surrounding environment image data captured by the stereo camera 11, performs a predetermined image processing on the received image data, and detects edges of various objects such as objects (moving objects, stationary objects, etc.) included and displayed in the image when the image data is displayed, as well as lane lines marked on the road surface (hereinafter simply referred to as lane lines, etc.). In this way, the IPU 12 recognizes objects and lane lines around the vehicle. The IPU 12 then obtains distance information from the positional deviation amount of corresponding edges on the left and right images, and generates image information including the distance information (distance image information). The distance image information generated in this way is output to the image recognition_ECU 13.

[0020] The image recognition_ECU 13 calculates the road curvature [1 / m] of the demarcation lines dividing the left and right of the road on which the vehicle is traveling (the vehicle's road) and the width between the left and right demarcation lines (lane width) based on the distance image information received from the IPU 12. There are various known methods for calculating the road curvature and lane width. For example, the image recognition_ECU 13 recognizes the left and right demarcation lines by binarizing the road curvature based on the surrounding environment information using a brightness difference, and calculates the curvature of the left and right demarcation lines for each predetermined section using a curve approximation formula using the least squares method. Furthermore, the image recognition_ECU 13 calculates the lane width from the difference between the curvatures of the left and right demarcation lines. Then, the image recognition_ECU 13 calculates the vehicle's lateral position deviation, which is the distance from the center of the lane to the center of the vehicle's width direction, based on the curvatures of the left and right demarcation lines and the lane width.

[0021] In addition, the image recognition_ECU13 performs predetermined pattern matching on the distance image information to recognize three-dimensional objects such as stationary objects such as guardrails and curbs extending along the road, and moving objects moving around the vehicle (e.g., other oncoming vehicles, other vehicles turning right or left ahead, other vehicles following ahead, etc., as well as moving objects including bicycles, pedestrians, etc.).

[0022] Here, when recognizing a three-dimensional object in the image recognition_ECU13, for example, recognition is performed of the type of the three-dimensional object, the height of the three-dimensional object, the distance to the three-dimensional object, the speed of the three-dimensional object, the relative speed between the three-dimensional object and the vehicle, and the relative distance between two three-dimensional objects (for example, the lateral distance between a curb on the edge of the road and a dividing line nearby).

[0023] In this way, the image recognition_ECU 13 in the driving control device 1 functions as a first surrounding environment recognition device that recognizes the first surrounding environment around the vehicle together with the stereo camera 11 and the IPU 12. Then, the various information recognized by the image recognition_ECU 13 is the first surrounding environment information and is output to the driving_ECU 14 as the first target information.

[0024] The travel_ECU 14 is a control unit for overall control of the travel control device 1. Various control units, such as a cockpit control unit (CP_ECU) 21, an engine control unit (E / G_ECU) 22, a transmission control unit (T / M_ECU) 23, a brake control unit (BK_ECU) 24, a power steering control unit (PS_ECU) 25, a lighting control unit (LT_ECU) 26, etc., are connected to the travel_ECU 14 via an in-vehicle communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network).

[0025] Furthermore, the travel_ECU 14 is connected with various sensors such as a locator unit 36, an in-vehicle radar device 37, and a rear sensor 38.

[0026] A human-machine interface (HMI) 31 arranged around the driver's seat is connected to the CP_ECU 21. The HMI 31 is configured to include, for example, a switch for issuing an instruction to execute various driving assistance controls, a mode changeover switch for switching driving modes, a steering touch sensor for detecting the driver's steering state, a driver monitoring system (DMS) for detecting the driver's face authentication and line of sight, a touch panel display (display panel), a combination meter, a speaker, and the like.

[0027] When the CP_ECU 21 receives a control signal from the travel_ECU 14, it appropriately notifies the driver of various warnings for the preceding vehicle, the implementation status of driving support control, and various information related to the surrounding environment of the vehicle by display, voice, etc. through the HMI 31. In addition, the CP_ECU 21 outputs various input information such as the on / off operation state of various driving support controls input by the driver through the HMI 31 to the travel_ECU 14.

[0028] A throttle actuator 32 for an electronically controlled throttle and the like are connected to an output side of the E / G_ECU 22. In addition, various sensors such as an accelerator sensor (not shown) are connected to an input side of the E / G_ECU 22.

[0029] The E / G_ECU 22 performs drive control for the throttle actuator 32 based on a control signal from the travel_ECU 14 or detection signals from various sensors. In this way, the E / G_ECU 22 adjusts the amount of intake air for the engine to generate a desired engine output. The E / G_ECU 22 also outputs signals such as the accelerator opening degree detected by the various sensors to the travel_ECU 14.

[0030] An output side of the T / M_ECU 23 is connected to a hydraulic control circuit 33. In addition, an input side of the T / M_ECU 23 is connected to various sensors such as a shift position sensor (not shown).

[0031] The T / M_ECU 23 performs hydraulic control for the hydraulic control circuit 33 based on the engine torque signal estimated by the E / G_ECU 22 and detection signals from various sensors. As a result, the T / M_ECU 23 operates friction engagement elements, pulleys, and the like provided in the automatic transmission to shift the engine output at a desired gear ratio. The T / M_ECU 23 also outputs signals such as the shift position detected by the various sensors to the travel_ECU 14.

[0032] A brake actuator 34 for adjusting the brake fluid pressure output to the brake wheel cylinders provided on the respective wheels is connected to the output side of the BK_ECU 24. In addition, various sensors such as a brake pedal sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a longitudinal acceleration sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) are connected to the input side of the BK_ECU 24.

[0033] The BK_ECU 24 performs drive control for the brake actuator 34 based on a control signal from the travel_ECU 14 or detection signals from various sensors. As a result, the BK_ECU 24 appropriately generates braking force on each wheel for performing forced braking control, yaw rate control, etc. on the host vehicle. The BK_ECU 24 also outputs signals of the brake operation state, yaw rate, longitudinal acceleration, vehicle speed (host vehicle speed), etc. detected by various sensors to the travel_ECU 14.

[0034] An electric power steering motor 35 that applies a steering torque to the steering mechanism by the rotational force of the motor is connected to the output side of the PS_ECU 25. In addition, various sensors such as a steering torque sensor and a steering angle sensor are connected to the input side of the PS_ECU 25.

[0035] The PS_ECU 25 performs drive control for the electric power steering motor 35 based on a control signal from the travel_ECU 14 or detection signals from various sensors. In this way, the PS_ECU 25 generates a steering torque for the steering mechanism. The PS_ECU 25 also outputs signals of the steering torque, steering angle, etc. detected by the various sensors to the travel_ECU 14.

[0036] The LT_ECU 26 is connected to a lighting device 39. The lighting device 39 includes various lamps mounted on a vehicle, such as illuminating lamps, signal marker lamps, and indicator lamps. Here, the lighting lamps include, for example, headlights, fog lamps, side lamps, license plate lights, back-up lights, and interior lights. The signal marker lamps include, for example, direction indicator lamps, stop lamps, tail lamps, parking lamps, width lamps, and side marker lamps. The indicator lamps include, for example, indicator lamps for instruments, switches, air conditioning, and audio equipment. The lighting device 39 may include an actuator (not shown) that mechanically drives some of the lamps (for example, headlights, fog lamps, and side lamps) for light distribution control.

[0037] The LT_ECU 26 receives a control signal from the traveling_ECU 14 and controls the driving of the lighting device 39. In this case, the LT_ECU 26 performs a desired light distribution control by particularly performing mechanical or electrical driving control of lamps (e.g., headlights, fog lights, side lights, etc.) for emitting illumination light toward the outside (mainly the front) of the vehicle among the lamps included in the lighting device 39. As a result, the LT_ECU 26 and the lighting device 39, together with the traveling_ECU 14, constitute a light distribution control device 40 of this embodiment.

[0038] The light distribution control performed in this case applies a well-known configuration and well-known control technology of the lighting device 39. One configuration example of the lighting device 39 is configured with an actuator that rotates the lighting lamp or the like by a desired angle in the lateral direction (left and right direction) with respect to the vehicle traveling direction, for example. This allows the lighting device 39 to appropriately change the irradiation direction of the light emitted from the lighting lamp or the like.

[0039] Another example of the configuration of the lighting device 39 is a configuration including a shade that blocks a part of the illumination light and an actuator that drives the shade at a suitable predetermined timing, thereby covering a part of the light emitted from an illumination lamp or the like and changing the light distribution characteristics.

[0040] As a further example of a different configuration of the lighting device 39, for example, there is a configuration having a plurality of light sources and capable of arbitrarily changing the light distribution to a desired irradiation range by individually controlling the lighting state of each light source.

[0041] The light distribution control device 40 of the present embodiment may be configured in any one of the above-described configuration examples, or in any combination of two or more of them.

[0042] In addition, the light distribution control is not limited to the control of headlights only, but may also be in the form of providing auxiliary lighting (auxiliary lighting such as fog lights and side lighting) in addition to the headlights, and controlling the lighting of these types of auxiliary lighting at a predetermined timing in addition to controlling the lighting of the headlights.

[0043] In this way, light distribution control involves adjusting the irradiation angle and diffusion state of the illumination light from the illumination light source in the lighting device 39, or by appropriately driving multiple illumination lamps, so that the illumination light can be effectively irradiated toward targets around the vehicle.

[0044] The locator unit 36 ​​includes a GNSS sensor 36a, a high-precision road map database 36b (hereinafter, referred to as road map DB 36b), and the like.

[0045] The GNSS sensor 36a receives positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of positioning satellites to determine the position (latitude, longitude, altitude, etc.) of the vehicle, thereby acquiring position information of the vehicle.

[0046] The road map DB 36b is configured by storing high-precision road map information (local dynamic map) in a large-capacity storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). This high-precision road map information has a layer structure similar to that of a global dynamic map provided in a cloud server (not shown), for example. That is, the road map information has four layers of information: static information and semi-static information that mainly constitute road information, and semi-dynamic information and dynamic information that mainly constitute traffic information.

[0047] Static information is made up of information that requires updating over a relatively long period of time, such as monthly intervals, such as roads, structures on roads, lane information, road surface information, and permanent regulation information.

[0048] Specifically, this includes, for example, road type (general road, expressway, etc.), road shape, left and right dividing lines (for example, center line, outer line, lane boundary, median strip, etc.), exits of expressways and bypass roads, entrance / exit lengths (start and end positions) of branch lanes and merging lanes leading to junctions, service areas, parking areas, etc., as well as road signs, road surface markings (stop lines, crosswalks, direction of travel, etc.), and other nearly fixed, static position information.

[0049] The quasi-static information is composed of information that requires updates in a relatively short period of time, for example, on an hourly basis, such as congestion information, traffic regulation information due to accidents or road construction or events, wide-area weather information, and congestion forecasts.

[0050] Semi-dynamic information is composed of information that requires short-term update frequencies, for example, on the order of minutes, such as actual traffic congestion conditions and driving restrictions at the time of observation, temporary driving impediments such as fallen objects and obstacles, actual accident conditions, and narrow-area weather information.

[0051] Dynamic information consists of information that must be updated very quickly, on the order of seconds, such as information transmitted and exchanged between moving objects, information on currently displayed traffic signals, information on pedestrians and motorcycles within an intersection, and information on vehicles traveling straight through an intersection.

[0052] This road map DB36b holds lane data required for autonomous driving, such as lane width data, lane center position coordinate data, lane travel azimuth data, speed limit data, etc. This lane data is stored at intervals of several meters for each lane on the road map.

[0053] For example, based on a request signal from the driving_ECU 14, the road map DB 36b outputs to the driving_ECU 14 second surrounding environment information (second target information) contained in road map information of a set range based on the vehicle position measured by the GNSS sensor 36a.

[0054] In this way, in the driving control device 1, the road map DB 36b functions as a second surrounding environment recognition device that recognizes the second surrounding environment around the vehicle together with the GNSS sensor 36a. The information acquired by the GNSS sensor 36a and the road map DB 36b is the second surrounding environment information and is sent to the image recognition_ECU 13 as the second target information.

[0055] The on-board radar device 37 is composed of a plurality of sensors, such as millimeter wave radars. Here, the millimeter wave radars, which are a plurality of sensors, detect three-dimensional objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles, as well as structures (e.g., curbs, guard rails, walls of buildings, plants, and other three-dimensional objects) provided on the edge of the road (e.g., the edge of the road shoulder) by receiving and analyzing the reflected waves from objects in response to the outputted radio waves. Furthermore, each millimeter wave radar also detects three-dimensional obstacles present on the road. In this case, each radar detects the width of the three-dimensional object, the position of the representative point of the three-dimensional object (relative position and relative distance to the vehicle), the relative speed, and other specific information related to the three-dimensional object.

[0056] In FIG. 1, an example of the configuration of the on-vehicle radar device 37 is shown, which is configured with, for example, four sensors (a left front side sensor 37lf, a right front side sensor 37rf, a left rear side sensor 37lr, and a right rear side sensor 37rr).

[0057] Of these four sensors, the left front side sensor 37lf and the right front side sensor 37rf are disposed, for example, on the left and right sides of the front bumper, respectively. The left front side sensor 37lf and the right front side sensor 37rf detect, as third surrounding environment information, three-dimensional objects existing in areas diagonally forward and to the left and right and to the sides of the vehicle, which are difficult to recognize in the image from the stereo camera 11.

[0058] The left rear side sensor 37lr and the right rear side sensor 37rr are disposed, for example, on the left and right sides of the rear bumper, respectively. The left rear side sensor 37lr and the right rear side sensor 37rr detect, as third surrounding environment information, three-dimensional objects existing in the left and right diagonal lateral and rear areas of the vehicle that are difficult to recognize by the left front side sensor 37lf and the right front side sensor 37rf.

[0059] In this way, the on-board radar device 37 in the driving control device 1 functions as a third surrounding environment recognition device that recognizes a third surrounding environment around the vehicle. Then, information acquired by the on-board radar device 37 is sent to the image recognition_ECU 13.

[0060] The rear sensor 38 is configured by, for example, a sonar device, etc. The rear sensor 38 is disposed, for example, in a rear bumper. The rear sensor 38 detects, as the fourth surrounding environment information, a three-dimensional object existing in an area behind the vehicle that is difficult to recognize by the left rear side sensor 37lr and the right rear side sensor 37rr.

[0061] In this way, the rear sensor 38 in the driving control device 1 functions as a fourth surrounding environment recognition device that recognizes a fourth surrounding environment around the vehicle. Then, information acquired by the rear sensor 38 is sent to the image recognition_ECU 13.

[0062] In addition, the coordinates of each object outside the vehicle contained in the first surrounding environment information recognized by the camera unit 10 including the image recognition_ECU 13, the second surrounding environment information recognized by the locator unit 36, the third surrounding environment information recognized by the on-board radar device 37, and the fourth surrounding environment information recognized by the rear sensor 38 are all converted by the driving_ECU 14 into coordinates of a three-dimensional coordinate system with the center of the vehicle as the origin.

[0063] The driving modes set in the travel_ECU 14 are a manual driving mode, a first driving control mode and a second driving control mode for driving control, and an evacuation mode. These driving modes can be selectively switched in the travel_ECU 14 based on, for example, the operation status of a mode change switch provided in the HMI 31.

[0064] In addition, in each of the above-mentioned driving modes, when the driving_ECU 14 recognizes an obstacle such as a preceding vehicle on the vehicle's driving path that is likely to collide with the vehicle or a three-dimensional object such as a fallen object, the driving_ECU 14 determines whether to execute emergency braking (AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking): collision damage mitigation brake) control or obstacle avoidance control accompanied by emergency steering control, and executes the specified control as necessary.

[0065] All or some of the locator unit 36, image recognition_ECU 13, driving_ECU 14, CP_ECU 21, E / G_ECU 22, T / M_ECU 23, BK_ECU 24, PS_ECU 25, etc. are configured by a processor including hardware.

[0066] Here, the processor is configured by a well-known configuration including, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a non-volatile memory, a non-volatile storage device, a non-transitory computer readable medium, and the like, and peripheral devices thereof.

[0067] Software programs executed by the CPU and fixed data such as data tables are stored in advance in the ROM, non-volatile memory, non-volatile storage device, etc. Then, the CPU reads out the software programs stored in the ROM, etc., expands them in the RAM, and executes them, and the software programs appropriately refer to various data, etc., thereby realizing the functions of the above-mentioned components and components (13, 14, 21 to 25, 36), etc.

[0068] The processor may be configured with a semiconductor chip such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), etc. Each of the components and components (13, 14, 21 to 25, 36) may be configured with an electronic circuit.

[0069] Furthermore, the software program may be in a form in which the whole or part is recorded as a computer program product on a portable disk medium such as a flexible disk, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM, or on a non-transitory computer readable medium such as a card-type memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) device, or an SSD (Solid State Drive) device.

[0070] As the first surrounding environment recognition device, for example, a monocular camera may be applied instead of (or in addition to) the stereo camera 11 included in the camera unit 10. Also, for example, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) or the like may be applied instead of (or in addition to) the in-vehicle radar device 37.

[0071] The operation of the light distribution control device of this embodiment included in the driving control device 1 configured as above will be described below. Figs. 2 to 4 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the light distribution control device of one embodiment of the present invention. Of these, Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining a specific situation when light distribution control is performed. Fig. 3 is a flowchart of light distribution control processing by the light distribution control device of one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the target information comparison processing (processing of step S6) in the flowchart of Fig. 3.

[0072] First, the symbols used in Fig. 2 will be explained below. In Fig. 2, symbols M1 and M2 indicate a host vehicle equipped with a driving control device 1 including a light distribution control device 40 of this embodiment. Among them, symbol M1 indicates a host vehicle traveling at a position before entering an intersection. Moreover, symbol M2 indicates a host vehicle that is waiting to turn right after entering the intersection.

[0073] In the following description, the host vehicle will be referred to as the host vehicle M, regardless of the situation and position (M1, M2) in FIG.

[0074] Also, the situation shown in FIG. 2 is assumed to be, for example, nighttime after sunset when a vehicle needs to use a lighting device such as a headlight.

[0075] In Fig. 2, the reference symbol T indicates another vehicle traveling around the host vehicle M. The other vehicle T shown in Fig. 2 is exemplified as, for example, another vehicle traveling straight in the oncoming lane.

[0076] In Fig. 2, the symbol H indicates a pedestrian existing around the host vehicle M. The pedestrian H shown in Fig. 2 is illustrated as a pedestrian existing on a crosswalk on the path of the host vehicle M when the host vehicle M makes a right turn, for example.

[0077] 2, reference numeral 100 denotes an intersection on a road on which the host vehicle M and other vehicles T are traveling. This intersection 100 is formed by the intersection of two straight roads 100A and 100B.

[0078] The straight road 100A is made up of a lane 101 in which the vehicle M is traveling (hereinafter referred to as the own lane 101) and a lane 102 (hereinafter referred to as the oncoming lane 102) that opposes the own lane 101. Furthermore, the own lane 101 is made up of a right-turn exclusive lane 101a and a straight-going and left-turn lane 101b near the intersection 100.

[0079] The situation shown in Figure 2 shows a host vehicle M1 traveling in the right-turn-only lane 101a at a position (M1) just before the intersection 100, and a host vehicle M2 waiting to turn right at a position (M2) on the extension of the right-turn-only lane 101a after the host vehicle M has entered the intersection 100.

[0080] A straight road 100B (hereinafter referred to as intersecting road 100B) that intersects with a straight road 100A (hereinafter simply referred to as straight road 100A) including the own vehicle lane 101 is shown as a road consisting of two lanes, lanes 103 and 104. Here, lane 103 is the lane that the own vehicle M intends to travel in after turning right from the position indicated by symbol M2 in FIG. 2. Furthermore, lane 104 is the oncoming lane of lane 103. This lane 104 also has a similar structure to the own vehicle lane 101 (it has a right-turn-only lane and a lane for going straight and turning left).

[0081] On the side of the intersecting road 100B, a median strip 107 (shown by cross-hatching) is provided at the boundary between the lane 103 and the lane 104.

[0082] Furthermore, in Fig. 2, reference numeral 105 denotes a sidewalk. Reference numerals 106A and 106B in Fig. 2 denote pedestrian crossings. Among these, the pedestrian crossing 106A is a pedestrian crossing that crosses a straight road 101A that includes the vehicle lane 101. Furthermore, the pedestrian crossing 106B is a pedestrian crossing that crosses a crossing road 101B.

[0083] Next, a situation in which light distribution control is performed by the light distribution control device 40 of this embodiment will be briefly described below with reference to FIG.

[0084] Consider a situation in which a host vehicle M equipped with a cruise control device 1 including the light distribution control device 40 of the present embodiment is traveling at night near an intersection 100 as shown in Fig. 2. At this time, the host vehicle M is traveling while emitting illumination light from a lighting device 39.

[0085] 2 is planning to turn right at the intersection 100. At this time, it is assumed that another vehicle T is traveling in the oncoming lane 102 toward the intersection 100.

[0086] In this case, the vehicle M enters the right-turn exclusive lane 101a just before the intersection 100 (see symbol M1 in FIG. 2). At this point in time, the vehicle M performs light distribution control of the illumination light from the lighting device 39 (e.g., headlights) so that the illumination light is irradiated to the range indicated by symbol L1 in FIG. 2. At this time, the illumination range L1 is controlled by light distribution control that limits the illumination range to the oncoming lane 102 by recognizing the oncoming vehicle T on the oncoming lane 102 side. Such light distribution control is realized by a well-known technology.

[0087] After the host vehicle M enters the intersection 100 in this state, it stops temporarily at a predetermined position (see symbol M2 in FIG. 2) within the intersection 100 and waits to turn right. When the host vehicle M is at position M2 in FIG. 2, the illumination range L1 of the lighting device 39 of the host vehicle M is assumed to continue to be the same as the illumination range L1 when the host vehicle M is at position M1.

[0088] In this situation shown in Figure 2, the illumination range L1 of the lighting device 39 of the vehicle M at position M2 illuminates only a small portion of the crosswalk 106B, for example, but it is considered that the illumination light is not sufficiently irradiated mainly to the right of the vehicle M, i.e., the area in the direction in which the vehicle M is about to travel.

[0089] In this case, objects (e.g., the central reservation strip 107, the crosswalk 106B, and the pedestrian H on the crosswalk 106B) present in the area in that direction (the direction of travel of the vehicle M) may not have been detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13).

[0090] In such a situation, the light distribution control device 40 of the present embodiment refers to the second target information recognized by the second surrounding environment recognition device (36a, 36b) to identify targets that may not have been detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13). Then, light distribution control is executed to irradiate an area including the identified target with illumination light. The resulting additional irradiation range is indicated by symbol L2 in FIG. 2.

[0091] As described above, the crosswalk 106B and the median strip 107 in the traveling direction (right front or right side area) of the vehicle M are given as specific examples of targets that may be recognized by the second surrounding environment recognition device (36a, 36b) but not detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13), but are not limited thereto. The target may be another object.

[0092] The light distribution control process executed by the light distribution control device 40 of this embodiment under such circumstances will be described in detail below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0093] It is assumed that the host vehicle M equipped with the cruise control device 1 including the light distribution control device 40 of this embodiment is traveling under the above-mentioned conditions shown in Fig. 2. In this manner, while the host vehicle M is traveling, the cruise control device 1 of the host vehicle M continuously executes a recognition process of the surrounding environment of the traveling host vehicle M by using various sensor devices.

[0094] First, in step S1 of FIG. 3, the driving control device 1 uses a first surrounding environment recognition device, i.e., a camera unit 10 including a stereo camera 11, an IPU 12, and an image recognition_ECU 13, to recognize a first surrounding environment around the host vehicle M and acquire first target information.

[0095] Here, the first target information is assumed to be, for example, a three-dimensional object that exists around (mainly in front of) the vehicle M and can be recognized in an image captured by the stereo camera 11. Specifically, examples of the first target information include stationary objects such as structures on the road (guardrails, curbs, median strips, crosswalks, etc.) and moving objects such as vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc. moving on the road.

[0096] At this time, if the driving control device 1 of the vehicle M while traveling recognizes, for example, an oncoming vehicle in the oncoming lane, the light distribution control device 40 executes a well-known light distribution control that takes into consideration the oncoming vehicle. In the example situation shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle M is assumed to have already executed a well-known light distribution control that takes into consideration the oncoming vehicle T (or an oncoming vehicle not shown that has been recognized before). In the example shown in Fig. 2, it is assumed that a light distribution control is executed in which the illumination range of the headlights of the vehicle M is set to a light distribution pattern such as that shown by the symbol L1.

[0097] Next, in step S2, the driving control device 1 acquires position information (latitude, longitude, altitude, etc.) of the host vehicle M measured by the GNSS sensor 36a (second surrounding environment recognition device).

[0098] Next, in step S3, the cruise control device 1 acquires map information based on the vehicle's position from the road map DB 36b (second surrounding environment recognition device) based on the position information of the vehicle M acquired in the process of step S2 described above. At the same time, it acquires second surrounding environment information (second target information) included in the acquired map information based on the vehicle's position.

[0099] Here, the second target information is assumed to be, for example, a three-dimensional object that exists around (mainly ahead of) the vehicle M and is included in the map information. Specifically, for example, stationary objects such as structures on the road (guardrails, curbs, median strips, crosswalks, etc.) and moving objects such as vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc. that move on the road can be cited. Note that vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc., which are dynamic information, may not be included in the map information.

[0100] Next, in step S4, the driving control device 1 checks whether or not an intersection 100 exists ahead of the vehicle M based on the acquired map information (acquired by the second surrounding environment recognition device) or the acquired image information (acquired by the first surrounding environment recognition device). If it is confirmed that an intersection 100 exists ahead of the vehicle M, the process proceeds to the next step S5. If an intersection 100 does not exist ahead of the vehicle M, the process returns to step S1, and the same processes thereafter are repeated.

[0101] In step S5, the cruise control device 1 checks whether the host vehicle M will make a right turn or a left turn at the intersection 100 checked in the above-mentioned step S4. Here, the check as to whether the host vehicle M will make a right turn or a left turn can be performed by checking the state of the turn indicator of the host vehicle M, for example.

[0102] There are also cases where the driver sets a driving route to the destination on a road map in advance using a navigation device, etc. In such cases, the driver can confirm the traveling direction (whether to turn right or left or go straight) at the intersection 100 confirmed ahead based on the driving route set on the road map and the map information based on the vehicle's position.

[0103] Furthermore, for example, by checking that the vehicle M has entered the right-turn exclusive lane 101a, it can be confirmed that the vehicle M is about to turn right at the intersection 100.

[0104] If it is determined in the process of step S5 that the host vehicle M is about to turn right or left, the process proceeds to the next step S6.

[0105] On the other hand, if the host vehicle M is going straight ahead without making a right or left turn at the intersection 100 ahead where the host vehicle M is confirmed, a loop process is performed that returns to the process of step S1 described above. In this case, it is determined that the host vehicle M traveling straight ahead only needs to maintain the current light distribution control and does not need to change the light distribution control. For this reason, when it is determined that the host vehicle M will go straight through the intersection 100, a loop process is performed that returns to the process of step S1 as described above.

[0106] In step S6, the cruise control device 1 performs a target information comparison process to compare the recognized and detected first target information with the recognized second target information. This target information comparison process is a process for determining whether or not a plurality of pieces of second target information recognized by the second surrounding environment recognition device (36a, 36b) have been detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13).

[0107] Generally, when driving at night, the illumination range of the lighting device 39 is limited, so that all of the multiple second target information (i.e., targets that can certainly exist) included in the map information based on the vehicle's position are not necessarily detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13).

[0108] Therefore, the cruise control device 1 performs a target information comparison process to distinguish targets that should be recognized as the second target information and exist but are not detected as the first target information by comparing the first target information actually detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13) with the recognized second target information. Details of this target information comparison process will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4.

[0109] First, in step S11 of FIG. 4, the cruise control device 1 checks whether or not first target information that matches a predetermined piece of second target information has been detected from among a plurality of recognized pieces of second target information.

[0110] Here, if the first target information that matches the recognized second target information is not detected, the process proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, if the first target information that matches the recognized second target information is detected, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0111] In the next step S12, the cruise control device 1 sets the target information determined in the process of the above-mentioned step S11 as a light-distribution candidate target. Here, the light-distribution candidate target means a candidate target to be the target of the light distribution control executed in the later stage. After that, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0112] In step S13, the cruise control device 1 checks whether confirmation of all the objects in the recognized second target information has been completed. If confirmation of all the objects in the recognized second target information has not been completed, the cruise control device 1 returns to the process of step S11 described above and repeats the same processes thereafter. If confirmation of all the objects in the recognized second target information has been completed, the cruise control device 1 returns to the original process and proceeds to the process of step S7 in FIG. 3.

[0113] In the above description, all the targets in the recognized second target information are confirmed in the process of step S13, but this is not limited thereto. For example, when it is confirmed in the process of step S5 in FIG. 3 that the host vehicle M is about to turn right, the targets in the front left area and the left side area of ​​the host vehicle M are not necessarily required information. Therefore, in the process of step S13, at least the required target information among all the targets in the recognized second target information may be confirmed according to the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. Specifically, for example, when the host vehicle M is about to turn right, the second target information in the front right area and the right side area of ​​the host vehicle M may mainly be confirmed.

[0114] Returning to FIG. 3, in step S7, the driving control device 1 sets priorities of the light distribution candidates set in the process of step S12 described above. Here, the reason for setting priorities to the light distribution candidates is as follows. That is, it is difficult to irradiate illumination light to all targets that are not detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13) among the multiple second target information recognized by the second surrounding environment recognition device (36a, 36b). In addition, it is not necessarily necessary to be able to recognize all undetected targets.

[0115] Therefore, when performing light distribution control, it is sufficient to target a necessary area among areas including undetected targets. To this end, in the light distribution control device 40 of this embodiment, a priority is set for the determined light distribution candidates, and an area mainly including targets with high priority is targeted for light distribution control.

[0116] The priority of the light distribution candidates for this purpose is set as follows: For example, assume the situation shown in Fig. 2, that is, the situation in which the host vehicle M is about to turn right at an intersection 100 at night.

[0117] 2, the host vehicle M is stopped at a predetermined position M2 in an intersection 100 to wait for a right turn. At this time, the lighting device 39 of the host vehicle M normally irradiates illumination light mainly forward. Also, depending on the surrounding conditions before the host vehicle M enters the intersection 100, a predetermined light distribution control may already be performed.

[0118] For example, if light distribution control is continuously performed taking into account oncoming vehicles before the host vehicle M enters the intersection 100, light distribution control may be performed to illuminate the illumination range L1 shown in Figure 2.

[0119] This light distribution pattern shows the following concrete example. For example, for a host vehicle M traveling on a road with a left-hand traffic system, an oncoming vehicle passes on the right side. In order to suppress glare and dazzle for the oncoming vehicle, the host vehicle M performs light distribution control for suppressing light distribution to the front right side, for example, for the normal illumination range of the headlights of the lighting device 39. As a result, the illumination range is set to L1 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0120] In general, the first target information that can be actually detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13) of the host vehicle M traveling at night is substantially limited to within the irradiation range L1 of the illumination light from the lighting device 39. At the same time, the visibility range that can be viewed by the driver of the host vehicle M is also substantially limited to within the same irradiation range L1.

[0121] Therefore, the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13) cannot detect all of the various targets that actually exist around the host vehicle M. In particular, at night, it tends to be difficult to detect targets that exist in areas outside the illumination range of the headlights of the host vehicle M.

[0122] 2, most of the crosswalk 106B, the pedestrian H walking on the crosswalk 106B, the median strip 107 on the intersecting road 100B, etc. are outside the illumination range L1. Therefore, there is a possibility that they are not detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13) (or are not visually recognized by the driver).

[0123] In this way, when a target that has not been detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13) (or has not been visually recognized by the driver) is set as a light distribution candidate, the priority is set according to, for example, the vehicle traveling direction.

[0124] Specifically, for example, when a vehicle is about to turn right at an intersection, it is desirable for the vehicle to be aware of the surrounding environment (objects, etc.) in not only the area ahead but also the area to the right of the front and the area to the right of the rear (area including the direction in which the vehicle is about to travel).

[0125] Therefore, when turning right, a high priority is set to targets in the forward right area and the right side area. On the other hand, when turning right, the priority of targets in the left side area and the left side area may be set to low. Also, as for the priority of each target, for example, a crosswalk or a median strip is set to high priority.

[0126] Here, for example, there is a possibility that pedestrians and the like are present on the crosswalk. In particular, a crosswalk that is present in an area to the right of a right-turning vehicle is located on the path along which the vehicle will proceed after turning right. In the example of FIG. 2, this corresponds to crosswalk 106B for the host vehicle at position M2 waiting to turn right.

[0127] Generally, information about pedestrians and the like is dynamic information and may not be included in map information. However, for example, if the crosswalk 106B can be illuminated, it will be possible to illuminate the pedestrian H who may be on the crosswalk 106B. For this reason, the crosswalk 106B in the right-hand region and the right-hand side region is treated as having a high priority setting.

[0128] Also, for example, the median strip 107 on the cross road 100B side may be erroneously recognized as a curbstone or the like (not shown) on the cross road 101B side. As shown in FIG. 2, at night, if the median strip 107 on the cross road 100B side is not clearly included in the illumination range L1 and is a target that is not detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13) (or is not visually recognized by the driver), the host vehicle M (driver) may erroneously recognize the lane 104 on the cross road 100B side as the travel lane after turning right. For this reason, the median strip 107 present in the right-leaning area and the right-side area is treated as a high priority setting.

[0129] Incidentally, the presence of traffic lights is not particularly shown in the intersection 100 shown in Fig. 2. However, for example, when the intersection 100 is confirmed ahead and the traffic light for the host vehicle M is green, there is little need to recognize stop lines and the like as the first target information and the second target information. In particular, when passing through the intersection 100 in a straight line and the traffic light for the host vehicle M is green, the necessity of recognizing stop lines and the like becomes even less. Therefore, in this case, a low priority is set for the target information such as stop lines.

[0130] On the other hand, when the traffic light for the vehicle M is indicating red, it is necessary to recognize stop lines, etc. However, when normal light distribution control is being performed, it is considered that the illumination range in which a target such as a stop line appearing ahead can be detected or recognized by both the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13) and the second surrounding environment recognition device (36a, 36b) without any special change in the light distribution control is ensured. However, in this case, when the stop line, etc. is not detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13) and the stop line, etc. is set as a light distribution candidate, the stop line, etc. is set to a low priority.

[0131] In this manner, the priority of the light distribution candidates is set in the process of step S7 in Fig. 3. After that, the process proceeds to step S8.

[0132] In step S8, the lighting control unit (LT_ECU) 26 of the light distribution control device 40 executes light distribution control based on the priority set in the process of step S7 described above. In the example shown in Fig. 2, for example, a light distribution control that adds the illumination range L2 in Fig. 2 is shown.

[0133] In addition, if the result of executing the light distribution control based on the set priority in this way is that there is a possibility of affecting the driving of oncoming vehicles T, etc. (dazzling, etc.), control is performed to add further light distribution restrictions to the light distribution control of the illumination range L2 or to adjust the illumination range. After that, the series of processes is terminated and the original process is returned to.

[0134] In this way, by performing light distribution control based on priority, the lighting device 39 of the vehicle M irradiates illumination light to, for example, an illumination range indicated by reference symbol L2 in FIG. 2 in addition to an illumination range indicated by reference symbol L1 in FIG.

[0135] Therefore, since the illumination range L2 (illumination of targets in the right area and the right side area of ​​the vehicle M) is performed, the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13) can recognize and detect targets within the illumination range L2. At the same time, the driver can visually recognize the targets.

[0136] In the above-described processing sequence, the timing for starting the light distribution control is set to immediately after completing the processing sequence in FIG. 4 and the priority setting processing in FIG. 3, but the present invention is not limited to such processing.

[0137] For example, as the timing for starting light distribution control, if the distance between the vehicle M and the target object is sufficiently far even after the priority setting process in Fig. 3 is completed, it is not effective to immediately start the light distribution control. Therefore, the light distribution control may be started when the distance between the vehicle M and the target object approaches within a predetermined distance.

[0138] Furthermore, for example, the timing to start light distribution control may be a time when a continuation time of a non-detection state of a target that has not been detected as the first target information has elapsed for a predetermined period of time or more.

[0139] As described above, according to the embodiment, Even when the vehicle M is traveling at an intersection or the like at night and encounters a target in the surrounding environment that is difficult to see (a target that cannot be detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13)), appropriate light distribution control of illumination light can be performed for targets that can be recognized by the second surrounding environment recognition device (36a, 36b).

[0140] By performing the light distribution control as described above, it becomes possible to reliably irradiate and recognize targets that could not be detected by the first surrounding environment recognition device (11, 12, 13) with illumination light.

[0141] Therefore, it is possible to prevent the driver from operating the vehicle erroneously based on an erroneous recognition of the vehicle's surrounding environment, and therefore to prevent erroneous entry into the path of travel (e.g., driving in the wrong direction) caused by such erroneous recognition. At the same time, it is possible to contribute to the early recognition of pedestrians, etc.

[0142] In the above embodiment, an example of light distribution control is shown in which the vehicle M recognizes an intersection 100 ahead and turns right at the intersection 100, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the light distribution control by the light distribution control device 40 of the present embodiment can be similarly applied to a case in which the vehicle M turns left at the intersection 100. In this case, light distribution control may be performed by focusing mainly on targets in the left-side area and the left-side area.

[0143] Also, even in situations other than when the host vehicle M turns right or left at the intersection 100, the light distribution control can be executed appropriately according to the surrounding environment conditions.

[0144] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications and applications can be implemented within the scope of the gist of the invention. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiment includes inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriate combinations of the disclosed multiple constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the above-mentioned one embodiment, if the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved and the effect of the invention can be obtained, the configuration from which the constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as the invention. Furthermore, the constituent elements across different embodiments may be appropriately combined. The present invention is not restricted by its specific embodiment except as limited by the attached claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0145] 1...Drive control device 10...Camera unit 11…Stereo camera 11a…Main camera 11b…Sub camera 12...Image processing unit (IPU) 13...Image recognition unit (Image recognition_ECU) 14...Drive control unit (Drive_ECU) 21...Cockpit control unit (CP_ECU) 22…Engine control unit (E / G_ECU) 23...Transmission control unit (T / M_ECU) 24…Brake control unit (BK_ECU) 24 25…Power steering control unit (PS_ECU) 26…Lighting control unit (LT_ECU) 31…Human Machine Interface (HMI) 32...Throttle actuator 33...Hydraulic control circuit 34…Brake actuator 35...Electric power steering motor 36…Locator unit 36a…GNSS sensor 36b…High-precision road map database (road map DB) 37... Vehicle-mounted radar device 37lf…Front left side sensor 37lr…Left rear side sensor 37rf…Right front side sensor 37rr…Right rear side sensor 38…Rear sensor 39…Lighting equipment 40...Light distribution control device 100...Intersection 106A, 106B...Pedestrian crossing 107…Central median strip H…Pedestrian L1, L2…Irradiation range M1, M2…Own vehicle T: Oncoming vehicle

Claims

1. A first surrounding environment recognition device that recognizes the surrounding environment of a vehicle and detects first target information in the recognized surrounding environment, A vehicle position information acquisition device that acquires the location information of the aforementioned vehicle, A second surrounding environment recognition device that acquires map information within a predetermined range based on the vehicle's location information, and second target information included in the vehicle's location reference map information, A lighting device that emits illumination light, A lighting control unit that controls the light distribution of the illumination light emitted from the aforementioned lighting device, It is equipped with, The aforementioned lighting control unit is By comparing the first target information and the second target information, Identify targets from the second target information that have not been detected as the first target information, The identified target is set as a candidate target for light distribution, Set the light distribution priority for the selected light distribution candidate target, Light distribution control is performed based on the set light distribution priority. A vehicle light distribution control device characterized by the following features.

2. The vehicle light distribution control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the timing for starting the light distribution control is the time when a target that has not been detected as the first target information among the second target information is identified.

3. The vehicle light distribution control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the timing for starting the light distribution control is when a target that has not been detected as the first target information among the second target information is identified, and the distance between the target and the vehicle approaches a predetermined distance.

4. The vehicle light distribution control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the timing for starting the light distribution control is when a target that has not been detected as the first target information is identified from the second target information, and the duration of the undetected state of the target has elapsed for a predetermined period of time or longer.

5. The vehicle light distribution control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lighting control unit recognizes an intersection ahead and executes the light distribution control when the vehicle turns right or left at the intersection.

Images