Lighting control device and lighting control method

Abstract

A light control device (100) comprises: a probability determination unit (120) that, if it is determined that an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an object to be irradiated, outputs a determination result indicating that intensified irradiation is to be performed on the object to be irradiated by using a luminance difference between the luminance of the object to be irradiated in the image and the luminance other than that of the object to be irradiated; and an intensified irradiation control unit (130) that, if receiving a determination result indicating that the object to be irradiated requires intensified irradiation, instructs a lighting device to perform intensified irradiation toward the object to be irradiated.

Description

Light control device and light control method

[0001] The disclosed technology relates to a light control technology for irradiating light from a moving body to its surroundings.

[0002] Among lighting control technologies, there is a technology that detects pedestrians around a moving vehicle and illuminates them with spotlight. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for spotlighting, which focuses the driver's attention on the pedestrian with the highest risk when there are multiple pedestrians around the vehicle. Regarding the risk level, Patent Document 1 describes that "the possibility of collision with the vehicle 2 is calculated as the risk level for multiple pedestrians (S22)" (paragraph

[0015] ), and that "in calculating the risk level, parameters that can be used include, for example, vehicle speed, steering angle, brake signal, position of the pedestrian relative to the vehicle 2, position of the pedestrian on the road (sidewalk, roadway, left side, right side), orientation of the pedestrian (direction of travel), walking speed, color of the pedestrian's clothing, and driver's level of attention (movement of the driver's face, whether the driver's eyes are open or closed). These parameters are then multiplied by a predetermined coefficient, and the pedestrian with the highest overall value can be selected as the target for illumination" (paragraph

[0016] ). In Patent Document 1, it is unclear what state each of the above parameters indicates when it is determined that there is a high possibility (risk) of a collision with the vehicle, but it suggests that the pedestrian closest to the vehicle is the most dangerous pedestrian and is selected as the target for illumination (see FIG. 3 and paragraph

[0019] ).

[0003] JP 2012-040950 A

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it emits light regardless of the actual visibility of the occupant. If light is emitted regardless of the actual visibility of the occupant, for example, in a situation where a pedestrian is actually easy to see, the light may be emitted unnecessarily, which may lead to the occupant's attention being distracted.

[0005] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problem, and aims to make it possible to irradiate light based on the actual visibility of the object to be illuminated.

[0006] The lighting control device of the present disclosure includes: a probability determination unit that, when it is determined that an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an illumination target, outputs a determination result indicating that enhanced illumination should be performed on the illumination target, using a luminance difference between the luminance of the illumination target in the image and the luminance of objects other than the illumination target; and an enhanced illumination control unit that, when it receives a determination result indicating that enhanced illumination is necessary for the illumination target, commands the lighting device to perform enhanced illumination towards the illumination target.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to irradiate light based on the actual visibility of the object to be illuminated.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a basic configuration of a light control device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a light control system 10A including a light control device 100A according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process performed by the light control devices 100 and 100A according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a light control system 10B including a light control device 100B according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a first flowchart illustrating an example of a process performed by the light control device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a second flowchart illustrating an example of a process performed by the light control device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between an object to be illuminated (a target) and a background (background surrounding the target) according to the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for more reliably obtaining the effect of the highlighted illumination according to the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a light control system 10C including a light control device 100C according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by a light control device 100C according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a type acquisition process in the object information acquisition process according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed processing of an irradiation object determination process according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a light control system 10D including a light control device 100D according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by a luminance difference threshold calculation unit 124D in the light control device 100D according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a light control system 10E including a light control device 100E according to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by a luminance difference threshold calculation unit 124E in the light control device 100E according to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a light control system 10F including a light control device 100F according to a sixth embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by an illumination order determination unit 140F in a light control device 100F according to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure.Fig. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration of a light control system 10G including a light control device 100G according to embodiment 7 of the present disclosure. Fig. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a light intensity determination unit 150G in the light control device 100G according to embodiment 7 of the present disclosure. Fig. 21 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a hardware configuration for realizing functions according to the configuration of the present disclosure. Fig. 22 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a hardware configuration for realizing functions according to the configuration of the present disclosure.

[0009] In order to explain the present disclosure in more detail, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] First Embodiment In the first embodiment, a basic form of the present disclosure will be described.

[0011] A light control device 100 controls lighting devices of a mobile body. An example configuration of the light control device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example basic configuration of the light control device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The light control device 100 determines, based on an image captured from a mobile body, whether accentuated illumination is required for an illumination object included in the image, and performs accentuated illumination if it is determined that accentuated illumination is required. The light control device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to include an object information acquisition unit 110, a probability determination unit 120, and an accentuated illumination control unit 130. Note that these components may be distributed across a server on a network and a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

[0012] The object information acquisition unit 110 acquires object information, which is information related to an object included in an image. Specifically, the object information acquisition unit 110 acquires object information including the size and position of an object included in an image captured from a moving object. When the object information acquisition unit 110 simply acquires externally generated object information, it may be configured integrally with the probability determination unit 120.

[0013] The probability determination unit 120 determines the probability that an irradiation object should be designated as an emphasized irradiation object. When an object included in an image captured from a moving body is determined to be an irradiation object, the probability determination unit 120 determines whether emphasized irradiation of the irradiation object is necessary using the brightness difference between the brightness of the irradiation object in the image and the brightness of objects other than the irradiation object.

[0014] When the probability determination unit 120 determines that emphasis illumination is necessary for the illumination object, the emphasis illumination control unit 130 commands the lighting device to perform emphasis illumination toward the illumination object.

[0015] The moving body is, for example, a vehicle. The illumination target is an object that exists in the traveling direction of the moving body. For example, if the moving body is a vehicle, the illumination target is an object that exists on a road in the traveling direction of the moving body. The road includes a roadway, a shoulder strip, and a sidewalk.

[0016] In addition to the above components, the light control device 100 also includes a control unit (not shown), a memory unit (not shown), and a communication unit (not shown). The control unit (not shown) controls the entire light control device 100 and each of its components. For example, the control unit (not shown) starts up the light control device 100 in response to an external command. The control unit (not shown) also controls the state of the light control device 100 (operating state = startup, shutdown, sleep, etc.). The memory unit (not shown) stores various data used by the light control device 100. For example, the memory unit (not shown) stores output (output data) from each component of the light control device 100 and outputs data requested by each component to the requesting component. The communication unit (not shown) communicates with external devices. For example, communication is performed between the light control device 100 (100A) and a peripheral device (e.g., a device mounted on a vehicle). For example, if the light control device 100 and the mobile-mounted device are not connected by wire, the communication unit (not shown) has a function of communicating between the light control device 100 and the mobile-mounted device. The communication unit (not shown) also has a function of communicating with a server device, which is an external device. The control unit (not shown), the storage unit (not shown), and the communication unit (not shown) each have the same functions in the embodiments described below.

[0017] Next, an example configuration of a light control system including a light control device will be described. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a light control system 10A including a light control device 100A according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The light control system 10A is a system that controls a lighting device 300 of a mobile object. The light control system 10A shown in Fig. 2 is configured to include the light control device 100A, an imaging device 200, and a lighting device 300. For example, if the mobile object is a vehicle, the light control device 100A, the imaging device 200, and the lighting device 300 are connected to each other to enable intra-vehicle communication, and communication is performed using a standard such as CAN, LIN, FlexRay, or CAN FD.

[0018] The imaging device 200 captures an image of the surroundings of a moving object from a moving object and outputs the captured image. For example, the imaging device 200 captures an image in the direction of travel of the moving object and outputs the captured image. If the moving object is a vehicle, the direction of travel of the moving object is, for example, the front of the vehicle. The imaging device 200 is, for example, a visible light camera. A visible light camera captures images using visible light and acquires visible light image information. The imaging device 200 detects objects using the images (visible light image information) and outputs object information related to the detected objects. The object detection process for detecting objects may be any process that can be realized using existing technology. Specifically, it may be image recognition using machine learning or rule-based image recognition. The object information includes the size and position of the object. Note that the object detection process does not have to be executed by the imaging device 200, but may be executed by a separate device or a server via a network. For example, it may be configured to be executed by the object information acquisition unit 110A.

[0019] The lighting device 300 is a lamp attached to a moving object and illuminates the moving object in the direction of travel. For example, if the moving object is a vehicle, the lighting device 300 illuminates the area ahead of the vehicle. The lighting device 300 may be a spotlight attached specifically for highlight illumination or a high-performance headlamp. The lighting device 300 is configured to be able to change its illumination direction. In this case, the lighting device 300 can change its illumination direction based on a command from the light control device 100A. The command from the light control device 100A includes position information of an object to be highlighted, and the lighting device 300 changes its illumination direction based on the position information. The lighting device 300 may also be configured to be able to change its illumination range. In this case, the lighting device 300 can change its illumination range based on a command from the light control device 100A. The command from the light control device 100A includes size information indicating the size of the object to be highlighted, and the lighting device 300 changes its illumination range based on the size information.

[0020] The light control device 100A determines, based on an image captured from a moving object by the imaging device 200, whether or not accentuated illumination is required for an illumination object included in the image, and if it determines that accentuated illumination is required, commands the light device 300 to perform accentuated illumination. The light control device 100A shown in Fig. 2 includes an object information acquisition unit 110A, a probability determination unit 120A, and an accentuated illumination control unit 130A.

[0021] The object information acquisition unit 110A has the same functions as the already-described object information acquisition unit 110. The object information acquisition unit 110A also acquires object information of an object included in an image captured by the imaging device 200.

[0022] The probability determination unit 120A has the same function as the probability determination unit 120 already described. When the probability determination unit 120A determines that an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an irradiation target, it determines whether or not emphasis irradiation is required for the irradiation target by using the luminance difference between the luminance of the irradiation target in the image and the luminance of the object other than the irradiation target. The probability determination unit 120A acquires object information from the object information acquisition unit 110A, determines whether or not the target (irradiation target) requires emphasis irradiation, and outputs target information (emphasis irradiation target information) to the emphasis irradiation control unit 130A. The target information includes the position of the emphasis irradiation target.

[0023] The emphasis illumination control unit 130A has the same functions as the emphasis illumination control unit 130 already described. When the probability determination unit 120 determines that emphasis illumination is necessary for the illumination object, the emphasis illumination control unit 130A commands the lighting device 300 to perform emphasis illumination toward the illumination object. The emphasis illumination control unit 130A issues a command including position information indicating the position of the illumination object. The position information indicates the position of the illumination object relative to the position of a moving object, for example. The emphasis illumination control unit 130A may also be configured to issue a command including size information indicating the size of the illumination object.

[0024] An example of processing by the light control device 100 will be described. The processing by the light control device 100 and the light control device 100A includes the steps of: when a probability determination unit determines that an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an illumination target, determining whether or not accentuated illumination is necessary for the illumination target using the luminance difference between the luminance of the illumination target in the image and the luminance of an object other than the illumination target; and when the probability determination unit determines that accentuated illumination is necessary for the illumination target, issuing a command to perform accentuated illumination toward the illumination target. The light control device 100A differs from the light control device 100A in that it can specify that the source of information used in the processing is the image capture device 200 and that the control target is the lighting device 300; however, because the internal processing is similar, an example of processing by the light control device 100A will be described here as a representative.

[0025] Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the light control device 100, 100A according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The processing shown in Fig. 3 is a light control method by the light control device 100 that controls the light device 300. The light control device 100A starts the processing shown in Fig. 3 when a light control start condition is satisfied, for example, when a moving object starts to move.

[0026] The light control device 100A first executes an object information acquisition process (step ST1100). In the object information acquisition process, the object information acquisition unit 110A of the light control device 100A acquires object information including the position and size of an object included in an image (a captured object).

[0027] The light control device 100A then executes a probability determination process (step ST1200). In the probability determination process, when the probability determination unit 120A of the light control device 100A determines that an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an illumination target, the probability determination unit 120A determines whether or not accentuated illumination is required for the illumination target, using the difference in brightness between the illumination target and the brightness of an object other than the illumination target in the image. The probability determination unit 120A outputs the determination result to the accentuated illumination control unit 130A. When the determination result indicates that accentuated illumination is required for the illumination target, the determination result includes object information indicating the position and size of the object that is the illumination target.

[0028] The light control device 100A executes an emphasis illumination control process (step ST1300). In the emphasis illumination control process, when the probability determination unit 120A determines that emphasis illumination is necessary for the illumination object, the emphasis illumination control unit 130A of the light control device 100A commands the lighting device 300 to perform emphasis illumination toward the illumination object. When the determination result indicates that emphasis illumination is necessary for the illumination object, the emphasis illumination control unit 130A receives the determination result from the probability determination unit 120A and commands the lighting device 300 to perform emphasis illumination toward the illumination object that is located at the position indicated by the object information, using the object information included in the determination result.

[0029] The light control device 100A then proceeds to an end determination process (step ST1400). In the end determination process, a control unit (not shown) of the light control device 100A determines whether to end the processing of the light control device 100A. The control unit (not shown) determines whether to end the processing of the light control device 100A, for example, in accordance with an external end command or an execution program. If the control unit (not shown) determines not to end the processing of the light control device 100A ("NO" in step ST1400), the light control device 100A proceeds to the processing of step ST1100 and repeats the processing from step ST1100. If the control unit (not shown) determines to end the processing of the light control device 100A ("YES" in step ST1400), the light control device 100A ends the processing.

[0030] The present disclosure, as described above, can control the illumination of light onto an object based on the actual visibility depending on the environment, such as at night, at twilight, or on cloudy days, thereby making it easier for occupants such as the driver to see the object. This allows the driver to notice the object earlier and suppresses sudden steering and braking operations to avoid a collision. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent accentuated illumination of objects that are actually easy to see and notice, thereby reducing unnecessary distraction caused by accentuated illumination.

[0031] A light control device according to the present disclosure is configured, for example, as follows: A light control device including: a probability determination unit that, when it is determined that an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an illumination target, determines whether or not accentuated illumination of the illumination target is necessary using a luminance difference between the luminance of the illumination target in the image and the luminance of an object other than the illumination target; and an accentuated illumination control unit that, when the probability determination unit determines that accentuated illumination of the illumination target is necessary, commands the light device to perform accentuated illumination toward the illumination target. This makes it possible to provide a light control device that can emit light based on the actual difficulty of seeing an illumination target.

[0032] A light control method according to the present disclosure is configured, for example, as follows: A light control method by a light control device that controls a lighting device, wherein when an object included in an image captured from a moving body is determined to be an illumination target, a probability determination unit of the light control device determines whether or not accentuated illumination is required for the illumination target using a luminance difference between the luminance of the illumination target in the image and the luminance of an object other than the illumination target, and an accentuated illumination control unit of the light control device commands the lighting device to perform accentuated illumination toward the illumination target when the probability determination unit determines that accentuated illumination is required for the illumination target. This provides an effect of providing a light control method that makes it possible to illuminate a light based on the actual difficulty of seeing an illumination target.

[0033] Embodiment 2. In embodiment 2, a more detailed configuration example of the configuration according to embodiment 1 will be described. In embodiment 2, among the components according to embodiment 2, duplicated descriptions of components similar to the components according to embodiment 1 already described will be omitted as appropriate.

[0034] 4 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a light control system 10B including a light control device 100B according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. The light control system 10B is a system that controls a lighting device 300 of a mobile object. The light control system 10B shown in FIG. 4 is configured to include the light control device 100B, an imaging device 200, and the lighting device 300.

[0035] The imaging device 200 has the same configuration as the imaging device 200 already described, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0036] The lighting device 300 has the same configuration as the lighting device 300 already described, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0037] The light control device 100B determines, based on an image captured from a moving object by the imaging device 200, whether or not accentuated illumination is required for an illumination object included in the image, and if it determines that accentuated illumination is required, commands the light device 300 to perform accentuated illumination. The light control device 100B shown in Fig. 4 includes an object information acquisition unit 110B, a probability determination unit 120B, and an accentuated illumination control unit 130B.

[0038] The object information acquisition unit 110B has the same functions as the object information acquisition unit 110 already described. The object information acquisition unit 110B further determines an object included in an image captured in the traveling direction of the moving object, and acquires object information indicating the object. The object information includes the position (position information) and size (size information) of the object.

[0039] The probability determination unit 120B has the same function as the probability determination unit 120 already described. When the probability determination unit 120B determines that an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an irradiation object, the probability determination unit 120B determines whether or not emphasized irradiation is required for the irradiation object using the brightness difference between the brightness of the irradiation object in the image and the brightness of the object other than the irradiation object. The probability determination unit 120B shown in Fig. 4 is configured to include an irradiation object determination unit 121B, a brightness difference calculation unit 122B, and an emphasized irradiation determination unit 123B.

[0040] The irradiation object determination unit 121B determines whether an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an irradiation object. Specifically, the irradiation object determination unit 121B uses the object information to determine whether an object in the image captured in the traveling direction of the moving body is the irradiation object. The image captured in the traveling direction need only include not only the front of the moving body but also the direction in which the moving body is traveling. When the moving body is a vehicle, the irradiation object determination unit 121B uses the object information to determine that an object located on the road on which the vehicle is traveling is an irradiation object (target). The road includes the roadway, sidewalk, and sidewalk. When the irradiation object determination unit 121B determines that the object in the image is an irradiation object (target), it outputs object information of the object that is the irradiation object to the brightness difference calculation unit 122B.

[0041] The brightness difference calculation unit 122B calculates the brightness difference between the brightness of the irradiation object in the image and the brightness of the area other than the irradiation object. Specifically, the brightness difference calculation unit 122B calculates the brightness difference between the brightness of the irradiation object in the image and the brightness of the peripheral area of ​​the irradiation object. The peripheral area of ​​the irradiation object indicates a predetermined range surrounding the outer periphery of the irradiation object in the image (see FIG. 7). More specifically, the brightness difference calculation unit 122B acquires image and object information and calculates the brightness difference between the brightness of the irradiation object (target) and the brightness of the peripheral area of ​​the irradiation object (target surrounding background) based on the brightness distribution of the image. The brightness difference calculation unit 122B first extracts an image of the irradiation object and an image of the peripheral area of ​​the irradiation object using the position and size indicated in the object information, and calculates the brightness of each image. The size (range) of the peripheral area of ​​the irradiation object may be changed depending on the size (range) of the irradiation object. Alternatively, the size (range) of the peripheral area of ​​the irradiation object may be a fixed range regardless of the size (range) of the irradiation object. The brightness difference calculation unit 122B then calculates the difference (brightness difference) between the brightness of the image of the irradiation object and the brightness of the image of the periphery of the irradiation object, for example, using the following formula: Brightness difference = |(brightness of target) - (brightness of background surrounding the target)| The brightness difference calculation unit 122B outputs the calculated brightness difference, the position of the irradiation object, and the size of the irradiation object.

[0042] Furthermore, the brightness difference calculation unit 122B may be configured to further calculate the brightness difference when the irradiation object is subjected to accentuated irradiation. Specifically, when the brightness difference calculation unit 122B acquires information indicating the irradiation object for which accentuated irradiation has started from the accentuated irradiation determination unit 123B or the accentuated irradiation control unit 130B, for example, it calculates the difference between the brightness of the image of the irradiation object and the brightness of the image of the peripheral part of the irradiation object (post-irradiation brightness difference).

[0043] The emphasis illumination determination unit 123B determines whether emphasis illumination is necessary for the irradiation object. Using the brightness difference and a pre-stored brightness difference threshold, the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B outputs a determination result indicating that emphasis illumination is necessary for the irradiation object if the brightness difference is less than the brightness difference threshold (if it is determined that emphasis illumination is necessary for the irradiation object). The determination result output by the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B indicates that emphasis illumination is necessary for the irradiation object, and includes the position and size of the irradiation object that is the emphasis illumination target. If the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B determines that emphasis illumination is not necessary for the irradiation object (that emphasis illumination is unnecessary) or if it determines that emphasis illumination for the irradiation object should be discontinued, it outputs a determination result indicating that emphasis illumination for the irradiation object is unnecessary or discontinued. Note that the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B does not need to output a determination result if emphasis illumination is not being performed on the irradiation object.

[0044] Furthermore, the emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B may be configured to determine whether to discontinue emphasis irradiation based on the luminance difference before and after emphasis irradiation when the irradiation object is subjected to emphasis irradiation. Specifically, before emphasis irradiation is performed on the irradiation object, the emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B first outputs a determination result indicating that emphasis irradiation is necessary for the irradiation object, storing the luminance difference (pre-irradiation luminance difference) used for the determination in, for example, a storage unit (not shown). The emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B then receives from the luminance difference calculation unit 122B the difference between the luminance of the image of the irradiation object after emphasis irradiation and the luminance of the image of the peripheral area of ​​the irradiation object (post-irradiation luminance difference), and compares the pre-irradiation luminance difference with the post-irradiation luminance difference. The emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B then determines whether the post-irradiation luminance difference has decreased compared to the pre-irradiation luminance difference. If the emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B determines that the post-irradiation luminance difference has decreased compared to the pre-irradiation luminance difference, it determines to discontinue emphasis irradiation and outputs a determination result indicating that emphasis irradiation should be discontinued. When the emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B determines that the post-irradiation luminance difference has not decreased below the pre-irradiation luminance difference, it ends the process without outputting a determination result indicating that emphasis irradiation should be stopped.

[0045] Similar to the already-described emphasis illumination control unit 130A, when the probability determination unit 120 determines that emphasis illumination is necessary for the illumination object, the emphasis illumination control unit 130B commands the lighting device 300 to perform emphasis illumination toward the illumination object. Furthermore, when emphasis illumination has been performed on the illumination object and the emphasis illumination control unit 130B receives a determination result from the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B indicating that emphasis illumination should be discontinued, the emphasis illumination control unit 130B commands the lighting device 300 to discontinue emphasis illumination for the illumination object indicated in the determination result.

[0046] An example of processing by a light control device according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 5 is a first flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a light control device 100B according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. The light control device 100B starts the processing shown in Fig. 5 upon receiving a command from a control unit (not shown) or an external command. The light control device 100B starts the processing when, for example, operation of a mobile object is started.

[0047] The light control device 100B executes an object information acquisition process (step ST2100). In the object information acquisition process, the object information acquisition unit 110B of the light control device 100B determines an object included in an image captured in the direction of travel of the moving object, and acquires object information indicating the object. The object information acquisition unit 110B outputs the object information to the probability determination unit 120B.

[0048] Next, the light control device 100B starts the probability determination process (step ST2200). In the probability determination process, each component in the probability determination unit 120B of the light control device 100B executes the following process.

[0049] The light control device 100B executes an illumination object determination process (first determination process) (step ST2300). In the illumination object determination process (first determination process), the illumination object determination unit 121B of the light control device 100B uses the object information to determine whether an object in the image captured in the traveling direction of the moving object is the illumination object. Specifically, the illumination object determination unit 121B first acquires the object information output by the object information acquisition unit 110B. The illumination object determination unit 121B then determines whether the position indicated in the object information overlaps with an area in the traveling direction of the moving object. If the position indicated in the object information overlaps with an area in the traveling direction of the moving object, the illumination object determination unit 121B determines that the object is an illumination object. If the position indicated in the object information does not overlap with an area in the traveling direction of the moving object, the illumination object determination unit 121B determines that the object is not an illumination object. The illumination object determination unit 121B outputs a determination result including object information (illumination object information) of the object determined to be an illumination object to the brightness difference calculation unit 122B. When the moving object is a vehicle, the area in the traveling direction is the road in the traveling direction. The road in the traveling direction includes the roadway, shoulders, and sidewalks. Note that the road in the traveling direction may be only the lane in which the vehicle is traveling (the vehicle's own lane).

[0050] The light control device 100B executes a luminance difference calculation process (step ST2400). In the luminance difference calculation process, the luminance difference calculation unit 122B of the light control device 100B calculates the luminance difference between the luminance of the irradiation object in the image and the luminance of the periphery of the irradiation object. The luminance difference calculation unit 122B first extracts an image of the irradiation object and an image of the periphery of the irradiation object using the position and size indicated in the object information, and calculates the luminance of each image. The luminance difference calculation unit 122B then calculates the absolute value of the difference between the luminance of the image of the irradiation object and the luminance of the image of the periphery of the irradiation object (the luminance difference). The luminance difference calculation unit 122B outputs irradiation object information including the calculated luminance difference, the position of the irradiation object, and the size of the irradiation object to the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B.

[0051] The light control device 100B executes an emphasis illumination determination process (second determination process) (step ST2500). In the emphasis illumination determination process (second determination process), the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B of the light control device 100B uses the luminance difference and a luminance difference threshold value. If the luminance difference is less than the luminance difference threshold value, the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B outputs a determination result indicating that emphasis illumination is required for the illumination object. The luminance difference threshold value is pre-stored, for example, in a storage unit (not shown) before the process. The determination result output by the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B includes the size and position of the illumination object, which is the illumination object for emphasis illumination. Specifically, when the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B receives illumination object information from the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B, it first compares the luminance difference included in the illumination object information with the pre-stored luminance difference threshold value. The emphasis illumination determination unit 123B then determines whether the luminance difference included in the illumination object information is less than the luminance difference threshold value. If the brightness difference is not less than the brightness difference threshold, the emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B determines that emphasis irradiation is not necessary and that the irradiation object is not an emphasis irradiation object.If the brightness difference is less than the brightness difference threshold, the emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B determines that emphasis irradiation is necessary and that the irradiation object is an emphasis irradiation object.If the emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B determines that the irradiation object is an emphasis irradiation object, it outputs emphasis irradiation object information including the position and size of the irradiation object that is an emphasis irradiation object to the emphasis irradiation control unit 130B as a determination result.

[0052] When the light control device 100B determines that the illumination object is an illumination object for emphasis illumination ("YES" in step ST2500), it executes an emphasis illumination control process (step ST2600). In the emphasis illumination control process, when the probability determination unit 120 determines that emphasis illumination is necessary for the illumination object, the emphasis illumination control unit 130B of the light control device 100B instructs the lighting device 300 to perform emphasis illumination toward the illumination object. When the emphasis illumination control unit 130B receives emphasis illumination object information from the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B as a determination result, it instructs the lighting device 300 to emit light in the direction of the position indicated in the emphasis illumination object information. Furthermore, the emphasis illumination control unit 130B may further instruct the lighting device 300 to emit light in an illumination range corresponding to the size indicated in the emphasis illumination object information.

[0053] If the light control device 100B determines that the illumination object is not an object for emphasis illumination (step ST2500 "NO"), or following the emphasis illumination control process (step ST2600), the light control device 100B executes an end determination process (step ST2700). In the end determination process, a control unit (not shown) of the light control device 100B determines whether to end the processing of the light control device 100B. The control unit (not shown) determines whether to end the processing of the light control device 100B, for example, in accordance with an external end command or an execution program. If the control unit (not shown) determines not to end the processing of the light control device 100B (step ST2700 "NO"), the light control device 100B proceeds to the processing of step ST2100 and repeats the processing from step ST2100. If the control unit (not shown) determines to end the processing of the light control device 100B (step ST2700 "YES"), the light control device 100B ends the processing.

[0054] A second processing example of the light control device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 6 is a second flowchart showing an example of processing by the light control device 100B according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between an illumination object (target) and a background (background surrounding the target) according to the present disclosure. The light control device 100B determines whether to perform accentuated illumination based on the difference in brightness between the target (corresponding to the "illumination object") and the background surrounding the target (corresponding to the "periphery of the illumination object"), and commands the light device 300 to perform accentuated illumination on the illumination object for accentuated illumination. The following description will be given assuming that the moving object is a vehicle.

[0055] The light control device 100B starts the processing shown in Fig. 6 upon receiving a command from a control unit (not shown) or an external command. The light control device 100B starts the processing, for example, when the vehicle starts to be driven.

[0056] The object information acquisition unit 110B of the light control device 100B executes the object information acquisition process (step ST2100) in the same manner as the process of step ST2100 already described. The object information acquisition unit 110B outputs the object information to the probability determination unit 120B.

[0057] The probability determination unit 120B of the light control device 100B starts the probability determination process (step ST2200). In the probability determination process, each component of the probability determination unit 120B of the light control device 100B executes the following process.

[0058] The irradiation object determination unit 121B of the probability determination unit 120B executes an irradiation object determination process (step ST2310). In the irradiation object determination process, the irradiation object determination unit 121B acquires the size and position information of the object from the object information acquisition unit 110B, and determines whether the object is an object on the road using the position information. If the irradiation object determination unit 121B determines that the object in the image is an object on the road, it determines that the object is an irradiation object (step ST2310 "YES") and outputs the irradiation object information to the brightness difference calculation unit 122B.

[0059] If the illumination object determination unit 121B of the probability determination unit 120B determines that the object in the image is not an object on the road (step ST2310 "NO"), it determines that the object is not an object to be illuminated (step ST2320), and then the light control device 100B proceeds to the termination determination process (step ST2700).

[0060] The process of step ST2310 and the process of step ST2320 correspond to the first determination process (irradiation object determination process) already described.

[0061] If the irradiation object determination unit 121B determines that the object is an irradiation object ("YES" in step ST2310), then the luminance difference calculation unit 122B of the probability determination unit 120B executes a target luminance calculation process (step ST2410). In the target luminance calculation process, the luminance difference calculation unit 122B acquires the position and size of the irradiation object (target) 1010 from the irradiation object determination unit 121 and visible light image information from the imaging device 200 (visible light camera), and calculates the luminance of the target position on the visible light image.

[0062] The brightness difference calculation unit 122B of the probability determination unit 120B then executes a target peripheral background brightness calculation process (step ST2420). In the target peripheral background brightness calculation process, the brightness difference calculation unit 122B calculates the brightness of the peripheral portion (target peripheral background) 1020 of the irradiation object. With respect to the irradiation object (target) 1010 and the peripheral portion (target peripheral background) 1020 of the irradiation object shown in FIG. 7, the size of the peripheral portion of the irradiation object (the range defined by the lengths a, b, c, and d in FIG. 7) may be changed according to the size (range) of the irradiation object.

[0063] The brightness difference calculation unit 122B of the probability determination unit 120B then executes a brightness difference calculation process (step ST2430). In the brightness difference calculation process, the brightness difference calculation unit 122B calculates the absolute value of the difference between the brightness of the image of the irradiation object and the brightness of the image of the peripheral part of the irradiation object (brightness difference). The brightness difference calculation unit 122B outputs irradiation object information including the calculated brightness difference, the position of the irradiation object, and the size of the irradiation object to the emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B.

[0064] The processes of steps ST2410, ST2420, and ST2430 correspond to the luminance difference calculation process already described.

[0065] The emphasis illumination determination unit 123B of the probability determination unit 120B determines whether the luminance difference is less than a threshold (luminance difference<luminance difference threshold?) (step ST2510). When the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B receives the luminance difference from the luminance difference calculation unit 122B, it uses the luminance difference and the luminance difference threshold to determine whether the luminance difference is less than the luminance difference threshold. If the luminance difference is less than the luminance difference threshold ("YES" in step ST2510), the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B determines that the object is an emphasis illumination target (step ST2520). This is a determination that if the luminance difference is less than the threshold, it is difficult for the occupant to see, and emphasis illumination is necessary. The emphasis illumination determination unit 123B outputs emphasis illumination target information, including the position and size of the illumination target that is an emphasis illumination target, to the emphasis illumination control unit 130B as a determination result. If the determination result indicates that the illumination target is an emphasis illumination target, it includes the size and position of the illumination target that is an emphasis illumination target.

[0066] When the emphasis illumination control unit 130B receives the emphasis illumination object information as a determination result from the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B, it instructs the lighting device 300 to irradiate light in the direction of the position indicated in the emphasis illumination object information. The emphasis illumination control unit 130B may further instruct the lighting device 300 to irradiate light in an illumination range according to the size indicated in the emphasis illumination object information.

[0067] If the luminance difference is not less than the luminance difference threshold value ("NO" in step ST2510), the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B of the probability determination unit 120B determines that the illumination object is not a target for emphasis illumination (step ST2530). If it is determined that the illumination object is not a target for emphasis illumination, the light control device 100B then proceeds to the end determination process (step ST2700).

[0068] The processes of steps ST2510, ST2520, and ST2530 correspond to the emphasis irradiation determination process (second determination process) already described.

[0069] The emphasis illumination control unit 130B performs emphasis illumination on the object for emphasis illumination in accordance with the determination result by the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B (step ST2610). The emphasis illumination control unit 130B receives the determination result from the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B, and if the determination result indicates that the object for illumination is an object for emphasis illumination, it commands the lighting device 300 to irradiate the object for illumination with light in accordance with the size and position of the object for illumination. The emphasis illumination control unit 130B calculates the angle for emphasis illumination from the position and size of the object for emphasis illumination acquired from the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B and the installation positions of the image capture device 200 and the lighting device 300, converts this into an output format suited to the lighting device 300, and outputs a command for emphasis illumination to the lighting device 300. The processing of step ST2610 corresponds to the emphasis illumination control processing already described.

[0070] Following the processing of step ST2320, the processing of step ST2530, or the processing of step ST2610, the light control device 100B executes an end determination processing (step ST2700). In the end determination processing, a control unit (not shown) of the light control device 100B determines whether to end the processing of the light control device 100B. The control unit (not shown) determines whether to end the processing of the light control device 100B, for example, in accordance with an external end command or an execution program. If the control unit (not shown) determines not to end the processing of the light control device 100B ("NO" in step ST2700), the process proceeds to the processing of step ST2100, and the processing is repeated from the processing of step ST2100. If the control unit (not shown) determines to end the processing of the light control device 100B ("YES" in step ST2700), the light control device 100B ends the processing.

[0071] In addition to the above-described processes, the light control device 100B may be configured to further perform the process shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a process that more reliably obtains the effect of the emphasis illumination of the present disclosure. The process shown in Fig. 8 is executed, for example, following the already-described emphasis illumination control process (step ST2600 shown in Fig. 5) or the already-described process of emphasis illuminating an object for emphasis illumination (step ST2610 shown in Fig. 6).

[0072] The light control device 100B stores the brightness difference used in the emphasis illumination determination process (second determination, step ST2500) or the process of determining whether the object is an emphasis illumination object (step ST2520) in a memory unit not shown.

[0073] Following the emphasis illumination control process (step ST2600 shown in FIG. 5 ) or the process of accentuating illumination of an object to be accentuated illuminated (step ST2610 shown in FIG. 6 ), the light control device 100B first executes a post-illumination luminance difference calculation process (step ST2650). In the post-illumination luminance difference calculation process, when the luminance difference calculation unit 122B in the probability determination unit 120B of the light control device 100B receives information indicating the object to be illuminated for which accentuated illumination has been initiated from the accentuated illumination control unit 130B (or the accentuated illumination determination unit 123B), the luminance difference calculation unit 122B determines that accentuated illumination has been applied to the object to be illuminated, and calculates the difference between the luminance of the image of the object to be illuminated and the luminance of the image of the periphery of the object to be illuminated (post-illumination luminance difference). The luminance difference calculation unit 122B outputs the post-illumination luminance difference to the accentuated illumination determination unit 123B.

[0074] The light control device 100B then executes a pre- and post-illumination luminance difference comparison process (step ST2660). In the pre- and post-illumination luminance difference comparison process, upon receiving the post-illumination luminance difference, the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B in the probability determination unit 120B of the light control device 100B acquires the pre-illumination luminance difference and compares the pre-illumination luminance difference with the post-illumination luminance difference.

[0075] The light control device 100B then executes a luminance difference reduction determination process (step ST2670). In the luminance difference reduction determination process, the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B in the probability determination unit 120B of the light control device 100B compares the pre-illumination luminance difference with the post-illumination luminance difference, and determines whether the luminance difference has reduced.

[0076] If the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B determines that the luminance difference has not been reduced ("NO" in step ST2670), it ends the processing. As a result, the emphasis illumination control unit 130B continues emphasis illumination of the illumination object. Next, the light control device 100B proceeds to, for example, the end determination processing (step ST2700 in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6).

[0077] If the light control device 100B determines that the luminance difference has decreased ("YES" in step ST2670), it then executes an emphasis illumination cancellation process (step ST2680). In the emphasis illumination cancellation process, the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B in the probability determination unit 120B of the light control device 100B determines to cancel emphasis illumination and outputs a determination result indicating that emphasis illumination should be canceled to the emphasis illumination control unit 130B. This causes the emphasis illumination control unit 130B to cancel emphasis illumination on the illumination object. Next, the light control device 100B proceeds to, for example, an end determination process (step ST2700 in FIG. 5 or 6).

[0078] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: An object information acquisition unit that determines an object included in an image captured in the traveling direction of the moving body and acquires object information indicating the object, wherein the probability determination unit includes: an illumination object determination unit that uses the object information to determine whether the object in the image captured in the traveling direction of the moving body is the illumination object; a brightness difference calculation unit that calculates a brightness difference between the brightness of the illumination object in the image and the brightness of a portion surrounding the illumination object; and an emphasis illumination determination unit that uses the brightness difference and a brightness difference threshold and, if the brightness difference is less than the brightness difference threshold, outputs a determination result indicating that emphasis illumination is required for the illumination object. This provides an advantageous effect of providing a light control device that can illuminate an illumination object based on the actual visibility of the illumination object using an image in which object information is not generated externally. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides an advantageous effect similar to the advantageous effect by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above light control method.

[0079] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: The moving body is a vehicle; The illumination object determined by the illumination object determination unit is an object present on a road in the traveling direction of the vehicle; The road includes a roadway, a shoulder, and a sidewalk. This provides an effect of providing a light control device suitable for when the moving body is a vehicle. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides the same effect as the effect described above by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above light control method.

[0080] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: The emphasis illumination determination unit further commands the emphasis illumination control unit to stop the emphasis illumination when the luminance difference is reduced by the emphasis illumination, in a state in which the emphasis illumination control unit has instructed the light device to perform emphasis illumination toward the illumination object. This provides an advantageous effect of providing a light control device that can prevent the luminance difference between the illumination object in an image and the luminance of the periphery of the illumination object from becoming smaller due to emphasis illumination. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides an advantageous effect similar to the advantageous effect by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above light control method.

[0081] Embodiment 3. In embodiment 3, an embodiment will be described in which an object other than the object to be highlighted is selected using the object type. In embodiment 3, among the components according to embodiment 3, duplicated descriptions of components similar to those according to embodiment 1 or embodiment 2 already described will be omitted as appropriate.

[0082] An example configuration of a light control device and a light control system including the device according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a light control system 10C including a light control device 100C according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. The light control system 10C shown in Fig. 9 is configured to include the light control device 100C, an imaging device 200, and a light device 300.

[0083] The imaging device 200 detects an object using an image (visible light image information) and outputs object information related to the detected object. The object information includes the size, position, and type of the object. The object detection process for detecting an object and the object type determination process may be processes that can be realized using existing technology. Specifically, image recognition using machine learning or rule-based image recognition may be used. Note that the object detection process and object type determination process do not have to be executed by the imaging device 200, but may be executed by a separate device or a server via a network. For example, they may be configured to be executed by the object information acquisition unit 110C.

[0084] The lighting device 300 has the same configuration as the lighting device 300 already described, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0085] The light control device 100C shown in FIG. 9 includes an object information acquisition unit 110C, a probability determination unit 120C, and an emphasis illumination control unit 130C.

[0086] The object information acquisition unit 110C has the same functions as the object information acquisition unit 110 already described, and acquires object information. The object information includes the position of the object (position information), the size of the object (size information), and the type of the object.

[0087] The object information acquisition unit 110C may be configured to determine the position and size of an object included in an image captured in the traveling direction of the moving body, and acquire object information indicating the position and size of the object. The object information acquisition unit 110C may also be configured to acquire object information further including the type of object. The object information acquisition unit 110C may also be configured to determine the type of object included in an image captured in the traveling direction of the moving body, and acquire object information indicating the object. That is, the object information acquisition unit 110C further determines the type of object using the image, and acquires the object information including the type of object. As a result, the object information includes the size, position, and type of the object.

[0088] The probability determination unit 120C further performs determination using the type of object. The probability determination unit 120C shown in Fig. 9 is configured to include an illumination object determination unit 121C, a brightness difference calculation unit 122C, and an emphasis illumination determination unit 123C.

[0089] The irradiation object determination unit 121C further uses the object type to determine whether an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an irradiation object. Specifically, if the object type included in the object information is a pre-stored object type, the irradiation object determination unit 121C determines that the object included in the image is an irradiation object. The pre-stored object type indicates the type of object that requires enhanced illumination and is stored, for example, in a storage unit (not shown). The pre-stored object types include a person, an animal, a bicycle, or a small mobile. The irradiation object determination unit 121C determines that the object is an irradiation object if the object type included in the object information is a pre-stored type. If the object type included in the object information is not a pre-stored type and the object does not exist in the traveling direction of the moving body (if the object does not exist on the traveling path of the moving body), the irradiation object determination unit 121C determines that the object is not an irradiation object. When the moving body is a vehicle, if the type of object included in the object information is not a pre-stored type (if the type is other than the type of object to be illuminated), and if the object is not located in the vehicle's driving lane (the vehicle's own lane), the illumination object determination unit 121C determines that the object is not an object to be illuminated. By using this determination result, the light control device 100C according to the present embodiment can prevent accentuated illumination if the object is not a pre-defined type of object to be illuminated and is located in a lane other than the vehicle's own lane.

[0090] The luminance difference calculation unit 122C calculates the luminance difference between the luminance of the irradiation object in the image and the luminance of the peripheral part of the irradiation object, similar to the luminance difference calculation unit 122B already described. Explanations similar to those of the luminance difference calculation unit 122B already described will be omitted.

[0091] The emphasis irradiation determination unit 123C determines whether emphasis irradiation is necessary for the irradiation object, similarly to the emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B already described. A description similar to that of the emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B already described will be omitted.

[0092] The emphasis illumination determination unit 123C determines that emphasis illumination for the irradiation object is unnecessary when the illumination object determination unit 121C determines that the object (type of object) is not an illumination object (type of illumination object) and when the object does not exist in the traveling direction of the moving body (when the object does not exist on the traveling path of the moving body). In other words, the emphasis illumination determination unit 123C determines that emphasis illumination for the irradiation object is unnecessary when the type of object included in the object information is not a pre-stored type and the object does not exist in the traveling direction of the moving body. Furthermore, when the moving body is a vehicle, the emphasis illumination determination unit 123C determines that emphasis illumination for the irradiation object is unnecessary when the type of object included in the object information is not a pre-stored type and the object does not exist on the traveling lane of the vehicle (on the vehicle's own lane).

[0093] Furthermore, in a state in which the emphasis illumination control unit 130C is instructing the lighting device 300 to perform emphasis illumination toward an illumination object, the emphasis illumination determination unit 123C refers to the determination result by the illumination object determination unit 121C, and determines that emphasis illumination is unnecessary for the illumination object if the type of object included in the object information acquired by the object information acquisition unit 110 is not a type that has been stored in advance and if the object is not present in the traveling direction of the moving body (if the object is not on the traveling path of the moving body). The emphasis illumination control unit 130C may be configured to output a command to stop emphasis illumination for the illumination object for which emphasis illumination is determined to be unnecessary.

[0094] Similar to the emphasis illumination control unit 130B already described, the emphasis illumination control unit 130C controls the emphasis illumination of the lighting device 300 in accordance with the determination result of the emphasis illumination determination unit 123C. When the emphasis illumination determination unit 123C determines that emphasis illumination is necessary, the emphasis illumination control unit 130C commands the lighting device 300 to perform emphasis illumination in accordance with the size and position of an object to be emphasized illuminated that is included in the determination result. When the emphasis illumination control unit 130C commands the lighting device 300 to perform emphasis illumination toward an illumination object, and the emphasis illumination determination unit 123C determines that emphasis illumination is not necessary, the emphasis illumination control unit 130C commands the lighting device 300 to stop (end) emphasis illumination for the size and position of the object to be emphasized illuminated that is included in the determination result.

[0095] An example of processing by a light control device according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by a light control device 100C according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure. The light control device 100C starts the processing shown in Fig. 10 upon receiving a command from a control unit (not shown) or an external command. The light control device 100C starts the processing when, for example, operation of a mobile object is started.

[0096] The light control device 100C executes an object information acquisition process (step ST3100). In the object information acquisition process, the object information acquisition unit 110C further determines the type of the object using the image, and acquires the object information including the type of the object.

[0097] A type acquisition process in the object information acquisition process will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the type acquisition process in the object information acquisition process according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. In the object information acquisition process, the object information acquisition unit 110C executes the type acquisition process (step ST3110). In the type acquisition process, the object information acquisition unit 110C first acquires an image captured in the direction of travel of the moving object. The object information acquisition unit 110C then determines the type of the object using the image and the object information in the image. The object information acquisition unit 110C then acquires object information including the position, size, and type of the object. The object information acquisition unit 110C outputs the object information to the probability determination unit 120C.

[0098] Returning to the description of Fig. 10, the light control device 100C then starts the probability determination process (step ST3200). In the probability determination process, the components in the probability determination unit 120C of the light control device 100C execute the following process.

[0099] The light control device 100C executes an illumination object determination process (first determination process) (step ST3300). In the illumination object determination process (first determination process), the illumination object determination unit 121C of the light control device 100C further performs a determination using the type of object. Specifically, the illumination object determination unit 121C first acquires object information output by the object information acquisition unit 110C. The illumination object determination unit 121C then determines whether the position indicated in the object information overlaps with an area in the traveling direction of the moving object. If the position indicated in the object information overlaps with an area in the traveling direction of the moving object, the illumination object determination unit 121C determines that the object is an illumination object. If the position indicated in the object information does not overlap with an area in the traveling direction of the moving object, the illumination object determination unit 121C determines that the object is not an illumination object. The illumination object determination unit 121C outputs a determination result including object information (illumination object information) of the object determined to be an illumination object to the brightness difference calculation unit 122C. When the moving object is a vehicle, the area in the traveling direction is the road in the traveling direction. The road in the traveling direction includes the roadway, shoulders, and sidewalks. Note that the road in the traveling direction may be only the lane in which the vehicle is traveling (the vehicle's own lane).

[0100] A detailed example of the irradiation object determination process (first determination process) according to embodiment 3 will be described below. Fig. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a detailed example of the irradiation object determination process according to embodiment 3 of the present disclosure.

[0101] The irradiation object determination unit 121C first determines whether the object is an irradiation object (step ST3310). Specifically, the irradiation object determination unit 121C first acquires object information from the object information acquisition unit 110C. The irradiation object determination unit 121C acquires the size, position information, and object type of the object contained in the object information. The irradiation object determination unit 121C then uses the position information to determine whether the object is in the traveling direction of the moving object (on the road). "On the road" refers to the roadway, shoulder, and sidewalk.

[0102] If the illumination object determination unit 121C determines in the processing of step ST3310 that the object is not an object present in the direction of travel, it determines that the object is not an object to be illuminated (step ST3320), and then the light control device 100C proceeds to the termination determination processing (step ST3700) described below.

[0103] If the illumination object determination unit 121C determines in step ST3310 that the object is an illumination object ("YES" in step ST3310), the illumination object determination unit 121C then determines whether the type of the illumination object is an illumination object type (step ST3330). If the object type included in the object information is a pre-stored type, the illumination object determination unit 121C determines that the object is an illumination object ("YES" in step ST3330). The illumination object determination unit 121C outputs object information of the object that is an illumination object to the luminance difference calculation unit 122C. Next, the light control device 100C proceeds to the luminance difference calculation process in step ST3400.

[0104] If the type of object included in the object information is not a pre-stored type ("NO" in step ST3330), the illumination object determination unit 121C then determines whether the object is in the current lane (step ST3340). For example, if the moving object is a vehicle, the emphasis illumination determination unit 123C determines that emphasis illumination of the illumination object is unnecessary if the type of object included in the object information is not a pre-stored type and the object is not in the vehicle's driving lane. If the illumination object determination unit 121C determines that the object is not in the current lane ("NO" in step ST3340), it determines that the object is not an illumination object (step ST3350), and the light control device 100C then proceeds to the termination determination process (step ST3700) described later.

[0105] When the irradiation object determination unit 121C determines that the irradiation object is not of the irradiation object type ("NO" in step ST3330), the irradiation object determination unit 121C proceeds to the process of step ST3340. Next, the irradiation object determination unit 121C determines whether the irradiation object is present on the current lane (step ST3340).

[0106] When the irradiation object determining unit 121C determines that the irradiation object exists on the own lane ("YES" in ST3340), the irradiation object determining unit 121C proceeds to the process of step ST3400.

[0107] When it is determined that the irradiation object does not exist on the own lane (ST3340 "NO"), the irradiation object determination unit 121C determines that the irradiation object is not an irradiation object (step ST3350). Next, the process proceeds to the termination determination process (step ST3700) described later.

[0108] Returning to the description of Fig. 10, the light control device 100C executes the luminance difference calculation process (step ST3400) in the same manner as the luminance difference calculation process already described.

[0109] The light control device 100C executes the emphasis illumination determination process (second determination process) (step ST3500) in the same manner as the emphasis illumination determination process (second determination process) already described.

[0110] The light control device 100C executes the emphasis illumination control process (step ST3600) in the same manner as the emphasis illumination control process already described.

[0111] Following step ST3300 "NO" (step ST3320, step ST3350), step ST3500 "NO", or step ST3600, the light control device 100C executes an end determination process (step ST3700). In the end determination process, a control unit (not shown) of the light control device 100C determines whether to end the processing of the light control device 100C. The control unit (not shown) determines whether to end the processing of the light control device 100C, for example, in accordance with an external end command or an execution program. If the control unit (not shown) determines not to end the processing of the light control device 100C (step ST3700 "NO"), the process proceeds to step ST3100, and the process is repeated from step ST3100. If the control unit (not shown) determines to end the processing of the light control device 100C (step ST3700 "YES"), the light control device 100C ends the processing.

[0112] In addition to the above processing, the light control device 100C may be configured to further perform the processing shown in Fig. 8, which has already been described. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing that more reliably obtains the effect of the emphasized illumination of the present disclosure. The processing shown in Fig. 8 is executed, for example, following the emphasized illumination control processing (step ST3600 shown in Fig. 10), which has already been described.

[0113] The light control device 100C stores the luminance difference used in the emphasis illumination determination process (second determination, step ST3500) in a storage unit (not shown).

[0114] Following the emphasis illumination control process (step ST3600 shown in FIG. 10 ), the light control device 100C first executes a post-illumination luminance difference calculation process (step ST2650). In the post-illumination luminance difference calculation process, when the luminance difference calculation unit 122C in the probability determination unit 120C of the light control device 100C receives information indicating an illumination object for which emphasis illumination has been initiated from the emphasis illumination control unit 130C (or the emphasis illumination determination unit 123C), the luminance difference calculation unit 122C determines that emphasis illumination has been applied to the illumination object, and calculates the difference between the luminance of the image of the illumination object and the luminance of the image of the periphery of the illumination object (post-illumination luminance difference). The luminance difference calculation unit 122C outputs the post-illumination luminance difference to the emphasis illumination determination unit 123C.

[0115] The light control device 100C then executes a pre- and post-illumination luminance difference comparison process (step ST2660). In the pre- and post-illumination luminance difference comparison process, upon receiving the post-illumination luminance difference, the emphasis illumination determination unit 123C in the probability determination unit 120C of the light control device 100C acquires the pre-illumination luminance difference and compares the pre-illumination luminance difference with the post-illumination luminance difference.

[0116] The light control device 100C then executes a luminance difference reduction determination process (step ST2670). In the luminance difference reduction determination process, the emphasis illumination determination unit 123C in the probability determination unit 120C of the light control device 100C compares the pre-illumination luminance difference with the post-illumination luminance difference, and determines whether the luminance difference has reduced.

[0117] If the emphasis illumination determination unit 123C determines that the luminance difference has not been reduced ("NO" in step ST2670), the process ends. As a result, the emphasis illumination control unit 130C continues emphasis illumination of the illumination object. Next, the light control device 100C proceeds to, for example, the end determination process (step ST3700 in FIG. 10).

[0118] If the light control device 100C determines that the luminance difference has decreased ("YES" in step ST2670), it then executes an emphasis illumination cancellation process (step ST2680). In the emphasis illumination cancellation process, the emphasis illumination determination unit 123B in the probability determination unit 120C of the light control device 100C determines to cancel emphasis illumination and outputs a determination result indicating that emphasis illumination should be canceled to the emphasis illumination control unit 130C. This causes the emphasis illumination control unit 130C to cancel emphasis illumination on the illumination object. Next, the light control device 100C proceeds to, for example, an end determination process (step ST3700 in FIG. 10 ).

[0119] In the present disclosure, it is conceivable that the type of object becomes clear as a result of the application of emphasis illumination, and that the type of illumination target changes from the type determined before the application of emphasis illumination, for example, from unknown to person, from road structure to bicycle, etc. In contrast, the present disclosure, as described above, makes it possible to stop emphasis illumination when it becomes clear during emphasis illumination that the object is not a target for emphasis illumination based on its type.

[0120] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: The object information acquisition unit further uses the image to determine the type of object and acquires the object information including the type of object; and if the type of object included in the object information is not a pre-stored type and the object is not in the vehicle's driving lane, the emphasis illumination determination unit determines that emphasis illumination of the illumination target is unnecessary. This allows the present disclosure to provide an effect of providing a light control device that enables emphasis illumination depending on the type of object. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides the same effect as the above by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above light control method.

[0121] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: The pre-stored types include any of a person, an animal, a bicycle, or a small mobile. This provides an advantage of providing a light control device that enables accentuated illumination according to a type appropriate for when the moving object is a vehicle. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides the same advantage as the above by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above light control method.

[0122] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: When the emphasis illumination control unit is instructing the light device to perform emphasis illumination toward the illumination object, the emphasis illumination determination unit outputs a command to stop emphasis illumination of the illumination object if the type of object included in the object information acquired by the object information acquisition unit is not a pre-stored type. This provides an advantageous effect of providing a light control device that can stop emphasis illumination when the type of object becomes clear after emphasis illumination has been performed. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides an advantageous effect similar to the advantageous effect by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above light control method.

[0123] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: The emphasis illumination determination unit further commands the emphasis illumination control unit to stop the emphasis illumination when the luminance difference is reduced by the emphasis illumination, in a state in which the emphasis illumination control unit has instructed the light device to perform emphasis illumination toward the illumination object. This provides an advantageous effect of providing a light control device that can prevent the luminance difference between the illumination object in an image and the luminance of the periphery of the illumination object from becoming smaller due to emphasis illumination. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides an advantageous effect similar to the advantageous effect by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above light control method.

[0124] Embodiment 4. In embodiment 4, a form is described in which, when there is a highly conspicuous object (for example, a store or sign that appears illuminated in the dark) near the target on an image captured by the imaging device 200, the threshold value of the luminance difference between the target and the background surrounding the target, used by the emphasis illumination determination unit, can be increased compared to when the target is far away or does not exist. In embodiment 4, duplicated descriptions of components according to embodiment 4 that are the same as those according to embodiment 1, embodiment 2, or embodiment 3 already described will be omitted as appropriate.

[0125] An example configuration of a light control device and a light control system including the device according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a light control system 10D including a light control device 100D according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. The light control system 10D shown in Fig. 13 is configured to include the light control device 100D, an imaging device 200, a lighting device 300, and an illuminance sensor 400.

[0126] The imaging device 200 has the same configuration as the imaging device 200 already described, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0127] The lighting device 300 has the same configuration as the lighting device 300 already described, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0128] The illuminance sensor 400 is provided in the mobile body and detects the illuminance outside the mobile body. Note that the light control system 10D may be configured without the illuminance sensor 400.

[0129] The light control device 100D, unlike the light control devices 100B and 100C already described, has a configuration that allows it to change the brightness value threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination process. The light control device 100D shown in Fig. 13 is configured to include an object information acquisition unit 110D, a probability determination unit 120D, and an emphasis illumination control unit 130D.

[0130] The object information acquisition unit 110D has the same configuration as the object information acquisition units 110A, 110B, and 110C already described, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0131] 13 includes an irradiation object determination section 121D, a brightness difference calculation section 122D, a brightness difference threshold calculation section 124D, and an emphasis irradiation determination section 123D. The probability determination section 120D differs from the already described probability determination sections 120B and 120C in that it includes a brightness difference threshold calculation section 124D. Also, the emphasis irradiation determination section 123D of the probability determination section 120D differs in that it performs processing using the brightness difference threshold calculated by the brightness difference threshold calculation section 124D.

[0132] The luminance difference threshold calculation unit 124D calculates the luminance difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit 123D. When a highly conspicuous object is included within a predetermined range based on the position of the illumination target, the luminance difference threshold calculation unit 124D increases the luminance difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit 123D. The types of highly conspicuous objects are pre-stored in a storage unit (not shown). A highly conspicuous object may be an object with a predetermined luminance value or higher, or may be determined based on color-based conspicuity. An example of a highly conspicuous object is a store or signboard that appears illuminated in the dark. The luminance difference threshold calculation unit 124D determines whether an object included in an image is a highly conspicuous object by referring to the pre-stored types of highly conspicuous objects.

[0133] The emphasis illumination determination section 123D differs from the emphasis illumination determination section 123 already described in that it is capable of using a brightness difference threshold calculated by a brightness difference threshold calculation section 124D.

[0134] An example of the processing of a light control device according to embodiment 4 of the present disclosure will be described. An example of the overall processing flow of the light control device 100D according to embodiment 4 is similar to the example of the overall processing flow of the light control device 100 according to any of the embodiments already described, and only the detailed processing example of the emphasis illumination determination processing, for example, is different. Therefore, the overall processing flow of the light control device 100D according to embodiment 4 is not shown in the figure.

[0135] 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the luminance difference threshold calculation unit 124D in the light control device 100D according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure. The luminance difference threshold calculation unit 124D starts the processing illustrated in FIG. 14 when, for example, the light control device 100D starts processing.

[0136] The luminance difference threshold calculation unit 124D first executes an attractive object determination process (step ST4410). In the attractive object determination process, the luminance difference threshold calculation unit 124D determines whether an attractive object is present in the image. The luminance difference threshold calculation unit 124D determines, from among the objects included in the image, an object that satisfies a pre-stored condition for being an attractive object as an attractive object.

[0137] If the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124D determines that no eye-catching object is present in the image (step ST4410 "NO"), it does not calculate a brightness difference threshold and terminates processing without changing the currently used brightness difference threshold.

[0138] If the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124D determines that an attractive object exists in the image (step ST4410 "YES"), it then determines whether the distance between the illuminated object and the attractive object is less than the distance threshold (step ST4420).

[0139] In the processing of step ST4420, if the distance between the illuminated object and the eye-catching object is not less than the distance threshold (step ST4420 "NO"), the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124D does not calculate the brightness difference threshold and terminates the processing without changing the currently used brightness difference threshold.

[0140] If the distance between the illumination object and the eye-catching object becomes less than the distance threshold in the process of step ST4420 ("YES" in step ST4420), the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124D increases the brightness threshold (step ST4430). The brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124D calculates a brightness difference threshold to be used in the emphasis illumination determination unit 123D so that the brightness difference threshold is higher than the currently used brightness difference threshold. The brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124D calculates a brightness difference threshold by increasing the current brightness difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit 123D. The brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124D then outputs the calculated brightness threshold (step ST4440). After executing the process to output the brightness threshold, the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124D ends the brightness difference threshold calculation process. Alternatively, the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124D may repeat the process from step ST4410 while the light control device 100D is executing the process.

[0141] The brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124D may be further configured to calculate the brightness difference threshold such that the brightness difference threshold decreases when the brightness in the image increases. Alternatively, the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124D may be configured to acquire illuminance from the illuminance sensor 400, for example, and calculate the brightness difference threshold such that the brightness difference threshold decreases when the illuminance increases. For example, the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124D may calculate the brightness difference threshold such that the brightness difference threshold is inversely proportional to the illuminance in the traveling direction of the moving object.

[0142] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: The light control device includes a brightness difference threshold calculation unit that calculates the brightness difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit. This provides an advantage of being able to provide a light control device that is capable of dynamically varying the brightness difference threshold used for emphasis illumination determination. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides the same advantage as the above by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above light control method.

[0143] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: When a highly conspicuous object is included within a predetermined range based on the position of the illumination target, the brightness difference threshold calculation unit increases the brightness difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit. This provides an advantage that illumination is not performed when the illumination target and the conspicuous object are close to each other. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides an advantage similar to the above-described advantage by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above-described light control method.

[0144] Embodiment 5. In embodiment 5, an embodiment is described in which emphasized illumination is suppressed when the background is complex compared to when the background is simple. In embodiment 5, duplicated descriptions of components according to embodiment 5 that are the same as components according to embodiment 1, embodiment 2, embodiment 3, or embodiment 4 already described will be omitted as appropriate.

[0145] A light control device according to embodiment 5 of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a light control system 10E including a light control device 100E according to embodiment 5 of the present disclosure. The light control system 10E shown in Fig. 15 is configured to include the light control device 100E, an imaging device 200, a lighting device 300, and an illuminance sensor 400.

[0146] The imaging device 200 has the same configuration as the imaging device 200 already described, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0147] The lighting device 300 has the same configuration as the lighting device 300 already described, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0148] The illuminance sensor 400 is provided in the mobile body and detects the illuminance outside the mobile body. Note that the light control system 10E may be configured without the illuminance sensor 400.

[0149] The light control device 100E, unlike the light control devices 100B and 100C already described, has a configuration that allows it to change the brightness value threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination process. The light control device 100E shown in Fig. 15 is configured to include an object information acquisition unit 110E, a probability determination unit 120E, and an emphasis illumination control unit 130E.

[0150] The object information acquisition unit 110E has the same configuration as the object information acquisition units 110A, 110B, 110C, and 110D already described, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0151] 15 includes an irradiation object determination section 121E, a brightness difference calculation section 122E, a brightness difference threshold calculation section 124E, and an emphasis irradiation determination section 123E. The probability determination section 120E differs from the already described probability determination sections 120B and 120C in that it includes a brightness difference threshold calculation section 124E. Also, the emphasis irradiation determination section 123E of the probability determination section 120E differs in that it performs processing using the brightness difference threshold calculated by the brightness difference threshold calculation section 124E.

[0152] The brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124E calculates the brightness difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit 123E. The brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124E determines whether the peripheral image of the illumination object in the image is complex. Specifically, whether the background is complex can be determined, for example, if the image is determined to be an urban road based on map information, by determining that the background is more complex than a highway. Alternatively, whether the background is complex can be determined, for example, based on the number of objects recognized in the image acquired by the imaging device 200. If the peripheral image of the illumination object in the image is complex, the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124E changes the brightness difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit 123E to be higher. The brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124E calculates a brightness difference threshold higher than the currently used brightness difference threshold. Note that the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124E may be configured to calculate a brightness difference threshold that is higher depending on the complexity of the peripheral image of the illumination object in the image.

[0153] The emphasis illumination determination section 123E differs from the emphasis illumination determination section 123 already described in that it is capable of using a brightness difference threshold calculated by a brightness difference threshold calculation section 124E.

[0154] An example of the processing of a light control device according to embodiment 5 of the present disclosure will be described. An example of the overall processing flow of the light control device 100E according to embodiment 5 is similar to the example of the overall processing flow of the light control device 100 according to any of the embodiments already described, and only the detailed processing example of the emphasis illumination determination processing, for example, is different. Therefore, the overall processing flow of the light control device 100E according to embodiment 5 is not shown in the figure.

[0155] 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a luminance difference threshold calculation unit 124E in a light control device 100E according to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure. The luminance difference threshold calculation unit 124E starts the processing illustrated in FIG. 16 when, for example, the light control device 100D starts processing.

[0156] First, brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124E executes background complexity determination processing (step ST5410). Brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124E acquires an image captured from a moving object and determines whether the background image, which is the periphery of the object to be processed included in the image, is complex.

[0157] If the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124E determines that the background of the illuminated object in the image is not complex (step ST5410 "NO"), it does not calculate the brightness difference threshold and terminates the processing without changing the brightness difference threshold.

[0158] If the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124E determines that the background of the illumination object in the image is complex ("YES" in step ST5410), it then executes a process of increasing the brightness threshold (step ST5420).

[0159] Next, luminance difference threshold calculation section 124E executes a luminance threshold output process (step ST5430). In the luminance threshold output process, luminance difference threshold calculation section 124E outputs the calculated luminance threshold to emphasis illumination determination section 123E.

[0160] When brightness difference threshold calculation section 124E outputs the brightness threshold in the process of step ST5430, it ends the brightness threshold calculation process.

[0161] The brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124E may be further configured to calculate the brightness difference threshold so that the brightness difference threshold decreases when the brightness in the image increases. Alternatively, the brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124E may be configured to acquire illuminance from the illuminance sensor 400, for example, and calculate the brightness difference threshold so that the brightness difference threshold decreases when the illuminance increases.

[0162] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: The light control device includes a brightness difference threshold calculation unit that calculates the brightness difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit. This provides an advantage of being able to provide a light control device that is capable of dynamically varying the brightness difference threshold used for emphasis illumination determination. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides the same advantage as the above by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above light control method.

[0163] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: When the peripheral portion of the illumination object in the image is a complex image, the brightness difference threshold calculation unit increases the brightness difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit. This provides an advantageous effect of providing a light control device that can suppress emphasis illumination when the background is complex. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides an advantageous effect similar to the advantageous effect by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above light control method.

[0164] Embodiment 6. In embodiment 6, a form in which there are multiple irradiation objects in an image is described. In embodiment 6, among the components according to embodiment 6, duplicated descriptions of components similar to the components according to embodiment 1, embodiment 2, embodiment 3, embodiment 4, or embodiment 5 already described will be omitted as appropriate.

[0165] A light control device according to embodiment 6 of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a light control system 10F including a light control device 100F according to embodiment 6 of the present disclosure. The light control system 10F shown in Fig. 17 is configured to include a light control device 100F, an imaging device 200, and a light device 300.

[0166] The light control device 100F can determine the processing order when there are multiple illumination objects in the image. The light control device 100F shown in Fig. 17 includes an object information acquisition unit 110F, an illumination order determination unit 140F, a probability determination unit 120F, and an emphasis illumination control unit 130F.

[0167] The object information acquisition unit 110F has the same functions as the already-described object information acquisition unit 110. The object information acquisition unit 110F further provides the object information to the irradiation order determination unit 140F.

[0168] When there are multiple irradiation objects, the irradiation order determination unit 140F determines the order for the multiple irradiation objects. Specifically, when there are multiple irradiation objects, the irradiation order determination unit 140F instructs the probability determination unit 120F to determine emphasized irradiation for the multiple irradiation objects in order of proximity to the moving body. The irradiation order determination unit 140F determines the order for the multiple irradiation objects using the object information acquired by the object information acquisition unit 110F. The irradiation order determination unit 140F determines the order for the multiple irradiation objects, for example, by assigning a value indicating a processing order to the object information. The irradiation order determination unit 140F issues an instruction to the probability determination unit 120F including the object information to which a value indicating a processing order has been assigned.

[0169] The probability determination unit 120F acquires image and object information in accordance with the order determined by the irradiation order determination unit 140F and performs the same processing as the probability determination unit 120F already described. The probability determination unit 120F has the same functions as the probability determination units 120B, 120C, 120D, and 120E already described. The probability determination unit 120F shown in FIG. 17 is configured to include an irradiation object determination unit 121F, a brightness difference calculation unit 122F, a brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124F, and an emphasis irradiation determination unit 123F. In this case, the probability determination unit 120F has the same functions as the probability determination units 120D and 120E already described.

[0170] When the emphasis irradiation control unit 130F reaches the emphasis irradiation upper limit number, it does not perform emphasis irradiation on subsequent lower-ranked emphasis irradiation objects. When the emphasis irradiation control unit 130F starts emphasis irradiation control, it acquires the emphasis irradiation upper limit number stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown). The emphasis irradiation control unit 130F sequentially accepts judgment results from the emphasis irradiation judgment unit 123B of the probability judgment unit 120F, and when the number of emphasis irradiation objects that have been subjected to emphasis irradiation reaches the emphasis irradiation upper limit number, it does not perform emphasis irradiation on objects that exceed the emphasis irradiation upper limit number. As a result, when the number of objects that can be subjected to emphasis irradiation is finite, it is possible to prioritize emphasis irradiation on those that are close.

[0171] An example of the processing of a light control device according to embodiment 6 of the present disclosure will be described. An example of the overall processing flow of the light control device 100F according to embodiment 6 is similar to the example of the overall processing flow of the light control device 100 according to any of the embodiments already described, and only the detailed processing example of the termination determination process, for example, is different. Therefore, the overall processing flow of the light control device 100F according to embodiment 6 is not shown in the figure.

[0172] 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by the illumination order determination unit 140F in the light control device 100F according to Embodiment 6 of the present disclosure. The illumination order determination unit 140F starts the processing shown in FIG. 14 when, for example, the light control device 100D starts processing.

[0173] The irradiation order determination unit 140F first executes a process for determining the number of irradiation objects (step ST6410). In the process for determining the number of irradiation objects, the irradiation order determination unit 140F acquires object information of objects included in the image from the object information acquisition unit 110 and determines the number of irradiation objects using the object information. The irradiation order determination unit 140F determines, for example, the number of objects included in the image as the number of irradiation objects.

[0174] The irradiation order determination unit 140F then executes a distance determination process (step ST6420). In the distance determination process, the irradiation order determination unit 140F calculates the distance from the moving body to each object, using the moving body as a reference.

[0175] The irradiation order determination unit 140F then executes an irradiation order assignment process (step ST6430). In the irradiation order assignment process, the irradiation order determination unit 140F determines the processing order in ascending order of distance based on the distance from the moving body to the object.

[0176] The irradiation order determination unit 140F then executes a process of issuing a command to process the objects in the irradiation order (step ST6440). In the process of issuing a command to process the objects in the irradiation order, the irradiation order determination unit 140F assigns a value indicating the processing order to the object information. The irradiation order determination unit 140F outputs a command including the object information to which the value indicating the processing order has been assigned to the probability determination unit 120F.

[0177] Next, the irradiation order determination unit 140F executes step ST6440 and then ends the processing shown in FIG.

[0178] Upon receiving a command from the irradiation order determination unit 140F, the probability determination unit 120F executes processing for each of the plurality of irradiation objects in order.

[0179] When the emphasis irradiation control unit 130F reaches the emphasis irradiation upper limit number, it does not perform emphasis irradiation on subsequent lower-ranked emphasis irradiation objects. When it starts emphasis irradiation control, the emphasis irradiation control unit 130F acquires, for example, the emphasis irradiation upper limit number stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown). The emphasis irradiation control unit 130F sequentially accepts determination results from the emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B of the probability determination unit 120F, and when the number of emphasis irradiation objects that have been subjected to emphasis irradiation reaches the emphasis irradiation upper limit number, it does not perform emphasis irradiation on the emphasis irradiation objects that exceed the emphasis irradiation upper limit number.

[0180] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: The light control device further includes an illumination order determination unit that, when multiple illumination objects are present, commands the enhancement illumination determination unit to determine enhancement illumination for the multiple illumination objects in order of proximity to the moving body. This provides an advantage that, when multiple illumination objects are present in an image, it is possible to perform processing in order to provide enhancement illumination. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides the same advantage as the above by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above light control method.

[0181] Embodiment 7. In embodiment 7, an embodiment in which the intensity of light for highlighting illumination is variable will be described. In embodiment 7, among the components of embodiment 7, duplicated descriptions of components similar to those of embodiment 1, embodiment 2, embodiment 3, embodiment 4, embodiment 5, or embodiment 6 already described will be omitted as appropriate.

[0182] An example configuration of a light control device according to embodiment 7 of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example configuration of a light control system 10G including a light control device 100G according to embodiment 7 of the present disclosure. The light control system 10G shown in Fig. 19 is configured to include a light control device 100G, an imaging device 200, and a lighting device 300. The light control system 10G differs from the light control system 10 already described in that the light control device 100G includes a light intensity determination unit 150G.

[0183] The light control device 100G shown in FIG. 19 includes an object information acquisition unit 110G, an illumination order determination unit 140G, a probability determination unit 120G, a light intensity determination unit 150G, and an emphasis illumination control unit 130G.

[0184] The object information acquisition unit 110G has the same functions as the object information acquisition unit 110F already described.

[0185] The irradiation order determination unit 140G has the same function as the irradiation order determination unit 140F already described.

[0186] The probability determination unit 120G may have the same functions as the probability determination units 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E, and 120F already described. The probability determination unit 120G shown in Fig. 19 includes an irradiation object determination unit 121G, a brightness difference calculation unit 122G, a brightness difference threshold calculation unit 124G, and an emphasis irradiation determination unit 123G. In this case, the probability determination unit 120G may have the same functions as the probability determination units 120D, 120E, and 120F already described.

[0187] The light intensity determination unit 150G determines the light intensity, which is the intensity of the light emitted by the lighting device 300. The light intensity determination unit 150G instructs the emphasis illumination control unit 130G to change the intensity of the light to be emitted in accordance with the luminance difference. The light intensity determination unit 150G obtains the luminance difference between the luminance of an illumination object determined by the emphasis illumination determination unit 123G to require emphasis illumination and the luminance of its surroundings, and changes and outputs the light intensity, which is the intensity of the light, in accordance with the luminance difference. The light intensity determination unit 150G changes the light intensity of the illumination device 300 that performs emphasis illumination depending on the magnitude of the luminance difference between the luminance of the illumination object (target) and the luminance of the surroundings of the illumination object (target surrounding background) calculated by the luminance difference calculation unit 122. At this time, for example, because a smaller luminance difference is considered to be more difficult for occupants to see, the light intensity of the emphasis illumination is increased when the luminance difference is small compared to when the luminance difference is large.

[0188] The emphasis illumination control unit 130G has the same functions as the already-described emphasis illumination control unit 130. The emphasis illumination control unit 130G further instructs the lighting device 300 to perform emphasis illumination with a light intensity according to the light intensity determined by the light intensity determination unit 150G.

[0189] An example of the processing of a light control device according to embodiment 7 of the present disclosure will be described. An example of the overall processing flow of the light control device 100G according to embodiment 7 is similar to the example of the overall processing flow of the light control device 100 according to any of the embodiments already described, and only the detailed processing example of the emphasized illumination control processing is different. Therefore, the overall processing flow of the light control device 100G according to embodiment 7 is not shown in the figure.

[0190] 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a light intensity determination unit 150G in a light control device 100G according to Embodiment 7 of the present disclosure. The light intensity determination unit 150G starts the processing illustrated in FIG. 20 when, for example, the light control device 100G starts processing.

[0191] The light intensity determination unit 150G first executes a luminance difference acquisition process (step ST7510). Specifically, the light intensity determination unit 150G acquires the luminance difference between the luminance of the illumination object for which the emphasis illumination determination unit 123G has determined that emphasis illumination is necessary and the luminance of the surrounding area.

[0192] The light intensity determination unit 150G then executes a process of calculating the light intensity (step ST7520). Specifically, the light intensity determination unit 150G calculates the light intensity, which is the strength of light, based on the acquired luminance difference.

[0193] The light intensity determination unit 150G executes a light intensity command process (step ST7530). Specifically, the light intensity determination unit 150G commands the emphasis illumination control unit 130G (light intensity command) to irradiate the illumination object with light at the intensity of light indicated by the light intensity.

[0194] After executing the light intensity command process (step ST7530), light intensity determination unit 150G ends the light intensity determination process shown in FIG.

[0195] When the emphasis illumination control unit 130G receives a command from the light intensity determination unit 150G, it commands the lighting device 300 to emit light according to the light intensity indicated in the light intensity command in the emphasis illumination control process.

[0196] The light control device of the present disclosure may further be configured, for example, as follows: The light control device further includes a light intensity determination unit that instructs the emphasis illumination control unit to change the intensity of the light to be illuminated in accordance with the luminance difference. This provides an advantageous effect of providing a light control device that can change the intensity of the light to be illuminated in accordance with the luminance difference between an illuminated object and a periphery of the illuminated object in an image. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides an advantageous effect similar to the advantageous effect by applying the above configuration to a light control system or the above light control method.

[0197] Here, a hardware configuration for realizing the functions of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 21 is a diagram showing a first example of a hardware configuration for realizing the functions of the configuration of the present disclosure. Fig. 22 is a diagram showing a second example of a hardware configuration for realizing the functions of the configuration of the present disclosure. The light control devices 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, and 100G of the present disclosure are each realized by hardware such as that shown in Fig. 21 or Fig. 22.

[0198] 21 , each of the light control devices 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, and 100G is configured, for example, with a processor 10001, a memory 10002, an input / output interface 10003, and a communication circuit 10004. The processor 10001 and the memory 10002 are, for example, installed in a computer. The memory 10002 stores the computer, object information acquisition units 110, 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, 110E, 110F, and 110G, probability determination units 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E, 120F, and 120G, irradiation object determination units 121B, 121C, 121D, 121E, 121F, and 121G, brightness difference calculation units 122B, 122C, 122D, 122E, 122F, and 122G, emphasis irradiation determination units 123B, 123C, 123D, 123E, 123F, and 123G, brightness difference threshold calculation units 124D, 124E, 124F, and 124G, and emphasis irradiation control units The memory stores programs for causing the components 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130E, 130F, and 130G to function as irradiation order determination units 140F and 140G, a light intensity determination unit 150G, and a control unit (not shown). The processor 10001 reads out and executes the program stored in the memory 10002, whereby the object information acquisition units 110, 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, 110E, 110F, and 110G, the probability determination units 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E, 120F, and 120G, the irradiation object determination units 121B, 121C, 121D, 121E, 121F, and 121G, the brightness difference calculation units 122B, 122C, 122D, 122E, 122F, and 122G, the emphasized irradiation determination units 123B, 123C, 123D, 123E, 123F, and 123G, and the brightness difference threshold calculation unit The functions of the illumination control units 124D, 124E, 124F, and 124G, the emphasis illumination control units 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130E, 130F, and 130G, the illumination order determination units 140F and 140G, the light intensity determination unit 150G, and a control unit (not shown) are realized. The memory 10002 or another memory (not shown) realizes a storage unit (not shown). The communication circuit 10004 realizes a communication unit (not shown).

[0199] The processor 10001 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The memory 10002 may be a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or flash memory, or a magnetic disk such as a hard disk or flexible disk, or an optical disk such as a CD (Compact Disc) or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a magneto-optical disk. The processor 10001 and the memory 10002 or the communication circuit 10004 are connected in a state capable of transmitting data to each other. The processor 10001, memory 10002, and communication circuit 10004 are connected via an input / output interface 10003 so as to be capable of transmitting data to and from other hardware.

[0200] Alternatively, in the light control device 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G, the object information acquisition unit 110, 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, 110E, 110F, 110G, the probability determination unit 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E, 120F, 120G, the irradiation object determination unit 121B, 121C, 121D, 121E, 121F, 121G, the brightness difference calculation unit 122B, 122C, 122D, 122E, 122F, 122G, and the emphasis irradiation determination unit The functions of the brightness difference threshold calculation units 124D, 124E, 124F, and 124G, the emphasis illumination control units 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130E, 130F, and 130G, the illumination order determination units 140F and 140G, the light intensity determination unit 150G, and a control unit (not shown) may be realized by a dedicated processing circuit 20001, as shown in FIG. 22 .

[0201] The processing circuit 20001 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a SoC (System-on-a-Chip), or a system LSI (Large-Scale Integration), etc. In addition, a storage unit (not shown) is realized by the memory 20002 or another memory (not shown). The memory 20002 may be a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), or flash memory, or a magnetic disk such as a hard disk or flexible disk, or an optical disk such as a CD (Compact Disc) or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a magneto-optical disk. The communication circuit 20004 implements a communication unit (not shown). The processing circuit 20001 and the memory 20002 or the communication circuit 20004 are connected in a state where they can transmit data to each other. In addition, the processing circuit 20001, the memory 20002, and the communication circuit 20004 are connected in a state where they can transmit data to other hardware via the input / output interface 20003.In addition, in the light control device 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G, the object information acquisition unit 110, 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, 110E, 110F, 110G, the probability determination unit 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E, 120F, 120G, the irradiation object determination unit 121B, 121C, 121D, 121E, 121F, 121G, the brightness difference calculation unit 122B, 122C, 122D, 122E, 122F, 122G, and the emphasis irradiation determination unit The functions of the brightness difference threshold calculation units 124D, 124E, 124F, and 124G, the emphasis illumination control units 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130E, 130F, and 130G, the illumination order determination units 140F and 140G, the light intensity determination unit 150G, and a control unit (not shown) may be realized by separate processing circuits, or may be realized collectively by a processing circuit.

[0202] Alternatively, in the light control device 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G, the object information acquisition unit 110, 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, 110E, 110F, 110G, the probability determination unit 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E, 120F, 120G, the irradiation object determination unit 121B, 121C, 121D, 121E, 121F, 121G, the luminance difference calculation unit 122B, 122C, 122D, 122E, 122F, 122G, and the emphasis irradiation determination unit 123B, 123C, 123D, 123E, 123F, 123G, brightness difference threshold calculation units 124D, 124E, 124F, 124G, emphasis illumination control units 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130E, 130F, 130G, illumination order determination units 140F, 140G, light intensity determination unit 150G, and a control unit (not shown) may have some of their functions realized by the processor 10001 and memory 10002, and the remaining functions realized by the processing circuit 20001.

[0203] It should be noted that within the scope of this disclosure, the embodiments may be freely combined, any component of each embodiment may be modified, or any component of each embodiment may be omitted. For example, the following combinations are possible: (1) A light control device comprising: a probability determination unit that, when it is determined that an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an illumination target, determines whether or not accentuated illumination is required for the illumination target using a luminance difference between the illumination target and an object other than the illumination target in the image; and an accentuated illumination control unit that, when it is determined by the probability determination unit that accentuated illumination is required for the illumination target, commands the light device to perform accentuated illumination toward the illumination target. (2) The light control device according to (1), further comprising: an object information acquisition unit that determines an object included in an image captured in the traveling direction of the moving body and acquires object information indicating the object, wherein the probability determination unit uses the object information to determine whether the object in the image captured in the traveling direction of the moving body is the illumination object; an illumination object determination unit that calculates a luminance difference between the illumination object in the image and the luminance of a periphery of the illumination object; and an emphasis illumination determination unit that uses the luminance difference and a luminance difference threshold and, if the luminance difference is less than the luminance difference threshold, outputs a determination result indicating that emphasis illumination is required for the illumination object. (3) The light control device according to (2), wherein the moving body is a vehicle, and the illumination object determined by the illumination object determination unit is an object present on a road in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the road includes a carriageway, a sidewalk, and a footpath. (4) The light control device according to (3), wherein the object information acquisition unit further uses the image to determine a type of the object and acquires the object information including the type of the object, and when the type of the object included in the object information is not a pre-stored type and the object is not present in the traveling lane of the vehicle, the emphasis illumination determination unit determines that emphasis illumination of the illumination target is unnecessary. (5) The light control device according to (4), wherein the pre-stored types include any of a person, an animal, a bicycle, or a small mobile.(6) The lighting control device according to (4) or (5), wherein, in a state where the emphasis illumination control unit is instructing the lighting device to perform emphasis illumination toward the illumination object, the emphasis illumination determination unit outputs a command to stop emphasis illumination for the illumination object if the type of object included in the object information acquired by the object information acquisition unit is not a pre-stored type. (7) The lighting control device according to any one of (2) to (6), further comprising a brightness difference threshold calculation unit that calculates the brightness difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit. (8) The lighting control device according to (7), wherein, when a highly conspicuous object is included within a predetermined range based on the position of the illumination object, the brightness difference threshold calculation unit changes the brightness difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit to be higher. (9) The lighting control device according to (7), wherein, when the peripheral part of the illumination object in the image is a complex image, the brightness difference threshold calculation unit changes the brightness difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit to be higher. (10) The light control device according to any one of (2) to (9), wherein the emphasis illumination determination unit further commands the emphasis illumination control unit to stop the emphasis illumination when the luminance difference is reduced by the emphasis illumination, in a state where the emphasis illumination control unit has commanded the light device to perform emphasis illumination toward the illumination object. (11) The light control device according to any one of (1) to (10), further comprising: an illumination order determination unit that, when there are multiple illumination objects, commands the emphasis illumination determination unit to determine emphasis illumination for the multiple illumination objects in order of proximity to the moving body. (12) The light control device according to any one of (1) to (11), further comprising: a light intensity determination unit that commands the emphasis illumination control unit to change the intensity of the light to be illuminated in accordance with the luminance difference.(13) A light control method by a light control device that controls a light device, wherein a probability determination unit of the light control device, when determining that an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an illumination target, determines whether or not accentuated illumination is required for the illumination target using a luminance difference between the luminance of the illumination target in the image and the luminance of an object other than the illumination target, and an accentuated illumination control unit of the light control device, when the probability determination unit determines that accentuated illumination is required for the illumination target, commands the light device to perform accentuated illumination toward the illumination target.

[0204] The present disclosure is capable of irradiating light based on the actual visibility of the object to be illuminated, and is therefore suitable for use in a lighting control device that controls a lighting device that irradiates light onto an object to be illuminated that is located in the direction of travel of a moving body, for example.

[0205] 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F. 10G Light control system, 100, 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E, 100F, 100G Light control device, 110, 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, 110E, 110F, 110G Object information acquisition unit, 120, 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E, 120F, 120G Probability determination unit, 121B, 121C, 121D, 121E, 121F, 121G Irradiation object determination unit, 122B, 122C, 122D, 122E, 122F, 122G Brightness difference calculation unit, 123B, 123C, 123D, 123E, 123F, 123G Emphasis illumination determination unit, 124D, 124E, 124F, 124G brightness difference threshold calculation unit, 130, 130A, 130B, 130C, 130E, 130F, 130G emphasis illumination control unit, 140F, 140G illumination order determination unit, 150G light intensity determination unit, 200 imaging device, 300 lighting device, 400 illuminance sensor, 1010 illumination object (target), 1020 surrounding area (background, target surrounding background), 10001 processor, 10002 memory, 10003 input / output interface, 10004 communication circuit, 20001 processing circuit, 20002 memory, 20003 input / output interface, 20004 communication circuit.

Claims

1. A lighting control device comprising: a probability determination unit which, when it is determined that an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an object to be illuminated, determines whether or not accentuated illumination of the object to be illuminated is necessary using a luminance difference between the luminance of the object to be illuminated in the image and the luminance of other objects than the object to be illuminated; and an accentuated illumination control unit which, when it is determined by the probability determination unit that accentuated illumination of the object to be illuminated is necessary, commands a lighting device to perform accentuated illumination toward the object to be illuminated.

2. A light control device as described in claim 1, comprising an object information acquisition unit that determines an object included in an image captured in the traveling direction of the moving body and acquires object information indicating the object, wherein the probability determination unit comprises: an illumination object determination unit that uses the object information to determine whether the object in the image captured in the traveling direction of the moving body is the illumination object; a brightness difference calculation unit that calculates a brightness difference between the brightness of the illumination object in the image and the brightness of a periphery of the illumination object; and an emphasis illumination determination unit that uses the brightness difference and a pre-stored brightness difference threshold value and, if the brightness difference is less than the brightness difference threshold value, outputs a determination result indicating that emphasis illumination is required for the illumination object.

3. The lighting control device according to claim 2, wherein the moving body is a vehicle, the illuminated object determined by the illuminated object determination unit is an object present on a road in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and the road includes a roadway, a shoulder strip, and a sidewalk.

4. The light control device according to claim 3, wherein the object information acquisition unit further determines the type of the object using the image and acquires the object information including the type of the object, and when the type of object included in the object information is not a type stored in advance and the object is not present in the vehicle's driving lane, the emphasis illumination determination unit determines that emphasis illumination is not necessary for the illumination target object.

5. The light control device according to claim 4, wherein the pre-stored types include any one of a person, an animal, a bicycle, and a small mobile.

6. A lighting control device as described in claim 4, wherein, in a state in which the emphasis illumination control unit is instructing the lighting device to perform emphasis illumination towards the illumination object, the emphasis illumination determination unit outputs a command to stop emphasis illumination towards the illumination object when the type of object included in the object information acquired by the object information acquisition unit is not a type stored in advance.

7. A light control device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising a luminance difference threshold calculation unit that calculates the luminance difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit.

8. A light control device as described in claim 7, wherein when a highly conspicuous object is included within a predetermined range based on the position of the object to be illuminated, the brightness difference threshold calculation unit changes the brightness difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit to a higher value.

9. The light control device according to claim 7, wherein when the peripheral portion of the object to be illuminated in the image is a complex image, the brightness difference threshold calculation unit changes the brightness difference threshold used in the emphasis illumination determination unit to be higher.

10. A lighting control device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the emphasis illumination determination unit further instructs the emphasis illumination control unit to stop the emphasis illumination when the luminance difference is reduced by the emphasis illumination in a state in which the emphasis illumination control unit has instructed the lighting device to perform emphasis illumination towards the illumination object.

11. A light control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an illumination order determination unit which, when there are multiple illumination objects, instructs the probability determination unit to determine accentuated illumination for the multiple illumination objects in the order of proximity to the moving body.

12. The light control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a light intensity determination unit that instructs the emphasis illumination control unit to change the intensity of the light to be irradiated in accordance with the luminance difference.

13. A light control method by a light control device that controls a lighting device, wherein a probability determination unit of the light control device, when it is determined that an object included in an image captured from a moving body is an object to be irradiated, outputs a determination result indicating that accentuated illumination should be performed on the object to be irradiated, using a luminance difference between the luminance of the object to be irradiated in the image and the luminance of an object other than the object to be irradiated, and an accentuated illumination control unit of the light control device, when it receives a determination result indicating that accentuated illumination is necessary for the object to be irradiated, commands the lighting device to perform accentuated illumination on the object to be irradiated.

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