Road surface drawing device and road surface drawing system

Abstract

A road surface rendering device is provided with: a road surface rendering unit (11) for projecting a road surface rendering pattern (P) onto a road surface; a target identification unit (13) for identifying a target on the basis of surrounding environment information from a detection unit (2) configured to detect a target that is present in a predetermined area; an angle calculation unit (14) for calculating a solid angle formed by a first point (X) that is any point on the road surface where the road surface rendering unit (11) projects the road surface rendering pattern (P), and a second point that is any point on the target; and an illumination control unit (12) for controlling the road surface rendering unit (11). The illumination control unit (12) causes the road surface rendering pattern (P) to change depending on the solid angle calculated by the angle calculation unit (14).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a road surface drawing device and a road surface drawing system. [Background technology]

[0002] It is currently being considered to equip a vehicle with a road surface drawing device configured to project a road surface drawing pattern onto the road surface around the vehicle in order to provide pedestrians and others around the vehicle with information indicating the vehicle's operation (for example, information indicating whether the vehicle is turning left, right, or reversing) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 067113 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, depending on the angle between the road surface drawing pattern and an object such as a viewer, the road surface drawing pattern may appear distorted and its visibility may be reduced. In this respect, conventional road surface drawing devices have room for improvement.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a road surface drawing device and a road surface drawing system that can suppress a decrease in the visibility of road surface drawing patterns.

[0006] In addition, road surface drawing patterns, such as arrows, are sometimes drawn on the road surface to indicate the traveling direction of the vehicle. However, the inventors have found a problem that when the object to which the road surface drawing is to be shown is far from the vehicle, the apparent shape of the road surface drawing pattern becomes distorted, making it difficult to clearly identify what is drawn on the road surface.

[0007] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a road surface drawing device and a road surface drawing system that allow the user to easily recognize the drawn content even for distant objects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a road surface drawing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a road surface drawing unit that projects a road surface drawing pattern onto a road surface; an object identification unit that identifies an object based on surrounding environment information from a detection unit configured to detect the object present in a predetermined area; an angle calculation unit that calculates a solid angle between a first point, which is an arbitrary point on the road surface onto which the road surface drawing unit projects the road surface drawing pattern, and a second point, which is an arbitrary point on the object; an illumination control unit that controls the road surface drawing unit, The illumination control unit changes the road surface drawing pattern in accordance with the solid angle calculated by the angle calculation unit.

[0009] In addition, a road surface drawing system according to one aspect for achieving the above object includes: a road surface drawing unit that projects a road surface drawing pattern onto a road surface; a detection unit that detects an object present in a predetermined area; an object identification unit that identifies the object based on the surrounding environment information from the detection unit; an angle calculation unit that calculates a solid angle between a first point, which is an arbitrary point on the road surface onto which the road surface drawing unit projects the road surface drawing pattern, and a second point, which is an arbitrary point on the object; an illumination control unit that controls the road surface drawing unit, The illumination control unit changes the road surface drawing pattern in accordance with the solid angle calculated by the angle calculation unit.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the road surface drawing pattern can be changed according to the solid angle between the road surface drawing pattern and the object, so that the visibility of the road surface drawing pattern does not decrease even when, for example, the solid angle between the road surface drawing pattern and the object is small, which makes the road surface drawing pattern easily appear blurred.

[0011] A road surface drawing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a road surface drawing unit that projects a road surface drawing pattern onto a road surface; an object identification unit that identifies an object based on surrounding environment information from a detection unit configured to detect the object present in a predetermined area; a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between a third point, which is an arbitrary point on the road surface onto which the road surface drawing unit projects the road surface drawing pattern, and a fourth point, which is an arbitrary point on the object; an illumination control unit that controls the road surface drawing unit, The lighting control unit If the distance to the farthest object is less than a predetermined distance, controlling the road surface drawing unit to project the road surface drawing pattern onto the road surface in a first display form that conveys a specific meaning; If the distance to the farthest object is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the specific meaning is transmitted, and the road surface drawing unit is controlled to project the road surface drawing pattern onto the road surface in a second display form different from the first display form.

[0012] Furthermore, a road surface drawing system according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a road surface drawing unit that projects a road surface drawing pattern onto a road surface; a detection unit that detects one or more objects present in a predetermined area; an object identification unit that identifies the object based on the surrounding environment information from the detection unit; a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between a third point, which is an arbitrary point on the road surface onto which the road surface drawing unit projects the road surface drawing pattern, and a fourth point, which is an arbitrary point on the object; an illumination control unit that controls the road surface drawing unit, The lighting control unit If the distance to the farthest object is less than a predetermined distance, controlling the road surface drawing unit to project the road surface drawing pattern onto the road surface in a first display form that conveys a specific meaning; If the distance to the farthest object is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the specific meaning is transmitted, and the road surface drawing unit is controlled to project the road surface drawing pattern onto the road surface in a second display form different from the first display form.

[0013] According to the above configuration, even for an object that is farther away from the road surface drawing pattern than a predetermined distance and for which it is difficult to convey a specific meaning in the first display mode, the second display mode can convey a specific meaning. Therefore, the road surface drawing device according to the above configuration allows the user to correctly recognize the drawn content even for a distant object. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a road surface drawing device and a road surface drawing system that can suppress a decrease in the visibility of road surface drawing patterns.

[0015] Furthermore, the present disclosure can provide a road surface drawing device and a road surface drawing system that make it easy to correctly recognize the drawn content even for distant objects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with a road surface drawing system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the road surface drawing system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a vehicle and an object. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reference road surface drawing pattern. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a non-reference road surface drawing pattern. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a vehicle and an object. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a vehicle and an object. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a vehicle and an object. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a vehicle and an object. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a vehicle and an object when the road surface is viewed from above in the vertical direction. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a plan view of a vehicle equipped with a road surface drawing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a road surface drawing system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a vehicle and an object in the vicinity of the vehicle. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a vehicle and an object in the vicinity of the vehicle. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a vehicle and an object in the vicinity of the vehicle. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a vehicle and an object in the vicinity of the vehicle. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a road surface drawing pattern. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience, the dimensions of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of each component.

[0018] Furthermore, in the description of this embodiment, for the sake of convenience, the terms "left-right direction," "up-down direction," and "front-rear direction" may be referred to as appropriate. These directions are relative directions set for vehicle 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 and vehicle 3100 illustrated in FIG. 11. Here, the "left-right direction" refers to a direction that includes the "left direction" and the "right direction," and is also the vehicle width direction of vehicle 100 and vehicle 3100. The "up-down direction" refers to a direction that includes the "upward direction" and the "downward direction." The "front-rear direction" refers to a direction that includes the "forward direction" and the "rearward direction." The front-rear direction is a direction that is perpendicular to the left-right direction and the up-down direction. Note that in each figure, the symbol U indicates the upward direction. The symbol D indicates the downward direction. The symbol F indicates the forward direction. The symbol B indicates the rearward direction. The symbol L indicates the leftward direction. The symbol R indicates the rightward direction.

[0019] (First embodiment) A vehicle 100 equipped with a road surface drawing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the vehicle 100 equipped with the road surface drawing system 1 according to this embodiment. The vehicle 100 is, for example, a vehicle (automobile) that can run in a manual driving mode or an automatic driving mode. The road surface drawing system 1 is equipped with a vehicle lamp 10 (an example of a road surface drawing device, hereinafter also referred to as "lamp 10"). The lamp 10 draws an image (road surface drawing pattern) indicating predetermined information on the road surface by irradiating light onto the road surface.

[0020] The lamp 10 is mounted, for example, in a headlamp mounted on the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle 100. However, the location and configuration of the lamp 10 are not particularly limited. For example, the lamp 10 may be mounted in a tail lamp or a backup lamp mounted on the rear of the vehicle 100. The lamp 10 may be mounted independently on the vehicle 100. Furthermore, for example, the lamp 10 may be disposed on the roof 100A.

[0021] The lamp 10 is configured to draw information indicating the operation of the vehicle 100 on the road surface. The information indicating the operation of the vehicle 100 is, for example, information regarding the traveling direction of the vehicle. For example, when it is decided that the vehicle 100 will turn right, the lamp 10 projects a road surface drawing pattern P onto the road surface ahead of the vehicle 100 to notify the outside that the vehicle 100 is turning right. The road surface drawing pattern P is, for example, a combination of a generally rectangular shape that is elongated in a direction away from the lamp 10 and an arrow shape. The drawing method of the lamp 10 is not particularly limited, and for example, a projection method or a scanning method may be adopted.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, the road surface drawing system 1 includes a detection unit 2, a vehicle control unit 3, and a lighting fixture 10 including an illumination control unit 12.

[0023] The detection unit 2 includes a camera 21 and a radar 22. The camera 21 is a camera including an imaging element such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor). The radar 22 is a millimeter-wave radar, a microwave radar, a laser radar, or the like. The camera 21 and the radar 22 are configured to detect the surrounding environment of the vehicle 100 (other vehicles, pedestrians, road shapes, traffic signs, obstacles, etc.) and output surrounding environment information to the vehicle control unit 3. Note that the radar 22 may be configured to be able to receive radio waves transmitted from another communication device.

[0024] The vehicle control unit 3 is configured to control the traveling of the vehicle 100. The vehicle control unit 3 is configured with an electronic control unit (ECU). The electronic control unit is configured with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which various vehicle control programs are stored, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) in which various vehicle control data are temporarily stored. The processor is configured to load a program specified from the various vehicle control programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM. The vehicle control unit 3 also outputs surrounding environment information received from the detection unit 2 and planned route information regarding the route the vehicle 100 is about to travel to the lighting control unit 12.

[0025] The lamp 10 includes a road surface rendering unit 11, an illumination control unit 12, and an object processing unit 15. The road surface rendering unit 11 is, for example, a laser scanning device including a laser light source and an optical deflection device that deflects the laser light emitted from the laser light source. The optical deflection device is, for example, a movable mirror such as a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) mirror or a galvanometer mirror. The road surface rendering unit 11 is configured to project a road surface rendering pattern P onto the road surface around the vehicle 100 by scanning the laser light. The road surface rendering unit 11 may also include a light source and a projection lens configured to project the light emitted from the light source onto the road surface around the vehicle 100. The light source is, for example, configured by an LED (Light Emitting Diode) element or an LD (Laser Diode) element. In this case, the road surface rendering unit 11 can also project the road surface rendering pattern P onto the road surface around the vehicle 100.

[0026] The lighting control unit 12 is configured, for example, by an electronic control unit (ECU). The lighting control unit 12 is configured to control the road surface drawing unit 11. The lighting control unit 12 is configured, for example, to control the ON / OFF of light emitted from a light source provided in the road surface drawing unit 11 and the luminous intensity of the light emitted from the light source. The lighting control unit 12 outputs the surrounding environment information received from the vehicle control unit 3 to the object processing unit 15.

[0027] The object processing unit 15 includes an object identification unit 13, an angle calculation unit 14, and an object direction calculation unit 16, and is configured, for example, by one or more electronic control units (ECUs). When the object identification unit 13, the angle calculation unit 14, and the object direction calculation unit 16 are configured as separate hardware components, they are communicatively connected to each other via a bus 17. The object identification unit 13 identifies objects such as other vehicles and pedestrians based on surrounding environment information and generates object information related to the identified objects. Examples of objects include people who are in a position where they can see the road surface drawing pattern P, people related to the information indicated by the road surface drawing pattern P, and people who are within a predetermined distance from the lighting fixture 10. The predetermined distance is, for example, approximately 5 to 30 meters. The object information includes position information of the object, etc. The generated object information is transmitted to the lighting control unit 12, the angle calculation unit 14, and the object direction calculation unit 16.

[0028] The angle calculation unit 14 is configured to calculate the solid angle between a first point, which is an arbitrary point on the road surface onto which the road surface drawing unit 11 projects the road surface drawing pattern P, and a second point, which is an arbitrary point on the object identified by the object identification unit 13. The second point is determined based on, for example, the eyes or head of a pedestrian, a vehicle driver, or the like. Solid angle information regarding the calculated solid angle is sent to the lighting control unit 12.

[0029] The object direction calculation unit 16 is configured to calculate the traveling direction of the object based on the object information received from the object identification unit 13. The object direction calculation unit 16 determines a change in the position of the object based on object information generated continuously over time, for example, and calculates the traveling direction of the object from the change in the position of the object. The object traveling direction information relating to the calculated traveling direction of the object is transmitted to the lighting control unit 12.

[0030] (First Example of First Embodiment) Next, a first example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the vehicle 100 and an object. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a reference road surface drawing pattern PA. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a non-reference road surface drawing pattern PB. In this example, the vehicle 100 is about to turn right at an intersection I. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 3 transmits a right-turn signal indicating that the vehicle 100 is about to turn right to the illumination control unit 12 of the lamp 10. Based on the received right-turn signal, the lamp 10 projects a road surface drawing pattern P onto an area R1 in front of the vehicle 100 to indicate to the outside that the vehicle 100 is turning right. Note that, for convenience of explanation, this example will be described assuming that the area R1 has a substantially rectangular shape. However, the shape of the area R1 is not limited to a substantially rectangular shape. Furthermore, in this example, the intersection of the diagonals of the area R1 is point X (an example of a first point).

[0031] The detection unit 2 detects a pedestrian A1 present in the front right direction of the vehicle 100, and outputs surrounding environment information based on the detection result to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the lighting control unit 12.

[0032] The lighting control unit 12 transmits the surrounding environment information to the object identification unit 13. Upon receiving the surrounding environment information, the object identification unit 13 identifies the pedestrian A1 based on the surrounding environment information. Upon identifying the pedestrian A1, the object identification unit 13 generates object information including position information such as a point Y1 (an example of a second point) corresponding to the position of the eyes of the pedestrian A1, and transmits the object information to the angle calculation unit 14.

[0033] The angle calculation unit 14 calculates the solid angle θ1 between point X and point Y1 and generates solid angle information. The angle calculation unit 14 calculates the solid angle θ1 based on the object information generated by the object identification unit 13, for example, from the distance from point X to the feet of pedestrian A1 and the distance from the feet of pedestrian A1 to the eyes. The angle formed by line L1 extending on the road surface and line L2 extending in the height direction of pedestrian A1 is 90 degrees. In this embodiment, the solid angle θ1 is 15 degrees. The angle calculation unit 14 transmits the solid angle θ1 to the lighting control unit 12.

[0034] The illumination control unit 12 controls the road rendering unit 11 based on the solid angle θ1. In this embodiment, when the solid angle is equal to or greater than 10 degrees (an example of a predetermined value), the illumination control unit 12 controls the road rendering unit 11 to render a reference road rendering pattern PA. The reference road rendering pattern is a road rendering pattern in a reference state. On the other hand, when the solid angle is less than 10 degrees (an example of a predetermined value), the illumination control unit 12 controls the road rendering unit 11 to change the road rendering pattern P from the reference road rendering pattern PA to a non-reference road rendering pattern PB that is different from the reference road rendering pattern PA. In this embodiment, the solid angle θ1 is 15 degrees, so the illumination control unit 12 controls the road rendering unit 11 to render the reference road rendering pattern PA shown in FIG. 4.

[0035] Thereafter, when pedestrian A1 moves to the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 3 , i.e., when pedestrian A1 moves away from point X, the object identification unit 13 receives new surrounding environment information from the lighting control unit 12. The object identification unit 13 identifies pedestrian a1 based on the newly received surrounding environment information. After identifying pedestrian a1, the object identification unit 13 generates object information including position information such as point y1 (an example of a second point) corresponding to the position of the eyes of pedestrian a1, and transmits the object information to the angle calculation unit 14. The angle calculation unit 14 calculates the solid angle θ2 formed by point X and point y1, and generates solid angle information. The generated solid angle information is transmitted to the lighting control unit 12.

[0036] While the eye height of pedestrian a1 remains unchanged before and after the above movement, line L10 extending on the road surface is longer than line L1, so the solid angle θ2 is calculated to be smaller than the solid angle θ1. In this embodiment, the solid angle θ2 is 5 degrees. In other words, the solid angle θ2 is less than 10 degrees. Therefore, the illumination control unit 12 controls the road surface drawing unit 11 to change the road surface drawing pattern P from the reference road surface drawing pattern PA illustrated in FIG. 4 to the non-reference road surface drawing pattern PB illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0037] 4 and 5, the length in the front-to-rear direction of the reference road surface drawing pattern PA is equal to the length in the front-to-rear direction of the non-reference road surface drawing pattern PB. On the other hand, the non-reference road surface drawing pattern PB is longer in the left-to-right direction than the reference road surface drawing pattern PA. Therefore, even if a pedestrian is in a position where the road surface drawing pattern P is easily distorted and visible, the shape of the road surface drawing pattern P can be correctly seen by the pedestrian, because the length in the left-to-right direction of the non-reference road surface drawing pattern PB is longer than the length in the left-to-right direction of the reference road surface drawing pattern PA.

[0038] The vehicle lamp 10 and road marking system 1 having the above configuration can change the road marking pattern P according to the solid angle between the road marking pattern P and an object such as a pedestrian A1. Therefore, even if the solid angle between the road marking pattern P and the object is small, which makes the road marking pattern P easily appear blurred, the visibility of the road marking pattern P is unlikely to decrease.

[0039] Furthermore, with the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, the reference road surface marking pattern PA is drawn when the solid angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, whereas a non-reference road surface marking pattern PB that is modified from the reference road surface marking pattern PA is drawn when the solid angle is less than the predetermined value. Therefore, with the vehicle lamp 10, the visibility of the road surface marking pattern P is unlikely to decrease even when the solid angle between the road surface marking pattern P and an object such as a pedestrian A1 is small, which would make the road surface marking pattern P appear blurred.

[0040] (Second Example of the First Embodiment) Next, a second example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Note that in the description of this example, parts that overlap with the description of the first example of the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the vehicle 100 and an object. As illustrated in FIG. 6, in this example, pedestrians A2 and A3 are located to the right front of the vehicle 100. That is, pedestrians A2 and A3 are located in a right region RR located to the right of the center line C of the road surface on which the road surface drawing pattern P is drawn. On the other hand, no objects such as pedestrians are present in a left region LR located to the left of the center line C of the road surface on which the road surface drawing pattern P is drawn. Note that pedestrian A3 is located farther from point X and the vehicle 100 than pedestrian A2.

[0041] If an object is present in only one of the right region RR and the left region LR, and the solid angle formed by point X and a second point, which is an arbitrary point on the object farthest from point X, is less than 10 degrees, the illumination control unit 12 changes the road drawing pattern P from the reference road drawing pattern PA to a non-reference road drawing pattern PB. On the other hand, if an object is present in both the right region RR and the left region LR, or if the solid angle is 10 degrees or greater, the illumination control unit 12 does not change the road drawing pattern P from the reference road drawing pattern PA.

[0042] The detection unit 2 detects pedestrians A2 and A3 present around the vehicle 100, and outputs surrounding environment information based on the detection results to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the lighting control unit 12. The lighting control unit 12 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the object identification unit 13.

[0043] The object identification unit 13 identifies the pedestrian A2 and the pedestrian A3 based on the surrounding environment information. After identifying the pedestrian A2 and the pedestrian A3, the object identification unit 13 transmits the object information of the pedestrian A2 and the pedestrian A3 to the illumination control unit 12 and the angle calculation unit 14.

[0044] Based on the object information received from the object identification unit 13, the lighting control unit 12 determines that pedestrians A2 and A3 are present in the right region RR and that no pedestrians are present in the left region LR, i.e., that multiple pedestrians (objects) are present only in the right region RR. Based on this determination, the lighting control unit 12 controls the angle calculation unit 14 to calculate the solid angle θ3 and the solid angle θ4, respectively.

[0045] The angle calculation unit 14 calculates the solid angle θ3 between the point X and a point Y2 (an example of the second point) corresponding to the position of the eyes of the pedestrian A2. The angle calculation unit 14 also calculates the solid angle θ4 between the point X and a point Y3 (an example of the second point) corresponding to the position of the eyes of the pedestrian A3.

[0046] The angle calculation unit 14 generates solid angle information corresponding to the solid angle θ3 and the solid angle θ4, and transmits the generated solid angle information to the illumination control unit 12. In this embodiment, the solid angle θ3 is 15 degrees and the solid angle θ4 is 5 degrees, so the illumination control unit 12 controls the road rendering unit 11 using the smallest solid angle θ4 of the solid angles θ3 and θ4. Because the solid angle θ4 is less than 10 degrees, the illumination control unit 12 changes the road rendering pattern P from the reference road rendering pattern PA to the non-reference road rendering pattern PB.

[0047] The angle calculation unit 14 may calculate only the solid angle θ4 for the pedestrian A3 that is the farthest from the point X among the multiple pedestrians (objects). In other words, the angle calculation unit 14 may calculate only the solid angle θ4 without calculating the solid angle θ3.

[0048] With the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, when there are multiple objects, the illumination control unit 12 changes the road surface drawing pattern P in accordance with the solid angle only when all of the objects are in either the left region LR or the right region RR. Therefore, the vehicle lamp 10 draws a road surface drawing pattern P that is easily visible to all objects.

[0049] Furthermore, with the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, the road surface drawing pattern P is changed according to the solid angle of the object farthest from the road surface drawing pattern P. Therefore, with the vehicle lamp 10, it is possible to draw a road surface drawing pattern P that is easily visible even to an object for which the road surface drawing pattern P appears blurred.

[0050] (Third Example of the First Embodiment) Next, a third example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In the description of this example, parts that overlap with the description of the first or second example of the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the vehicle 100 and an object. As illustrated in FIG. 7, in this example, pedestrians A2 and A3 are located to the right front of the vehicle 100, and pedestrian A4 is located to the left front of the vehicle 100. In other words, pedestrians A2 and A3 are located in the right region RR, and pedestrian A4 is located in the left region LR. Pedestrian A3 is located farther from point X and the vehicle 100 than pedestrians A2 and A4.

[0051] When multiple objects are present, the illumination control unit 12 controls the road rendering unit 11 to render the road rendering pattern P toward the left region LR or the right region RR where there are more objects. In this case, if at least one of the solid angles formed by point X and a second point, which is an arbitrary point on each object present in the region where there are more objects, is less than 10 degrees, the illumination control unit 12 changes the road rendering pattern P from the reference road rendering pattern PA to a non-reference road rendering pattern PB. On the other hand, if the solid angle is 10 degrees or greater, the illumination control unit 12 does not change the road rendering pattern P from the reference road rendering pattern PA.

[0052] The detection unit 2 detects pedestrians A2, A3, and A4 present around the vehicle 100, and outputs surrounding environment information based on the detection results to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the lighting control unit 12. The lighting control unit 12 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the object identification unit 13.

[0053] The object identification unit 13 identifies the pedestrians A2, A3, and A4 based on the surrounding environment information. After identifying the pedestrians A2, A3, and A4, the object identification unit 13 transmits the object information of the pedestrians A2, A3, and A4 to the lighting control unit 12 and the angle calculation unit 14.

[0054] Based on the object information received from the object identification unit 13, the lighting control unit 12 determines that pedestrians A2 and A3 are present in the right region RR and that pedestrian A4 is present in the left region LR. Based on this determination, the lighting control unit 12 determines that there are more pedestrians in the right region RR than in the left region LR. Based on this determination, the lighting control unit 12 controls the angle calculation unit 14 to calculate the solid angle θ3 and the solid angle θ4, respectively.

[0055] The angle calculation unit 14 calculates the solid angle θ3 and the solid angle θ4, and transmits them to the illumination control unit 12. Note that the specific angles of the solid angle θ3 and the solid angle θ4 in this embodiment are the same as the solid angle θ3 and the solid angle θ4 in the second embodiment of the first embodiment. The illumination control unit 12 controls the road rendering unit 11 using the smallest solid angle θ4 of the solid angles θ3 and θ4. Therefore, the illumination control unit 12 changes the road rendering pattern P from the reference road rendering pattern PA to the non-reference road rendering pattern PB.

[0056] In this embodiment, the angle calculation unit 14 may calculate only the solid angle θ4 for pedestrian A3, which is the farthest from point X among multiple pedestrians (objects) in an area with a larger number of objects. In other words, the angle calculation unit 14 may calculate only the solid angle θ4 without calculating the solid angle θ3.

[0057] With the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, when there are multiple objects, the road surface pattern P is drawn so as to be easily visible to objects in the area with the most objects, either the left area LR or the right area RR. Therefore, the vehicle lamp 10 draws a road surface pattern P that is easily visible to many objects.

[0058] (Fourth Example of the First Embodiment) Next, a fourth example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8. In the description of this example, parts that overlap with the description of the first to third examples of the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between the vehicle 100 and an object. As illustrated in FIG. 8, in this example, pedestrians A5 and A6 are located to the right front of the vehicle 100. Pedestrian A5 is taller than pedestrian A6.

[0059] The detection unit 2 detects pedestrians A5 and A6 present around the vehicle 100, and outputs surrounding environment information based on the detection results to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the lighting control unit 12. The lighting control unit 12 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the object identification unit 13.

[0060] The object identification unit 13 identifies the pedestrian A5 and the pedestrian A6 based on the surrounding environment information. After identifying the pedestrian A5 and the pedestrian A6, the object identification unit 13 transmits object information relating to the pedestrian A5 and the pedestrian A6 to the lighting control unit 12 and the angle calculation unit 14.

[0061] The angle calculation unit 14 calculates the solid angle θ5 between the point X and a point Y5 (an example of the second point) corresponding to the position of the eyes of the pedestrian A5. The angle calculation unit 14 calculates the solid angle θ6 between the point X and a point Y6 (an example of the second point) corresponding to the position of the eyes of the pedestrian A6. The angle calculation unit 14 generates solid angle information corresponding to the solid angle θ5 and the solid angle θ6, and transmits the generated solid angle information to the lighting control unit 12.

[0062] The taller the pedestrian, the larger the solid angle. Therefore, the solid angle θ5 is larger than the solid angle θ6. In this embodiment, the solid angle θ5 is 15 degrees and the solid angle θ6 is 5 degrees, so the lighting control unit 12 controls the road drawing unit 11 using the smallest solid angle θ6 of the solid angles θ5 and θ6. Because the solid angle θ6 is less than 10 degrees, the lighting control unit 12 changes the road drawing pattern P from the reference road drawing pattern PA to the non-reference road drawing pattern PB.

[0063] The angle calculation unit 14 may calculate only the solid angle θ6 for the pedestrian A6 who is the shortest among the multiple pedestrians (objects). In other words, the angle calculation unit 14 may calculate only the solid angle θ6 without calculating the solid angle θ5.

[0064] According to the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, the lighting control unit 12 changes the road surface drawing pattern P according to the object with the lowest height, so that it is possible to draw a road surface drawing pattern P that is easy to see even for objects that make the road surface drawing pattern P appear blurred.

[0065] (Fifth Example of the First Embodiment) Next, a fifth example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. In the description of this example, parts that overlap with the description of the first to fourth examples of the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between vehicle 100 and an object. As illustrated in FIG. 9, in this example, pedestrians A7, A8, and A9 are located to the front right of vehicle 100. Pedestrians A7, A8, and A9 are closest to vehicle 100 in this order. Pedestrian A7 is moving away from vehicle 100 (to the right in FIG. 9), while pedestrians A8 and A9 are moving toward vehicle 100 (to the left in FIG. 9).

[0066] The detection unit 2 detects pedestrians A7, A8, and A9 present around the vehicle 100, and outputs surrounding environment information based on the detection results to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the lighting control unit 12. The lighting control unit 12 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the object identification unit 13.

[0067] The object identification unit 13 identifies the pedestrians A7, A8, and A9 based on the surrounding environment information. After identifying the pedestrians A7, A8, and A9, the object identification unit 13 transmits the object information of the pedestrians A7, A8, and A9 to the lighting control unit 12, the angle calculation unit 14, and the object direction calculation unit 16.

[0068] The object direction calculation unit 16 calculates the traveling directions of the pedestrians A7, A8, and A9, respectively, based on the object information received from the object identification unit 13. In this embodiment, the object direction calculation unit 16 determines that the pedestrian A7 is traveling in a direction away from the vehicle 100 (to the right in FIG. 9 ), and that the pedestrians A8 and A9 are traveling in a direction approaching the vehicle 100 (to the left in FIG. 9 ). The object direction calculation unit 16 transmits object traveling direction information relating to the traveling directions of the pedestrians A7, A8, and A9 to the lighting control unit 12.

[0069] The lighting control unit 12 receives planned route information from the vehicle control unit 3. In this embodiment, the vehicle 100 is about to turn right at intersection I, so the planned route information in this embodiment is information that the vehicle 100 will travel straight up to intersection I and then turn right at intersection I.

[0070] The lighting control unit 12 identifies pedestrians who will intrude into the planned path of the vehicle 100 based on the planned path information and the object travel direction information. In this embodiment, pedestrians A8 and A9 are identified as pedestrians who will intrude into the planned path of the vehicle 100. When the lighting control unit 12 identifies pedestrians A8 and A9 who will intrude into the planned path of the vehicle 100, the lighting control unit 12 controls the angle calculation unit 14 to calculate a solid angle θ7 between point X and point Y8 (an example of a second point) corresponding to the position of the eyes of pedestrian A8, and a solid angle θ8 between point X and point Y9 (an example of a second point) corresponding to the position of the eyes of pedestrian A9.

[0071] The angle calculation unit 14 calculates the solid angle θ7 and the solid angle θ8. In this embodiment, the solid angle θ7 is 15 degrees and the solid angle θ8 is 5 degrees, so the illumination control unit 12 controls the road rendering unit 11 using the smallest solid angle θ8 of the solid angles θ7 and θ8. Because the solid angle θ8 is less than 10 degrees, the illumination control unit 12 controls the road rendering unit 11 to change the road rendering pattern P from the reference road rendering pattern PA to the non-reference road rendering pattern PB.

[0072] The angle calculation unit 14 may calculate only the solid angle θ8 for the pedestrian A9 that is farthest from point X among multiple pedestrians (objects) entering the planned path of the vehicle 100. In other words, the angle calculation unit 14 may calculate only the solid angle θ8 without calculating the solid angle θ7.

[0073] With the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, the illumination control unit 12 controls the road rendering unit 11 to change the road rendering pattern P from the reference road rendering pattern PA to the non-reference road rendering pattern PB, using the solid angle θ8 for the pedestrian A9 entering the planned path of the vehicle 100. Therefore, with the vehicle lamp 10, it is possible to improve the visibility of the road rendering pattern P to objects that have a high need to make the road rendering pattern P visible.

[0074] Furthermore, with the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, the illumination control unit 12 controls the road rendering unit 11 to change the road surface rendering pattern P from the reference road surface rendering pattern PA to the non-reference road surface rendering pattern PB, using the solid angle θ8 for pedestrian A9 that is farthest from point X among multiple pedestrians entering the planned path of the vehicle 100. Therefore, with the vehicle lamp 10, it is possible to render an easily visible road surface rendering pattern P even for objects where the road surface rendering pattern P is difficult to see.

[0075] (Sixth Example of the First Embodiment) Next, a sixth example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10. In the description of this example, parts that overlap with the description of the first to fifth examples of the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the positional relationship between the vehicle 100 and an object when the road surface is viewed from above in the vertical direction. As illustrated in FIG. 10, in this example, pedestrians A10 and A11 are located to the right and in front of the vehicle 100. Pedestrian A10 is closer to the vehicle 100 than pedestrian A11.

[0076] The detection unit 2 detects pedestrians A10 and A11 present around the vehicle 100, and outputs surrounding environment information based on the detection results to the vehicle control unit 3. The vehicle control unit 3 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the lighting control unit 12. The lighting control unit 12 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the object identification unit 13.

[0077] The object identification unit 13 identifies the pedestrian A10 and the pedestrian A11 based on the surrounding environment information. After identifying the pedestrian A10 and the pedestrian A11, the object identification unit 13 transmits the object information of the pedestrian A10 and the pedestrian A11 to the illumination control unit 12 and the angle calculation unit 14.

[0078] The angle calculation unit 14 converts the position information of the object into position information on a horizontal coordinate system, and calculates the horizontal angle θ9 between a line L3 connecting point X when the road surface is viewed from above in the vertical direction and point Y10 (an example of a second point) corresponding to the eye position of pedestrian A10, and a line L5 extending in the traveling direction of vehicle 100, and the horizontal angle θ10 between a line L4 connecting point X when the road surface is viewed from above in the vertical direction and point Y11 (an example of a second point) corresponding to the eye position of pedestrian A11, and the line L5. The angle calculation unit 14 transmits the calculated horizontal angle θ10 to the lighting control unit 12.

[0079] In this embodiment, the horizontal angle θ9 is 60 degrees, and the horizontal angle θ10 is 120 degrees. That is, the horizontal angle θ10 is greater than the horizontal angle θ9. Furthermore, the larger the horizontal angle, the more likely the road surface drawing pattern P is to be perceived as distorted from the object. Therefore, the pedestrian A11 is more likely to perceive the road surface drawing pattern P as distorted than the pedestrian A10. For this reason, in this embodiment, the illumination control unit 12 changes the road surface drawing pattern P based on not only the solid angle but also the horizontal angle θ10. For example, when the horizontal angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the illumination control unit 12 increases the predetermined value of the solid angle for changing the road surface drawing pattern P, and controls the road surface drawing unit 11 according to the increased predetermined value of the solid angle.

[0080] According to the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, the illumination control unit 12 changes the road surface marking pattern P based on the solid angle and the horizontal angle θ10, so that the road surface marking pattern P can be changed more appropriately.

[0081] Second Embodiment Next, a vehicle 3100 equipped with a road surface drawing system 31 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a plan view of a vehicle 3100 equipped with a road surface drawing system 31 according to this embodiment. The vehicle 3100 is, for example, a vehicle (automobile) that can run in a manual driving mode or an automatic driving mode. The road surface drawing system 31 is equipped with a vehicle lamp 310 (an example of a road surface drawing device, hereinafter also referred to as "lamp 310"). The lamp 310 irradiates the road surface with light to draw an image (road surface drawing pattern) indicating predetermined information on the road surface.

[0082] The lamp 310 is mounted, for example, in a headlamp mounted on the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle 3100. However, the location and configuration of the lamp 310 are not particularly limited. For example, the lamp 310 may be mounted in a tail lamp or a backup lamp mounted on the rear of the vehicle 3100. The lamp 310 may be mounted independently on the vehicle 3100. Furthermore, for example, the lamp 310 may be disposed on the roof 3100A.

[0083] The lamp 310 is configured to draw information indicating the operation of the vehicle 3100 on the road surface. The information indicating the operation of the vehicle 3100 is, for example, information regarding the traveling direction of the vehicle. For example, when it is decided that the vehicle 3100 will turn right, the lamp 310 projects a road drawing pattern PT onto the road surface ahead of the vehicle 3100 to notify the outside that the vehicle 3100 is turning right. The road drawing pattern PT is, for example, a combination of an arrow and a generally rectangular shape that is elongated in a direction away from the lamp 3100. The drawing method of the lamp 310 is not particularly limited, and for example, a projection method or a scanning method may be adopted.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 12, the road surface drawing system 31 includes a detection unit 32, a vehicle control unit 33, and a lighting fixture 310 including an illumination control unit 312.

[0085] The detection unit 32 includes a camera 321 and a radar 322. The camera 321 may have the same configuration as the camera 21 according to the first embodiment. The radar 322 may have the same configuration as the radar 22 according to the first embodiment.

[0086] The vehicle control unit 33 is configured to control the traveling of the vehicle 3100. The vehicle control unit 33 may have the same hardware configuration as the vehicle control unit 3 according to the first embodiment. The vehicle control unit 33 outputs the surrounding environment information received from the detection unit 32 to the lighting control unit 312.

[0087] The lamp 310 includes a road surface rendering unit 311, an illumination control unit 312, and an object processing unit 315. The road surface rendering unit 311 may have the same configuration as the road surface rendering unit 11 according to the first embodiment. The road surface rendering unit 311 is configured to project a road surface around the vehicle 3100 with a road surface rendering pattern PT by scanning with a laser light. The road surface rendering unit 311 may also include a light source and a projection lens configured to project light emitted from the light source onto the road surface around the vehicle 3100. The light source may be configured with, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) element or an LD (Laser Diode) element. Even in this case, the road surface rendering unit 311 can project the road surface around the vehicle 3100 with the road surface rendering pattern PT.

[0088] The lighting control unit 312 may have the same configuration as the lighting control unit 12 according to the first embodiment. The lighting control unit 312 outputs the surrounding environment information received from the vehicle control unit 33 to the object processing unit 315.

[0089] The object processing unit 315 includes an object identification unit 313 and a distance calculation unit 314, and is configured, for example, by one or more electronic control units (ECUs). When the object identification unit 313 and the distance calculation unit 314 are configured by separate hardware, they are communicatively connected to each other via a bus 317. The object identification unit 313 identifies objects such as other vehicles and pedestrians based on surrounding environment information, and generates object information related to the identified objects. Examples of objects include people who are in a position where the road surface drawing pattern PT can be seen, people related to the information indicated by the road surface drawing pattern PT, and people who are within a predetermined distance from the lamp 310. The predetermined distance is, for example, approximately 5 to 30 meters. The object information includes position information of the object, etc. The generated object information is transmitted to the distance calculation unit 314.

[0090] The distance calculation unit 314 is configured to calculate the distance between a third point, which is an arbitrary point on the road surface onto which the road surface rendering unit 311 projects the road surface rendering pattern PT, and a fourth point, which is an arbitrary point on the object identified by the object identification unit 313. The fourth point is determined based on, for example, the eyes or head of a pedestrian, a vehicle driver, or the like. Distance information regarding the calculated distance is transmitted to the illumination control unit 312.

[0091] (First Example of Second Embodiment) Next, a first example of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIGS. 13 and 14 are diagrams illustrating the positional relationship between a vehicle 3100 and an object near the vehicle 3100. In this example, the vehicle 3100 is about to turn right at intersection IA. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 33 transmits a right-turn signal indicating that the vehicle 3100 is about to turn right to the illumination control unit 312 of the lamp 310. Based on the received right-turn signal, the lamp 310 illuminates a first road surface drawing pattern PTA1 (see FIG. 13) according to the first display mode or a second road surface drawing pattern PTB1 (see FIG. 14) according to the second display mode onto an area R31 ahead of the vehicle 3100 to notify the outside that the vehicle 3100 is about to turn right. Note that the first road surface drawing pattern PTA1 and the second road surface drawing pattern PTB1 in this example are intended to notify objects such as pedestrians that the vehicle 3100 is about to turn right (an example of a specific meaning). In this embodiment, for convenience of explanation, the region R31 is described as having a substantially rectangular shape. However, the shape of the region R31 is not limited to a substantially rectangular shape. In this embodiment, the intersection of the diagonals of the region R31 is point X1 (an example of a third point).

[0092] First, the operation of the road surface drawing system 31 in the situation illustrated in Fig. 13 will be described. As illustrated in Fig. 13, a pedestrian A31 is present on the right side of the vehicle 3100. The detection unit 32 detects the pedestrian A31 and outputs surrounding environment information based on the detection result to the vehicle control unit 33. The vehicle control unit 33 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the lighting control unit 312.

[0093] The lighting control unit 312 transmits the surrounding environment information to the object identification unit 313. Upon receiving the surrounding environment information, the object identification unit 313 identifies the pedestrian A31 based on the surrounding environment information. Upon identifying the pedestrian A31, the object identification unit 313 generates object information including position information such as point Y31 (an example of a fourth point) corresponding to the position of the eyes of the pedestrian A31, and transmits the object information to the distance calculation unit 314.

[0094] The distance calculation unit 314 calculates the distance D1 between point X1 and point Y31 based on the object information generated by the object identification unit 313, and generates distance information corresponding to the distance D1. In this embodiment, the distance D1 is 7 m. The distance calculation unit 314 transmits the generated distance information to the illumination control unit 312.

[0095] The illumination control unit 312 controls the road surface drawing unit 311 based on the distance information received from the distance calculation unit 314. In this embodiment, if the distance corresponding to the distance information is less than 10 m (an example of a predetermined distance), the illumination control unit 312 controls the road surface drawing unit 311 to draw the first road surface drawing pattern PTA1. On the other hand, if the distance corresponding to the distance information is 10 m (an example of a predetermined value) or more, the illumination control unit 312 controls the road surface drawing unit 311 to draw the second road surface drawing pattern PTB1. In the situation illustrated in FIG. 13, the distance D1 is 7 m. Therefore, the illumination control unit 312 controls the road surface drawing unit 311 to draw the first road surface drawing pattern PTA1. The first road surface drawing pattern PTA1 is a graphic (hereinafter referred to as the first graphic) that combines a substantially rectangular graphic that is elongated in a direction away from the lamp 310 and a graphic of an arrow pointing toward the area where the vehicle 3100 is traveling (the area on the right side ahead in FIG. 13). Therefore, the first figure includes an element indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle 3100, i.e., the right direction. The first figure is also substantially L-shaped and has a bent portion 320. The first figure is continuously lit in region R31 for a predetermined time before the right turn operation.

[0096] Next, the operation of the road surface drawing system 31 in the situation illustrated in Fig. 14 will be described. In the situation illustrated in Fig. 14, not only pedestrian A31 but also pedestrian A32 are present near intersection IA. Pedestrian A32 is located ahead of pedestrian A31 and to the right of vehicle 3100.

[0097] The detection unit 32 detects the pedestrian A31 and the pedestrian A32, and outputs surrounding environment information based on the detection result to the vehicle control unit 33. The vehicle control unit 33 transmits the received surrounding environment information to the lighting control unit 12.

[0098] The lighting control unit 312 transmits the surrounding environment information to the object identification unit 313. Upon receiving the surrounding environment information, the object identification unit 313 identifies the pedestrian A31 and the pedestrian A32 based on the surrounding environment information. Upon identifying the pedestrian A31 and the pedestrian A32, the object identification unit 313 generates object information including position information such as a point Y31 corresponding to the position of the eye of the pedestrian A31 and a point Y32 (an example of a fourth point) corresponding to the position of the eye of the pedestrian A32, and transmits the object information to the distance calculation unit 314.

[0099] The distance calculation unit 314 calculates the distance D1 and the distance D2 between point X1 and point Y32 based on the object information generated by the object identification unit 313, and generates distance information corresponding to the distance D1 and the distance D2. In this embodiment, the distance D2 is 12 m. The distance calculation unit 314 transmits the generated distance information to the lighting control unit 12.

[0100] The illumination control unit 312 controls the road surface drawing unit 311 based on the distance information corresponding to the longest distance among the distance information received from the distance calculation unit 314. In the situation illustrated in FIG. 14, the distance D2 is 12 m, which is longer than the distance D1. Therefore, the illumination control unit 312 controls the road surface drawing unit 311 based on the distance information corresponding to the distance D2. Therefore, the illumination control unit 312 controls the road surface drawing unit 311 to draw the second road surface drawing pattern PTB1. As illustrated in FIG. 14, the second road surface drawing pattern PTB1 is a simplified figure (hereinafter referred to as the second figure) that is substantially rectangular and simpler than the first road surface drawing pattern PTA1. The second figure is a rectangular figure facing the area where the vehicle 3100 is moving (the area on the right side ahead in FIG. 13). The second figure is continuously illuminated in the area R31 for a predetermined time before the vehicle 3100 makes a right turn.

[0101] With the vehicle lamp 310 and road surface drawing system 31 having the above configuration, the distance D2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, so that the second road surface drawing pattern PTB1 can be used to communicate that the vehicle 3100 will turn right to pedestrian A32 (object) to whom it is difficult to communicate that the vehicle 3100 will turn right using the first road surface drawing pattern PTA1. Therefore, with the vehicle lamp 310 and road surface drawing system 31, it is possible to communicate that the vehicle 3100 will turn right even to pedestrian A32 who is far away.

[0102] Furthermore, with the vehicle lamp 10 having the above configuration, when the distance D2 between point X1 and pedestrian A2, which is the object farthest from point X1, is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, a second road surface drawing pattern PTB1 is drawn using a second figure that is simpler than the first figure. Because the simplified figure is easily visible to pedestrian A2, even if the distance D2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, pedestrian A2 can recognize from the simplified figure that the vehicle 100 is turning right.

[0103] Furthermore, if the distance D2 between point X1 and pedestrian A32, which is the object farthest from point X1, is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the shape of the arrow may be easily crushed and difficult for pedestrian A32 to see. However, the vehicle lamp 310 depicts the second road surface drawing pattern PTB1, which is a rectangle pointing toward the area in which the vehicle 3100 is moving (the area on the right side ahead in FIG. 14), so that pedestrian A32 can recognize that the vehicle 3100 is turning right even if the distance D2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance.

[0104] Furthermore, according to the vehicular lamp 310 having the above configuration, the first figure includes an element indicating the direction of travel of the vehicle 3100, so that the pedestrian A31 can easily recognize the direction of travel of the vehicle 3100.

[0105] Furthermore, according to the vehicular lamp 310 having the above configuration, the first figure has the bent portion 320, so that the pedestrian A31 can easily recognize the traveling direction of the vehicle 3100 (particularly the turning direction).

[0106] (Second Example of Second Embodiment) Next, a second example of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. In the description of this example, parts that overlap with the description of the first example of the second embodiment will be given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a vehicle 3100 and an object near the vehicle 3100. In the situation illustrated in Figure 15, a pedestrian A31 is present near the vehicle 3100.

[0107] The processing in this embodiment from when the detection unit 32 outputs the surrounding environment information to the vehicle control unit 33 to when the distance calculation unit 314 transmits the distance information to the lighting control unit 312 is the same as the processing in the first embodiment of the second embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0108] As illustrated in FIG. 15, when only a pedestrian A31 is present near the vehicle 3100, the illumination control unit 312 controls the road drawing unit 311 based on the distance information received from the distance calculation unit 314. Therefore, the illumination control unit 312 controls the road drawing unit 311 to draw a first road drawing pattern PTA2. In this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the first road drawing pattern PTA2 is projected onto the region R31 in the form of a display using the characters "Turn Right." Note that the first road drawing pattern PTA2 is intended to communicate to an object such as a pedestrian that the vehicle 3100 will turn right (an example of a specific meaning). Furthermore, the first road drawing pattern PTA2 is projected onto the region R31 so that the characters "Turn Right" face forward as viewed from the pedestrian A31, making it easily visible to the pedestrian A31.

[0109] On the other hand, in this embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 14, when pedestrians A31 and A32 are present near vehicle 3100, the second road surface drawing pattern PTB1 is projected onto area R31, as in the first embodiment of the second embodiment.

[0110] According to the vehicular lamp 310 having the above configuration, when the distance D2 between point X1 and pedestrian A32, which is the object farthest from point X1, is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the second road surface drawing pattern PTB1 is drawn in the form of a graphic that is easier to convey to pedestrian A32 than text that the vehicle 3100 will turn right. Therefore, it is possible to convey that the vehicle 3100 will turn right even to pedestrian A32 (see FIG. 14 ) who is farther away from point X1 than the predetermined distance and for whom it is difficult to convey that the vehicle 3100 will turn right in the first display form (in this embodiment, the display form using the text "turn right").

[0111] (Third Example of the Second Embodiment) Next, a third example of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13 and Fig. 16. In the description of this example, parts that overlap with the description of the first example of the second embodiment will be given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Fig. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a vehicle 3100 and an object near the vehicle 3100. In the situation illustrated in Fig. 16, pedestrians A31 and A32 are present near the vehicle 3100.

[0112] The processing in this embodiment from when the detection unit 32 outputs the surrounding environment information to the vehicle control unit 33 to when the distance calculation unit 314 transmits the distance information to the lighting control unit 312 is the same as the processing in the first embodiment of the second embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0113] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, when there is only a pedestrian A31 near the vehicle 3100, the first road surface drawing pattern PTA1 is projected onto the region R31, as in the first embodiment of the second aspect.

[0114] On the other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 16 , in this embodiment, when pedestrians A31 and A32 are near the vehicle 3100, the illumination control unit 312 controls the road surface drawing unit 311 based on the distance information corresponding to the longest distance among the distance information received from the distance calculation unit 314. Therefore, the illumination control unit 312 controls the road surface drawing unit 311 to draw the second road surface drawing pattern PTB2. The second road surface drawing pattern PTB2 is intended to inform objects such as pedestrians that the vehicle 3100 is about to turn right (an example of a specific meaning). As illustrated in FIG. 16 , the second road surface drawing pattern PTB2 has the same shape as the second figure in the first embodiment of the second embodiment, but it flashes rather than being continuously illuminated for a predetermined period of time before the right turn. The flashing is achieved by the illumination control unit 312 continuously controlling the ON / OFF of the road surface drawing unit 311. The second road surface drawing pattern PTB2 may flash at regular or irregular time intervals.

[0115] When the distance D2 between point X1 and pedestrian A32, the object farthest from point X1, is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the arrow shape may be easily distorted and difficult for pedestrian A32 to recognize. However, with the vehicular lamp 310 having the above configuration, a second road surface drawing pattern PTB2 according to a second display mode, which is a blinking rectangular shape pointing toward the area in which the vehicle 3100 is moving (the area on the right side ahead in FIG. 16 ), is drawn. The blinking mode is more easily recognized by pedestrian A32 than a mode in which the light is continuously lit for a predetermined time before the right turn. Therefore, the vehicular lamp 310 can notify pedestrian A32 that the vehicle 3100 is turning right, even if the distance D2 is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance.

[0116] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited by the description of the present embodiments. The present embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications of the embodiments are possible within the scope of the disclosure described in the claims. The technical scope of the present disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the disclosure described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0117] In the first embodiment, the lighting control unit 12 is separate from the vehicle control unit 3, but may be configured integrally with the vehicle control unit. Also, in the second embodiment, the lighting control unit 312 is separate from the vehicle control unit 33, but may be configured integrally with the vehicle control unit.

[0118] In the first embodiment, the illumination control unit 12 may realize the functions of the object identification unit 13, the angle calculation unit 14, and the object direction calculation unit 16. In the second embodiment, the illumination control unit 312 may realize the functions of the object identification unit 313 and the distance calculation unit 314.

[0119] In the first embodiment, the vehicle control unit 3 may realize the functions of the object identification unit 13, the angle calculation unit 14, and the object direction calculation unit 16. In the second embodiment, the vehicle control unit 33 may realize the functions of the object identification unit 313 and the distance calculation unit 314.

[0120] In the first embodiment, the road surface drawing patterns PA and PB illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 are drawn on the road surface, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, a graphic formed by combining multiple arrows with cutouts, as illustrated in FIG. 17, may be drawn on the road surface, or characters may be drawn on the road surface. In this case, when the graphic illustrated in FIG. 17 is a reference road surface drawing pattern and is changed to a non-reference road surface drawing pattern, the non-reference road surface drawing pattern is a graphic formed by thickening the reference road surface drawing pattern illustrated in FIG. 17 in either the longitudinal or lateral direction, or by increasing the spacing between graphic elements. In the first and third examples of the second embodiment, the first road surface drawing pattern PTA1 is the road surface drawing pattern illustrated in FIG. 13, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, a graphic formed by combining multiple arrows with cutouts, as illustrated in FIG. 17, may be drawn on the road surface.

[0121] In the first embodiment, the road drawing pattern P is drawn by the lamp 10 mounted on the vehicle 100 emitting light onto the road surface, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the road drawing pattern P may be drawn on the road surface by infrastructure equipment such as a street lamp, a traffic light, or a marker light emitting light onto the road surface. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the road drawing pattern PT is drawn by the lamp 310 mounted on the vehicle 3100 emitting light onto the road surface, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the road drawing pattern PT may be drawn on the road surface by infrastructure equipment such as a street lamp, a traffic light, or a marker light emitting light onto the road surface.

[0122] In the first embodiment, the object identification unit 13 generates position information such as a point corresponding to the position of the eye of the pedestrian A1, but the angle calculation unit 14 may generate the position information. In the second embodiment, the object identification unit 313 generates position information such as a point corresponding to the position of the eye of the pedestrian A31, but the distance calculation unit 314 may generate the position information.

[0123] In the second embodiment, the first road drawing patterns PTA1-PTA2 and the second road drawing patterns PTB1-PTB2 are intended to notify objects such as pedestrians that the vehicle 3100 will turn right, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The first road drawing patterns PTA1-PTA2 and the second road drawing patterns PTB1-PTB2 may be intended to notify objects such as pedestrians that the vehicle 3100 will stop before the intersection IA (an example of a specific meaning), for example.

[0124] The second display mode in the third example of the second embodiment is a blinking rectangular figure, but it may be a blinking character (for example, the character "turn right"), an arrow figure, a first figure, or the like.

[0125] This application is based on a Japanese patent application filed on March 19, 2021 (Patent Application No. 2021-045473) and a Japanese patent application filed on March 19, 2021 (Patent Application No. 2021-045474), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. a road surface drawing unit that projects a road surface drawing pattern onto a road surface; an object identification unit that identifies an object based on surrounding environment information from a detection unit configured to detect the object present in a predetermined area; an angle calculation unit that calculates a solid angle between a first point, which is an arbitrary point on the road surface onto which the road surface drawing unit projects the road surface drawing pattern, and a second point, which is an arbitrary point on the object; an illumination control unit that controls the road surface drawing unit, The illumination control unit changes the road surface drawing pattern in accordance with the solid angle calculated by the angle calculation unit.

2. The lighting control unit When the solid angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the road surface drawing unit is controlled to project a reference road surface drawing pattern, which is a road surface drawing pattern in a reference state; 2. The road surface drawing device according to claim 1, wherein when the solid angle is less than a predetermined value, the road surface drawing unit is controlled so as to change the road surface drawing pattern from the reference road surface drawing pattern.

3. the object includes a plurality of objects; 3. The road surface drawing device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination control unit changes the road surface drawing pattern when all of the plurality of objects are present in either a left region located to the left of a center line of the road surface onto which the road surface drawing pattern is projected or a right region located to the right of the center line of the road surface onto which the road surface drawing pattern is projected, and the illumination control unit does not change the road surface drawing pattern when the objects are present in both the left region and the right region.

4. the object includes a plurality of objects; 3. The road surface drawing device according to claim 1, wherein when the object is present in a left region located to the left of a center line of the road surface onto which the road surface drawing pattern is projected and a right region located to the right of the center line of the road surface onto which the road surface drawing pattern is projected, the illumination control unit changes the road surface drawing pattern toward one of the left region and the right region where the object is more present.

5. the object includes a plurality of objects; The road surface drawing device according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination control unit changes the road surface drawing pattern depending on the object farthest from the first point among the plurality of objects.

6. the object includes a plurality of objects; The road surface drawing device according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination control unit changes the road surface drawing pattern depending on the object having the lowest height among the plurality of objects.

7. an object direction calculation unit that calculates a traveling direction of the object, 7. The road surface drawing device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination control unit identifies the object entering the planned path of the vehicle based on the planned path of the vehicle on which the road surface drawing device is mounted and the traveling direction of the object, and changes the road surface drawing pattern in accordance with the identified object.

8. the object includes a plurality of objects; 8. The road surface drawing device according to claim 1, wherein, when the plurality of objects enter a planned path of a vehicle equipped with the road surface drawing device, the illumination control unit changes the road surface drawing pattern in accordance with the object that is farthest from the vehicle among the plurality of objects.

9. 9. The road surface drawing device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination control unit changes the road surface drawing pattern based on, in addition to the solid angle, a horizontal angle formed between a line connecting the first point and the second point when the road surface is viewed from above in the vertical direction and a direction of travel of a vehicle on which the road surface drawing device is mounted.

10. a road surface drawing unit that projects a road surface drawing pattern onto a road surface; a detection unit that detects an object present in a predetermined area; an object identification unit that identifies the object based on the surrounding environment information from the detection unit; an angle calculation unit that calculates a solid angle between a first point, which is an arbitrary point on the road surface onto which the road surface drawing unit projects the road surface drawing pattern, and a second point, which is an arbitrary point on the object; an illumination control unit that controls the road surface drawing unit, The illumination control unit changes the road surface drawing pattern in accordance with the solid angle calculated by the angle calculation unit.

11. a road surface drawing unit that projects a road surface drawing pattern onto a road surface; an object identification unit that identifies an object based on surrounding environment information from a detection unit configured to detect the object present in a predetermined area; a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between a third point, which is an arbitrary point on the road surface onto which the road surface drawing unit projects the road surface drawing pattern, and a fourth point, which is an arbitrary point on the object; an illumination control unit that controls the road surface drawing unit, The lighting control unit When the distance to the farthest object among the two or more objects identified by the object identification unit is less than a predetermined distance, the road surface drawing unit is controlled to project one of the road surface drawing patterns onto the road surface in a first display form that conveys a specific meaning; A road surface drawing device that, when the distance to the farthest object among two or more objects identified by the object identification unit is a predetermined distance or more, conveys the specific meaning and controls the road surface drawing unit to project one of the road surface drawing patterns onto the road surface in a second display form that is different from the first display form.

12. the first display form is a display form using characters, 12. The road surface drawing device according to claim 11, wherein the second display mode is a graphical display mode.

13. the first display form is a display form using a first graphic, 12. The road surface drawing device according to claim 11, wherein the second display form is a display form using a second graphic that is simpler than the first graphic.

14. the first display mode is a display mode in which characters or figures are lit for a predetermined period of time, 12. The road surface drawing device according to claim 11, wherein the second display mode is a mode in which the characters or the figures blink.

15. the first display form is an arrow pointing from the vehicle equipped with the road surface drawing device toward an area in which the vehicle is moving, 12. The road surface drawing device according to claim 11, wherein the second display form is a rectangle extending from the vehicle toward an area in which the vehicle is moving, or a blinking of the rectangle, or a blinking of the arrow.

16. The road surface drawing device according to claim 15, wherein the arrow is a graphic including an element indicating a traveling direction.

17. The road surface drawing device according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the arrow has a bent portion.

18. a road surface drawing unit that projects a road surface drawing pattern onto a road surface; a detection unit that detects one or more objects present in a predetermined area; an object identification unit that identifies the object based on the surrounding environment information from the detection unit; a distance calculation unit that calculates a distance between a third point, which is an arbitrary point on the road surface onto which the road surface drawing unit projects the road surface drawing pattern, and a fourth point, which is an arbitrary point on the object; an illumination control unit that controls the road surface drawing unit, The lighting control unit When the distance to the farthest object among the two or more objects identified by the object identification unit is less than a predetermined distance, the road surface drawing unit is controlled to project one of the road surface drawing patterns onto the road surface in a first display form that conveys a specific meaning; A road surface drawing system that, when the distance to the farthest object among two or more objects identified by the object identification unit is a predetermined distance or more, conveys the specific meaning and controls the road surface drawing unit to project one of the road surface drawing patterns onto the road surface in a second display form that is different from the first display form.

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