Light control device and program

Abstract

To provide a light control device and a program which can adjust a cancel state of an automatic irradiation mode that automatically controls an irradiation state.SOLUTION: A light control device 10 includes a controller 11 which controls an irradiation state of a light unit 2 arranged in a vehicle 1. The controller is configured to execute the steps of: executing an automatic irradiation mode for automatically switching the irradiation state between a high-beam state and a low-beam state based on detection values for detecting an environment around the vehicle; and switching, when a cancel operation of the automatic irradiation mode is inputted in the high-beam state, the irradiation state to the low-beam state during an interruption time, and adjusting an interval of the interruption time according to operation contents of the cancel operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting control device and a program capable of automatically controlling an irradiation state.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a lighting control device for a vehicle having an automatic irradiation mode capable of automatically switching between a high beam state and a low beam state according to the environment around the vehicle. When the user performs a cancel operation to cancel the automatic irradiation mode, this lighting control device is configured to be able to control the lighting unit so as to adjust the length of the interruption time according to the speed of the vehicle and temporarily cancel the automatic irradiation mode during the interruption time.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] According to the device described in Patent Document 1, when the user performs a predetermined operation to cancel the automatic irradiation mode and the automatic irradiation mode is executed after the interruption time has elapsed, the state of the environment around the vehicle may be maintained as the state of the environment at the time of cancellation, and there may be a case where the irradiation state of the lighting unit should not be restored. In such a case, the user has to repeat the cancel operation and may feel cumbersome.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a lighting control device and a program capable of adjusting a cancellation state of an automatic irradiation mode for automatically controlling an irradiation state.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention includes a control unit that controls the irradiation state of a lighting unit provided in a vehicle. The control unit executes an automatic irradiation mode in which the irradiation state is automatically switched between a high beam state and a low beam state based on a detection value for detecting the environment around the vehicle. When a cancel operation of the automatic irradiation mode is input in the high beam state, the irradiation state is switched to the low beam state during an interruption time, and the interval of the interruption time is adjusted according to the operation content of the cancel operation. This is a lighting control device.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the cancel state of the automatic irradiation mode for automatically controlling the irradiation state.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle system S includes a vehicle 1 and a server device 20 communicably connected to the vehicle 1 via a network W. The vehicle 1 includes a communication unit 6 connectable to the network W and communicates with the server device 20. The vehicle 1 transmits data related to travel to the server device 20 and receives data and update programs necessary for the travel of the vehicle 1 from the server device 20 on a regular basis.

[0010] Vehicle 1 includes a lighting unit 2 that irradiates a forward area, a detection unit 4 that monitors the environment around vehicle 1, and a lighting control device 10 that controls lighting unit 2. Lighting unit 2 includes, for example, a light source whose irradiation state can be switched. Lighting unit 2 includes, for example, a light source that can switch between a high beam state and a low beam state. Lighting unit 2 may include a light source for the high beam state and a light source for the low beam state, or may include a light source that can switch between the high beam state and the low beam state by switching the optical axis. Lighting unit 2 may be configured to be able to switch between the high beam state and the low beam state by adjusting the irradiation range irradiated by a plurality of light sources.

[0011] Lighting unit 2 is configured to be able to switch the irradiation state, for example, based on the operation content input to an operation unit 5 provided in vehicle 1. Based on the operation content input to operation unit 5, a manual irradiation mode and an automatic irradiation mode that automatically switches to the high beam state or the low beam state are selected. Operation unit 5 is constituted by a physical switch for operating lighting unit 2. Operation unit 5 may be constituted by a display image for operation displayed on a display device such as a touch panel. The input operation of operation unit 5 may be performed by a smartphone held by the user. Operation unit 5 may be configured to input the operation content based on voice or gesture.

[0012] Lighting unit 2 is supplied with power from a power supply unit 3 provided in vehicle 1. Power supply unit 3 is constituted by, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery and a control circuit that controls the charging and discharging power. Power supply unit 3 may include a power generation device such as a fuel cell. A power generation device of an engine vehicle may be connected to power supply unit 3. When vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle, power supply unit 3 may be configured to supply power not only to lighting unit 2 but also for driving.

[0013] The detection unit 4 is composed of a plurality of sensors capable of detecting the environment around the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may include, for example, a camera that images the surroundings of the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may include, for example, a lidar device or a radar device that detects objects around the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles existing around the vehicle 1 via the communication unit 6 and acquire detection values from the other vehicles. The detection unit 4 may communicate with a terminal device possessed by a traffic participant such as a pedestrian existing around the vehicle 1 via the communication unit 6 and acquire detection values from the terminal device possessed by the traffic participant.

[0014] The detection unit 4 may include, for example, a position sensor that detects the current position of the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may include, for example, a six-axis sensor that detects the attitude and acceleration of the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may be composed of, for example, a navigation device that calculates a route to the destination of the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may also include sensors used for the running and driving support of the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 may include other sensors as long as it can detect information necessary for the running of the vehicle 1. The detection unit 4 outputs the detection values of the predetermined sensors to the lighting control device 10.

[0015] The lighting control device 10 is a computer device configured to control the irradiation state of the lighting unit 2. The lighting control device 10 includes a control unit 11 that controls the irradiation state of the lighting unit 2, and a storage unit 12 that stores data and computer programs necessary for the control. The control unit 11 is composed of at least one hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage unit 12 is composed of a non-temporary storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0016] When in the manual mode, the control unit 11 switches the irradiation state of the lighting unit 2 based on the operation content input to the operation unit 5. When a low beam operation corresponding to the low beam is input to the operation unit 5, the control unit 11 maintains the lighting unit 2 in the low beam state. When a high beam operation corresponding to the high beam is input to the operation unit 5, the control unit 11 maintains the lighting unit 2 in the high beam state.

[0017] When an automatic irradiation mode operation corresponding to the automatic irradiation mode is input to the operation unit 5, the control unit 11 executes an automatic irradiation mode in which the irradiation state of the lighting unit 2 is automatically switched between the high beam state and the low beam state. In the automatic irradiation mode, the control unit 11 acquires a detection value detected by the detection unit 4 that detects the environment around the vehicle 1, and controls the lighting unit 2 based on the detection value to switch the irradiation state. The control unit 11 determines whether it is possible to maintain the lighting unit 2 in the high beam state based on the detection value.

[0018] The control unit 11 determines whether there is an object that hinders driving in the high beam state, such as an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle, in the first irradiation range in the high beam state in front of the vehicle 1 based on the detection value. When the control unit 11 determines that there is no object in the first irradiation range, it controls the lighting unit 2 to maintain the high beam state. When the control unit 11 determines that there is an object in the first irradiation range in the high beam state, it controls the lighting unit 2 to switch from the high beam state to the low beam state and maintains the low beam state. When the control unit 11 determines that there is no object in the first irradiation range in the low beam state, it controls the lighting unit 2 to switch from the low beam state to the high beam state and maintains the high beam state.

[0019] The control unit 11 may determine the presence of an object not only in the current irradiation range but also in the irradiation range within a predetermined future time based on the detection value. The control unit 11 may generate a schedule for the future irradiation state based on the determination result and control the irradiation state of the lighting unit 2 based on the schedule.

[0020] The automatic irradiation mode may be canceled when a cancel operation is input to the operation unit 5 of the user. When the control unit 11 is in the high beam state and a cancel operation for the automatic irradiation mode is input to the operation unit 5, the irradiation state of the lighting unit 2 is switched to the low beam state during the interruption time. In this case, the control unit 11 adjusts the interval of the interruption time according to the operation content of the cancel operation input to the operation unit 5. After the cancel operation is input, when the cancel operation is input again, the control unit 11 sets an adjusted interruption time with an increased interruption time, and executes a process of switching the irradiation state to the low beam state during the adjusted interruption time. The control unit 11 may set an adjusted interruption time with the length of the interruption time adjusted based on the number of cancel operations or the operation time interval of the cancel operations.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, when a cancel operation is input again with respect to the interruption time corresponding to one cancel operation, the control unit 11 sets an adjusted interruption time obtained by adding a predetermined extension time to the interruption time. For example, after the first cancel operation, when a cancel operation is continuously input a plurality of times within a predetermined time, the control unit 11 sets an adjusted interruption time obtained by adding an extension time multiplied by the number of cancel operations to the interruption time.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, for example, the control unit 11 may adjust the adjusted interruption time according to the operation time such as a long-press operation in the input operation method of the cancel operation. The control unit 11 sets an adjusted interruption time proportional to the operation time of the long-press operation of the cancel operation. For example, the control unit 11 sets an adjusted interruption time by multiplying a value (n) obtained by dividing the operation time of the long-press operation by the unit time (Δt) by the extension time. When a cancel operation for extending the interruption time is input, the control unit 11 may display the adjusted interruption time on a display unit (not shown) provided in the vehicle 1. When the control unit 11 is in the low beam state and a cancel operation for the automatic irradiation mode is input to the operation unit 5, the irradiation state of the lighting unit 2 may be switched to the low beam state during the interruption time.

[0023] When a cancellation operation is input, the control unit 11 may store in the storage unit 12 a detection value and a data set regarding the operation content of the cancellation operation. When a predetermined number of data sets are obtained, the control unit 11 may adjust the parameters of the determination algorithm for the automatic irradiation mode. The control unit 11 may store in the storage unit 12 a data set including the position data of the vehicle 1, and when it is determined that the cancellation operation is in a state in a predetermined area, if the vehicle 1 is traveling in the predetermined area, the control unit 11 may automatically execute the operation content of the cancellation operation.

[0024] The control unit 11 may transmit the data set to the server device 20 via the network W. The server device 20 may use the data sets obtained from the plurality of vehicles 1 as teacher data for machine learning and update the parameters of the determination algorithm for the automatic irradiation mode. The server device 20 may transmit the updated determination algorithm program to the vehicle 1 at a predetermined timing to update the determination algorithm of the vehicle 1.

[0025] FIG. 4 shows the flow of processing of the lighting control method executed in the lighting control device 10. The lighting control method is executed based on a computer program installed in a computer mounted on the lighting control device 10. The control unit 11 determines whether or not the lighting unit 2 is in the automatic irradiation mode based on the operation content of the operation unit 5 (step S100). When an operation to switch to the automatic irradiation mode is input to the operation unit 5, the control unit 11 starts the automatic irradiation mode in which the irradiation state of the lighting unit 2 is automatically switched to the high beam state or the low beam state, and acquires a detection value for detecting the environment around the vehicle 1 from the detection unit 4 (step S102).

[0026] The control unit 11 determines whether it is possible to maintain the high beam state based on the detected value (step S104). When the control unit 11 determines that it is possible to maintain the high beam state, it controls the lighting unit 2 to maintain the high beam state (step S106). The control unit 11 determines whether a cancel operation for the automatic irradiation mode has been input to the operation unit 5 (step S108). When a cancel operation has been input to the operation unit 5, the control unit 11 adjusts the interval of the interruption time according to the operation content of the cancel operation, and switches the irradiation state to the low beam state during the adjusted interruption time (step S110).

[0027] The control unit 11 determines whether the adjusted interruption time has ended (step S112). If the adjusted interruption time has not ended in step S112, the control unit 11 returns the process to step S110 and maintains the low beam state. When the control unit 11 determines in step S104 that the high beam state cannot be maintained, it controls the lighting unit 2 to maintain the low beam state (step S114).

[0028] As described above, according to the lighting control device 10, when the automatic irradiation mode is being executed, if a cancel operation for the high beam state is input by the user, the interruption time is adjusted based on the operation content of the cancel operation, and the low beam state can be maintained. According to the lighting control device 10, since the adjusted interruption time is set based on the operation content of the cancel operation, the low beam state can be maintained during the adjusted interruption time desired by the user.

[0029] In the above-described embodiment, the computer program executed in each configuration of the lighting control device 10 may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. In the above-described embodiment, various additions, replacements, changes, partial deletions, etc. are possible without departing from the gist of the invention or without departing from the spirit and gist of the invention derived from the content described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0030] The lighting control device 10 may be applied not only to electric vehicles but also to vehicles having an internal combustion engine. The lighting control device may be applied to a hybrid vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine. The lighting control device may be applied not only to four-wheeled vehicles but also to two-wheeled vehicles and vehicles having four or more wheels. The lighting control device 10 may be applied to an autonomous driving vehicle or a manually driven vehicle. The lighting control device 10 may be applied to a human-powered vehicle such as a bicycle.

Explanation of Signs

[0031] 1 Vehicle, 2 Lighting unit, 3 Power supply unit, 4 Detection unit, 5 Operation unit, 6 Communication unit, 10 Lighting control device, 11 Control unit, 12 Memory unit, 20 Server device, S Vehicle system, W Network

Claims

1. A control unit for controlling the irradiation state of a lighting unit provided on a vehicle, The control unit, Based on a detection value for detecting the environment around the vehicle, executes an automatic irradiation mode for automatically switching the irradiation state to a high beam state or a low beam state, In the high beam state, when a cancel operation of the automatic irradiation mode is input, the irradiation state is switched to the low beam state during an interruption time, Adjusts the interval of the interruption time according to the operation content of the cancel operation, A lighting control device.

2. The control unit, After the cancel operation is input, when the cancel operation is input again, executes a process of switching the irradiation state to the low beam state during an adjusted interruption time obtained by increasing the interruption time, The lighting control device according to claim 1.

3. The control unit, Adjusts the length of the interruption time based on the number of times of the cancel operation or the operation time interval of the cancel operation, The lighting control device according to claim 2.

4. The control unit, After the cancel operation is input, when the cancel operation is input again within a predetermined time, executes a process of switching the irradiation state to the low beam state during the adjusted interruption time, The lighting control device according to claim 2.

5. A program for controlling a lighting control device that controls the irradiation state of a lighting unit provided on a vehicle, Based on a detection value for detecting the environment around the vehicle, causes an automatic irradiation mode for automatically switching the irradiation state to a high beam state or a low beam state to be executed, When a cancel operation of the automatic irradiation mode is input in the high beam state, the irradiation state is switched to the low beam state during the interruption time, A program that causes a computer to execute a process of adjusting the interval of the interruption time according to the operation content of the cancel operation.

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