Vehicle system and vehicle lighting fixture

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle system for a motor cycle (100), the motor cycle (100) traveling on a corner by leaning a vehicle body toward a direction of turn, the vehicle system comprising: a light source; a projection lens which generates a predetermined high-beam light distribution pattern (PH) formed of a plurality of partial patterns (PHa to PHi) generated by light from the light source; an external sensor which detects positions of lamps (P1, P2) of an oncoming vehicle (CV); and a lamp control unit which adjusts the high-beam light distribution pattern (PH) such that the light does not illuminate a partial pattern (PHf), which is of the partial patterns (PHa to PHi) and includes a left upper point (P3) of the oncoming vehicle (CV).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle system and a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] There are high beam / low beam light sources for motorcycle headlights (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 039051 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For four-wheeled vehicles, a system has been proposed in which the light distribution pattern irradiated from the headlight is composed of multiple areas arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction, and some of the multiple areas are not irradiated depending on the object outside the vehicle, thereby forming a light distribution pattern that does not give glare to oncoming vehicles, for example. For two-wheeled vehicles, when turning right or left, the driver moves the center of gravity and tilts the body toward the turning direction to increase the bank angle while driving around the corner, so the light distribution pattern formed by the headlight also tilts from the horizontal direction due to the bank angle. Therefore, in a light distribution pattern tilted from the horizontal direction, light may be irradiated to an area that should not be irradiated, causing glare to objects such as oncoming vehicles.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle system and a vehicle lamp that form a predetermined light distribution pattern that can prevent the occurrence of glare on an object even when the vehicle body is inclined. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: A vehicle system provided on a vehicle that travels around a corner by leaning the vehicle body in the direction of the turn, A light source; an optical member that forms a predetermined light distribution pattern composed of a plurality of regions formed in parallel in one direction by irradiating light from the light source forward of the lamp; a sensor for detecting a lamp position on an object external to the vehicle; and a control unit that determines the top end position of the object based on the lamp position and adjusts the predetermined light distribution pattern so as not to irradiate the light onto a first area among the multiple areas that includes the top end position.

[0007] Further, a vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: A vehicle lamp provided on a vehicle that can travel around corners by tilting the vehicle body in the direction of the turn, A light source; an optical member that forms a predetermined light distribution pattern composed of a plurality of regions that are formed in parallel along a horizontal direction by irradiating light from the light source forward of the lamp; and a control unit that, when an object outside the vehicle is present, determines the upper end position of the object based on the lamp position of the object, and adjusts the predetermined light distribution pattern so that the light is not irradiated onto an area among the multiple areas that includes the upper end position. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle system and a vehicle lamp that form a predetermined light distribution pattern that can prevent the occurrence of glare on an object even when the vehicle body is inclined. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle equipped with a headlamp (vehicle lamp) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicle system installed in a vehicle. [Diagram 3]2 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a high beam lamp unit provided in a headlamp. [Figure 4] 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a light source unit included in the high beam lamp unit of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a high beam light distribution pattern when traveling straight. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a high beam light distribution pattern during cornering. [Figure 7] 11 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the lamp interval and the upper end position of another vehicle, such as an oncoming vehicle; FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is a table showing the results of measuring the ratio of the lamp interval to the upper end position of the vehicle in FIG. 7 for each vehicle type. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a high beam lamp unit included in a headlamp according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of an optical member provided in the high beam lamp unit of FIG. 9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the terms "left-right direction," "front-rear direction," and "up-down direction" are relative directions set for the vehicle 100 shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of convenience.

[0011] First embodiment FIG. 1 shows a motorcycle 100 as an example of a vehicle in the first embodiment. The motorcycle 100 is a vehicle that can travel along corners (curves) on a road by leaning the body in the direction of turning. The vehicle of this embodiment may have any number of wheels as long as it can travel around corners by leaning the body in the direction of turning, like the motorcycle 100. Therefore, for example, even a three-wheeled motor vehicle, a four-wheeled motor vehicle, etc. are included in the vehicle of this embodiment as long as they can travel in the same way as the motorcycle 100.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 1, a headlamp 1 (one example of a vehicle lamp) according to this embodiment is mounted on the front of a motorcycle 100. The headlamp 1 is a lamp capable of illuminating the area ahead of the vehicle, and includes a low beam lamp unit 2 and a high beam lamp unit 3. Note that, although this embodiment illustrates an example of a motorcycle 100 that includes one headlamp 1, the motorcycle may include, for example, one headlamp on each side.

[0013] Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicle system 50 mounted on a motorcycle 100. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle system 50 includes a headlamp 1 and various sensors 6 to 8. The headlamp 1 has a lamp control unit 5 that controls the operation of a low beam lamp unit 2 and a high beam lamp unit 3. The low beam lamp unit 2 and the high beam lamp unit 3 are connected to the lamp control unit 5. The various sensors 6 to 8 include a bank angle sensor 6 that detects the inclination state of the motorcycle 100, an external sensor 7 that detects environmental information outside the vehicle, and a speed sensor 8 that detects the speed of the motorcycle 100. The bank angle sensor 6, the external sensor 7, and the speed sensor 8 are connected to the lamp control unit 5.

[0014] The bank angle sensor 6 is a sensor capable of detecting the inclination angle when the body of the motorcycle 100 inclines to the left or right with respect to a vertical line. The bank angle sensor 6 is configured with, for example, a gyro sensor. The inclination angle of the body may be calculated based on, for example, an image captured by a camera mounted on the body.

[0015] The external sensor 7 is a sensor capable of acquiring information about the outside of the vehicle including the surrounding environment of the motorcycle 100 (e.g., obstacles, other vehicles (vehicles in front, oncoming vehicles), pedestrians, road shapes, traffic signs, etc.). The external sensor 7 is composed of at least one of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), a camera, radar, etc.

[0016] The information detected by the bank angle sensor 6, the external sensor 7, and the speed sensor 8 is transmitted to the lamp control unit 5. The lamp control unit 5 controls the operation of the low beam lamp unit 2 and the high beam lamp unit 3 based on the information transmitted from each of the sensors 6 to 8. For example, the lamp control unit 5 controls the headlamp 1 (the low beam lamp unit 2 and the high beam lamp unit 3) based on the detection information of each sensor, and is capable of adjusting the light distribution pattern (the low beam light distribution pattern and the high beam light distribution pattern) formed in front of the vehicle.

[0017] Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a headlamp 1 housing a high beam lamp unit 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the headlamp 1 includes a lamp body 11 having an opening on the vehicle front side, and a transparent front cover 12 attached so as to cover the opening of the lamp body 11. The high beam lamp unit 3, a lamp control unit 5, a bank angle sensor 6, an external sensor (e.g., LiDAR) 7, etc. are housed inside a lamp chamber 13 formed by the lamp body 11 and the front cover 12. Although not shown in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 3, the low beam lamp unit 2 is also housed in the lamp chamber 13 of the headlamp 1, similar to the high beam lamp unit 3.

[0018] The high beam lamp unit 3 is a so-called projector-type lamp, and includes a projection lens 22 (an example of an optical member), a light source unit 24 having a light source 26 for emitting high beams, and a holder 28 that holds the projection lens 22 and the light source unit 24. The projection lens 22 is a plano-convex aspheric lens with a convex front surface and a flat rear surface, and is disposed on an optical axis Ax that extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The peripheral portion of the projection lens 22 is held on the front end side of the holder 28. The projection lens 22 forms a predetermined light distribution pattern composed of a plurality of partial regions by emitting light from the light source 26 forward of the lamp.

[0019] The light source unit 24 is disposed so that the light source 26 faces forward in the direction of the optical axis Ax, and is held on the rear end side of the holder 28. The light source 26 is electrically connected to the lamp control unit 5. The holder 28 is attached to the lamp body 11 via a support member (not shown).

[0020] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of the light source unit 24. The light source unit 24 includes a light source 26, a support plate 40, and a heat sink 42. The light source 26 includes a plurality of individual light sources 30 configured with light-emitting elements such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The light source 26 includes individual light sources 30a-30i arranged in parallel in the left-right direction (direction perpendicular to the optical axis Ax) in, for example, nine horizontal columns and one vertical row, and is fixed to the front surface of the support plate 40. The individual light sources 30a-30i are configured as an LED array. Each of the individual light sources 30a-30i is electrically connected to the lamp control unit 5. The individual light sources 30a-30i are controlled by the lamp control unit 5 to emit light independently of each other in an ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) mode described later. The number and arrangement of the individual light sources 30 are not particularly limited.

[0021] The heat sink 42 is a member for dissipating heat generated from the light source 26, and is held on the vehicle rear side surface of the support plate 40. The light source unit 24 is fixed to the holder 28 via the support plate 40.

[0022] Next, the light distribution pattern formed by the headlamp 1 mounted on the motorcycle 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 shows light distribution patterns (high beam light distribution pattern PH and low beam light distribution pattern PL) formed in front of the lamp when the body of the motorcycle 100 is in a straight-ahead state, that is, when the motorcycle 100 is traveling with the body perpendicular to the road surface. The case where the body of the motorcycle 100 is in a straight-ahead state includes, for example, a case where the inclination of the body is within ±10 degrees with respect to a case where the body is vertical. FIG. 6 shows a light distribution pattern (only the high beam light distribution pattern PH is shown in this example) formed in front of the lamp when the body of the motorcycle 100 is in a cornering state, for example, when traveling with the body tilted to the right with respect to the road surface to travel around a right-facing corner. The high beam light distribution pattern PH is a light distribution pattern formed by the high beam lamp unit 3. The low beam light distribution pattern PL is a light distribution pattern formed by the low beam lamp unit 2. FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the lamp interval of another vehicle (an oncoming vehicle, a vehicle ahead, etc.) and the top end position of the other vehicle.

[0023] 5 and 6 show a light distribution pattern formed on a virtual vertical screen placed at a predetermined position in front of the lamp, for example, 25 m in front of the lamp. A vehicle shown separately from the motorcycle 100 is an oncoming vehicle CV traveling in front of the motorcycle 100 on the right side. The motorcycle 100 and the oncoming vehicle CV are displayed in separate coordinate systems. The oncoming vehicle CV is displayed on a road coordinate system X0-Y0. The motorcycle 100 is displayed on a motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1. In the case of FIG. 5 where the motorcycle 100 is traveling in a straight line, the road coordinate system X0-Y0 and the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 are displayed in agreement. In the case of FIG. 6 where the motorcycle 100 is traveling in a cornering state, the road coordinate system X0-Y0 and the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 are displayed differently by the angle of inclination of the motorcycle 100. Note that HH represents the horizontal direction and VV represents the vertical direction.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the high beam light distribution pattern PH is a light distribution pattern in which a plurality of vertically elongated partial patterns PHa to PHi are formed in parallel in the horizontal direction. Each of the partial patterns PHa to PHi is formed by light emitted from the individual light sources 30a to 30i. The partial pattern PHa is a pattern formed by the individual light source 30a. Similarly, the partial pattern PHb is formed by the individual light source 30b, the partial pattern PHc is formed by the individual light source 30c, the partial pattern PHd is formed by the individual light source 30d, the partial pattern PHe is formed by the individual light source 30e, the partial pattern PHf is formed by the individual light source 30f, the partial pattern PHg is formed by the individual light source 30g, the partial pattern PHh is formed by the individual light source 30h, and the partial pattern PHi is formed by the individual light source 30i. The high beam distribution pattern PH is formed as a high beam distribution pattern of different modes according to the conditions of the vehicle itself, an oncoming vehicle, or a vehicle ahead, by combining the formation and non-formation of the partial patterns PHa to PHi in the ADB mode.

[0025] Next, the ADB mode executed by the lamp control unit 5 will be described. The lamp control unit 5 detects the situation of the oncoming vehicle, including the presence or absence of the oncoming vehicle and the location of the oncoming vehicle (the distance from the motorcycle 100 to the oncoming vehicle, the position coordinates of the oncoming vehicle on a virtual vertical screen, etc.), based on, for example, environmental information acquired by the external sensor 7. The lamp control unit 5 also detects the situation of the vehicle, for example, based on vehicle body inclination angle information acquired by the bank angle sensor 6. The lamp control unit 5 also detects the situation of the vehicle, including the running and stopping of the vehicle, based on, for example, speed information acquired by the speed sensor 8. The lamp control unit 5 individually controls the turning on and off of each individual light source 30, based on information acquired by the external sensor 7, the bank angle sensor 6, and the speed sensor 8. The lamp control unit 5 turns on the individual light sources 30 corresponding to the areas where no object such as an oncoming vehicle exists, and turns off the individual light sources 30 corresponding to the areas where an object such as an oncoming vehicle exists.

[0026] 5, for example, the lamp control unit 5 calculates the direction in which the oncoming vehicle CV exists (the left and right side positions of the oncoming vehicle CV) and the distance from the motorcycle 100 to the oncoming vehicle CV based on information acquired by the external sensor 7 and the speed sensor 8. The lamp control unit 5 also calculates the traveling inclination angle of the vehicle based on information acquired by the bank angle sensor 6. The lamp control unit 5 defines a light-blocking range A for preventing light from being irradiated onto the oncoming vehicle CV based on information acquired by the external sensor 7, the bank angle sensor 6, etc. The light-blocking range A is defined as a range in the X0-axis direction between a boundary line xa that passes through the left side of the oncoming vehicle CV and extends in the Y0-axis direction, and a boundary line xb that passes through the right side of the oncoming vehicle CV and extends in the Y0-axis direction in the road coordinate system X0-Y0. The shaded area A is defined as a range in the Y0-axis direction between a boundary line ya that passes through a point where the boundary lines xa, xb intersect with the upper boundary of the high beam light distribution pattern PH in the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 and extends in the X0-axis direction, and a boundary line yb that passes through a point where the boundary lines xa, xb intersect with the X1-axis of the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 and extends in the X0-axis direction. The shaded area A may be defined as a range slightly larger or smaller than the oncoming vehicle CV.

[0027] In the example of FIG. 5 where the road coordinate system X0-Y0 and the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 coincide with each other, the coordinate values ​​of each point in the shaded area A in the road coordinate system X0-Y0 correspond to the same coordinate values ​​in the high beam light distribution pattern PH in the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1. The lamp control unit 5 specifies a partial pattern corresponding to an area in the high beam light distribution pattern PH where no oncoming vehicle CV exists in the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 based on the specified shaded area A. The lamp control unit 5 specifies partial patterns PHa-PHf, PHi in FIG. 5 as partial patterns where no oncoming vehicle CV exists. The lamp control unit 5 determines the specified partial patterns PHa-PHf, PHi as the illumination area. The lamp control unit 5 turns on the individual light sources 30a-30f, 30i corresponding to this illumination area (partial patterns PHa-PHf, PHi). On the other hand, the lamp control unit 5 identifies partial patterns PHg, PHh corresponding to the area where the oncoming vehicle CV is present in the high beam light distribution pattern PH in the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 based on the specified light blocking range A, and determines the identified partial patterns PHg, PHh as non-illuminated areas (light blocking areas). The lamp control unit 5 turns off the individual light sources 30g, 30h corresponding to the non-illuminated areas (partial patterns PHg, PHh).

[0028] As a result, when the motorcycle 100 is traveling straight ahead, a high beam light distribution pattern PH is formed in which the partial patterns PHg and PHh corresponding to the area where the oncoming vehicle CV is present are set as non-illuminated areas so as to include a light-blocking area A for not irradiating the oncoming vehicle CV with light. Note that the "non-illuminated area" may include an area where light is irradiated at a low illuminance so as not to cause glare to the driver of the oncoming vehicle.

[0029] Next, as shown in Fig. 6, when the motorcycle 100 is cornering, for example when the vehicle body is tilted to the right by an angle θ with respect to the road surface, the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 is inclined by the angle θ with respect to the road coordinate system X0-Y0. Therefore, an oncoming vehicle CV traveling on the road coordinate system X0-Y0 is inclined to the left by the angle θ when viewed from the motorcycle 100. Note that in Fig. 6, the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 is displayed so as to be aligned with the horizontal and vertical directions of the paper.

[0030] 6, the lamp control unit 5 also calculates various information related to the motorcycle 100 and the oncoming vehicle CV based on information acquired by the bank angle sensor 6, the external sensor 7, the speed sensor 8, etc. For example, the lamp control unit 5 calculates the coordinate values ​​of a pair of headlamps (left lamp P1, right lamp P2) mounted on the oncoming vehicle CV. The coordinate value of the left lamp P1 is calculated as the coordinate value (x11, y11) in the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1. The coordinate value of the right lamp P2 is calculated as the coordinate value (x12, y12) in the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1.

[0031] The lamp control unit 5 calculates the distance W between the left lamp P1 and the right lamp P2 based on the calculated coordinate values ​​(x11, y11) of the left lamp P1 and the coordinate values ​​(x12, y12) of the right lamp P2. The lamp control unit 5 calculates the height H from the left lamp P1 of the oncoming vehicle CV to the upper left point P3, which is the upper left end position of the oncoming vehicle CV, based on the calculated distance W between the left lamp P1 and the right lamp P2. The height H from the left lamp P1 to the upper left point P3 can be calculated by multiplying the distance W between the left lamp P1 and the right lamp P2 by a predetermined constant k.

[0032] The predetermined constant k is obtained as follows. As shown in FIG. 7, the interval W between the left and right lamps P1 and P2 and the height H from the left lamp P1 to the upper left point P3 of various vehicles were measured, and the ratio H / W was calculated for each vehicle type. FIG. 8 is a table showing the results of calculating the ratio H / W of the interval W between P1 and P2 and the height H between P1 and P3 for each vehicle type. In this example, the ratio H / W was calculated for a sedan, a light box, a compact car, a wagon, a large bus, a 4-ton truck, and a 10-ton truck. The height h from the ground to the left and right lamps P1 and P2 was set to 0.5 m for each vehicle type. As shown in FIG. 8, the maximum value of each ratio H / W calculated for each vehicle type is 1.00 for the large bus and the 10-ton truck. From this measurement result, it can be seen that the value of the height H from the left lamp P1 to the upper left point P3 of each vehicle type is equal to or less than the value of the interval W between the left and right lamps. As a result, the constant k by which the distance W between the left ramp P1 and the right ramp P2 is multiplied to calculate the height H from the left ramp P1 to the upper left point P3 is set to k=1, taking into account the maximum value of the ratio H / W of various vehicles expected to be oncoming vehicles.

[0033] Next, the lamp control unit 5 calculates the coordinate value (x13, y13) of the upper left point P3 in the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 based on the calculated height H from the left lamp P1 to the upper left point P3 and the coordinate value (x11, y11) of the left lamp P1. The coordinate value x13 of the upper left point P3 can be calculated by x13=x11-Hsinθ. The coordinate value y13 of the upper left point P3 can be calculated by y13=y11+Hcosθ. The upper left point P3 is the point located closest to the motorcycle 100 (the point located on the left side) of the oncoming vehicle CV leaning to the left as seen from the motorcycle 100. The coordinate value of the upper left point P3 in the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 is a value that changes according to the tilt angle of the vehicle body.

[0034] Next, the lamp control unit 5 specifies a partial pattern of the high beam light distribution pattern PH that includes the coordinate value x13 in the region in the X1-axis direction as a region corresponding to the coordinate value (x13, y13) of the upper left point P3 in the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the lamp control unit 5 specifies a partial pattern PHf (an example of a first region) of the high beam light distribution pattern PH as a region corresponding to the coordinate value (x13, y13) of the upper left point P3. The lamp control unit 5 determines the region from the partial pattern PHf to the partial pattern PHh, which is obtained by adding the partial pattern PHf specified as the region corresponding to the coordinate value (x13, y13) of the upper left point P3 to the partial pattern PHg, PHh specified as the region where the oncoming vehicle CV exists when the motorcycle 100 is in a straight traveling state, as a non-illuminated region. The lamp control unit 5 turns off the individual light sources 30f, 30g, 30h corresponding to this non-illuminated region (partial patterns PHf, PHg, PHh). On the other hand, the lamp control unit 5 determines the partial patterns PHa to PHe and PHi other than the partial patterns PHf, PHg, and PHh as the irradiation area. The lamp control unit 5 turns on the individual light sources 30a to 30e, 30i corresponding to the irradiation area (partial patterns PHa to PHe, PHi).

[0035] As a result, when the motorcycle 100 is cornering, a high beam distribution pattern PH is formed in which the partial patterns PHf, PHg, and PHh corresponding to the area where the oncoming vehicle CV is present are made non-illuminated areas so as not to illuminate the oncoming vehicle CV, which is leaning relative to the motorcycle 100.

[0036] The inclination angle θ of the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 with respect to the road coordinate system X0-Y0 increases as the inclination of the vehicle body with respect to the road surface increases. Therefore, the greater the rightward inclination of the motorcycle 100 with respect to the road surface, the greater the change in the coordinate value (x13, y13) of the upper left point P3 of the oncoming vehicle CV on the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 to the left from the coordinate value of the upper left point P3 of the oncoming vehicle CV when the vehicle body is traveling perpendicular to the road surface. As a result, when the motorcycle 100 is cornering to the right, the position of the partial pattern of the high beam light distribution pattern PH identified as the area corresponding to the upper left end position of the oncoming vehicle CV moves leftward, and the range of the partial pattern determined as the non-illuminated area increases by the partial pattern PHf in the example shown in FIG. 6.

[0037] As described above, the vehicle system 50 according to the present embodiment is provided on the motorcycle 100 that runs around a corner by tilting the vehicle body toward the turning direction. The vehicle system 50 includes a light source 26, a projection lens 22 (an example of an optical member) that forms a predetermined high beam light distribution pattern PH consisting of a plurality of partial patterns PHa to PHi formed in parallel in one direction by irradiating light from the light source 26 forward of the headlamp 1, an external sensor 7 that detects the positions (an example of lamp positions) of the lamps P1, P2 of an oncoming vehicle CV (an example of an object) outside the vehicle, and a lamp control unit 5 that determines the upper left point P3 (an example of an upper end position) of the oncoming vehicle CV based on the positions of the lamps P1, P2, and adjusts the high beam light distribution pattern PH so as not to irradiate light onto a partial pattern PHf (an example of a first region) including the upper left point P3 of the oncoming vehicle CV among the partial patterns PHa to PHi formed in parallel. According to this configuration, the upper end coordinate value of the oncoming vehicle CV is calculated based on the coordinate value of the headlamp 1 of the oncoming vehicle CV, which can be easily identified even at night, so that the position of the upper end of the oncoming vehicle CV can be accurately identified. This makes it possible to easily form a predetermined high beam light distribution pattern PH that can prevent glare from being caused to the oncoming vehicle CV even when the motorcycle 100 is in a tilted state. Note that the object to be blocked is not limited to the oncoming vehicle CV, and similar control may be performed on the vehicle ahead.

[0038] According to the vehicle system 50, the oncoming vehicle CV is a vehicle equipped with a pair of lamps P1, P2 arranged at a fixed distance apart on the left and right, and the lamp control unit 5 calculates the distance W between the pair of lamps P1, P2 based on the positions of the lamps P1, P2, and calculates the coordinates of the upper left point P3 of the oncoming vehicle CV by multiplying the distance W by a predetermined constant k. The non-illuminated range in the high beam light distribution pattern PH can be easily determined by using the constant k (k=1 in this example) that indicates the relationship between the position of the lamp P1 of the oncoming vehicle CV and the position of the upper left point P3 of the oncoming vehicle CV.

[0039] According to the vehicle system 50, the partial patterns PHa to PHi are each a vertically elongated region arranged in parallel along the left-right direction. Therefore, by switching between illumination and non-illumination for each of the partial patterns PHa to PHi, an appropriate light distribution pattern that can prevent glare to an oncoming vehicle CV can be easily formed.

[0040] According to the vehicle system 50, the light source 26 includes a plurality of individual light sources 30 (light-emitting elements) arranged in parallel, the partial patterns PHa to PHi are formed in parallel along the horizontal direction by light from the plurality of individual light sources 30, and the lamp control unit 5 turns off the individual light sources that form the partial pattern including the upper left point P3 among the plurality of individual light sources 30 based on the position of the upper left point P3. In this way, the non-illuminated region in the high beam light distribution pattern PH can be appropriately formed with a simple configuration of the light source 26 using, for example, an LED array.

[0041] The vehicle lamp (headlamp) 1 is provided on a motorcycle 100 that can travel around corners by tilting the vehicle body toward the direction of turning. The vehicle lamp 1 includes a light source 26, a projection lens 22 that irradiates light from the light source 26 forward of the headlamp 1 to form a predetermined high beam light distribution pattern PH consisting of a plurality of partial patterns PHa to PHi that are formed in parallel along the horizontal direction, and a lamp control unit 5 that, when an oncoming vehicle CV is present outside the vehicle, determines an upper left point P3 of the oncoming vehicle CV based on the positions of the lamps P1 and P2 of the oncoming vehicle CV and adjusts the high beam light distribution pattern PH so as not to irradiate light to an area of ​​the partial patterns PHa to PHi that includes the upper left point P3. With this configuration, as with the vehicle system 50, it is possible to easily form a predetermined high beam light distribution pattern PH that can prevent the occurrence of glare to the oncoming vehicle CV even when the motorcycle 100 is in a tilted state.

[0042] In this embodiment, a case where the motorcycle 100 is tilted to the right with respect to the road surface has been described, but for example, even if the motorcycle 100 is tilted to the left with respect to the road surface, the lamp control unit 5 can set the non-illumination area of ​​the high beam light distribution pattern PH in a similar manner. Specifically, when the vehicle body is tilted to the left, the lamp control unit 5 specifies the coordinate value of the upper right point, which is the upper end position of the right side of the oncoming vehicle CV, and sets the non-illumination area to prevent glare from being given to the oncoming vehicle CV.

[0043] In addition, in this embodiment, the upper end position of the oncoming vehicle CV is calculated based on the lamp position value of the headlamp, but this is not limited to this. For example, the coordinate value of a lamp other than the headlamp mounted on the oncoming vehicle CV or the coordinate value of a member other than the lamp may be specified, and the upper end position of the oncoming vehicle CV may be calculated based on the specified coordinate value.

[0044] In addition, in this embodiment, when the non-illumination area during cornering is set, the partial pattern Phf corresponding to the position of the upper left point P3 of the oncoming vehicle CV is specified, and the specified partial pattern PHf is added to the partial patterns PHg, PHh specified as the non-illumination area during straight driving, but this is not limited to the above. For example, in FIG. 6, the coordinate value (x14, y14) of the lower right point P4 located at the rightmost position of the oncoming vehicle CV may be calculated based on the coordinate value of the right lamp P2, and the partial pattern PHh corresponding to the calculated position of the lower right point P4 may be specified. Then, the partial patterns PHf, PHg, PHh ranging from the partial pattern PHf corresponding to the position of the upper left point P3 of the oncoming vehicle CV to the partial pattern PHh corresponding to the position of the lower right point P4 may be set as the non-illumination area. The coordinate value x14 of the lower right point P4 is calculated by x14=x12+hsinθ. The coordinate value y14 of the lower right point P4 is calculated by y14=y12-hcosθ. In the formula, h is a value indicating the height of the headlamps P1, P2, and as described above, is set to a common value of h=0.5 m for various vehicles.

[0045] Second Embodiment Next, the configuration of a high beam lamp unit 103 provided in a headlamp 101 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. As shown in FIG. 9, the high beam lamp unit 103 is a projector type lamp. The high beam lamp unit 103 includes a rotating reflector 111 (an example of an optical member), an LED 113 (an example of a light source), and a projection lens 115 (an example of an optical member) disposed in front of the rotating reflector 111. Instead of the LED 113, a semiconductor light emitting element such as an EL element or an LD element can be used as a light source. In particular, for control to make a part of a light distribution pattern, which will be described later, non-illumination, a light source that can be turned on and off accurately in a short time is preferable. The shape of the projection lens 115 may be appropriately selected according to the light distribution characteristics such as the required light distribution pattern and illuminance distribution, and an aspherical lens or a free curved lens is used. In this embodiment, a convex aspherical lens is used as the projection lens 115.

[0046] The rotating reflector 111 rotates in one direction about a rotation axis R by a driving source such as a motor (not shown). The rotating reflector 111 also includes a reflective surface configured to reflect the light emitted from the LED 113 while rotating, and form a desired light distribution pattern.

[0047] 10, the rotating reflector 111 includes three blades 111a having the same shape and a cylindrical rotating part 111b. The blades 111a function as a reflecting surface and are provided around the rotating part 111b. The rotation axis R of the rotating reflector 111 is oblique to the optical axis Ax and is provided in a plane including the optical axis Ax and the LED 113.

[0048] The blade 111a has a twisted shape such that the angle between the optical axis Ax and the reflecting surface changes as it moves in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis R. This enables scanning using the light of the LED 113 as shown in FIG. 9. Specifically, the rotating reflector 111 is configured to rotate 120 degrees to scan the front once in one direction (horizontal direction) with the light of the LED 113. In other words, when one blade 111a passes in front of the LED 113, a desired area in front of the vehicle is scanned once with the light of the LED 113.

[0049] In the second embodiment, the lamp control unit 5 also determines the upper left point P3 (upper end position) of the oncoming vehicle CV (object) based on the positions (lamp positions) of the lamps P1 and P2 of the oncoming vehicle CV, and adjusts the high beam light distribution pattern PH so as not to irradiate the partial pattern (first region) including the upper left point P3 among the multiple partial patterns PHa to PHi. Specifically, the lamp control unit 5 calculates the interval W between the left lamp P1 and the right lamp P2, and calculates the height H from the left lamp P1 of the oncoming vehicle CV to the upper left point P3, which is the upper left end position of the oncoming vehicle CV, by multiplying the calculated interval W by a constant k=1 indicating the relationship between the lamp positions and the upper end position of the oncoming vehicle CV. Next, the lamp control unit 5 calculates the coordinate value of the upper left point P3 in the motorcycle coordinate system X1-Y1 based on the height H from the left lamp P1 to the upper left point P3 and the coordinate value of the left lamp P1. Next, the lamp control unit 5 identifies a partial pattern of the high beam light distribution pattern PH as an area corresponding to the coordinate value of the upper left point P3, and determines the identified partial pattern as a non-illuminated area. Next, the lamp control unit 5 controls the operation of the LED 113 and the rotating reflector 111 so that the light from the LED 113 is not irradiated onto the non-illuminated area of ​​the high beam light distribution pattern PH by synchronizing the timing of turning on and off the LED 113 with the rotation of the rotating reflector 111. That is, by controlling the timing of emitting the light from the LED 113 and the scanning direction of the light by the rotating reflector 111, the high beam light distribution pattern PH is formed so that the light is not irradiated onto the non-illuminated area. In this way, in the high beam lighting unit 103 of the scanning optical system equipped with a rotating reflector 111, as in the high beam lighting unit 3 of the first embodiment equipped with an LED array, when the vehicle body is tilted, the upper end position of the oncoming vehicle CV is calculated based on the distance W between lamps P1 and P2 of the oncoming vehicle CV and a predetermined constant k, and the partial pattern corresponding to the upper end position is made a non-illuminated area, thereby easily forming a predetermined high beam distribution pattern PH that can prevent the occurrence of glare to the oncoming vehicle CV.

[0050] It should be noted that a high beam lamp unit of a scanning optical system equipped with a galvanometer mirror or a polygon mirror may be used instead of the rotating reflector 111. In this case, too, by performing the same control as described above, it is possible to obtain the same effects as in the first and second embodiments.

[0051] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the present embodiment. The present embodiment is merely an example, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiment are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of the present invention should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the lamp control unit 5, the bank angle sensor 6, and the external sensor 7 are housed in the lamp chamber of the headlamp 1, but the present invention is not limited to this example. The lamp control unit 5, the bank angle sensor 6, and the external sensor 7 may be disposed separately from the headlamp 1.

[0053] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-123081 filed on July 17, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A vehicle system provided on a vehicle that travels around a corner by leaning the vehicle body in the direction of the turn, A light source; an optical member that forms a predetermined light distribution pattern composed of a plurality of regions formed in parallel in one direction by irradiating light from the light source forward of the lamp; a sensor for detecting a lamp position on an object external to the vehicle; a control unit that determines a top end position of the object based on the lamp position, and adjusts the predetermined light distribution pattern so as not to irradiate the light onto a first area among the multiple areas that includes the top end position.

2. The object is a vehicle equipped with a pair of lamps arranged on the left and right at a certain distance apart, The control unit is Calculating a distance between the pair of lamps based on the lamp positions; Calculating the upper end position by multiplying the interval by a predetermined constant; The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle system is configured as follows:

3. The vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of regions are vertically elongated regions arranged in parallel along a left-right direction.

4. The light source includes a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in parallel, the plurality of regions are formed in parallel along a horizontal direction by light from the plurality of light-emitting elements, The vehicle system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to turn off light-emitting elements that form the first region among the plurality of light-emitting elements based on the upper end position.

5. the optical member is composed of at least one of a rotating reflector, a galvanometer mirror, and a polygon mirror; 4. The vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit forms the predetermined light distribution pattern so as not to irradiate the first area with the light by controlling a scanning direction of the light by at least one of the rotating reflector, the galvanometer mirror, and the polygon mirror and a timing of emitting light from the light source based on the upper end position.

6. A vehicle lamp provided on a vehicle that can travel around corners by tilting the vehicle body in the direction of the turn, A light source; an optical member that forms a predetermined light distribution pattern composed of a plurality of regions that are formed in parallel along a horizontal direction by irradiating light from the light source forward of the lamp; and a control unit that, when an object outside the vehicle is present, determines an upper end position of the object based on a lamp position of the object, and adjusts the predetermined light distribution pattern so as not to irradiate the light onto an area among the multiple areas that includes the upper end position.

7. A vehicle lamp provided on a vehicle that can travel around corners by tilting the vehicle body in the direction of the turn, A light source; an optical member that forms a predetermined light distribution pattern composed of a plurality of regions that are formed in parallel along a horizontal direction by irradiating light from the light source forward of the lamp; A control unit that adjusts the predetermined light distribution pattern; Equipped with When an object outside the vehicle is present, the control unit reduces the illuminance of the light irradiated to a first area among the multiple areas that includes the lamp position of the object and a second area adjacent to the first area and closer to the vehicle, to be lower than the illuminance of the light irradiated to areas other than the first area and the second area, and increases the width of the second area as the inclination of the vehicle becomes greater.

8. The vehicular lamp according to claim 7 , wherein, when the object is present, the control unit adjusts the predetermined light distribution pattern so that the light is not irradiated onto the first region and the second region.

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