Vehicle lighting system, light distribution control device, and light distribution control method

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicular lamp system comprising a light distribution control device that controls the formation of a light distribution pattern by a first lamp unit and a second lamp unit. The light distribution control device forms a combined high-illuminance pattern (42) for a region where a target does not exist. Moreover, a combined light blocking pattern is also formed for a preceding vehicle. Further, the light distribution control device controls the first lamp unit to form a fixed-illuminance pattern (46) for a specific target (A), controls the second lamp unit to form the fixed-illuminance pattern (46) or an illuminance-adjusted pattern in which the illuminance is adjusted such that the brightness of the specific target (A) approaches a target brightness in an image, and overlaps the light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a combined medium-illuminance pattern (44).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting system, a light distribution control device, and a light distribution control method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) control has been proposed, which dynamically and adaptively controls the light distribution pattern based on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle. The system uses a camera to detect the presence or absence of a dimming target that should be avoided from being illuminated with light of a certain brightness, and dims the area corresponding to the dimming target (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Dimming targets include vehicles ahead, such as a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle. By dimming the area corresponding to the vehicle ahead, it is possible to reduce the glare given to the driver of the vehicle ahead, while improving the visibility of the driver of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-088224 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional ADB control, the target of dimming has been exclusively a vehicle ahead. However, after extensive research, the inventors have found that light-reflecting objects such as road signs, delineators, and billboards are also important targets for dimming. In other words, in recent years, vehicle lighting fixtures have become increasingly bright, and the intensity of light reflected by light-reflecting objects tends to increase. As a result, high-intensity light is reflected from light-reflecting objects, causing glare to the driver of the vehicle, which can reduce visibility.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide a technique for improving the visibility of the driver of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle lighting system. The vehicle lighting system includes a first lamp unit and a second lamp unit capable of forming a light distribution pattern with a variable intensity distribution, and a light distribution control device that controls the formation of the light distribution pattern by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit in accordance with a target included in an image captured by an imaging device. The light distribution control device controls at least one of the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a high-illuminance pattern with a predetermined illuminance in an area where no target exists, superimposes the light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a composite high-illuminance pattern, and controls the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a shading pattern with an illuminance lower than that of the high-illuminance pattern and independent of the brightness of the image in relation to a forward vehicle among the targets, superimposing the shading patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a composite shading pattern. Then, for a specific target among the targets for which a composite medium illuminance pattern with an illuminance lower than that of the composite high illuminance pattern and higher than that of the composite shading pattern should be formed, the first lighting unit is controlled to form a fixed illuminance pattern that is independent of the luminance of the image, and the second lighting unit is controlled to form either a fixed illuminance pattern that is independent of the luminance of the image or an illuminance adjustment pattern in which the illuminance is adjusted so that the luminance of the specific target in the image approaches a target luminance, and the composite medium illuminance pattern is formed by overlapping the light distribution patterns formed by the first lighting unit and the second lighting unit.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a light distribution control device that controls the formation of a light distribution pattern by a first lamp unit and a second lamp unit capable of forming a light distribution pattern with a variable intensity distribution in accordance with a target included in an image based on an imaging device. This light distribution control device controls at least one of the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a high-illuminance pattern with a predetermined illuminance in an area where no target exists, superimposes the light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a composite high-illuminance pattern, controls the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a shading pattern with an illuminance lower than that of the high-illuminance pattern and independent of the brightness of the image in relation to a forward vehicle among the targets, and superimposes the shading patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a composite shading pattern. The first lighting unit is controlled to form a fixed illuminance pattern that is independent of the luminance of the image for a specific target among the targets for which a composite medium illuminance pattern with illuminance lower than that of the composite high illuminance pattern and higher than that of the composite shading pattern should be formed, and the second lighting unit is controlled to form either a fixed illuminance pattern that is independent of the luminance of the image or an illuminance adjustment pattern in which the illuminance is adjusted so that the luminance of the specific target in the image approaches a target luminance, and the composite medium illuminance pattern is formed by overlapping the light distribution patterns formed by the first lighting unit and the second lighting unit.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is a light distribution control method for controlling the formation of a light distribution pattern by a first lamp unit and a second lamp unit capable of forming a light distribution pattern with a variable intensity distribution in accordance with a target included in an image captured by an imaging device. This light distribution control method includes controlling at least one of the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a high-illuminance pattern with a predetermined illuminance in an area where no target is present, superimposing the light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a composite high-illuminance pattern, controlling the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a shading pattern with an illuminance lower than that of the high-illuminance pattern and independent of the brightness of the image in relation to a forward vehicle among the targets, and superimposing the shading patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a composite shading pattern, The method includes controlling the first lighting unit to form a fixed illuminance pattern that is independent of the luminance of the image for a specific target among the targets, for which a composite medium illuminance pattern with illuminance lower than that of the composite high illuminance pattern and higher than that of the composite shading pattern should be formed, and controlling the second lighting unit to form either a fixed illuminance pattern that is independent of the luminance of the image or an illuminance adjustment pattern in which the illuminance is adjusted so that the luminance of the specific target in the image approaches a target luminance, and forming the composite medium illuminance pattern by superimposing the light distribution patterns formed by the first lighting unit and the second lighting unit.

[0009] Any combination of the above components and conversion of the present invention into a method, device, system, etc. are also valid aspects of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the visibility of the driver of the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lighting system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2]Fig. 2(A) is a schematic diagram showing a light distribution pattern formed by a first lamp unit, Fig. 2(B) is a schematic diagram showing a light distribution pattern formed by a second lamp unit, and Fig. 2(C) is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit and the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit are combined. [Figure 3] 3(A) to 3(C) are schematic diagrams showing light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit toward a forward vehicle. [Figure 4] 4(A) to 4(E) are schematic diagrams showing light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit in a situation where a specific target is present and a situation where it is not present. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of light distribution control according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lighting system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 7(A) to 7(E) are schematic diagrams showing light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit in a situation where a specific target is present and a situation where it is not present. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of light distribution control according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lighting system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 10] 10(A) to 10(E) are schematic diagrams showing light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit in a situation where a specific target is present and a situation where it is not present. [Figure 11] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of light distribution control according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] 12(A) to 12(E) are schematic diagrams showing light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit in a situation where a specific target is present and a situation where it is not present. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings based on preferred embodiments. The embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention. Identical or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted where appropriate. The scale and shape of each part shown in each drawing are set for convenience to facilitate explanation and should not be interpreted as limiting unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, when terms such as "first" and "second" are used in this specification or claims, unless otherwise specified, these terms do not indicate any order or importance, but are used to distinguish one configuration from another. Furthermore, some components that are not important for explaining the embodiments are omitted from each drawing.

[0013] (Embodiment 1) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lighting system 1 according to a first embodiment. In Fig. 1, some of the components of the vehicle lighting system 1 are depicted as functional blocks. These functional blocks are realized as a hardware configuration by elements and circuits such as a computer CPU and memory, and as a software configuration by a computer program or the like. Those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways by combining hardware and software.

[0014] The vehicle lighting system 1 includes a first lamp unit 2, a second lamp unit 4, an imaging device 6, and a light distribution control device 8. The vehicle lighting system 1 of this embodiment also includes a lamp body 10 having an opening on the front side of the vehicle, and a translucent cover 12 attached to cover the opening of the lamp body 10. The lamp body 10 and the translucent cover 12 form a lamp chamber 14. The first lamp unit 2, the second lamp unit 4, and the light distribution control device 8 are disposed within the lamp chamber 14. The imaging device 6 is disposed outside the lamp chamber 14, for example, on the vehicle side. One example of the imaging device 6 is an on-board camera. The light distribution control device 8 may be provided outside the lamp chamber 14, for example, on the vehicle side. For example, all or part of the light distribution control device 8 may be configured by a vehicle ECU.

[0015] The first lamp unit 2 has a first light source group 16, a second light source group 18, a circuit board 20, a heat sink 22, a shade member 24, a lens holder 26, and a projection lens 28. The first light source group 16 and the second light source group 18 each have a plurality of light sources arranged in a horizontal direction. The first light source group 16 is disposed above the second light source group 18. Each light source is, for example, an LED (light-emitting diode). The light source may be a semiconductor light-emitting element other than an LED, such as an LD (laser diode) or an organic or inorganic EL (electroluminescence). The light source may also be an incandescent lamp, a halogen lamp, a discharge lamp, or the like.

[0016] The first light source group 16 and the second light source group 18 are mounted on a circuit board 20. The circuit board 20 is a thermally conductive insulating substrate made of ceramic or the like. Electrodes for transmitting power to the first light source group 16 and the second light source group 18 are formed on the circuit board 20. The circuit board 20 is also configured to be able to adjust the brightness of at least the light sources of the second light source group 18 independently of each other. Therefore, the second light source group 18 can irradiate a visible light beam L1 with a variable intensity distribution toward the area ahead of the host vehicle.

[0017] The circuit board 20 is mounted on a heat sink 22. The heat sink 22 is supported on the lamp body 10 by a known connecting mechanism (not shown). A shade member 24 is fixed to the heat sink 22. The shade member 24 has a ridge portion whose shape corresponds to the shape of a cutoff line CL, which will be described later. The positional relationship of the shade member 24 with the first light source group 16 is determined so that the ridge portion is located on the optical path of the light emitted from the first light source group 16.

[0018] A lens holder 26 is fixed to the heat sink 22. The lens holder 26 is a substantially cylindrical member extending in the front-to-rear direction of the lamp, and its end on the rear side of the lamp is fixed to the heat sink 22. A projection lens 28 is fixed to the end of the lens holder 26 on the front side of the lamp. The projection lens 28 may be, for example, a plano-convex aspherical lens, and projects an inverted image of the light source image formed on the rear focal plane onto a virtual vertical screen in front of the lamp. The projection lens 28 is positioned on the optical axis of the first lamp unit 2 and so that its rear focal point approximately coincides with the ridge portion of the shade member 24.

[0019] The light emitted from the first light source group 16 passes near the ridge line of the shade member 24 and enters the projection lens 28. The light that enters the projection lens 28 is irradiated forward of the lamp as substantially parallel light. At this time, the light from the first light source group 16 is selectively cut off using the ridge line of the shade member 24 as a boundary line. As a result, a light distribution pattern including a cutoff line CL corresponding to the shape of the ridge line, i.e., a low-beam light distribution pattern PL, is formed in the area ahead of the vehicle.

[0020] The visible light beam L1 emitted from the second light source group 18 is incident on the projection lens 28 without being blocked by the shade member 24. The visible light beam L1 incident on the projection lens 28 is irradiated as substantially parallel light in front of the lamp and above the light from the first light source group 16. This makes it possible to form a high beam light distribution pattern in an area above the cut-off line.

[0021] The structure of the first lamp unit 2 is not limited to the one described above, and any known structure can be adopted. For example, the first light source group 16 and the second light source group 18 may be mounted on separate circuit boards or on separate heat sinks. The number and arrangement of light sources included in each light source group are also not limited. The first lamp unit 2 does not need to have a projection lens 28. The first lamp unit 2 may also have a reflector. The visible light beam L1 can be irradiated using a matrix pattern such as a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) or a liquid crystal device. This may be realized by a pattern forming device, or by a scanning optical type pattern forming device that scans the area in front of the vehicle with light from a light source.

[0022] The second lamp unit 4 is configured as a variable light distribution lamp capable of irradiating a visible light beam L2 with a variable intensity distribution toward a front area of ​​the vehicle. The second lamp unit 4 is supported on the lamp body 10 by a known connecting mechanism (not shown). The second lamp unit 4 of this embodiment has a light source array 30. The light source array 30 includes a plurality of light sources 32 arranged in a matrix and a circuit board 34 that can adjust the dimming of each light source 32 independently. Preferred examples of the light source 32 include semiconductor light-emitting elements such as LEDs, laser diodes, and organic or inorganic electroluminescent devices. The number of light sources 32, in other words, the resolution of the second lamp unit 4, is higher than the number of light sources in the second light source group 18, in other words, the resolution of the first lamp unit 2, and is, for example, 1,000 to 1,300,000 pixels.

[0023] The structure of the second lamp unit 4 is not limited to the one described above, and any known structure can be adopted. For example, the variable light distribution lamp constituting the second lamp unit 4 may be a matrix-type pattern forming device such as a DMD or a liquid crystal device, or may be a scanning optical pattern forming device that scans the area ahead of the vehicle with light from a light source. Furthermore, the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 may be integrated.

[0024] The imaging device 6 is sensitive to the visible light region and captures an image of the area ahead of the vehicle to generate an image IMG. The image IMG captured by the imaging device 6 is sent to the light distribution control device 8. The imaging device 6 repeatedly captures an image of the area ahead of the vehicle at a predetermined timing, and sends the image IMG to the light distribution control device 8 each time it captures an image IMG. The image IMG captured by the light distribution control device 8 may be RAW image data, or may be image data that has been subjected to predetermined image processing by the imaging device 6 or another processing unit. In the following description, "image IMG based on the imaging device 6" means that it may be either RAW image data or data that has been subjected to image processing. In addition, the term "image IMG" may be used without distinguishing between the two types of image data.

[0025] The light distribution control device 8 controls the formation of a light distribution pattern by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 according to targets included in the image IMG based on the imaging device 6. The light distribution control device 8 includes, as an example, a situation determination unit 36 ​​and a pattern determination unit 38. The light distribution control device 8 can be configured with a digital processor, and may be configured, for example, with a combination of a microcomputer including a CPU and a software program, or may be configured with an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific IC). Light Distribution Control Device Each part of the 8 operates when the integrated circuit that makes up the part executes a program stored in memory.

[0026] The shape of the light distribution pattern formed by each lamp unit and the control of the formation of the light distribution pattern by the light distribution control device 8 will be described below. FIG. 2(A) is a schematic diagram showing the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2. FIG. 2(B) is a schematic diagram showing the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4. FIG. 2(C) is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 are combined. The light distribution pattern is understood as the two-dimensional illuminance distribution of the irradiation pattern formed by each lamp unit on a virtual vertical screen in front of the vehicle. Note that FIGS. 2(A) to 2(C) show light distribution patterns for left-hand traffic. The relative positional relationship of each light distribution pattern may deviate from the state shown in each figure.

[0027] The first lamp unit 2 can form a low-beam light distribution pattern PL as shown in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(C) by emitting light from the first light source group 16. The low-beam light distribution pattern PL has a cutoff line CL at its upper end. The cutoff line CL includes a first partial cutoff line CL1, a second partial cutoff line CL2, and a third partial cutoff line CL3. The first partial cutoff line CL1 extends horizontally on the oncoming lane side. The second partial cutoff line CL2 extends horizontally on the host vehicle's lane side at a position higher than the first partial cutoff line CL1. The third partial cutoff line CL3 extends obliquely between the first partial cutoff line CL1 and the second partial cutoff line CL2 to connect them.

[0028] The first lamp unit 2 can form a first variable light distribution pattern PV1 with a variable intensity distribution by emitting a visible light beam L1 from the second light source group 18, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C. The first variable light distribution pattern PV1 overlaps with an area above the cutoff line CL of the low-beam light distribution pattern PL, and is formed, for example, in an area where a known high-beam light distribution pattern would be formed. The first variable light distribution pattern PV1 has a structure comprising a collection of multiple partial regions R1 arranged in the horizontal direction. Each partial region R1 is, for example, a strip-like shape that is long in the vertical direction. For example, each partial region R1 corresponds one-to-one to each light source of the second light source group 18. The illuminance of each partial region R1 can be adjusted independently by adjusting the lighting state of each light source. The shape and arrangement of each partial region R1 can be changed as appropriate in accordance with the arrangement of the light sources of the second light source group 18.

[0029] The second lamp unit 4 can form a second variable light distribution pattern PV2 with a variable intensity distribution by emitting a visible light beam L2 from the light source array 30, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C. The second variable light distribution pattern PV2 is formed in an area above the cutoff line CL. The second variable light distribution pattern PV2 is formed so as to overlap with the first variable light distribution pattern PV1. The second variable light distribution pattern PV2 has a structure in which a plurality of partial regions R2 are arranged in a matrix. As an example, each partial region R2 corresponds one-to-one to each light source 32. The illuminance of each partial region R2 can be adjusted independently of one another by adjusting the lighting state of each light source 32.

[0030] The light distribution control device 8 executes the following light distribution control for a forward vehicle V among targets present in front of the host vehicle. Figs. 3(A) to 3(C) are schematic diagrams showing light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 for the forward vehicle V. Fig. 3(A) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 for the forward vehicle V. Fig. 3(B) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 for the forward vehicle V. Fig. 3(C) shows the state in which the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 are combined.

[0031] That is, the situation determination unit 36 ​​determines the presence and position of the forward vehicle V from the image IMG captured by the imaging device 6. The forward vehicle V includes a preceding vehicle and an oncoming vehicle. The situation determination unit 36 ​​can determine the presence and position of the forward vehicle V by performing known image processing and image analysis on the image IMG. In addition, the situation determination unit 36 ​​can distinguish between a preceding vehicle and an oncoming vehicle based on the position of the forward vehicle V and the difference between the red color of the tail lamps and stop lamps and the white color of the head lamps, etc.

[0032] The situation determination unit 36 ​​may detect the forward vehicle V based on the measurement results of a distance measurement sensor or the like (not shown). The distance measurement sensor is directed toward the forward area and acquires information about the forward area. The distance measurement sensor may be configured, for example, with a millimeter-wave radar or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging). The distance measurement sensor can acquire the presence of a target associated with the reflected wave or light and the distance to the target based on the time from when millimeter waves or light are emitted toward the forward area to when the reflected wave or light is detected. Furthermore, by accumulating such distance data in association with the detected position of the target, information regarding the movement of the target can be acquired. Furthermore, the light distribution control device 8 may acquire information about the forward vehicle V from a vehicle ECU. In this case, the vehicle ECU functions as the situation determination unit 36.

[0033] When a forward vehicle V is detected, the pattern determination unit 38 determines a shading pattern 40a that overlaps with the forward vehicle V in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1, as shown in Fig. 3(A). The pattern determination unit 38 can set the shading pattern 40a by reducing the illuminance of at least a partial region R1 that overlaps with the forward vehicle V to be lower than the illuminance of a partial region R1 where the forward vehicle V is not present. Furthermore, the pattern determination unit 38 determines a shading pattern 40b that overlaps with the forward vehicle V in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2, as shown in Fig. 3(B). The pattern determination unit 38 can set the shading pattern 40b by reducing the illuminance of at least a partial region R2 that overlaps with the forward vehicle V to be lower than the illuminance of a partial region R2 where the forward vehicle V is not present.

[0034] Then, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the first lamp unit 2 to form a first variable light distribution pattern PV1 including the shading pattern 40a, and controls the second lamp unit 4 to form a second variable light distribution pattern PV2 including the shading pattern 40b. As a result, the shading pattern 40a and the shading pattern 40b overlap each other, as shown in Fig. 3(C), to form a composite shading pattern 40 for the forward vehicle V. Note that the composite shading pattern 40 may also be formed in an area adjacent to the area overlapping with the forward vehicle V.

[0035] The shading patterns 40a, 40b have lower illuminance than the predetermined high-illuminance patterns 42a, 42b formed by each lamp unit in an area where no target exists, and are patterns that do not depend on the brightness of the image IMG. The composite shading pattern 40 has an illuminance that is the sum of the illuminance of the shading pattern 40a and the illuminance of the shading pattern 40b. By forming the composite shading pattern 40 for the forward vehicle V, it is possible to reduce the glare given to the driver of the forward vehicle V and improve the visibility of the driver of the host vehicle.

[0036] In this embodiment, the illuminance of the shading patterns 40a, 40b and the composite shading pattern 40 is substantially zero. However, the illuminance of the shading patterns 40a, 40b and the composite shading pattern 40 may be higher than zero. For example, the luminous intensity of the light forming the shading patterns 40a, 40b is 625 cd or less. Preferably, the luminous intensity of the light forming the composite shading pattern 40 is 625 cd or less. The illuminance of these patterns can be set appropriately based on experiments or simulations, taking into account the degree of glare received by the driver of the forward vehicle V, etc. Furthermore, the illuminance of the shading pattern 40a and the illuminance of the shading pattern 40b may be different.

[0037] The pattern determination unit 38 also controls at least one of the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 to form predetermined high-illuminance patterns 42a, 42b in areas where no targets are present. The light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 are then superimposed to form a composite high-illuminance pattern 42. The illuminance of the composite high-illuminance pattern 42 is, for example, the illuminance of a legally defined high-beam light distribution pattern. The illuminance of each of the high-illuminance patterns 42a, 42b may be set so that the sum of the illuminances of the other light distribution patterns superimposed on it achieves the illuminance required for the composite high-illuminance pattern 42, or each of the high-illuminance patterns 42a, 42b may independently satisfy the illuminance required for the composite high-illuminance pattern 42. The illuminance of the high-illuminance pattern 42a may differ from the illuminance of the high-illuminance pattern 42b.

[0038] As will be described in detail later, in this embodiment, a first fixed illuminance pattern 46a is defined in a partial region R1 of the first variable light distribution pattern PV1 that does not overlap with the forward vehicle V. Furthermore, a high illuminance pattern 42b is defined in a partial region R2 of the second variable light distribution pattern PV2 that does not overlap with the forward vehicle V. The pattern determination unit 38 then controls the first lamp unit 2 to form the first variable light distribution pattern PV1 that includes the first fixed illuminance pattern 46a, and controls the second lamp unit 4 to form the second variable light distribution pattern PV2 that includes the high illuminance pattern 42b. As a result, the first fixed illuminance pattern 46a and the high illuminance pattern 42b overlap, forming a composite high illuminance pattern 42 in an area where no target is present, as shown in FIG. 3(C). The composite high illuminance pattern 42 has an illuminance that is the sum of the illuminance of the first fixed illuminance pattern 46a and the illuminance of the high illuminance pattern 42b.

[0039] Furthermore, the light distribution control device 8 performs the following light distribution control with respect to a specific target A among targets present ahead of the vehicle. FIGS. 4(A) to 4(E) are schematic diagrams showing light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is present and a situation where it is not present. FIG. 4(A) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 in a situation where the specific target A is not present. FIG. 4(B) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 in a situation where the specific target A is present. FIG. 4(C) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is not present. FIG. 4(D) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is present. FIG. 4(E) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 combined in a situation where the specific target A is present.

[0040] That is, the situation determination unit 36 ​​determines the presence and position of the specific object A from the image IMG captured by the imaging device 6. The specific object A is an object for which a synthetic medium illuminance pattern 44, with illuminance lower than that of the synthetic high illuminance pattern 42 and higher than that of the synthetic shading pattern 40, should be formed. An example of the specific object A is a light-reflecting object. In this embodiment, the light-reflecting object is at least one selected from the group consisting of road signs, delineators, and billboards. The light-reflecting object is an object having a retroreflective surface at least in a portion visible from the vehicle. When light is irradiated onto the light-reflecting object from the vehicle's lamps, the high-intensity light reflected from the light-reflecting object may dazzle the driver. However, because the light-reflecting object is not self-luminous, weakening the light irradiation onto the light-reflecting object may reduce the driver's visibility of the light-reflecting object. Therefore, the light-reflecting object corresponds to the specific object A for which a synthetic medium illuminance pattern 44 should be formed.

[0041] The situation determination unit 36 ​​can grasp the existence and position of the specific object A by performing known image processing and image analysis on the image IMG. For example, if the specific object A is a light reflecting object, the situation determination unit 36 ​​stores in advance characteristic points that indicate the light reflecting object, and can recognize the existence and position of the light reflecting object by detecting that the characteristic points that indicate the light reflecting object exist in the estimated existence area of ​​the light reflecting object in the image IMG.

[0042] Alternatively, the situation determination unit 36 ​​can detect a light-reflecting object based on a change in brightness when the first lamp unit 2 and / or the second lamp unit 4 switches between illuminating and not illuminating the object. Since light-reflecting objects are not self-luminous, their brightness varies significantly depending on whether or not the lamp units 4 illuminate them. Therefore, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the lamp units to switch between illuminating and not illuminating each individual region R. This switching is preferably performed at a speed that is not visible to the driver and is repeated periodically at predetermined intervals. The situation determination unit 36 ​​can detect a light-reflecting object based on a change in brightness of each pixel in the image IMG. The situation determination unit 36 ​​may detect the specific object A based on measurement results from a distance measurement sensor (not shown) or the like. The light distribution control device 8 may also acquire information about the specific object A from the vehicle ECU.

[0043] The pattern determination unit 38 of this embodiment controls the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 to form a fixed illuminance pattern 46 for the specific target A. The fixed illuminance pattern 46 is a pattern that does not depend on the brightness of the image IMG. As a result, the fixed illuminance patterns 46 formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 overlap each other to form a composite medium illuminance pattern 44 for the specific target A.

[0044] More specifically, the pattern determination unit 38 determines a first illuminance fixed pattern 46a that overlaps the specific object A in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1. The first illuminance fixed pattern 46a has lower illuminance than the high illuminance pattern 42a and higher illuminance than the shading pattern 40a. In this embodiment, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the first lamp unit 2 to form the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a regardless of whether the specific object A is present. For example, in a situation where the specific object A is not present, the pattern determination unit 38 determines the entire first light distribution variable pattern PV1 as the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a as shown in FIG. 4A. Therefore, when the specific object A appears ahead of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 4B, the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a is automatically determined for this specific object A. Note that when a vehicle V ahead is present, the pattern determination unit 38 determines a pattern that includes the shading pattern 40a.

[0045] Furthermore, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the second lamp unit 4 to form a high-illuminance pattern 42b when the specific target A is not detected. For example, when the specific target A is not present, the pattern determination unit 38 sets the entire second light distribution variable pattern PV2 to a high-illuminance pattern 42b as shown in FIG. 4(C). When a forward vehicle V is present, the pattern determination unit 38 sets a pattern including a shading pattern 40b. When the specific target A is detected, the pattern determination unit 38 sets a second fixed-illuminance pattern 46b in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 as shown in FIG. 4(D), which overlaps with the specific target A. The second fixed-illuminance pattern 46b has a lower illuminance than the first fixed-illuminance pattern 46a. As an example, the illuminance of the second fixed-illuminance pattern 46b is the same as that of the shading pattern 40b, i.e., zero.

[0046] Then, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the first lamp unit 2 to form a first light distribution variable pattern PV1 including the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a, and controls the second lamp unit 4 to form a second light distribution variable pattern PV2 including the second illuminance fixed pattern 46b. As a result, the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a and the second illuminance fixed pattern 46b overlap each other, forming a composite medium illuminance pattern 44 for the specific target A, as shown in FIG. 4(E).

[0047] The illuminance of the composite medium illuminance pattern 44 is the sum of the illuminance of the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a and the illuminance of the second illuminance fixed pattern 46b. In this embodiment, the illuminance of the second illuminance fixed pattern 46b is zero, so the illuminance of the composite medium illuminance pattern 44 is equal to the illuminance of the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a. The composite medium illuminance pattern 44 may have a uniform illuminance overall, or may have a non-uniform illuminance distribution in which the illuminance gradually increases from the center to the periphery. In areas where the specific target A does not exist, the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a and the high illuminance pattern 42b overlap to form the composite high illuminance pattern 42. The composite medium illuminance pattern 44 may also be formed in areas adjacent to the area overlapping with the specific target A.

[0048] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of light distribution control according to embodiment 1. This flow is executed repeatedly at predetermined timing when an instruction to execute light distribution control is given by, for example, a light switch (not shown) and the ignition is on. In the light distribution control of this embodiment, a first light distribution variable pattern PV1, the entire pattern being first illuminance fixed pattern 46a, and a second light distribution variable pattern PV2, the entire pattern being high illuminance pattern 42b, are formed in a steady state.

[0049] The light distribution control device 8 determines whether a forward vehicle V is included in the image IMG captured by the imaging device 6 (S101). If a forward vehicle V is included (Y in S101), the light distribution control device 8 determines a shading pattern 40a in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1 and a shading pattern 40b in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 (S102). Next, the light distribution control device 8 determines whether a specific object A is included in the image IMG (S103). If a forward vehicle V is not included (N in S101), step S102 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S103.

[0050] If the specific target A is included (Y in S103), the light distribution control device 8 determines the second fixed illuminance pattern 46b in the second variable light distribution pattern PV2 (S104). The light distribution control device 8 then controls the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 to form the determined light distribution pattern (S105), and ends this routine. If the specific target A is not included (N in S103), step S104 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S105.

[0051] As described above, the vehicle lighting system 1 according to this embodiment includes a first lighting unit 2 capable of forming a first variable light distribution pattern PV1, a second lighting unit 4 capable of forming a second variable light distribution pattern PV2, and a light distribution control device 8 that controls the formation of the first variable light distribution pattern PV1 by the first lighting unit 2 and the formation of the second variable light distribution pattern PV2 by the second lighting unit 4 in accordance with a target included in an image IMG based on the imaging device 6.

[0052] The light distribution control device 8 controls at least one of the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 to form high illuminance patterns 42a, 42b of predetermined illuminance in an area where no target exists, and overlaps the light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 to form a composite high illuminance pattern 42. The light distribution control device 8 also controls the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 to form shading patterns 40a, 40b that have lower illuminance than the high illuminance patterns 42a, 42b and are independent of the brightness of the image IMG, for a forward vehicle V among targets, and overlaps the shading patterns 40a, 40b formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 to form a composite shading pattern 40.

[0053] Furthermore, the light distribution control device 8 controls the first lighting unit 2 and the second lighting unit 4 to form a fixed illuminance pattern 46 that is independent of the brightness of the image IMG for a specific target A among the targets for which a composite medium illuminance pattern 44 with an illuminance lower than the composite high illuminance pattern 42 and higher than the composite shading pattern 40 should be formed, and forms the composite medium illuminance pattern 44 by overlapping the fixed illuminance patterns 46 formed by the first lighting unit 2 and the second lighting unit 4.

[0054] The specific target A may be a light-reflecting object that is not self-luminous and can reflect high-intensity light. By forming the synthetic medium illuminance pattern 44 on such a light-reflecting object, it is possible to reduce the glare caused by the light-reflecting object while maintaining the visibility of the light-reflecting object. Therefore, it is possible to improve the visibility of the area ahead for the driver of the vehicle.

[0055] In recent years, research and development has been progressing on advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving technology as technologies to assist drivers in driving operations. In ADAS and autonomous driving technology, an imaging device such as a camera, which acts as a mechanical eye, is used to grasp the situation ahead of the vehicle and execute vehicle control according to the situation. When high-intensity light is reflected from a light-reflecting object, whiteout occurs in the image generated by the imaging device, which can hinder understanding of the situation. Furthermore, weakening the light irradiation on the light-reflecting object makes it difficult for the imaging device to detect the light-reflecting object. Therefore, the light distribution control according to this embodiment is also useful for improving the accuracy of ADAS and autonomous driving technology.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 each form a fixed illuminance pattern 46, and the two fixed illuminance patterns 46 are overlapped to form the composite medium illuminance pattern 44. This simplifies light distribution control compared to when the composite medium illuminance pattern 44 is formed by performing so-called feedback control, which adjusts the illuminance of the light distribution pattern for each lamp unit so that the luminance of the specific object A in the image IMG approaches the target luminance. As a result, it is possible to speed up and stabilize the light distribution control, and reduce the load on the light distribution control device 8.

[0057] Furthermore, the light distribution control device 8 of this embodiment controls the first lamp unit 2 to form a first fixed illuminance pattern 46a with an illuminance lower than that of the high illuminance pattern 42a and higher than that of the shading pattern 40a, relative to the specific target A. Also, it controls the second lamp unit 4 to form a second fixed illuminance pattern 46b with an illuminance lower than that of the first fixed illuminance pattern 46a. This makes it possible to form the composite medium illuminance pattern 44 with simple light distribution control.

[0058] Furthermore, the light distribution control device 8 of this embodiment controls the first lamp unit 2 to form the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a regardless of the presence or absence of the specific target A. It also controls the second lamp unit 4 to form the high illuminance pattern 42b when the specific target A is not detected, and to form the second illuminance fixed pattern 46b when the specific target A is detected. In other words, when the specific target A does not exist, the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a and the high illuminance pattern 42b are superimposed to form the composite high illuminance pattern 42, and when the specific target A appears, only the high illuminance pattern 42b formed by the second lamp unit 4 is switched to the second illuminance fixed pattern 46b, thereby forming the composite medium illuminance pattern 44. This makes it possible to further simplify the light distribution control and improve the stability of the light distribution control.

[0059] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 are disposed inside the lamp chamber 14, and the imaging device 6 is disposed outside the lamp chamber 14. When the imaging device 6 is disposed outside the lamp chamber 14, there is an increased need for processing to correct the parallax between the imaging device 6 and the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4. Furthermore, when the light distribution control device 8 is disposed inside the lamp chamber 14, the communication time between the imaging device 6 and the light distribution control device 8 also becomes longer. For this reason, the speed of the light distribution control performed by the light distribution control device 8 is likely to slow down. Attempting to maintain the control speed increases the load on the light distribution control device 8.

[0060] Furthermore, because the second lamp unit 4 has a higher resolution than the first lamp unit 2, it can form a more accurate light distribution pattern, but the load on the light distribution control device 8 during control is greater than that on the first lamp unit 2. Furthermore, feedback control places a greater load on the light distribution control device 8 than switching to the fixed illuminance pattern 46. On the other hand, even if the above-mentioned parallax correction is performed, the obtained position information of the target is likely to be less accurate than when the imaging device 6 is placed inside the lamp chamber 14.

[0061] Even if feedback control is performed using the second lamp unit 4 with high resolution, if the accuracy of the target position information is low, the benefit is small and the load on the light distribution control device 8 may be wasted. For this reason, when the imaging device 6 is placed outside the lamp chamber 14, it is preferable to form the second illuminance fixed pattern 46b using the second lamp unit 4 as in this embodiment. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary load from being placed on the light distribution control device 8.

[0062] (Embodiment 2) The second embodiment has a common configuration with the first embodiment except for the structures of the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 and the control content of the light distribution control device 8. Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described focusing on the configuration that differs from the first embodiment, and the common configuration will be explained briefly or omitted. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lighting system 1 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 6, like FIG. 1, some of the components of the vehicle lighting system 1 are depicted as functional blocks.

[0063] The vehicle lighting system 1 according to this embodiment includes a first lighting unit 2, a second lighting unit 4, an imaging device 6, and a light distribution control device 8. The first lighting unit 2, the second lighting unit 4, and the light distribution control device 8 are arranged in a lamp chamber 14. The imaging device 6 is arranged outside the lamp chamber 14, for example, on the vehicle side.

[0064] The first lamp unit 2 has the same structure as the second lamp unit 4 of the first embodiment. That is, the first lamp unit 2 has a light source array 30. The first lamp unit 2 can form a first variable light distribution pattern PV1 made up of a plurality of partial regions R1 arranged in a matrix by irradiating a visible light beam L2 from the light source array 30. The first lamp unit 2 has higher resolution than the second lamp unit 4.

[0065] The second lamp unit 4 has the same structure as the first lamp unit 2 of the first embodiment. That is, the second lamp unit 4 has a first light source group 16, a second light source group 18, a circuit board 20, a heat sink 22, a shade member 24, a lens holder 26, and a projection lens 28. The second lamp unit 4 can form a low-beam light distribution pattern PL by irradiating light from the first light source group 16. Furthermore, by irradiating a visible light beam L1 from the second light source group 18, it can form a second variable light distribution pattern PV2 that is a collection of a plurality of partial regions R2 arranged in the horizontal direction.

[0066] The light distribution control device 8 controls the formation of a light distribution pattern by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 in accordance with a target object included in the image IMG captured by the imaging device 6. The light distribution control device 8 includes a situation determination unit 36 ​​and a pattern determination unit 38.

[0067] The light distribution control device 8 forms a composite shading pattern 40 for the forward vehicle V. Specifically, the pattern determination unit 38 determines a shading pattern 40a that overlaps with the forward vehicle V in the first variable light distribution pattern PV1. Also, it determines a shading pattern 40b that overlaps with the forward vehicle V in the second variable light distribution pattern PV2. Then, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the first lamp unit 2 to form the first variable light distribution pattern PV1 including the shading pattern 40a, and controls the second lamp unit 4 to form the second variable light distribution pattern PV2 including the shading pattern 40b. As a result, the shading pattern 40a and the shading pattern 40b overlap, forming a composite shading pattern 40 for the forward vehicle V.

[0068] The pattern determination unit 38 also forms a composite high illuminance pattern 42 in an area where no target exists. Specifically, the pattern determination unit 38 determines a high illuminance pattern 42a that overlaps with an area where no target exists in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1. The pattern determination unit 38 also determines a high illuminance pattern 42b that overlaps with an area where no target exists in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2. The pattern determination unit 38 then controls the first lamp unit 2 to form the first light distribution variable pattern PV1 including the high illuminance pattern 42a, and controls the second lamp unit 4 to form the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 including the high illuminance pattern 42b. As a result, the high illuminance pattern 42a and the high illuminance pattern 42b overlap, forming a composite high illuminance pattern 42 in an area where no target exists.

[0069] Furthermore, the light distribution control device 8 performs the following light distribution control for a specific target A among targets present ahead of the vehicle. FIGS. 7(A) to 7(E) are schematic diagrams showing light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is present and a situation where it is not present. FIG. 7(A) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 in a situation where the specific target A is not present. FIG. 7(B) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 in a situation where the specific target A is present. FIG. 7(C) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is not present. FIG. 7(D) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is present. FIG. 7(E) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is present, combined together.

[0070] The pattern determination unit 38 of this embodiment controls the first lighting unit 2 to form a fixed illuminance pattern 46 for the specific target A. The pattern determination unit 38 also controls the second lighting unit 4 to form an illuminance adjustment pattern 48 for the specific target A. The illuminance adjustment pattern 48 is a pattern in which the illuminance is adjusted so that the brightness (pixel value) of the specific target A in the image IMG approaches the target brightness. As a result, the fixed illuminance pattern 46 and the illuminance adjustment pattern 48 overlap each other, forming a composite medium illuminance pattern 44 for the specific target A.

[0071] Specifically, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the first lamp unit 2 to form a high-illuminance pattern 42a when the specific target A is not detected. For example, when the specific target A is not present, the pattern determination unit 38 sets the entire first light distribution variable pattern PV1 to a high-illuminance pattern 42a as shown in FIG. 7A. When a forward vehicle V is present, the pattern determination unit 38 sets a pattern including a shading pattern 40a. When the specific target A is detected, the pattern determination unit 38 sets a shading pattern 40a in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1 that overlaps with the specific target A as shown in FIG. 7B. This shading pattern 40a corresponds to the fixed illuminance pattern 46.

[0072] Furthermore, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the second lamp unit 4 to form a high-illuminance pattern 42b when the specific target A is not detected. For example, when the specific target A is not present, the pattern determination unit 38 sets the entire second light distribution variable pattern PV2 to a high-illuminance pattern 42b as shown in FIG. 7(C). When a forward vehicle V is present, the pattern determination unit 38 sets a pattern that includes a shading pattern 40b. When the specific target A is detected, the pattern determination unit 38 sets an illuminance adjustment pattern 48 that overlaps with the specific target A in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 as shown in FIG. 7(D).

[0073] For example, the pattern determination unit 38 stores information regarding the target brightness in advance in a memory. The target brightness is a brightness that reduces the glare received by the driver due to light reflected from the specific target A and allows the driver to view the specific target A, and can be set appropriately based on experiments or simulations. The pattern determination unit 38 executes feedback control to determine the illuminance of the illuminance adjustment pattern 48 to be formed next, based on the brightness of the partial region R2 that overlaps the specific target A in the image IMG and the stored target brightness.

[0074] The pattern determination unit 38 then controls the first lamp unit 2 to form a first light distribution variable pattern PV1 including the shading pattern 40a, and controls the second lamp unit 4 to form a second light distribution variable pattern PV2 including the illuminance adjustment pattern 48. As a result, the shading pattern 40a and the illuminance adjustment pattern 48 overlap, forming a composite medium illuminance pattern 44 for the specific target A, as shown in FIG. 7(E). The composite medium illuminance pattern 44 has an illuminance that is the sum of the illuminance of the shading pattern 40a and the illuminance of the illuminance adjustment pattern 48. In this embodiment, the illuminance of the shading pattern 40a is zero, so the illuminance of the composite medium illuminance pattern 44 is equal to the illuminance of the illuminance adjustment pattern 48. Note that the pattern determination unit 38 may also control the first lamp unit 2 to form a first illuminance fixed pattern 46a for the specific target A.

[0075] 8 is a flowchart showing an example of light distribution control according to embodiment 2. In the light distribution control of the present embodiment, a first variable light distribution pattern PV1, the entirety of which is first fixed illuminance pattern 46a, and a second variable light distribution pattern PV2, the entirety of which is high illuminance pattern 42b, are formed in a steady state.

[0076] The light distribution control device 8 determines whether a preceding vehicle V is included in the image IMG captured by the imaging device 6 (S201). If a preceding vehicle V is included (Y in S201), the light distribution control device 8 determines a shading pattern 40a in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1 and a shading pattern 40b in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 (S202). Next, the light distribution control device 8 determines whether a specific object A is included in the image IMG (S203). If a preceding vehicle V is not included (N in S201), step S202 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S203.

[0077] If the specific target A is included (Y in S203), the light distribution control device 8 determines the shading pattern 40a in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1 and determines the illuminance adjustment pattern 48 in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 (S204). The light distribution control device 8 then controls the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 to form the determined light distribution patterns (S205), and ends this routine. If the specific target A is not included (N in S203), step S204 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S205.

[0078] The vehicle lighting system 1 according to the present embodiment described above can also improve the visibility of the driver of the vehicle, as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the first lighting unit 2 forms the fixed illuminance pattern 46, the second lighting unit 4 forms the illuminance adjustment pattern 48, and these two light distribution patterns are superimposed to form the composite medium illuminance pattern 44. This simplifies the light distribution control compared to when feedback control is performed in both lighting units to form the composite medium illuminance pattern 44. As a result, it is possible to speed up and stabilize the light distribution control and reduce the load on the light distribution control device 8. Furthermore, by forming the illuminance adjustment pattern 48, the illuminance of the composite medium illuminance pattern 44 can be changed depending on differences in the reflectivity of light-reflecting objects, etc. This further improves the visibility of the driver of the vehicle.

[0079] In this embodiment, the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 are disposed inside the lamp chamber 14, and the imaging device 6 is disposed outside the lamp chamber 14. The first lamp unit 2, which has a relatively high resolution, forms the shading pattern 40a with a fixed illuminance, and the second lamp unit 4, which has a relatively low resolution, forms the illuminance adjustment pattern 48. This makes it possible to prevent unnecessary load from being placed on the light distribution control device 8.

[0080] (Embodiment 3) The third embodiment has a common configuration with the first embodiment except for the arrangement of the imaging device 6 and the control content of the light distribution control device 8. Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described focusing on the configuration that is different from the first embodiment, and the common configuration will be described briefly or omitted. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lighting system 1 according to the third embodiment. In Fig. 9, like Fig. 1, some of the components of the vehicle lighting system 1 are depicted as functional blocks.

[0081] The vehicle lighting system 1 according to this embodiment includes a first lighting unit 2, a second lighting unit 4, an imaging device 6, and a light distribution control device 8. The first lighting unit 2, the second lighting unit 4, the imaging device 6, and the light distribution control device 8 are arranged in a lamp chamber 14.

[0082] The first lamp unit 2 has the same structure as the first lamp unit 2 of the first embodiment. That is, the first lamp unit 2 has a first light source group 16, a second light source group 18, a circuit board 20, a heat sink 22, a shade member 24, a lens holder 26, and a projection lens 28. The first lamp unit 2 can form a low-beam light distribution pattern PL by irradiating light from the first light source group 16. Furthermore, by irradiating a visible light beam L1 from the second light source group 18, it can form a first variable light distribution pattern PV1 that is a collection of a plurality of partial regions R1 arranged in the horizontal direction.

[0083] The second lamp unit 4 has the same structure as the second lamp unit 4 of the first embodiment. That is, the second lamp unit 4 has a light source array 30. The second lamp unit 4 can form a second variable light distribution pattern PV2 made up of a plurality of partial regions R2 arranged in a matrix by emitting light from the light source array 30. The second lamp unit 4 has a higher resolution than the first lamp unit 2.

[0084] The light distribution control device 8 controls the formation of a light distribution pattern by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 in accordance with a target object included in the image IMG captured by the imaging device 6. The light distribution control device 8 includes a situation determination unit 36 ​​and a pattern determination unit 38.

[0085] The light distribution control device 8 forms a composite shading pattern 40 for the forward vehicle V. Specifically, the pattern determination unit 38 determines a shading pattern 40a that overlaps with the forward vehicle V in the first variable light distribution pattern PV1. Also, it determines a shading pattern 40b that overlaps with the forward vehicle V in the second variable light distribution pattern PV2. Then, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the first lamp unit 2 to form the first variable light distribution pattern PV1 including the shading pattern 40a, and controls the second lamp unit 4 to form the second variable light distribution pattern PV2 including the shading pattern 40b. As a result, the shading pattern 40a and the shading pattern 40b overlap, forming a composite shading pattern 40 for the forward vehicle V.

[0086] The pattern determination unit 38 also forms a composite high illuminance pattern 42 in an area where no target exists. Specifically, the pattern determination unit 38 determines a first fixed illuminance pattern 46a in the first variable light distribution pattern PV1, which overlaps with the area where no target exists. The pattern determination unit 38 also determines a high illuminance pattern 42b in the second variable light distribution pattern PV2, which overlaps with the area where no target exists. The pattern determination unit 38 then controls the first lamp unit 2 to form the first variable light distribution pattern PV1 including the first fixed illuminance pattern 46a, and controls the second lamp unit 4 to form the second variable light distribution pattern PV2 including the high illuminance pattern 42b. As a result, the first fixed illuminance pattern 46a and the high illuminance pattern 42b overlap, forming a composite high illuminance pattern 42 in the area where no target exists.

[0087] Furthermore, the light distribution control device 8 performs the following light distribution control for a specific target A among targets present ahead of the vehicle. FIGS. 10(A) to 10(E) are schematic diagrams showing light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is present and a situation where it is not present. FIG. 10(A) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 in a situation where the specific target A is not present. FIG. 10(B) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 in a situation where the specific target A is present. FIG. 10(C) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is not present. FIG. 10(D) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is present. FIG. 10(E) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is present, combined together.

[0088] The pattern determination unit 38 of this embodiment controls the first lighting unit 2 to form a fixed illuminance pattern 46 for the specific target A. The pattern determination unit 38 also controls the second lighting unit 4 to form an illuminance adjustment pattern 48 for the specific target A. As a result, the fixed illuminance pattern 46 and the illuminance adjustment pattern 48 overlap each other, forming a composite medium illuminance pattern 44 for the specific target A.

[0089] Specifically, the pattern determination unit 38 determines a first illuminance fixed pattern 46a that overlaps with the specific target A in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1. The pattern determination unit 38 of this embodiment controls the first lamp unit 2 to form the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a regardless of whether the specific target A is present. For example, in a situation where the specific target A is not present, the pattern determination unit 38 determines the entire first light distribution variable pattern PV1 as the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a as shown in FIG. 10(A). Therefore, when the specific target A appears ahead of the host vehicle as shown in FIG. 10(B), the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a is automatically determined for this specific target A. Note that when a preceding vehicle V is present, the pattern determination unit 38 determines a pattern that includes a shading pattern 40a.

[0090] Furthermore, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the second lamp unit 4 to form a high-illuminance pattern 42b when the specific target A is not detected. For example, when the specific target A is not present, the pattern determination unit 38 sets the entire second light distribution variable pattern PV2 to a high-illuminance pattern 42b as shown in FIG. 10(C). When a forward vehicle V is present, the pattern determination unit 38 sets a pattern that includes a shading pattern 40b. When the specific target A is detected, the pattern determination unit 38 sets an illuminance adjustment pattern 48 that overlaps with the specific target A in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 as shown in FIG. 10(D).

[0091] Then, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the first lamp unit 2 to form a first light distribution variable pattern PV1 including the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a, and controls the second lamp unit 4 to form a second light distribution variable pattern PV2 including the illuminance adjustment pattern 48. As a result, the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a and the illuminance adjustment pattern 48 overlap each other, forming a composite medium illuminance pattern 44 for the specific target A, as shown in FIG. 10(E). The composite medium illuminance pattern 44 has an illuminance that is the sum of the illuminance of the first illuminance fixed pattern 46a and the illuminance of the illuminance adjustment pattern 48.

[0092] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of light distribution control according to embodiment 3. In the light distribution control of the present embodiment, a first variable light distribution pattern PV1, the entirety of which is first fixed illuminance pattern 46a, and a second variable light distribution pattern PV2, the entirety of which is high illuminance pattern 42b, are formed in a steady state.

[0093] The light distribution control device 8 determines whether a preceding vehicle V is included in the image IMG captured by the imaging device 6 (S301). If a preceding vehicle V is included (Y in S301), the light distribution control device 8 determines a shading pattern 40a in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1 and a shading pattern 40b in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 (S302). Next, the light distribution control device 8 determines whether a specific object A is included in the image IMG (S303). If a preceding vehicle V is not included (N in S301), step S302 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S303.

[0094] If the specific target A is included (Y in S303), the light distribution control device 8 determines the illuminance adjustment pattern 48 in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 (S304). The light distribution control device 8 then controls the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 to form the determined light distribution pattern (S305), and ends this routine. If the specific target A is not included (N in S303), step S304 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S305.

[0095] The vehicle lighting system 1 according to the present embodiment described above can also improve the visibility of the driver of the vehicle, as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the first lighting unit 2 forms the fixed illuminance pattern 46, the second lighting unit 4 forms the illuminance adjustment pattern 48, and these two light distribution patterns are superimposed to form the composite medium illuminance pattern 44. This simplifies the light distribution control compared to when feedback control is performed in both lighting units to form the composite medium illuminance pattern 44. As a result, it is possible to speed up and stabilize the light distribution control and reduce the load on the light distribution control device 8. Furthermore, by forming the illuminance adjustment pattern 48, the illuminance of the composite medium illuminance pattern 44 can be changed depending on differences in the reflectivity of light-reflecting objects, etc. This further improves the visibility of the driver of the vehicle.

[0096] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first lamp unit 2, the second lamp unit 4, and the imaging device 6 are arranged inside the lamp chamber 14. When the imaging device 6 is arranged inside the lamp chamber 14, the need for processing to correct the parallax between the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 and the imaging device 6 is reduced. Furthermore, when the light distribution control device 8 is arranged inside the lamp chamber 14, the communication time between the imaging device 6 and the light distribution control device 8 is also shortened. Therefore, it is easier to suppress an increase in the load on the light distribution control device 8 compared to when the imaging device 6 is arranged outside the lamp chamber 14. Furthermore, the obtained position information of the target tends to be more accurate than when the imaging device 6 is arranged outside the lamp chamber 14.

[0097] Executing feedback control in the second lamp unit 4, which has high resolution, places a large load on the light distribution control device 8. However, when the imaging device 6 is disposed inside the lamp chamber 14, it is easy to reduce the load on the light distribution control device 8 by omitting the parallax correction process and shortening the communication time, etc. Therefore, when the imaging device 6 is disposed inside the lamp chamber 14, by forming the illuminance adjustment pattern 48 in the second lamp unit 4 as in the present embodiment, it is possible to form a more accurate light distribution pattern and improve driver visibility while suppressing unnecessary load on the light distribution control device 8.

[0098] (Fourth embodiment) The fourth embodiment has a common configuration with the third embodiment, except for the control content of the light distribution control device 8. The following description of the fourth embodiment will focus on the configuration that differs from the third embodiment, and the common configuration will be explained briefly or omitted.

[0099] The vehicle lighting system 1 according to this embodiment includes a first lighting unit 2, a second lighting unit 4, an imaging device 6, and a light distribution control device 8. The first lighting unit 2, the second lighting unit 4, the imaging device 6, and the light distribution control device 8 are arranged in a lamp chamber 14 (see FIG. 9).

[0100] The first lamp unit 2 has a first light source group 16, a second light source group 18, a circuit board 20, a heat sink 22, a shade member 24, a lens holder 26, and a projection lens 28. The first lamp unit 2 can form a low-beam light distribution pattern PL by irradiating light from the first light source group 16. Furthermore, the first lamp unit 2 can form a first variable light distribution pattern PV1, which is a collection of multiple partial regions R1 arranged in the horizontal direction, by irradiating a visible light beam L1 from the second light source group 18.

[0101] The second lamp unit 4 has a light source array 30. The second lamp unit 4 can form a second variable light distribution pattern PV2 that is a collection of multiple partial regions R2 arranged in a matrix by emitting light from the light source array 30. The second lamp unit 4 has a higher resolution than the first lamp unit 2.

[0102] The light distribution control device 8 controls the formation of a light distribution pattern by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 in accordance with a target object included in the image IMG captured by the imaging device 6. The light distribution control device 8 includes a situation determination unit 36 ​​and a pattern determination unit 38.

[0103] The light distribution control device 8 forms a composite shading pattern 40 for the forward vehicle V. Specifically, the pattern determination unit 38 determines a shading pattern 40a that overlaps with the forward vehicle V in the first variable light distribution pattern PV1. Also, it determines a shading pattern 40b that overlaps with the forward vehicle V in the second variable light distribution pattern PV2. Then, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the first lamp unit 2 to form the first variable light distribution pattern PV1 including the shading pattern 40a, and controls the second lamp unit 4 to form the second variable light distribution pattern PV2 including the shading pattern 40b. As a result, the shading pattern 40a and the shading pattern 40b overlap, forming a composite shading pattern 40 for the forward vehicle V.

[0104] Furthermore, the pattern determination unit 38 forms a composite high illuminance pattern 42 in an area where no target exists. Specifically, the pattern determination unit 38 determines a high illuminance pattern 42a in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1 that overlaps with the area where no target exists. The pattern determination unit 38 also determines a high illuminance pattern 42b in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 that overlaps with the area where no target exists. The pattern determination unit 38 then controls the first lamp unit 2 to form the first light distribution variable pattern PV1 including the high illuminance pattern 42a, and controls the second lamp unit 4 to form the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 including the high illuminance pattern 42b. As a result, the high illuminance pattern 42a and the high illuminance pattern 42b overlap, forming a composite high illuminance pattern 42 in the area where no target exists.

[0105] Furthermore, the light distribution control device 8 performs the following light distribution control with respect to a specific target A among targets present ahead of the vehicle. FIGS. 12(A) to 12(E) are schematic diagrams showing light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is present and a situation where it is not present. FIG. 12(A) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 in a situation where the specific target A is not present. FIG. 12(B) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 in a situation where the specific target A is present. FIG. 12(C) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is not present. FIG. 12(D) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is present. FIG. 12(E) shows the light distribution pattern formed by the first lamp unit 2 and the light distribution pattern formed by the second lamp unit 4 in a situation where the specific target A is present, combined together.

[0106] The pattern determination unit 38 of this embodiment controls the first lighting unit 2 to form a fixed illuminance pattern 46 for the specific target A. The pattern determination unit 38 also controls the second lighting unit 4 to form an illuminance adjustment pattern 48 for the specific target A. As a result, the fixed illuminance pattern 46 and the illuminance adjustment pattern 48 overlap each other, forming a composite medium illuminance pattern 44 for the specific target A.

[0107] Specifically, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the first lamp unit 2 to form a high-illuminance pattern 42a when the specific target A is not detected. For example, when the specific target A is not present, the pattern determination unit 38 sets the entire first light distribution variable pattern PV1 to a high-illuminance pattern 42a as shown in FIG. 12(A). When a forward vehicle V is present, the pattern determination unit 38 sets a pattern including a shading pattern 40a. When the specific target A is detected, the pattern determination unit 38 sets a shading pattern 40a in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1 that overlaps with the specific target A as shown in FIG. 12(B). This shading pattern 40a corresponds to the fixed illuminance pattern 46.

[0108] Furthermore, the pattern determination unit 38 controls the second lamp unit 4 to form a high-illuminance pattern 42b when the specific target A is not detected. For example, when the specific target A is not present, the pattern determination unit 38 sets the entire second light distribution variable pattern PV2 to a high-illuminance pattern 42b as shown in FIG. 12(C). When a forward vehicle V is present, the pattern determination unit 38 sets a pattern that includes a shading pattern 40b. When the specific target A is detected, the pattern determination unit 38 sets an illuminance adjustment pattern 48 that overlaps with the specific target A in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 as shown in FIG. 12(D).

[0109] The pattern determination unit 38 then controls the first lamp unit 2 to form a first light distribution variable pattern PV1 including the shading pattern 40a, and controls the second lamp unit 4 to form a second light distribution variable pattern PV2 including the illuminance adjustment pattern 48. As a result, the shading pattern 40a and the illuminance adjustment pattern 48 overlap, forming a composite medium illuminance pattern 44 for the specific target A, as shown in FIG. 12(E). The composite medium illuminance pattern 44 has an illuminance that is the sum of the illuminance of the shading pattern 40a and the illuminance of the illuminance adjustment pattern 48. In this embodiment, the illuminance of the shading pattern 40a is zero, so the illuminance of the composite medium illuminance pattern 44 is equal to the illuminance of the illuminance adjustment pattern 48. Note that the pattern determination unit 38 may also control the first lamp unit 2 to form a first illuminance fixed pattern 46a for the specific target A.

[0110] A flowchart showing an example of light distribution control according to this embodiment is substantially the same as the flowchart of the second embodiment (FIG. 8). That is, the light distribution control device 8 determines whether a forward vehicle V is included in the image IMG captured by the imaging device 6 (S201). If a forward vehicle V is included (Y in S201), the light distribution control device 8 determines a shading pattern 40a in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1 and a shading pattern 40b in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 (S202). Next, the light distribution control device 8 determines whether a specific object A is included in the image IMG (S203). If a forward vehicle V is not included (N in S201), step S202 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S203.

[0111] If the specific target A is included (Y in S203), the light distribution control device 8 determines the shading pattern 40a in the first light distribution variable pattern PV1 and determines the illuminance adjustment pattern 48 in the second light distribution variable pattern PV2 (S204). The light distribution control device 8 then controls the first lamp unit 2 and the second lamp unit 4 to form the determined light distribution patterns (S205), and ends this routine. If the specific target A is not included (N in S203), step S204 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S205.

[0112] The vehicle lighting system 1 according to the present embodiment described above can also improve the visibility of the driver of the vehicle, as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the first lighting unit 2 forms the fixed illuminance pattern 46, the second lighting unit 4 forms the illuminance adjustment pattern 48, and these two light distribution patterns are superimposed to form the composite medium illuminance pattern 44. This simplifies the light distribution control compared to when feedback control is performed in both lighting units to form the composite medium illuminance pattern 44. As a result, it is possible to speed up and stabilize the light distribution control and reduce the load on the light distribution control device 8. Furthermore, by forming the illuminance adjustment pattern 48, the illuminance of the composite medium illuminance pattern 44 can be changed depending on differences in the reflectivity of light-reflecting objects, etc. This further improves the visibility of the driver of the vehicle.

[0113] In this embodiment, the first lamp unit 2, the second lamp unit 4, and the imaging device 6 are arranged inside the lamp chamber 14. The first lamp unit 2, which has a relatively low resolution, forms the shading pattern 40a with a fixed illuminance, and the second lamp unit 4, which has a relatively high resolution, forms the illuminance adjustment pattern 48. This makes it possible to form a more accurate light distribution pattern and improve driver visibility while suppressing unnecessary load on the light distribution control device 8.

[0114] The above describes the embodiments of the present invention in detail. The above-described embodiments merely illustrate specific examples of implementing the present invention. The content of the embodiments does not limit the technical scope of the present invention, and many design modifications, such as changes, additions, and deletions of components, are possible within the scope of the inventive concept defined in the claims. A new embodiment incorporating design modifications will combine the effects of the combined embodiments and modifications. In the above-described embodiments, design modifications that are possible are emphasized by using notations such as "in this embodiment" or "in this embodiment," but design modifications are also permitted even in areas without such notation. Any combination of the above components is also valid as an aspect of the present invention. Hatching in cross sections in the drawings does not limit the materials of the hatched objects.

[0115] The invention according to the above-described embodiment may be specified by the following items. [Item 1] a first lamp unit (2) and a second lamp unit (4) capable of forming light distribution patterns (PV1, PV2) with variable intensity distribution; a light distribution control device (8) that controls the formation of light distribution patterns (PV1, PV2) by the first lamp unit (2) and the second lamp unit (4) in accordance with a target included in an image (IMG) based on the imaging device (6), The light distribution control device (8) at least one of the first lighting unit (2) and the second lighting unit (4) is controlled to form a high-illuminance pattern (42a, 42b) having a predetermined illuminance in an area where no target is present, and the light distribution patterns formed by the first lighting unit (2) and the second lighting unit (4) are superimposed to form a composite high-illuminance pattern (42); a first lighting unit (2) and a second lighting unit (4) are controlled to form shading patterns (40a, 40b) that have lower illuminance than the high illuminance patterns (42a, 42b) and are not dependent on the brightness of the image (IMG) for a forward vehicle (V) among targets, and the shading patterns (40a, 40b) formed by the first lighting unit (2) and the second lighting unit (4) are superimposed to form a composite shading pattern (40); a first lighting unit (2) is controlled to form a fixed illuminance pattern (46) that is not dependent on the luminance of the image (IMG) for a specific target (A) among the targets, the specific target being a target for which a composite medium illuminance pattern (44) having an illuminance lower than the composite high illuminance pattern (42) and higher than the composite shading pattern (40) is to be formed; and a second lighting unit (4) is controlled to form either the fixed illuminance pattern (46) that is not dependent on the luminance of the image (IMG) or an illuminance adjustment pattern (48) in which the illuminance is adjusted so that the luminance of the specific target (A) in the image (IMG) approaches a target luminance, and the composite medium illuminance pattern (44) is formed by superimposing the light distribution patterns formed by the first lighting unit (2) and the second lighting unit (4). Vehicle lighting system (1). [Item 2] The light distribution control device (8) controls the specific target (A) to: controlling the first lighting unit (2) to form a first fixed illuminance pattern (46a) having an illuminance lower than that of the high illuminance pattern (42a) and higher than that of the light-blocking pattern (40a); controlling the second lighting unit (4) to form a second fixed illuminance pattern (46b) having a lower illuminance than the first fixed illuminance pattern (46a); Item 1. A vehicle lighting system (1). [Item 3] The light distribution control device (8) controlling the first lamp unit (2) to form a first fixed illuminance pattern (46a) regardless of the presence or absence of a specific target (A); The second lamp unit (4) is controlled to form a high illuminance pattern (42b) when the specific target (A) is not detected, and to form a second fixed illuminance pattern (46b) when the specific target (A) is detected. Item 2. A vehicle lighting system (1). [Item 4] The first lamp unit (2) and the second lamp unit (4) are arranged in a lamp chamber (14), The imaging device (6) is disposed outside the lamp chamber (14). Item 2 or 3. A vehicle lighting system (1). [Item 5] The light distribution control device (8) controls the specific target (A) to: controlling the first lighting unit (2) to form a light-blocking pattern (40a) or a first fixed illuminance pattern (46a) having an illuminance lower than that of the high illuminance pattern (42a) and higher than that of the light-blocking pattern (40a); controlling the second lamp unit (4) to form an illumination adjustment pattern (48); Item 1. A vehicle lighting system (1). [Item 6] The light distribution control device (8) a first lighting unit (2) is controlled so as to form a high illuminance pattern (42a) when a specific target (A) is not detected, and to form a shaded pattern (40a) or a first illuminance fixed pattern (46a) when a specific target (A) is detected; The second lamp unit (4) is controlled to form a high illumination pattern (42b) when the specific target (A) is not detected, and to form an illumination adjustment pattern (48) when the specific target (A) is detected. Item 5. A vehicle lighting system (1) according to item 5. [Item 7] The light distribution control device (8) controlling the first lamp unit (2) to form a first fixed illuminance pattern (46a) regardless of the presence or absence of a specific target (A); The second lamp unit (4) is controlled to form a high illumination pattern (42b) when the specific target (A) is not detected, and to form an illumination adjustment pattern (48) when the specific target (A) is detected. Item 5. A vehicle lighting system (1) according to item 5. [Item 8] The first lamp unit (2) has a higher resolution than the second lamp unit (4), The first lamp unit (2) and the second lamp unit (4) are arranged in a lamp chamber (14), The imaging device (6) is disposed outside the lamp chamber (14). Item 6. A vehicle lighting system (1) according to item 6. [Item 9] The second lamp unit (4) has a higher resolution than the first lamp unit (2), The first lamp unit (2), the second lamp unit (4), and the imaging device (6) are arranged in a lamp chamber (14). Item 6 or 7, a vehicle lighting system (1). [Item 10] A light distribution control device (8) that controls the formation of light distribution patterns (PV1, PV2) by a first lamp unit (2) and a second lamp unit (4) that can form light distribution patterns (PV1, PV2) having variable intensity distributions in accordance with a target included in an image (IMG) based on an imaging device (6), at least one of the first lighting unit (2) and the second lighting unit (4) is controlled to form a high-illuminance pattern (42a, 42b) having a predetermined illuminance in an area where no target is present, and the light distribution patterns formed by the first lighting unit (2) and the second lighting unit (4) are superimposed to form a composite high-illuminance pattern (42); a first lighting unit (2) and a second lighting unit (4) are controlled to form shading patterns (40a, 40b) that have lower illuminance than the high illuminance patterns (42a, 42b) and are not dependent on the brightness of the image (IMG) for a forward vehicle (V) among targets, and the shading patterns (40a, 40b) formed by the first lighting unit (2) and the second lighting unit (4) are superimposed to form a composite shading pattern (40); a first lighting unit (2) is controlled to form a fixed illuminance pattern (46) that is not dependent on the luminance of the image (IMG) for a specific target (A) among the targets, the specific target being a target for which a composite medium illuminance pattern (44) having an illuminance lower than the composite high illuminance pattern (42) and higher than the composite shading pattern (40) is to be formed; and a second lighting unit (4) is controlled to form either the fixed illuminance pattern (46) that is not dependent on the luminance of the image (IMG) or an illuminance adjustment pattern (48) in which the illuminance is adjusted so that the luminance of the specific target (A) in the image (IMG) approaches a target luminance, and the composite medium illuminance pattern (44) is formed by superimposing the light distribution patterns formed by the first lighting unit (2) and the second lighting unit (4). Light distribution control device (8). [Item 11] A light distribution control method for controlling formation of light distribution patterns (PV1, PV2) by a first lamp unit (2) and a second lamp unit (4) capable of forming light distribution patterns (PV1, PV2) having variable intensity distributions in accordance with a target included in an image (IMG) based on an imaging device (6), comprising: at least one of the first lighting unit (2) and the second lighting unit (4) is controlled to form a high-illuminance pattern (42a, 42b) having a predetermined illuminance in an area where no target is present, and the light distribution patterns formed by the first lighting unit (2) and the second lighting unit (4) are superimposed to form a composite high-illuminance pattern (42); a first lighting unit (2) and a second lighting unit (4) are controlled to form shading patterns (40a, 40b) that have lower illuminance than the high illuminance patterns (42a, 42b) and are not dependent on the brightness of the image (IMG) for a forward vehicle (V) among targets, and the shading patterns (40a, 40b) formed by the first lighting unit (2) and the second lighting unit (4) are superimposed to form a composite shading pattern (40); The method includes controlling the first lighting unit (2) to form a fixed illuminance pattern (46) that is not dependent on the luminance of the image (IMG) for a specific target (A) among the targets, the specific target having an illuminance lower than the composite high illuminance pattern (42) and higher than the composite shading pattern (40) for which a composite medium illuminance pattern (44) is to be formed, and controlling the second lighting unit (4) to form the fixed illuminance pattern (46) that is not dependent on the luminance of the image (IMG) or to form an illuminance adjustment pattern (48) in which the illuminance is adjusted so that the luminance of the specific target (A) in the image (IMG) approaches a target luminance, and forming the composite medium illuminance pattern (44) by superimposing the light distribution patterns formed by the first lighting unit (2) and the second lighting unit (4). Light distribution control method. [Industrial Applicability]

[0116] The present invention can be used in a vehicle lighting system, a light distribution control device, and a light distribution control method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0117] 1 Vehicle lighting system, 2 First lighting unit, 4 Second lighting unit, 6 Imaging device, 8 Light distribution control device, 14 Lamp chamber, 40 Composite shading pattern, 40a, 40b Shading pattern, 42 Composite high illuminance pattern, 42a, 42b High illuminance pattern, 44 Composite medium illuminance pattern, 46 Fixed illuminance pattern, 46a First fixed illuminance pattern, 46b Second fixed illuminance pattern, 48 Illuminance adjustment pattern, A Specific target, CL Cut-off line, IMG Image, PL Light distribution pattern for low beam, V Front vehicle.

Claims

1. a first lamp unit and a second lamp unit capable of forming a light distribution pattern with a variable intensity distribution; a light distribution control device that controls the formation of a light distribution pattern by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit in accordance with a target included in an image captured by an imaging device, The light distribution control device is controlling at least one of the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a high illuminance pattern with a predetermined illuminance in an area where the target does not exist, and forming a composite high illuminance pattern by superimposing the light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit; controlling the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a shading pattern that has an illuminance lower than that of the high illuminance pattern and is not dependent on the luminance of the image, for a forward vehicle among the targets; and forming a composite shading pattern by overlapping the shading patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit; a first lighting unit is controlled to form the shading pattern as an illuminance fixed pattern that is not dependent on the brightness of the image for a specific target among the targets for which a composite medium illuminance pattern having an illuminance lower than the composite high illuminance pattern and an illuminance higher than the composite shading pattern is to be formed, or a first illuminance fixed pattern having an illuminance lower than the high illuminance pattern and an illuminance higher than the shading pattern is to be formed, and a second lighting unit is controlled to form an illuminance adjustment pattern in which the illuminance is adjusted so that the brightness of the specific target in the image approaches a target brightness, and the composite medium illuminance pattern is formed by overlapping the light distribution patterns formed by the first lighting unit and the second lighting unit. Vehicle lighting system.

2. the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit are disposed in a lamp chamber, The imaging device is disposed outside the lamp chamber.

2. The vehicle lighting system according to claim 1.

3. The light distribution control device is controlling the first lamp unit to form the high illuminance pattern when the specific target is not detected, and to form the shaded pattern or the first illuminance fixed pattern when the specific target is detected; controlling the second lamp unit to form the high illumination pattern when the specific target is not detected, and to form the adjusted illumination pattern when the specific target is detected; 3. A vehicle lighting system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The light distribution control device is controlling the first lamp unit to form the first fixed illuminance pattern in an area where no forward vehicle is present, regardless of the presence or absence of the specific target; controlling the second lamp unit to form the high illumination pattern when the specific target is not detected in the area where the forward vehicle is not present, and to form the illuminance adjustment pattern when the specific target is detected; 3. A vehicle lighting system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. the first lamp unit has a higher resolution than the second lamp unit; the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit are disposed in a lamp chamber, The imaging device is disposed outside the lamp chamber.

4. The vehicle lighting system according to claim 3.

6. the second lamp unit has a higher resolution than the first lamp unit; the first lamp unit, the second lamp unit, and the imaging device are disposed in a lamp chamber; 4. The vehicle lighting system according to claim 3.

7. A light distribution control device that controls formation of a light distribution pattern by a first lamp unit and a second lamp unit capable of forming a light distribution pattern having a variable intensity distribution in accordance with a target included in an image based on an imaging device, controlling at least one of the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a high illuminance pattern with a predetermined illuminance in an area where the target does not exist, and forming a composite high illuminance pattern by superimposing the light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit; controlling the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a shading pattern that has an illuminance lower than that of the high illuminance pattern and is not dependent on the luminance of the image, for a forward vehicle among the targets; and forming a composite shading pattern by overlapping the shading patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit; a first lighting unit is controlled to form the shading pattern as an illuminance fixed pattern that is not dependent on the brightness of the image for a specific target among the targets for which a composite medium illuminance pattern having an illuminance lower than the composite high illuminance pattern and an illuminance higher than the composite shading pattern is to be formed, or a first illuminance fixed pattern having an illuminance lower than the high illuminance pattern and an illuminance higher than the shading pattern is to be formed, and a second lighting unit is controlled to form an illuminance adjustment pattern in which the illuminance is adjusted so that the brightness of the specific target in the image approaches a target brightness, and the composite medium illuminance pattern is formed by overlapping the light distribution patterns formed by the first lighting unit and the second lighting unit. Light distribution control device.

8. A light distribution control method for controlling formation of a light distribution pattern by a first lamp unit and a second lamp unit capable of forming a light distribution pattern having a variable intensity distribution in accordance with a target included in an image based on an imaging device, comprising: controlling at least one of the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a high illuminance pattern with a predetermined illuminance in an area where the target does not exist, and forming a composite high illuminance pattern by superimposing the light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit; controlling the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit to form a shading pattern that has an illuminance lower than that of the high illuminance pattern and is not dependent on the luminance of the image, for a forward vehicle among the targets; and forming a composite shading pattern by overlapping the shading patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit; For a specific target among the targets for which a composite medium illuminance pattern having an illuminance lower than the composite high illuminance pattern and higher than the composite shading pattern should be formed, the first lamp unit is controlled to form the shading pattern as an illuminance fixed pattern that does not depend on the luminance of the image, or to form a first illuminance fixed pattern having an illuminance lower than the high illuminance pattern and an illuminance higher than the shading pattern, and the second lamp unit is controlled to form an illuminance adjustment pattern in which the illuminance is adjusted so that the luminance of the specific target in the image approaches a target luminance, and the composite medium illuminance pattern is formed by overlapping the light distribution patterns formed by the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit. Light distribution control method.

Images