Lighting control device and program

Abstract

To provide a lighting control device and a program capable of reducing an electrical power consumption by adjusting an irradiation range while irradiating an object to be irradiated being present around a vehicle.SOLUTION: A lighting control device 5 comprises a control unit 6 that controls the amount of light of a lighting part 2 provided in the vehicle, in accordance with a detection result of a detection unit 4 that monitors an environment around a vehicle 1 and a monitoring result of an electric power balance of an electrical power source 3 provided in the vehicle. The control unit calculates an adjusted irradiation level, which is a reduced level of the current irradiation level of the lighting part, based on the detection result of the detection unit, when it is determined that an electric power consumption of the electric power source should be reduced based on the monitoring result of the electric power balance, and reduces the amount of light of the lighting part based on the adjusted irradiation level.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting control device and a program capable of adjusting the illumination level of a lighting unit provided in a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the light intensity of vehicle lighting units has increased, and the power consumption of the lighting units has increased accordingly. For this reason, vehicle lighting units in recent years are required to adjust their power consumption to be reduced when the remaining charge of a power source device such as a secondary battery falls below a predetermined level while illuminating as wide an area as possible under normal conditions. Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle lighting device that includes a control unit that changes the illuminated area to a high-speed state that is narrower than the normal state when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a highway. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-002931 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to the technology described in Patent Document 1, even if the power consumption in the vehicle is not tight, the illuminated area may be narrowed when the vehicle is in a state where all lights can be turned on while driving on a highway, and the visibility of the illuminated area may be reduced at unnecessary times. According to the technology described in Patent Document 1, the illumination range is narrowed when the vehicle is driving on a highway, so the visibility of vehicles parked on the roadside and objects on the roadside may be reduced.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a light control device and program that can reduce power consumption by adjusting the illumination range while illuminating objects to be illuminated that exist around the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a lighting control device that includes a control unit that controls the amount of light of a lighting unit provided in a vehicle in accordance with the detection results of a detection unit that monitors the environment around the vehicle and the monitoring results of a power balance of a power supply unit provided in the vehicle, and when the control unit determines that the power consumption of the power supply unit should be reduced based on the monitoring results of the power balance, it calculates an adjusted illumination level that reduces the current illumination level of the lighting unit based on the detection results of the detection unit, and reduces the amount of light of the lighting unit based on the adjusted illumination level. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce power consumption by adjusting the illumination range while illuminating objects that exist around the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a light control device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a lighting unit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an adjusted illumination range in which the amount of light in the illumination range in the normal state is reduced. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an adjusted irradiation range including an irradiation object. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a process flow of a light control method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 includes a lighting unit 2 that illuminates a forward area, a detection unit 4 that monitors the environment around the vehicle 1, and a lighting control device 5 that controls the lighting unit 2. The lighting unit 2 includes a light source formed of, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) light emitting element. The light source is provided with a circuit unit that adjusts the amount of light. The lighting unit 2 is supplied with power from a power supply unit 3 provided in the vehicle 1. The power supply unit 3 is composed of, for example, a chargeable and dischargeable secondary battery and a control circuit that controls the charging and discharging power. The power supply unit 3 may include a power generation device such as a fuel cell. When the vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle, the power supply unit 3 may be configured to supply power not only to the lighting unit 2 but also for driving.

[0010] The detection unit 4 is configured with a plurality of sensors capable of detecting the environment around the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may include, for example, a camera that captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may include, for example, a LIDAR device that detects objects around the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may include, for example, a communication unit that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles around the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may include, for example, a communication unit that communicates with a terminal device held by a traffic participant such as a pedestrian around the vehicle 1.

[0011] The detection unit 4 may include, for example, a position sensor that detects the current position of the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may include, for example, a six-axis sensor that detects the attitude and acceleration of the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may be configured, for example, by a navigation device that calculates a route to the destination of the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may also include other sensors used for driving the vehicle 1 and driving assistance. The detection unit 4 may also include other sensors as long as they can detect information necessary for the driving of the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 outputs detection results of predetermined sensors to the light control device 5.

[0012] The light control device 5 is a computer device configured to adjust the light intensity of the light unit 2. The light control device 5 includes a control unit 6 that controls the light intensity of the light unit 2, and a storage unit 7 that stores data and computer programs required for control. The control unit 6 is configured with at least one hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage unit 7 is configured with a non-transitory storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state disk (SSD).

[0013] The control unit 6 is connected to the lighting unit 2 and controls the circuit unit to adjust the light intensity of the light source. The control unit 6 is connected to the control circuit of the power supply unit 3 and monitors the power balance and voltage of the power supply unit 3. The control unit 6 monitors the power balance of the power supply unit 3 based on the power consumption of the lighting unit 2 connected to the power supply unit 3 and the charging power input to the power supply unit 3. The control unit 6 calculates the current electric capacity of the power supply unit 3 based on the monitoring results of the voltage and power balance of the power supply unit 3. The control unit 6 may also calculate the future electric capacity of the power supply unit 3 based on the monitoring results of the voltage and power balance of the power supply unit 3.

[0014] When the vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle, the control unit 6 may calculate the future electric capacity of the power supply unit 3 and the cruising distance of the vehicle 1 based on a state of charge (SOC) indicating the charging state of the power supply unit 3 and the power consumption of the vehicle 1. Based on the monitoring result of the power balance of the power supply unit 3, the control unit 6 determines whether or not the power consumption of the power supply unit 3 should be reduced.

[0015] For example, when the current voltage of the power supply unit 3 is equal to or lower than a preset threshold, the control unit 6 determines that the power consumption of the power supply unit 3 should be reduced. In another example, the control unit 6 may determine that the power consumption of the power supply unit 3 should be reduced when the power capacity of the power supply unit 3 is predicted to be insufficient after a predetermined time has elapsed based on the current electric capacity and current power consumption of the power supply unit 3. In another example, when the vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle, the control unit 6 may determine that the power consumption of the power supply unit 3 should be reduced when the cruising range of the vehicle 1 is predicted to be insufficient to reach the destination based on the current SOC of the power supply unit 3.

[0016] In the normal state, the control unit 6 controls the lighting unit 2 to illuminate an illumination range according to an illumination level that is a control value for the normal state. When the control unit 6 determines that the power consumption of the power supply unit 3 should be reduced, the control unit 6 calculates an adjusted illumination level that reduces the controlled illumination level of the lighting unit 2 in the normal state. The adjusted illumination level is a control value that can reduce the amount of power consumption compared to the current illumination level. The control unit 6 controls the lighting unit 2 to calculate an adjusted illumination range according to the calculated adjusted illumination level. The control unit 6 controls the lighting unit 2 to illuminate an adjusted illumination range in which the amount of light in the illumination range in the normal state has been reduced. The adjusted illumination range is calculated, for example, to reduce the area of ​​the illumination range in the normal state. The adjusted illumination range may be calculated by reducing the amount of light irradiated to the illumination range in the normal state.

[0017] When reducing the area of ​​the illumination range in the normal state, the control unit 6, for example, controls the lamp unit 2 to reduce the light amount of a dimmable light source among the multiple light sources, and illuminates the adjusted illumination range. When illuminating the adjusted illumination range with a reduced light amount compared to the illumination range in the normal state, the control unit 6 may control the lamp unit 2 to simply reduce the light amount of the illumination range in the normal state, and illuminate the adjusted illumination range.

[0018] When an object to be irradiated is detected by the detection unit 4, the control unit 6 calculates an adjusted irradiation range so that the object to be irradiated is irradiated. When an object to be irradiated is detected by the detection unit 4, the control unit 6 calculates an adjusted irradiation range so that an area that does not include the object to be irradiated is not irradiated compared to the irradiation range in the normal state. The object to be irradiated includes traffic participants such as pedestrians and other vehicles, objects and structures existing near or on the road, etc.

[0019] The control unit 6 detects the irradiation object based on, for example, an analysis result of an image captured by a camera included in the detection unit 4. The control unit 6 detects the irradiation object based on, for example, an output value of a LIDAR device included in the detection unit 4. The detection unit 4 detects the irradiation object, such as other vehicles present around the vehicle 1 and traffic participants such as pedestrians present around the vehicle 1, based on, for example, a communication result of a communication unit included in the detection unit 4.

[0020] The control unit 6 calculates the relative coordinates between the vehicle 1 and the illumination object based on the detection value of the detection unit 4. The control unit 6 calculates an adjusted illumination range that changes over time according to the relative moving speed of the illumination object. The control unit 6 controls the lighting unit 2 to illuminate the adjusted illumination range so that it changes over time.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the lighting unit 2 includes a pair of a first lighting unit 2A and a second lighting unit 2B that illuminate the area ahead of the vehicle 1. The first lighting unit 2A and the second lighting unit 2B are arranged, for example, horizontally side by side on the front side of the vehicle 1. The first lighting unit 2A includes, for example, a plurality of light sources D arranged in a matrix. The second lighting unit 2B includes, for example, a plurality of light sources D arranged in a matrix. The control unit 6 individually controls the light amount of the plurality of light sources D provided in the first lighting unit 2A. The control unit 6 individually controls the light amount of the plurality of light sources D provided in the second lighting unit 2B. The correspondence between each light source D and its individual illumination range is preset.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, the lighting unit 2 illuminates a predetermined illumination range S1 in front of the vehicle 1. The lighting unit 2 illuminates the predetermined illumination range S1 according to an illumination level in a normal state. When the control unit 6 determines that the amount of power consumption should be reduced, the control unit 6 illuminates an adjusted illumination range S2 obtained by reducing the illumination range S1. The lighting unit 2 illuminates the adjusted illumination range S2 in accordance with the adjusted illumination level. In a normal state, the control unit 6 individually controls the light amounts of the multiple light sources D provided in the first lighting unit 2A to be normal light amounts, and individually controls the light amounts of the multiple light sources D provided in the second lighting unit 2B to be normal light amounts, thereby illuminating the predetermined illumination range S1 in front of the vehicle 1.

[0023] When the control unit 6 determines that the power consumption should be reduced, the control unit 6 controls the light amount of the plurality of light sources D provided in the first lighting unit 2A individually and also controls the light amount of the plurality of light sources D provided in the second lighting unit 2B individually, thereby illuminating an adjusted illumination range S2 in which the light amount of a predetermined illumination range S1 in front of the vehicle 1 is reduced. The control unit 6 reduces the light amount of the light source D that can be dimmed among the plurality of light sources D provided in the first lighting unit 2A and the plurality of light sources D provided in the second lighting unit 2B so as to illuminate the adjusted illumination range S2. For example, the control unit 6 causes the lighting unit 2 to illuminate the adjusted illumination range S2 by individually switching the light source D between an on state and an off state. The control unit 6 may cause the lighting unit 2 to illuminate the adjusted illumination range S2 by individually reducing the light amount of the light source D, not just by turning it off. Based on the above process, the light control device 5 can reduce power consumption by causing the lighting unit 2 to illuminate the adjusted illumination range S2.

[0024] 4, when it is determined that the power consumption should be reduced and an illumination object K is detected by the detection unit 4, the lighting unit 2 illuminates an adjusted illumination range S2A that includes the illumination object K and reduces an area that does not include the illumination object K. In a normal state, the control unit 6 individually controls the light amounts of the multiple light sources D provided in the first lighting unit 2A to be normal light amounts, and individually controls the light amounts of the multiple light sources D provided in the second lighting unit 2B to be normal light amounts, thereby illuminating a predetermined illumination range S1 in front of the vehicle 1.

[0025] The control unit 6 individually controls the light amount of the plurality of light sources D provided in the first lighting unit 2A and individually controls the light amount of the plurality of light sources D provided in the second lighting unit 2B, thereby illuminating an adjusted illumination range S2A in which the light amount of a predetermined illumination range S1 in front of the vehicle 1 is reduced. The control unit 6 reduces the light amount of the light source D that can be dimmed among the plurality of light sources D provided in the first lighting unit 2A and the plurality of light sources D provided in the second lighting unit 2B so as to illuminate the adjusted illumination range S2A. For example, the control unit 6 causes the lighting unit 2 to illuminate the adjusted illumination range S2 by individually switching the light source D between an on state and an off state. The control unit 6 may cause the lighting unit 2 to illuminate the adjusted illumination range S2A by individually reducing the light amount of the light source D.

[0026] The control unit 6 controls the lighting unit 2 over time to irradiate the adjusted irradiation range S2A from the normal irradiation range S1 in accordance with the change over time of the relative coordinates of the irradiation object K. When the irradiation object K approaches the relative coordinates included in the adjusted irradiation range S2, the control unit 6 changes the adjusted irradiation range S2A to the adjusted irradiation range S2 because the irradiation object K is visible. Based on the above process, when the irradiation object K is detected, the light control device 5 can cause the lighting unit 2 to irradiate the adjusted irradiation range S2A that irradiates the irradiation object K. By irradiating the adjusted irradiation range S2A that irradiates the irradiation object K, the light control device 5 can improve the visibility of the irradiation object K while reducing power consumption.

[0027] 5 shows a process flow of a light control method executed in the light control device 5. The light control method is executed by a computer program implemented in the light control device 5. When the light unit 2 is turned on, the control unit 6 monitors the power balance of the light unit 2 (step S100). Based on the monitoring result of the power balance of the light unit 2, the control unit 6 determines whether or not to reduce the power consumption of the light unit 2 (step S102).

[0028] When the control unit 6 determines that the power consumption of the lighting unit 2 should be reduced, it determines whether or not an illumination object K exists around the vehicle 1 based on the detection result of the detection unit that monitors the environment around the vehicle (step S104). When the control unit 6 determines that an illumination object K does not exist around the vehicle 1, it calculates an adjusted illumination level by reducing the current illumination level of the lighting unit 2 (step S106). The control unit 6 calculates an adjusted illumination range according to the calculated adjusted illumination level (step S108). The control unit 6 reduces the amount of light of the lighting unit 2 based on the adjusted illumination level and illuminates the adjusted illumination range (step S110).

[0029] When the control unit 6 determines in step S104 that an illumination object K exists around the vehicle 1, it calculates an adjusted illumination level including the illumination object K (step S112). The control unit 6 calculates an adjusted illumination range according to the adjusted illumination level including the illumination object K (step S114). The control unit 6 reduces the light amount of the lighting unit 2 based on the adjusted illumination level including the illumination object K, and illuminates the adjusted illumination range (step S110).

[0030] When the control unit 6 determines in step S102 that it is not necessary to reduce the power consumption of the lamp 2, it causes the lamp 2 to illuminate an illumination range according to the illumination level in the normal state (step S116) and continues the determination process of step S102. The light control device 5 repeatedly executes the above process while the lamp 2 is turned on.

[0031] As described above, according to the light control device 5, when it is necessary to reduce the power consumption of the light unit 2, it is possible to reduce the power consumption by reducing the light amount of the light unit 2. According to the light control device 5, when an illumination object K is present around the vehicle 1, it is possible to reduce power consumption by controlling the light unit 2 to illuminate the illumination object K while illuminating an adjusted illumination range in which the illumination range is reduced.

[0032] In the above-described embodiment, the computer program executed in each component of the light control device 5 may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. In the above-described embodiment, various additions, substitutions, modifications, partial deletions, etc. are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention or the scope of the idea and intent of the present invention derived from the contents described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0033] For example, the first lighting unit 2A may be composed of one light source, and the second lighting unit 2B may be composed of one light source D. In this case, the light control device 5 may control so as to reduce the light amount of one light source D of the first lighting unit 2A and the light amount of one light source D of the second lighting unit 2B. The lighting unit 2 may be composed of a single first lighting unit 2A. The lighting unit 2 may be composed of other light sources, such as not only LED light sources but also HID (High-Intensity Discharge) light sources, laser light sources, halogen bulb light sources, etc., as long as the light amount is adjustable. The light amount of the light source D in the normal state may be changed according to the light amount of the environment around the vehicle 1.

[0034] The light control device 5 may be applied not only to electric vehicles but also to vehicles having an internal combustion engine. The light control device may be applied to hybrid vehicles equipped with an internal combustion engine. The light control device may be applied not only to four-wheeled vehicles but also to two-wheeled vehicles and vehicles equipped with four or more wheels. The light control device 5 may be applied to autonomous vehicles or manually driven vehicles. The light control device 5 may be applied to human-powered vehicles such as bicycles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1 vehicle, 2 lighting unit, 2A first lighting unit, 2B second lighting unit, 3 power supply unit, 4 detection unit, 5 lighting control device, 6 control unit, 7 memory unit, D light source, K object to be irradiated, S1 irradiation range, S2, S2A adjusted irradiation range

Claims

1. A control unit controls the amount of light of a lighting unit provided in the vehicle in response to a detection result of a detection unit that monitors an environment around the vehicle and a monitoring result of a power balance of a power supply unit provided in the vehicle, The control unit is When it is determined that the power consumption of the power supply unit should be reduced based on the monitoring result of the power balance, an adjusted illumination level is calculated by reducing the current illumination level of the lamp unit based on the detection result of the detection unit; reducing the amount of light of the lamp unit based on the adjusted illumination level; Light control device.

2. The lighting unit includes a plurality of light sources that illuminate a predetermined illumination range according to the current illumination level, The control unit is In the adjustment of the light amount according to the adjusted irradiation level, an adjusted irradiation range obtained by reducing the irradiation range is calculated based on the detection result of the detection unit; reducing the light amount of the dimmable light source among the plurality of light sources so as to illuminate the adjusted illumination range; The light control device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit is When an irradiation object is detected by the detection unit, the adjusted irradiation range is calculated so that the irradiation object is irradiated. The light control device according to claim 2.

4. The control unit is When the object to be irradiated is detected by the detection unit, the adjusted irradiation range is calculated so as not to irradiate an area that does not include the object to be irradiated compared to the irradiation range. The light control device according to claim 3.

5. monitoring a detection result from a detection unit that monitors the environment around the vehicle; monitor the power balance of a power supply unit provided in the vehicle; When it is determined that the power consumption of the power supply unit should be reduced based on the monitoring result of the power balance, Calculating an adjusted illumination level by reducing a current illumination level of a lighting unit provided in the vehicle based on the detection result of the detection unit; A program that causes a computer to execute a process of reducing the amount of light of the lighting unit based on the adjusted illumination level.

Images