Control device, vehicular lamp system, and software program

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lamp capable of suppressing glare to other traffic participants due to vehicle body vibration during traveling, and avoiding discomfort or annoyance to a driver of the own vehicle.SOLUTION: A control device 200 of a vehicular lamp 100 forms cutoff lines (CLa, CLb, LB) in a region where at least a part of a low-beam light distribution pattern and at least a part of a high-beam light distribution pattern formed by light from a plurality of light sources overlap, acquires sensor information indicating magnitude of vibration in a vertical direction of a vehicle body, performs control so as to blur the cutoff lines when the magnitude of vibration falls within a predetermined range, and performs control so as to maintain a height of the cutoff lines constant when the magnitude of vibration falls outside the predetermined range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a control device used in a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] The light distribution pattern of vehicle lighting fixtures is regulated by law to prevent glare from being directed at surrounding traffic participants. Technologies known to reduce glare to traffic participants include ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) control and auto-leveling.

[0003] ADB control uses an imaging device mounted on a vehicle to detect the presence and position of preceding and oncoming vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "forward vehicles") based on light spots of high-intensity objects, and reduces glare for the driver of the forward vehicle by turning off (referred to as "shading") or reducing the amount of light (referred to as "dimming") irradiating the corresponding areas. For example, a vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1 has multiple LEDs and forms a changeable light distribution pattern using the light emitted from the LED array. By shading or dimming the area of ​​this light distribution pattern that overlaps with other vehicles, such as the forward vehicle, and the area surrounding that area compared to other areas, glare for other vehicles can be reduced.

[0004] The longitudinal tilt of a vehicle body changes depending on the number of passengers and the weight of luggage. This changes the tilt of the road surface relative to the direction in which the vehicle lamp emits light (called the "optical axis"), causing the illumination range of the vehicle lamp to change vertically. In particular, if the illumination range shifts upward, there is a risk of causing glare to the driver of the vehicle ahead. Auto-leveling is a technology that suppresses this glare caused by the longitudinal tilt of the vehicle body. It is a technology that uses a sensor installed in the vehicle body to obtain the longitudinal tilt of the vehicle body and corrects the direction of light emitted from the lamp unit in the vehicle lamp using an actuator installed in the vehicle lamp to offset the tilt.

[0005] In addition to the above-mentioned auto-leveling, Patent Document 2 discloses a technology that acquires information on the dynamic longitudinal tilt (i.e., "pitch angle") of the vehicle body while driving detected by a sensor, and controls the height of the cutoff line of the vehicle lamp to a constant value according to the pitch angle. This control makes it possible to suppress glare caused by sudden vibration of the vehicle body due to the pitch angle caused by unevenness or undulations on the road surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2022 / 172860 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2023 / 090327 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Conventional auto-leveling systems were designed to comply with regulations to avoid causing glare to surrounding traffic, and in many cases glare caused by sudden vibrations of the vehicle body while driving was tolerated.

[0008] Furthermore, while it has become possible to suppress glare caused by sudden vehicle body vibrations due to large unevenness or undulations using technology that controls the height of the cutoff line according to the pitch angle, as in the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 2, the application of this control can cause discomfort and annoyance in the driver of the vehicle's forward visibility. For example, when driving on a road with a series of small unevenness, frequent attempts to control the height of the cutoff line to constantly cancel out the small vehicle body vibrations caused by the small unevenness result in small vertical fluctuations in the cutoff line, which is an annoyance to the driver of the vehicle.

[0009] The present disclosure has been made in light of such circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle lamp that can simultaneously suppress glare to other traffic participants caused by vehicle body vibrations while driving, and prevent the driver of the vehicle from feeling uncomfortable or annoyed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present disclosure is a control device that controls a vehicle lamp that can simultaneously illuminate a low beam distribution pattern and a high beam distribution pattern ahead of the vehicle, and is capable of acquiring sensor information that indicates the magnitude of vibration in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, the high beam distribution pattern is formed by light from a light source having multiple light-emitting elements that can individually change their brightness, a cutoff line formed in a part of the low beam distribution pattern overlaps with at least a part of the high beam distribution pattern, and the control device controls to change the brightness of the multiple light-emitting elements in the area overlapping with the cutoff line so as to blur the cutoff line when the magnitude of the acquired vibration is within a predetermined range.

[0011] In this specification, unless otherwise specified, up and down refers to the vertical direction, and left and right refers to the horizontal direction.

[0012] According to this aspect, the cutoff line that was conventionally formed in the light distribution pattern of a low beam (first lamp unit) is formed and controlled by a second lamp unit having a plurality of light-emitting elements whose brightness can be independently controlled. The second lamp unit is a so-called variable light distribution lamp, and can form various light distribution patterns using a plurality of light-emitting elements. This makes it possible to finely control the shape of the cutoff line and the amount of light in the area including the cutoff line, thereby preventing the driver of the vehicle from feeling uncomfortable or annoyed by small fluctuations in the cutoff line caused by small vehicle body vibrations.

[0013] The control device may also control the cutoff line to blur when the magnitude of the vibration is within a predetermined range, and may control the cutoff line to maintain a constant height when the magnitude of the vibration is outside the predetermined range.

[0014] This makes it possible to appropriately switch between blurring the cutoff line and maintaining a constant cutoff line height depending on the magnitude of vehicle body vibration, thereby achieving both reduction in glare to other traffic participants and reduction in discomfort and annoyance to the driver of the vehicle.

[0015] The control device may also form a band-shaped blurred area along the cutoff line having a predetermined width in the vertical direction with the cutoff line at the center, and control the amount of light in the blurred area to decrease as it moves upward and outward.

[0016] This improves the driver's forward visibility. The area near the elbow point of the cutoff line formed by conventional low beams is a bright area in the center of the driver's forward field of view. With the technology disclosed herein, the area near the elbow point is particularly bright because the light distribution patterns of the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit are superimposed. If this bright area near the elbow point moves up and down slightly due to vehicle body vibration, it may distract the driver's field of view. By appropriately blurring the cutoff line, including the area near the elbow point, unintended distraction of the driver's field of view can be suppressed. Furthermore, by forming a gradation in the blurred area so that it is darker closer to the cutoff line and the light intensity decreases as it moves away from the cutoff line, dazzling to the driver is more effectively suppressed, improving forward visibility.

[0017] Furthermore, the control device may perform control such that, when the magnitude of vibration is within a predetermined range, the greater the magnitude of vibration, the greater the predetermined width of the blurred region.

[0018] This makes it possible to appropriately change the width of the blurred area depending on the magnitude of the vibration, thereby further improving the driver's forward visibility.

[0019] The control device may further acquire information indicating the speed of the vehicle from an ECU or the like on the vehicle side, and may control the predetermined width of the blurred area to be larger as the speed is slower.

[0020] This makes it possible to appropriately change the width of the blurred area depending not only on the unevenness of the road surface while the vehicle is traveling, but also on the vehicle speed. Generally, the faster the vehicle speed, the narrower the driver's field of view becomes in the center of the forward field of view, and the slower the vehicle speed, the wider the forward field of view becomes. Therefore, the slower the vehicle speed, the more noticeable the small blurring of the cutoff line becomes, causing discomfort and annoyance to the driver. Therefore, by controlling the blurring of the cutoff line even when traveling at low speeds or when the vehicle is stopped, the discomfort and annoyance felt by the driver can be suppressed and forward visibility can be improved.

[0021] The sensor information may be a signal output from at least one of a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a vehicle height sensor, or a combination of these sensor information may be used for control. Note that the location where these sensors are installed is not particularly limited, and they may be installed in the vehicle lamp or on the vehicle itself.

[0022] The light source may be a light source in which a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a matrix.

[0023] This increases the resolution in the vertical direction as well compared to variable light distribution lamps in which the LEDs are arranged only horizontally, improving the accuracy of controlling the height of the cutoff line and the light distribution pattern that forms the blurred area.

[0024] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a vehicle lighting system including a vehicle lamp capable of simultaneously illuminating a low-beam light distribution pattern and a high-beam light distribution pattern ahead of the vehicle, a control device for controlling the vehicle lamp, and a sensor for detecting vertical vibrations of a vehicle body, the control device being capable of acquiring sensor information indicating the magnitude of the vibration from the sensor, the high-beam light distribution pattern being formed by light from a light source having a plurality of light-emitting elements whose luminance can be individually changed, a cutoff line formed in at least a portion of the low-beam light distribution pattern overlapping at least a portion of the high-beam light distribution pattern, and the vehicle lighting system controlling the luminance of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the overlapping region with the cutoff line so as to blur the cutoff line when the magnitude of the acquired vibration is within a predetermined range.

[0025] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a software program for controlling a vehicle lighting device that can simultaneously project a low beam light distribution pattern and a high beam light distribution pattern ahead of the vehicle, the software program comprising: A software program that causes the control device to execute the following steps: acquiring sensor information indicating the magnitude of vibration in the vertical direction of the vehicle body; controlling light from a light source having multiple light-emitting elements so as to individually change the brightness of the high-beam light distribution pattern; and controlling the brightness of the multiple light-emitting elements in an area overlapping with the cutoff line so as to blur a cutoff line formed in at least a portion of the low-beam light distribution pattern that overlaps with at least a portion of the high-beam light distribution pattern when the magnitude of the acquired vibration is within a predetermined range.

[0026] Any combination of the above components, or any interchange of the expressions of the present disclosure between methods, devices, systems, software programs, etc., are also valid aspects of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the description in this section (Means for Solving the Problems) does not describe all features of the present invention. Subcombinations of the features described in this section may also constitute the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0027] According to the technology of the present disclosure, a vehicle lamp can be provided that can simultaneously suppress the glare caused to other traffic participants due to vehicle body vibration while driving, and prevent the driver of the vehicle from feeling uncomfortable or annoyed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle lighting system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the light source unit shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 3(a) and 3(b) are diagrams schematically showing light distribution patterns of the vehicle lighting system shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 4(a) and 4(b) are diagrams for explaining the pitch angle θp of the vehicle body. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the control device shown in FIG. [Figure 6] 6(a) to 6(c) are diagrams illustrating the control of keeping the height of the cutoff line constant according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating blurring control of a cutoff line according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating conditions for switching between constant height control and blur control of the cutoff line according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] (Outline of the embodiment) A summary of some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be provided. This summary is intended to briefly explain some concepts of one or more embodiments for the purpose of providing a basic understanding of the embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention or disclosure. Furthermore, this summary is not an exhaustive overview of all possible embodiments, nor does it limit essential elements of the embodiments. For convenience, the term "one embodiment" may be used to refer to one or more of the embodiments, examples, and variations disclosed herein.

[0030] A vehicle lighting system according to one embodiment includes a variable light distribution lamp that emits light with a variable light distribution, and a control device that moves the height of the light distribution cutoff line in accordance with the output of at least one sensor selected from a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a vehicle height sensor.

[0031] This configuration makes it possible to distinguish between static changes in the vehicle's posture (static changes in pitch angle) due to factors such as the number of passengers and the weight of luggage, the inclination of the road surface on which the vehicle is traveling, and sudden fluctuations in the pitch angle due to unevenness or undulations on the road surface.By controlling the light distribution according to the nature of the detected pitch angle, it is possible to suppress glare caused by sudden vibrations of the vehicle body while traveling.

[0032] In one embodiment, the control device may control the height of the cutoff line based on a composite value of a first pitch angle based on the output of a gyro sensor and a second pitch angle based on the output of an acceleration sensor or a vehicle height sensor. By combining the pitch angles obtained by two sensors with different characteristics, the vehicle attitude can be estimated with high accuracy.

[0033] In one embodiment, the combined value may be based on a weighted sum of the first pitch angle and the second pitch angle, and the weighting coefficient may be dynamically changed. The reliability of the first pitch angle and the second pitch angle may change depending on the driving conditions. Alternatively, even if the reliability is the same, which of the first pitch angle and the second pitch angle should be reflected in the cutoff line height control may differ depending on the driving conditions. Therefore, by changing the weighting coefficient depending on the driving conditions, it is possible to appropriately control the cutoff line height.

[0034] In one embodiment, the weighting coefficient may be changed based on at least one of the output of the gyro sensor, the output of the acceleration sensor or the vehicle height sensor, the first pitch angle, and the second pitch angle. For example, the weighting coefficient can be changed based on the frequency, amplitude, duration, etc. of the vibrations contained therein.

[0035] In one embodiment, the information from the vehicle may include at least one of vehicle speed, steering angle, camera image, map information, location information (GPS), infrastructure information, ambient illuminance, and outside temperature.

[0036] In one embodiment, the output of the gyro sensor may dominate when negotiating a large step.

[0037] In one embodiment, the output of the acceleration sensor or the vehicle height sensor may be dominant when the vehicle is stopped.

[0038] In one embodiment, the output of the acceleration sensor or the vehicle height sensor may be dominant when driving on a flat road.

[0039] In one embodiment, the output of the acceleration sensor or vehicle height sensor may dominate when driving over small bumps.

[0040] In one embodiment, the output of the gyro sensor may be dominant at the start of a slope.

[0041] In one embodiment, the output of the acceleration sensor or vehicle height sensor may be dominant at a point halfway up a slope.

[0042] In one embodiment, the output of the gyro sensor may be dominant at the end of the slope.

[0043] In one embodiment, the output of the gyro sensor may be dominant when the vehicle body suddenly accelerates or decelerates.

[0044] In one embodiment, the control device may move the position of the cutoff line of the light distribution in the upward and downward directions based on a predetermined position, in accordance with the dynamic component of the pitch angle of the vehicle body.

[0045] With this configuration, when the rear of the vehicle body is sunken (nose up), glare is prevented by lowering the cutoff line, and when the front of the vehicle body is sunken (nose down), the cutoff line is raised to prevent the distant field of view from becoming dark.

[0046] Furthermore, by performing this control in response to dynamic fluctuations in the pitch angle of the vehicle body, the position of the cutoff line on the virtual vertical screen in front of the vehicle can be kept constant even when the vehicle body vibrates in the longitudinal direction, preventing objects in front of the vehicle from becoming brighter or darker and ultimately providing an improved field of view.

[0047] In one embodiment, the control device may have different control characteristics when the cutoff line moves upward from a predetermined position and when the cutoff line moves downward from the predetermined position. When the cutoff line moves upward from the predetermined position, glare may be caused to surrounding traffic participants due to a control delay. Therefore, by differentiating the control characteristics for the upward and downward directions, it is possible to achieve a good balance between suppressing glare and improving visibility.

[0048] In one embodiment, the predetermined position may be determined based on the position where the cutoff line should be when the vehicle body is stationary. In this case, the process can be simplified because the pitching relative to the stationary state can be detected and the cutoff line can be dynamically controlled.

[0049] In one embodiment, the speed at which the cutoff line moves upward may be slower than the speed at which the cutoff line moves downward.

[0050] In one embodiment, for the same change in pitch angle, the upward change of the cutoff line may be smaller than the downward change of the cutoff line.

[0051] In one embodiment, the movement of the cutoff line may be disabled depending on the driving situation. When uncontrollable high-speed pitching occurs or when moving the cutoff line would worsen the field of view, the control of the cutoff line can be disabled.

[0052] In one embodiment, the upward movement of the cutoff line may be disabled depending on the driving situation. When uncontrollable high-speed pitching occurs, disabling the upward movement of the cutoff line can prevent glare.

[0053] In one embodiment, when the cutoff line is located above a predetermined position, the amount of light in the area above the predetermined position may be reduced, thereby reducing glare to other traffic participants even if a control delay occurs.

[0054] In one embodiment, when the cutoff line is located above a predetermined position, the amount of light in the range above the predetermined position may have a gradation that gradually darkens toward the top, thereby reducing glare to other traffic participants even if a control delay occurs.

[0055] A vehicle lighting system according to one embodiment includes a variable light distribution lamp that includes a plurality of individually controllable pixels and emits light having a light distribution that includes a cutoff line depending on the state of the plurality of pixels; a sensor that is configured to detect the pitch angle while the vehicle is traveling; and a sensor that detects a dynamic deviation of the pitch angle from a reference value according to the output of the sensor, and controls the variable light distribution lamp according to the deviation so that the angle between the light ray corresponding to the cutoff line of the light distribution and the road surface remains constant.

[0056] With this configuration, when the rear of the vehicle body sinks, glare can be prevented by lowering the cutoff line downward, and when the front of the vehicle body sinks, the cutoff line can be raised upward to prevent the distant field of view from becoming dark.

[0057] Furthermore, by performing this control in response to dynamic fluctuations in the pitch angle of the vehicle body, the position of the cutoff line on the virtual vertical screen in front of the vehicle can be kept constant even when the vehicle body vibrates in the longitudinal direction, preventing objects in front of the vehicle from becoming brighter or darker and ultimately providing an improved field of view.

[0058] In one embodiment, the sensor may include a gyro sensor, which acquires an angular velocity in the pitch direction and integrates it to acquire a dynamic pitch angle.

[0059] A control device according to one embodiment constitutes a lighting system together with a variable light distribution lamp. The variable light distribution lamp includes a plurality of pixels controllable according to pixel data and is capable of emitting light having a light distribution according to the pixel data. The control device includes a correction unit that detects a dynamic component of the pitch angle of the vehicle body based on the output of a sensor and moves the position of the cutoff line of the light distribution included in the pixel data upward and downward from a predetermined reference position so as to cancel out the dynamic component of the pitch angle.

[0060] With this configuration, the light distribution can be controlled according to the pitch angle by shifting the position of the cutoff line on the pixel data. When the rear of the vehicle body is sunken, the cutoff line can be lowered to prevent glare, and when the front of the vehicle body is sunken, the cutoff line can be raised to prevent the distant field of view from becoming dark.

[0061] Furthermore, by performing this control in accordance with the dynamic control of the pitch angle of the vehicle body, the position of the cutoff line on the virtual vertical screen in front of the vehicle can be kept constant even when the vehicle body vibrates in the longitudinal direction, preventing objects in front of the vehicle from becoming brighter or darker, thereby providing an improved field of view.

[0062] A control method according to one embodiment is a control method for a variable light distribution lamp that includes a plurality of individually controllable pixels and emits light having a light distribution according to the states of the plurality of pixels. The control method includes the steps of detecting a dynamic component of a pitch angle of a vehicle body while the vehicle body is traveling, and moving a position of a cutoff line of the light distribution upward and downward from a predetermined position according to the dynamic component of the pitch angle of the vehicle body.

[0063] (Embodiment) The technology of the present disclosure will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing will be assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. The embodiments exemplified below are not intended to limit the technology of the present disclosure, and all features and components in the embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

[0064] 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle lighting system 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle lighting system 300 according to this embodiment is a vehicle headlamp disposed in front of the vehicle, and is configured by being appropriately combined with various sensors such as an on-board camera and various control units. This vehicle lighting system 300 has an ADB function that shades an area where a forward vehicle is present by changing the high beam distribution pattern 6 according to the situation ahead of the vehicle.

[0065] The vehicle lighting system 300 includes an imaging device 202 compatible with ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems), a sensor 204, a vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 250, a vehicle lamp 100, and a control device 200 that controls the vehicle lamp 100. The imaging unit 202 has a vehicle camera that captures images ahead of the vehicle, and a camera ECU that detects objects such as vehicles and road signs that exist ahead of the vehicle based on the captured image information. In this embodiment, the imaging unit 202 is provided on the vehicle body side, but it may be provided anywhere on the entire vehicle, or may be provided inside the vehicle lamp.

[0066] Vehicle ECU 250 detects a forward vehicle based on information about the captured image output by imaging unit 206, and generates vehicle ROI (Region of Interest) information indicating the area where the forward vehicle exists, i.e., the shaded area. The ROI information includes at least one left edge position and one right edge position of the shaded area. The ROI information may further include at least one upper edge position and one lower edge position of the shaded area. Note that this position information is usually expressed as an angle.

[0067] The ROI information is transmitted from the vehicle ECU 250 to the vehicle lamp 100 via an in-vehicle communication network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) or a LIN (Local Interconnect Network). The vehicle lamp 100 performs ADB control using the ROI information when the high beam is turned on.

[0068] The image capturing device 202 is a camera, LiDAR, or the like, and senses the situation ahead of the vehicle. The vehicle ECU 250 detects a forward vehicle based on the output of the image capturing device 202, and generates vehicle ROI information that indicates the range in which the forward vehicle exists, in other words, the range to be shaded.

[0069] In one embodiment, the image capturing device 202 is a camera. The vehicle ECU 202 detects light spots corresponding to the headlamps and rear lamps of the vehicle ahead from the image captured by the camera, and can detect the location and range of the vehicle ahead based on the light spots.

[0070] The vehicle lamp 100 includes a first lamp unit 150 and a second lamp unit 110. The first lamp unit is a lamp capable of forming at least a low beam light distribution pattern 8, and the second lamp unit is a lamp capable of forming at least a high beam light distribution pattern 6. A control device 200 controls these two lamp units to switch between the low beam light distribution pattern 8 and the high beam light distribution pattern 6. The second lamp unit is a variable light distribution lamp having an ADB function.

[0071] The first lamp unit 150 and the second lamp unit 110 illuminate different areas ahead of the vehicle. Fig. 1 shows a virtual vertical screen 2, on which a high beam light distribution pattern 6 and a low beam light distribution pattern 8 are schematically shown. The light distribution pattern refers to the shape of an image projected onto a surface located 25 m ahead, which corresponds to the virtual vertical screen 2, and the light intensity distribution in the image. In Fig. 1 and Figs. 3, 6, and 7, which will be described later, line V is a line that passes through the center of the vehicle 100 in the left-right direction and extends in the up-down direction, and line H is the horizontal line.

[0072] The low-beam distribution pattern 8 is formed by a first beam BM1 emitted from the first lamp unit 150. An upper portion of the low-beam distribution pattern 8, including the horizontal cutoff line CLa and the oblique cutoff line CLb, is included in the high-beam distribution pattern 6. The horizontal cutoff line CLa and the oblique cutoff line intersect at an elbow point LB.

[0073] The high-beam light distribution pattern 6 is formed by the second beam BM2 emitted from the second lamp unit 110. A lower portion of the high-beam light distribution pattern 6, including the horizontal cutoff line CLa and the oblique cutoff line CLb, overlaps with the low-beam light distribution pattern 8. Furthermore, the high-beam light distribution pattern 6 changes appropriately depending on the situation ahead of the vehicle through ADB control, such as by blocking or dimming some areas of the high-beam light distribution pattern 6.

[0074] The second lamp unit 110 includes a light source section 120, an irradiation optical system 124, and a lighting circuit 130.

[0075] 2 is a front view schematically showing the light source unit 120. The light source unit 120 of this embodiment has a plurality of light-emitting elements 121 as a light-emitting unit that emits light, and a circuit board 122 on which the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 are mounted. The plurality of light-emitting elements 121 can be an LED array in which LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are arranged in a horizontal row, or a matrix LED array in which LEDs are arranged in a matrix. Note that the number of light-emitting elements 121 arranged in the left-right direction and the number of light-emitting elements 121 arranged in the up-down direction are not particularly limited. The light source device may be a monolithic type in which a plurality of LEDs are integrated, or a non-monolithic type in which a plurality of individually separated LEDs are mounted on a single substrate.

[0076] In one embodiment, the light source unit 120 is a rectangular light source device in which 64 LEDs are arranged in a matrix of 256 LEDs. The light emission brightness of each LED in this light source device is independently controlled based on a lighting instruction signal S2 from the control device 200, which will be described later.

[0077] In one embodiment, the circuit board 122 is integrated with an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) that can independently control the light emission brightness of the plurality of light emitting elements 121. Therefore, the light source unit 120 including the circuit board 122 and the plurality of light emitting elements 121 can be said to be a light source device integrated with the ASIC.

[0078] The circuit board 122 independently controls the gradation corresponding to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 based on the lighting instruction signal S2 input from the control device 200. The gradation is associated with the light emission brightness of the light-emitting elements 121, and by independently controlling the gradation, the beam BM2 emitted by the second lamp unit 110 has an intensity distribution according to the gradation of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121.

[0079] The light emission brightness of the light emitting element 121 may be controllable between two states, on and off, or may be controllable in multiple gradations. Furthermore, when the light emitting element is controllable between two states, on and off, multiple gradations may be expressed by PWM dimming by switching the light emitting element at high speed and changing the time ratio between the on time and the off time (i.e., the "duty cycle"). Note that the on state of the light emitting element means that the gradation is non-zero or the light is on, and the off state of the light emitting element means that the gradation is zero or the light is off.

[0080] Returning to FIG. 1, the illumination optical system 124 is disposed ahead of the light source unit 120 and projects light emitted from the multiple light-emitting elements 121 ahead of the vehicle. The illumination optical system 124 may be a lens optical system, a reflective optical system, or a combination thereof. The correspondence between the position of a certain light-emitting element and the illumination area on the virtual vertical screen 2 corresponding to that light-emitting element is determined by the illumination optical system 124, and may be a mirror image relationship (left-right inversion), upside-down, or upside-down and left-right inversion.

[0081] In one embodiment, the irradiation optical system 124 is a projection lens having convex incident and exit surfaces, and the rear focal point of the irradiation optical system 124 is located on or near the light exit surface of one of the plurality of light-emitting elements 121 in the light source unit 120. Therefore, the light distribution pattern irradiated in front of the vehicle is a light distribution pattern obtained by vertically and horizontally inverting the light emitted by the light source unit 120.

[0082] The lighting circuit 130 is a module board including a power conversion circuit such as a DC-DC converter, and adjusts the power supplied to the light source unit 120. The lighting circuit 130 receives an input of a voltage equivalent to the vehicle's battery power supply via a power supply line (not shown), converts the input voltage from the battery power supply into a voltage required for stable operation of the light source unit 120, and outputs the converted voltage to the light source unit 120.

[0083] The control device 200 includes an interface circuit 212, a processing unit 214, and a memory 216. Image information S0 of the area ahead of the vehicle, including ROI information, is input to the interface circuit 212 via an in-vehicle communication network. The interface circuit 212 is, for example, a CAN interface. The processing unit 214 generates a lighting instruction signal S2, including pixel data for each light-emitting element 121, based on the image information S0, forms a high-beam light distribution pattern, and performs ADB control. The interface circuit 212, the processing unit 214, and the memory may be implemented as separate hardware components, or may be implemented as the same hardware component. The components of the control device 200 may be built into a single IC package, or may be a module board in which several IC packages are mounted on a printed circuit board. While the control device 200 is provided outside the vehicle lamp (on the vehicle body side) in this embodiment, it may also be provided within the vehicle lamp or anywhere in the vehicle.

[0084] The interface circuit 212 may include a serial interface such as a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter), a three-wire serial interface, or an I2C bus interface, a CAN interface, a GPIO, an A / D converter, or a D / A converter.

[0085] The arithmetic processing unit 214 can be implemented as a combination of a software program and a processor that executes the software program. The processor may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a microcontroller, or may be an integrated circuit such as an integrated circuit (IC), a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The software program causes the processor to acquire ROI information for the high-beam distribution pattern 6. In other words, it causes the processor to acquire shading information indicating the horizontal positions of the left and right edges of the area to be shaded from the vehicle. Furthermore, the software program causes the processor to generate pixel data for independently controlling the multiple light-emitting elements 121 and output a light-on instruction signal S2 including the pixel data from the control device 200.

[0086] In one embodiment, each light-emitting element 121 corresponds to pixel data generated by the arithmetic processing unit 214. The light source unit 120 adjusts the amount of light emitted from each light-emitting element 121 in accordance with a lighting instruction signal S2 including pixel data corresponding to the light-emitting element 121, thereby emitting light based on the image information S0 and forming a light distribution pattern based on the image information S0. In this embodiment, the light-emitting elements 121 and each pixel of the pixel data correspond one-to-one, but this is not particularly limited.

[0087] The memory 216 is a storage medium configured to store information and to be able to read the stored information. The memory 216 is, for example, a non-transitory recording medium, and is preferably a semiconductor recording medium such as a random access memory (RAM) or a read only memory (ROM), but may include any type of recording medium, such as an optical recording medium or a magnetic recording medium. Note that the term "non-transitory" recording medium includes recording media from which all data can be read except for transient propagating signals, and does not exclude volatile recording media.

[0088] In one embodiment, memory 216 is a non-volatile flash memory and stores a software program executed by processing unit 214. When control device 200 is started up, it loads the software program into processing unit 214 and executes the instructions of the software program. Note that the software program stored in memory 216 may be able to be changed using an update program received by a wireless communication receiving unit (not shown) from outside the vehicle via OTA (On The Air) when an update is required during vehicle maintenance or to add a function.

[0089] 3(a) and 3(b) are diagrams illustrating the light distribution pattern of the vehicle lighting system 300 of FIG.

[0090] 3(a) shows the cutoff line of a low-beam light distribution pattern 8 known in the prior art. The upper end of this low-beam light distribution pattern 8 includes a horizontal cutoff line CLa, an oblique cutoff line CLb, and an elbow point LB. Unless otherwise specified in this specification, the cutoff line is considered to include the horizontal cutoff line CLa, the oblique cutoff line CLb, and the elbow point LB.

[0091] FIG. 3(b) shows a light distribution pattern according to this embodiment, in which a cutoff line is formed primarily by the high-beam distribution pattern 6 illuminated by the second lamp unit 110. The rectangular portion indicates the area that can be illuminated by the second lamp unit 110, which is divided into multiple partial regions (also referred to as meshes) PS corresponding to multiple light-emitting elements 121. The light intensity of each partial region PS corresponds to the gradation of the corresponding light-emitting element 121. The lower portion of the high-beam distribution pattern 6 overlaps with the upper portion of the low-beam distribution pattern 8, and a cutoff line by the second lamp unit 110 is formed by controlling the light intensity of the partial region PS included in this overlapping area. By controlling the on / off and gradation of the light-emitting elements 121 corresponding to the partial region, a cutoff line by the high-beam distribution pattern 6 corresponding to the cutoff line in the low-beam distribution pattern 8 can be formed. In this case, since the second lamp unit 110 primarily forms the cutoff line, the first lamp unit 150 may or may not include a cutoff line in the low-beam distribution pattern 8 that it illuminates. If the first lamp unit 150 is configured to include a cutoff line, the light intensity and shape of the cutoff line by the second lamp unit 110 that overlaps it are adjusted appropriately to prevent the driver from feeling uncomfortable or annoyed.

[0092] In this embodiment, the control device 200 corrects the optical axes in the pitch angle direction of the low beam light distribution pattern 8 and the high beam light distribution pattern 6 in accordance with fluctuations in the pitch angle θp caused by various factors while the vehicle is stationary and while it is traveling. In this specification, correcting the optical axes means adjusting the directions in which the first beam BM1 of the first lamp unit 150 and the second beam BM2 of the second lamp unit 110 are emitted in the vertical direction (the vertical direction of the line V in FIGS. 1 and 3). In other words, correcting the optical axes can also be said to control the height of the cut-off line in this embodiment.

[0093] 4(a) and 4(b) are diagrams illustrating the pitch angle θp of the vehicle body. FIG. 2(a) shows the pitch angle θp when the vehicle is stopped. The pitch angle θp when the vehicle is stationary is defined as the static pitch angle θs. The static pitch angle θs indicates the attitude of the vehicle when stopped, and is therefore also called the stopped vehicle attitude angle. The static pitch angle θs is determined depending on the number of passengers, their riding positions, the weight of luggage in the trunk, the stiffness of the front and rear suspensions, and other factors. In this embodiment, the angle formed between a straight line 12 parallel to the road surface 10 and a reference line 22 of the vehicle body 20 is defined as the pitch angle θp, and the direction in which the reference line 22 points upward (the nose-up direction) is defined as positive.

[0094] FIG. 4(b) shows the pitch angle θp while the vehicle is running. The pitch angle θp while the vehicle is running can be understood as the sum of the static pitch angle θs and the dynamic component (also called the dynamic pitch angle or the amount of fluctuation in the pitch angle) θd. The dynamic pitch angle θd can include the following components: (i) Nose-up due to vehicle acceleration and nose-down due to vehicle deceleration (ii) Changes in the vehicle's weight balance due to factors such as road inclination (iii) Vibration of the vehicle body at high speeds due to road surface irregularities

[0095] (i) Pitch angle fluctuations due to acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle body, or (ii) pitch angle fluctuations due to changes in the weight of the vehicle body, last for several seconds and are typically DC fluctuations with very low frequency components (0.5 Hz or less).

[0096] In contrast, (iii) vehicle body vibration caused by road surface irregularities generally falls within the range of about 0.5 to 5.0 Hz, although this depends on the stiffness of the suspension and the vehicle weight. As an example, a steep vehicle body vibration is 1 to 2 Hz.

[0097] In conventional leveling control, vibrations exceeding approximately 0.5 Hz are filtered out as noise. Therefore, in the conventional method, among (i) to (iii), rapid pitch angle fluctuations exceeding the filter's cutoff frequency are excluded from correction, and when a sudden change in vehicle pitch angle occurs while driving due to a sudden bump in the road surface, the low beam cutoff line sinks or rises.

[0098] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, frequency components of the pitch angle fluctuation exceeding 0.5 Hz (generally 0.5 to 5.0 Hz, for example 1.0 to 2.0 Hz), which have been conventionally removed as noise, are not removed as noise but are instead actively corrected. The optical axis correction for this purpose is called dynamic leveling.

[0099] Returning to Figure 1, dynamic leveling, particularly leveling for high-speed pitch angle fluctuations caused by road surface irregularities, will be described in detail below. The sensor 204 is provided so as to be able to detect the dynamic component θd of the pitch angle θp while the vehicle is traveling.

[0100] In this embodiment, the sensor 204 includes a gyro sensor. The gyro sensor may be mounted in any direction, but is preferably mounted so that one of its detection axes faces the horizontal direction of the vehicle body, and generates sensor information S1 indicating the angular velocity ωp of the rotational motion around this detection axis. The gyro sensor may be triaxial or uniaxial. The location where the sensor 204 is disposed is not particularly limited, and the sensor may be mounted inside a vehicle lamp or on the vehicle itself.

[0101] The control device 200 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that integrates functions related to optical axis correction and performs processing related to dynamic leveling. The control device 200 may be an ECU dedicated to leveling (also called a leveling ECU), an ECU integrated with a controller having other functions, or may be configured as a plurality of separate ECUs.

[0102] The control device 200 detects the dynamic component θd of the pitch angle θp while the vehicle is traveling by integrating the angular velocity ωp indicated by the sensor information S1. The dynamic component θd here can be considered to be a component of the fluctuation in the pitch angle θp that is included in a predetermined frequency band higher than 0.5 Hz. For example, the component of the fluctuation in the pitch angle θp that is included in the predetermined frequency band is set as the dynamic component to be corrected. The predetermined frequency band can be set to a range of, for example, approximately 0.5 Hz to 5.0 Hz. The frequency band to be corrected can be determined based on factors such as the stiffness of the suspension and the vehicle mass.

[0103] The control device 200 then moves the position of the cutoff line of the light distribution pattern PTN (the position in the vertical direction V, i.e., the optical axis) based on a predetermined position V0, in accordance with the dynamic component θd of the pitch angle θp of the vehicle body while it is traveling. Conventional leveling control moves the optical axis only downward in order to suppress glare. In contrast, the dynamic leveling according to this embodiment actively moves the position of the cutoff line not only downward but also upward.

[0104] Controlling the position of the cutoff line includes (1) fixing the lower end of the lamp's light distribution and changing only the position of the cutoff line up or down, and (2) changing the position of the lower end of the lamp's light distribution up or down to follow the position of the cutoff line, in other words, moving the entire light distribution of the lamp up or down.

[0105] The control device 200 moves the cutoff line downward in response to a positive dynamic pitch angle θd. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control device 200 actively moves the cutoff line upward in response to a negative dynamic pitch angle θd.

[0106] More specifically, the control device 200 moves the position of the cutoff line upward and downward from a predetermined position V0 as a reference so as to cancel out the dynamic component θd of the pitch angle θp. The predetermined position V0 is the vertical coordinate at which the cutoff line should be located when the variation in the pitch angle θp is zero.

[0107] For example, the control device 200 controls the on / off and gradation of each pixel of the multiple light-emitting elements 121 of the light source unit 120 to change the boundary between on and off (or the boundary between bright and dark luminance) in order to raise or lower the cutoff line on the virtual vertical screen 2. The number of pixels by which the boundary should be shifted for a certain fluctuation range of the pitch angle θp can be determined geometrically and optically. The amount of pixel shift corresponds to a cutoff line correction amount ΔV, which will be described later.

[0108] 5 is a functional block diagram of the control device 200. The control device 200 includes a pitch angle calculation unit 210 and a cutoff line control unit 220.

[0109] The pitch angle calculation unit 210 calculates the dynamic change of the pitch angle θp based on the output of the sensor 120. The pitch angle calculation unit 210 detects the angular velocity ωp indicated by the sensor information S1. For example, the pitch angle calculation unit 210 integrates the angular velocity ωp indicated by the sensor information S1. Furthermore, the pitch angle calculation unit 210 performs calculation processing on the integrated value as necessary to calculate the dynamic pitch angle θd. This calculation processing may include filtering (bandwidth limiting processing), moving average processing, etc.

[0110] The cutoff line control unit 220 controls the cutoff line based on the dynamic pitch angle θd. The cutoff line control unit 220 includes a correction amount calculation unit 222 and a correction unit 224. The correction amount calculation unit 222 calculates the vertical movement amount (correction amount ΔV) of the cutoff line on the virtual vertical screen 2 based on the dynamic pitch angle θd. In this embodiment, a positive correction amount ΔV corresponds to an upward shift of the cutoff line, and a negative correction amount ΔV corresponds to a downward shift of the cutoff line. The correction unit 224 controls the multiple light-emitting elements 121 so that the cutoff line moves by the correction amount ΔV.

[0111] For example, the light emitting unit 120 has an interface that receives as input image information specifying the on / off (or brightness) of each light emitting element 121. In this case, the correction unit 224 may shift the boundary position between on pixels and off pixels or the boundary position where brightness differs, included in the image information, up or down by the number of pixels corresponding to the correction amount ΔV. In other words, the correction unit 224 adjusts the position of the cutoff line (the boundary between on pixels and off pixels or the boundary where brightness differs) of the light distribution pattern included in the image information by a predetermined amount so as to cancel out the dynamic component θd of the pitch angle θp. is moved upward and downward with respect to a predetermined position corresponding to V0.

[0112] The correction unit 224 may shift the position (height) of the boundary between ON pixels and OFF pixels or the boundary where brightness differs, corresponding to the cutoff line, as well as the position (height) of the boundary between ON pixels and OFF pixels or the boundary where brightness differs, corresponding to the bottom end of the light distribution pattern, up or down by the number of pixels corresponding to the correction amount ΔV. In other words, the correction unit 224 may shift the entire light distribution pattern up or down by the number of pixels corresponding to the correction amount ΔV.

[0113] The dynamic pitch angle θd corresponding to the vehicle's driving situation swings up or down, then swings in the opposite direction, repeating this cycle until it eventually returns to 0. A correction amount ΔV is generated in response to this fluctuation in the dynamic pitch angle θd.

[0114] 6(a) to 6(c) are diagrams illustrating the control of the cutoff line height to a constant according to this embodiment, showing light rays corresponding to the cutoff line of the headlamp light in the vehicle driving scene of FIG. 4. FIG. 6(a) shows the cutoff line when the vehicle is driving on a flat road without any irregularities. FIG. 6(b) shows the movement of the cutoff line when the front of the vehicle body is lowered (nose down). The control device 200 calculates a correction amount ΔV for shifting the cutoff line upward based on the dynamic pitch angle θd so as to cancel out the downward shift of the headlamp light and cutoff line caused by the nose down, and controls the multiple light-emitting elements 121 so that the cutoff line moves upward by the correction amount ΔV. FIG. 6(c) shows the movement of the cutoff line when the rear of the vehicle body is lowered (nose up). The control device 200 calculates a correction amount ΔV for shifting the cutoff line downward based on the dynamic pitch angle θd so as to counteract the upward shift of the headlamp light and cutoff line due to nose-up, and controls the multiple light-emitting elements 121 so that the cutoff line moves downward by the correction amount ΔV. In this way, by adaptively controlling the height of the cutoff line in accordance with the dynamic pitch angle θd, it is possible to always maintain the cutoff line at a constant height relative to the road surface 10. In this specification, this type of control is referred to as constant cutoff line height control.

[0115] Furthermore, by performing this control in response to dynamic fluctuations in the pitch angle θ of the vehicle body, the position of the cutoff line on the virtual vertical screen in front of the vehicle can be kept constant even when the vehicle vibrates (pitches) in the longitudinal direction, preventing objects in front of the vehicle from becoming brighter or darker and ultimately providing an improved field of view.

[0116] The static pitch angle θs can be considered to be the reference value of the pitch angle θp, and the dynamic pitch angle θd can be understood to be the dynamic deviation of the pitch angle θp from the reference value. Therefore, the control device 200 controls the second lamp unit 110 in accordance with the deviation θd so that the angle between the light ray corresponding to the cutoff line of the lamp light and the road surface 10 remains constant.

[0117] In one embodiment, the speed at which the cutoff line is raised or lowered may be changed depending on the posture of the vehicle body. Specifically, the speed at which the cutoff line moves upward may be slower than the speed at which the cutoff line moves downward. This makes it less likely that glare will be caused after the cutoff line is corrected upward.

[0118] In one embodiment, the upward movement of the cutoff line may be disabled depending on the driving situation. For example, if the dynamic pitch angle θd includes a frequency component that exceeds the response speed of the control device 200, the upward movement of the cutoff line can be disabled to suppress glare.

[0119] Alternatively, movement of the cutoff line not only in the upward direction but also in the downward direction may be disabled. If road surface irregularities occur continuously (for example, for 3 seconds or more), it is assumed that the road surface is special (for example, a dirt course or an unpaved mountain road) that is different from normal roads. Therefore, when a sudden change in pitch angle occurs continuously for a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) or more, the pitch angle control acquired when the vehicle is stopped or traveling steadily may be fixed. Furthermore, when returning the pitch angle, the pitch angle may be gradually returned over a period of several seconds rather than immediately. In the case of the second lamp unit 110 that can control the light intensity distribution in multiple tones, the light intensity may be gradually returned with a gradation.

[0120] 7(a) and 7(b) are diagrams illustrating cutoff line blurring control according to this embodiment, showing the cutoff line of headlamp light in the vehicle driving scene of FIG. 4 on a virtual vertical screen 2. The cutoff line is formed by the second lamp unit 110, which can control the intensity distribution in multiple gradations. To form the cutoff line, the control device 200 controls the on / off and gradation of each pixel of the multiple light-emitting elements 121 of the light source unit 120, changing the boundary between on and off (or the boundary between bright and dark luminance). Furthermore, by controlling the pixels corresponding to the cutoff line and the pixels around the cutoff line in multiple gradations, it is possible to express gradation. In FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), the multi-gradation gradation is schematically indicated by hatching.

[0121] 7(a) shows the cutoff line when driving on a flat road without any bumps. In this example, the area above the cutoff lines (CLa, CLb, LB) is bright, and the area below is darker than the area above. The gradation of the pixels corresponding to the area below the cutoff lines is set lower than the gradation of the pixels corresponding to the area above the cutoff lines, and the pixels corresponding to the diagonal cutoff lines CLb and LB are set to an even lower gradation than the above and below areas.

[0122] FIG. 7(b) shows a cutoff line when traveling on a road surface with continuous small irregularities, as described below. In this example, a band-like region is formed along the cutoff line, with a predetermined width in the upper and lower regions, centered on the region containing the boundary pixels that form the cutoff line. The pixels corresponding to the light intensity in this band-like region are set to a gradation so that the light intensity decreases from the center to the outer regions, and the region containing the cutoff line forms a light distribution pattern with a gradation. In this specification, the range of this light distribution pattern with a gradation is referred to as a blur region BL, and such control is referred to as blur control. The blur region BL is formed in a band-like shape along the region containing the boundary pixels, with a predetermined width in the upper and lower regions, centered on the region containing the boundary pixels that form the cutoff line. The predetermined width of the blur region BL may be, for example, approximately 1.0° to 3.0° in angular terms.

[0123] By controlling the blurring of the cutoff line in this way, it is possible to prevent the driver of the vehicle from feeling uncomfortable or annoyed by small fluctuations in the cutoff line caused by small vibrations of the vehicle body while driving on a road with continuous small irregularities.

[0124] In one embodiment, the blurred area BL may be a light distribution pattern with a gradation such that the light amount increases from the center downward to the outer area. In this way, the light amount of the blurred area BL gradually approaches the light amount of the low beam light distribution pattern 8 below, which can prevent the driver of the vehicle from feeling uncomfortable.

[0125] 8 is a diagram illustrating conditions for switching between constant height control of the cutoff line and blurring control according to this embodiment. These two controls are switched based on the magnitude of the vertical vibration of the vehicle body caused by the road surface conditions obtained from the sensor 204. More specifically, the switching is performed based on whether the magnitude of the frequency component of the pitch angle fluctuation of the vehicle body is within a predetermined range. In this embodiment, constant height control of the cutoff line is applied when steep vehicle body vibration occurs when the vehicle is traveling on a road surface with large steps, and blurring control of the cutoff line is applied when small vehicle body vibration occurs when the vehicle is traveling on a road surface with a series of small irregularities.

[0126] In one embodiment, the predetermined range of the magnitude of the vehicle body vibration may be 0.5 Hz to 1.0 Hz. In this case, when the vehicle body vibration is within the predetermined range of 1.0 Hz or less, the cutoff line blurring control is applied, and when the vehicle body vibration is outside the predetermined range and exceeds 1 Hz, the control is switched to apply the cutoff line height constant control.

[0127] In one embodiment, when the magnitude of the vehicle body vibration is within a predetermined range, the predetermined width of the blurred region BL may be changed according to the magnitude of the vibration: the greater the magnitude of the vibration, the larger the predetermined width of the blurred region BL may be, or the greater the magnitude of the vibration, the smaller the predetermined width of the blurred region BL may be.

[0128] In one embodiment, when the magnitude of vehicle body vibration is within a predetermined range, the predetermined width of the blurred region BL may be changed according to the duration of the vibration. The longer the duration, the larger the predetermined width of the blurred region BL may be. Conversely, the longer the duration, the smaller the predetermined width of the blurred region BL may be.

[0129] In one embodiment, the control device 200 may further acquire information indicating the vehicle speed from the vehicle-side EUC 250. In this case, the predetermined width of the blurred region BL may be increased as the speed decreases. Conversely, the predetermined width of the blurred region BL may be decreased as the speed decreases.

[0130] In one embodiment, the vehicle lighting system 300 may include a first lamp unit 150, a second lamp unit 110 (a variable light distribution lamp), a sensor 120, and a control device 200.

[0131] In one embodiment, it may be a software program for controlling the control device 200 that controls the first lamp unit 150 and the second lamp unit 110 (a variable light distribution lamp).

[0132] The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of the components and the processing steps. Such modifications will be described below.

[0133] (Variation 1) In the embodiment, the second lamp unit 110 (variable light distribution lamp) has been described as a vehicle lamp using LEDs arranged in a matrix, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the second lamp unit 110 may be a combination of a light source and a spatial light modulator that patterns the light emitted from the light source. For example, the spatial light modulator may be a DMD (Digital Mirror Device), a liquid crystal device, a MEMS mirror, a polygon mirror, or the like.

[0134] (Variation 2) In the embodiment, the second lamp unit 110 (variable light distribution lamp) has been described as a vehicle lamp using LEDs arranged in a matrix, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. Semiconductor light-emitting elements that can be arranged in a matrix may also be used instead of LEDs. For example, laser diodes and organic electroluminescence (OEL) may be used. Furthermore, the form of the semiconductor light-emitting elements or light sources is not particularly limited, and may be a monolithic form in which multiple light sources are mounted on a single common substrate, or a non-monolithic form in which multiple light sources are individually mounted on a single substrate.

[0135] (Variation 3) In the embodiment, the sensor 204 is described as a gyro sensor, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the sensor 204 may be an acceleration sensor or a vehicle height sensor, or a combination of these. Furthermore, for example, an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), which is a 6-axis sensor that combines an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor, may also be used.

[0136] The present disclosure has been described above using specific terms based on the embodiments, but the embodiments merely illustrate the principles and applications of the present disclosure, and modifications such as appropriate combinations or substitutions of the configurations of the embodiments are also included in the present disclosure, as long as they do not deviate from the concept of the present disclosure defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] 6...Second area (including high beam distribution pattern) 8...First area (including low beam light distribution pattern) 100...Vehicle lighting fixtures 110... Second lamp unit (high beam lamp / variable light distribution lamp) 150...1st lamp unit (low beam lamp) 200...Control device 204...Sensor 250…Vehicle ECU 300...Vehicle lighting system CLa…Horizontal cutoff line CLb...Diagonal cutoff line LB: Elbow point BL...Blurred area S0...Image information S1...Sensor information S2: Lighting instruction signal

Claims

1. A control device for controlling a vehicle lamp capable of simultaneously irradiating a low beam light distribution pattern and a high beam light distribution pattern ahead of a vehicle, A control device that is capable of acquiring sensor information indicating the magnitude of vibration in the vertical direction of a vehicle body, the high beam distribution pattern being formed by light from a light source having a plurality of light-emitting elements whose brightness can be changed individually, a cutoff line formed in at least a part of the low beam distribution pattern overlapping with at least a part of the high beam distribution pattern, and that performs control to change the brightness of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the area overlapping with the cutoff line so as to blur the cutoff line when the magnitude of the acquired vibration is within a predetermined range.

2. The control device described in claim 1, which controls the cutoff line to blur when the magnitude of the acquired vibration is within a predetermined range, and controls the cutoff line to keep its height constant when the magnitude of the vibration is outside the predetermined range.

3. 3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein a band-shaped blurred area is formed along the cutoff line having a predetermined width in the vertical direction with the cutoff line at the center, and the light amount of the blurred area decreases as it goes outward in the vertical direction.

4. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein when the magnitude of the acquired vibration is within a predetermined range, the control device controls the predetermined width of the blur region to be larger as the magnitude of the acquired vibration increases.

5. 4. The control device according to claim 3, further acquiring information indicating the speed of the vehicle, and controlling the predetermined width of the blurred area to be larger as the speed is slower.

6. 2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor information is a signal output from at least one of a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a vehicle height sensor.

7. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the light source comprises a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in a matrix.

8. a vehicle lamp capable of simultaneously illuminating a low beam light distribution pattern and a high beam light distribution pattern ahead of a vehicle; and a control device for controlling the vehicle lamp; a sensor for detecting vertical vibration of the vehicle body; The control device is capable of acquiring sensor information indicating the magnitude of vibration from the sensor, the high beam distribution pattern is formed by light from a light source having a plurality of light-emitting elements whose brightness can be changed individually, a cutoff line formed in at least a part of the low beam distribution pattern overlaps with at least a part of the high beam distribution pattern, and the vehicle lighting system performs control to change the brightness of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the area overlapping with the cutoff line so as to blur the cutoff line when the acquired magnitude of vibration is within a predetermined range.

9. A software program for controlling a control device of a vehicle lamp capable of simultaneously irradiating a low beam light distribution pattern and a high beam light distribution pattern ahead of a vehicle, A software program that causes the control device to execute the following steps: acquiring sensor information indicating the magnitude of vibration in the vertical direction of the vehicle body; controlling light from a light source having multiple light-emitting elements so as to individually change the brightness of the high-beam light distribution pattern; and controlling the brightness of the multiple light-emitting elements in an area overlapping with the cutoff line so as to blur a cutoff line formed in at least a portion of the low-beam light distribution pattern that overlaps with at least a portion of the high-beam light distribution pattern when the magnitude of the acquired vibration is within a predetermined range.

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