Light-emitting device and mobile body

Abstract

The present invention provides a light-emitting device that can suppress the occurrence of halation in the image generated by the imaging device, even when a white line on the ground is detected using a light-emitting device in a vehicle monitoring system. [Solution] The light-emitting device 1 is mounted on the support of the mobile body 100 alongside the imaging device 2, and emits invisible light detected by the imaging device 2 toward the ground, wherein the position of the peak illuminance in the illumination area IA of the invisible light irradiated toward the ground is P P It is located away from the support, and the irradiation area IA is at the peak illuminance position P P The region includes a first region A1 containing the white line 210, and a second region A2 surrounding the first region A1. If the irradiance required to detect the white line 210 drawn on the ground is defined as the white line irradiance, then the first region A1 is a region irradiated with invisible light at an irradiance equal to or greater than the white line irradiance, and the second region A2 is a region irradiated with invisible light at an irradiance lower than the white line irradiance.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a light-emitting device and a mobile device such as an automobile. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, vehicle monitoring systems that monitor the area around an automobile using images have been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In this type of vehicle monitoring system, an imaging device is mounted on the car's side mirror along with a light-emitting device. The light-emitting device emits infrared light, and the imaging device detects the infrared light reflected from the ground or obstacles, thereby generating an image of the area around the vehicle. This allows for the visualization and monitoring of the area around the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-71386 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] In vehicle monitoring systems using light-emitting and imaging devices, some of the infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device is reflected by the vehicle body, and this reflected light is detected by the imaging device, which can cause halation in the image generated by the imaging device. In particular, when the amount of light detected by the imaging device is large, the halation becomes more noticeable, and the quality of the image generated by the imaging device is greatly reduced or false detections occur.

[0006] In recent years, development has been progressing on parking assistance systems that help vehicles park by detecting white lines drawn on the ground in parking lots and other areas. Furthermore, development is also underway on automated parking systems that use autonomous driving technology to automatically park vehicles in parking lots and other areas by detecting white lines drawn on the ground, without requiring the driver to operate the vehicle.

[0007] In this case, it is conceivable that the white lines on the parking lot ground could be detected by infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device in the vehicle monitoring system described above.

[0008] However, it was found that when attempting to detect white lines on the ground using a light-emitting device in a vehicle monitoring system, the luminous flux of infrared light emitted from the device needs to be increased. In other words, it was found that the infrared irradiance required to detect white lines must be higher than the infrared irradiance required to detect obstacles (people or objects, etc.).

[0009] Therefore, when attempting to detect white lines on the ground using a light-emitting device in a vehicle monitoring system, the amount of infrared light emitted from the device increases, resulting in a larger amount of light detected by the imaging device. As a result, halation occurs in the image generated by the imaging device due to the infrared light reflected from the vehicle body.

[0010] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a light-emitting device and a mobile body that can suppress the occurrence of halation in the image generated by the imaging device, even when a light-emitting device in a vehicle monitoring system detects white lines on the ground. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To achieve the above objective, one embodiment of the light-emitting device according to the present invention is a light-emitting device attached to a support of a moving body alongside an imaging device, which irradiates invisible light detected by the imaging device toward the ground, wherein the position of the peak illuminance in the irradiation area of ​​the invisible light irradiated toward the ground is located away from the support, and the irradiation area includes a first area including the position of the peak illuminance and a second area surrounding the first area, and if the irradiance that can detect a white line drawn on the ground is defined as the white line irradiance, then the first area is an area irradiated with invisible light at an irradiance of the same or greater than the white line irradiance, and the second area is an area irradiated with invisible light at an irradiance lower than the white line irradiance.

[0012] Furthermore, one embodiment of the mobile body according to the present invention comprises the above-mentioned light-emitting device, the imaging device, and the support body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, even if a white line on the ground is detected using a light-emitting device in a vehicle monitoring system, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of halation in the image generated by the imaging device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a front view of the mobile body according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows the illumination area of ​​infrared light projected onto the ground from the comparative example's light-emitting device in a vehicle monitoring system using the comparative example's light-emitting device and imaging device installed in a left-hand drive vehicle. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows the illumination area of ​​infrared light projected onto the ground from the comparative light source in a comparative vehicle monitoring system using the comparative light source and imaging device installed in a right-hand drive vehicle. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows the relationship between the position and irradiance in the irradiation area of ​​infrared light emitted from the comparative example's light-emitting device. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of infrared light irradiated from a light-emitting device according to an embodiment onto the ground in a vehicle monitoring system using the light-emitting device and an imaging device installed in a left-hand drive vehicle. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an irradiation area of infrared light irradiated from a light-emitting device according to an embodiment onto the ground in a vehicle monitoring system using the light-emitting device and an imaging device installed in a right-hand drive vehicle. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the position and irradiance in an irradiation area of infrared light irradiated from a light-emitting device according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the position and irradiance in an irradiation area of infrared light irradiated from a light-emitting device according to Modification 1. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the position and irradiance in an irradiation area of infrared light irradiated from a light-emitting device according to Modification 2.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that each of the embodiments described below shows a specific example of the present invention. Therefore, the numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions of the components, connection forms, etc., shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Thus, among the components in the following embodiments, components not described in the independent claims indicating the most general concept of the present invention are described as optional components.

[0016] Note that each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily drawn precisely. Therefore, the scales, etc. in each figure do not necessarily match. In each figure, the same reference numerals are given to substantially the same configurations, and overlapping explanations are omitted or simplified.

[0017] Furthermore, in this specification and drawings, the X, Y, and Z axes represent the three axes of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. The X and Y axes are mutually orthogonal and both are orthogonal to the Z axis. In the following embodiments, the Z-axis direction is vertical, with the positive Z-axis side being upward and the negative Z-axis side being downward. The Y-axis direction is to the side of the moving body (automobile), and the X-axis direction is the front-to-back direction of the moving body (automobile). The positive X-axis direction is the direction in which the moving body is moving (forward), and the negative X-axis direction is the direction opposite to the direction in which the moving body is moving (rearward).

[0018] (Embodiment) First, the movable body 100 according to the embodiment will be described using Figure 1. Figure 1 is a front view of the movable body 100 according to the embodiment.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, the mobile unit 100 is an automobile, which is an example of a vehicle. Specifically, the mobile unit 100 is a four-wheeled automobile. The mobile unit 100, being an automobile, may be, for example, a gasoline-powered automobile, an electric-powered automobile, or a hybrid automobile. The mobile unit 100 may also be other automobiles such as a two-wheeled automobile (motorcycle).

[0020] The mobile unit 100 comprises a vehicle body 110, door mirrors 120, a light-emitting device 1, and an imaging device 2.

[0021] The vehicle body 110 is the main body of the mobile unit 100 and has a passenger compartment for the driver. Other passengers besides the driver may also ride in the passenger compartment of the vehicle body 110.

[0022] The door mirror 120 is a side mirror mounted on the side of the vehicle body 110. The door mirror 120 is supported by the vehicle body 110. Specifically, the door mirror 120 is supported by the front door of the vehicle body 110. The door mirror 120 is provided on each of the two front doors. In other words, the mobile unit 100 has a right-side door mirror 120 and a left-side door mirror 120. The right-side door mirror 120 and the left-side door mirror 120 have different mounting angles. For example, the mounting angles of the right-side door mirror 120 and the left-side door mirror 120 differ by about 10°. The position (height position) of the door mirror 120 in the Z-axis direction varies depending on the type of mobile unit 100, but is between 0.5m and 1.4m from the ground 200.

[0023] The door mirror 120 is a support that supports the light-emitting device 1. In this embodiment, the door mirror 120 also supports the imaging device 2. In other words, the door mirror 120 supports both the light-emitting device 1 and the imaging device 2. In this embodiment, the light-emitting device 1 and the imaging device 2 are supported on each of the two door mirrors 120, but this is not limited to this. In other words, the light-emitting device 1 and the imaging device 2 may be supported on only one of the two door mirrors 120.

[0024] As shown in Figure 1, the light-emitting device 1 and the imaging device 2 are located on the side of the vehicle body 110 and are attached to the door mirror 120. Specifically, the light-emitting device 1 and the imaging device 2 are attached to the lower part of the door mirror 120. More specifically, the light-emitting device 1 and the imaging device 2 are attached to the lower part of the mirror cover on the door mirror 120.

[0025] The light-emitting device 1 is mounted on the door mirror 120 alongside the imaging device 2. For example, the light-emitting device 1 and the imaging device 2 are mounted on the door mirror 120 side by side in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, depending on the type of vehicle of the moving body 100, the light-emitting device 1 and the imaging device 2 are located at a position of 0.5m to 1.4m above the ground 200 in the Z-axis direction.

[0026] Furthermore, the light-emitting device 1 is positioned closer to the vehicle body 110 than the imaging device 2. In other words, the imaging device 2 is positioned outside the light-emitting device 1. That is, they are arranged in the order of vehicle body 110, light-emitting device 1, and imaging device 2. However, the order of the light-emitting device 1 and imaging device 2 is not limited to this. Specifically, the imaging device 2 may be positioned closer to the vehicle body 110 than the light-emitting device 1. That is, they may be arranged in the order of vehicle body 110, imaging device 2, and light-emitting device 1.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, the light-emitting device 1 illuminates the area surrounding the vehicle body 110 of the mobile body 100. Since the light-emitting device 1 is mounted below the door mirror 120, it illuminates downwards. Specifically, the light-emitting device 1 illuminates invisible light toward the ground 200. The ground 200 is, for example, a paved road surface.

[0028] The light-emitting device 1 comprises a light source that emits invisible light and a lens that controls the light distribution of the invisible light emitted from the light source. The light source is, for example, an LED light source composed of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). In this embodiment, the light source is an IR light source that emits infrared light (IR light) as invisible light. Therefore, the light-emitting device 1 irradiates infrared light toward the ground 200. Specifically, the light source in the light-emitting device 1 emits near-infrared light (NIR light) with a wavelength of approximately 700 nm to 2500 nm.

[0029] Furthermore, the light-emitting device 1 may be configured to emit not only invisible light such as infrared light, but also visible light such as white light. In this case, the light-emitting device 1 has a light source that emits invisible light (first light source) and a light source that emits visible light (second light source). The invisible light and visible light may be emitted simultaneously, or at different timings.

[0030] The imaging device 2 detects invisible light emitted from the light-emitting device 1. In other words, the light-emitting device 1 emits invisible light detected by the imaging device 2 toward the ground 200. The imaging device 2 detects the invisible light emitted from the light-emitting device 1 toward the ground 200 that has been reflected by the ground 200 or obstacles (people, objects, etc.). By detecting the reflected light reflected by the ground 200 or obstacles around the moving body 100, the imaging device 2 generates an image of the area around the vehicle of the moving body 100.

[0031] In this embodiment, the light-emitting device 1 emits infrared light, so the imaging device 2 detects the infrared light as invisible light. Specifically, the light-emitting device 1 emits near-infrared light, so the imaging device 2 detects the near-infrared light. In this case, a near-infrared camera capable of detecting near-infrared light can be used as the imaging device 2. The imaging device 2 has an image sensor such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor.

[0032] The light-emitting device 1 and imaging device 2, which are attached to the door mirror 120, constitute a vehicle monitoring system. Specifically, the light-emitting device 1 emits infrared light, and the imaging device 2 detects the infrared light reflected from the ground 200 or obstacles, thereby generating an image of the area around the vehicle.

[0033] Next, using Figures 2 to 7, the features of the light-emitting device 1 according to the embodiment will be explained, including the background leading to the present invention.

[0034] In recent years, development has been progressing on parking assistance systems that help vehicles park by detecting white lines drawn on the ground in parking lots and other areas. Furthermore, development is also underway on automated parking systems that use autonomous driving technology to automatically park vehicles in parking lots and other areas by detecting white lines drawn on the ground, without requiring the driver to operate the vehicle.

[0035] At this time, it is being considered to use the light-emitting device in a vehicle monitoring system that uses a light-emitting device and an imaging device to detect white lines on the ground. Specifically, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, it is being considered to park the mobile body 100 in a parking space 220 by detecting white lines 210 drawn in a parking lot, etc., using infrared light emitted from a light-emitting device (not shown) attached to the door mirror 120 of the mobile body 100.

[0036] Figures 2 and 3 show the illumination area IAx of infrared light emitted from the comparative example's light-emitting device onto the ground in a vehicle monitoring system using the comparative example's light-emitting device and imaging device. Figure 2 shows the case where the mobile body 100 is a left-hand drive vehicle, and Figure 3 shows the case where the mobile body 100 is a right-hand drive vehicle. Figures 2 and 3 also show the illumination area IAx of infrared light emitted from the comparative example's light-emitting device attached to the right-side door mirror 120. Note that the door mirror 120 is equipped with both the comparative example's light-emitting device and imaging device. The comparative example's light-emitting device and imaging device are also attached to the left-side door mirror.

[0037] Furthermore, in Figures 2 and 3, the white lines 210 drawn on the ground of the parking lot are shown as thick black lines. The parking space 220 is the area between the two white lines 210 and is a space where one mobile vehicle 100 can be parked. As an example, the distance between the two white lines 210 is 2.0m to 3.0m, but is not limited to this.

[0038] The inventors of this invention investigated the detection of white lines on the ground using a light-emitting device in a vehicle monitoring system and found that it was necessary to increase the luminous flux of infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device. In other words, they found that the infrared irradiance required to detect the white lines 210 had to be higher than the infrared irradiance required to detect obstacles (people or objects, etc.). Therefore, in this case, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, it is necessary to make the entire infrared light irradiation area IAx a high-irradiance area.

[0039] Therefore, when attempting to detect the white line 210 using the comparative example's light-emitting device, the amount of light detected by the imaging device becomes large. As a result, halation occurs in the image generated by the imaging device due to infrared light emitted from the comparative example's light-emitting device and reflected by the vehicle body 110.

[0040] In particular, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, when the position where the comparative example's light-emitting device is installed is taken as the origin P0, the irradiance distribution line showing the irradiance of the irradiation area IAx at a position perpendicular to the direction of travel of the moving body 100 (the Y-axis direction in Figures 2 and 3) is a linear function (straight line), as shown in Figure 4. Also, as shown in Figure 4, in the irradiation area IAx of infrared light emitted from the comparative example's light-emitting device, the position of the peak irradiance P P The origin P0 is at this point. In other words, the position of the peak illuminance is P. P This is the position of the door mirror 120. Therefore, if the amount of infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device to detect the white line 210 is increased, the amount of infrared light reflected by the vehicle body 110 of the moving body 100 will increase significantly, making it easier for halation to occur in the image generated by the imaging device.

[0041] Furthermore, since the mounting angle of the door mirror 120 relative to the vehicle body 110 differs between left-hand drive and right-hand drive vehicles, if the same light-emitting device is used for both left-hand drive and right-hand drive vehicles, the infrared light irradiation area IAx of the light-emitting device in the right-hand drive vehicle will be rotated relative to the infrared light irradiation area IAx of the light-emitting device in the left-hand drive vehicle by the amount of the difference in the mounting angle of the door mirror 120. As a result, for one of the left-hand drive or right-hand drive vehicles, the proportion of infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device that is reflected by the vehicle body 110 increases, making it easier for halation to occur in the image generated by the imaging device.

[0042] For example, the door mirror 120 of the right-hand drive vehicle shown in Figure 3 is installed on the vehicle body 110 in a state where it is rotated counterclockwise around the origin P0 when viewed from the Z-axis direction, compared to the door mirror 120 of the left-hand drive vehicle shown in Figure 2. Therefore, the irradiation area IAx of the infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device of the right-hand drive vehicle shown in Figure 3 is rotated counterclockwise around the origin P0 when viewed from the Z-axis direction, compared to the irradiation area IAx of the infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device of the left-hand drive vehicle shown in Figure 2. As a result, in front of the right-hand drive vehicle, the irradiation area IAx of the infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device extends into the vehicle body 110. Therefore, the proportion of infrared light reflected by the vehicle body 110 is higher in the right-hand drive vehicle shown in Figure 3 than in the left-hand drive vehicle shown in Figure 2, making halation more likely to occur.

[0043] In response to these challenges, the inventors of this invention have diligently investigated and discovered a technique that, by dividing the illumination area of ​​infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device on the ground into multiple areas according to the object to be detected, can suppress the occurrence of halation in the image generated by the imaging device, even when the white lines on the ground are detected using the light-emitting device in a vehicle monitoring system.

[0044] Specifically, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, in the vehicle monitoring system using the light-emitting device 1 according to this embodiment, the position P of the peak illuminance in the irradiation area IA of the infrared light irradiated onto the ground by the light-emitting device 1 is P It is located not at the position of the door mirror 120, but at a position away from the door mirror 120. Peak illuminance position P P In a top view, the point is located at a distance of 30 cm or more from the moving body 100 along a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the moving body 100 (Y-axis direction). Also, the position P of the peak illuminance is... P The distance from the moving object 100 may be 100 cm or more, and even 150 cm or more. For example, the position P of the peak illuminance. P The range of the moving object is 100 to 30 cm to 220 cm. Note that the peak illuminance is at position P. P It may be located within a range of 100 to less than 30 cm from the moving object, or it may be located at a position greater than 220 cm.

[0045] Figures 5 and 6 show the irradiation area IA of the infrared light irradiated from the light-emitting device 1 to the ground in the vehicle monitoring system using the light-emitting device 1 and the imaging device 2 according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 shows the case where the moving body 100 is a left-hand drive vehicle, and FIG. 6 shows the case where the moving body 100 is a right-hand drive vehicle. Further, FIGS. 5 and 6 show the irradiation area IA of the infrared light irradiated from the light-emitting device 1 attached to the right door mirror 120. Note that the white line 210 and the parking space 220 are the same as those in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the irradiation area IA of the infrared light irradiated onto the ground by the light-emitting device 1 includes a first area A1 and a second area A2 surrounding the first area A1. That is, the irradiation area IA is divided into the first area A1 and the second area A2.

[0047] The first area A1 is an area including the position P of the peak illuminance and is located at a position away from the door mirror 120. Also, when the irradiance at which the white line 210 drawn on the ground can be detected is defined as the white line irradiance (the target irradiance for white line detection), the first area A1 is an area irradiated with the infrared light of the light-emitting device 1 at an irradiance equal to or higher than the white line irradiance. That is, the first area A1 is a high irradiance area where the irradiance of the infrared light irradiated from the light-emitting device 1 is high.

[0048] When the irradiance at the position P of the peak illuminance is set to 100%, the white line irradiance is, for example, 20% or more and 50% or less. Also, when the irradiance at the position P of the peak illuminance is a and the white line irradiance is b, for example, 0.05 ≤ b / a ≤ 0.50. In this case, with respect to the white line irradiance, the position P of the peak illuminance P ​​​​​​The irradiance in this context should be set according to the height of the light-emitting device 1. For example, if the light-emitting device 1 attached to the door mirror 120 is located at a position of approximately 0.5 m from the ground 200 in the Z-axis direction, then b / a ≈ 0.06. Also, if the light-emitting device 1 is located at a position of approximately 1.4 m from the ground 200 in the Z-axis direction, then b / a ≈ 0.34. In most automobiles 2, the door mirror 120 is located at a position of 0.5 m to 1.4 m from the ground 200, so if 0.05 ≤ b / a ≤ 0.50, then a light-emitting device 1 that can be applied to any type of automobile 2 can be realized.

[0049] As shown in Figure 5, when car 2 is positioned next to two white lines 210, the first region A1 should overlap with the two white lines 210. However, the first region A1 may overlap with only one white line 210. In this case, the first region A1 overlapping with two white lines 210 allows for the detection of both white lines 210, enabling more accurate parking of car 2 in the parking space.

[0050] On the other hand, the second region A2 is a region irradiated by infrared light from the light-emitting device 1 at an irradiance lower than that of the white line irradiance. In other words, the second region A2 is a medium irradiance region where the irradiance of the infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device 1 is moderate. Obstacles (people or objects, etc.) located near the moving object 100 can be detected with infrared light at an irradiance lower than that required to detect the white line 210. Therefore, although the white line 210 cannot be detected in the second region A2, which is a medium irradiance region, obstacles located near the moving object 100 can be detected. In addition, in the first region A1, not only the white line 210 can be detected, but obstacles can also be detected. The second region A2 surrounds the entire first region A1, but it may surround only a part of the first region A1.

[0051] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, when the position where the light-emitting device 1 is installed is taken as the origin P0, the illuminance distribution line showing the irradiance of the irradiation area IA at a position perpendicular to the direction of travel of the moving body 100 (the Y-axis direction in Figures 5 and 6) is as shown in Figure 7, with the peak illuminance at position PP The curve is convex upwards and reaches a maximum at a certain point. Furthermore, in the illuminance distribution line shown in Figure 7, the curvature changes at the boundary between the first region A1 and the second region A2. In other words, the rate of change in irradiance is large at the boundary between the first region A1 and the second region A2, clearly distinguishing the two regions.

[0052] As described above, the light-emitting device 1 according to this embodiment separates the infrared irradiation area IA irradiated onto the ground by the light-emitting device 1 into a first area A1 capable of detecting the white line 210 and a second area A2 capable of detecting obstacles. Furthermore, the first area A1, which is a high-irradiance area, is kept away from the vehicle body 110 of the mobile body 100, so that the second area A2, which is a medium-irradiance area, exists in the vicinity of the vehicle body 110 of the mobile body 100. In other words, the area in the vicinity of the vehicle body 110 of the mobile body 100 is specialized for detecting obstacles.

[0053] This reduces and suppresses the infrared light beam near the vehicle body 110 of the moving object 100, thereby suppressing the occurrence of halation in the image generated by the imaging device due to reflected infrared light. Moreover, by surrounding the first region A1, which is a high-irradiance region, with the second region A2, which is a medium-irradiance region, a wider medium-irradiance region can be secured, thereby expanding the obstacle detection area.

[0054] Furthermore, the irradiation area IA can be separated into a first area A1 and a second area A2, and the peak illuminance position P can be determined. P One way to change this is through the lens provided by the light-emitting device 1. For example, by devising the shape of the lens that controls the distribution of infrared light emitted from the IR light source, the irradiation area IA can be separated into a first area A1 and a second area A2, or the position of the peak illuminance P can be changed. P You can change it.

[0055] Furthermore, the door mirror 120 of the right-hand drive vehicle shown in Figure 6 is installed on the vehicle body 110 in a state where it is rotated counterclockwise around the origin P0 when viewed from the Z-axis direction, compared to the door mirror 120 of the left-hand drive vehicle shown in Figure 5. As a result, the irradiation area IA of the infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device 1 of the right-hand drive vehicle shown in Figure 6 is rotated counterclockwise around the origin P0 when viewed from the Z-axis direction, compared to the irradiation area IA of the infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device 1 of the left-hand drive vehicle shown in Figure 5. Therefore, although the proportion of infrared light emitted from the light-emitting device 1 reflected by the vehicle body 110 is higher in the right-hand drive vehicle shown in Figure 6 than in the left-hand drive vehicle shown in Figure 5, the portion of the irradiation area IA that overlaps with the vehicle body 110 is the second region A2, which is a medium irradiance region.

[0056] This allows the irradiance of infrared light reflected by the vehicle body 110 to be kept low even in right-hand drive vehicles, thereby suppressing the occurrence of halation in the image generated by the imaging device. Therefore, even if the same structure of the light-emitting device 1 is used in left-hand drive and right-hand drive vehicles with different mounting angles, the occurrence of halation in the image generated by the imaging device can be suppressed. In other words, the light-emitting device 1 according to this embodiment can be used in both right-hand drive and left-hand drive vehicles. Furthermore, the light-emitting device 1 according to this embodiment can be used regardless of the position (height position) of the door mirror 120 in the Z-axis direction. In other words, the light-emitting device 1 according to this embodiment can be used in all types of automobiles, including sedans, SUVs, minivans, and kei cars.

[0057] As described above, according to the light-emitting device 1 of this embodiment, the position P of the peak illuminance in the irradiation area IA of the infrared light irradiated from the light-emitting device 1 to the ground is P It is located away from the door mirror 120, and the illumination area IA is at the peak illuminance position P P It includes a first region A1 which is a region that includes the white line irradiance and is irradiated with infrared light at an irradiance equal to or greater than the white line irradiance, and a second region A2 which surrounds the first region A1 and is irradiated with infrared light at an irradiance lower than the white line irradiance.

[0058] As a result, even if the light-emitting device 1 in the vehicle monitoring system detects the white line 210, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of halation in the image generated by the imaging device 2. Moreover, since the second region A2, which is a medium irradiance region, can be secured widely, the obstacle detection area can be expanded. In other words, it is possible to expand the obstacle detection area while suppressing halation.

[0059] (modified version) Although the light-emitting device and mobile body according to the present invention have been described above based on embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

[0060] For example, in the above embodiment, the position P of the peak illuminance in the irradiation area IA is P When the irradiance in a given area is set to 100%, the white line irradiance required to detect the white line 210 is defined as 20% to 50%, but this is not limited to this. Specifically, the position P of the peak irradiance in the irradiation area IA. P When the irradiance in a given area is set to 100%, the irradiance required to detect the white line 210 may be set to 20% or more and 30% or less. In this case, when the position where the light-emitting device 1 is installed is taken as the origin P0, the irradiance distribution line showing the irradiance of the irradiation area IA at a position perpendicular to the direction of travel of the moving body 100 (in the Y-axis direction) may be the curve shown in Figure 8.

[0061] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the illuminance distribution line showing the irradiance of the irradiation area IA is an upward-convex curve, and its curvature changes at the boundary between the first area A1 and the second area A2, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 9, the illuminance distribution line showing the irradiance of the irradiation area IA does not have to have a change in curvature at the boundary between the first area A1 and the second area A2.

[0062] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the illuminance distribution line showing the irradiance of the irradiation area IA is a curve, but it is not limited to this. For example, the illuminance distribution line showing the irradiance of the irradiation area IA may be a combination of multiple straight lines with different slopes. In this case, the slope of the illuminance distribution line changes at the boundary between the first area A1 and the second area A2.

[0063] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the support to which the light-emitting device 1 and the imaging device 2 are attached was a door mirror 120, but it is not limited to this. For example, the support to which the light-emitting device 1 and the imaging device 2 are attached may be the vehicle body 110 of the mobile body 100, or it may be a component installed on the vehicle body 110 (a component other than the door mirror 120).

[0064] Furthermore, the present invention also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to the above embodiments that a person skilled in the art could conceive, and forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of the embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In addition, the present invention also includes any combination of two or more claims from among the multiple claims described in the claims at the time of filing the present application, provided that such combination is not technically contradictory. For example, if the cited claims described in the claims at the time of filing the present application are made into a multi-claim or multi-multi-claim so as to refer to all of the higher-level claims without technically contradictory, then all combinations of claims included in that multi-claim or multi-multi-claim are also included in the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0065] 1. Light-emitting device 2. Imaging device 100 Mobile Units 120 Door mirror (support) 210 White Line IA irradiation area A1 1st area A2 2nd area

Claims

1. A light-emitting device that is attached to the support of a moving body alongside an imaging device and emits invisible light detected by the imaging device toward the ground, The position of the peak illuminance in the irradiation area of ​​the invisible light irradiated onto the ground is located at a position away from the support. The irradiation region includes a first region including the position of the peak illuminance and a second region surrounding the first region. If the irradiance required to detect the white lines drawn on the ground is defined as the white line irradiance, then the first region is a region irradiated with the invisible light at an irradiance equal to or greater than the white line irradiance, and the second region is a region irradiated with the invisible light at an irradiance lower than the white line irradiance. Light-emitting device.

2. Let a be the irradiance at the peak illuminance position, and b be the irradiance of the white line. Then b / a ≥ 0.

05. The light-emitting device according to claim 1.

3. b / a ≤ 0.50 The light-emitting device according to claim 2.

4. The position of the peak illuminance is, in a top view, at least 30 cm away from the light-emitting device in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the moving body. A light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. In an illuminance distribution line showing the irradiance of the irradiation area at a position perpendicular to the direction of travel of the moving body, with the position of the light-emitting device as the origin, the curvature or slope changes at the boundary between the first region and the second region. A light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. A light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The imaging device and, The support comprising, A mobile object.

7. The support is a door mirror. The mobile body according to claim 6.

Images