Control device of headlight, control method of headlight and headlight system

Abstract

To further improve frontward visibility in an own vehicle while reducing glare toward a vehicle ahead of the own vehicle.SOLUTION: In a control device of a headlight, a controller is configured to control a headlight so that the headlight emits a selective high beam and to control the headlight so that in a case where a forward vehicle exists on one side that is either of a left side and a right side with an own vehicle as a reference, the headlight emits a low beam, which is attenuated at a first light attenuation rate, to some range in an emission range of low beams when it is estimated that a weather state around the own vehicle is rainy weather and emits a low beam which is attenuated at a second light attenuation rate relatively smaller than the first light attenuation rate, when it is estimated that the weather state is not rainy weather. The low beam has an upper end at a position that is lower in height than a horizontal line with a position of the headlight as a reference. The some range is a range extending from the upper end to a position that is higher than a lower end of the low beam, where a high light-intensity band is set in a first side range with respect to a vertical line with the position of the headlight as a reference.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a headlamp control device, a headlamp control method, and a headlamp system. [Background technology]

[0002] International Publication No. 2022 / 131044 (Patent Document 1) describes a vehicle lighting system that includes a low beam unit that is capable of forming a low beam light distribution pattern having a cutoff line and that is capable of independently adjusting the illuminance of multiple partial areas in the low beam light distribution pattern that are arranged below and along the cutoff line, and a light distribution control device that controls the low beam unit to form a first illuminance reduction section in a partial area among the multiple partial areas whose position in the vehicle width direction overlaps the position of a vehicle in front in the vehicle width direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2022 / 131044 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] One of the objectives of a specific aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can further improve forward visibility in a vehicle while reducing glare to a vehicle ahead. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] [1] A headlamp control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: 1. An apparatus for controlling the operation of a headlamp capable of emitting a low beam and a selective high beam, comprising: a controller connected to the headlamp; a forward monitoring sensor connected to the controller for detecting a forward vehicle present in front of the host vehicle; Including, The controller controlling the headlights to emit the selective high beams including a dimming range according to the position of the forward vehicle detected by the forward monitoring sensor; When the preceding vehicle is present on a first side, which is either the left or right side of the host vehicle, that is, a side of an oncoming lane, controlling the headlights so that at least a partial range that partially overlaps with the low beam illumination range is dimmed at a first dimming rate when the weather around the host vehicle is estimated to be rainy, and is dimmed at a second dimming rate that is relatively smaller than the first dimming rate when the weather is estimated not to be rainy; is configured to run The partial area is illuminated with light in conjunction with illumination of the high beam, the low beam has an upper end at a position equal to or lower than the height of a horizontal line based on the position of the headlight, The partial range is a range from the upper end to a position higher than the lower end of the low beam, and at least a high illuminance band is set in the first range with respect to a vertical line based on the position of the headlight. Headlight control device. [2] A headlamp control method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: 1. A method executed by a controller coupled to a headlamp capable of providing a low beam and a selective high beam for controlling operation of the headlamp, the method comprising: controlling the headlights so as to emit the selective high beams including a dimming range according to the position of a preceding vehicle present in front of the host vehicle; When the preceding vehicle is present on a first side of an oncoming lane, which is either the left or right side of the host vehicle, controlling the headlights so that at least a partial range that partially overlaps with the low beam illumination range is dimmed at a first dimming rate when the weather around the host vehicle is estimated to be rainy, and is dimmed at a second dimming rate that is relatively smaller than the first dimming rate when the weather is estimated not to be rainy; Including, The partial area is illuminated with light in conjunction with illumination of the high beam, the low beam has an upper end at a position equal to or lower than the height of a horizontal line based on the position of the headlight, The partial range is a range from the upper end to a position higher than the lower end of the low beam, and at least a high illuminance band is set in the first range with respect to a vertical line based on the position of the headlight. A method for controlling headlights. [3] A headlamp system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: The control device according to [1] above; a headlamp capable of emitting a low beam and a selective high beam and whose operation is controlled by the control device; a headlight system including:

[0006] In this specification, the concept of "dimming" includes reducing the brightness of the irradiated light to 0, that is, turning off the light.

[0007] According to the above configuration, it is possible to further improve forward visibility in the host vehicle while reducing glare to the vehicle ahead. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Fig. 1A is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a headlamp system according to an embodiment, and Fig. 1B is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing an example of the configuration of a headlamp. [Figure 3] Fig. 3(A) is a diagram showing specific examples of the illumination ranges of the low beam, high beam, and additional beam, while Fig. 3(B) and Fig. 3(C) are diagrams showing the illumination range of the additional beam. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the positional relationship between the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the headlamp system. [Figure 6]Fig. 6(A) is a diagram showing a schematic example of how each beam is irradiated when there is an oncoming vehicle but it is not raining. Fig. 6(A) is a diagram showing a schematic example of how each beam is irradiated when there is an oncoming vehicle but it is raining. Fig. 6(C) is a diagram showing a schematic example of how each beam is irradiated when there is a leading vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] 1(A) is a diagram showing the configuration of a headlamp system according to one embodiment. The illustrated headlamp system includes a controller (control device) 10, a forward monitoring sensor 11, and a pair of headlamp 13L and 13R. This headlamp system is installed on a vehicle and is used to irradiate light ahead of the vehicle. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the controller 10 and the forward monitoring sensor 11 are installed on the vehicle side, but one or both of the controller 10 and the forward monitoring sensor 11 may be installed inside the housing of the headlamp 13L and / or the headlamp 13R.

[0010] The controller 10 is connected to the forward monitoring sensor 11 and each of the headlights 13L, 13R, and controls various operations in the headlight system. The controller 10 is also configured to detect the operating states of a wiper switch 12 and a lamp switch 14 provided on the vehicle. For example, the controller 10 detects the operating state of the lamp switch 14 provided on the driver's seat of the vehicle, and transmits control signals corresponding to the detected state to each of the headlights 13L, 13R.

[0011] The forward monitoring sensor 11 is connected to the controller 10 and detects the position, size, type, etc. of an object present in front of the vehicle. Examples of objects to be detected and their types include vehicles ahead (leading vehicles, oncoming vehicles), pedestrians, bicycles, road signs, obstacles, etc. As an example, the forward monitoring sensor 11 can be configured using a camera that captures images of the space ahead of the vehicle and an information processing device such as an image processor that determines the position, etc. of an object by performing image processing using the images captured by the camera.

[0012] The type of vehicle ahead, i.e., whether it is a leading vehicle or an oncoming vehicle, can be identified based on the color of its lamp. For example, if a pair of white or similar light spots is detected, it is an oncoming vehicle, and if a pair of red or similar light spots is detected, it is a leading vehicle.

[0013] The forward monitoring sensor 11 may be, for example, an optical distance measuring sensor such as LiDAR, or may be a radar or ultrasonic sensor, or these may be used in combination with the image processing described above.

[0014] The headlights 13L, 13R are capable of emitting a low beam and a selective high beam to the space ahead of the vehicle, and include a low beam unit 30, an ADB unit 31, and an additional beam unit 32. As shown in the schematic front view of FIG. 2, each headlight 13L, 13R has, for example, an integrated low beam unit 30 and an ADB unit 31, and a separate additional beam unit 32, which are arranged adjacent to each other in the vehicle width direction. Note that each unit may be configured as a separate unit, or all units may be configured as an integrated unit. In other words, there are no particular limitations on the configuration of each unit.

[0015] Each low beam unit 30 is configured to be able to emit a low beam (passing beam) into the space ahead of the vehicle based on a control signal supplied from the control signal generating unit 21 of the controller 10. The low beam unit 30 of the headlight 13L is installed on the front left side of the vehicle, and the low beam unit 30 of the headlight 13R is installed on the front right side of the vehicle. The low beam is formed by combining the light emitted from each low beam unit 30 towards the front of the vehicle.

[0016] Each ADB unit 31 is configured to be able to emit a high beam into the space ahead of the vehicle based on a control signal supplied from the control signal generating unit 21 of the controller 10. The ADB unit 31 of the headlight 13L is installed on the front left side of the vehicle, and the ADB unit 31 of the headlight 13R is installed on the front right side of the vehicle. The high beam is formed when the light emitted by each ADB unit 31 overlaps in front of the vehicle. Furthermore, each ADB unit 31 is an adjustable light distribution unit, and when an object such as a preceding vehicle is present, a dimming range is set within the high beam illumination range according to the position of the object, thereby forming a selective high beam (adaptive driving beam).

[0017] Each ADB unit 31 may be, for example, an ADB unit including a plurality of semiconductor light-emitting elements arranged in two directions and a lens that collects the light emitted from these light-emitting elements. Each ADB unit 31 may be of various known types, such as an ADB unit that uses a liquid crystal element to control the dimming range and light irradiation range, an ADB unit that uses an optical deflector to scan the light emitted from a laser element and rapidly turns the laser element on and off during scanning, or an ADB unit that uses multiple shielding plates to selectively block part of the light emitted from the light source to control the dimming range and light irradiation range.

[0018] Each additional beam unit 32 is configured to be able to irradiate a partial area included in the irradiation area of ​​the low beam with an additional beam based on a control signal supplied from the control signal generating unit 21 of the controller 10. Specific examples of the partial area irradiated with the additional beam will be described later.

[0019] The functions of the controller 10 will be described using functional blocks to make it easier to understand. As shown in Fig. 1, the controller 10 includes a light distribution pattern setting unit (light distribution pattern setting function) 20 and a control signal generating unit (control signal generating function) 21.

[0020] The light distribution pattern setting unit 20 sets the light reduction range (or light blocking range) and the light irradiation range in the ADB function of each ADB unit 31 according to the position of a forward vehicle (a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle) detected by the forward monitoring sensor 11. In addition, the light distribution pattern setting unit 20 variably controls the brightness of the additional beams of each additional beam unit 32.

[0021] The control signal generating unit 21 generates a control signal for causing each ADB unit 31 to form irradiation light according to the light distribution pattern set by the light distribution pattern setting unit 20, and supplies the control signal to each ADB unit 31. The control signal generating unit 21 also generates a control signal for causing each additional beam unit 32 to form irradiation light according to the brightness of the additional beam set by the light distribution pattern setting unit 20, and supplies the control signal to each additional beam unit 32. The control signal generating unit 21 also generates a control signal for causing each low beam unit 30 to emit a low beam according to the operating state of a lamp switch of the host vehicle, and supplies the control signal to each low beam unit 30.

[0022] If the vehicle is provided with a function for automatically turning on and off the headlights 13L, 13R depending on the illuminance of the surrounding environment, the low beam units 30 and the like may be turned on by the function.

[0023] 1(B) is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer system. The illustrated computer system can be configured using a computer system including a processor (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 201, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 202, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203, a storage device 204 such as a flash memory, an input / output interface 205, and the like. In this computer system, a program 206 previously stored in the storage device 204 is read and executed by the processor, thereby enabling the computer system to perform various functions. The above-described controller 10 can be realized, for example, using such a computer system.

[0024] Fig. 3(A) is a diagram showing specific examples of the illumination ranges of the low beam, high beam, and additional beam. Fig. 3(B) and Fig. 3(C) are diagrams showing an extracted illumination range of the additional beam. Here, the front view shapes of each beam on a virtual vertical screen assumed at a predetermined position ahead of the vehicle (for example, 25 m ahead) are shown. In Figs. 3(A) to 3(C), the horizontal line H and the vertical line V are based on the installation positions of the headlights 13L and 13R, respectively.

[0025] The low beam 50 is irradiated light that is formed relatively wide below the cutoff line CL. In this embodiment, the cutoff line CL corresponds to the upper end of the low beam 50, i.e., the boundary line where the illuminance of the low beam 50 on a virtual vertical screen becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value. The cutoff line CL includes a first portion located to the right of the vertical line V in the drawing and extending substantially horizontally so as to substantially overlap with the horizontal line H, a second portion located to the left of the vertical line V in the drawing and extending substantially horizontally below the first portion, and a third portion connecting the ends of the first and second portions and extending obliquely so as to overlap with the vertical line V.

[0026] The high beam 51 is a beam of light that is formed mainly above the horizon H and has a narrower width than the low beam 50. In this embodiment, the high beam 51 includes a portion above the horizon H and a portion below the horizon H. The portion of the high beam 51 below the horizon H partially overlaps with the low beam 50 and the additional beams 52a and 52b. The illumination range of the high beam 51 is partially dimmed depending on the position of the vehicle ahead (see dimming range 53 in FIG. 6(A) etc. described later).

[0027] The additional beams 52a and 52b are irradiated light beams formed in a range in which both the width (horizontal length) and height (vertical length) are shorter than the low beam 50. In this embodiment, the upper ends of the additional beams 52a and 52b are each substantially aligned with the horizontal line H, and the lower ends are positioned higher in the drawing than the lower end of the low beam 50, and are formed with a width narrower than the low beam 50.

[0028] 3(B), the high illuminance band 55a of the additional beam 52a is a portion of the additional beam 52a that is relatively long in the vertical direction (height), and is located to the right of the vertical line V in the drawing. The low illuminance band 55b of the additional beam 52a is a portion of the additional beam 52a that is relatively short in the vertical direction (height), and most of it is located to the left of the vertical line V in the drawing. The high illuminance band 55a is a portion with relatively higher illuminance than the low illuminance band 55b.

[0029] 3(C), the high illuminance band 56a of the additional beam 52b is a portion of the additional beam 52b that is relatively long in the vertical direction (height), and is located to the left of the vertical line V in the drawing. The low illuminance band 56b of the additional beam 52b is a portion of the additional beam 52b that is relatively short in the vertical direction (height), and most of it is located to the right of the vertical line V in the drawing. The high illuminance band 56a is a portion with a relatively higher illuminance than the low illuminance band 56b.

[0030] In this embodiment, there is no gap between the additional beam 52a and the vertical line V, and between the additional beam 52b and the vertical line V, and each extends to the other. However, the range of each additional beam 52a, 52b may be set so that there is no gap between each of the additional beams 52a, 52b and the vertical line V. This indicates that there are no particular restrictions on the shape of each of the additional beams 52a, 52b as long as a high-illuminance band, which is a relatively bright range (e.g., the brightest range) within each range of the additional beams 52a, 52b, is positioned at a specific position. It is preferable to set the height of each of the additional beams 52a, 52b to, for example, one-third or less of the height of the low beam 50. This makes it possible to further reduce the range of the additional beams 52a, 52b even when dimming them, thereby minimizing the reduction in forward visibility.

[0031] In this embodiment, the low beam 50 is supplemented by the additional beam 52a on the right side, resulting in illumination light with an illuminance distribution equivalent to that of a typical low beam. Furthermore, by dimming (or turning off) the additional beam 52a, a partial range of the low beam (the range illuminated by the additional beam 52a) is dimmed. Meanwhile, the additional beam 52b on the left side is illuminated (turned on) in conjunction with the illumination (turned on) of the high beam 51, and is turned off in conjunction with the illumination (turned off) of the high beam 52.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle. As illustrated, in this embodiment, it is assumed that traffic regulations stipulate that an oncoming vehicle 110 travels on the left side of the host vehicle 100. That is, in this embodiment, the left side corresponds to the "first side" of the oncoming lane, and the right side corresponds to the "second side" of the host vehicle's lane. Note that, in a case where traffic regulations stipulate that an oncoming vehicle travels on the right side of the host vehicle, low beam 50, high beam 51, and additional beams 52a and 52b having shapes inverted from those shown in FIG. 3 may be used. In this case, the right side corresponds to the "first side" of the oncoming lane, and the left side corresponds to the "second side" of the host vehicle's lane.

[0033] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the headlamp system. Note that the order of the processes shown here can be changed as long as no contradictions or inconsistencies occur in the results of the information processing, and other processes not explicitly shown here can also be added.

[0034] When the lamp switch 14 is on, that is, in a state instructing the operation of the headlights 13L, 13R (step S11; YES), and in a state instructing the irradiation of selective high beam (ADB) (step S12; YES), the light distribution pattern setting unit 20 of the controller 10 instructs the control signal generating unit 21 to emit a low beam and an additional beam. In response to this instruction, the control signal generating unit 21 supplies control signals to each low beam unit 30 and each additional beam unit 32, thereby emitting a low beam and an additional beam.

[0035] If the lamp switch 14 is not on (step S11; NO), or if the state is not one that commands selective high beam irradiation (step S12; NO), the process returns to step S11.

[0036] Furthermore, the light distribution pattern setting unit 20 instructs the control signal generating unit 21 to emit a selective high beam using a light distribution pattern having a dimming range according to the position of a forward vehicle (an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle) detected by the forward monitoring sensor 11. In response to this instruction, the control signal generating unit 21 supplies a control signal to each ADB unit 31, thereby emitting a selective high beam, and at the time the selective high beam is emitted, the additional beam 32b is emitted in conjunction with this (step S13). At this time, emission of the additional beam 52a emitted from the additional beam unit 32 is stopped (or dimmed).

[0037] When the relative position of the forward vehicle output from the forward monitoring sensor 11 is on the left side of the vehicle (step S14; YES), and when it is estimated that it is raining around the vehicle based on the operating state of the wiper switch 12 (step S15; YES), the light distribution pattern setting unit 20 instructs the control signal generating unit 21 to dim the additional beam 52b located relatively on the left side at a first dimming rate.

[0038] In response to this instruction, the control signal generating unit 21 supplies a control signal to each additional beam unit 32, thereby dimming the additional beam 52b (step S16). When it is raining, the dimming rate (degree of dimming) is set to be greater than when it is not raining, which will be described later. For example, the additional beam 52b is dimmed so that the luminous intensity is reduced by 50% compared to normal times (when not dimmed). In other words, the first dimming rate can be set to, for example, 50%. When step S16 is completed, the process returns to step S11.

[0039] The vehicle ahead in step S14 may be either an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle. Regarding the relative position of the vehicle ahead, for example, if half or more of the width of the vehicle ahead as seen from the front is to the left of the vertical line V, it can be determined that the vehicle ahead is located to the left relative to the vehicle ahead. This is because the preceding vehicle functions not only when the lane is a straight road but also when the lane is a curved road, and the preceding vehicle is located ahead of the vehicle ahead on a straight road, but is located to the left of the vehicle ahead on a left-curved road.

[0040] Furthermore, when it is estimated that it is not raining around the vehicle based on the operating state of the wiper switch 12 (step S15; NO), the light distribution pattern setting unit 20 instructs the control signal generating unit 21 to dim the additional beam 52b located relatively to the left at a second dimming rate.

[0041] In response to this instruction, the control signal generating unit 21 supplies a control signal to each additional beam unit 32, thereby dimming the additional beam 52b (step S17). When it is not raining, the dimming rate is set to be smaller than when it is raining as described above. For example, the additional beam 52b is dimmed so that the luminous intensity is reduced by 25% compared to normal times (when not dimmed). In other words, the second dimming rate can be set to, for example, 25%. When step S17 is completed, the process returns to step S11.

[0042] On the other hand, if the relative position of the forward vehicle is not on the left side (step S14; NO), the light distribution pattern setting unit 20 instructs the control signal generating unit 21 to maintain the current luminous intensity of the left additional beam 52b. In response to this instruction, the control signal generating unit 21 supplies a control signal to each additional beam unit 32, thereby maintaining the additional beam in its current state, i.e., in an undimmed state (step S18). When step S18 is completed, the process returns to step S11.

[0043] 6(A) is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the illumination of each beam when an oncoming vehicle is present but it is not raining, and shows the front view shape of each beam on a virtual vertical screen similar to that described above. When an oncoming vehicle 110 is present relatively to the left of the vehicle, a dimming range 53 corresponding to the position of the oncoming vehicle 110 is provided within the illumination range of the high beam 51. In addition, the low beam 50 is illuminated, but the additional beam 52b is dimmed at a second dimming rate. This reduces the glare to the driver of the oncoming vehicle 110. In this case, since it is not raining, the second dimming rate of the additional beam 52b is set to a smaller value than when it is raining (for example, 25% as shown in the example).

[0044] 6(B) is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the illumination of each beam when an oncoming vehicle is present and it is raining, showing the front view shapes of each beam on a virtual vertical screen similar to that described above. When an oncoming vehicle 110 is present relatively to the left of the vehicle, a dimming range 53 corresponding to the position of the oncoming vehicle 110 is provided within the illumination range of the selective high beam 51. In addition, the low beam 50 is illuminated, but the additional beam 52b is dimmed at a first dimming rate. This reduces the glare to the driver of the oncoming vehicle 110. In this case, because it is raining, the first dimming rate of the additional beam 52b is set to a larger value than when it is not raining (for example, 50% as shown in the example).

[0045] 6A and 6B, an oncoming vehicle is shown as a vehicle ahead relatively to the left, but the vehicle ahead may also be a preceding vehicle. For example, this may be the case when there are two or more lanes in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

[0046] 6(C) is a diagram showing a schematic example of how each beam is irradiated when a preceding vehicle is present. When a preceding vehicle 120 is present relatively to the right of the host vehicle, a dimming range 53 is provided within the illumination range of the high beam 51 according to the position of the preceding vehicle 120. In addition, the low beam 50 is irradiated, and the additional beam 52b is not dimmed, maintaining a predetermined illuminance. As a result, glare for the driver of the preceding vehicle 120 is reduced, and the additional beam 52b is irradiated below the horizon H without being dimmed until it reaches a position close to the horizon H, improving long-distance visibility for the driver of the host vehicle.

[0047] In other words, in the headlamp system of this embodiment, the scene in which the additional beam 52b, which is a partial range that partially overlaps with the low beam, should be dimmed is limited to when the vehicle ahead is located relatively to the left of the vehicle, so the period during which the additional beam 52b does not need to be dimmed, in other words, the period during which the partial range that partially overlaps with the low beam does not need to be dimmed, can be secured longer. Furthermore, because the dimming rate is larger in rainy weather than in non-rainy weather, glare due to road surface reflection in rainy weather can be further reduced.

[0048] An explanation will be given below using specific numerical examples. For example, assume that a vehicle ahead is located to the left of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. 6(B) above. As an example, assume that the vehicle ahead is 50 m ahead and to the left. In this case, light that travels mainly at an angle 2.2 degrees downward from the horizontal line H and 4 degrees left from the vertical line V is reflected by the road surface, which may cause glare to the vehicle ahead.

[0049] Considering the luminous intensity distribution on the virtual vertical screen described above, when the undimmed additional beam 52b is irradiated, the luminous intensity of light traveling under the above conditions, i.e., 2.2° downward from the horizon H and 4° left from the vertical line V, is, for example, 15,000 cd from the low beam 50 and 10,000 cd from the additional beam 52b, for a total of 25,000 cd. In contrast, when the additional beam 52b is irradiated with a dimming of, for example, about 50% compared to before dimming, the luminous intensity drops from 25,000 cd to 20,000 cd, resulting in a 20% reduction in glare. Furthermore, when the additional beam 52b is dimmed by, for example, about 25% compared to before dimming, the luminous intensity drops from 25,000 cd to 22,500 cd, resulting in a 10% reduction in glare.

[0050] According to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to further improve forward visibility in the host vehicle while reducing glare to the vehicle ahead.

[0051] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure. For example, the above-described embodiment is based on the premise that an oncoming vehicle is traveling on the left side of the host vehicle (see FIG. 4), but the relative relationship between the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle may be reversed. That is, the technical concept of the present disclosure can also be applied to a case where an oncoming vehicle is traveling on the right side of the host vehicle. In this case, it is sufficient to use low beams, high beams, and additional beams with shapes that are inverted from those shown in FIG. 3, as described above.

[0052] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the additional beams 52a and 52b emitted from the additional beam unit 32 are superimposed and irradiated within the irradiation range of the low beam emitted from the low beam unit 30, but the additional beam unit 32 can be omitted by using a variable light distribution unit as the low beam unit 30. In this case, by selectively dimming a partial range corresponding to the additional beams 52a and 52b using the low beam unit 30, which is a variable light distribution unit, it is possible to irradiate the partial range with irradiation light corresponding to the above-mentioned dimmed additional beams 52a and 52b.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the weather is estimated based on the operating state of the wiper switch 12, but the method of estimating the weather is not limited to this. For example, the weather may be estimated using a detection signal from a sensor that can directly detect raindrops due to rain, such as a raindrop sensor, or the weather may be estimated based on weather information at the current location of the vehicle obtained from an external device via a communication device, or the weather may be estimated based on images of the area around the vehicle captured by a camera.

[0054] The present disclosure has the following additional configurations. (Appendix 1) 1. An apparatus for controlling the operation of a headlamp capable of emitting a low beam and a selective high beam, comprising: a controller connected to the headlamp; a forward monitoring sensor connected to the controller for detecting a forward vehicle present in front of the host vehicle; Including, The controller controlling the headlights to emit the selective high beams including a dimming range according to the position of the forward vehicle detected by the forward monitoring sensor; When the preceding vehicle is present on a first side, which is either the left or right side of the host vehicle, that is, a side of an oncoming lane, controlling the headlights so that at least a partial range that partially overlaps with the low beam illumination range is dimmed at a first dimming rate when the weather around the host vehicle is estimated to be rainy, and is dimmed at a second dimming rate that is relatively smaller than the first dimming rate when the weather is estimated not to be rainy; is configured to run The partial area is illuminated with light in conjunction with illumination of the high beam, the low beam has an upper end at a position equal to or lower than the height of a horizontal line based on the position of the headlight, The partial range is a range from the upper end to a position higher than the lower end of the low beam, and at least a high illuminance band is set in the first range with respect to a vertical line based on the position of the headlight. Headlight control device. (Appendix 2) The controller further controls the headlights to maintain brightness without dimming the partial range when the forward vehicle is not present on the first side. 10. A headlamp control device as defined in claim 1. (Appendix 3) The upper end of the low beam includes a first portion located on a second side opposite to the first side with respect to the vertical line and extending in a substantially horizontal direction so as to substantially overlap the horizontal line, a second portion located on the first side with respect to the vertical line and extending in a substantially horizontal direction relatively lower than the first portion, and a third portion connecting each end of the first portion and the second portion and obliquely intersecting the vertical line so as to overlap the vertical line. 3. A headlamp control device according to claim 1 or 2. (Appendix 4) the controller estimates the weather based on an operation state of a wiper switch provided in the host vehicle; 4. The headlamp control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3. (Appendix 5) The controller estimates the weather based on any one of a detection signal from a sensor that can directly detect raindrops, weather information at the current location of the vehicle acquired via communication, or an image obtained by photographing the area around the vehicle. 4. The headlamp control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3. (Appendix 6) The headlamp includes a first unit that irradiates the low beam, a second unit that irradiates the selective high beam, and a third unit that irradiates the additional beam to the partial range, the controller dims the partial range by dimming the additional beam by the third unit; 6. A headlamp control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 5. (Appendix 7) 1. A method executed by a controller coupled to a headlamp capable of providing a low beam and a selective high beam for controlling operation of the headlamp, the method comprising: controlling the headlights so as to emit the selective high beams including a dimming range according to the position of a preceding vehicle present in front of the host vehicle; When the preceding vehicle is present on a first side of an oncoming lane, which is either the left or right side of the host vehicle, controlling the headlights so that at least a partial range that partially overlaps with the low beam illumination range is dimmed at a first dimming rate when the weather around the host vehicle is estimated to be rainy, and is dimmed at a second dimming rate that is relatively smaller than the first dimming rate when the weather is estimated not to be rainy; Including, The partial area is illuminated with light in conjunction with illumination of the high beam, the low beam has an upper end at a position equal to or lower than the height of a horizontal line based on the position of the headlight, The partial range is a range from the upper end to a position higher than the lower end of the low beam, and at least a high illuminance band is set in the first range with respect to a vertical line based on the position of the headlight. A method for controlling headlights. (Appendix 8) A control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 6; a headlamp capable of emitting a low beam and a selective high beam and whose operation is controlled by the control device; a headlight system including: [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10: Controller, 11: Forward monitoring sensor, 12: Steering angle sensor, 13L, 13R: Headlight, 14: Lamp switch, 20: Light distribution pattern setting unit, 21: Control signal generation unit, 30: Low beam unit, 31: ADB unit, 32: Additional beam unit, 50: Low beam, 51: High beam, 52a, 52b: Additional beam, 53: Dimming range, 100: Vehicle, 110: Oncoming vehicle, 120: Leading vehicle

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for controlling the operation of a headlamp capable of emitting a low beam and a selective high beam, comprising: a controller connected to the headlamp; a forward monitoring sensor connected to the controller for detecting a forward vehicle present in front of the host vehicle; Including, The controller controlling the headlights to emit the selective high beams including a dimming range according to the position of the forward vehicle detected by the forward monitoring sensor; When the preceding vehicle is present on a first side, which is either the left or right side of the host vehicle, that is, the side of an oncoming lane, the headlights are controlled so that at least a part of the range that partially overlaps with the low beam illumination range is dimmed at a first dimming rate when the weather around the host vehicle is estimated to be rainy, and is dimmed at a second dimming rate that is relatively smaller than the first dimming rate when the weather is estimated not to be rainy. is configured to run The partial area is illuminated with light in conjunction with illumination of the high beam, the low beam has an upper end at a position equal to or lower than the height of a horizontal line based on the position of the headlight, The partial range is a range from the upper end to a position higher than a lower end of the low beam, and at least a high illuminance band is set in the first range with respect to a vertical line based on the position of the headlight. Headlight control device.

2. The controller further controls the headlights to maintain brightness without dimming the partial range when the forward vehicle is not present on the first side. The headlamp control device according to claim 1 .

3. The upper end of the low beam includes a first portion located on a second side opposite to the first side with respect to the vertical line and extending in a substantially horizontal direction so as to substantially overlap the horizontal line, a second portion located on the first side with respect to the vertical line and extending in a substantially horizontal direction relatively lower than the first portion, and a third portion connecting each end of the first portion and the second portion and obliquely intersecting the vertical line so as to overlap the vertical line. The headlamp control device according to claim 1 .

4. the controller estimates the weather based on an operation state of a wiper switch provided in the host vehicle; The headlamp control device according to claim 1 .

5. The controller estimates the weather based on any one of a detection signal from a sensor that can directly detect raindrops, weather information at the current location of the vehicle acquired via communication, or an image obtained by photographing the area around the vehicle. The headlamp control device according to claim 1 .

6. the headlamp includes a first unit that irradiates the low beam, a second unit that irradiates the selective high beam, and a third unit that irradiates the partial range with an additional beam, the controller dims the partial range by dimming the additional beam emitted by the third unit; The headlamp control device according to claim 1 .

7. 1. A method executed by a controller coupled to a headlamp capable of providing a low beam and a selective high beam for controlling operation of the headlamp, the method comprising: controlling the headlights so as to emit the selective high beams including a dimming range according to the position of a preceding vehicle present in front of the host vehicle; When the preceding vehicle is present on a first side of an oncoming lane, which is either the left or right side of the host vehicle, the headlights are controlled so that at least a partial range that partially overlaps with the low beam illumination range is dimmed at a first dimming rate when the weather around the host vehicle is estimated to be rainy, and is dimmed at a second dimming rate that is relatively smaller than the first dimming rate when the weather is estimated not to be rainy. Including, The partial area is illuminated with light in conjunction with illumination of the high beam, the low beam has an upper end at a position equal to or lower than the height of a horizontal line based on the position of the headlight, The partial range is a range from the upper end to a position higher than a lower end of the low beam, and at least a high illuminance band is set in the first range with respect to a vertical line based on the position of the headlight. A method for controlling headlights.

8. The control device according to claim 1 ; a headlamp capable of emitting a low beam and a selective high beam and whose operation is controlled by the control device; a headlight system, including

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