Lighting control device and lighting control method

Abstract

The present invention provides a lighting control device for controlling a plurality of lights provided inside a vehicle cabin, the lighting control device comprising: an image acquisition unit (11) that acquires a captured image from a camera (1) that images the vehicle cabin interior; an identification unit (12) that uses the captured image as a basis for identifying the behavior of at least one occupant from among a plurality of occupants and an attribute of another occupant and / or a state of another occupant different from the one occupant among the plurality of occupants; a state information acquisition unit (13) that acquires vehicle state information indicating a vehicle state of a vehicle; and a lighting control unit (14) that uses an identification result from the identification unit (12) and the vehicle state as a basis for selecting a target light to be turned on, and turns on the selected target light.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an interior light control device that controls the lighting of interior lights provided in a vehicle (for example, Patent Document 1). The interior light control device described in Patent Document 1 receives an input of a captured image that includes at least a part of the interior of the vehicle, detects an occupant in the vehicle from the received captured image, determines whether or not the occupant is performing a specific action, and turns on the interior light if it is determined that the occupant is performing the specific action. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-107864 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The interior light control device described in Patent Document 1 is but If it is determined that a specific action is being performed, the interior lights are turned on regardless of the actions or attributes of other occupants other than the occupant who performed the specific action, which creates the problem that the comfort of other occupants is impaired by the lighting of the interior lights.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a lighting control device and a lighting control method that control lighting while maintaining the comfort of passengers in a vehicle cabin. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by obtaining an image from a camera, identifying the behavior of at least one of multiple occupants and the attributes and / or status of the other occupants based on the image, obtaining vehicle status information, selecting target lighting to be turned on based on the identification result and the vehicle status, and turning on the selected target lighting. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, lighting can be controlled while maintaining the comfort of passengers in the vehicle cabin. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a lighting control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2A] 10 is a table showing the correlation between the target occupant, other occupants (first row, second row), and vehicle state and the target illumination. [Figure 2B] 10 is a table showing the correlation between the target occupant, other occupants (first row, second row), and vehicle state and the target illumination. [Figure 3] 2 is a flowchart showing a controller control process in FIG. 1; [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a sub-flow of step S40 shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a sub-flow of step S90 shown in FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] First Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a lighting control system according to this embodiment. The lighting control system according to this embodiment is a system installed in a vehicle, and identifies the behavior of at least one occupant among multiple occupants and the attributes and / or states of other occupants different from the occupant whose behavior has been identified, based on an image captured by an on-board camera. The lighting control system selects target lights to be turned on based on the identification result and the vehicle state, and turns on the selected target lights.

[0010] Hereinafter, in this embodiment illumination The components included in the control system will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a block diagram of the components of the lighting control system. The lighting control system includes a camera 1, an in-vehicle device 2, foot lights 4, reading lights 5, cup holder lights 6, map lamps 7, room lamps 8, and a lighting control device 9.

[0011] Camera 1 is a camera installed in a vehicle that captures images of the interior of the vehicle. Camera 1 is activated when the vehicle's power switch or accessory power supply is turned on, continuously captures images of the interior of the vehicle, and outputs the captured images to lighting control device 9. Here, the accessory power supply refers to a power supply that operates when the power switch is off. In-vehicle device 2 is a device that can control the vehicle state by the driver's operation, such as a shift position, power switch, or accessory power supply switch, or a detection device that indicates the current state of the vehicle, such as a vehicle speed sensor or torque sensor.

[0012] The footlights 4, reading lights 5, cup holder lights 6, map lamps 7, and room lamps 8 are lights provided inside the vehicle. The footlights 4, reading lights 5, and cup holder lights 6 are provided in the driver's seat area, passenger seat area, rear seat left area, rear seat center area, and rear seat right area, respectively. The footlights 4 are lights that illuminate the feet of passengers and are installed under the seats. The reading lights are lights that passengers can use to read books or mobile devices (such as smartphones or tablets). toThe reading light is installed in the seat headrest. The cup holder light 6 is a light that illuminates the cup holder installed in the vehicle interior. The cup holder has a hollow portion with an opening to hold a cylindrical container, and the cup holder light 6 is composed of a ring-shaped LED that runs along the edge of the opening. The map lamp 7 is installed in the center of the ceiling above the front seats, and the room lamp 8 is installed in the center of the ceiling between the front and rear seats.

[0013] The lighting control device 9 identifies the behavior of the occupant from the image captured by the camera, and outputs a control command to lights such as the foot lamps 4 to switch the lights on and off based on the identification result and the vehicle status. The lighting control device 9 has a controller 10. The controller 10 has at least the function of acquiring an image, the function of identifying the behavior of the occupant, the function of acquiring information on the vehicle status, and the function of controlling the lighting, and includes an image acquisition unit 11, an identification unit 12, a status information acquisition unit 13, and a lighting control unit 14 as functional blocks for each function. The controller 10 has a processor and a memory that stores a program. The processor processes the program to execute each function. Note that the controller 10 may have functions other than the image acquisition unit 11, etc.

[0014] The image acquisition unit 11 acquires captured images of the interior of the vehicle from the camera 1. The identification unit 12 identifies the behavior of at least one of the multiple occupants based on the captured images. The occupant's behavior identified by the identification unit 12 is identified by the position of the occupant's hands, eyes, mouth, and other body and hand parts, the movement of those parts, facial expression, the occupant's skeleton, and the like. The identification unit 12 performs image processing on the captured images to extract the position and / or movement of body and hand parts. Examples of behavior identified by the identification unit 12 include the behavior of an occupant searching for something at their feet (under the seat), or looking for a book or a mobile device (for example, a smartphone or tablet). toThese include actions such as holding and using an object (such as an electronic device) in one's hand, and actions such as drinking a beverage (moving a beverage container to a cup holder, removing a beverage container from a cup holder, and drinking a beverage from a beverage container).

[0015] The recognition unit 12 may also recognize an object (a material object) used by the occupant from the captured image. For example, if the occupant is drinking from a beverage container, the recognition unit 12 recognizes the beverage container as an object used by the occupant. For example, if the occupant is reading or looking at a mobile device, the recognition unit 12 recognizes the book or the mobile device.

[0016] The identification unit 12 identifies the attributes and / or states of other occupants different from the occupant whose behavior has been identified. For example, if a passenger in the front passenger seat performs the behavior of searching for something at their feet, the identification unit 12 identifies the behavior of the passenger in the front passenger seat, and identifies the attributes and states of other occupants other than the passenger seat, such as the occupants in the driver's seat and rear seats. The attributes of the occupants include whether they are adults or children, their age, and their gender. The states of the occupants include whether they are sleeping, whether they are talking, and so on. Note that the identification unit 12 only needs to identify at least one of the attributes and states of the other occupants, and if there are multiple other occupants, the identification unit 12 may identify the attributes and states for each occupant.

[0017] The state information acquisition unit 13 acquires vehicle state information indicating the vehicle state of the vehicle. The vehicle state includes a stopped state, a parked state, a running state, and a vehicle startup state. The startup state indicates a state in which the vehicle switches from a stopped state or a parked state to a running state. The state information acquisition unit 13 may acquire vehicle state information from the in-vehicle device 2 such as a shift position, a vehicle speed sensor, a power switch, or a switch for an accessory power supply.

[0018] The lighting control unit 14 selects target lights to be turned on based on the identification result by the identification unit 12 and the vehicle status acquired by the status information acquisition unit 13, and turns on the selected target lights. The lighting control unit 14 selects target lights according to the riding position of the occupant whose behavior is identified by the identification unit 12 and the identified behavior. For example, if the identification unit 12 identifies the behavior of the driver's seat occupant as "searching for something at his / her feet," the lighting control unit 14 selects the foot lamp 4 in the driver's seat area and the map lamp 7 in the central area as target lights from among the lights included in the driver's seat area and multiple lights included in the central area. In the case of the behavior of "searching for something at his / her feet," the lighting control unit 14 selects at least the foot lamp 4 that can concentrate illumination below the driver's seat as the target light. Furthermore, the lighting control unit 14 may select, from among the multiple lights, the foot lamp 4 in the area near the occupant where part of the occupant's body is outside the angle of view of the camera 1 as the target light.

[0019] Furthermore, if the behavior is "looking for something at your feet," the lighting control unit 14 may select the map lamp 7 as the lighting target to illuminate the area below the driver's seat. The map lamp 7 illuminates not only the driver's seat but also the passenger seat. For example, if the passenger in the passenger seat is sleeping, lighting the map lamp 7 may wake the passenger. As another example, if the behavior is "looking for something at your feet," the room lamp 8 may be selected as the lighting target to illuminate the area below the driver's seat. The room lamp 8 illuminates not only the driver's seat but also the rear seats. For example, if a child (especially an infant) is riding in the rear seats, lighting the room lamp 8 may startle the child, causing them to cry or make a fuss. The lighting control unit 14 selects the target lighting based on the attributes and / or states of other passengers different from the passenger whose behavior has been identified.

[0020] For example, if the identification unit 12 identifies the behavior of the driver's seat occupant as "searching for something at their feet," and identifies the attribute of the front passenger seat occupant as "adult" and the state as "sleeping," the lighting control unit 14 excludes the map lamps 7 and the room lamps 8 from the target lighting, or does not select the map lamps 7 and the room lamps 8 as the target lighting. On the other hand, if the identification unit 12 identifies the attribute of the front passenger seat occupant as "adult" and the state as "not sleeping," the lighting control unit 14 selects the map lamps 7 and the room lamps 8 as the target lighting. As another example, if the identification unit 12 identifies the behavior of the driver's seat occupant as "searching for something at their feet," and identifies the attribute of the rear seat occupant as "child," the lighting control unit 14 excludes the map lamps 7 and the room lamps 8 from the target lighting, or does not select the map lamps 7 and the room lamps 8 as the target lighting. knowledge When the separate unit 12 identifies the behavior of the driver's seat occupant as "looking for something at his / her feet" and there are no other occupants other than the driver's seat occupant, the lighting control unit 14 selects the map lamp 7 and the room lamp 8 as the target lighting. As a result, even if the state of the passenger seat occupant is "asleep" or the attribute of the passenger in the rear seat is "child," for example, the foot lamp 4 can be turned on to make it easier for the driver to look for something at his / her feet while maintaining the comfort of the passenger in the front seat and the passenger in the rear seat.

[0021] The lighting control unit 14 selects target lighting according to the vehicle state. The lighting control unit 14 identifies the vehicle state indicated by the vehicle state information. For example, when the vehicle is moving, the lighting control unit 14 does not select the map lamps 7 or the room lamps 8 as target lighting, regardless of the behavior of the identified occupant. For example, when the vehicle is moving and the passenger seat occupant performs the behavior of "looking for something at their feet" and there are no other occupants except the driver and passenger seat occupants, the lighting control unit 14 selects the foot lamps 4 in the passenger seat area as target lighting and does not select the map lamps 7 or the room lamps 8 as target lighting. On the other hand, when the vehicle is stopped or parked and the passenger seat occupant performs the behavior of "looking for something at their feet" and there are no other occupants except the driver and passenger seat occupants, the lighting control unit 14 selects the map lamps 7 and the room lamps 8 as target lighting in addition to the foot lamps 4 in the passenger seat area. That is, since lighting of the map lamp 7 and the room lamp 8 is not suitable for driving, the lighting control unit 14 excludes them from the target lighting.

[0022] In the above description, the method for selecting target lighting by the lighting control unit 14 has been described for each element of the occupant's behavior, the attributes / status of other occupants, and the vehicle state. However, the lighting control unit 14 may select target lighting by combining all elements of the occupant's behavior, the attributes / status of other occupants, and the vehicle state. The lighting control unit 14 may also select target lighting based on the behavior of other occupants different from the occupant whose behavior has been identified. For example, if the driver's seat occupant is "looking for something under their feet" while the vehicle is stopped or parked, and the passenger seat occupant is also "looking for something under their feet," it is likely that the occupants are searching for something not only under a specific seat but also over a wide area of ​​the vehicle floor. In such a case, the lighting control unit 14 selects at least the foot lamps 4 in the driver's seat area and the passenger seat area as target lighting, and also selects the map lamps 7 and the room lamps 8 as target lighting. The lighting control unit 14 may also select the foot lamps 4 in the rear seat area as target lighting.

[0023] The lighting control unit 14 selects target lighting based on the occupant's behavior, the attributes / status of other occupants, and the vehicle status, for example, by referring to tables such as those shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. FIGS. 2A and 2B are tables showing the correlation between the target occupant, other occupants (first row, second row), and vehicle status, and the target lighting. For example, if the identification unit 12 identifies the behavior of the passenger seat occupant as "reading," the status of the driver seat occupant as "sleeping," and the vehicle status as "parked," the lighting control unit 14 extracts the action number "19" from the table shown in FIG. 2A and identifies the target lighting "passenger seat area reading light 5 (passenger seat reading light)" that corresponds to the identification result and the vehicle status, thereby selecting the target lighting. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, "target occupant" refers to the occupant whose behavior is identified by the identification unit 12, and "no condition" indicates that the occupant's attributes and status are not important.

[0024] After selecting the target lighting, the lighting control unit 14 sets the brightness of the target lighting according to the brightness inside the vehicle cabin. The lighting control unit 14 determines the brightness from the image captured by the camera 1. Note that the lighting control unit 14 may also determine the brightness inside the vehicle cabin from the detection value of an illuminance sensor installed inside the vehicle. Then, the lighting control unit 14 sets the brightness of the target lighting so that the illuminance of the target lighting increases as the brightness inside the vehicle cabin becomes darker. While the vehicle is traveling, the lighting control unit 14 sets the illuminance of the target lighting to a brightness that does not affect the driver's driving. Then, the lighting control unit 14 outputs a control command to the target lighting to turn on the target lighting at the set illuminance.

[0025] After the target light is turned on, the lighting control unit 14 determines whether or not the light-off condition is met based on the identification result of the identification unit 12 and / or the vehicle state. The light-off condition is a condition for turning off the target light. The light-off condition is that the identified action has ended, the vehicle has started, and a predetermined time has passed since the light was turned on. Progress Of the things you did, include at least one condition.

[0026] The identification unit 12 identifies the behavior of the occupant while the target light is on. When the behavior identified when selecting the target light has ended, the lighting control unit 14 determines that the extinguishing condition is met and turns off the target light. Furthermore, when the lighting control unit 14 identifies the vehicle's startup state from the vehicle state while the target light is on, it determines that the extinguishing condition is met and turns off the target light. For example, when the footlight 4 in the driver's seat area is on and the shift position is switched from park to drive, or when the vehicle state is switched from stopped to running based on the vehicle speed, the lighting control unit 14 turns off the footlight 4 in the driver's seat area to avoid any adverse effects on the driver's driving.

[0027] For example, consider a scenario in which the driver's seat occupant performs the behavior of "looking at a mobile device" while the vehicle is stopped and no other occupants are in the vehicle. In such a scenario, the lighting control unit 14 turns on the reading light 5 in the driver's seat area and the map lamp 7 in the center area based on the vehicle state and the driver's behavior (see "action number (11)" in FIG. 2A). The driver then finishes the behavior of "looking at a mobile device." If the vehicle interior environment is dark or otherwise unsuitable for camera 1 capture, the identification unit 12 may not be able to identify the completion of the behavior of "looking at a mobile device" from the captured image, or it may take a long time to identify it. In other words, if the lighting control unit 14 performs a process to turn off the map lamp 7 because it determines that the extinguishing condition "the identified behavior has ended" is satisfied, it will take a long time to turn off the map lamp 7. In this embodiment, by including vehicle startup as a turning-off condition, the identification unit 12 can turn off target lights such as the map lamp 7 because the vehicle has started up, even in a situation in which it would take a long time for the identification unit 12 to identify the occupant's behavior. When the target lights are turned off due to the start of the vehicle, the lighting control unit 14 may turn off the lights that affect the driving of the driver among the target lights.

[0028] The lighting control unit 14 turns on the target lighting. Ta The time elapsed from that point is measured, and if the elapsed time is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, the target light is turned off. The predetermined time is a time that defines a so-called time-out and is set in advance.

[0029] Next, the control flow of the controller 10 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 5. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the control processing of the controller 10. Figure 4 is a sub-flowchart of step S40 shown in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a sub-flowchart of step S90 shown in Figure 3. The control flows shown in Figures 3 to 5 are executed while the vehicle is stopped or parked.

[0030] In step S10, the controller 10 determines whether or not photography is permitted. For example, if photography by the camera 1 is not permitted for privacy reasons, the controller 10 ends this control flow ("N" in step S10). On the other hand, if photography is permitted, in step S20, the image acquisition unit 11 acquires a captured image from the camera 1. In step S30, the status information acquisition unit 13 acquires vehicle status information indicating the vehicle status of the vehicle.

[0031] In step S40, the identification unit 12 performs image processing on the captured image, and executes behavior identification processing. The control flow of the behavior identification processing is shown in the subflow of FIG. 4. In step S41, the identification unit 12 identifies the occupant. The occupant is identified by the occupant's riding position, etc. In step S42, the identification unit 12 identifies the behavior of the occupant. In step S43, the identification unit 12 identifies the attributes and / or states of other occupants different from the occupant whose behavior has been identified. Then, after completing the processing of the subflows of steps S41 to S43, the controller 10 executes the control flow of step S50.

[0032] In step S50, the lighting control unit 14 determines whether the identified behavior matches a specific behavior defined in the tables shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The specific behavior is associated with the lighting that is the target of lighting control, and the behavior shown in the "target occupant-behavior" column in FIGS. 2A and 2B corresponds to the specific behavior. If the identified behavior does not match the specific behavior, the controller 10 returns the control flow to step S20 and executes the control flow from step S20 onwards. If the identified behavior matches the specific behavior, in step S60, the lighting control unit 14 selects a target light to be turned on based on the identification result by the identification unit 12 and the vehicle state. Specifically, the lighting control unit 14 refers to the tables shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, and selects a specific behavior that matches the identified behavior, attributes of other occupants and / or other occupants. Status , and the target lighting corresponding to the vehicle information is identified to select the target lighting.

[0033] In step S70, the lighting control unit 14 sets the brightness of the target light according to the brightness inside the vehicle cabin. In step S80, the lighting control unit 14 turns on the selected target light at the set brightness. In step S90, while the target light is turned on, the lighting control unit 14 determines whether the light-off condition is met based on the identification result of the identification unit 12 and / or the vehicle state.

[0034] The control flow of the process for determining whether the light-off condition is met is shown in the subflow of Figure 5. In step S91, the image acquisition unit 11 acquires a captured image, and the identification unit 12 identifies the occupant's behavior based on the captured image. In step S92, the status information acquisition unit 13 acquires vehicle status information. In step S93, the lighting control unit 14 determines whether the specific behavior has ended based on the behavior identified in the control process of step S91. The specific behavior is the specific behavior in the determination process of step S50, and corresponds to the behavior identified when selecting the target lighting. If it is determined that the specific behavior has ended, the lighting control unit 14 determines that the light-off condition is met (step S97).

[0035] If it is determined that the specific behavior has not ended, in step S94, the lighting control unit 14 determines whether or not the vehicle is started based on the vehicle state indicated by the vehicle state information acquired in the control processing of step S92. If the vehicle is started, the lighting control unit 14 determines that the light-off condition is satisfied (step S97).

[0036] If it is determined that the vehicle will not start, the lighting control unit 14 turns on the target lighting in step S95. Ta The illumination control unit 14 determines whether the elapsed time from the time point is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. If it is determined that the elapsed time is less than the predetermined time ("N" in step S95), the illumination control unit 14 determines that the light-off condition is not met (step S96). If it is determined that the elapsed time is equal to or greater than the predetermined time, the illumination control unit 14 determines that the light-off condition is met (step S97).

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, step S90 and step S If it is determined through the control flow of S91 to S97 that the extinguishing condition is not met, the controller 10 repeatedly executes the control flow of step S90. If it is determined that the extinguishing condition is met, the lighting control unit 14 turns off the target lighting in step S100. Then, the controller 10 ends the control flow.

[0038] As described above, the lighting control device and lighting control method according to this embodiment acquire captured images from camera 1, identify the behavior of at least one occupant among multiple occupants based on the captured images, and the attributes and / or states of other occupants different from the one occupant among the multiple occupants, acquire vehicle state information indicating the vehicle state of the vehicle, select target lights to be turned on based on the identification result and the vehicle state, and turn on the selected target lights. This makes it possible to control lighting while maintaining the comfort of not only the occupant who performed the specific behavior but also other occupants.

[0039] In this embodiment, the lighting control unit 14 sets the brightness of the target lighting in accordance with the brightness inside the vehicle cabin, thereby adjusting the brightness of the target lighting to an appropriate illuminance in accordance with the brightness inside the vehicle cabin.

[0040] In this embodiment, the lighting control unit 14 determines whether the turn-off condition is met based on the identification result of the identification unit 12 and / or the vehicle state, and turns off the target lighting if the turn-off condition is met. This allows the target lighting to be turned off at an appropriate timing.

[0041] In this embodiment, if the vehicle starts while the target light is on, the lighting control unit 14 turns off the target light, thereby preventing the target light from adversely affecting the driver's driving.

[0042] In this embodiment, the image acquisition unit 11 acquires captured images when capturing images of the interior of the vehicle is permitted, thereby ensuring privacy protection.

[0043] In this embodiment, the lighting control unit 14 turns off the target lighting if a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the target lighting was turned on. This allows the target lighting to be turned off by a timeout.

[0044] As a modification of this embodiment, the lighting control unit 14 of the controller 10 turns on the target lighting when the vehicle is controlled by autonomous driving control while the vehicle is traveling, and prohibits turning on the target lighting when the vehicle is controlled by manual driving control. In particular, when lighting in the driver's seat area is included in the target lighting, the lighting control unit 14 may control the turning on and off of the target lighting as in the modification. This increases the comfort of the driver's seat occupant during autonomous driving, and prevents the negative impact on the driver's driving caused by turning on the target lighting during manual driving.

[0045] Note that the control flows shown in Figures 3 to 5 are examples of execution while the vehicle is stopped or parked, but while the vehicle is traveling, the controller 10 may execute the control flows shown in Figures 3 to 5, omitting the control flow of step S94.

[0046] In this embodiment, it is not necessary to execute all of the control flows shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, and some of the flows may be omitted, or the order of the flows may be changed.

[0047] Second Embodiment Next, regarding the second embodiment illumination The interior part control system according to the second embodiment differs from the interior part control system according to the first embodiment in that it has a recognition unit 12 and a lighting control unit 1. 14 Apart from the additional functions of the recognition unit 12 and the illumination control unit 14, the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore the above description will be used for the same configuration as that of the first embodiment.

[0048] Camera 1 is installed in a position where the angle of view includes the seat. Therefore, camera 1 is installed in a position where the angle of view of camera 1 includes part of the occupant's body when the occupant is sitting in the seat. For example, when the occupant is sitting in the seat, the angle of view of camera 1 includes at least the upper body of the occupant but does not include the occupant's feet. Note that to capture an image of a rear seat occupant, camera 1 may be installed on the roof (the ceiling inside the vehicle). Alternatively, camera 1 may be a wide-angle camera so that it can capture the rear seat surface.

[0049] The identification unit 12 identifies the trajectory of the occupant's body when part of their body moves out of the field of view of the camera 1. For example, consider a scene in which an occupant bends down to pick up an object at their feet while sitting in a seat (hereinafter also referred to as a "picking up an object scene"). In this scene, when the occupant bends down from a sitting position, their upper body moves downward relative to the seat. The identification unit 12 acquires captured images in time series and extracts the movement of the occupant's body parts (upper body) from the multiple captured images to identify the trajectory of the occupant's upper body. For example, if the center of the field of view of the camera 1 is the center of the occupant's upper body and the scene is one in which an object is being picked up, the trajectory of the upper body will be a line that runs downward from the center point of the field of view. In this way, the identification unit 12 identifies the behavior of the occupant when part of their body moves out of the field of view of the camera 1.

[0050] The lighting control unit 14 outputs a control command to the foot lamp 4 according to the body trajectory identified by the identification unit 12. First, the lighting control unit 14 identifies the direction in which the body trajectory deviates from the angle of view (hereinafter also referred to as the "outside angle of view direction"). Then, the lighting control unit 14 outputs a control command to turn on the lighting to the foot lamp 4 located in the outside angle of view direction. Footlight 4 is located outside the angle of view of the camera 1 and is installed in an area outside the angle of view. seat The area below the seat is identified as being outside the angle of view. The lighting control unit 14 outputs a control command to turn on the foot lights installed at the feet of the crouched occupant. In other words, based on the trajectory of the body, the lighting control unit 14 identifies the foot lights 4, which are installed outside the angle of view of the camera 1 and in the area outside the angle of view, as the device to which the control command should be sent. As a result, when the occupant bends down to pick up something, the area at the feet is illuminated.

[0051] As an example other than a scene of picking up an object, suppose that while the vehicle is stopped, the driver reaches out to retrieve an object from a roof pocket. The driver's hand moves from the steering wheel position toward the roof pocket. The identification unit 12 extracts the hand movement to identify the trajectory of the hand. The lighting control unit 14 identifies the direction from the steering wheel position toward the roof pocket as the out-of-view direction. The out-of-view direction is the direction in which the trajectory of the hand leaves the angle of view. The lighting control unit 14 outputs a control command to turn on the light (room lamp 8) installed in the direction of the angle of view. As a result, when the driver tries to retrieve an object from the roof pocket, the light installed near the roof pocket is turned on before the hand touches the roof pocket.

[0052] Furthermore, the identification unit 12 identifies that after a part of the occupant's body leaves the angle of view of the camera 1, the part of the occupant's body returns to the angle of view. For example, after a scene in which an object is picked up, the occupant returns the upper body to its original position, and the occupant's posture becomes a seated state in the seat. At this time, the upper body leaves the angle of view once to pick up the object, and then returns to the angle of view. The identification unit 12 identifies that the upper body returns to the angle of view. In other words, the identification unit 12 identifies, from a series of upper body movements, that the upper body leaves the angle of view and then returns to the angle of view.

[0053] When the lighting control unit 14 determines that part of the occupant's body is returning to the field of view, it outputs an off command to the foot light 4 to turn off the lighting. When the occupant picks up an object at their feet and returns to their original sitting position, the lighting control unit 14 determines that the upper body is returning to the field of view and outputs an off command to turn off the lighting of the foot light 4. Note that the lighting control unit 14 may output an off command to the foot light 4 after a predetermined time has elapsed since it determined that the upper body is returning to the field of view. This allows the lighting of the foot light 4 to be switched on and off depending on the occupant's actions.

[0054] The lighting control unit 14 issues an OFF command when a predetermined time has elapsed since it was determined that a part of the occupant's body has moved out of the viewing angle of the camera 1. Footlight 4 This allows the illumination of the foot lamp 4 to be turned off even when it is not possible to identify from the captured image that part of the occupant's body has returned to the angle of view.

[0055] As described above, according to this embodiment illumination Control device or illumination The control method identifies the trajectory of the occupant's body when part of the body moves out of the angle of view of the camera 1, and outputs a control command to the foot lamp 4 and / or the room lamp 8 according to the identified trajectory of the body. 4 footlights and 8 room lamps Even if the camera is installed outside the field of view of camera 1, the behavior of the occupants can be 4 footlights and 8 room lampsIn the above embodiment, the lighting control unit 14 outputs a control command to the foot lamp 4 and the room lamp 8, but the lighting control unit 14 may output a control command to switch on / off the lighting not only to the foot lamp 4 and the room lamp 8 but also to the reading lamp 5, the cup holder lamp 6, and the map lamp 7. That is, the lighting control unit 14 can identify the specific behavior identified by the identification unit 12. was A lighting control command may be output to at least one of the reading light 5, the cup holder light 6, and the map light 7 according to the trajectory of the body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1 camera 2 Onboard equipment 4 Footlights 5. Reading Light 6 Cup holder lighting 7 Map lamp 8 Room lamp 9 Lighting control device 10 Controller 11 Image acquisition unit 12 Identification unit 13 Status information acquisition unit 14 Lighting control unit

Claims

1. A lighting control device that controls lighting provided in a vehicle interior, an image acquisition unit that acquires an image captured by a camera that captures an image of the interior of the vehicle; an identification unit that identifies the behavior of at least one occupant among the plurality of occupants and the attributes of the other occupants based on the captured image; a state information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle state information indicating a vehicle state of the vehicle; A lighting control device comprising: a lighting control unit that selects target lighting to be turned on based on the behavior of the occupant identified by the identification unit, the attributes of the other occupant who is different from the occupant whose behavior was identified, and the vehicle state, and that turns on the selected target lighting.

2. The lighting control device according to claim 1 , wherein the lighting control unit sets the brightness of the target lighting in accordance with the brightness inside the vehicle compartment.

3. The lighting control unit determining whether a light-off condition is satisfied based on the identification result by the identification unit and / or the vehicle state; The lighting control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the target lighting is turned off when the turn-off condition is satisfied.

4. The lighting control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lighting control unit turns off the target lighting when the vehicle starts while the target lighting is on.

5. The lighting control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the image acquisition unit acquires the captured image when imaging of the interior of the vehicle cabin is permitted.

6. The lighting control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lighting control unit turns off the target lighting when a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the target lighting was turned on.

7. The lighting control unit When the vehicle is controlled by autonomous driving control, turning on the target light; The lighting control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein turning on of the target lighting is prohibited when the vehicle is controlled by manual driving control.

8. A lighting control method executed by a controller for controlling lighting provided in a vehicle interior, comprising: The controller Acquiring a captured image from a camera capturing an image of the interior of the vehicle; Identifying the behavior of at least one occupant among the plurality of occupants and the attributes of the other occupants based on the captured image; Acquire vehicle status information indicating the vehicle status of the vehicle; A lighting control method that selects target lighting to be turned on based on the behavior of the identified occupant, the attributes of the other occupant who is different from the occupant whose behavior was identified, and the vehicle state, and turns on the selected target lighting.

9. The lighting control unit determining whether the identified behavior matches a specific behavior associated with the lighting that is the target of lighting control; A lighting control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein when the identified behavior matches a specific behavior, some of the lights are not selected as the target lights depending on the attributes and / or the state of the other occupants.