Light distribution control device, light distribution control program, and vehicle lamp system

Abstract

To provide a light distribution control device for highly accurately improving safety, in a place where many pedestrians exist, a light distribution control program, and a vehicle lamp system.SOLUTION: A light distribution control device 20 of a vehicle lamp 21 includes: a positional information acquisition part 25 for acquiring positional information on own vehicle; an environment information acquisition part 30 for acquiring environment information on the own vehicle; and a storage part 27 for storing the positional information as attention positional information on the basis of the environment information. The light distribution control device 20 controls light distribution of the vehicle lamp 21, on the basis of current positional information on the own vehicle, the current environment information on the own vehicle, and the attention positional information stored in the storage part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a light distribution control device, a light distribution control program, and a vehicle lighting system. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a light distribution control system that detects a vehicle ahead using a sensor such as a camera mounted on a vehicle and controls the light distribution of the headlights. For example, the following Patent Document 1 describes a light distribution control system in which one of the left and right headlights is provided with a detection means and the other headlight is provided with a light distribution control means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-26248 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Meanwhile, there is a demand for a control system that can ensure safety with a high degree of accuracy in areas with a large number of pedestrians.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a light distribution control device, a light distribution control program, and a vehicle lighting system that improve safety with high precision in areas with a large number of pedestrians. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A light distribution control device for a vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: A position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the vehicle itself; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information of the host vehicle; a storage unit that stores the position information as attention position information based on the environmental information, The light distribution of the vehicle lamp is controlled based on the current position information of the vehicle and the attention position information stored in the memory unit.

[0007] A light distribution control device for a vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: A position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the vehicle itself; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information of the host vehicle; a transmission unit that transmits the position information to an external server as attention position information based on the environmental information; A receiving unit for receiving data from the external server, The light distribution of the vehicle lamp is controlled based on the current position information of the vehicle and the attention position information received by the receiving unit from the external server.

[0008] A light distribution control program for a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a position information acquisition step of acquiring position information of the vehicle; an environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information of the host vehicle; a storage step of storing the position information as attention position information in a storage unit provided in the host vehicle based on the environmental information; and a control step of controlling light distribution of the vehicle lamp based on current position information of the vehicle and the attention position information stored in the storage unit.

[0009] A vehicle lighting system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A light distribution control device; An external server; The light distribution control device includes: A position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the vehicle itself; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information of the host vehicle; a transmission unit that transmits data of the position information as attention position information to an external server based on the environmental information; A receiving unit that receives the attention position information from the external server, The light distribution of a vehicle lamp is controlled based on the current position information of the vehicle and the attention position information received by the receiving unit from the external server. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a light distribution control device, a light distribution control program, and a vehicle lighting system for improving safety with high precision in areas with a large number of pedestrians. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle lighting system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a format of attention position information. [Diagram 3] 13 is a flowchart showing a process of collecting attention position information. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of collecting attention position information. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing light distribution control using attention position information. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an illumination range of a headlight before light distribution control. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the illumination range of the headlights is shifted to the left at the attention position. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the illumination range of the headlights is expanded to the left at the attention position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience of explanation, the dimensions of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each component.

[0013] In addition, in the description of this embodiment, for convenience of description, the "left-right direction" and the "front-rear direction" may be referred to as appropriate. These directions are relative directions set for the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 4. Here, the "left-right direction" includes the "left direction" and the "right direction". The "front-rear direction" includes the "forward direction" and the "rearward direction". <Configuration of vehicle lighting system>

[0014] First, a vehicle lighting system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle lighting system 100.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle lighting system 100 includes a vehicle control device 10 and a light distribution control device 20.

[0016] The vehicle control device 10 is configured to control the traveling of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control device 10 is configured by, for example, at least one electronic control unit (ECU: Electronic Control Unit). The electronic control unit includes a computer system (for example, SoC (System on a Chip) or the like) including one or more processors and one or more memories, and an electronic circuit configured by active elements such as transistors and passive elements. The processor includes, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit). The memory includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). A vehicle control program may be stored in the ROM. For example, the vehicle control program may include an artificial intelligence (AI) program for autonomous driving. The AI ​​program is a program (trained model) constructed by supervised or unsupervised machine learning (particularly, deep learning) using a multi-layer neural network. The RAM may temporarily store a vehicle control program, vehicle control data, and / or environmental information indicating the environment around the vehicle. The processor may be configured to load a specified program from various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM.

[0017] The vehicle control device 10 includes a drive control unit 11, an imaging control unit 12, a sensor control unit 13, and a communication control unit 14. The drive control unit 11 is configured to drive and control a steering device 31, a brake device 32, and an accelerator device 33. The imaging control unit 12 is configured to control imaging units such as a camera 34 and a radar 35 mounted on the vehicle 1. The sensor control unit 13 is configured to control an external weather sensor 36 and a position sensor 37. Here, the external weather sensor 36 is a weather sensor capable of detecting weather conditions outside the vehicle 1. The position sensor 37 is, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System), and is capable of acquiring position information of the vehicle 1. The communication control unit 14 is configured to control a wireless communication unit 38. The wireless communication unit 38 is capable of wireless communication with an external server (not shown).

[0018] The camera 34 is a camera including an imaging element such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The camera 34 is configured to acquire image data showing the environment around the vehicle 1 and transmit the image data to the imaging control unit 12. The imaging control unit 12 acquires environmental information, for example, by machine learning, based on the transmitted image data. Here, the environmental information includes information on objects (pedestrians, other vehicles, signs, etc.) present outside the vehicle 1. The environmental information may also include information on attributes of objects present outside the vehicle 1, and information on the distance from the vehicle 1 to the objects and the positions of the objects. The environmental information may also include information on the brightness of the road surface on which the vehicle 1 is traveling. The environmental information may also include date and time information such as the time period during which the vehicle 1 is traveling, road information obtained from a road transportation facility (for example, road congestion status), weather information obtained from a meteorological agency or an external weather sensor 36, and the like. The camera 34 may be configured as a monocular camera or a stereo camera.

[0019] The radar 35 includes at least one of a millimeter wave radar, a microwave radar, and a laser radar (for example, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) unit). For example, the LiDAR unit is configured to detect the environment around the vehicle 1. In particular, the LiDAR unit is configured to obtain 3D mapping data (point cloud data) indicating the environment around the vehicle 1, and then transmit the 3D mapping data to the imaging control unit 12. The imaging control unit 12 identifies environmental information based on the transmitted 3D mapping data.

[0020] The light distribution control device 20 includes a vehicle lamp 21 , a lamp control unit 22 , an operation information acquisition unit 24 , a position information acquisition unit 25 , a data transmission / reception unit 26 , a storage unit 27 , and an environmental information acquisition unit 30 .

[0021] The vehicle lamp 21 is configured to irradiate a forward area of ​​the vehicle 1 with visible light, for example, a right headlamp 21A (see FIG. 4) and a left headlamp 21B (see FIG. 4).

[0022] The environmental information acquisition unit 30 acquires current environmental information obtained based on data acquired by the camera 34 and radar 35 from the imaging control unit 12. In addition, the environmental information acquisition unit 30 acquires current weather conditions outside the vehicle 1 detected by the external weather sensor 36 from the sensor control unit 13.

[0023] The operation information acquisition unit 24 acquires current operation information of the steering device 31, the braking device 32, and the accelerator device 33 from the drive control unit 11. Here, the operation information of the steering device 31 is, for example, steering information indicating the steering angle of the steering device 31. Furthermore, the operation information of the braking device 32 is, for example, brake operation information indicating the braking amount of the braking device 32. Furthermore, the operation information of the accelerator device 33 is, for example, accelerator operation information indicating the accelerator amount of the accelerator device 33.

[0024] The position information acquisition unit 25 acquires the current position information of the vehicle 1 acquired by the position sensor 37 from the sensor control unit 13 .

[0025] The data transmission / reception unit 26 is composed of a data transmission unit 26A and a data reception unit 26B. The data transmission unit 26A transmits data to be transmitted to an external server to the wireless communication unit 38 via the communication control unit 14. The data reception unit 26B receives data from an external server via the communication control unit 14.

[0026] The storage unit 27 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory, and is configured to store programs and various data (attention position information 28, map information 29, etc.).

[0027] The lamp control unit 22 includes a light distribution control unit 23. The light distribution control unit 23 receives current position information of the vehicle 1 from the position information acquisition unit 25, receives current environmental information of the vehicle 1 from the environmental information acquisition unit 30, and reads attention position information 28 stored in the storage unit 27. Furthermore, the light distribution control unit 23 controls the illumination range of the vehicle lamp 21 and the like based on the current position information of the vehicle 1, the current environmental information of the vehicle 1, and the attention position information. The light distribution control unit 23 can, for example, control the expansion or reduction of the illumination range of the vehicle lamp 21 and control the movement of the illumination direction in the left / right and up / down directions. <Note location information>

[0028] Next, the attention position information will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the format of attention position information. As shown in FIG. 2, the attention position information 28 is composed of latitude and longitude obtained from map information, for example. In addition, an attention position information ID is assigned to each attention position information 28, and an acquisition time indicating the time when the attention position information 28 was acquired, a traveling direction of the vehicle 1 when the attention position information 28 was acquired, and a pedestrian detection direction indicating the direction in which a pedestrian was detected are linked. The traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is expressed, for example, in 16 directions. As an example, the attention position information 28 with an attention position information ID of 0001 is position information acquired at 7:16 on January 21, 2020, and indicates that caution is required when the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is east-northeast at a position of longitude 139.6917 and latitude 35.6894, and a pedestrian is detected to the left front. <Attention location information collection process flow>

[0030] Next, the collection process flow of the attention position information 28 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0031] 3 is a flowchart showing the collection process of attention position information. First, the position information acquisition unit 25 acquires the current position information of the vehicle 1 at a predetermined interval, and the environmental information acquisition unit 30 acquires the current pedestrian information on pedestrians detected around the vehicle 1 at a predetermined interval (S101). Next, if the number of pedestrians in the acquired pedestrian information is equal to or greater than the threshold H (Yes in S102), the light distribution control device 20 links the current position information with the acquisition time of the position information, the current traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and the pedestrian detection direction in which the pedestrian was detected (S103), and stores the information in the storage unit 27 as attention position information 28 (S104).

[0032] The current traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is calculated from the transition of the position information of the vehicle 1 up to the present. The pedestrian detection direction is information included in the pedestrian information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 30. In addition, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, the processing flow for generating attention position information 28 from the position information of the vehicle 1 and storing it in the storage unit 27 has been described, but when another vehicle transmits attention position information to an external server and the wireless communication unit 38 of the vehicle 1 receives the attention position information, the light distribution control device 20 may store the attention position information from the external server in the storage unit 27.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of collecting attention position information. FIG. 4 shows a case where the vehicle 1 detects a pedestrian M with a threshold value H or more in the left front of the traveling direction. At this time, the pedestrian detection direction in the pedestrian information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit 30 is the left front, and the number of pedestrians in the pedestrian information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit 30 is the threshold value H or more. Therefore, the current position information of the vehicle 1 is linked to the acquisition time of the position information, the current traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and the pedestrian detection direction in which the pedestrian was detected, and stored in the storage unit 27 as attention position information 28. In this way, when a predetermined number of pedestrians or more are detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, the position information at the time when the pedestrian was detected is collected as the attention position information 28. In addition, map information 29 that explicitly displays the pedestrian M detected on the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, as shown in FIG. 4, may be linked to the position information of the vehicle 1 and stored in the storage unit 27.

[0034] In this example, attention position information is collected under the condition that the number of detected pedestrians is equal to or greater than the threshold value H, but this is not limiting. For example, attention position information may be collected under the condition of environmental information including weather information, road information, date and time information, etc. Specifically, when the weather is bad (rain, snow, etc.) or when the road is congested, attention position information may be collected under the condition that the number of detected pedestrians is less than the threshold value H. In addition, since the time when it gets dark differs depending on the season, attention position information may be collected under the condition of seasonal date and time information. <Light distribution control processing flow using attention position information>

[0035] Next, a light distribution control process flow using attention position information will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing light distribution control using attention position information. First, the position information acquisition unit 25 acquires current position information of the vehicle 1 at a predetermined interval, and the environmental information acquisition unit 30 acquires the current traveling direction of the vehicle 1 at a predetermined interval (S201). Next, when the vehicle is traveling, if the current position of the vehicle 1 is within a predetermined range from the position of the attention position information 28 stored in the storage unit 27 (Yes in S202), the light distribution control unit 23 compares the current traveling direction of the vehicle 1 with the past traveling direction of the vehicle 1 linked to the attention position information 28 (S203). If the two traveling directions match (Yes in S203), the light distribution control unit 23 moves or expands the illumination range of the vehicle lamp 21 to the pedestrian detection direction linked to the attention position information 28 (S204). If the two traveling directions do not match (No in S203), the light distribution control unit 23 does not move or expand the illumination range of the vehicle lamp 21.

[0037] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the illumination range of the headlights before light distribution control. Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example in which the illumination range of the headlights is moved to the left at the attention position. Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example in which the illumination range of the headlights is expanded to the left at the attention position. Note that in Figs. 6 to 8, the illumination range of the right headlight 21A and the illumination range of the left headlight 21B of the vehicle 1 are displayed as one illumination range S for the sake of explanation.

[0038] As shown in Figure 6, the illumination range S of the headlight before light distribution control is the normal illumination range, so if the vehicle travels (for example, goes straight or turns left) without light distribution control being performed and there is a pedestrian in the vehicle's traveling direction, the pedestrian may not be visible to the driver in time, and the driver may be required to apply the brakes suddenly.

[0039] 7 and 8, when the vehicle 1 enters a predetermined range A from the attention position P stored in the memory unit 27 as the attention position information 28, the illumination range S of the vehicular lamp 21 is moved or expanded in the pedestrian detection direction linked to the attention position information 28 so that it can be confirmed early whether or not there is an object requiring attention, such as a pedestrian, in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the light distribution control unit 23 moves the illumination range S of the vehicular lamp 21 in the pedestrian detection direction linked to the attention position information 28 as shown in Fig. 7, or expands the illumination range S of the vehicular lamp 21 in the pedestrian detection direction linked to the attention position information 28 as shown in Fig. 8.

[0040] For example, when the center of gravity of a group of pedestrians detected by camera 34 is to the left of the angle of view of camera 34, light distribution control unit 23 may electronically swivel illumination range S by 5 degrees to the left. Also, when the center of gravity of a group of pedestrians detected by camera 34 is to the left of the angle of view of camera 34, light distribution control unit 23 may expand illumination range S by 5 degrees to the left. Also, when a group of pedestrians is detected by camera 34, light distribution control unit 23 may expand illumination range S to the left by ±5 degrees.

[0041] In the light distribution control process described in Figs. 5 to 8, the case where the illumination range is moved or expanded in the pedestrian detection direction when the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 coincides with the traveling direction of the past vehicle 1 linked to the attention position information 28 in S203 of Fig. 5 has been described, but is not limited thereto. For example, when the vehicle 1 does not travel on a road with an oncoming lane as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, but travels on a road without an oncoming lane (a relatively narrow road), the illumination range of the vehicle 1 may be moved or expanded in the pedestrian detection direction even when the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 does not coincide with the traveling direction of the past vehicle 1 linked to the attention position information 28. Specifically, when the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 does not coincide, that is, when the vehicle 1 travels in the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the past vehicle 1 linked to the attention position information 28, the light distribution control unit 23 may determine that the direction opposite to the pedestrian detection direction linked to the attention position information 28 is the direction in which the number of pedestrians is detected, and move or expand the illumination range S of the vehicle 1 in that direction.

[0042] In this way, by moving or expanding the illumination range of the vehicle lamp 21 in a direction where there are expected to be many pedestrians and other objects based on the attention position information 28, it becomes easier to notice the presence of pedestrians, etc., and the safety of the vehicle itself and other vehicles can be improved.

[0043] As described above, the light distribution control device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is configured to control the light distribution of the vehicle lamp based on the current position information of the vehicle and the attention position information stored in the storage unit. For example, a place with a large number of pedestrians is identified as a place requiring attention when driving the vehicle and stored as attention position information. This makes it easier for the driver of the vehicle or another vehicle to notice the presence of pedestrians, etc., and can improve the safety of the vehicle or another vehicle with high accuracy.

[0044] Although the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the present embodiment. The present embodiment is merely an example, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiment are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0045] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the light distribution control device 20 acquires the attention position information 28 and controls the light distribution of the vehicle lamp 21 based on the acquired attention position information 28, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle 1 may be provided with a device for acquiring the attention position information 28 and a device for controlling light distribution based on the attention position information 28, separately. Alternatively, the vehicle 1 may be equipped with only a device for acquiring the attention position information 28, and may not be equipped with a device for controlling light distribution based on the attention position information 28. Alternatively, the vehicle 1 may be equipped with only a device for controlling light distribution based on the attention position information 28, and may not be equipped with a device for acquiring the attention position information 28.

[0046] Moreover, in the case where an external server is used, the present disclosure can also be expressed as follows. A vehicle lighting system, comprising: A light distribution control device; An external server; The light distribution control device includes: A position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the vehicle itself; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information of the host vehicle; a transmission unit that transmits the position information to an external server as attention position information based on the environmental information; A receiving unit that receives data from the external server, The receiving unit receives the attention position information from the external server, A vehicle lighting system that controls light distribution of the vehicle lighting based on current position information of the vehicle and the attention position information received by the receiving unit from the external server. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1: Vehicle 10: Vehicle control device 11: Drive control unit 12: Imaging control unit 13: Sensor control unit 14: Communication control unit 20: Light distribution control device 21: Vehicle lighting fixtures 21A: Right headlight 21B:Left headlight 22: Lighting control unit 23: Light distribution control section 24: Operation information acquisition section 25: Location information acquisition section 26: Data transmission and reception unit 26A: Data transmission section 26B: Data receiving section 27: Storage part 28: Attention location information 29: Map information 30:Environmental information acquisition department 31: Steering device 32: Brake device 33: Accelerator 34: Camera 35: Radar 36: External weather sensor 37: Position sensor 38: Wireless communication section 100: Vehicle lighting system S: Irradiation range

Claims

1. A light distribution control device for a vehicle lamp, A position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the vehicle itself; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information of the host vehicle; a storage unit that stores the position information as attention position information based on the environmental information, A light distribution control device that controls light distribution of the vehicle lamp based on current position information of the vehicle and the attention position information stored in the memory unit.

2. The light distribution control device according to claim 1 , wherein the environmental information is acquired by an imaging unit mounted on the host vehicle.

3. the environmental information includes pedestrian information, The light distribution control device according to claim 1 , wherein, when the number of pedestrians included in the pedestrian information is equal to or greater than a threshold, the position information is stored in the storage unit as the attention position information.

4. The light distribution control device according to claim 3 , wherein an illumination range of the vehicle lamp is moved or expanded based on the pedestrian information.

5. The light distribution control device according to claim 1 , wherein the environmental information includes at least one of date and time information, weather information, and road information.

6. A light distribution control device for a vehicle lamp, A position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the vehicle itself; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information of the host vehicle; a transmission unit that transmits the position information to an external server as attention position information based on the environmental information; A receiving unit for receiving data from the external server, A light distribution control device that controls light distribution of the vehicle lamp based on current position information of the vehicle and the attention position information received by the receiving unit from the external server.

7. The light distribution control device according to claim 6 , wherein the environmental information is acquired by an imaging unit mounted on the host vehicle.

8. the environmental information includes pedestrian information, The light distribution control device according to claim 6 , wherein, when a number of pedestrians included in the pedestrian information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the position information is transmitted to the external server as the attention position information.

9. The light distribution control device according to claim 8 , wherein an illumination range of the vehicle lamp is moved or expanded based on the pedestrian information.

10. The light distribution control device according to claim 6, wherein the environmental information includes at least one of date and time information, weather information, and road information.

11. A light distribution control program for a vehicle lamp, comprising: a position information acquisition step of acquiring position information of the vehicle; an environmental information acquisition step of acquiring environmental information of the host vehicle; a storage step of storing the position information as attention position information in a storage unit provided in the host vehicle based on the environmental information; and a control step of controlling light distribution of the vehicle lamp based on current position information of the vehicle and the attention position information stored in the memory unit.

12. A vehicle lighting system, comprising: A light distribution control device; An external server; The light distribution control device includes: A position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of the vehicle itself; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information of the host vehicle; a transmission unit that transmits the position information to an external server as attention position information based on the environmental information; A receiving unit that receives the attention position information from the external server, A vehicle lighting system that controls light distribution of a vehicle lighting device based on current position information of the vehicle and the attention position information received by the receiving unit from the external server.

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