Lighting control device and lighting control method

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a technology that makes it possible for a site to be visually recognized even when a driver has suddenly returned their line of sight, without irritating the driver. A lighting control device according to the present invention comprises an acquisition unit that acquires a line of sight direction for the driver of a vehicle and a control unit that, on the basis of movement in the line of sight direction, performs lighting control that moves a first end of an additional irradiation area that is an irradiation area of an additional lighting device that is on the same side as a movement direction that is the direction of the movement and moves a second end of the additional irradiation area that is on the opposite side from the movement direction at a slower movement speed than the first end or does not move the second end.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lighting control device and a lighting control method. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for moving the illumination area of ​​a vehicle's headlights based on the movement of the driver's line of sight. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-111328 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For vehicle supplemental lighting devices that supplement headlights, moving the illumination area of ​​the supplemental lighting device based on the driver's line of sight is considered useful in allowing the driver to see the environment outside the vehicle. However, when support illumination is performed in rapid synchronization with the line of sight, the illumination direction constantly changes, causing annoyance to the driver, such as flickering of the lights. Furthermore, implementing delay processing to prevent this results in a delay in the support illumination. Furthermore, the illumination area of ​​the supplemental lighting device is smaller than the illumination area of ​​the headlight. Therefore, if the driver shifts their line of sight from a certain point and then immediately returns their line of sight to that point (for example, when the distance (m) is large or the angular speed (deg / sec) of movement is large), the illumination area of ​​the supplemental lighting device cannot keep up with the change, and light is not illuminated at the point, causing the driver to be unable to see the point.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that allows the driver to see a location even if the driver quickly turns their gaze back, without causing the driver any inconvenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A lighting control device according to the present disclosure is a lighting control device that controls an additional lighting device of a vehicle that supplements a headlight of the vehicle, and includes: an acquisition unit that acquires a line of sight direction of a driver of the vehicle; setting an additional illumination area, which is an illumination area of ​​the additional illumination device, based on the line of sight direction; Based on gaze direction movement , additional and a control unit that performs illumination control to move a first end portion of the additional illumination area on the same side as the movement direction, which is the direction of movement, and to move a second end portion of the additional illumination area on the opposite side to the movement direction at a movement speed slower than that of the first end portion, or not to move the second end portion. The control unit gradually restores the additional illumination area to the set additional illumination area when the amount of movement in the line of sight direction is smaller than a threshold value greater than 0 in a case where illumination control is performed in which the first end portion is moved and the second end portion is not moved based on the movement. do. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, lighting control is performed to move the first end and move the second end at a slower speed than the first end or not move it at all based on the movement of the line of sight, so that the driver can see the point to which they immediately return their gaze without feeling annoyed by the flickering of the lighting.

[0008] The objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a lighting control device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the lighting control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the lighting control device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the lighting control device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a lighting control device according to Modification 3. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a lighting control device according to Modification 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a lighting control device according to Modification 4. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a lighting control device according to Modification 4. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a lighting control device according to a fifth modification. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a lighting control device according to Modification 5. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a lighting control device according to Modification 6. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a lighting control device according to Modification 6. [Figure 13] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a lighting control device according to Modification 8. [Figure 14] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a lighting control device according to Modification 8. [Figure 15] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a lighting control device according to Modification 9. [Figure 16] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a lighting control device according to Modification 9. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a lighting control device according to another modified example. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a lighting control device according to another modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <First Embodiment> Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a lighting control device 1 according to Embodiment 1. The lighting control device 1 in Fig. 1 is provided in an in-vehicle device 11 mounted on a vehicle together with a DMS (Driver Monitoring System) 2 and lighting devices 3, and is connected to the DMS 2 and lighting devices 3 so as to be able to communicate with them.

[0011] The DMS 2 detects the driver's line of sight or facial orientation by capturing an image of the driver of the vehicle and performing image recognition.

[0012] The lighting device 3 includes a headlamp 3a, which is a headlight, and an additional lighting device 3b. The headlamp 3a selects between a high beam and a low beam to illuminate the outside of the vehicle. The headlamp 3a may be configured so that the direction and shape of its illumination area are variable, and the direction and shape of the illumination area of ​​the headlamp 3a may be changed based on at least one of the steering angle of the vehicle and the shape of the road ahead of the vehicle.

[0013] The additional lighting device 3b is a device that supplements the headlight 3a and illuminates the outside of the vehicle. The additional lighting device 3b is configured so that the direction, shape, and luminous intensity of the illumination area of ​​the additional lighting device 3b are variable.

[0014] In the following description, the illumination area of ​​the headlight 3a may be referred to as the "headlight illumination area," and the illumination area of ​​the additional lighting device 3b may be referred to as the "additional illumination area."

[0015] 1 controls the additional lighting device 3b based on the detection result of the DMS 2. Note that the lighting control device 1 not only controls the additional lighting device 3b, but may also control the headlamp 3a based on the driver's operation and the brightness around the vehicle.

[0016] The lighting control device 1 in FIG. 1 includes an acquisition unit, ie, a gaze direction acquisition unit 1a, and a control unit 1b.

[0017] The gaze direction acquisition unit 1a acquires the gaze direction of the driver from the DMS 2. When the gaze direction acquisition unit 1a acquires the direction of the driver's face from the DMS 2, the gaze direction acquisition unit 1a estimates and acquires the gaze direction based on the direction of the face. Note that, although the DMS 2 and the gaze direction acquisition unit 1a are provided separately in FIG. 1, the gaze direction acquisition unit 1a may be provided with the DMS 2.

[0018] Based on the movement of the gaze direction acquired by the gaze direction acquisition unit 1a, the control unit 1b performs lighting control to move a first end portion of the additional illumination area of ​​the additional illumination device 3b on the same side as the movement direction, which is the direction of the movement, and not to move a second end portion of the additional illumination area on the opposite side to the movement direction. This lighting control will be described in detail later. In the following description, the first end portion on the same side as the movement direction may be referred to as the "same movement end portion," and the second end portion on the opposite side to the movement direction may be referred to as the "opposite movement end portion."

[0019] <Operation> Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the lighting control device 1 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the additional illumination area 21 controlled by this operation at each time. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the distribution of luminous intensity of the additional illumination area 21 in the left-right direction of Fig. 3 at each time. The direction in which the line of sight (angle θ) in Fig. 4 increases corresponds to the right direction in Fig. 3, and the direction in which the line of sight (angle θ) in Fig. 4 decreases corresponds to the left direction in Fig. 3.

[0020] In step S1 of FIG. 2, the line-of-sight direction acquisition unit 1a acquires the line-of-sight direction of the driver.

[0021] In step S2, the control unit 1b sets an additional illumination area of ​​the additional illumination device 3b based on the line of sight direction.

[0022] 3 and 4, an example of the additional illumination area 21 set in step S2 is shown at time t0. Note that Fig. 3 also shows an illumination possible area 22, which is the maximum area in which the additional illumination device 3b can illuminate the additional illumination area 21.

[0023] As shown at time t0 in Figure 3, the control unit 1b sets, for example, an elliptical area having an angle of 3 degrees in both the vertical and horizontal directions and an angle of 5 degrees in both the horizontal and vertical directions with the line of sight as the center as the additional illumination area 21. Each concentric ellipse in the additional illumination area 21 in Figure 3 represents an isoluminosity line connecting points of the same luminous intensity. The center of gravity of the innermost concentric ellipse in the additional illumination area 21 corresponds to the angle θ0 of the line of sight at the time of step S2. Furthermore, the control unit 1b sets the additional illumination area 21 so that the luminous intensity is highest at the center of gravity of the additional illumination area 21 and gradually decreases toward the edge of the additional illumination area 21.

[0024] As a result, in the additional illumination area 21 at time t0 in Fig. 4, the luminous intensity is highest at θ0, and the luminous intensity decreases as the angle increases from θ0 (toward the right in Fig. 3) or as the angle decreases from θ0 (toward the left in Fig. 3). In the example in Fig. 4, the curve of the luminous intensity that decreases as the angle increases from θ0 is the same as the curve of the luminous intensity that decreases as the angle decreases from θ0, and the distribution of luminous intensity is symmetrical with respect to θ0.

[0025] It should be noted that the additional illumination area 21 is not limited to the above. For example, the shape of the additional illumination area 21 may be a rectangle, a polygon, or another shape, and the shape and luminous intensity distribution of the additional illumination area 21 do not have to be bilaterally symmetrical or vertically symmetrical.

[0026] The setting of the additional illumination area 21 described above is an internal process of the control unit 1b, and is performed without turning on the illumination of the additional illumination device 3b. In the following description, the additional illumination area set in the additional illumination device 3b by internal processing will be referred to as the "preset additional illumination area" to distinguish it from the additional illumination area onto which light is actually emitted from the additional illumination device 3b. Similarly, the headlamp illumination area set in the headlamp 3a by internal processing will be referred to as the "preset headlamp illumination area" to distinguish it from the headlamp illumination area onto which light is actually emitted from the headlamp 3a.

[0027] 2, the control unit 1b determines whether or not at least a portion of the set headlamp illumination area overlaps with at least a portion of the set additional illumination area 21. If it is determined that they overlap, the process proceeds to step S1, and if it is determined that they do not overlap, the process proceeds to step S4.

[0028] In step S4, the control unit 1b turns on the illumination of the additional illumination device 3b, causing the additional illumination device 3b to irradiate the additional illumination area 21 with light having the luminous intensity distribution set in step S2.

[0029] In step S5, the line-of-sight direction acquisition unit 1a acquires the line-of-sight direction of the driver.

[0030] In step S6, the control unit 1b determines whether the gaze direction has moved based on whether the amount of movement in the gaze direction is greater than 0. The amount of movement in the gaze direction is a scalar quantity. If the amount of movement in the gaze direction is greater than 0, the control unit 1b determines that the gaze direction has moved, and the process proceeds to step S7. If the amount of movement in the gaze direction is 0, the control unit 1b determines that the gaze direction has not moved, and the process proceeds to step S5.

[0031] In step S7, the control unit 1b performs lighting control to move the same movement end portion of the additional illumination area 21 on the same side as the movement direction of the line of sight, but not to move the opposite movement end portion of the additional illumination area 21 on the opposite side to the movement direction.

[0032] At time t1 in FIGS. 3 and 4, an example of the additional irradiation area 21 controlled in step S7 when the line of sight direction moves from θ0 to θ1 to the right in FIG. 3 is shown.

[0033] As shown at time t1 in Fig. 3, when the line of sight moves to the right, the control unit 1b performs illumination control to move the same movement end portion (right end portion in Fig. 3) of the additional illumination area 21 but not to move the reverse movement end portion (left end portion in Fig. 3) of the additional illumination area 21. Also, in the present embodiment 1, as shown in Fig. 3, the control unit 1b makes the density of the isoluminosity lines on the same movement end portion (right end portion in Fig. 3) side in the additional illumination area 21 higher than the density of the isoluminosity lines on the reverse movement end portion (left end portion in Fig. 3) side.

[0034] As a result, in the additional illumination area 21 at time t1 in Figure 4, the luminous intensity is highest at θ1, and the curve of the luminous intensity that decreases as the angle increases from θ1 is steeper than the curve of the luminous intensity that decreases as the angle decreases from θ1. The position of the end of the additional illumination area 21 with the smallest angle at time t1 coincides with the position of that end at time t0. As a result, the control unit 1b performs illumination control so that the additional illumination area 21 has a shape that leaves a trail on the reverse movement end side, that is, a trailing shape.

[0035] In step S8 of FIG. 2, the line-of-sight direction acquisition unit 1a acquires the line-of-sight direction of the driver.

[0036] In step S9, control unit 1b determines whether the gaze direction has stopped by determining whether the amount of movement in the gaze direction is smaller than a threshold value greater than 0. For example, control unit 1b determines whether the amount of movement in the gaze direction is smaller than the threshold value by determining whether the angle of movement in the gaze direction is 1 degree or less, or whether the speed of movement in the gaze direction is 2 degrees / second or less. Then, control unit 1b determines that the gaze direction has stopped when it determines that the angle of movement in the gaze direction is 1 degree or less, or that the speed of movement in the gaze direction is 2 degrees / second or less. Note that the determination of whether the amount of movement in the gaze direction is smaller than the threshold value is not limited to this.

[0037] In step S9, if it is determined that the amount of movement in the gaze direction is smaller than the threshold, and therefore it is determined that the gaze direction has stopped, the process proceeds to step S10. If it is determined that the amount of movement in the gaze direction is equal to or greater than the threshold, and therefore it is determined that the gaze direction has not stopped, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0038] Before describing the case where the process proceeds from step S9 to step S10, a description will be given of the case where the process proceeds from step S9 to step S7. At time t2 in FIGS. 3 and 4, an example of the additional illumination area 21 controlled in step S7 when the line of sight moves from θ1 to θ2, to the right in FIG. 3, is shown. At time t2 in FIG. 3, the same control as at time t1 is performed. As a result, the difference between the density of the isointensity lines at the end of the same movement (the right end in FIG. 3) and the density of the isointensity lines at the end of the opposite movement (the left end in FIG. 3) is greater at time t2 than at time t1. At time t3 in FIGS. 3 and 4, an example of the additional illumination area 21 controlled in step S7 when the line of sight moves from θ2 to θ3, to the right in FIG. 3, is shown.

[0039] Next, a description will be given of the case where the process advances from step S9 to step S10 in Fig. 2. In step S10, the control unit 1b gradually restores the additional irradiation area 21 to the initial irradiation area at time t0 in Fig. 3.

[0040] 3 and 4, time t4 shows an example of the additional illumination area 21 controlled in step S10 when the line of sight has been stopped since time t3. The control unit 1b gradually restores the additional illumination area 21 to the initial illumination area at time t0, thereby reducing the difference between the density of the isointensity lines at the end of the same movement (the right end in FIG. 3) and the end of the reverse movement (the left end in FIG. 3). Note that the control unit 1b may prioritize restoration of the end of the reverse movement over the end of the same movement.

[0041] In step S11 of FIG. 2, the line-of-sight direction acquisition unit 1a acquires the line-of-sight direction of the driver.

[0042] In step S12, control unit 1b determines whether the gaze direction has moved based on whether the amount of movement in the gaze direction is greater than 0. If the amount of movement in the gaze direction is greater than 0, control unit 1b determines that the gaze direction has moved, and the process proceeds to step S7. If the amount of movement in the gaze direction is 0, control unit 1b determines that the gaze direction has not moved, and the process proceeds to step S13.

[0043] In step S13, the control unit 1b determines whether or not the restoration of the additional irradiation area 21 is complete. If it is determined that the restoration is complete, the process proceeds to step S5, and if it is determined that the restoration is not complete, the process proceeds to step S10.

[0044] 3 and 4, time t5 shows an example of the additional illumination area 21 controlled in step S10 when the line of sight has been stationary since time t4. As shown at times t4 and t5 in FIGS. 3 and 4, as time passes from the time when it is determined that the line of sight has been stationary, the additional illumination area 21 is gradually restored to the initial illumination area at time t0. In the example of FIGS. 3 and 4, the restoration of the additional illumination area 21 is completed at time t5, and the additional illumination area 21 at time t5 has θ3 as its center and has the same shape as the additional illumination area 21 at time t0.

[0045] Although not shown, when the process proceeds from step S12 to step S7, that is, when the gaze direction moves before the restoration of the additional irradiation area 21 is completed, the control unit 1b performs the process of step S7 based on the luminous intensity distribution of the additional irradiation area 21 at that time. For example, when the gaze direction increases from θ3 after the process of step S10 (when the gaze direction moves to the right in FIG. 3), the control unit 1b fixes the reverse movement end (left end in FIG. 3) of the additional irradiation area 21 that was being restored, and moves the center of the additional irradiation area 21 to the right. As a result, the additional irradiation area 21 has a trailing shape on the left side. On the other hand, when the gaze direction decreases from θ3 after the process of step S10 (when the gaze direction moves to the left in FIG. 3), the control unit 1b switches the movement end (right end in FIG. 3) of the additional irradiation area 21 that was being restored to the reverse movement end and fixes it, and moves the center of the additional irradiation area 21 to the left. As a result, the additional irradiation area 21 has a trailing shape on the right side.

[0046] In the above description, the line of sight moves in the left-right direction, but this is not limited to this. For example, even if the line of sight moves in the up-down direction or diagonal direction, the same operations as those described above may be performed to extend and restore the additional illumination area 21 in the up-down direction and diagonal direction.

[0047] <Summary of the First Embodiment> According to the lighting control device 1 of the first embodiment as described above, lighting control is performed in which the same movement end of the additional illumination area 21 is moved based on the movement of the driver's line of sight, but the reverse movement end of the additional illumination area 21 is not moved. With this configuration, even if the driver moves his / her line of sight from a certain point and then immediately returns his / her line of sight to the point, illumination of the additional illumination area 21 including the point is maintained, so the driver can see the point without feeling annoyed by flickering of the lighting.

[0048] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, in the additional illumination area 21, the density of the isoluminance lines on the side of the movement end is made higher than the density of the isoluminance lines on the side of the opposite movement end. With this configuration, it is possible to shorten the distance between the position corresponding to the line of sight and the position of the movement end, and it is possible to prevent the additional illumination area 21 from becoming wider than necessary. As a result, it is expected that the energy consumption required for the additional illumination area 21 will be reduced and the occurrence of glare on pedestrians and the like outside the vehicle will be suppressed.

[0049] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, when the density of the isoluminance lines on the same movement end side is higher than the density of the isoluminance lines on the reverse movement end side, and the amount of movement in the line of sight is smaller than a threshold value greater than 0, the difference between the density of the isoluminance lines on the same movement end side and the density of the isoluminance lines on the reverse movement end side is reduced. This configuration can prevent the additional illumination area 21 from having a trailing shape more than necessary. As a result, it can be expected that the energy consumption required for the additional illumination area 21 will be reduced and glare will be suppressed for pedestrians outside the vehicle.

[0050] <Variation 1> In steps S3 and S4 of FIG. 2 in the first embodiment, the control unit 1b turns on the illumination of the additional illumination device 3b when at least a portion of the set headlamp illumination area does not overlap with at least a portion of the set additional illumination area 21. However, the trigger for turning on the illumination of the additional illumination device 3b is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 1b may turn on the illumination of the additional illumination device 3b when it detects a predetermined action from the driver for turning on the additional illumination. The predetermined action for turning on the additional illumination includes, for example, the driver operating an additional illumination on button (not shown) or the driver gazing at a point outside the headlamp illumination area.

[0051] Furthermore, the control unit 1b may turn off the illumination of the additional illumination device 3b when detecting a predetermined action from the driver to turn off the additional illumination after turning on the illumination of the additional illumination device 3b. The predetermined action to turn off the additional illumination includes, for example, the driver operating an additional illumination off button (not shown) or the driver gazing at a point within the headlight illumination area.

[0052] <Variation 2> In the first embodiment, the control unit 1b does not turn on the illumination of the additional illumination device 3b when at least a portion of the set headlamp illumination area overlaps with at least a portion of the set additional illumination area 21, but the control unit 1b may turn on the illumination of the additional illumination device 3b.

[0053] Then, the control unit 1b may set an overlapping area where the set additional illumination area 21 and the set headlamp illumination area overlap, and correct the luminous intensity of the overlapping area of ​​the additional illumination area 21 to about 1 / 5 of the luminous intensity of the non-overlapping area of ​​the additional illumination area 21. Alternatively, the control unit 1b may correct the luminous intensity of the overlapping area of ​​the additional illumination area 21 to 0. These corrections may be performed in parallel with the processing of steps S5 to S13 in FIG. 2. With this configuration, it is expected that the energy consumption required for the additional illumination area 21 can be reduced.

[0054] The overlapping area may be, for example, an area where the set additional illumination area 21 overlaps with an area of ​​the headlamp illumination area on the opposite side of the vehicle. Also, as in Modification 8 described below, the overlapping area may be, for example, an area where a trailing-shaped area in the set additional illumination area 21 overlaps with the headlamp illumination area.

[0055] <Variation 3> In the first embodiment, the change in the distribution of luminous intensity relative to the line of sight (angle θ) is continuous as shown in Fig. 4, but this is not limited to this. The change in the distribution of luminous intensity relative to the line of sight (angle θ) may be stepwise as shown in Fig. 5. The hourly illumination control in Fig. 5 is substantially the same as the hourly illumination control in Fig. 4.

[0056] <Variation 4> In the first embodiment, as in steps S9 and S10 of FIG. 2, the control unit 1b does not move the reverse movement end portion of the additional illumination area 21 on the opposite side to the movement direction of the line of sight until it is determined that the line of sight direction has stopped, but this is not limited to this.

[0057] 6 and 7 are diagrams showing additional illumination areas 21 controlled by the operation of lighting control device 1 according to Modification 4 at different times, and correspond to FIGS. 3 and 4. Control unit 1b according to Modification 4 sets restoration area 23 based on the line of sight. Restoration area 23 in the example of FIG. 6 is the same as the initial illumination area at time t0 in FIG. 3.

[0058] The control unit 1b according to the present modified example 4 reduces the luminance of the outer area 21a, which is an area of ​​the additional illumination area 21 outside the restoration area 23, in accordance with predetermined rules while the line of sight direction is moving. In the present modified example 4, the predetermined rules include a rule that reduces the luminance of the outer area 21a as time passes after the outer area 21a is created. Note that the time required for the control unit 1b to reduce the luminance of the outer area 21a to 0 is set to be longer than the time required for the driver to recognize that the additional illumination area 21 has a trailing shape.

[0059] 6 and 7 show the additional illumination area 21 when the period from when the control unit 1b reduces the luminance of the outer area 21a to when it reduces it to 0 is shorter than the period during which the line of sight is moving. In this case, as shown at times t1 and t2, the control unit 1b performs illumination control by moving the same movement end (the right end in FIG. 6) based on the movement of the line of sight, and by moving the opposite movement end (the left end in FIG. 6) at a slower movement speed than the same movement end.

[0060] As described above, according to Modification 4, in which the reverse moving end portion is moved at a slower moving speed than the first moving end portion, it is possible to prevent the additional illumination area 21 from having an excessively long tail shape. As a result, it is expected that the energy consumption required for the additional illumination area 21 will be reduced and glare caused to pedestrians outside the vehicle will be suppressed.

[0061] Note that if the period from when the control unit 1b reduces the luminance of the outer area 21a to when it sets it to 0 is longer than the period during which the line of sight is moving, illumination control is performed substantially the same as in the first embodiment. Also, in the above description, the restoration area 23 is the same as the additional illumination area 21 at time t0 in FIG. 3, but it may be different. For example, the restoration area 23 may be an area expanded outward by a predetermined distance from the additional illumination area 21 at time t0 in FIG. 3. Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the fourth modification may be applied to the third modification.

[0062] <Variation 5> In variant example 4, the predetermined rule for reducing the luminous intensity of outer area 21a was a rule for reducing the luminous intensity of outer area 21a as time passed since outer area 21a was created, but this is not limited to this.

[0063] Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a lighting control device 1 according to Modification 5. The configuration in Fig. 9 is the same as the configuration in Fig. 1, except that an in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network) 4 and a vehicle information acquisition unit 1c are added.

[0064] The in-vehicle LAN 4 is provided outside the lighting control device 1, and generates vehicle information including the vehicle speed based on signals from various sensors in the vehicle. An acquisition unit, the vehicle information acquisition unit 1c, is provided in the lighting control device 1, and acquires the vehicle information from the in-vehicle LAN 4. Note that, although the in-vehicle LAN 4 and the vehicle information acquisition unit 1c are provided separately in FIG. 9, the vehicle information acquisition unit 1c may be provided with the in-vehicle LAN 4.

[0065] The control unit 1b reduces the luminance of the outer area 21a in accordance with predetermined rules while the line of sight is moving, based on the movement of the line of sight direction acquired by the line of sight direction acquisition unit 1a and the vehicle speed included in the vehicle information acquired by the vehicle information acquisition unit 1c. In the present modification 5, the predetermined rules include a rule that reduces the luminance of the outer area 21a as the vehicle speed increases.

[0066] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a rule by which the control unit 1b reduces the luminous intensity of the outer area 21a as the vehicle speed increases. The slope of the graph of the rule pattern P1 in FIG. 10 (i.e., change in the amount of attenuation of luminous intensity / change in vehicle speed) increases as the vehicle speed increases. Generally, the driver's field of vision tends to narrow as the vehicle speed increases, so according to the rule pattern P1, the size of the additional illumination area 21 can be adjusted to match the tendency of a typical driver's field of vision.

[0067] The rule according to the fifth modification is not limited to the regular pattern P1 in FIG. 10 , but may be the regular pattern P2 or the regular pattern P3 in FIG. 10 . The slope of the graph of the regular pattern P2 in FIG. 10 decreases as the vehicle speed increases. According to this regular pattern P2, the size of the additional illumination area 21 can be adjusted to match the tendency of the visual field of a driver who frequently looks left and right. The slope of the graph of the regular pattern P3 in FIG. 10 is constant regardless of the vehicle speed. According to this regular pattern P3, the size of the additional illumination area 21 can be adjusted to some extent to match both the tendency of the visual field of a general driver and the tendency of the visual field of a driver who frequently looks left and right.

[0068] Furthermore, the rule according to Modification 5 does not have to be a rule in which the amount of attenuation of light intensity is set continuously with respect to the vehicle speed as in Fig. 10. For example, the rule according to Modification 5 may be a two-stage rule in which only the amount of attenuation when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a threshold value (e.g., 60 km / h) and the amount of attenuation when the vehicle speed is less than the threshold value are set.

[0069] <Variation 6> In the first embodiment, in steps S6 and S12 of Fig. 2, controller 1b performs the illumination control in step S7 when the amount of movement in the gaze direction is greater than 0, but this is not limited to this. For example, controller 1b may perform the illumination control in step S7 when the amount of movement in the gaze direction exceeds a threshold value greater than 0. As in the examples of Figs. 11 and 12, controller 1b may control the angular velocity of the brightest part of additional illumination area 21 based on the angular velocity in the gaze direction when the angular velocity, which is the movement speed in the gaze direction, exceeds a threshold value (for example, 5 degrees).

[0070] With this configuration, a dead zone of a threshold value (for example, 5 degrees) can be set for the angular velocity in the line of sight, so that the illumination control in step S7 is not performed more than necessary. This stabilizes the additional illumination area 21, making it possible to realize an additional illumination area 21 that is easy for the driver to see.

[0071] <Variation 7> In the first embodiment, the additional illumination area 21 is the same whether the position corresponding to the line of sight, that is, the position where the driver is looking, is close to or far from the vehicle, but this is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 1b may narrow the solid angle of the additional illumination area 21 as the position corresponding to the line of sight is farther from the vehicle, that is, the longer the line of sight distance.

[0072] According to this configuration, when the driver's line of sight is directed toward an area far from the vehicle, the solid angle of the additional illumination area 21 narrows, making it possible to narrow the additional illumination area 21. This prevents the additional illumination area 21 from becoming wider than necessary, which is expected to reduce the energy consumption required for the additional illumination area 21 and suppress the occurrence of glare on pedestrians and the like outside the vehicle.

[0073] <Variation 8> Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the additional illumination area 21 controlled by the operation of the lighting control device 1 according to Modification 8 at each time, and corresponds to Fig. 3. Fig. 13 illustrates the set additional illumination area 21, the illumination-available area 22, and the set headlamp illumination area 24. At time t0, the line of sight is located to the left of the headlamp illumination area 24. At time t1, the line of sight moves from the left of the headlamp illumination area 24, through the headlamp illumination area 24, to the right of the headlamp illumination area 24. At time t2, the line of sight moves from the right of the headlamp illumination area 24, through the headlamp illumination area 24, to the left of the headlamp illumination area 24.

[0074] In this case, the set additional illumination area 21 includes a first area 21d that overlaps with the set headlamp illumination area 24, and a second area 21e and a third area 21f that sandwich the first area 21d. In such a case, the control unit 1b may set the luminous intensity of the first area 21d to be equal to or lower than the luminous intensity of the second area 21e and the third area 21f. For example, as in the second modification, the control unit 1b may correct the luminous intensity of the first area 21d, which is an overlapping area, to about one-fifth the luminous intensity of the second area 21e and the third area 21f, which are non-overlapping areas, or may correct the luminous intensity of the first area 21d, which is an overlapping area, to 0. With this configuration, it is expected that the energy consumption required for the additional illumination area 21 will be reduced.

[0075] At time t3 after time t2, control unit 1b may make the density of the isoluminosity lines on the same movement end side and the density of the isoluminosity lines on the reverse movement end side substantially the same in additional illumination area 21. After time t3, control unit 1b may gradually restore the set additional illumination area 21 only when the line of sight is located within headlamp illumination area 24.

[0076] FIG. 14 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 and shows the additional illumination area 21 controlled by the operation of the lighting control device 1 according to Modification 8 at different times. In FIG. 14, at time t0, the line of sight is located to the left of the headlamp illumination area 24. At time t1, the line of sight moves from the left of the headlamp illumination area 24, through the headlamp illumination area 24, to the right of the headlamp illumination area 24. As a result, at time t1, the additional illumination area 21 in the setting includes the first area 21d, the second area 21e, and the third area 21f. In such a case, the control unit 1b may set the luminous intensity of the first area 21d to be equal to or lower than the luminous intensity of the second area 21e and the third area 21f.

[0077] 14, in the additional illumination area 21 at time t1, the control unit 1b sets the density of the isoluminosity lines on the right end side, which is the same movement end side, higher than the density of the isoluminosity lines on the left end side, which is the reverse movement end side, but the two may be set to the same density. Also, when the line of sight is located within the headlamp illumination area 24, as in times t2 to t4 after time t1, the control unit 1b may gradually restore the additional illumination area 21.

[0078] In the above description, the line of sight moves in the left-right direction, but this is not limited to this. For example, even if the line of sight moves in the up-down direction or diagonal direction, the same operations as those described above may be performed to extend and restore the additional illumination area 21 in the up-down direction and diagonal direction.

[0079] <Variation 9> In the first embodiment, the luminous intensity continuously decreases toward the end of the additional illumination area 21, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the luminous intensity of the additional illumination area 21 may be constant. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 16, for example, the present modified example 9 and modified example 4 may be combined. That is, the control unit 1b may perform illumination control to move the same movement end portion based on the movement of the line of sight direction and move the reverse movement end portion at a slower movement speed than the same movement end portion, and may also control the luminous intensity of the additional illumination area 21 to be constant. Furthermore, other than this, modified examples 1 to 9 may be combined within a range that does not contradict.

[0080] <Other variations> The gaze direction acquisition unit 1a and control unit 1b in FIG. 1 described above will be referred to as the "gaze direction acquisition unit 1a, etc." The gaze direction acquisition unit 1a, etc., is implemented by a processing circuit 81 shown in FIG. 17. That is, the processing circuit 81 includes a gaze direction acquisition unit 1a that acquires the gaze direction of the vehicle driver, and a control unit 1b that performs lighting control based on the movement of the gaze direction, by moving a first end portion of an additional illumination area, which is an illumination area of ​​the additional lighting device, on the same side as the movement direction, and moving a second end portion of the additional illumination area on the opposite side to the movement direction at a slower moving speed than the first end portion, or by not moving the second end portion. The processing circuit 81 may be implemented by dedicated hardware, or may be implemented by a processor that executes a program stored in a memory. Examples of the processor include a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor).

[0081] When the processing circuit 81 is dedicated hardware, the processing circuit 81 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination of these. The functions of each unit such as the gaze direction acquisition unit 1a may be realized by a circuit in which processing circuits are distributed, or the functions of each unit may be realized together by a single processing circuit.

[0082] When the processing circuit 81 is a processor, the functions of the gaze direction acquisition unit 1a and the like are realized in combination with software and the like. Software and the like may include, for example, software, firmware, or both software and firmware. The software and the like are written as a program and stored in a memory. As shown in FIG. 18 , the processor 82 applied to the processing circuit 81 realizes the functions of each unit by reading and executing a program stored in a memory 83. That is, the lighting control device 1 includes a memory 83 for storing a program that, when executed by the processing circuit 81, results in the following steps: acquiring the gaze direction of the vehicle driver; and, based on the movement of the gaze direction, moving a first end of an additional illumination area, which is an illumination area of ​​the additional lighting device, on the same side as the movement direction, and moving a second end of the additional illumination area on the opposite side to the movement direction at a slower speed than the first end, or not moving it. In other words, this program can be said to cause a computer to execute the procedures and methods of the gaze direction acquisition unit 1a and the like. Here, the memory 83 may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a mini disk, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a drive device for any of these, or any storage medium to be used in the future.

[0083] The above describes a configuration in which each function of the gaze direction acquisition unit 1a, etc. is realized either by hardware or software, etc. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which part of the gaze direction acquisition unit 1a, etc. is realized by dedicated hardware and another part is realized by software, etc. For example, the gaze direction acquisition unit 1a's function can be realized by processing circuit 81 as dedicated hardware, and the other functions can be realized by processing circuit 81 as processor 82 reading and executing programs stored in memory 83.

[0084] As described above, the processing circuitry 81 can realize the above-mentioned functions by hardware, software, or a combination of these.

[0085] The contents of the embodiments can be modified or omitted as appropriate.

[0086] The above description is illustrative in all respects and is not restrictive. It is understood that countless variations not illustrated can be envisioned. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1 lighting control device, 1a line of sight direction acquisition unit, 1b control unit, 3a headlight, 3b additional lighting device, 21 additional illumination area, 21a outer area, 21d first area, 21e second area, 21f third area, 23 restoration area, 24 headlight illumination area.

Claims

1. A lighting control device that controls an additional lighting device of a vehicle that supplements a headlight of the vehicle, an acquisition unit that acquires a line of sight direction of a driver of the vehicle; a control unit that performs lighting control to set an additional illumination area that is an illumination area of ​​the additional illumination device based on the line of sight direction, to move a first end portion of the additional illumination area on the same side as a movement direction that is the direction of the movement based on movement of the line of sight direction, and to move a second end portion of the additional illumination area on the opposite side to the movement direction at a movement speed slower than that of the first end portion, or not to move the second end portion; Equipped with The control unit a lighting control device that gradually restores the additional illumination area to the set additional illumination area when the lighting control is performed to move the first end and not move the second end based on the movement and the amount of movement in the line of sight direction is smaller than a threshold greater than 0.

2. 2. The lighting control device according to claim 1, The control unit A lighting control device that makes the density of the isoluminance lines on the first end side higher than the density of the isoluminance lines on the second end side in the additional illumination area.

3. The lighting control device according to claim 2, The control unit A lighting control device that reduces the difference between the density of isoluminance lines on the first end side and the density of isoluminance lines on the second end side when the density of isoluminance lines on the first end side is higher than the density of isoluminance lines on the second end side and the amount of movement in the line of sight is smaller than a threshold value greater than 0.

4. 2. The lighting control device according to claim 1, The control unit A lighting control device that reduces the luminance of an outer area of ​​the additional illumination area, which is an area outside a restoration area based on the line of sight, in accordance with a predetermined rule while the line of sight is moving.

5. 5. The lighting control device according to claim 4, The lighting control device, wherein the predetermined rules include a rule that reduces the luminance of the outer area as time passes since the outer area was created.

6. 5. The lighting control device according to claim 4, The acquisition unit further acquires a speed of the vehicle, The lighting control device, wherein the predetermined rules include a rule that decreases the light intensity of the outer area as the speed increases.

7. The lighting control device according to claim 1 , The control unit a lighting control device configured to perform the lighting control of moving the first end and not moving the second end based on the movement, and when the amount of movement in the line of sight direction exceeds the threshold, start the lighting control of moving the first end and not moving the second end based on the movement.

8. The lighting control device according to claim 1 , The control unit A lighting control device that, when the additional illumination area in the setting includes a first area that overlaps with the illumination area of ​​the headlight in the setting, and a second area and a third area that sandwich the first area, sets the luminous intensity of the first area to be lower than the luminous intensity of the second area and the third area.

9. The lighting control device according to claim 1 , The control unit The lighting control device narrows the solid angle of the additional illumination area as the position corresponding to the line of sight becomes farther from the vehicle.

10. The lighting control device according to claim 1 , A lighting control device, wherein the luminous intensity of the additional illumination area is single.

11. 1. A lighting control method for controlling an additional lighting device of a vehicle that supplements a headlight of the vehicle, comprising: an acquisition unit acquires a line of sight direction of a driver of the vehicle; a control unit sets an additional illumination area, which is an illumination area of ​​the additional illumination device, based on the line of sight direction, and performs illumination control to move a first end portion of the additional illumination area on the same side as a movement direction that is the direction of the movement, based on the movement of the line of sight direction, and to move a second end portion of the additional illumination area on the opposite side to the movement direction at a movement speed slower than that of the first end portion, or not to move the second end portion; the control unit gradually restores the additional illumination area to the set additional illumination area when the amount of movement in the line of sight direction is smaller than a threshold greater than 0 in a case where the control unit performs the lighting control such that the first end portion is moved and the second end portion is not moved based on the movement.

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