Vehicle lighting system
The vehicle lighting system dynamically adjusts shading and dimming areas based on weather conditions, addressing the issue of inappropriate illumination patterns in conventional systems and enhancing visibility and comfort by minimizing glare.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
- Filing Date
- 2023-03-23
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
AI Technical Summary
Conventional vehicle lighting systems fail to adjust the irradiation pattern of headlamps based on the degree of bad weather, leading to inappropriate illumination patterns that can cause discomfort or reduced visibility.
A vehicle lighting system that includes a control device to set shading and dimming areas within the illumination area of the lighting device, adjusting these areas based on the type and severity of weather conditions using external cameras, location information, and weather data to ensure appropriate illumination patterns.
The system effectively adjusts the illumination pattern to suit varying weather conditions, reducing glare and improving forward visibility by dynamically controlling the shading and dimming areas to accommodate different weather intensities.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting system.
Background Art
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional vehicle lighting system configured to switch the irradiation pattern of the headlamp and limit the height or illuminance of the cut-off line of the headlamp more than in normal times in bad weather such as rain, snow, and fog.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] For example, just as there is light rain and heavy rain, there are also degrees of bad weather. However, in the above-described conventional vehicle lighting system, since the irradiation pattern of the headlamp (lighting device) is simply switched depending on whether the weather is bad weather or not, the irradiation pattern of the headlamp cannot be switched to an appropriate irradiation pattern according to the degree of bad weather.
[0005] The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and an object thereof is to be able to switch the irradiation pattern of the lighting device to an appropriate irradiation pattern according to the degree of bad weather.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] To solve the above problems, a vehicle lighting system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a lighting device that emits light toward the outside of the vehicle, and a control device that controls the lighting device. The control device is configured to set a shading area and a dimming area for a predetermined object to be shaded within the illumination area of the lighting device when such an object exists within the illumination area, and to change the range of the shading area and the dimming area for the object to be shaded based on the type and degree of the weather when the weather belongs to a predetermined group of bad weather. [Effects of the Invention]
[0007] According to this aspect of the present invention, the illumination pattern of the lighting device can be switched to an appropriate illumination pattern according to the degree of adverse weather conditions. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle lighting system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This flowchart illustrates the details of the irradiation control of the lighting device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of an irradiation pattern when the weather belongs to the normal weather group. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates the irradiation pattern when the weather is rainy. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the illumination pattern when the weather is foggy. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates the irradiation pattern when the weather is snowy. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, similar components will be given the same reference numerals.
[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle lighting system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle lighting system 100 according to this embodiment can be installed in both autonomous vehicles and manually driven vehicles.
[0011] The vehicle lighting system 100 includes a lighting device 1 that emits light outwards from the vehicle, one or more external cameras 2 for photographing the area in front of the vehicle, a location information acquisition device 3, an external information acquisition device 4, and a control device 5. The lighting device 1, external cameras 2, location information acquisition device 3, external information acquisition device 4, and control device 5 are each connected to communicate via an in-vehicle network 6 that conforms to standards such as a controller area network.
[0012] The lighting device 1 includes a high-beam lamp 11 having multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as light sources. The high-beam lamp 11 illuminates the area in front of the vehicle. The high-beam lamp 11 is configured to allow arbitrary control of the amount of current supplied to each LED, thereby allowing adjustment of the illumination amount of any part of the illumination area of the high-beam lamp 11 (hereinafter referred to as the "high-beam illumination area") to block or dim any part of the high-beam illumination area.
[0013] External camera 2 captures images of the area in front of the vehicle at a predetermined frame rate (e.g., 10 Hz to 40 Hz) and generates a vehicle-front image showing the area in front of the vehicle. Each time external camera 2 generates a vehicle-front image, it transmits the generated vehicle-front image to the control device 5 via the in-vehicle network 6.
[0014] The location information acquisition device 3 acquires the vehicle's current location information (e.g., longitude and latitude). The location information acquisition device 3 may include, but is not limited to, a GNSS receiver that detects the current location based on satellite radio waves received from multiple satellites. The location information acquisition device 3 transmits the acquired current location information to the control device 5 via the in-vehicle network 6.
[0015] The external information acquisition device 4 acquires weather information (information regarding rain, snow, fog, etc.) transmitted by an external information communication center or the like through various information networks. The external information acquisition device 4 transmits the acquired weather information to the control device 5 via the in-vehicle network 6.
[0016] The control device 5 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) including a communication unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a processing unit 53.
[0017] The communication unit 51 includes an interface circuit for connecting the control device 5 to the in-vehicle network 6. The communication unit 51 supplies data received from the outside (for example, a vehicle front image, current position information, weather information, etc.) to the processing unit 53. Further, the communication unit 51 outputs the lamp control signal output from the processing unit 53 to the lighting device 1.
[0018] The storage unit 52 has a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid Disk Drive), or a semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs and data used in the processing by the processing unit 53.
[0019] The processing unit 53 has one or a plurality of CPUs (Central Processing Units) and its peripheral circuits. The processing unit 53 executes various computer programs stored in the storage unit 52, and is, for example, a processor. As an example of the processing performed by the processing unit 53, for example, when there is an object to be shielded in front of the host vehicle, the processing unit 53 outputs a lamp control signal corresponding to the type of weather and the degree of bad weather to the lighting device 1 so that the irradiation pattern of the high beam lamp 11 with respect to the object to be shielded becomes an appropriate irradiation pattern according to the type of weather and the degree of bad weather. Hereinafter, the irradiation control of the lighting device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the irradiation control of the lighting device 1 (high beam lamp 11) according to the present embodiment.
[0021] In step S1, the control device 5 detects a target existing in front of the host vehicle based on the forward vehicle image received from the external camera 2.
[0022] In the present embodiment, the control device 5 sequentially inputs the forward vehicle image received from the external camera 2 to the discriminator, thereby detecting the region in the forward vehicle image where the target is represented and the type of the target represented in that region. The discriminator can be, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) having a plurality of convolutional layers connected in series from the input side to the output side. Then, the control device 5 estimates the distance from the external camera 2 to the target using the standard size of each target stored in the storage unit 52 for each type of target and the size of the target detected in the forward vehicle image, and calculates the position and speed of the target by tracking the target detected in the forward vehicle image over time. Note that the target detection method is not limited to such a method, and various known methods may be used for detection.
[0023] In step S2, the control device 5 determines whether there is a light-shielding target among the targets existing in front of the host vehicle. The light-shielding target can be, for example, a target such as a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle, or a pedestrian, which may cause discomfort such as glare when irradiated with high beams. If the control device 5 determines that there is a light-shielding target in front of the host vehicle, it proceeds to the process of step S3. On the other hand, if the control device 5 determines that there is no light-shielding target in front of the host vehicle, it ends the current process.
[0024] In step S3, the control device 5 determines whether the weather at the current location belongs to a predetermined group of bad weather conditions. If the weather at the current location is rain, snow (including sleet, hail, and sleet), or fog, the control device 5 determines that the weather belongs to a group of bad weather conditions and proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, if the weather at the current location belongs to a predetermined group of normal weather conditions, such as sunny or cloudy, the control device 5 proceeds to step S5. The method for determining the weather at the current location is not particularly limited; for example, it can be determined based on a vehicle front image received from the external camera 2, or based on weather information acquired from the external information acquisition device 4. Of course, it is also possible to use both the vehicle front image and weather information for the determination.
[0025] In step S4, the control device 5 determines the degree of bad weather. In this embodiment, the degree of bad weather is determined in two stages. For example, if it is raining, it is determined whether it is light rain or heavy rain; if it is snowing, it is determined whether it is light snow or heavy snow; and if it is foggy, it is determined whether it is light fog or dense fog.
[0026] There are no particular limitations on the method for determining the severity of bad weather. For example, whether the weather is light rain or heavy rain, or light snow or heavy snow, can be determined based on the area of falling raindrops or snow (the proportion of the image occupied by falling raindrops or snow) shown in the vehicle-front image received from the external camera 2, or based on weather information acquired from the external information acquisition device 4 (for example, information on warnings and advisories regarding rain and snow, or information on precipitation and snowfall). Of course, the determination can also be made using both the vehicle-front image and weather information.
[0027] Furthermore, whether the weather is light fog or dense fog can be determined by, for example, the pixel information (e.g., brightness values) of the lights of the vehicle in front and their surroundings as seen in the forward-facing image. This is because when fog occurs, the light from the lights of the vehicle in front (light sources such as headlamps or taillights) is scattered by the fog, blurring the outline around the lights, and the denser the fog, the less clear the boundary between the lights and their surroundings becomes. Alternatively, the determination can be made based on weather information (e.g., information about fog warnings and advisories) acquired from the external information acquisition device 4. Of course, the determination can also be made using both the forward-facing image and the weather information.
[0028] In step S5, the control device 5 sets the illumination pattern of the high-beam lamp 11 to the light-shielding target to the illumination pattern for normal weather conditions (hereinafter referred to as the "normal illumination pattern").
[0029] In step S6, the control device 5 sets the illumination pattern of the high-beam lamp 11 for the object to be shielded from light based on the type of weather and the degree of adverse weather.
[0030] In step S7, the control device 5 performs illumination control of the lighting device 1 (high beam lamp 11) based on the set illumination pattern.
[0031] The following describes the irradiation patterns of the high-beam lamps 11 to the light-shielding target according to the type and severity of the weather, with reference to Figures 3 to 6.
[0032] As shown in Figures 3 to 6, in this embodiment, if there is a target object to be obscured in front of the vehicle, a light-shielding area is set within the high-beam illumination area so that the high-beam lamp 11 does not illuminate the target object. The light-shielding area is an area that is not illuminated by the high-beam lamp 11. By turning off any of the LEDs that make up the high-beam lamp 11, any area within the high-beam illumination area can be made into a light-shielding area.
[0033] In this embodiment, in order to make the boundary between the light-shielding area and the high-beam illumination area appear natural (to make it less noticeable), a dimming area (blurring area) is set at the boundary between the light-shielding area and the high-beam illumination area. The dimming area is an area in which the illumination amount of the high-beam lamp 11 is reduced compared to the high-beam illumination area. By reducing the amount of current supplied to any of the LEDs that make up the high-beam lamp 11, any area within the high-beam illumination area can be made into a dimming area. If a dimming area is not set, the boundary between the light-shielding area and the high-beam illumination area will be clear, and a square frame will appear conspicuously around the object to be shrouded in light. If such a frame appears conspicuously in the field of view, some drivers may find it bothersome. Also, if a dimming area is not set, when the behavior of the vehicle in front changes due to rolling or pitching, and part of the vehicle in front extends beyond the light-shielding area, there is a risk that the high-beam lamp 11 will directly illuminate the vehicle in front.
[0034] The light-shielding area is defined as an area that extends arbitrarily in any direction (up, down, left, or right) from the outer edge of the area where the object to be shielded is visible. In this embodiment, the light-shielding area is defined as a rectangular area, but it is not limited to a rectangular shape.
[0035] The light-reducing region is defined as an area that extends from the outer edge of the light-shielding region by an arbitrary distance in the up, down, left, and right directions. In this embodiment, the light-reducing region is defined as a rectangular area, but it is not limited to a rectangular shape.
[0036] Here, if the light-blocking area and light-reducing area are too wide, the high-beam illumination area will be narrowed accordingly, which may worsen the forward visibility of the vehicle's driver. On the other hand, if the light-blocking area and light-reducing area are too narrow, for example, when the accuracy of recognizing the object to be blocked is reduced due to bad weather or other reasons, the outline of the object to be blocked may not be accurately grasped, and the object to be blocked may extend beyond the light-blocking area and light-reducing area, causing the high-beam lamp 11 to illuminate the object to be blocked.
[0037] Therefore, it is necessary to make the shaded and light-reduced areas of an appropriate size. The appropriate size of the shaded and light-reduced areas changes depending on the type and severity of the weather. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 to 6, the range of the shaded and light-reduced areas is changed according to the type and severity of the weather.
[0038] Figure 3 shows an example of an irradiation pattern when the weather belongs to the normal weather group.
[0039] As shown in Figure 3, when the weather is of the normal weather group, the external camera 2 can accurately recognize the object to be shielded (i.e., it can accurately grasp the outline of the object to be shielded), so the shielded area is set to a standard shielded size, which is expanded by a predetermined distance DA1 in all directions (up, down, left, and right) from the outer edge of the area where the object to be shielded is visible.
[0040] Furthermore, the light-reducing area is set to a standard light-reducing size that allows the boundary between the light-shielding area and the high-beam irradiation area to appear naturally. In this embodiment, the area is extended by a predetermined distance DB1 in all directions (up, down, left, and right) from the outer edge of the light-shielding area.
[0041] Figure 4 illustrates the irradiation pattern when the weather is rainy. In Figure 4, (A) shows an example of the irradiation pattern when there is light rain, and (B) shows an example of the irradiation pattern when there is heavy rain.
[0042] As shown in Figure 4(A), in the case of light rain, the recognition accuracy of the light-shielding target by the external camera 2 is equivalent to that when the weather belongs to the normal weather group, so the light-shielding area is set to the same standard light-shielding size as when the weather belongs to the normal weather group.
[0043] The light-reducing area is expanded vertically and horizontally compared to when the weather belongs to the normal weather group. In other words, the light-reducing area is set to a first expanded light-reducing size that is wider than the standard light-reducing size, and in this embodiment, it is set to be an area that is expanded vertically and horizontally by a predetermined distance DB2 (>DB1) from the outer edge of the light-shielding area.
[0044] This is because, in rainy weather, visibility may be obstructed by reflected light from the high-beam lamps 11 shining on the wet road surface, or visibility may flicker due to reflected light from the high-beam lamps 11 shining on falling raindrops. By expanding the dimming area, reflection from the road surface and flickering due to rainfall can be suppressed in the dimming area, thereby ensuring good forward visibility.
[0045] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 4(B), during heavy rain, the recognition accuracy of the light-shielding target by the external camera 2 decreases compared to when the weather belongs to the normal weather group. Therefore, the light-shielding area is expanded vertically and horizontally compared to when the weather belongs to the normal weather group. In other words, the light-shielding area is set to a first expanded light-shielding size, which is wider than the standard light-shielding size. In this embodiment, the area is expanded vertically and horizontally by a predetermined distance DA2 (>DA1) from the outer edge of the area where the light-shielding target is visible.
[0046] This is because if the recognition accuracy of the object to be shielded is low, the outline of the object to be shielded cannot be accurately grasped, which may cause a discrepancy between the actual left and right edges of the object to be shielded and the left and right edges of the object to be shielded as recognized. Therefore, if the size of the shielded area when the recognition accuracy of the object to be shielded is low is made the same as when the recognition accuracy is high, the object to be shielded may extend beyond the shielded area.
[0047] Furthermore, the dimming area is set to a first-stage enlarged dimming size, which is wider than the standard dimming size, for the same reasons as in light rain.
[0048] Figure 5 illustrates the irradiation pattern when the weather is foggy. In Figure 5, (A) shows an example of the irradiation pattern when there is light fog, and (B) shows an example of the irradiation pattern when there is dense fog.
[0049] As shown in Figure 5(A), in the case of a light fog, the recognition accuracy of the light-shielding target by the external camera 2 is lower compared to when the weather belongs to the normal weather group. Therefore, the light-shielding area is set to a first expanded light-shielding size, which is wider than the standard light-shielding size.
[0050] Furthermore, the light-blocking area is set to a first-wide dimming size, which is wider than the standard dimming size. This is because, in foggy weather, the high-beam lamp 11 will shine on fog floating relatively close to the driver's seat, and the reflected light may cause the driver to experience glare. By widening the dimming area, the reflected light from the fog can be suppressed, thereby reducing glare for the driver and ensuring good forward visibility.
[0051] As shown in Figure 5(B), in dense fog, the decrease in recognition accuracy and the deterioration of forward visibility due to reflected light from the fog become more pronounced. Therefore, the shading area is set to a second enlarged shading size, which is even wider than the first enlarged shading size. In this embodiment, the area is set to be expanded by a predetermined distance DA3 (>DA2) in all directions (up, down, left, and right) from the outer edge of the area where the object to be shaded is visible. The light-reducing area is set to a second enlarged light-reducing size, which is even wider than the first enlarged light-reducing size. In this embodiment, the area is set to be expanded by a predetermined distance DB3 (>DB2) in all directions (up, down, left, and right) from the outer edge of the shading area.
[0052] Figure 6 illustrates the irradiation pattern when the weather is snowy. In Figure 6, (A) shows an example of the irradiation pattern when there is light snow, and (B) shows an example of the irradiation pattern when there is heavy snow.
[0053] When it is snowing, falling snow can cover part of the field of view of external camera 2, making it more likely for external camera 2 to recognize objects obscured by light than when it is raining. Also, when it is snowing, the size of the snowflakes is larger than the size of raindrops, so the flickering of the field of view caused by the reflected light of the high beams shining on the falling snow is more noticeable than when it is raining.
[0054] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6(A), in the case of light snow, the shading area is set to the second enlarged shading size. As for the light reduction area, since the flickering of the field of view is suppressed by enlarging the shading area, it is kept at the standard light reduction size without enlargement.
[0055] As shown in Figure 6(B), in the case of heavy snow, the shading area is set to the second enlarged shading size, and because the flickering of visibility becomes more pronounced than in the case of light snow, the shading area is enlarged to the first enlarged light reduction size.
[0056] The vehicle lighting system 100 according to this embodiment, as described above, comprises a lighting device 1 that emits light toward the outside of the vehicle, and a control device 5 that controls the lighting device 1. The control device 5 is configured to set a shading area and a dimming area for the shading target within the illumination area (high beam illumination area) of the lighting device 1 when a predetermined object to be shaded is present in the illumination area, and to change the range of the shading area and dimming area for the shading target based on the type and degree of the bad weather when the weather belongs to a predetermined bad weather group.
[0057] This allows the illumination pattern of the lighting device 1 to be switched to an appropriate illumination pattern according to the type and severity of the weather.
[0058] In this embodiment, the control device 5 is configured to enlarge at least one of the shading area and the light-reducing area when the degree of bad weather is high, compared to when it is low. Furthermore, the control device 5 is configured to enlarge at least one of the shading area and the light-reducing area when the weather belongs to a bad weather group, compared to when the weather belongs to a predetermined normal weather group. The bad weather group includes rain, snow, or fog, and the normal weather group includes sunny or cloudy.
[0059] More specifically, the control device 5 is configured to determine the degree of adverse weather in two stages: when it is light rain, it expands the light-reducing area compared to when the weather belongs to the normal weather group; when it is heavy rain, it expands the light-reducing area to the same size as when it is light rain, and also expands the light-blocking area compared to when it is light rain; when it is light fog, it expands both the light-blocking area and the light-reducing area compared to when the weather belongs to the normal weather group; when it is dense fog, it further expands both the light-blocking area and the light-reducing area compared to when it is light fog; when it is light snow, it expands the light-blocking area to the same size as when it is dense fog compared to when it is normal weather; and when it is heavy snow, it expands the light-blocking area to the same size as when it is dense fog, and also expands the light-reducing area compared to when it is light snow.
[0060] As the severity of the weather worsens, the accuracy of the control device 5 in recognizing objects to be obscured decreases due to the deterioration of forward visibility, making it difficult to accurately grasp the outline of the objects to be obscured. Therefore, if the size of the obscured area when the recognition accuracy of the objects to be obscured is low is made the same as when the recognition accuracy is high, it may not be possible to properly contain the objects to be obscured within the obscured area, and there is a risk that the light (high beam) of the lighting device 1 will be shone on the objects to be obscured. In that case, for example, if the object to be obscured is a vehicle, there is a risk that the driver of that vehicle may experience discomfort such as glare.
[0061] Therefore, as in this embodiment, by expanding the light-shielding area when the degree of bad weather is high, it is possible to suppress the illumination of the light from the lighting device 1 onto the target object to be shading. For example, if the target object to be shading is a vehicle, it is possible to suppress causing discomfort to the driver of the vehicle due to glare, etc.
[0062] Furthermore, the worse the weather, the more likely it is that if the light from the lighting device 1 is too bright, the driver of the vehicle may experience glare (flickering) due to reflected light from the wet road surface and from falling raindrops, which could actually worsen the driver's forward visibility. Also, for example, if the weather is foggy, the light from the lighting device 1 will illuminate the fog floating in front of the vehicle, so if the light from the lighting device 1 is too bright, the driver of the vehicle may experience glare (flickering) due to the effects of the reflected light, which could actually worsen the driver's forward visibility. Also, for example, if the weather is snowy, if the light from the lighting device 1 is too bright, the driver of the vehicle may experience glare (flickering) due to reflected light from falling snow, which could actually worsen the driver's forward visibility.
[0063] Therefore, as in this embodiment, by expanding the dimming area when the weather is severe, the amount of light emitted by the lighting device 1 in the dimming area is reduced, thereby suppressing the glare felt by the driver of the vehicle due to reflected light.
[0064] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments only represent a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.
[0065] For example, in the above embodiment, the brightness of the dimmed area may be given a gradient so that it becomes brighter as it moves from the object to be shielded towards the high-beam illumination area. Also, in the above embodiment, the degree of bad weather was determined in two stages, but it may be three or more stages.
[0066] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, for example, the computer program executed in the control device 5 may be provided in the form of a computer-readable portable recording medium, such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0067] 1 Lighting device 5 Control device 100 Vehicle Lighting Systems
Claims
1. A lighting device that projects light toward the outside of the vehicle, A control device for controlling the aforementioned lighting device, A vehicle lighting system comprising, The control device is When a predetermined target to be shielded exists within the illumination area of the lighting device, a shielding area and a light-reducing area are set within the illumination area for the target to be shielded. When the weather is of a type belonging to a predetermined group of adverse weather conditions, the system is configured to change the range of the light-shielding area and the light-reducing area for the object to be shielded, based on the type and degree of adverse weather conditions. The control device is When the weather is of the aforementioned adverse weather group, the device is configured to enlarge at least one of the light-shielding area and the light-reducing area compared to when the weather is of the predetermined normal weather group. The aforementioned adverse weather group includes rain, snow, or fog, and the aforementioned normal weather group includes sunny or cloudy weather. The control device is The severity of the aforementioned bad weather is judged in two stages, When the weather is light rain, the light reduction area is expanded compared to when the weather belongs to the normal weather group. When the weather is heavy rain, the light-reducing area is enlarged to the same size as when the weather is light rain, and the light-blocking area is enlarged compared to when the weather is light rain. When the weather is light fog, both the light-shielding area and the light-reducing area are enlarged compared to when the weather belongs to the normal weather group. When the weather is foggy, both the light-blocking area and the light-reducing area are further expanded compared to when the weather is foggy. When the weather is light snow, the shading area is expanded to the same size as when the weather is dense fog, compared to when the weather belongs to the normal weather group. When the weather is heavy snow, the light-blocking area is expanded to the same size as when the weather is dense fog, and the light-reducing area is expanded compared to when the weather is light snow. Vehicle lighting system.
2. A lighting device that emits light toward the outside of a vehicle, A control device for controlling the aforementioned lighting device, A vehicle lighting system comprising, The control device is When a predetermined target to be shielded exists within the illumination area of the lighting device, a shielding area and a light-reducing area are set within the illumination area for the target to be shielded. When the weather is of a type belonging to a predetermined group of adverse weather conditions, the system is configured to change the range of the light-shielding area and the light-reducing area for the object to be shielded, based on the type and degree of adverse weather conditions. The control device is When the weather is of the aforementioned adverse weather group, the device is configured to enlarge at least one of the light-shielding area and the light-reducing area compared to when the weather is of the predetermined normal weather group. The aforementioned adverse weather group includes rain, snow, or fog, and the aforementioned normal weather group includes sunny or cloudy weather. The control device is The system is configured to determine the degree of rain and snow based on the area of falling raindrops and snow visible in the image captured by a camera that photographs the exterior of the vehicle, and to determine the degree of fog based on the light source and surrounding pixel information of the light-shielding target visible in the image captured by the camera. Vehicle lighting system.
3. The control device is When the degree of bad weather is high, the device is configured to enlarge at least one of the light-shielding area and the light-reducing area compared to when the weather is low. The vehicle lighting system according to claim 1 or 2.