Control device and control program

Abstract

To provide a control device and a control program capable of reducing power consumption while reducing light pollution to a person in front of an own vehicle.SOLUTION: A control device according to an embodiment includes a controller. The controller automatically turns on the headlight when the illuminance around the vehicle becomes equal to or less than a first reference value. The controller automatically turns off the headlight if the illuminance is equal to or lower than a first reference value and equal to or higher than a second reference value when a person in front of the vehicle is detected while the vehicle is stopped. The controller automatically turns off the headlight when the illuminance is less than the second reference value and the person is facing the headlight.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to a control device and a control program. [Background technology]

[0002] Auto light functions that automatically turn on and off headlights according to the brightness of the surroundings of a vehicle are now in practical use. In vehicles with the auto light function enabled, the headlights are always automatically turned on while the ignition switch is on at night, which may cause light pollution to the surroundings.

[0003] For this reason, anti-glare measures are desirable for the automatic light function. One example of an anti-glare measure is a technology that raises the optical axis of the headlights when an oncoming vehicle is present while the vehicle is stopped on an uphill slope at night, so that the occupants of the oncoming vehicle do not feel dazzled (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-3267 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the above prior art is an anti-glare measure for occupants of oncoming vehicles, but does not provide any anti-glare measures for people in front of the vehicle, which may cause light pollution. Furthermore, the prior art only adjusts the optical axis as an anti-glare measure, and the headlights remain on, which increases power consumption.

[0006] One aspect of the embodiment has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a control device and a control program that can reduce power consumption while reducing light pollution to people in front of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A control device according to one aspect of the embodiment includes a controller. The controller automatically turns on headlights when illuminance around the vehicle falls below a first reference value. When the controller detects a person in front of the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped, the controller automatically turns off the headlights if the illuminance is below the first reference value and above a second reference value. The controller automatically turns off the headlights if the illuminance is below the second reference value and the person is facing the headlights. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] A control device according to one aspect of the embodiment detects a person in front of the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped with the headlights automatically turned on, and automatically turns off the headlights when the illuminance around the vehicle is equal to or less than a first reference value and equal to or greater than a second reference value. That is, even if the illuminance is such that the headlights are automatically turned on, the control device automatically turns off the headlights when it detects a person in a relatively bright situation.

[0009] Furthermore, the control device needs to turn on the headlights when the surroundings are dark, i.e., when the illuminance around the vehicle is less than the second reference value, but automatically turns off the headlights when a person in front of the vehicle is looking in the direction of the headlights. Thus, the control device can reduce power consumption while reducing light pollution for people in front of the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the automatic light control when the vehicle is stopped according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by the controller according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a control device and a control program will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. The control device according to the embodiment is provided in a vehicle and performs automatic light control to automatically turn on and off headlights (headlamps) according to the illuminance (brightness) around the vehicle.

[0012] ≪1. Example of control device configuration≫ Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control device 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the control device 1 is electrically connected to an ignition switch (hereinafter referred to as "IG21"), an automatic light switch 22, an illuminance sensor 23, a shift sensor 24, a vehicle speed sensor 25, and a front camera 26. Furthermore, the control device 1 is electrically connected to a headlight relay 27 and a beam axis adjuster 28.

[0013] The IG21 is a switch operated by the driver to start the vehicle. When the IG21 is turned on or off, it outputs a signal to the control device 1 indicating that the IG21 is turned on or off.

[0014] The automatic light switch 22 is a switch that is operated by the driver to start automatic light control by the control device 1. When the automatic light switch 22 is turned on or off, it outputs a signal to the control device 1 indicating that the switch is turned on or off.

[0015] The illuminance sensor 23 is a sensor that detects the illuminance (brightness) around the vehicle and outputs the detection result to the control device 1. The shift sensor 24 is a sensor that outputs a signal indicating the state of the vehicle's shift and a change in the state to the control device 1. The shift states include, for example, parking (P), neutral (N), drive (D), and reverse (R).

[0016] The vehicle speed sensor 25 is a sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle itself and outputs the detection result to the control device 1. The front camera 26 is an in-vehicle camera that captures an image in front of the vehicle. The front camera 26 outputs the captured camera image to the control device 1.

[0017] The headlight relay 27 is a relay that is switched on and off by a control signal input from the control device 1. The headlight relay 27 turns on the headlights when turned on. The headlight relay 27 turns off the headlights when turned off. The optical axis adjuster 28 is a device that adjusts the direction of the optical axis of the headlights by a control signal input from the control device 1.

[0018] The control device 1 includes a controller 10. The controller 10 includes a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and various other circuits.

[0019] The controller 10 includes an auto light control unit 11 that functions by the CPU executing a control program stored in the ROM using the RAM as a work area, a vehicle stop determination unit 12, and a vehicle stop light control unit 13. The control program may be stored in a storage device from an external source via a communication line or the like.

[0020] The automatic light control unit 11, the vehicle stop determination unit 12, and the vehicle stop light control unit 13 may be configured in part or in whole using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0021] The auto light control unit 11, the vehicle stop determination unit 12, and the vehicle stop light control unit 13 each realize or execute the information processing functions described below. Note that the internal configuration of the controller 10 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 1, and may be any other configuration that performs the information processing described below.

[0022] The auto light control unit 11 starts the auto light control when a signal indicating that the auto light switch 22 has been turned on is input from the auto light switch 22. On the other hand, when a signal indicating that the auto light switch 22 has been turned off is input from the auto light switch 22, the auto light control unit 11 ends the auto light control.

[0023] When the auto light control unit 11 starts the auto light control, it outputs a control signal to the stationary light control unit 13 to automatically turn on or off the headlights according to the illuminance input from the illuminance sensor 23 .

[0024] When the illuminance is higher than a first reference value, which is the upper limit of illuminance at which it is safe to turn on the headlights, the auto light control unit 11 outputs a control signal to the stationary light control unit 13 to automatically turn off the headlights.

[0025] That is, when the illuminance is such that turning off the headlights will not pose a safety hazard, the auto light control unit 11 outputs a control signal to automatically turn off the headlights to the stationary light control unit 13. Furthermore, when the illuminance is equal to or lower than a first reference value, the auto light control unit 11 outputs a control signal to automatically turn on the headlights to the stationary light control unit 13.

[0026] The vehicle stop determination unit 12 determines whether the vehicle is stopped or moving based on the vehicle speed of the host vehicle input from the vehicle speed sensor 25, and outputs the determination result to the vehicle stop light control unit 13. The vehicle stop determination unit 12 determines that the vehicle is stopped when the vehicle speed is 0 km / h, and determines that the vehicle is not stopped, i.e., is moving, when the vehicle speed is not 0 km / h.

[0027] Furthermore, the vehicle stop determination unit 12 determines whether the vehicle is stopped immediately after the IG21 is turned on or has been stopped since a traveling state. For example, if the vehicle speed immediately before the time when it is determined that the vehicle is stopped is 0 km / h, it determines that the vehicle is stopped since the IG21 is turned on. Furthermore, if the vehicle speed immediately before the time when it is determined that the vehicle is stopped is not 0 km / h, it determines that the vehicle is stopped since a traveling state.

[0028] The vehicle stop determination unit 12 outputs a signal indicating whether the vehicle is in a stopped state or a running state to the vehicle stop light control unit 13. Furthermore, when the vehicle is in a stopped state, the vehicle stop determination unit 12 outputs a signal indicating whether the vehicle has transitioned from a running state to a stopped state to the vehicle stop light control unit 13.

[0029] If the stopped state when the illuminance is equal to or lower than the first reference value is not a stopped state from a moving state, that is, if the stopped state is a stopped state immediately after the IG21 is turned on, the stopped-state light control unit 13 outputs a control signal to the beam axis adjuster 28 to lower the beam axis of the headlights. Specifically, if the headlights are to be automatically turned on when the headlights are in a stopped state immediately after the IG21 is turned on and the vehicle is started, the stopped-state light control unit 13 outputs a control signal to the beam axis adjuster 28 to lower the beam axis of the headlights from the start of the vehicle until it starts moving. This enables the control device 1 to prevent people in front of the vehicle from being dazzled when the IG21 is turned on.

[0030] Furthermore, when the vehicle is in a running state, the stationary light control unit 13 outputs the control signal input from the automatic light control unit 11 as is to the headlight relay 27. As a result, while the vehicle is running, the headlights are automatically turned off if the illuminance is higher than the first reference value, and are automatically turned on if the illuminance is equal to or lower than the first reference value.

[0031] Furthermore, the stationary-state light control unit 13 performs stationary-state automatic light control so as to reduce power consumption while reducing light pollution to people in front of the vehicle, depending on the illuminance around the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped, the presence or absence of people in front of the vehicle, and the state of the people, etc. Next, the stationary-state automatic light control performed by the stationary-state light control unit 13 will be described.

[0032] ≪2. Automatic headlight control when stopped≫ 2 is an explanatory diagram of the automatic light control when the vehicle is stopped according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, when the illuminance around the vehicle is higher than a first reference value, for example, during the day, the stationary light control unit 13 automatically turns off the headlights regardless of whether there is a person in front of the vehicle.

[0033] In addition, the stationary light control unit 13 automatically turns on the headlights when the illuminance is equal to or lower than the first reference value and equal to or higher than the second reference value, which is the upper limit of illuminance at which safe driving becomes difficult unless the headlights are turned on, for example, in the evening or early morning, if there is no person in front of the vehicle.

[0034] However, even if the illuminance is equal to or less than the first reference value and equal to or more than the second reference value, if there is a person in front of the vehicle, the stopped-vehicle light control unit 13 automatically turns off the headlights regardless of whether the person is facing the headlights or not.

[0035] That is, even if the illumination level is such that the headlights are automatically turned on if there is no person in front of the vehicle, the stopped-vehicle light control unit 13 automatically turns off the headlights when it detects a person in a relatively bright situation.

[0036] As a result, when the illuminance is equal to or less than the first reference value and equal to or greater than the second reference value, the control device 1 can reduce light pollution for people in front of the vehicle and reduce power consumption by the headlights.

[0037] Furthermore, if the illuminance is less than the second reference value, for example, at night, and a person in front of the vehicle is not facing the headlights, the stationary light control unit 13 continues to automatically turn on the headlights. In this case, the person in front of the vehicle is not facing the headlights, so they do not feel too much glare.

[0038] However, the stationary light control unit 13 automatically turns off the headlights if a person in front of the vehicle is facing the headlights, even if the illuminance is below the second reference value while the vehicle is stopped. This allows the control device 1 to reduce power consumption by the headlights while reducing light pollution for people in front of the vehicle when the illuminance is below the second reference value. Note that the stationary light control unit 13 automatically turns on the headlights if there is no person in front of the vehicle when the illuminance is below the second reference value.

[0039] Furthermore, after automatically turning off the headlights while the vehicle is stopped, the stationary light control unit 13 automatically turns on the headlights when it detects the driver's operation to start driving the vehicle. For example, when a signal indicating that the shift state has been changed to drive (D) is input from the shift sensor 24, the stationary light control unit 13 determines that a start driving operation has been performed and automatically turns on the headlights. In this way, the control device 1 can automatically turn on the headlights before the vehicle starts driving, allowing the vehicle to start driving safely at night.

[0040] Furthermore, people in front of the vehicle detected by the stationary light control unit 13 include not only pedestrians but also passengers in oncoming vehicles. This allows the control device 1 to reduce power consumption by the headlights while reducing light pollution for pedestrians in front of the vehicle and passengers in oncoming vehicles.

[0041] The stationary light control unit 13 also includes an image recognition AI (Artificial Intelligence) that has been trained to recognize the presence or absence of a person and their orientation from an image. The stationary light control unit 13 uses the image recognition AI to recognize people from camera images of the area in front of the vehicle captured by the front camera 26, thereby determining whether or not the person is facing the headlights. This allows the control device 1 to accurately determine the presence of a person in front of the vehicle and their orientation.

[0042] 3. Processes executed by the controller Next, a process executed by the controller 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by the controller 10 according to the embodiment. When the IG21 of the vehicle is turned on, the controller 10 repeatedly executes the process shown in Fig. 3.

[0043] 3, when a signal indicating that the IG21 is turned on is input from the IG21, the controller 10 first determines whether the illuminance around the vehicle is equal to or less than a first reference value (step S101). The controller 10 determines the illuminance around the vehicle based on the detection result of the illuminance input from the illuminance sensor 23.

[0044] If the controller 10 determines that the illuminance is not equal to or less than the first reference value (step S101, No), that is, if the controller 10 determines that the illuminance is higher than the first threshold value, the controller 10 automatically turns off the headlights (step S113) and ends this processing.

[0045] Furthermore, when the controller 10 determines that the ambient illuminance is equal to or lower than the first reference value (Yes in step S101), it automatically turns on the headlights (step S102). At this time, the controller 10 sets the direction of the optical axis of the headlights to a direction suitable for nighttime driving of the vehicle and turns on the headlights.

[0046] Next, the controller 10 determines whether the vehicle is stopped or not (step S103). The controller 10 determines whether the vehicle is stopped or not based on the detection result of the vehicle speed input from the vehicle speed sensor 25. The controller 10 determines that the vehicle is stopped when the vehicle speed is 0 km / h, and determines that the vehicle is not stopped, i.e., is in a traveling state, when the vehicle speed is not 0 km / h.

[0047] If the controller 10 determines that the vehicle is not in a stopped state (step S103, No), that is, if it determines that the vehicle is in a traveling state, the controller 10 ends the current processing while maintaining the automatic lighting state.

[0048] Furthermore, when the controller 10 determines that the vehicle is in a stopped state (step S103, Yes), it determines whether the vehicle has changed from a traveling state to a stopped state (step S104). The controller 10 determines that the vehicle has changed from a traveling state to a stopped state if the vehicle speed immediately before it is determined that the vehicle is in a stopped state is not 0 km / h.

[0049] Also, if the vehicle speed immediately before the time when it is determined that the vehicle is in a stopped state is 0 km / h, it is determined that the vehicle has not changed from a traveling state to a stopped state. In other words, the controller 10 determines that the vehicle is in a stopped state immediately after the IG21 is turned on.

[0050] If the controller 10 determines that the vehicle has not transitioned from a traveling state to a stopped state (step S104, No), that is, if the controller 10 determines that the vehicle is in a stopped state immediately after the IG21 is turned on, the controller 10 lowers the optical axis of the headlight (step S112). After that, the controller 10 proceeds to step S110.

[0051] Furthermore, when it is determined that the vehicle has changed from a traveling state to a stopped state (Yes at step S104), the controller 10 acquires a camera image of the front of the vehicle from the front camera 26 (step S105).

[0052] Next, the controller 10 determines whether or not a person in front of the vehicle has been detected (step S106). The controller 10 determines whether or not a person has been detected by performing image recognition of the person from the camera image.

[0053] If the controller 10 determines that a person in front of the vehicle has not been detected (step S106, No), that is, if it determines that there is no person in front of the vehicle, the controller 10 ends the current processing.

[0054] Furthermore, if the controller 10 determines that a person in front of the vehicle has been detected (Yes in step S106), the controller 10 proceeds to step S107. In step S107, the controller 10 determines whether the illuminance around the vehicle is equal to or less than a first reference value and equal to or greater than a second reference value (step S107), that is, whether the illuminance around the vehicle is within the range from the first reference value to the second reference value.

[0055] If the controller 10 determines that the illuminance around the vehicle is within the range from the first reference value to the second reference value (step S107, Yes), the controller 10 automatically turns off the headlights (step S108) and proceeds to step S110.

[0056] Furthermore, if the controller 10 determines that the illuminance around the vehicle is not within the range from the first reference value to the second reference value (step S107, No), that is, if it determines that the illuminance around the vehicle is less than the second reference value, it proceeds to step S109.

[0057] In step S109, the controller 10 determines whether or not a person in front of the vehicle is facing the headlights. The controller 10 determines whether or not a person is facing the headlights by performing image recognition of the person from the camera image.

[0058] If the controller 10 determines that the person is not facing the headlights (step S109, No), it ends the current process. On the other hand, if the controller 10 determines that the person is facing the headlights (step S109, Yes), it moves the process to step S108.

[0059] After automatically turning off the headlights in step S108, the controller 10 determines whether or not a start-of-travel operation by the driver has been detected (step S110). The controller 10 detects the start-of-travel operation based on a change in the state of the shift input from the shift sensor 24. When the state of the shift changes from parking (P) or neutral (N) to drive (D), the controller 10 detects the start-of-travel operation, that is, determines that a start-of-travel operation has been performed.

[0060] If the controller 10 determines that the driving start operation has not been detected (step S110, No), the controller 10 ends the current process. On the other hand, if the controller 10 determines that the driving start operation has been detected (step S110, Yes), the controller 10 automatically turns on the headlights (step S111).

[0061] At this time, if the optical axis of the headlight is lowered, the controller 10 sets the direction of the optical axis of the headlight to a direction suitable for nighttime driving of the vehicle and turns on the headlight. After that, the controller 10 ends this processing.

[0062] Further advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 1. Control device 10 Controllers 11 Auto light control unit 12 Stop judgment section 13 Stopped light control unit 21IG 22 Automatic light switch 23 Illuminance sensor 24 Shift sensor 25 Vehicle speed sensor 26 Front camera 27 Headlight relay 28 Optical axis adjuster

Claims

1. Equipped with a controller, The controller When the illumination around the vehicle falls below the first reference value, the headlights are automatically turned on. When a person is detected in front of the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped, if the illuminance is equal to or less than the first reference value and equal to or greater than a second reference value, the headlights are automatically turned off; If the illuminance is less than the second reference value and the person is facing the headlights, the headlights are automatically turned off. Control device.

2. The controller When the headlights are automatically turned on when the vehicle is started, the optical axis of the headlights is lowered from the time the vehicle is started until the vehicle starts running. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. The controller After the headlights are automatically turned off, when an operation by the driver to start driving the vehicle is detected, the headlights are automatically turned on. The control device according to claim 1 .

4. The person includes an occupant of an oncoming vehicle. The control device according to claim 1 .

5. The controller By performing image recognition of the person from an image captured by an in-vehicle camera, it is determined whether the person is facing the direction of the headlights. The control device according to claim 1 .

6. automatically turning on the headlights when the illuminance around the vehicle falls below a first reference value; a step of automatically turning off the headlights if the illuminance is equal to or less than the first reference value and equal to or greater than a second reference value when a person is detected in front of the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped; automatically turning off the headlights if the illuminance is less than the second reference value and the person is facing the headlights; A control program that causes a computer to execute the above.

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