Vehicle headlights and vehicles

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle headlight that can more quickly detect pedestrians crossing the road ahead using sensors such as cameras. [Solution] In the vehicle headlight 120, a virtual line J extending forward from the height of the vehicle headlight 120, which is in the center of the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 100, is tilted to the right by 4° to 10° and vertically by -5° to 5° to illuminate a specific illumination range W with a higher illuminance than other ranges. The angle of tilt is changed according to the speed of the vehicle 100.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle headlight and a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of irradiating light from a vehicle headlight device with an irradiation pattern in which bright regions and dark regions such as stripes or grids are alternately repeated. According to the technique of Patent Document 1, it is said that it is possible to quickly detect the presence of pedestrians.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in recent years, some vehicles are equipped with AEBS (Autonomous Emergency Braking System). AEBS is a system that detects pedestrians and obstacles ahead by sensors such as cameras, warns the driver of the possibility of collision, and activates the brakes to avoid collision or reduce damage.

[0005] According to the vehicle headlight device described in Patent Document 1, it is considered that AEBS can shorten the time for recognizing pedestrians and the like to some extent, but further improvement is desired for ensuring safety.

[0006] In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle headlight that can more quickly detect a pedestrian crossing in front of a lane by a sensor such as a camera.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the present invention is a vehicle headlight characterized in that, in the center of the vehicle width direction, a virtual line extending forward from the height of the vehicle headlight is tilted to the right by 4° to 10° and vertically by -5° to 5°, thereby irradiating a specific illumination range with a higher illuminance than other ranges. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle headlight that can more quickly detect when a pedestrian is crossing the road ahead using sensors such as a camera. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a view from above of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention in motion. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the vehicle headlight on the right side of the vehicle, as installed on the vehicle shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This figure shows the illumination range in the vertical direction of the vehicle shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This figure shows the view from the front of the vehicle in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] One embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle headlight characterized in that, in the center of the vehicle width direction, a virtual line extending forward from the height of the vehicle headlight is tilted to the right by 4° to 10° and vertically by -5° to 5°, thereby irradiating a specific illumination range with a higher illuminance than other ranges.

[0011] According to the present invention, the light from the vehicle's headlights illuminates a specific illumination range with a higher illuminance than other ranges. The specific illumination range includes the area from which a pedestrian crosses the road from the right. Therefore, sensors such as cameras can more quickly detect a pedestrian crossing the road ahead, enabling quicker execution of warnings to the driver via AEBS or assistive braking.

[0012] It is preferable to illuminate at least a portion of the specific illumination range with high beams. With this configuration, the accuracy of the illumination position for pedestrians crossing the road can be improved by using high beams, and warnings to the driver by AEBS and assistive braking operations can be expedited.

[0013] Low beams may be used to illuminate at least a portion of a specific illumination range. This configuration allows for increased accuracy in positioning the low beams to illuminate pedestrians crossing the road, and enables faster driver warnings and braking assistance via AEBS.

[0014] Vehicle headlights should illuminate a specific illumination range by tilting the imaginary line 5° to 8° to the right and -1.5° to 4.5° vertically, using high beams. With this configuration, the high beams are more likely to reach pedestrians crossing the road.

[0015] Vehicle headlights should illuminate a specific illumination range by tilting the imaginary line 4° to 5° to the right and 0° to -1° vertically, using the low beam. With this configuration, the low beam is more likely to reach pedestrians crossing the road.

[0016] Vehicle headlights include an LED and a reflector that reflects the light emitted by the LED, and the illuminance of the light can be changed between a specific illumination range and other ranges by changing the angle of a part of the surface of the reflector.

[0017] With this configuration, since LEDs and reflectors are used, the beam has strong directivity and the beam's illumination range is easy to control.

[0018] A vehicle equipped with a vehicle headlight, wherein the vehicle headlight has a reflector for adjusting the illuminance of the light irradiated by the vehicle headlight. When the vehicle speed is 40 km / h, the reflector increases the illuminance of the light in the range that can be formed by inclining the virtual line 7.0° to 7.5° to the right side more than in other ranges. When the vehicle speed is 45 km / h, the reflector increases the illuminance of the light in the range that can be formed by inclining the virtual line 6.0° to 6.5° to the right side more than in other ranges. When the vehicle speed is 50 km / h, the reflector increases the illuminance of the light in the range that can be formed by inclining the virtual line 5.5° to 6.0° to the right side more than in other ranges. When the vehicle speed is 55 km / h, the reflector increases the illuminance of the light in the range that can be formed by inclining the virtual line 5.0° to 5.5° to the right side more than in other ranges. When the vehicle speed is 60 km / h, it is preferable to increase the illuminance of the light in the range that can be formed by inclining the virtual line 4.5° to 5.0° to the right side more than in other ranges.

Embodiment

[0019] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in such embodiments are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the invention and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals to omit redundant explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a view of the vehicle 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention running as seen from above. In FIG. 1 and all other drawings, the vehicle front-rear direction is indicated by arrows F (Forward), B (Backward), the left and right in the vehicle width direction are indicated by arrows L (Leftward), R (Rightward), and the up-down direction is indicated by arrows U (upward), D (downward).

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 100 includes vehicle headlights 120 and 140 at the front end. FIG. 1 shows a pedestrian 200 crossing along the reference crosswalk line K in front of the road of the moving vehicle 100.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle headlight 120 on the right side of the vehicle attached to the vehicle 100 in FIG. 1. FIG. 2(a) is a front view of the vehicle headlight 120. FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2(a). As shown in FIG. 2(a), the vehicle headlight 120 has a high-beam irradiation unit 122 that irradiates light in the high beam, and low-beam irradiation units 124 and 126 that irradiate light in the low beam. Note that the vehicle headlight 140 is configured symmetrically with the vehicle headlight 120 in the vehicle width direction.

[0023] The high beam is a beam that illuminates a wide range and the distance ahead with a relatively high illuminance, and is mainly used when driving at high speed on a road with few oncoming vehicles. The low beam is a beam that illuminates the vicinity of the vehicle with a predetermined illuminance, and is defined so as not to give glare to oncoming vehicles, and is mainly used when driving in an urban area.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2(a), in this embodiment, the high-beam irradiation unit 122 is arranged on the inner side in the vehicle width direction (the right side in FIG. 2(a), the left side in the vehicle width direction). The low-beam irradiation unit 124 is arranged on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the high-beam irradiation unit 122. The low-beam irradiation unit 126 is arranged on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the low-beam irradiation unit 124.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2(b), the low-beam irradiation unit 126 has an LED 126a as a light source and a reflector 126b as a reflector that reflects the light emitted by the LED 126a toward the front of the vehicle. The reflector 126b is mainly formed so as to be able to irradiate downward in front of the vehicle. In the low-beam irradiation unit 126, for example, white light emitted by the LED 126a is reflected by the reflector 126b, and the reflected beam irradiates downward in front.

[0026] The low-beam irradiation unit 126 changes the illuminance between a specific irradiation range W and other ranges by changing the angle in the vehicle width direction of a portion of the surface of the reflector 126b. For example, if the front surface of the reflector 126b is changed from facing the front of the vehicle to a state in which a portion of the surface is tilted to the right in the vehicle width direction, the direction of a portion of the beam shifts to the front right of the moving vehicle 100, and the illuminance in the area irradiated by the beam increases. Note that the portion of the surface of the reflector 126b referred to here means a portion of the surface of a plurality of reflector pieces when the reflector 126b is an assembly of multiple reflector pieces.

[0027] Furthermore, the configuration and function of the low-beam illumination unit 126 are almost the same for the high-beam illumination unit 122 and the low-beam illumination unit 124. However, the reflector 122b of the high-beam illumination unit 122 is primarily formed to illuminate upwards in front of the vehicle. In the high-beam illumination unit 122, for example, white light emitted by the LED 122a is reflected by the reflector 122b, and the reflected beam illuminates upwards in front, becoming a high beam.

[0028] The vehicle 100 in this embodiment is equipped with an AEBS (Autonomous Emergency Braking System). The AEBS includes a sensor 150 that detects pedestrians 200 while the vehicle 100 is in motion, and an AEBS controller (not shown). The sensor 150 may use an infrared laser, an optical camera, a millimeter-wave radar, or the like. The AEBS controller analyzes the distance to the obstacle based on the detection results of the sensor 150 and provides warnings to the driver or assists with braking.

[0029] Figure 3 shows the vertical illumination range of the vehicle in Figure 1. The specific illumination range W is the range created by tilting a virtual line J, which is in the center of the vehicle's width direction and extends forward from the height of the vehicle headlight 120, to the right from θ1 (=4°) to θ2 (=10°) as in Figure 1, and then tilting it vertically from θ3 (=-5°) to θ4 (=5°) as in Figure 3. The reflectors 122b, 124b, and 126b are modified to illuminate the specific illumination range W with a higher illuminance than the other ranges.

[0030] The high-beam irradiation unit 122 irradiates light with a high beam to a range within a specific irradiation range W, where the imaginary line J is tilted to the right by 5° to 8° and tilted up and down by -1.5° to 4.5°.

[0031] Then, when the vehicle 100 is traveling at 40 km / h, the angle of a portion of the surface of the high-beam illuminating section 122 of the vehicle headlight 120 is changed so that the illuminance in the area created by tilting the virtual line J to the right by 7.0° to 7.5° is increased compared to the other areas. When the vehicle 100 is traveling at 45 km / h, the angle of a portion of the surface of the high-beam illuminating section 122 of the vehicle headlight 120 is changed so that the illuminance in the area created by tilting the virtual line J to the right by 6.0° to 6.5° is increased compared to the other areas.

[0032] When the vehicle 100 is traveling at 50 km / h, the angle of a portion of the surface of the high-beam illuminating section 122 of the vehicle headlight 120 is changed so that the illuminance in the area created by tilting the virtual line J to the right from 5.5° to 6.0° is increased compared to the other areas. When the vehicle 100 is traveling at 55 km / h, the angle of a portion of the surface of the high-beam illuminating section 122 of the vehicle headlight 120 is changed so that the illuminance in the area created by tilting the virtual line J to the right from 5.0° to 5.5° is increased compared to the other areas.

[0033] The low-beam irradiation unit 126 irradiates light with a low beam to a range within a specific irradiation range W, where the imaginary line J is tilted 4° to 5° to the right and 0° to -1° vertically.

[0034] Then, when the vehicle 100 is traveling at 60 km / h, the angle of a portion of the surface of the low beam illumination section 126 of the vehicle headlight 120 is changed so that the illumination in the area created by tilting the imaginary line J to the right by 4.5° to 5.0° is increased compared to the other areas. Alternatively, instead of changing the angle of a portion of the surface of the low beam illumination section 126, the angle of a portion of the surface of the low beam illumination section 124 may be changed.

[0035] Next, the view of the area in front of the vehicle 100 as seen by the vehicle headlights 120 will be explained with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the view in front of the vehicle 100 in Figure 1. Figure 4 shows the high-beam region h that the high-beam irradiation unit 122 should illuminate, and the low-beam region r that the low-beam irradiation units 124 and 126 should illuminate.

[0036] When the high-beam irradiator 122 emits high beams, it is possible to irradiate a range W1, which is at least a part of a specific irradiation range W within the high-beam region h, with high beam light, and to irradiate with high beam light at a higher illuminance than other ranges. As the upper body of the pedestrian 200 within range W1 becomes brighter, the aforementioned sensor 150 can easily detect the pedestrian 200.

[0037] Similarly, when the low-beam irradiating unit 126 emits a low beam, it is possible to irradiate a range W2, which is at least a part of a specific irradiation range W within the low-beam region r, with low-beam light, and to irradiate with low-beam light at a higher illuminance than other ranges. Because the lower body of the pedestrian 200 in range W2 becomes brighter, the aforementioned sensor 150 can easily detect the pedestrian 200. Alternatively, instead of changing the angle of a portion of the surface of the low-beam irradiating unit 126, the angle of a portion of the surface of the low-beam irradiating unit 124 may be changed.

[0038] Next, the operation of the vehicle headlight 120 will be explained with reference to Figure 1 and Tables 1 and 2 below. As shown in Figure 1, the pedestrian 200 moves from a position 6 m away from the vehicle 100's path along the reference crossing line K towards the vehicle 100's path at a speed of 5 km / h. A 1 m acceleration zone is also provided.

[0039] Table 1 shows the rightward tilt angle (°) of a portion of the surface of the high-beam illumination section 122, the vertical tilt angle (°) of the top of the pedestrian's head, the vertical tilt angle (°) of the pedestrian's feet, and the distance L (m) between the reference crossing line K and the vehicle 100, with respect to the vehicle speed (km / h). [Table 1]

[0040] When vehicle 100 is traveling at 40 km / h, the illumination in a range of the surface of the reflector 122b of the high beam illumination unit 122 is increased compared to other ranges by tilting it 7.1° to the right with respect to the imaginary line J (see Table 1), 4.2° in the direction of the pedestrian's head position (see Table 1), and -1.3° in the direction of the pedestrian's feet position (see Table 1), thereby detecting pedestrian 200 when the distance L between the reference crossing line K and vehicle 100 is greater than 14 m.

[0041] Next, when the vehicle 100 is traveling at 45 km / h, the illumination in the area created by tilting a portion of the surface of the reflector 122b of the high beam illumination unit 122 by 6.3° to the right with respect to the imaginary line J (see Table 1), 4.5° in the direction of the pedestrian's head position (see Table 1), and -1.5° in the direction of the pedestrian's feet position (see Table 1) is increased compared to the other areas, and the pedestrian 200 is detected when the distance L between the reference crossing line K and the vehicle 100 is greater than 13 m.

[0042] Next, when the vehicle 100 is traveling at 50 km / h, the illumination in the area created by tilting a portion of the surface of the reflector 122b of the high beam illumination unit 122 by 5.7° to the right with respect to the imaginary line J (see Table 1), 4.3° in the direction of the pedestrian's head position (see Table 1), and -1.4° in the direction of the pedestrian's feet position (see Table 1) is increased compared to the other areas, and the pedestrian 200 is detected when the distance L between the reference crossing line K and the vehicle 100 is greater than 13.6 m.

[0043] Table 2 shows the rightward tilt angle (°) of a portion of the surface of the low-beam illumination section 126 with respect to the vehicle speed (km / h), the vertical tilt angle (°) of the foot position of the pedestrian 200, and the distance (m) between the reference crossing line K and the vehicle 100. [Table 2]

[0044] When vehicle 100 is traveling at 60 km / h, the illumination in a portion of the surface of the reflector 126b of the low beam illumination unit 126 is increased compared to other areas by tilting it 4.8° to the right with respect to the imaginary line J (see Table 2) and -0.5° towards the foot position (see Table 2) with respect to the area where the vehicle is standing, and pedestrian 200 is detected when the distance L between the reference crossing line K and vehicle 100 is greater than 25.3 m.

[0045] According to the configuration of this embodiment described above, the light from the vehicle headlight 120 illuminates a specific illumination range W with a higher illuminance than other ranges. The specific illumination range W includes the range in which a pedestrian 200 crosses the road from the right. Therefore, the sensor 150 can more quickly detect when a pedestrian 200 is crossing the road ahead, and can quickly perform a warning to the driver by AEBS or assist with braking.

[0046] By configuring the system to illuminate a portion of a specific illumination range W with high beams, the accuracy of the position where high beams are used to illuminate pedestrians 200 crossing the road can be improved, and warnings to the driver and assistive braking operations by AEBS can be expedited.

[0047] The high beam is directed to a specific area within the irradiation range W, where a portion of the surface of the high beam irradiation unit 122 is tilted 5° to 8° to the right and -1.5° to 4° vertically along the imaginary line J. This configuration makes it easier for the high beam to reach pedestrians 200 crossing the road.

[0048] By configuring the system to illuminate a portion of a specific illumination range W with the low beam, the accuracy of the illumination position for pedestrians 200 crossing the road can be improved using the low beam, and warnings to the driver and assistive braking operations by AEBS can be expedited.

[0049] The low beam is directed to a specific area within the irradiation range W, where a portion of the surface of the low beam irradiation unit 124 is tilted 4° to 5° to the right and 0° to -1° vertically along the imaginary line J. This configuration makes it easier for the low beam to reach pedestrians 200 crossing the road.

[0050] LEDs 122a, 124a, and 126a, along with reflectors 122b, 124b, and 126b, change the illuminance of a specific irradiation area W, resulting in a highly directional beam and easy control of the beam's irradiation range.

[0051] By configuring the system to change the beam direction and illumination in accordance with the vehicle 100's travel speed, the accuracy of the illumination position for pedestrians 200 can be improved even when the vehicle 100's travel speed changes, enabling faster warnings to the driver and assistance with braking via AEBS.

[0052] In this embodiment, the vehicle 100 was not equipped with a controller to adjust the illuminance, but the configuration is not limited to this, and the vehicle 100 may be equipped with a controller to adjust the illuminance emitted by the vehicle headlights 120 and 140. The controller may be structured to increase the illuminance of a specific illumination range W by driving a reflector driving mechanism (not shown) that changes the angle of the surface in a part of the reflectors 122b, 124b, and 126b, thereby changing the angle of the surface in a part of any of the reflectors 122b, 124b, and 126b.

[0053] In this embodiment, the vehicle headlight is described assuming a configuration that illuminates the right side when the vehicle 100 is driven with right-hand drive. However, it is not limited to this configuration, and a configuration that illuminates the left side when the vehicle 100 is driven with left-hand drive is also possible. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a specific illumination range on the right side is exemplified for a vehicle 100 driven with right-hand drive. However, it is not limited to this, and a similar specific illumination range on the left side may be set for a vehicle 100 driven with left-hand drive. When the vehicle 100 is viewed from above, the illumination range on the right side and the illumination range on the left side may be set symmetrically with respect to a line in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle passing through the center of the vehicle.

[0054] Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and these will naturally also fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0055] Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented by freely combining the inventions described in the claims and examples, regardless of the dependency relationships of the claims. [Industrial applicability]

[0056] This invention can be used in vehicle headlights and vehicles. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0057] 100...Vehicle, 120...Vehicle headlight, 122...High beam illumination unit, 122a...LED, 122b...Reflector, 124...Low beam illumination unit, 124a...LED, 124b...Reflector, 126...Low beam illumination unit, 126a...LED, 126b...Reflector, 140...Vehicle headlight, 150...Sensor, 200...Pedestrian, h...High beam area, J...Virtual line, K...Reference crossing position, r...Low beam area, W...Specific illumination range, W1...Range, W2...Range

Claims

1. In vehicle headlights, A vehicle headlight characterized by emitting light with increased illuminance in a specific illumination range, which is formed by tilting a virtual line extending forward from the height of the vehicle headlight, located in the center of the vehicle's width direction, to the right by 4° to 10° and vertically by -5° to 5°.

2. The vehicle headlight according to claim 1, characterized in that it illuminates at least a portion of the specified illumination range with high beam light.

3. The vehicle headlight according to claim 1, characterized in that it illuminates at least a portion of the specified illumination range with a low beam.

4. The vehicle headlight according to claim 2, characterized in that the high beam illuminates a range within the specified illumination range, where the imaginary line is tilted to the right by 5° to 8° and up and down by -1.5° to 4.5°.

5. The vehicle headlight according to claim 3, characterized in that the low beam illuminates a range within the specified illumination range, where the imaginary line is tilted 4° to 5° to the right and 0° to -1° up and down.

6. The vehicle headlight according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising an LED and a reflector that reflects the light emitted by the LED, characterized in that the illuminance of the light is changed between the specific illumination range and the other range by changing the angle of a part of the surface of the reflector.

7. A vehicle equipped with a vehicle headlight according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The vehicle headlight has a reflector that adjusts the illuminance of the light emitted by the vehicle headlight, The aforementioned reflector is When the vehicle's speed is 40 km / h, the illuminance of the light in the area created by tilting the imaginary line to the right by 7.0° to 7.5° is increased compared to the other areas. When the vehicle's speed is 45 km / h, the illuminance of the light in the area created by tilting the imaginary line to the right by 6.0° to 6.5° is increased compared to the other areas. When the vehicle is traveling at 50 km / h, the illuminance of the light in the area created by tilting the imaginary line to the right by 5.5° to 6.0° is increased compared to the other areas. When the vehicle's speed is 55 km / h, the illuminance of light in the area created by tilting the imaginary line to the right by 5.0° to 5.5° is increased compared to the other areas. A vehicle characterized in that, when the vehicle is traveling at 60 km / h, the illuminance of light in the area created by tilting the imaginary line to the right by 4.5° to 5.0° is increased compared to the area outside of that area.

Images