Control device for lamp unit, program, and vehicle headlamp

Abstract

To provide a control device for a lamp unit, a program, and a vehicle headlamp which can provide a lamp unit capable of suppressing a sense of discomfort felt about a change in light distribution pattern of emitted light while suppressing an increase in amount of data.SOLUTION: A control device CO includes: a determination part 41 for determining a left or right movement direction and movement amount of a hot zone P3h in a prescribed light distribution pattern P3 having the hot zone P3h; a generation part 42 for generating data on an image showing a light distribution pattern after the hot zone P3h has been moved; and a light distribution control part 43 for outputting a signal for controlling a light source part 32 so that light showing the image generated by the generation part 42 is emitted. In a reference image 60 showing the prescribed light distribution pattern P3, the generation part 42 compresses, in a left-right direction, at least a partial section in the left-right direction in a right area 60R as a first area, and expands, in the left-right direction, at least a partial section in the left-right direction in a left area 60L as a second area, thereby generating the data on the image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting unit control device, a program, and a vehicle headlamp. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Vehicle headlights, typified by automobile headlights, are known that change the light distribution pattern of emitted light, and Patent Document 1 listed below discloses such a vehicle headlight.

[0003] The vehicle headlamp described in the following Patent Document 1 includes a lamp unit including a light distribution pattern forming unit made of a micro LED (Light Emitting Diode) array, a control unit for controlling the lamp unit, and a memory. The light distribution pattern forming unit adjusts the amount of light emitted from each micro LED, thereby emitting light having a light distribution pattern according to the amount of light emitted from each micro LED. The memory stores a table in which information on the amount of light emitted from each micro LED is associated with the steering angle of the vehicle. The control unit controls the light distribution pattern forming unit of the lamp unit by referring to this table, and changes the light distribution pattern of the light emitted from the lamp unit to a light distribution pattern in which a hot zone is moved according to the steering angle of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2021 / 182151 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The light distribution pattern of the light emitted from the light distribution pattern forming unit is a light distribution pattern according to the amount of light emitted from each micro LED. If the amount of light emitted from each micro LED is considered to be a pixel value of an image, when light having a predetermined light distribution pattern is emitted from the light distribution pattern forming unit, it can be considered that the light distribution pattern forming unit emits light that represents an image of the predetermined light distribution pattern.

[0006] However, when the change in the light distribution pattern of the emitted light is abrupt, the driver may feel uncomfortable with the change. In order to suppress such discomfort, for example, it is possible to change the light distribution pattern in stages and increase the number of stages to make the change appear smooth. In this case, the vehicle headlamp of the above Patent Document 1 needs to store data related to each light distribution pattern in the middle of the change in memory. In other words, the number of images representing the light distribution pattern increases, and the amount of data stored in the memory increases.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a control device, program, and vehicle headlamp for a lighting unit that can realize a lighting unit that can suppress an increase in the amount of data while suppressing the feeling of discomfort due to changes in the light distribution pattern of the emitted light. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the control device of a lighting unit of the present invention is a control device of a lighting unit including a light source section in which a plurality of light emitting sections, each capable of individually changing the amount of light emitted, are arranged in a matrix, and the control device is equipped with a determination section that determines the left-right movement direction and amount of movement of a hot zone in a predetermined light distribution pattern having a hot zone based on a signal related to the steering angle of the vehicle, a generation section that generates image data showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved by the amount of movement in the movement direction determined by the determination section, and a light distribution control section that outputs a signal to control the light source section so as to emit light representing the image based on the image data generated by the generation section, and is characterized in that the generation section generates the image data by compressing in the left-right direction at least a portion of the left-right section in a first region, which is a region on one side of the left-right direction of a reference image showing the predetermined light distribution pattern, and expanding in the left-right direction at least a portion of the left-right section in a second region, which is a region on the other side.

[0009] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the program of the present invention causes a control device of a lighting unit including a light source section in which a plurality of light emitting sections, each capable of individually changing the amount of light emitted, are arranged in a matrix to execute the following steps: determining the left and right movement direction and amount of movement of a hot zone in a predetermined light distribution pattern having a hot zone based on a signal related to the steering angle of the vehicle; generating image data showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved by the determined amount of movement in the determined movement direction; and outputting a signal to control the light source section so as to emit light representing the image based on the generated image data.The step of generating image data is characterized in that the image data is generated by compressing in the left and right direction at least a portion of the left and right section in a first region, which is a region on one side of the left and right direction of a reference image showing the predetermined light distribution pattern, and expanding in the left and right direction at least a portion of the left and right section in a second region, which is a region on the other side.

[0010] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle headlamp of the present invention comprises a lighting unit including a light source section in which a plurality of light emitting sections, each of which can individually change the amount of light emitted, are arranged in a matrix, a control device for controlling the light source section, and a memory for storing data of a reference image representing a predetermined light distribution pattern having a hot zone, wherein the control device comprises a determination section for determining the left-right movement direction and amount of movement of the hot zone in the predetermined light distribution pattern based on a signal related to the steering angle of the vehicle, a generation section for generating data of an image showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved by the amount of movement in the movement direction determined by the determination section, and a light distribution control section for controlling the light source section so as to emit light representing the image based on the image data generated by the generation section, wherein the generation section generates the image data by compressing in the left-right direction at least a portion of the left-right section in a first region, which is a region on one side of the left-right direction of the reference image, and expanding in the left-right direction at least a portion of the left-right section in a second region, which is a region on the other side of the reference image.

[0011] In the control device, program, and vehicle headlamp of the lighting unit, data of an image in which the hot zone of a reference image has moved in the left-right direction is generated, and light representing the image is emitted from the light source unit. The left-right movement direction and amount of movement of the hot zone are determined based on a signal related to the steering angle of the vehicle. Therefore, the light distribution pattern of the emitted light can be changed to a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved in the left-right direction according to the steering angle. Also, as described above, an image showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved in the left-right direction is generated by compressing at least a part of a section in the left-right direction in the first region, which is a region on one side of the left-right direction of the reference image, in the left-right direction, and expanding at least a part of a section in the left-right direction in the second region, which is a region on the other side of the left-right direction, in the left-right direction. Therefore, by changing the compression amount of the section compressed in the first region and the expansion amount of the section expanded in the second region, image data of a light distribution pattern in the middle of the hot zone moving in the left-right direction can be generated from the data of the reference image. Therefore, compared to when image data of the light distribution pattern while the hot zone is moving left and right is stored in memory, it is possible to suppress an increase in the amount of data stored in memory while suppressing the feeling of discomfort due to changes in the light distribution pattern of the emitted light.

[0012] In addition, in the lighting unit control device, program, and vehicle headlamp, the luminance values ​​at the left and right edges of the image where the hot zone has moved left or right can be made the same as the luminance values ​​at the left and right edges of the reference image, so that the brightness of the left and right edges of the light distribution pattern can be prevented from changing when the hot zone moves, and from this perspective as well, it is possible to suppress a sense of discomfort due to the change in the light distribution pattern.

[0013] The generating section may generate data of the image by compressing the entire first area in the left-right direction and expanding the entire second area in the left-right direction.

[0014] The boundary between the first region and the second region may intersect with a portion representing the hot zone.

[0015] With this configuration, deformation of the hot zone when moving across the hot zone can be suppressed compared to when the boundary does not intersect with the portion representing the hot zone.

[0016] The first region may have a plurality of sections compressed, and the compression ratio of each of the sections may be lower as the average luminance value of the section increases. The second region may have a plurality of sections expanded, and the expansion ratio of each of the sections may be lower as the average luminance value of the section increases.

[0017] The brightness of the light distribution pattern generally decreases from the hot zone toward the outer edge. Therefore, the section with a high average brightness value in the first and second regions tends to represent a bright position closer to the hot zone in the light distribution pattern than the section with a low average brightness value. In addition, the driver tends to easily notice a change in the shape of the bright part. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the compression rate and expansion rate of the part of the reference image that represents a bright position in a predetermined light distribution pattern can be reduced, and the change in the shape of the bright part in the light distribution pattern can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the driver from feeling uncomfortable about the change in the light distribution pattern.

[0018] The determination unit may select one of a plurality of reference images having different left-right positions of the hot zone based on a signal related to a steering angle of the vehicle, and determine the movement direction and the movement amount, and the generation unit may compress at least a portion of the left-right section of the first region of the reference image selected by the determination unit in the left-right direction, and expand at least a portion of the left-right section of the second region in the left-right direction, based on the movement direction and the movement amount determined by the determination unit, to generate data of the image.

[0019] According to this configuration, the amount of compression and expansion of the reference image can be reduced compared to when there is one reference image, and deformation of the hot zone when moving the hot zone can be suppressed.

[0020] The generation unit may compress at least a portion of the left-right section of the first region of the reference image in the left-right direction, and increase or decrease the luminance values ​​of all pixels in a region of the intermediate image consisting of the compressed section of the first region by a predetermined value and increase or decrease the luminance values ​​of all pixels in a region of the intermediate image consisting of the expanded section of the second region by a specific value so that an average luminance value of the intermediate image obtained by expanding at least a portion of the left-right section of the second region in the left-right direction approaches a target value, thereby generating data for the image.

[0021] In the control device, program, and vehicle headlamp of the lighting unit, as described above, the image showing the light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved in the left-right direction is generated by compressing at least a part of the left-right section in the first region of the reference image in the left-right direction and expanding at least a part of the left-right section in the second region in the left-right direction. Therefore, in the image showing the light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved, the region with high brightness value may become too wide or the region with low brightness value may become too wide. In other words, in the light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved, the bright region may become too wide or the dark region may become too wide. However, with this configuration, it is possible to prevent the bright region from becoming too wide or the dark region from becoming too wide in the light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved, and it is easy to approach the desired light distribution pattern.

[0022] In this case, the predetermined value and the specific value may be the same.

[0023] The generation unit may generate data for the image by compressing at least a portion of a left-right section in the first region of the reference image in the left-right direction and replacing luminance values ​​of some pixels in an intermediate image obtained by expanding at least a portion of a left-right section in the second region in the left-right direction with luminance values ​​set for those pixels.

[0024] As described above, the bright area or the dark area may become too wide. However, with this configuration, in the light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved, it is possible to suppress the bright area or the dark area from becoming too wide, and it is easy to approach the desired light distribution pattern. Effect of the Invention

[0025] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a control device, program, and vehicle headlamp for a lighting unit that can realize a lighting unit that can suppress an increase in the amount of data while suppressing the feeling of discomfort due to changes in the light distribution pattern of the emitted light. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a vehicle headlamp according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view crossing a first lamp unit in the lamp portion. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a light distribution pattern of a low beam in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view crossing a second lamp unit in the lamp portion. [Diagram 5] 5 is a front view showing a schematic view of the light source unit shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view crossing a third lamp unit in the lamp section. [Figure 7] 7 is a front view showing a schematic view of the light source unit shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a predetermined light distribution pattern in the first embodiment, similar to FIG. 3. [Figure 9] 4 is a control flowchart of a control unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a high beam light distribution pattern in the first embodiment, similar to FIG. 3. [Figure 11] 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of a process for moving a hot zone in the control device of the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a reference image in the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an intermediate image obtained by compressing and decompressing a reference image. [Figure 14] FIG. 5 is a diagram similar to FIG. 3 and showing another example of a high beam light distribution pattern in the first embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a process for moving a hot zone in a control device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a right reference image in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a control device for a lighting unit, a program, and a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments exemplified below are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, the present invention may be appropriately combined with the components in the embodiments exemplified below. In addition, in the drawings referred to below, the dimensions of each member may be changed in order to facilitate understanding. In addition, in the drawings, for ease of viewing, reference symbols are attached to only some of the similar components, and some reference symbols may be omitted.

[0028] (First embodiment) Fig. 1 is a plan view conceptually showing a vehicle equipped with a vehicle headlamp of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 100 includes a pair of left and right vehicle headlamp 1, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 101, a light switch 110, and a steering angle detection device 120. In this specification, "right" means the right side in the forward direction of the vehicle 100, "left" means the left side in the forward direction, and a driver means the driver of the vehicle 100. The vehicle 100 of this embodiment is an automobile.

[0029] Each vehicle headlamp 1 includes a lamp unit 5, a memory ME, a control device CO, and a power supply circuit 50. In general, the lamp unit 5 of one vehicle headlamp 1 is disposed on the left side of a front portion of a vehicle 100, and the lamp unit 5 of the other vehicle headlamp 1 is disposed on the right side of the front portion. The configuration of one vehicle headlamp 1 is the same as the configuration of the other vehicle headlamp 1, except that the shape of the lamp unit 5 is generally symmetrical. For this reason, in the following, one vehicle headlamp 1 will be described, and a description of the other vehicle headlamp 1 will be omitted.

[0030] The lamp section 5 of this embodiment includes a housing 6, a first lamp unit 10, a second lamp unit 20, and a third lamp unit 30. These lamp units 10, 20, and 30 are arranged side by side in the internal space of the housing 6. The first lamp unit 10 is disposed on the outermost side of the vehicle 100, the third lamp unit 30 is disposed on the innermost side of the vehicle 100, and the second lamp unit 20 is disposed between the third lamp unit 30 and the first lamp unit 10.

[0031] The first lamp unit 10 is a lamp unit that emits a low beam. A light distribution pattern obtained by superimposing the light distribution pattern of the light emitted from the second lamp unit 20 and the light distribution pattern of the light emitted from the third lamp unit 30 is an additional light distribution pattern that is added to the light distribution pattern of the low beam to form a light distribution pattern of the high beam. In other words, the light emitted from the second lamp unit 20 and the third lamp unit 30 is light that forms such an additional light distribution pattern. Note that the light distribution pattern is, for example, a light pattern drawn by light irradiated on a vertical surface located in front of the vehicle 100, and includes the luminance distribution of the light in addition to the outer shape of the light.

[0032] First, the configuration of the first lamp unit 10 will be described.

[0033] Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view crossing the first lamp unit 10 in the lamp section 5. As shown in Fig. 2, the first lamp unit 10 of this embodiment is a so-called PES (Projector Ellipsoid System) type lamp unit, and includes a light source section 12, a reflector 15, a shade 16, and a projection lens 18 as its main components.

[0034] The light source unit 12 of the present embodiment includes a light emitting element 13 that emits light, and a circuit board 14 on which the light emitting element 13 is mounted. In the present embodiment, the light emitting element 13 is an LED, which emits white light upward.

[0035] The reflector 15 of this embodiment is disposed so as to cover the light source unit 12 from above, and the surface of the reflector 15 facing the light source unit 12 is a reflection surface 15r that reflects the light emitted from the light source unit 12. This reflection surface 15r is curved so as to be concave on the side opposite to the light source unit 12, and is configured to reflect the light emitted from the light source unit 12 forward. In this embodiment, the reflection surface 15r is based on an ellipsoidal surface, and is a curved surface whose first focus is located at or near the light emitting element 13. That is, the light source unit 12 and the reflector 15 are disposed so as to have such a positional relationship.

[0036] The shade 16 of this embodiment is a plate-like member disposed forward of the light source unit 12, with one main surface facing forward. The upper edge of the shade 16 extends in the left-right direction passing through or near the second focal point of the reflecting surface 15r. Such a shade 16 blocks a part of the light emitted from the light source unit 12 and reflected by the reflecting surface 15r so that a cutoff line of a low beam is formed in the light distribution pattern of the light emitted from the light source unit 12 and reflected by the reflecting surface 15r. Then, the light from the light source unit 12, part of which is blocked by the shade 16, becomes a low beam. That is, the positions and shapes of the reflecting surface 15r of the reflector 15 and the shade 16 are adjusted so as to be like this.

[0037] The projection lens 18 is a lens that adjusts the divergence angle of the incident light, and in this embodiment, the projection lens 18 is a biconvex lens. The projection lens 18 is disposed forward of the shade 16, and the rear focal point of the projection lens 18 is located at or near the upper edge of the shade 16. As described above, the light from the light source unit 12, part of which is blocked by the shade 16, is a low beam, and the low beam is incident on the projection lens 18, and the divergence angle of the low beam is adjusted by the projection lens 18. Therefore, the low beam whose divergence angle is adjusted by the projection lens 18 is emitted from the first lamp unit 10, and the low beam is irradiated from the lamp unit 5 through the front cover 8 to the front of the vehicle 100.

[0038] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a low beam light distribution pattern in this embodiment. In Fig. 3, S indicates a horizontal line, V indicates a vertical line passing through the center of the vehicle 100 in the lateral direction, and the low beam light distribution pattern PL formed on a virtual vertical screen placed 25 m ahead of the vehicle 100 is indicated by a thick line.

[0039] The reflecting surface 15r of the reflector 15 and the shade 16 are shaped so that the light distribution pattern of the light from the light source unit 12 becomes the low beam light distribution pattern PL. The low beam light distribution pattern PL of this embodiment is for countries and regions where vehicles drive on the left side of the road. The cutoff line CL of the low beam light distribution pattern PL corresponds to the shape of the upper edge of the shade 16, and a step portion CLa is formed in the cutoff line CL. The step portion CLa is a line that slopes upward toward the left side from an elbow point EP located below the horizontal line S and on or near the vertical line V. The parts of the cutoff line CL other than the step portion CLa extend in a generally horizontal direction.

[0040] Next, the configuration of the second lamp unit 20 will be described.

[0041] Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view crossing the second lamp unit 20 in the lamp section 5. As shown in Fig. 4, the second lamp unit 20 of the present embodiment is a so-called direct projection type lamp unit, and includes a light source section 22 and a projection lens 28 as its main components.

[0042] FIG. 5 is a front view showing the light source unit 22 shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the light source unit 22 of this embodiment has a plurality of light-emitting elements 23 as a light-emitting unit that emits light, and a circuit board 24 on which the plurality of light-emitting elements 23 are mounted. The plurality of light-emitting elements 23 are arranged in a line in the left-right direction and emit light forward. The plurality of light-emitting elements 23 are capable of individually changing the amount of light emitted. In this embodiment, the light-emitting elements 23 are LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) whose emission surfaces that emit light are elongated in the vertical direction and are generally rectangular, and the light source unit 22 is a so-called LED array. In addition, the number of light-emitting elements 23 is eight, but the number and type of the light-emitting elements 13 are not limited.

[0043] Such a light source unit 22 can form a predetermined light distribution pattern by selecting the light emitting elements 23 that emit light. Also, the light source unit 22 can adjust the light intensity distribution in the predetermined light distribution pattern by adjusting the amount of light emitted from each light emitting element 23. In other words, it can be understood that the light source unit 22 forms a predetermined light distribution pattern according to the amount of light emitted from the multiple light emitting elements 23.

[0044] The projection lens 28 is disposed in front of the light source section 22, and the light emitted from the light source section 22 is incident on the projection lens 28, and the divergence angle of this light is adjusted by the projection lens 28. Therefore, the light whose divergence angle has been adjusted by the projection lens 28 is emitted from the second lamp unit 20, and the light is irradiated forward of the vehicle 100 from the lamp section 5 via the front cover 8. The projection lens 28 in this embodiment is a biconvex lens, and the rear focal point of the projection lens 28 is located at or near any one of the light-emitting elements 33 in the light source section 22. Therefore, the light distribution pattern of the light irradiated forward of the vehicle 100 is a light distribution pattern obtained by vertically and horizontally inverting the light distribution pattern of the light emitted by the light source section 22.

[0045] In FIG. 3, the irradiation spots S2 to which the light from each light-emitting element 23 of the light source section 22 of the second lamp unit 20 is irradiated are shown by dashed lines. As described above, the light-emitting elements 23 are aligned in a row in the left-right direction, so the irradiation spots S2 are aligned in a row in the left-right direction. The leftmost irradiation spot S2 corresponds to the rightmost light-emitting element 23, and the rightmost irradiation spot S2 corresponds to the leftmost light-emitting element 23. These irradiation spots S2 overlap with the cutoff line CL of the low beam. In this embodiment, these irradiation spots S2 are approximately the same size and have a rectangular shape that is elongated in the vertical direction, and the area formed by the entirety of these irradiation spots S2 is a rectangular shape that is elongated in the left-right direction, and this area is an area where the second lamp unit 20 can irradiate light. These irradiation spots S2 are aligned in the left-right direction without any gaps, but adjacent irradiation spots S2 may partially overlap each other. The shape of the irradiation spots S2 is not limited.

[0046] In this embodiment, light is emitted from all the light-emitting elements 23, and the amount of light emitted from each of the light-emitting elements 23 is approximately the same. Therefore, the outer shape of the light distribution pattern of the light emitted from the second lamp unit 20 is the same as the outer shape of the area formed by the entire irradiation spot S2, and the luminance distribution of the light distribution pattern has an approximately constant luminance value.

[0047] Next, the configuration of the third lamp unit 30 will be described.

[0048] Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view crossing the third lamp unit 30 in the lamp section 5. As shown in Fig. 6, the third lamp unit 30 of this embodiment is a so-called direct projection type lamp unit, and includes a light source section 32 and a projection lens 38 as its main components.

[0049] FIG. 7 is a front view showing the light source unit 32 shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the light source unit 32 of this embodiment has a plurality of light-emitting elements 33 as a light-emitting unit that emits light, and a circuit board 34 on which the plurality of light-emitting elements 33 are mounted. The plurality of light-emitting elements 33 are arranged in a matrix to form rows in the vertical and horizontal directions, and emit white light forward. The light-emitting elements 33 are capable of individually changing the amount of light emitted. In this embodiment, the light-emitting elements 33 are micro LEDs, and the light source unit 32 is a so-called micro LED array. Note that the number of light-emitting elements 33 arranged in the horizontal direction and the number of light-emitting elements 23 arranged in the vertical direction are not limited. The type of the light-emitting elements 33 is also not limited.

[0050] The light source section 32 as described above can emit light having a light distribution pattern according to the amount of light emitted from the plurality of light-emitting elements 33, similar to the light source section 22 of the second lamp unit.

[0051] In this embodiment, each light-emitting element 33 corresponds to a pixel of an image generated by a generating unit 42 of the control device CO described later. The light source unit 32 adjusts the amount of light emitted from each light-emitting element 33 in accordance with data of the pixel corresponding to the light-emitting element 33, thereby emitting light based on this image, and forms a light distribution pattern based on the image by the light. In this embodiment, the light-emitting elements 33 and pixels correspond one-to-one, but this is not limited thereto.

[0052] The projection lens 38 is disposed in front of the light source unit 32, and the light emitted from the light source unit 32 is incident on the projection lens 38, and the divergence angle of this light is adjusted by the projection lens 38. Therefore, the light whose divergence angle has been adjusted by the projection lens 38 is emitted from the third lamp unit 30, and the light is irradiated from the lamp unit 5 to the front of the vehicle 100 through the front cover 8. The projection lens 38 in this embodiment is a biconvex lens, and the rear focal point of the projection lens 38 is located at or near any one of the light-emitting elements 33 in the light source unit 32. Therefore, the light distribution pattern of the light irradiated to the front of the vehicle 100 is a light distribution pattern obtained by inverting the light distribution pattern of the light emitted by the light source unit 32 vertically and horizontally, and the image representing this light distribution pattern is an image obtained by inverting the image representing the light distribution pattern of the light emitted by the light source unit 32 vertically and horizontally.

[0053] In FIG. 3, the illumination spots S3 illuminated by the light from each light-emitting element 33 of the light source section 32 of the third lamp unit 30 are shown by dotted lines. As described above, the light-emitting elements 33 are arranged in a matrix, so that the illumination spots S3 illuminated by the light from each light-emitting element 33 are arranged in a matrix. For ease of understanding, the number of the illumination spots S3 is reduced in FIG. 3. Each illumination spot S3 corresponds to one light-emitting element 33. The relative position of a specific light-emitting element 33 in the multiple light-emitting elements 33 and the relative position of a specific illumination spot S3 corresponding to this specific light-emitting element 33 in the multiple illumination spots S3 are inverted vertically and horizontally. For example, the illumination spot S3 corresponding to the light-emitting element 33 located at the upper right end from the viewpoint of the driver of the vehicle 100 is located at the lower left end from the viewpoint of the driver of the vehicle 100.

[0054] In this embodiment, these irradiation spots S3 are generally the same size and have a positive shape, and are smaller than the irradiation spots S2. In addition, adjacent irradiation spots S3 are in contact with each other, but adjacent irradiation spots S3 may overlap each other. The area formed by all of these irradiation spots S2 is a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction. This area is an area where the third lamp unit 30 can irradiate light, and overlaps with the horizontal line S and the vertical line V, and overlaps with the cutoff line CL of the low beam. In addition, this area overlaps with all the first irradiation spots S1, but does not have to overlap with some of the first irradiation spots S1, for example, it does not have to overlap with the first irradiation spots S1 at both the left and right ends.

[0055] The memory ME shown in FIG. 1 is configured to store information and to be able to read the stored information. The memory ME is, for example, a non-transitory recording medium, and is preferably a semiconductor recording medium such as a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM), but may include any type of recording medium such as an optical recording medium or a magnetic recording medium. Note that the term "non-transitory" recording medium includes all computer-readable recording media except for transient, propagating signals, and does not exclude volatile recording media. Various programs for controlling the lighting unit 10 and information required for the control are stored in this memory ME, and the control device CO reads out the programs and information stored in the memory ME.

[0056] The control device CO is composed of, for example, an integrated circuit such as a microcontroller, an integrated circuit (IC), a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or an NC (Numerical Control) device. When an NC device is used, the control device CO may or may not use a machine learning device. The control device CO is electrically connected to the ECU 101, and in each vehicle headlamp 1, the control devices CO are electrically connected to each other via the ECU 101. The control devices CO may be electrically connected to each other directly without going through the ECU 101.

[0057] The control device CO of this embodiment includes a determination unit 41, a generation unit 42, and a light distribution control unit 43 in a state in which various programs are read out from the memory ME.

[0058] The determination unit 41 of this embodiment determines the left-right moving direction and the moving amount of the hot zone in the predetermined light distribution pattern based on a signal related to the steering angle of the vehicle 100 input from the steering angle detection device 120 described later. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 in this embodiment similar to FIG. 3. In FIG. 8, the low beam light distribution pattern PL is drawn by a dashed line, and the light distribution pattern P2 of the light emitted from the second lamp unit 20 is drawn by a dashed double-dashed line. The predetermined light distribution pattern P3 of this embodiment is a light distribution pattern in which the above-mentioned additional light distribution pattern is formed by adding it to the light distribution pattern P2 of the light from the second lamp unit 20, and has a hot zone P3h. This predetermined light distribution pattern P3 can be formed by the third lamp unit 30, and the luminance value in the light distribution pattern P3 gradually decreases from the hot zone P3h toward the outer edge. The area of ​​the additional light distribution pattern that overlaps with the hot zone P3h becomes the hot zone of the high beam light distribution pattern. In addition, when the hot zone P3h of the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 moves in the left-right direction, the hot zone of the high beam light distribution pattern also moves according to the position of the hot zone P3h. In other words, the determination unit 41 determines the left-right movement direction and amount of the hot zone of the high beam light distribution pattern.

[0059] When the steering angle is to the right, the determination unit 41 determines the movement direction to be to the right, and when the steering angle is to the left, the determination unit 41 determines the movement direction to be to the left. The movement amount determined by the determination unit 41 increases as the steering angle increases. In this embodiment, a table correlating the steering angle with the movement amount is stored in the memory ME, and the determination unit 41 determines the movement amount by referring to the memory based on a signal related to the steering angle. Then, the determination unit 41 outputs a signal related to the determined movement direction and movement amount to the generation unit 42.

[0060] The generating unit 42 of this embodiment generates image data showing a light distribution pattern in which a hot zone in a predetermined light distribution pattern has moved in a moving direction determined by the determining unit 41 by an amount determined by the determining unit 41. In this embodiment, data of a reference image showing a predetermined light distribution pattern P3 is stored in the memory ME, and data of the above image is generated from the data of the reference image. Then, the generating unit 42 outputs the generated image data to the light distribution control unit 43. Details of a method for generating image data will be described later.

[0061] The light distribution control unit 43 of this embodiment controls the first lamp unit 10, the second lamp unit 20, and the third lamp unit 30 by outputting a signal to the power supply circuit 50 and controlling the power supply circuit 50 based on a signal from the light switch 110 and the image data generated by the generation unit 42.

[0062] The power supply circuit 50 includes a driver, and when a signal is input from the control device CO, the driver adjusts the power supplied from a power source (not shown) to the light-emitting element 13 of the first lamp unit 10, each light-emitting element 23 of the second lamp unit 20, and each light-emitting element 33 of the third lamp unit 30. The driver of the power supply circuit 50 adjusts the power supplied to the light-emitting elements 13, 23, and 33 by PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control, thereby adjusting the amount of light emitted from the light-emitting elements 13, 23, and 33. However, the method of adjusting the amount of light emitted from each of the light-emitting elements 13, 23, and 33 is not particularly limited.

[0063] The light switch 110 of this embodiment is a switch that selects between low beam emission, high beam emission, and non-emission of light. When low beam emission or high beam emission is selected, the light switch 110 outputs a signal indicating the selected state to the control device CO via the ECU 101. Moreover, when non-emission of light is selected, the light switch 110 does not output a signal.

[0064] The steering angle detection device 120 of this embodiment detects the steering angle of the vehicle 100. Examples of the configuration of the steering angle detection device 120 include a configuration for detecting the steering angle from the rotation angle of the steering wheel of the vehicle 100, and a configuration for detecting the degree of curvature of the road on which the vehicle 100 is traveling from an image in front of the vehicle 100 and detecting the steering angle from the degree of curvature. The steering angle detection device 120 of this embodiment detects the right steering angle and the left steering angle while distinguishing these steering angles as different steering angles, and outputs a signal indicating the detected steering angle to the control device CO via the ECU 101. In this embodiment, the left steering angle is set to a negative value, and the right steering angle is set to a positive value.

[0065] Next, the operation of the vehicle headlamp 1 of this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the operations of the pair of vehicle headlamp 1 are the same and synchronized with each other. Therefore, in the following, the operation of one vehicle headlamp 1 will be described, and the explanation of the operation of the other vehicle headlamp 1 will be omitted.

[0066] Fig. 9 is a control flowchart of the control device CO in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9, the control flow includes steps SP11 to SP15. In the start state shown in Fig. 9, it is assumed that a signal is input from the steering angle detection device 120 to the control device CO.

[0067] (Step SP11) This step is a step in which the next step is different depending on whether or not a signal is input from the light switch 110. In this step, the control device CO advances the control flow to step SP12 if no signal is input from the light switch 110, and advances the control flow to step SP13 if this signal is input.

[0068] (Step SP12) This step is a step of making the vehicle headlamp 1 not emit light. In this step, the light distribution control unit 43 of the control device CO outputs a signal to the power supply circuit 50 to control the power supply circuit 50 to control the first lamp unit 10, the second lamp unit 20, and the third lamp unit 30, and makes the light from these lamp units 10, 20, and 30 not emit light. As a result, the vehicle headlamp 1 does not emit light. Note that the signal output from the light distribution control unit 43 is not limited as long as it is a signal that can control the lamp unit 10 to not emit light. As a result, it is sufficient that the light from the lamp units 10, 20, and 30 is not emitted. For example, if light is not emitted from the lamp units 10, 20, and 30 when proceeding from step SP11 to this step, the light distribution control unit 43 may maintain that state, and in this case, the light distribution control unit 43 may not output any signal to the power supply circuit 50. After this step, the control device CO returns the control flow to step SP11.

[0069] (Step SP13) This step is a step in which the next step is different depending on whether the signal input from the light switch 110 is a signal related to emission of a low beam or a signal related to emission of a high beam. In this step, if a signal related to emission of a low beam is input from the light switch 110, the control device CO advances the control flow to step SP14. Also, if a signal related to emission of a high beam is input from the light switch 110, the control device CO advances the control flow to step SP15.

[0070] (Step SP14) This step is a step of emitting a low beam from the vehicle headlamp 1. In this step, the control device CO outputs a signal to the power supply circuit 50 to control the power supply circuit 50, thereby controlling the lamp units 10, 20, and 30, and emitting a low beam from the vehicle headlamp 1. Specifically, the light distribution control unit 43 outputs a predetermined signal corresponding to the low beam to the power supply circuit 50. As a result, a predetermined amount of light is emitted from the light source unit 12 of the first lamp unit 10, and light is not emitted from the second lamp unit 20 and the third lamp unit 30. Therefore, the first lamp unit 10 emits a low beam, and the vehicle headlamp 1 emits a low beam. Note that the signal output from the light distribution control unit 43 is not limited as long as it is a signal capable of controlling the lamp units 10, 20, and 30 to emit a low beam. For example, if a low beam is emitted from the first lamp unit 10 and light is not emitted from the lamp units 20 and 30 when proceeding from step SP13 to this step, the light distribution control unit 43 may maintain that state. In this case, the light distribution control unit 43 does not need to output any signal to the power supply circuit 50. After this step, the control device CO returns the control flow to step SP11.

[0071] (Step SP15) This step is a step of emitting a high beam from the vehicle headlamp 1. In this step, the control device CO outputs a signal to the power supply circuit 50 to control the power supply circuit 50, thereby controlling the lamp units 10, 20, and 30, and emitting a high beam from the vehicle headlamp 1. Specifically, the light distribution control unit 43 outputs a predetermined signal corresponding to a high beam to the power supply circuit 50. As a result, a predetermined amount of light is emitted from the light source unit 12 of the first lamp unit 10, and a low beam is emitted from the first lamp unit 10. A predetermined amount of light is emitted from all the light emitting elements 23 of the light source unit 22 of the second lamp unit 20, and light having a light distribution pattern that is a part of the additional light distribution pattern described above is emitted from the second lamp unit 20. Light representing the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 described above is emitted from the light source unit 32 of the third lamp unit 30, and light having the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 is emitted from the third lamp unit 30. The predetermined light distribution pattern P3 is a light distribution pattern that is another part of the additional light distribution pattern, and the additional light distribution pattern is formed by the light emitted from the second lamp unit 20 and the light emitted from the third lamp unit 30. In this way, the high beam is emitted from the vehicle headlamp 1. Note that the signal output from the light distribution control unit 43 is not limited as long as it is a signal that can control the lamp units 10, 20, and 30 to emit a high beam. For example, when the vehicle headlamp 1 emits a high beam when proceeding from step SP13 to this step, the light distribution control unit 43 may maintain that state, and in this case, the light distribution control unit 43 may not output any signal to the power supply circuit 50. After this step, the control device CO returns the control flow to step SP11.

[0072] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a high beam light distribution pattern in this embodiment, similar to Fig. 3. A hot zone PHh of the high beam light distribution pattern PH in this embodiment is an area overlapping with a hot zone P3h of a predetermined light distribution pattern P3.

[0073] As described above, the control device CO receives a signal indicating the steering angle of the vehicle 100 from the steering angle detection device 120. In response to a change in this signal, the control device CO generates an image representing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h in the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 has moved left and right, and controls the third lamp unit 30 based on the image. Next, an operation of controlling such a third lamp unit 30 will be described.

[0074] Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the process of moving the hot zone P3h in the control device CO of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 11, in this embodiment, the operation of the process of moving the hot zone P3h includes steps SP21 to SP23, and the program read by the control device CO from the memory ME causes the control device CO to execute steps SP21 to SP23.

[0075] (Step SP21) This step is a step of determining the left-right movement direction and movement amount of the hot zone P3h in the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 having the hot zone P3h based on a signal related to the steering angle of the vehicle 100. In this step, the determination unit 41 of the control device CO determines the left-right movement direction and movement amount of the hot zone P3h based on a signal related to the steering angle of the vehicle 100 input from the steering angle detection device 120. The left-right movement direction of the hot zone P3h is the right direction when the steering angle is a right steering angle, and is the left direction when the steering angle is a left steering angle, and the movement amount increases as the steering angle increases. The determination unit 41 of this embodiment determines the movement amount by referring to a table in which the steering angle and the movement amount stored in the memory ME are associated with each other, and outputs a signal related to the determined movement direction and movement amount to the generation unit 42.

[0076] (Step SP22) This step is a step of generating data of an image showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved by the movement amount determined in step SP21 in the movement direction determined in step SP21. In the present embodiment, this step includes steps SP22a to SP22c.

[0077] (Step SP22a) This step is a step of compressing in the left-right direction at least a part of a section in the left-right direction in a first region, which is a region on one side in the left-right direction of a reference image showing the predetermined light distribution pattern P3, and expanding in the left-right direction at least a part of a section in the left-right direction in a second region, which is a region on the other side. In this embodiment, data of the reference image showing the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 is stored in a memory ME.

[0078] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a reference image in this embodiment. As described above, the image showing the light distribution pattern of the light irradiated forward from the third lamp unit 30 is an image obtained by vertically and horizontally inverting the image showing the light distribution pattern of the light emitted by the light source unit 32. In this embodiment, the upper right pixel in the reference image shown in Fig. 12 corresponds to the lower right light-emitting element 33 shown in Fig. 7, and the lower left pixel in the reference image 60 shown in Fig. 12 corresponds to the upper left light-emitting element 33 shown in Fig. 7, and the correspondence is vertically inverted. The pixels of the images in the following figures correspond to the light-emitting element 33 in the same way as the reference image 60 shown in Fig. 12.

[0079] In this embodiment, when the determined moving direction is rightward, the first region in the reference image 60 is the right region 60R on the right side of the center of the part 60h representing the hot zone P3h, and the second region is the left region 60L on the left side of the center of the part 60h representing the hot zone P3h. When the determined moving direction is leftward, the first region in the reference image 60 is the left region 60L, and the second region is the right region 60R. The boundary between such a first region and a second region is the boundary BL between the right region 60R and the left region 60L, and the boundary BL intersects with the part 60h representing the hot zone P3h. In the following, a case where the determined moving direction is rightward will be described as an example.

[0080] In this embodiment, the right region 60R is divided into three sections 61R, 62R, and 63R in the left-right direction, and the sections 61R, 62R, and 63R are arranged in this order from the part 60h side, and the sizes of the sections are approximately the same. The luminance average values ​​of the sections 61R, 62R, and 63R decrease in the order of the sections 61R, 62R, and 63R. The left region 60L is divided into three sections 61L, 62L, and 63L in the left-right direction, and the sections 61L, 62L, and 63L are arranged in this order from the part 60h side, and the sizes of the sections are approximately the same. The luminance average values ​​of the sections 61L, 62L, and 63L decrease in the order of the sections 61L, 62L, and 63L. The number of sections is not limited, and may be two or four or more. The sizes of the sections may be different from each other.

[0081] In this embodiment, the generation unit 42 of the control device CO reads data of the reference image 60 from the memory ME, and compresses the entire right region 60R in the left-right direction and expands the entire left region 60L in the left-right direction so that the part 60h moves to the right by an amount corresponding to the determined movement amount.

[0082] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an intermediate image obtained by compressing and expanding a reference image. The compression amount of the right region 60R and the expansion amount of the left region 60L are the same, and the width in the left-right direction of the compressed and expanded intermediate image 80 is the same as the width in the left-right direction of the reference image 60. The compression rate of the right region 60R increases in the order of sections 61R, 62R, and 63R. That is, the compression rate of the sections 61R, 62R, and 63R is lower as the average luminance values ​​of the sections 61R, 62R, and 63R are higher. The expansion rate of the left region 60L increases in the order of sections 61L, 62L, and 63L. That is, the expansion rate of the sections 61L, 62L, and 63L is lower as the average luminance values ​​of the sections 61L, 62L, and 63L are higher. In FIG. 8, the right region 80R corresponds to the right region 60R, and the left region 80L corresponds to the left region 60L. The sections 81R, 82R, and 83R correspond to the sections 61R, 62R, and 63R, respectively, and the sections 81L, 82L, and 83L correspond to the sections 61L, 62L, and 63L, respectively. The part 80h corresponds to the part 60h. After this step, the generation unit 42 advances the operation flow to step SP22b.

[0083] (Step SP22b) This step is a step of increasing or decreasing the luminance values ​​of all pixels in the region of the intermediate image 80 consisting of the compressed section of the first region by a predetermined value and increasing or decreasing the luminance values ​​of all pixels in the region of the expanded section of the second region by a specific value so that the average luminance value of the intermediate image 80 approaches a target value. In this embodiment, a table in which the predetermined value to be increased or decreased and the specific value to be increased or decreased are associated with the steering angle is stored in the memory ME. For this reason, in this embodiment, the generation unit 42 refers to this table based on a signal indicating the steering angle and determines the predetermined value to be increased or decreased and the specific value to be increased or decreased. Then, when the determined moving direction is to the right, the generation unit 42 increases or decreases the luminance values ​​of all pixels in the entire right region 80R consisting of the compressed section of the first region by the determined predetermined value and increases or decreases the luminance values ​​of all pixels in the entire left region 80L consisting of the expanded section of the second region by the determined specific value. In this embodiment, the predetermined value and the specific value are the same, but the predetermined value and the specific value may be different. After this step, the generation section 42 advances the operation flow to step SP22c.

[0084] (Step SP22c) This step is a step of replacing the luminance values ​​of some pixels in the intermediate image 80 processed in step SP22a with the luminance value set for the pixels. In this embodiment, a table in which the positions of the pixels whose luminance values ​​are to be replaced and the luminance values ​​to be replaced are associated with the steering angle is stored in the memory ME. Therefore, in this embodiment, the generation unit 42 refers to this table based on the signal indicating the steering angle, and replaces the luminance values ​​of some pixels in the intermediate image 80 processed in step SP22a with the luminance value set for the pixels.

[0085] In this embodiment, steps SP22c to SP22c generate data of an image showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved.

[0086] In this embodiment, image data of the light distribution pattern while the hot zone P3h is moving in the left-right direction is also generated by the above steps SP21 and SP22. That is, image data of the hot zone P3h while it is moving and image data of the hot zone P3h after the movement is completed are generated. In this embodiment, the light distribution pattern while the hot zone P3h is moving is generated every time the steering angle changes by a predetermined angle, and the predetermined angle is set to 1 degree, for example. Therefore, when the steering angle changes from 0 degrees to 5 degrees, image data showing four light distribution patterns when the steering angle is 1 degree, 2 degrees, 3 degrees, and 4 degrees is generated. After this step, the control device CO advances the operation flow to step SP23.

[0087] (Step SP23) This step is a step of emitting light representing the image generated by the generation unit 42 from the third lamp unit 30. In this embodiment, the light distribution control unit 43 outputs a signal to the power supply circuit 50 based on the data of the image generated by the generation unit 42 in the middle of the movement of the hot zone P3h and the data of the image after the movement of the hot zone P3h is completed, and controls the power supply circuit 50 to sequentially emit the light representing these images from the light source unit 32 of the third lamp unit. Therefore, the light distribution pattern of the light emitted from the third lamp unit 30 gradually changes from the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 to a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h in the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 has moved to a position corresponding to the steering angle. Therefore, the hot zone PHh of the high beam light distribution pattern PH moves to the left or right position corresponding to the steering angle.

[0088] 14 is a diagram similar to FIG. 3 showing another example of a high beam light distribution pattern in this embodiment, and shows a high beam light distribution pattern PH in which the hot zone PHh has moved left and right. In this embodiment, the hot zone P3h moves left and right in the right direction when the steering angle is turned right, and moves left in the left direction when the steering angle is turned left, and the amount of movement increases as the steering angle increases. Therefore, for example, when traveling on a curved road, the hot zone P3h moves to the side of the curve, improving the visibility of the curve.

[0089] As described above, the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment includes the third lamp unit 30 including the light source unit 32, the control device CO, and the memory ME that stores data of the reference image 60 representing the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 having the hot zone P3h. The program of the present embodiment causes the control device CO to execute steps SP21 to SP23. The control device CO of the present embodiment includes a determination unit 41, a generation unit 42, and a light distribution control unit 43. The determination unit 41 determines the left / right movement direction and movement amount of the hot zone P3h of the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 based on a signal related to the steering angle of the vehicle 100. The generation unit 42 generates data of an image showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved by the movement amount in the movement direction determined by the determination unit 41. The light distribution control unit 43 controls the light source unit 32 to emit light representing the image based on the data of the image generated by the generation unit 42. Therefore, as described above, the light distribution pattern of the light emitted from the third lamp unit 30 can be changed to a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved in the left-right direction according to the steering angle, and the hot zone PHh of the high beam light distribution pattern PH can be moved in the left-right direction. In addition, the generation unit 42 compresses the entire first region, which is a region on one side of the reference image 60 in the left-right direction, in the left-right direction, and expands the entire second region, which is a region on the other side, in the left-right direction, to generate image data showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved by the movement amount in the movement direction determined by the determination unit 41. Therefore, as described above, by changing the compression amount of the first region and the expansion amount of the second region, image data of the light distribution pattern in the middle of the hot zone P3h moving in the left-right direction can be generated from the data of the reference image 60. Therefore, compared to the case where image data of the light distribution pattern in the middle of the hot zone P3h moving in the left-right direction is stored in the memory ME, it is possible to suppress an increase in the amount of data stored in the memory ME and suppress a feeling of discomfort due to a change in the light distribution pattern of the emitted light.

[0090] Furthermore, in the control device CO, the program, and the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, the luminance values ​​of the left and right edge portions 80se of the intermediate image 80 where the hot zone P3h has moved in the left-right direction can be made the same as the luminance values ​​of the left and right edge portions 60se of the reference image 60. Therefore, when the hot zone P3h moves, the brightness of the left and right edge portions P3se of the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 can be prevented from changing, and from this viewpoint as well, it is possible to suppress a sense of incongruity due to the change in the light distribution pattern.

[0091] In the control device CO, the program, and the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, the boundary between the first region and the second region is the boundary BL between the right region 60R and the left region 60L, and the boundary BL intersects with the portion 60h representing the hot zone P3h. Therefore, compared to a case where the boundary BL does not intersect with the portion 60h representing the hot zone P3h, deformation of the hot zone P3h when moving through the hot zone P3h can be suppressed. Note that the boundary BL does not have to intersect with the portion 60h representing the hot zone P3h.

[0092] In the control device CO, the program, and the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, there are three sections in which the first region is compressed, and the compression ratio of the three sections is lower as the average luminance value of the section is higher. In addition, there are three sections in which the second region is expanded, and the expansion ratio of the three sections is lower as the average luminance value of the section is higher. The brightness of the light distribution pattern generally decreases from the hot zone toward the outer edge. Therefore, the section in which the average luminance value is high in the first region and the second region tends to represent a bright position closer to the hot zone in the light distribution pattern than the section in which the average luminance value is low. In addition, the driver tends to easily notice a change in the shape of the bright part. Therefore, according to the control device CO, the program, and the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, the compression ratio and expansion ratio of the part of the reference image 60 representing a bright position in the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 can be reduced, and the change in the shape of the bright part in the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the driver from feeling uncomfortable about the change in the light distribution pattern. Note that the compression ratio of all sections may be the same, and the expansion ratio of all sections may be the same.

[0093] In the control device CO of this embodiment, the generation unit 42 increases or decreases the luminance values ​​of all pixels in the region consisting of the compressed section of the first region of the intermediate image 80 by a predetermined value so that the average luminance value of the intermediate image 80 obtained by compressing the entire first region of the reference image 60 and expanding the entire second region approaches the target value. The generation unit 42 also increases or decreases the luminance values ​​of all pixels in the region consisting of the expanded section of the second region by a specific value. The generation unit 42 generates data of the image of the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 in this manner. In the control device CO, program, and vehicle headlamp 1 of this embodiment, as described above, an image showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved in the left-right direction is generated by compressing the entire first region of the reference image 60 in the left-right direction and expanding the entire second region in the left-right direction. For this reason, in the image showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved, the region with high luminance values ​​may become too wide, or the region with low luminance values ​​may become too wide. That is, in the light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved, the bright area may become too wide or the dark area may become too wide. However, according to the control device CO, the program, and the vehicle headlamp 1 of the present embodiment, in the light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved, it is possible to prevent the bright area from becoming too wide or the dark area from becoming too wide, and it is easy to approach the desired light distribution pattern.

[0094] In the control device CO of this embodiment, the luminance values ​​of some pixels in the intermediate image 80, which is obtained by compressing the entire first region of the reference image 60 and expanding the entire second region, are replaced with luminance values ​​set for the pixels to generate data of an image of a predetermined light distribution pattern P3. As described above, the bright region may become too wide or the dark region may become too wide. However, according to the control device CO, program, and vehicle headlamp 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the bright region from becoming too wide or the dark region from becoming too wide in the light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved, and it is easy to approach the desired light distribution pattern.

[0095] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Note that components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and will not be described again unless otherwise specified.

[0096] The vehicle headlamp 1 of this embodiment differs from the vehicle headlamp 1 of the first embodiment mainly in that data of a plurality of reference images 60 is stored in the memory ME.

[0097] The multiple reference images 60 are images that represent a predetermined light distribution pattern P3, but the positions of the hot zones P3h in the left-right direction are different from each other. In this embodiment, the multiple reference images are the reference image 60 shown in FIG. 12, a right reference image in which the hot zone P3h has been moved to the right from the reference image 60, and a left reference image in which the hot zone P3h has been moved to the left from the reference image 60. The right reference image is, for example, an image that represents a predetermined light distribution pattern P3 when the steering angle is 10 degrees to the right, and the left reference image corresponds to, for example, a steering angle of 10 degrees to the left. The number of multiple reference images is not limited, and may be two or four or more.

[0098] Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the process of moving the hot zone P3h in the control device CO of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 15, in this embodiment, the operation of generating an image of the control device CO differs from the operation of the process of moving the hot zone P3h in the first embodiment in that it includes step SP31. Also, a part of the operation of step SP22 differs from the operation of step SP22 in the first embodiment. Therefore, hereinafter, steps SP31 and SP22 will be described, and the description of other steps will be omitted as appropriate.

[0099] (Step SP31) This step is a step performed before step SP22, and is a step of selecting one reference image from a plurality of reference images based on a signal related to the steering angle of the vehicle 100. In this step, the determination unit 41 selects one reference image from a plurality of reference images based on a signal related to the steering angle of the vehicle 100 input from the steering angle detection device 120. The plurality of reference images are the reference image 60, the right reference image, and the left reference image, and a table in which the reference image 60, the right reference image, and the left reference image are associated with the steering angle is associated with the memory ME. For example, the reference image 60 is associated with a steering angle range of less than 5 degrees among the left steering angles and a steering angle range of less than 5 degrees among the right steering angles. The right reference image is associated with a steering angle range of 5 degrees or more among the right steering angles. The left reference image is associated with a steering angle range of 5 degrees or more among the left steering angles. The determination unit 41 of this embodiment selects one reference image by referring to a table in which the reference image 60, the right reference image, the left reference image, and the steering angle are associated with each other. After this step, the control device CO advances the operation flow to step SP21. Note that this step may be performed before step SP22, and may be performed between steps SP21 and SP22, for example.

[0100] (Step SP22) This step in the present embodiment is a step of generating image data showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved by the amount of movement determined in step SP21 in the direction of movement determined in step SP21, similar to step SP22 in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the data of the image is not generated from the reference image 60, but is generated from the data of the reference image selected in step SP31. This step in the present embodiment includes steps SP22a to SP22c, similar to the first embodiment.

[0101] (Step SP22a) This step in the present embodiment is a step of compressing in the left-right direction at least a part of the left-right section in the first region, which is the region on one side of the reference image selected in step SP31, and expanding in the left-right direction at least a part of the left-right section in the second region, which is the region on the other side. In this embodiment, as described above, the multiple reference images are the reference image 60, the right reference image, and the left reference image. The following describes an example in which the right reference image is selected in step SP31.

[0102] 16 is a diagram showing the right reference image in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the first region and the second region of the right reference image change depending on the left-right position of the hot zone P3h of the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 represented by the right reference image 70 with respect to the position of the hot zone P3h moved by the movement amount determined in step SP21. For example, when the hot zone P3h of the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 represented by the right reference image is located to the left of the hot zone P3h moved by the movement amount determined in step SP21, the first region in the right reference image 70 is the right region 70R on the right side of the center of the part 70h representing the hot zone P3h. Also, the second region is the left region 70L on the left side of the center of the part 70h representing the hot zone P3h. In addition, when the hot zone P3h of the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 represented by the reference image to the right of the hot zone P3h moved by the movement amount determined in step SP21 is located on the right side, the first region in the reference image 70 is the left region 70L and the second region is the right region 70R. In the following, an example will be described in which the first region is the right region 70R.

[0103] In this embodiment, the right region 70R is divided into three sections 71R, 72R, and 73R in the left-right direction, and the sections 71R, 72R, and 73R are arranged in this order from the part 70h side, and the sizes of the sections are approximately the same. The average brightness values ​​of these sections 71R, 72R, and 73R decrease in the order of the sections 71R, 72R, and 73R. The left region 60L is divided into three sections 71L, 72L, and 73L in the left-right direction, and the sections 71L, 72L, and 73L are arranged in this order from the part 70h side, and the sizes of the sections are approximately the same. The average brightness values ​​of these sections 71L, 72L, and 73L decrease in the order of the sections 71L, 72L, and 73L.

[0104] In this embodiment, the generating unit 42 reads data of the right reference image 70 from the memory ME, and compresses the entire right region 70R in the left-right direction and expands the entire left region 70L in the left-right direction so that the part 70h moves to the right by an amount corresponding to the determined amount of movement. Although not illustrated, the compression amount of the right region 70R and the expansion amount of the left region 70L are the same, and the width of the compressed and expanded intermediate image in the left-right direction is the same as the width of the reference image 70 in the left-right direction. The compression rate of the right region 70R increases in the order of sections 71R, 72R, and 73R. That is, the compression rate of the sections 71R, 72R, and 73R decreases as the average luminance values ​​of the sections 71R, 72R, and 73R increase. The expansion rate of the left region 70L increases in the order of sections 71L, 72L, and 73L. That is, the higher the average luminance value of the sections 71L, 72L, 73L, the lower the expansion rate of the sections 71L, 72L, 73L. After this step, the generation unit 42 advances the operation flow to step SP22b. Note that, since steps SP22b and SP22c of this embodiment are similar to steps SP22b and SP22c of the first embodiment, the description of steps SP22b and SP22c will be omitted.

[0105] As described above, in this embodiment, the determination unit 41 selects one reference image from a plurality of reference images in which the hot zone P3h is positioned differently in the left-right direction based on a signal related to the steering angle of the vehicle, and determines the direction and amount of movement. The generation unit 42 compresses the entire first region of the reference image selected by the determination unit 41 in the left-right direction and expands the entire second region in the left-right direction based on the direction and amount of movement determined by the determination unit 41, thereby generating image data showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the amount of compression and expansion of the reference image can be reduced compared to the case where there is one reference image, and deformation of the hot zone P3h when the hot zone P3h moves can be suppressed.

[0106] Although the present invention has been described above using the above-mentioned embodiments as examples, the present invention is not limited to these.

[0107] For example, in the above embodiment, the generating unit 42 compresses the entire first region of the reference image in the left-right direction and expands the entire second region in the left-right direction to generate data of an image showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone P3h has moved. However, the range compressed by the generating unit 42 may be at least a part of the section in the left-right direction in the first region, for example, the sections 62R, 63R of the right region 60R or the sections 62L, 63L of the left region 60L. Also, the range expanded by the generating unit 42 may be at least a part of the section in the left-right direction in the second region, for example, the sections 62R, 63R of the right region 60R or the sections 62L, 63L of the left region 60L. In other words, the section 61R of the right region 60R and the section 61L of the left region 60L do not need to be compressed or expanded. Since the portion 60h representing the hot zone P3h is located within the sections 61R, 61L, such a configuration can suppress deformation of the hot zone P3h.

[0108] In the above embodiment, the compression rate of the multiple sections is lower as the average brightness value of the section is higher, and the expansion rate of the multiple sections is lower as the average brightness value of the section is higher. However, the compression rate of the multiple sections may be lower as the distance between the section and the part representing the hot zone P3h is shorter, and the expansion rate of the multiple sections may be lower as the distance between the section and the part representing the hot zone P3h is shorter. Note that the distance between the above section and the part representing the hot zone P3h is, for example, the distance between the section and the center of the part representing the hot zone P3h. Even with this configuration, the compression rate and expansion rate of the part representing the bright position in the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 in the reference image 60 can be reduced, and the change in the shape of the bright part in the predetermined light distribution pattern P3 can be suppressed.

[0109] In the above embodiment, step SP22 including steps SP22a to SP22c is taken as an example. However, step SP22 only needs to include step SP22a, and at least one of steps SP22b and SP22c may be omitted.

[0110] In the above embodiment, the vehicle headlamp 1 including the first lamp unit 10 of the PES type, the second lamp unit 20 of the direct type, and the third lamp unit 30 of the direct type has been described as an example. However, the vehicle headlamp 1 may include a lamp unit including a light source unit in which a plurality of light emitting units capable of individually changing the amount of light emitted are arranged in a matrix. For example, the configuration of the first lamp unit 10 and the second lamp unit is not limited. In addition, the vehicle headlamp 1 may not include the second lamp unit 20 in the above embodiment. In this case, for example, the third lamp unit 30 emits light that forms an additional light distribution pattern, and the reference image is an image showing the additional light distribution pattern. In addition, the vehicle headlamp 1 may not include the first lamp unit 10 and the second lamp unit 20 in the above embodiment. In this case, for example, the third lamp unit 30 emits a high beam, and the reference image is an image showing a light distribution pattern of the high beam.

[0111] In the above embodiment, the light source unit 32 having a plurality of light emitting elements 33 capable of individually changing the amount of light emitted has been described as an example. However, the light source unit 32 may be any light emitting unit having a plurality of light emitting units each capable of individually changing the amount of light emitted arranged in a matrix. For example, the light source unit 32 may have a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) including a plurality of reflecting elements arranged in a matrix and a light emitting unit that irradiates the DMD with light. The DMD is capable of adjusting the amount of light emitted in a predetermined direction from the reflecting surface of each reflecting element, and the reflecting element is the light emitting unit. The DMD can form a light distribution pattern according to the amount of light emitted in a predetermined direction from each reflecting element.

[0112] In the above embodiment, the vehicle 100 including a pair of vehicle headlights 1 each having a control device CO and a memory ME has been described as an example. However, at least one of the control device CO and the memory ME may be shared by the pair of vehicle headlights 1. A signal output from the steering angle detection device 120 may be input to the control device CO without passing through the ECU 101 of the vehicle 100. A vehicle equipped with the vehicle headlight 1 may be, for example, a two-wheeled vehicle. The number of vehicle headlights 1 equipped on the vehicle is not limited and may be, for example, one. [Industrial Applicability]

[0113] According to the present invention, a control device for a lighting unit, a program, and a vehicle headlamp are provided that can realize a lighting unit that can suppress an increase in the amount of data while suppressing the sense of discomfort caused by changes in the light distribution pattern of the emitted light, and can be used in fields such as vehicle headlights for automobiles, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 1. Vehicle headlamp 10. First lighting unit 20....Second lighting unit 30···Third lighting unit 32...Light source section 41...Decision section 42...Generation section 43 Light distribution control section 60,70...Reference image 80...Intermediate image CO···Control device ME···Memory

Claims

1. A control device for a lighting unit including a light source unit in which a plurality of light emitting units each capable of individually changing the amount of light emitted therefrom are arranged in a matrix, A determination unit that determines a right / left movement direction and a movement amount of a hot zone in a predetermined light distribution pattern having the hot zone, based on a signal related to a steering angle of the vehicle; a generating unit that generates data of an image showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved by the movement amount in the movement direction determined by the determining unit; a light distribution control unit that outputs a signal to control the light source unit so as to emit light representing the image based on the data of the image generated by the generation unit; Equipped with The generating unit compresses in the left-right direction at least a portion of a section in the left-right direction in a first region that is a region on one side in the left-right direction of a reference image showing the predetermined light distribution pattern, and expands in the left-right direction at least a portion of a section in the left-right direction in a second region that is a region on the other side, thereby generating data of the image. A lighting unit control device comprising:

2. The generating unit generates data of the image by compressing the entire first area in the left-right direction and expanding the entire second area in the left-right direction. The lighting unit control device according to claim 1 .

3. The boundary between the first region and the second region intersects with the portion representing the hot zone. The lighting unit control device according to claim 1 .

4. The first area includes a plurality of sections to be compressed, and the compression rate of each of the sections is lower as the average luminance value of the section is higher. The lighting unit control device according to claim 1 .

5. The second region is expanded in a plurality of sections, and the expansion rate of each of the sections is lower as the average luminance of the section is higher. The lighting unit control device according to claim 1 .

6. the determination unit selects one of the plurality of reference images having different positions of the hot zone in the left-right direction based on a signal related to a steering angle of the vehicle, and determines the moving direction and the moving amount; The generation unit compresses in the left-right direction at least a portion of a section in the left-right direction in the first region of the reference image selected by the determination unit based on the movement direction and the movement amount determined by the determination unit, and expands in the left-right direction at least a portion of a section in the left-right direction in the second region, thereby generating data of the image. The lighting unit control device according to claim 1 .

7. The generating unit compresses at least a portion of the left-right section in the first region of the reference image in the left-right direction, and increases or decreases luminance values ​​of all pixels in a region consisting of the compressed section of the first region by a predetermined value, and increases or decreases luminance values ​​of all pixels in a region consisting of the expanded section of the second region by a specific value, so that an average luminance value of an intermediate image obtained by expanding at least a portion of the left-right section in the second region in the left-right direction approaches a target value, thereby generating data of the image. The lighting unit control device according to claim 1 .

8. The predetermined value and the specific value are the same. The lighting unit control device according to claim 7 .

9. The generating unit compresses at least a portion of the left-right section in the first region of the reference image in the left-right direction and expands at least a portion of the left-right section in the second region in the left-right direction, and replaces luminance values ​​of some pixels in an intermediate image with luminance values ​​set for the pixels to generate data of the image. The control device for a lamp unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A control device for a lighting unit including a light source unit in which a plurality of light emitting units each capable of individually changing the amount of light emitted are arranged in a matrix, determining a left / right moving direction and a moving amount of a hot zone in a predetermined light distribution pattern having the hot zone based on a signal related to a steering angle of the vehicle; generating data of an image showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved by the movement amount in the determined movement direction; outputting a signal for controlling the light source unit so as to emit light representing the generated image based on data of the image; Run the command, In the step of generating data of the image, at least a part of a section in the left-right direction in a first region, which is a region on one side in the left-right direction of the reference image showing the predetermined light distribution pattern, is compressed in the left-right direction, and at least a part of a section in the left-right direction in a second region, which is a region on the other side, is expanded in the left-right direction to generate data of the image. A program characterized by:

11. a lighting unit including a light source section in which a plurality of light emitting sections, each capable of individually changing the amount of light emitted, are arranged in a matrix; A control device for controlling the light source unit; a memory for storing data of a reference image representing a predetermined light distribution pattern having a hot zone; Equipped with The control device includes: A determination unit that determines a left / right moving direction and a moving amount of the hot zone in the predetermined light distribution pattern based on a signal related to a steering angle of a vehicle; a generating unit that generates data of an image showing a light distribution pattern in which the hot zone has moved by the movement amount in the movement direction determined by the determining unit; a light distribution control unit that controls the light source unit so as to emit light representing the image based on the data of the image generated by the generation unit; Equipped with The generating unit generates data of the image by compressing in the left-right direction at least a portion of a section in the left-right direction in a first region that is a region on one side in the left-right direction of the reference image and expanding in the left-right direction at least a portion of a section in the left-right direction in a second region that is a region on the other side. A vehicle headlamp characterized by:

Images