Motorcycle lamp system and control device therefor

Abstract

A lamp system (200) comprises a dash cam (210) and a headlamp (220). An ECU (230) predicts a collision of a motorcycle (100) with a vehicle ahead, and reduces the luminance of the headlamp on the basis of the prediction result.

Description

Motorcycle lamp system and control device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a lamp system for a motorcycle.

[0002] An increasing number of automobiles are being fitted with dashcams to record the circumstances of traffic accidents or dangerous behavior such as aggressive driving. In recent years, dashcams are also increasingly being fitted to motorcycles.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-039759 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-162080 International Publication No. WO2021-124779A1

[0004] The present inventors have studied motorcycles equipped with drive recorders and have come to recognize the following problems.

[0005] When a motorcycle collides with a vehicle ahead, the motorcycle and the vehicle ahead become closer, causing the headlights at the vehicle ahead to be extremely bright. This can cause the license plate of the vehicle ahead to appear washed out in the image recorded by the dashcam.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and one exemplary purpose of an embodiment thereof is to provide a lamp system for a motorcycle that can record important information about a subject even in the event of a collision.

[0007] An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a control device for a lamp system mounted on a motorcycle having a drive recorder, in which the control device predicts a collision of the motorcycle with a vehicle ahead and reduces the brightness of the headlamps based on the prediction result.

[0008] Any combination of the above elements, or mutual substitution of elements or expressions between methods, devices, systems, etc., are also valid aspects of the present invention or the present disclosure. Furthermore, the description in this section (Means for Solving the Problems) does not explain all essential features of the present invention, and therefore, subcombinations of the described features may also constitute the present invention.

[0009] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, important information about a subject can be recorded even in the event of a collision.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a motorcycle equipped with a lamp system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a microcontroller which is an ECU. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of control by the ECU. FIG. 4 is a diagram of a motorcycle equipped with the lamp system of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram explaining the operation of a conventional lamp system. FIG. 6 is a diagram explaining the operation of the lamp system of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a motorcycle according to a first modification. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a motorcycle equipped with a lamp system according to a second modification. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a motorcycle equipped with a lamp system according to a second embodiment.

[0011] (Summary of the Embodiments) A summary of some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be provided. This summary is intended to provide a basic understanding of one or more embodiments as a prelude to the detailed description that follows, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention or disclosure. Furthermore, this summary is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of all possible embodiments, nor does it limit essential elements of the embodiments. For convenience, the term "one embodiment" may refer to one embodiment (example or variant) or multiple embodiments (examples or variants) disclosed herein.

[0012] According to one embodiment, a control device for a lamp system mounted on a motorcycle having a drive recorder reduces the brightness of a headlamp based on a predicted collision of the motorcycle with a vehicle ahead.

[0013] With this configuration, the brightness of the headlights decreases when the distance between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle itself becomes short just before a collision. This reduces the illuminance of the vehicle ahead, preventing overexposure in the images recorded by the drive recorder and ultimately enabling important information about the subject to be recorded at the time of a collision.

[0014] In one embodiment, the control device may predict a collision based on the vehicle speed of the motorcycle and images captured by a drive recorder.

[0015] In one embodiment, the control device may predict a collision based on the motorcycle speed and the size of an object captured in an image. The control device can estimate the distance to the vehicle ahead based on the size of the vehicle ahead captured in an image captured by the drive recorder. The control device can then predict a collision based on the relative relationship between the estimated distance and the stopping distance determined by the vehicle speed.

[0016] In one embodiment, the control device may predict a collision based on information from sensors. A motorcycle may be equipped with an Advanced Rider Assistance System (ARAS), which may include sensors such as millimeter-wave radar, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and a Time of Flight (ToF) camera. In this case, the control device can predict a collision based on the outputs of these sensors.

[0017] In one embodiment, the control device may dynamically control the light distribution of the headlamp based on the image captured by the drive recorder. That is, if the headlamp has an adaptive driving beam (ADB) function, the camera for ADB control may also be used as the camera for the drive recorder. This reduces the cost for the function.

[0018] In one embodiment, the prediction of the collision with the preceding vehicle may be performed by a processing device external to the control device. The control device may receive the collision prediction result and control the brightness of the headlamps based on the received prediction result.

[0019] In one embodiment, the control device may be built into the same housing as the headlamp together with the drive recorder. A drive recorder must be installed on the front of a motorcycle, and its presence may detract from the design of the motorcycle. Building the drive recorder into the headlamp improves the design. Furthermore, if the drive recorder is separate, image quality will be reduced if its lens becomes dirty. It is difficult for motorcycle drivers to detect dirt on the drive recorder lens. When a drive recorder is built into a headlamp, dirt on the outer lens of the headlamp becomes a problem. However, dirt on the outer lens is much easier to detect and clean than dirt on the drive recorder lens.

[0020] In one embodiment, the drive recorder and the headlamp may be provided in separate housings, and the control device may be built into the housing of the drive recorder. If a drive recorder can be added as an option to a motorcycle, it is desirable to have the drive recorder and the headlamp separate.

[0021] A lamp system for a motorcycle according to one embodiment may include a drive recorder, a headlamp, and any of the above-described control devices that control the headlamp.

[0022] (Embodiments) Preferred embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing will be given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments are examples rather than limitations on the disclosure, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the disclosure.

[0023] (Embodiment 1) Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a motorcycle 100 equipped with a lamp system 200 according to embodiment 1. The motorcycle 100 includes the lamp system 200, a vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 102, and a recording medium 104. The vehicle ECU 102 controls the lamp system 200. The lamp system 200 functions as both a headlamp and a drive recorder. The recording medium 104 is an SD card, a solid-state drive (SSD), a flash memory, or the like, and records images generated by the drive recorder. In the block diagram of Fig. 1, the recording medium 104 is provided on the vehicle side, but it may also be provided on the lamp system 200 side.

[0024] The lamp system 200 includes a drive recorder 210, a headlamp 220, and an ECU 230. The drive recorder 210 captures an image of the area ahead of the vehicle and writes the captured image to the recording medium 104.

[0025] The drive recorder 210 includes a camera 212, an event detection sensor 214, and a drive recorder processing unit 232 implemented as part of the ECU 230. The drive recorder processing unit 232 transfers and writes image data output from the camera 212 to the recording medium 104. The event detection sensor 214 includes a gyro sensor, a gravity sensor, and the like. The drive recorder processing unit 232, which is part of the ECU 230, detects a predetermined event, such as a large vibration or a fall of the vehicle body, in accordance with the output of the event detection sensor 214. When the drive recorder processing unit 232 detects an event, it switches the recording mode.

[0026] The headlamp 220 includes a low beam unit 222, a high beam unit 224, and a headlamp processing unit 234 implemented as part of the ECU 230. The ECU 230 and the vehicle ECU 102 are connected via a vehicle bus 106 such as a Controller Area Network (CAN) or a Local Interconnect Network (LIN).

[0027] When the headlamp processing unit 234 receives an instruction to turn on the low beam from the vehicle ECU 102, it turns on the low beam unit 222, and when it receives an instruction to turn on the high beam, it turns on the high beam unit 224.

[0028] The headlamp processing unit 234 of the ECU 230 predicts a collision of the motorcycle 100 with a vehicle ahead. Then, based on the prediction result, if the possibility of a collision exceeds a threshold, the brightness of the lit lamps (222, 224) is reduced.

[0029] The ECU 230 may be a control board configured by combining a microcontroller (MCU) and other hardware, and performs various processes by having a processor execute software programs. The blocks shown inside the ECU 230 in the block diagram are convenient and schematic representations of units of processing and functions implemented in the ECU 230.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a microcontroller 800, which is the ECU 230. The microcontroller 800 includes a processor 810, a nonvolatile memory 820, a memory 830, and an interface circuit 840. The nonvolatile memory 820 is a flash memory and is a storage medium that stores the software program 850 executed by the processor 810. The processor 810 loads the software program 850 into the memory 830 at startup and executes the instructions of the software program 850. The interface circuit 840 may include a serial interface such as a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter), a 3-wire serial interface, or an I2C bus interface, a CAN interface, a GPIO, an A / D converter, or a D / A converter. The components of the microcontroller 800 may be built into a single IC package, or may be a microcomputer board in which several IC packages are mounted on a printed circuit board.

[0031] 3 is a flowchart of control by ECU 230. Recording by drive recorder 210 begins (S100). ECU 230 determines the possibility of collision of motorcycle 100 with a vehicle ahead (S110). If ECU 230 determines that the possibility of collision is low (not present) (N in S110), it continues to determine the possibility of collision. If it determines that the possibility of collision is high (yes) (Y in S110), it reduces the brightness of headlamp 220 (S120).

[0032] 4 is a diagram showing a motorcycle 100 equipped with the lamp system 200 of FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the drive recorder 210 and the ECU 230 are housed in the headlamp housing 110. In other words, the drive recorder function is incorporated into the headlamp. The camera 212 is provided inside the headlamp, as are the low beam unit 222 and the high beam unit 224.

[0033] The lamp system 200 has the above configuration.

[0034] Next, a problem that occurs in a headlamp system with a drive recorder will be described.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operation of a conventional lamp system. This diagram shows a driving scene immediately before a collision. Conventionally, a low beam 4 with a constant brightness is irradiated onto a vehicle 2 ahead, regardless of the distance to the vehicle 2 ahead. In this case, as the distance to the vehicle 2 ahead decreases, the illuminance at the rear end face of the vehicle 2 ahead increases. This increases the pixel value of the image of the vehicle ahead recorded by the drive recorder, which captures the light reflected from the vehicle ahead 2, causing the vehicle ahead 2 to appear overexposed. This means that important information, such as the license plate number, that should be recorded by the drive recorder may be lost.

[0036] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the lamp system of Fig. 1. The top part of Fig. 6 shows a normal driving scene, in which the low beam unit 222 emits light at a predetermined brightness, and a low beam 4a that satisfies the legal light distribution requirements is irradiated in front of the vehicle.

[0037] As shown in the middle of Figure 6, when the distance to the vehicle 2 ahead becomes shorter, the ECU 230 determines that the possibility of a collision with the vehicle 2 ahead has increased. Based on this determination, the light emission brightness of the low beam unit 222 is reduced, and the low beam 4b becomes darker. As a result, at the moment of collision shown in the bottom of Figure 6, the illuminance at the vehicle 2 ahead is lowered, and the pixel values ​​of the image of the vehicle ahead recorded by the drive recorder based on the reflected light are smaller than those in Figure 5. This suppresses overexposure and prevents the loss of important information such as the license plate.

[0038] 1, the drive recorder 210 is incorporated into the housing of the headlamp 220. The drive recorder 210 needs to be installed on the front of the motorcycle, and its presence may detract from the design of the motorcycle. By incorporating the drive recorder 210 into the headlamp, as shown in FIG. 4, the drive recorder 210 can be made less noticeable, improving the design.

[0039] Furthermore, dirt on the lens of drive recorder 210 reduces image quality. When drive recorder 210 is independent from drive recorder 210, it is difficult for the driver of the motorcycle to notice dirt on the lens of drive recorder 210. When drive recorder 210 is built into headlamp 220, dirt on the outer lens of headlamp 220 becomes a problem, but dirt on the outer lens is much easier to notice and clean than dirt on the lens of the drive recorder.

[0040] Similarly, the adhesion of raindrops to the lens of drive recorder 210 also reduces image quality. When drive recorder 210 is independent from drive recorder 210, raindrops tend to adhere directly to the lens of drive recorder 210, and once attached, raindrops tend to remain there. When drive recorder 210 is built into headlamp 220, raindrops will adhere to the outer lens of headlamp 220, but raindrops that adhere to the lens of the outer lens are easily washed away by wind while driving, so the deterioration of image quality of the drive recorder can be suppressed.

[0041] 7 is a block diagram of a motorcycle 100a according to Modification 1. The motorcycle 100a further includes a cleaner 108. The cleaner 108 removes dirt and raindrops from the outer lens 240 of the lamp system 200. This modification keeps the outer lens of the headlamp clean and simultaneously prevents deterioration of the image quality captured by the camera 212. In other words, the cleaner 108 further enhances the advantage of incorporating the drive recorder 210 into the housing of the headlamp.

[0042] 8 is a block diagram of a motorcycle 100b equipped with a lamp system 200b according to Modification 2. In lamp system 200b, headlamp 220b has an ADB function that adaptively controls light distribution in accordance with a target object ahead of the vehicle. High beam unit 224b is a variable light distribution lamp that can provide localized shading portions within the light distribution pattern.

[0043] Camera 212 serves both as a camera for the drive recorder and a camera for controlling the light distribution of the ADB. ECU 230 detects targets present in front of the vehicle based on images captured by camera 212. ECU 230 then generates a light distribution pattern having a light-blocking portion at the position where the specific target is located, and controls high beam unit 224b to obtain this light distribution pattern. In FIG. 8, the function of ECU 230 is shown as light distribution control unit 236.

[0044] In Modification 2, it can be understood that the camera for detecting targets of the ADB lamp also operates as a camera for the drive recorder. Therefore, there is no need to add a camera for the drive recorder, and the cost of the entire lamp system 200b can be reduced compared to a configuration in which a camera for the drive recorder and a camera for target detection are provided separately.

[0045] 9 is a block diagram of a motorcycle 100A equipped with a lamp system 200A according to a second embodiment. The lamp system 200A includes a drive recorder 210A, a headlamp 220A, and an ECU 230A. In the second embodiment, the drive recorder 210A and the headlamp 220A are provided separately as independent units. The ECU 230A is provided on the drive recorder 210A side.

[0046] Other points are the same as those of embodiment 1. As with the lamp system 200 of embodiment 1, the lamp system 200A of embodiment 2 can also suppress whiteout in the image of the drive recorder at the time of a collision.

[0047] As a modification of the lamp system 200A of FIG. 9, the ECU 230A may be provided on the headlamp 220A side.

[0048] Next, the prediction of a collision by the ECU 230 will be described.

[0049] The ECU 230 may predict a collision based on the vehicle speed of the motorcycle 100 and images captured by the camera 212 of the drive recorder 210. The ECU 230 receives vehicle speed information from the vehicle ECU 102 via the vehicle bus 106. The ECU 230 predicts a collision based on the vehicle speed of the motorcycle 100 and the size of an object (a vehicle ahead) captured in the image. The ECU 230 can estimate the distance to the vehicle ahead based on the size of the vehicle ahead in the image. The ECU 230 can then predict a collision based on the relative relationship between the estimated distance and the stopping distance determined by the vehicle speed.

[0050] Alternatively, in addition to or instead of the size of the object shown in the image, the distance to the object may be estimated based on the position of the object shown in the image.

[0051] The motorcycle 100 equipped with an ARAS (Advanced Rider Assistance System) may include sensors such as millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), and ToF (Time of Flight) cameras. In this case, the ECU 230 can predict a collision based on the output of the sensors.

[0052] The collision prediction method is not limited to this, and any known or future available technology may be used.

[0053] The embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that there are various variations in the combination of each component and each treatment process, and that such variations are also included within the scope of this disclosure or the present invention.

[0054] The present disclosure relates to a lamp system for a motorcycle.

[0055] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Motorcycle 102 Vehicle ECU 104 Recording medium 106 Vehicle bus 108 Cleaner 200 Lamp system 210 Drive recorder 212 Camera 214 Event detection sensor 220 Headlamp 222 Low beam unit 224 High beam unit 230 ECU 232 Drive recorder processing unit 234 Headlamp processing unit 240 Outer lens

Claims

1. A control device for a lamp system mounted on a motorcycle having a drive recorder, the control device reducing the brightness of the headlamps based on the results of a prediction of a collision of the motorcycle with a vehicle ahead.

2. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control device predicts the collision based on the vehicle speed of the motorcycle and images captured by the drive recorder.

3. The control device according to claim 2, characterized in that the control device predicts the collision based on the vehicle speed of the motorcycle and the size of an object appearing in the image.

4. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the control device predicts the collision based on information from a sensor.

5. A control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the control device dynamically controls the light distribution of the headlamps based on an image captured by the drive recorder.

6. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the control device is built into the same housing as the headlamp together with the drive recorder.

7. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the drive recorder and the headlamp are provided in separate housings, and the control device is built into the housing of the drive recorder.

8. A lamp system for a motorcycle comprising: a drive recorder; a headlamp; and a control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 that controls the headlamp.

9. A program executed by a control device for a lamp system, causing the control device to execute the steps of: predicting a collision of the motorcycle with a vehicle ahead; and reducing the brightness of the headlamps when there is a possibility of the collision.

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