Dimming control device

Abstract

The present invention provides a dimming control device that can control the dimming unit in accordance with changes in the direction of the vehicle relative to the light source. [Solution] The dimming control device 100 includes a dimming unit 3 that dimms the transmittance of light incident on the vehicle's window glass, an occupant status acquisition unit 11 that acquires the eye position of the vehicle's occupant, a face illuminance acquisition unit 12 that acquires the illuminance of light on the occupant's face, and a dimming control unit 13 that controls the dimming unit 3 based on the eye position and the illuminance. The dimming control unit 13 changes at least one of the dimming position, which dimms the transmittance of light on the window glass, and the dimming degree, which is the degree to which the transmittance of light is dimmed, in accordance with the change in illuminance at the eye position.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a dimming control device. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, as a technology related to a dimming control device, there is known a device that estimates the viewpoint position of a driver and controls a light shielding means so as to shield light that is about to enter the driver's eyes through a front window based on the light source position and the viewpoint position (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-145219). [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-145219 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] By the way, in a vehicle using, for example, a board-shaped sun visor member, when the traveling direction of the vehicle changes, the occupant may manually adjust the position and angle of the sun visor. Considering such a situation, there is still room for improvement in a dimming control device that controls a dimming unit that dims the transmittance of light incident on a window glass of a vehicle. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0005] A dimming control device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a dimming unit that dims the transmittance of light incident on a window glass of a vehicle, an occupant state acquisition unit that acquires the eye position of an occupant of the vehicle, a face illuminance acquisition unit that acquires the illuminance of light on the face of the occupant, and a dimming control unit that controls the dimming unit based on the eye position and the illuminance. The dimming control unit changes at least one of a dimming position for dimming the transmittance of light on the window glass and a dimming degree that is the degree of dimming the transmittance of light according to a change in the illuminance at the eye position.

[0006] In a dimming control device according to one aspect of this disclosure, the dimming unit is controlled based on eye position and illuminance. At least one of the dimming position and dimming level is changed in response to a change in the illuminance of light at the eye position of the vehicle occupant. Here, when the direction of the vehicle relative to the light source changes, the distribution of brightness and darkness of the illuminance on the occupant's face changes. Therefore, by controlling the dimming unit in response to the change in the illuminance of light at the eye position of the vehicle occupant, the dimming unit can be controlled in response to a change in the direction of the vehicle relative to the light source. Thus, according to a dimming control device according to one aspect of this disclosure, the dimming unit can be controlled in response to a change in the direction of the vehicle relative to the light source.

[0007] In one embodiment, the occupant status acquisition unit acquires an opening value of at least one of the occupant's eyelid opening and the occupant's pupil opening, and the dimming control unit may change at least one of the dimming position and dimming degree if it estimates that the occupant is in a dazzling state based on the comparison result of the opening value with a predetermined opening threshold.

[0008] In one embodiment, the dimming control unit may set an opening threshold based on the opening value at which it is estimated that the occupant is no longer in a state of glare, rather than a state in which it is estimated that the occupant is in a state of glare. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to various aspects of this disclosure, the dimming unit can be controlled in accordance with changes in the direction of the vehicle relative to the light source. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Block diagram of a dimming control device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the interior of a vehicle showing an example of the placement of the dimming unit. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a dimming unit. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a dimming unit after changing the dimming position and dimming degree. [Figure 5] Figure 1 is a flowchart showing an example of ECU processing. [Figure 6] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the process for estimating the dizziness state of the crew members. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a dimming control device according to one embodiment. The dimming control device 100 is a device that controls a dimming unit that adjusts the transmittance of light incident on the window glass of a vehicle. The dimming control device 100 is installed in a vehicle such as a passenger car.

[0013] [Configuration of the dimming control device] As shown in Figure 1, the dimming control device 100 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10. The ECU 10 is an electronic control unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), CAN (Controller Area Network) communication circuit, etc. The ECU 10 realizes various functions, for example, by loading a program stored in ROM into RAM and executing the program loaded into RAM with the CPU. The ECU 10 may be composed of multiple electronic units.

[0014] The ECU10 is connected to the illuminance sensor 1, the driver monitor camera 2, and the dimming unit 3.

[0015] Illuminance sensor 1 is a sensor for acquiring the illuminance of light on the driver's (occupant's) face. Illuminance sensor 1 is installed, for example, in an overhead module located on the ceiling of the vehicle's interior, facing the driver's face. Illuminance sensor 1 detects, for example, the brightness of the surface of the driver's face illuminated by light as illuminance. In this case, illuminance can be a physical quantity with units of lux. Illuminance sensor 1 transmits the detected illuminance information to ECU 10.

[0016] The driver monitoring camera 2 is a camera for imaging the driver's face. The driver monitoring camera 2 is provided, for example, facing the driver's face on the cover of the steering column of the vehicle. A plurality of driver monitoring cameras 2 may be provided to image the driver from multiple directions. The driver monitoring camera 2 transmits the captured image of the driver to the ECU 10.

[0017] The dimming unit 3 is a member that dims the transmittance of light incident on the front glass 52 (window glass) of the vehicle 50. The dimming unit 3 is, for example, a dimming glass or a dimming film. The dimming glass or the dimming film may include a film-like member that controls the transmittance of light using liquid crystal or the like. The dimming unit 3 may include a liquid crystal cell, a polarizing plate including a polarizer, and a polarizer protection film adjacent to the polarizer. As the dimming unit 3, other known members that can dim the transmittance of incident light according to a control signal from the ECU 10 can be used.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the interior of the vehicle showing an example of the arrangement of the dimming unit. In FIG. 2, as an example, the front glass 52 and the dimming unit 3 are shown in the passenger compartment space 51 of the vehicle 50. As shown in FIG. 2, the dimming unit 3 of the present embodiment is arranged in the upper edge region 53 of the front glass 52. The upper edge region 53 is a range within, for example, 20% of the overall dimension in the vertical direction of the front glass 52 from the upper edge of the front glass 52 in the front glass 52. The dimming unit 3 is arranged on the driver's side (here, the right side) of the front glass 52 included in the upper edge region 53. When the vehicle 50 is a left-hand drive vehicle, the dimming unit 3 may be arranged on the left side of the front glass 52 included in the upper edge region 53.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the dimming unit. FIG. 3 schematically shows the dimming unit 3 as viewed from the driver. As shown in FIG. 3, the dimming unit 3 is composed of, for example, a plurality of segments 3a arranged in a matrix. In the example of FIG. 3, the shape of each segment 3a is rectangular. The shape of each segment 3a is not limited to this example. The shape of each segment 3a may be, for example, a hexagon, a trapezoid, a parallelogram, a triangle, or the like. Each segment 3a can independently adjust the light transmittance. Each segment 3a can be dimmed to a plurality of dimming depths (dimming levels) by gradually changing the light transmittance according to the control signal from the ECU 10.

[0020] Next, the functional configuration of the ECU 10 will be described. The ECU 10 includes an occupant state acquisition unit 11, a face illuminance acquisition unit 12, and a dimming control unit 13. Note that a part of the functions of the ECU 10 described below may be executed in a server capable of communicating with the vehicle 50.

[0021] The occupant state acquisition unit 11 acquires the eye position of the driver of the vehicle 50 based on the captured image of the driver monitoring camera 2. The occupant state acquisition unit 11 specifies, for example, the position of the pupil of the driver's eye as the eye position based on known image processing using the captured image of the driver monitoring camera 2. The occupant state acquisition unit 11 may acquire the eye position of the driver as three-dimensional coordinates in the vehicle coordinate system.

[0022] The occupant status acquisition unit 11 may acquire the opening value of at least one of the driver's eyelid opening and pupil opening. Eyelid opening is an index representing the degree of eyelid opening, and can be, for example, the ratio of eyelid distance. The numerator of the ratio of eyelid distance may be, for example, the distance between the driver's upper and lower eyelids calculated based on known image processing using images captured by the driver monitor camera 2. The denominator of the ratio of eyelid distance may be, for example, a value of eyelid opening preset based on the results of a pre-test conducted on multiple subjects. Pupil opening is an index representing the degree of pupil opening, and can be, for example, the pupil diameter. The pupil diameter may be calculated based on known image processing using images captured by the driver monitor camera 2.

[0023] The face illumination acquisition unit 12 acquires the light intensity on the driver's face based on the illumination information from the illumination sensor 1. The face illumination acquisition unit 12 acquires the light intensity at each part along the surface of the driver's face based on known image processing using the image captured by the driver monitor camera 2. The face illumination acquisition unit 12 may, for example, acquire the light intensity at each position on the driver's face in a three-dimensional coordinate system within the in-vehicle coordinate system.

[0024] The dimming control unit 13 controls the dimming unit 3 based on the eye position and illuminance. The dimming control unit 13 changes at least one of the dimming position and dimming depth of the dimming unit 3 in response to changes in illuminance at the driver's eye position, for example. The dimming position is the position in the windshield 52 where the dimming unit 3 is used to dim the light transmittance. The dimming position corresponds, for example, to the position of each segment 3a in the dimming unit 3. The dimming depth is the degree to which the light transmittance is dimmed. The dimming depth can be changed for each dimming position according to the specifications of the dimming unit 3.

[0025] The dimming control unit 13 may estimate whether the driver is in a dazzling state. A dazzling state means that the driver is experiencing glare. A dazzling state can be considered a state in which reducing the illuminance at the driver's eye level is effective for the driver.

[0026] The dimming control unit 13 estimates that the driver is in a dazzling state if, for example, the illuminance at the eye position is above an illuminance threshold. The illuminance threshold is a threshold used to determine whether or not to reduce the illuminance at the eye position. The illuminance threshold may be, for example, a preset illuminance value based on the results of a preliminary test involving multiple subjects.

[0027] The dimming control unit 13 may estimate that the driver is in a dazzling state based on a comparison between the opening value of at least one of the driver's eyelid opening and pupil opening values ​​acquired by the occupant state acquisition unit 11 and a predetermined opening threshold. The opening threshold is a threshold for estimating whether or not the driver is in a dazzling state. The opening threshold includes at least one of the eyelid opening threshold and the pupil opening threshold so as to correspond to at least one of the driver's eyelid opening and pupil opening values ​​acquired by the occupant state acquisition unit 11. The opening threshold may be, for example, eyelid and pupil opening values ​​that have been set in advance based on the results of a preliminary test involving multiple subjects.

[0028] The dimming control unit 13 may, as a result of comparing the opening value of at least one of the eyelid opening and pupil opening values ​​with a predetermined opening threshold, set the opening threshold based on the eyelid opening or pupil opening value when it estimates that the driver is no longer in a state of glare after being estimated to be in a state of glare. When it is estimated that the driver is no longer in a state of glare after being estimated to be in a state of glare, it can be considered that the driver is no longer experiencing glare. Therefore, the dimming control unit 13 updates the opening threshold with the opening value of the eyelid opening or pupil opening when the driver is no longer experiencing glare. As a result, the opening threshold is set to a real-time value according to the driver's state.

[0029] If the dimming control unit 13 estimates that the driver is in a dazzling state, it changes at least one of the dimming position and dimming depth to reduce the illuminance at the eye position. If the dimming control unit 13 estimates that the driver is not in a dazzling state, it maintains the dimming position and dimming depth.

[0030] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the dimming unit 3 before changing the dimming position and dimming degree. In Figure 3, for example, light is incident from the driver's diagonally left front relative to the direction of travel of the vehicle 50. As shown in Figure 3, in the dimming unit 3, the dimming depth of multiple segments 3a is reduced in the dimming region 3b. The dimming control unit 13 may, as an initial state, reduce the dimming depth of multiple segments 3a based on the illuminance at the eye position, or it may separately calculate the line of sight direction from the driver's eye position and the direction of the light source, and reduce the dimming depth of multiple segments 3a based on the line of sight direction and the direction of the light source.

[0031] In the state shown in Figure 3, light is blocked in the dimming region 3b by the dark segment 3a of the dimming depth. This dark segment 3a of the dimming depth creates a light-blocking area at the eye position where the driver's face is illuminated.

[0032] Next, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the dimming unit 3 after changing the dimming position and dimming degree. The example in Figure 4 corresponds to a state in which the direction of travel of the vehicle 50 changes from the state in Figure 3, and the light that was incident on the driver from the diagonal left front now incident on the driver from the diagonal right front. In other words, it is a state in which the direction of the vehicle 50 relative to the sun as a light source has changed.

[0033] As shown in Figure 4, the positions of the multiple segments 3a in which the dimming depth is reduced move from dimming region 3b to dimming region 3c. Specifically, assuming that the direction of incident light changes in accordance with the change in the direction of travel of the vehicle 50 while remaining in the state shown in Figure 3, the light-shielding portion that reduces the illumination on the driver's face moves away from the position of the eyes. When the light-shielding portion moves away from the position of the eyes, the opening value of at least one of the driver's eyelid opening and pupil opening becomes greater than a predetermined opening threshold, and the dimming control unit 13 estimates that the driver is in a dazzling state.

[0034] In response to the estimation that the driver is experiencing glare, the dimming control unit 13 adjusts the dimming position of multiple segments 3a based on the driver's eye position and the illuminance at various positions on the driver's face, so that the shading portion where the illuminance is lower on the driver's face moves closer to the driver's eye position. At this time, the dimming control unit 13 adjusts the dimming position without changing the dimming depth of the multiple segments 3a, for example. The dimming control unit 13 may also adjust the dimming position while changing the dimming depth of the multiple segments 3a. The dimming control unit 13 repeats adjusting the dimming position until the shading portion overlaps with the driver's eye position.

[0035] When the light-shielding portion overlaps with the driver's eye position, the dimming control unit 13 may change the dimming depth in dimming region 3c to darken until the opening values ​​of the eyelids and pupils become less than or equal to the predetermined opening threshold, if at least one of the opening values ​​of the eyelids and pupils is greater than a predetermined opening threshold. In the example in Figure 4, the dimming depth in dimming region 3c is darkened over a wider area compared to dimming region 3b in Figure 3. As a result, even if the direction of incident light changes in accordance with the change in the direction of travel of the vehicle 50, the illuminance to the driver's eye position is adjusted, and the driver's dazzling state is reduced.

[0036] Next, an example of calculation processing by the dimming control device 100 will be described. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the ECU 10. The processing shown in the flowchart in Figure 5 is executed, for example, when the power of the ECU 10 is turned on.

[0037] In S11, the ECU 10 of the dimming control device 100 acquires the eye position of the vehicle driver using the occupant status acquisition unit 11. The occupant status acquisition unit 11 acquires the eye position of the vehicle driver 50 based on the image captured by the driver monitor camera 2.

[0038] In S12, the ECU 10 uses the face illumination acquisition unit 12 to acquire the light intensity on the driver's face. The face illumination acquisition unit 12 acquires the light intensity at each part along the surface of the driver's face based on known image processing using the image captured by the driver monitor camera 2.

[0039] In S13, the ECU10 estimates the driver's dizziness state. As part of the dizziness state estimation process in S13, the ECU10 performs the process shown in Figure 6, for example.

[0040] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the process for estimating the occupant's dizziness state. The process shown in the flowchart in Figure 6 is executed, for example, when the ECU 10 is powered on.

[0041] In S21, the ECU 10 uses the occupant state acquisition unit 11 to acquire the degree of eyelid opening of the driver. The occupant state acquisition unit 11 acquires the degree of eyelid opening of the driver based on known image processing using, for example, the image captured by the driver monitor camera 2.

[0042] In S22, the ECU 10, using the dimming control unit 13, determines whether the eyelid opening is below the eyelid opening threshold. If it is determined that the eyelid opening is below the eyelid opening threshold (S22: YES), in S23, the ECU 10, using the dimming control unit 13, estimates that the driver is in a dazzling state. After that, the ECU 10 completes the calculation process shown in Figure 6 and returns to the process in S14 of Figure 5.

[0043] On the other hand, if the ECU 10 determines that the eyelid opening is greater than the eyelid opening threshold (S22: NO), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process in S24. In S24, the ECU 10 uses the occupant state acquisition unit 11 to acquire the pupil opening. The occupant state acquisition unit 11 acquires the driver's pupil opening, for example, based on known image processing using the image captured by the driver monitor camera 2.

[0044] In S25, the ECU 10, using the dimming control unit 13, determines whether the pupil dilation is below the pupil dilation threshold. If it is determined that the pupil dilation is below the pupil dilation threshold (S25: YES), in S23, the ECU 10, using the dimming control unit 13, estimates that the driver is in a dazzling state. After that, the ECU 10 finishes the calculation process shown in Figure 6 and returns to the process in S14 of Figure 5.

[0045] On the other hand, if the ECU 10 determines that the pupil dilation is greater than the pupil dilation threshold (S25: NO), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process in S26. In S26, the ECU 10 estimates, based on the dimming control unit 13, that the driver is not in a dazzling state. After that, the ECU 10 finishes the calculation process in Figure 6 and returns to the process in S14 in Figure 5.

[0046] Returning to Figure 5, in S14, the ECU 10 determines whether or not the dimming control unit 13 has estimated that the driver is in a dazzling state.

[0047] If the ECU estimates that the driver is experiencing glare (S14: YES), in S15, the ECU 10 uses the dimming control unit 13 to change at least one of the dimming position and dimming depth according to the change in the vehicle's direction of travel. For example, the dimming control unit 13 changes the dimming position of multiple segments 3a based on the driver's eye position and the illuminance at each position on the driver's face, so that the shading portion where the illuminance is lower at the driver's face moves closer to the driver's eye position. If the shading portion overlaps with the driver's eye position, the dimming control unit 13 may change the dimming depth in the dimming region 3c to make it darker. After that, the ECU 10 terminates the calculation process shown in Figure 5. The ECU 10 may repeat the calculation process shown in Figure 5 at predetermined intervals.

[0048] On the other hand, if the ECU 10 estimates that the driver is not in a dazzling state (S14: NO), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process in S16. In S16, the ECU 10 determines whether the dimming control unit 13 has estimated that the driver is no longer in a dazzling state.

[0049] If the ECU determines that the driver is no longer experiencing glare (S16: YES), in S17, the ECU 10 uses the dimming control unit 13 to set an opening threshold based on the opening value. The dimming control unit 13 updates the opening threshold with the opening value of the eyelid or pupil when the driver is not experiencing glare. After that, the ECU 10 terminates the calculation process shown in Figure 5. The ECU 10 may repeat the calculation process shown in Figure 5 at predetermined intervals.

[0050] On the other hand, if the ECU 10 determines that the driver is not in a state of glare, but is not in a state of glare (S16: NO), the ECU 10 maintains the dimming position and dimming depth using the dimming control unit 13. After that, the ECU 10 terminates the calculation process shown in Figure 5. The ECU 10 may repeat the calculation process shown in Figure 5 at predetermined intervals.

[0051] According to the dimming control device 100 described above, the dimming unit 3 is controlled based on the eye position and illuminance. In response to changes in the illuminance of light at the eye position of the driver of the vehicle 50, at least one of the dimming position and dimming depth is changed. Here, when the direction of travel of the vehicle 50 changes, the distribution of brightness and darkness of light on the driver's face changes. Therefore, by controlling the dimming unit 3 in response to changes in the illuminance of light at the eye position of the driver of the vehicle 50, the dimming unit 3 can be controlled in response to changes in the direction of travel of the vehicle 50. Thus, according to the dimming control device 100, the dimming unit 3 can be controlled in response to changes in the direction of travel of the vehicle 50.

[0052] In the dimming control device 100, the occupant state acquisition unit 11 acquires the opening value of at least one of the driver's eyelid opening and the driver's pupil opening. If the dimming control unit 13 estimates that the driver is in a dazzling state based on the comparison result between the opening value and a predetermined opening threshold, it changes at least one of the dimming position and dimming depth. This allows the dimming position and dimming depth to be changed according to whether or not the driver is experiencing glare, using at least one of the driver's eyelid opening and the driver's pupil opening.

[0053] In the dimming control device 100, the dimming control unit 13 sets the opening threshold based on the opening value at the point when it is estimated that the driver is no longer in a state of glare, rather than being in a state of glare. As a result, the opening threshold is updated with the opening value of the eyelids or pupils when the driver is not experiencing glare. Therefore, the opening threshold can be set to a real-time value according to the driver's state.

[0054] [Differentiation] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. This disclosure can be implemented in various forms, including the embodiments described above, with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the windshield 52 of the vehicle 50 was used as an example of the vehicle's window glass, but the invention is not limited to this example. For example, the vehicle's window glass may be a ceiling glass installed on the roof of the vehicle. In this case, when the vehicle is parked, by performing the same processing as described above for the driver when the driver's seat backrest is reclined, it is possible to suppress the driver from experiencing glare even if there is a change in the direction of the sun as a light source and the front-to-rear direction of the parked vehicle due to the passage of time or a change in the parking position. In other words, the change in the direction of the vehicle relative to the light source is not limited to a change in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the opening threshold was updated to a real-time value according to the driver's state, but this example is not mandatory. The opening threshold may be a constant value that has been set in advance.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the dimming control unit 13 estimated whether the driver was in a dazzling state using at least one of the driver's eyelid opening and the driver's pupil opening, but estimating whether or not the driver is in a dazzling state is not essential.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the dimming control unit 13 changed the dimming position by moving a plurality of segments 3a whose dimming depth has been darkened so that the shading portion where the illumination is reduced on the driver's face is closer to the driver's eye position, but it is not limited to this example. The dimming control unit 13 may substantially change the dimming position by darkening the dimming depth of a plurality of segments 3a at positions corresponding to the driver's eye position so that a shading portion is created at the driver's eye position. In this case, the dimming control unit 13 may identify the segment 3a whose dimming depth has been changed based on the position of the segment 3a before the dimming depth was changed, the driver's eye position, and the change in illumination on the driver's face.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the illuminance of the light on the driver's face was acquired using the illuminance sensor 1, but the example is not limited to this. The illuminance of the light on the driver's face may also be acquired based on known image processing using the image captured by the driver monitor camera 2.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the driver was used as an example of an occupant, but the invention is not limited to this example. The occupant may be someone other than the driver.

[0061] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the change in the direction of travel of the vehicle 50 is not directly acquired by using the change in the distribution of brightness and darkness of light intensity on the driver's face. However, the change in the direction of travel of the vehicle 50 may be directly acquired. In this case, for example, the change in the direction of travel of the vehicle may be directly acquired based on information such as the change in the vehicle position determined using the GNSS receiver, or the detection result of the yaw rate sensor. The dimming control unit may change at least one of the dimming position and dimming intensity in accordance with the acquired change in the direction of travel of the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 3... Dimming unit, 11... Occupant status acquisition unit, 12... Face illumination acquisition unit, 13... Dimming control unit, 50... Vehicle, 52... Windshield (window glass), 100... Dimming control device.

Claims

1. A dimming unit that adjusts the transmittance of light incident on the vehicle's window glass, An occupant status acquisition unit that acquires the eye position of the occupant of the vehicle, A face illuminance acquisition unit that acquires the illuminance of the light on the face of the occupant, The system includes a dimming control unit that controls the dimming unit based on the eye position and the illuminance, The dimming control unit is a dimming control device that changes at least one of the dimming position for dimming the light transmittance in the window glass and the dimming degree, which is the degree to which the light transmittance is dimmed, in accordance with the change in illuminance at the eye position.

2. The occupant status acquisition unit acquires the opening value of at least one of the occupant's eyelid opening and the occupant's pupil opening. The dimming control device according to claim 1, wherein the dimming control unit, when it estimates that the occupant is in a dazzling state based on the result of comparing the opening value with a predetermined opening threshold, changes at least one of the dimming position and the dimming degree.

3. The dimming control device according to claim 2, wherein the dimming control unit sets the opening threshold value based on the time when it is estimated that the occupant is no longer in a state of glare after being in a state in which it is estimated to be in a state of glare.

Images