Control device for matrix type variable light distribution lamp, vehicle lamp, and software program

Abstract

A control device (300) acquires position information of one or a plurality of light-shielding regions, and generates a control image (IMG1) specifying the states of a plurality of control pixels so that a light-shielding region is formed corresponding to each light-shielding region. When the number of the light-shielding regions (SHD) is four or more, on / off determination is performed for each of a plurality of pixels (PIXa) surrounding each light-shielding region (SHD) in the control image (IMG1). When an on-pixel is detected, a lit state is determined, and when an on-pixel is not detected, an unlit state is determined.

Description

Matrix-type variable light distribution lamp control device, vehicle lighting fixture, and software program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle lamp.

[0002] Vehicle lamps are generally capable of switching between low beam and high beam. Low beam illuminates the area near the vehicle with a predetermined illuminance, and light distribution regulations are established to avoid causing glare to oncoming or preceding vehicles, and is primarily used when driving in urban areas. On the other hand, high beam illuminates a wide area ahead and a long distance with relatively high illuminance, and is primarily used when driving at high speeds on roads with few oncoming or preceding vehicles. Therefore, high beam provides better visibility for the driver than low beam, but has the problem of causing glare to drivers of vehicles and pedestrians ahead of the vehicle.

[0003] In recent years, adaptive driving beam (ADB) technology has been proposed, which dynamically and adaptively controls the high beam light distribution pattern based on the conditions around the vehicle. The ADB technology detects the positions (vehicle region of interest, hereinafter referred to as vehicle ROI) of leading and oncoming vehicles (collectively referred to as leading vehicles) ahead of the vehicle, and reduces the glare on the vehicle by, for example, dimming the area (shaded area) corresponding to the vehicle ROI.

[0004] As lighting fixtures capable of ADB control, those using LED arrays and those using spatial light modulators have been developed. In this specification, these are called matrix lamps, and the control unit is called a control pixel.

[0005] International Publication No. WO2021 / 251372A1

[0006] Vehicles are equipped with a function called a telltale that lights up to notify the user of the vehicle's status. Typical telltales are various warning lights installed in the instrument panel.

[0007] In the case of a matrix lamp, if even one pixel is lit, it is determined to be in a lit state and the telltale lamp is turned on. In a lamp that does not perform ADB control, multiple control pixels are turned on in high beam mode, so the telltale lamp can be controlled according to the high beam switch.

[0008] However, in a lamp that performs ADB control, a shaded area is formed in response to a target ahead of the vehicle, and the control pixels in the portion corresponding to the shaded area are turned off. In other words, depending on the combination of the location and size of the target ahead of the vehicle, a situation may arise in which all pixels are turned off. Therefore, in a lamp that performs ADB control, it is necessary to determine whether at least one pixel is on (whether all pixels are off) and control the telltale lamp.

[0009] If all pixels of a matrix type lamp are scanned to determine whether they are on or off in order to control the telltale lamp, the load on the CPU (Central Processing Unit) will be large.

[0010] The present disclosure has been made in light of such a situation, and one of its exemplary purposes is to provide a technique for simplifying determination of all pixels being off in a matrix-type lamp.

[0011] A control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure controls a matrix-type variable light distribution lamp. The matrix-type variable light distribution lamp includes a plurality of control pixels controllable according to a control image, and is configured to irradiate an area where a high beam distribution is to be formed with a beam having an intensity distribution corresponding to the luminance distribution of the plurality of control pixels. The control device acquires position information of one or more light-blocking areas, generates a control image that indicates the states of the plurality of control pixels so that a light-blocking area is formed corresponding to each light-blocking area, and (a) if the number of light-blocking areas is four or more, determines whether each of a plurality of pixels surrounding each light-blocking area in the control image is on or off, and determines the lamp to be in a turned-on state if an on pixel is detected, and determines the lamp to be in an off state if no on pixel is detected.

[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure is also a control device, wherein the control device acquires position information of one or more light-shielding areas, generates a control image instructing states of a plurality of control pixels so that a light-shielding area is formed corresponding to each light-shielding area, (c) when the number of light-shielding areas is three or less, performs an on / off determination for each of a plurality of pixels adjacent to a corner pixel of each light-shielding area in the control image, and determines a lit state when an on pixel is detected, and (d) when no on pixel is detected in process (c), performs an on / off determination for each of a plurality of pixels adjacent to a side pixel of each light-shielding area in the control image, and determines a lit state when an on pixel is detected, and determines a lit state when an on pixel is not detected.

[0013] Any combination of the above elements, or mutual substitution of elements or expressions between methods, devices, systems, etc., are also valid aspects of the present invention or the present disclosure. Furthermore, the description in this section (Means for Solving the Problems) does not explain all essential features of the present invention, and therefore, subcombinations of the described features may also constitute the present invention.

[0014] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the load of determining whether the light is on can be reduced.

[0015] 10 is a block diagram of a lighting fixture system equipped with an ADB function. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a control image. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating lighting determination according to embodiment 1. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of lighting determination according to embodiment 1. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a first process of lighting determination according to embodiment 2. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a second process of lighting determination according to embodiment 2. FIG. 16 is a flowchart of lighting determination according to embodiment 2. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a light-blocking region SHD that does not overlap with an ON pixel. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating constraints imposed on a base light distribution image in embodiment 3. FIG. 19 is a flowchart of lighting determination according to embodiment 3. FIG. 19 is a flowchart of an example of the post-determination of FIG. 10. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of this determination. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating another example of this determination. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating yet another example of this determination. FIG. 22 is a block diagram of a microcontroller.

[0016] (Summary of the Embodiments) A summary of some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be provided. This summary is intended to provide a basic understanding of one or more embodiments as a prelude to the detailed description that follows, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention or disclosure. Furthermore, this summary is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of all possible embodiments, nor does it limit essential elements of the embodiments. For convenience, the term "one embodiment" may refer to one embodiment (example or variant) or multiple embodiments (examples or variants) disclosed herein.

[0017] A control device according to one embodiment controls a matrix-type variable light distribution lamp. The matrix-type variable light distribution lamp includes a plurality of control pixels controllable according to a control image, and is configured to irradiate an area where a high beam distribution is to be formed with a beam having an intensity distribution corresponding to the luminance distribution of the plurality of control pixels. The control device acquires position information of one or more light-blocking areas, generates a control image indicating the states of the plurality of control pixels so that a light-blocking area is formed corresponding to each light-blocking area, and (a) when the number of light-blocking areas is four or more, determines whether each of a plurality of pixels surrounding each light-blocking area in the control image is on or off, and determines the lamp to be in a lit state when an on pixel is detected, and determines the lamp to be in an off state when no on pixel is detected.

[0018] A control pixel is a unit of brightness control. Therefore, if a matrix-type variable light distribution lamp is configured with an array of light-emitting elements, each light-emitting element corresponds to a control pixel. If a matrix-type variable light distribution lamp is configured with a spatial light modulator such as a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) or a liquid crystal device, each of these pixels corresponds to a control pixel.

[0019] According to this configuration, it is not necessary to determine whether all pixels of the control image are on or off, and therefore the calculation load can be significantly reduced.

[0020] In one embodiment, the control device may generate a base light distribution image that defines the light distribution when no shading area exists, and generate a control image by turning off pixels in the base light distribution image that are included in the one or more shading areas.

[0021] In one embodiment, the light blocking region may be generated so as to always overlap with an ON pixel in the base light distribution image.

[0022] In one embodiment, the light-blocking region may be allowed to not overlap with ON pixels in the base light distribution image. All ON pixels in the base light distribution image may be included in one continuous region. One region of the base light distribution image may be in contact with at least one of the four sides of the base light distribution image. When the control device determines an off state in process (a) or (b), it may determine whether each of multiple pixels at the outermost periphery of each light-blocking region in the base light distribution image is on or off, and may maintain the determination of the off state if at least one ON pixel is detected, but may re-determine an on state if all pixels are off.

[0023] In one embodiment, (b) when the number of light-blocking regions is three or less, the control device may perform an on / off determination for each of a plurality of pixels surrounding each light-blocking region in the control image, and may determine the state as lit if an on pixel is detected, and determine the state as unlit if no on pixel is detected. With this configuration, it is not necessary to determine the on / off state for all pixels in the control image, which can significantly reduce the computational load.

[0024] In one embodiment, the control device may (c) when the number of light-shielded areas is three or less, determine whether each of a plurality of pixels adjacent to a corner pixel of each light-shielded area in the control image is on or off, and determine the state as lit if an on pixel is detected, and (d) when no on pixel is detected in process (c), determine whether each of a plurality of pixels adjacent to a side pixel of each light-shielded area in the control image is on or off, and determine the state as lit if an on pixel is detected, and determine the state as lit if an on pixel is not detected. With this configuration, the on or off determination only needs to be made for corner pixels rather than side pixels, further reducing the computational load.

[0025] A control device according to one embodiment controls a matrix-type variable light distribution lamp. The control device acquires position information of one or more light-blocking areas, generates a control image indicating the states of a plurality of control pixels so that a light-blocking area is formed corresponding to each of the light-blocking areas, (c) if the number of light-blocking areas is three or less, performs an on / off determination for each of a plurality of pixels adjacent to a corner pixel of each light-blocking area in the control image, and determines a lit state if an on pixel is detected, and (d) if no on pixel is detected in process (c), performs an on / off determination for each of a plurality of pixels adjacent to a side pixel of each light-blocking area in the control image, and determines a lit state if an on pixel is detected, and determines a lit state if an on pixel is not detected.

[0026] This configuration reduces the computational load.

[0027] In one embodiment, the control device may (a) when the number of light-blocking areas is four or more, determine whether each of the multiple pixels surrounding the control image is on or off, and if an on pixel is detected, determine that the state is on, and if an on pixel is not detected, determine that the state is off.

[0028] A vehicle lamp according to one embodiment may include any of the control devices described above and a matrix-type variable light distribution lamp.

[0029] (Embodiments) Preferred embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing will be given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments are examples rather than limitations on the disclosure, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the disclosure.

[0030] 1 is a block diagram of a lighting system 100 equipped with an ADB function. The lighting system 100 is mounted on an automobile and functions as a headlamp that illuminates the field of view ahead of the vehicle. In high beam mode, the lighting system 100 has an ADB function that blocks light from areas where oncoming vehicles and preceding vehicles (hereinafter collectively referred to as preceding vehicles) are present, depending on the situation ahead of the vehicle.

[0031] 1 shows a virtual vertical screen 2, and a high beam light distribution 4 is schematically shown on the virtual vertical screen 2. The high beam light distribution 4 includes a shaded area 6 where the illuminance is substantially zero in the range where a preceding vehicle is present. Because the position of the preceding vehicle changes from moment to moment, the lighting system 100 controls the position of the shaded area 6 so that it follows the preceding vehicle. The area other than the shaded area 6 is referred to as an illuminated area 8. In other words, the high beam light distribution 4 includes the shaded area 6 and the illuminated area 8.

[0032] The lighting system 100 includes a vehicle lamp 200, a vehicle ECU 110, and a target sensor 120. The target sensor 120 is a camera, LiDAR, or the like, and senses the situation ahead of the vehicle. The vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 110 detects a preceding vehicle based on the output of the target sensor 120 and generates shaded area data S1 including position information of a region of interest (ROI) in which the preceding vehicle is located, in other words, an area to be shaded. The shaded area data S1 may include data indicating the positions of the top and bottom edges of the shaded area and data indicating the positions of the left and right edges of the shaded area. Typically, the position information is expressed as an angle. The shaded area data S1 includes a maximum of N shaded areas (e.g., 8), where N is referred to as the maximum number of targets.

[0033] The vehicle ECU 110 and the vehicle lamp 200 are connected via a vehicle bus such as a Controller Area Network (CAN) or a Local Interconnect Network (LIN), and are capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from each other. The shading data S1 is transmitted from the vehicle ECU 110 to the vehicle lamp 200 via the vehicle bus. The vehicle lamp 200 performs ADB control using the shading data S1 when the high beam is on.

[0034] Vehicle lamp 200 includes a matrix-type variable light distribution lamp 210 and a control device 300. Variable light distribution lamp 210 includes a light-emitting device 212. Light-emitting device 212 is, for example, an LED array and includes a plurality of control pixels PIX2. The luminance values ​​of the plurality of control pixels PIX2 are set according to the pixel values ​​of a plurality of pixels PIX1 included in a control image IMG1 generated by control device 300. Variable light distribution lamp 210 irradiates an area on a virtual vertical screen 2 in front of the vehicle where a high beam light distribution 4 is to be formed with a beam BM having an intensity distribution according to the luminance distribution of the plurality of control pixels PIX2.

[0035] The control device 300 generates a control image IMG1 that defines the high beam light distribution based on the shading data S1, and controls the brightness of the plurality of pixels PIX2 of the variable light distribution lamp 210. Of the plurality of pixels PIX1 that make up the control image IMG1, the pixel value of the portion that corresponds to the vehicle ahead, i.e., the portion that corresponds to the shading region 6, is zero. As a result, the plurality of pixels PIX2 that correspond to the shading region 6 are turned off. The pixels that should be turned off are called off pixels.

[0036] The control device 300 updates the control image IMG1, in other words, the luminance of the plurality of luminescent pixels PIX2, every control period T. The control period T is, for example, about several ms to 100 ms.

[0037] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the control image IMG1. The control image IMG1 may include a base light distribution pattern PTN and shaded areas SHD. The number m of shaded areas SHD varies depending on the number of targets ahead of the vehicle. The light distribution pattern PTN has an intensity distribution that allows the high beam to be appropriately irradiated. The pixel values ​​of pixels within shaded areas SHD1 to SHDm are set to 0, making them off pixels.

[0038] For example, the method for generating the control image IMG1 in the vehicle lamp 200 is not particularly limited, but for example, the control image IMG1 can be generated by combining a base light distribution image IMG2 including a basic light distribution pattern PTN that serves as a base with a shading image IMG3 including a shading region SHD. In Figure 2, black pixels in the control image IMG1 and the base light distribution image IMG2 indicate off pixels, and gray to white pixels indicate on pixels.

[0039] Note that if the shading region SHD overlaps only with a portion of the base light distribution image IMG2 that defines the basic pattern PTN where the pixel value is zero (black pixels in FIG. 2 ), the shading region SHD is meaningless. Therefore, it is assumed that the shading region SHD always overlaps with at least one ON pixel of the base light distribution image IMG2. It should be noted that the lighting determination described below in this embodiment is based on this property.

[0040] When ADB control is not performed, some pixels are turned on according to the basic light distribution pattern PTN while the high beams are on, so it is possible to control the lighting of the telltales according to an instruction to turn on the high beams.

[0041] On the other hand, when ADB control is performed, depending on the combination of the sizes and positions of the multiple light-shielding areas SHD, a situation may arise in which all pixels are turned off (i.e., in the extinguished state) even when the high beams are on. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether the high beams are on or off based on the control image IMG1.

[0042] Returning to FIG. 1 , the control device 300 makes a determination for the telltale (hereinafter referred to as "on determination") based on the control image IMG1, and generates a determination signal S2 indicating the determination result (on state / off state). Specifically, it determines whether all pixels of the control image IMG1 are off (off state) or not (whether at least one pixel is on, i.e., on state). The vehicle-side ECU 110 controls the warning light for the telltale based on the determination signal S2.

[0043] 3 is a diagram illustrating a lighting determination according to the first embodiment. The control device 300 determines whether each of the pixels PIXa (dotted) surrounding each of the light-shielded regions SHD1 to SHDm, among the pixels PIX1 in the control image IMG1, is on or off. If at least one on pixel is detected, the control device 300 determines the pixel as being in a lighting state. If no on pixels are detected, the control device 300 determines the pixel as being in an off state. A pixel being off means that its pixel value is zero.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of lighting determination according to the first embodiment.

[0045] The control device 300 checks the number of shaded areas SHD (number of targets) m included in the shaded data S1 (S100). If the number of targets m is 0 (Y in S100), the control device 300 determines that the light is on (S102).

[0046] If the target number m is not zero (N in S100), the control device 300 initializes the variable i (S104). The control device 300 determines whether or not there are any ON pixels among the pixels PIXa surrounding the i-th shaded region SHDi among the pixels PIX1 in the control image IMG1 (S106). If there are ON pixels (Y in S106), the control device 300 determines that the region is in the ON state (S102). If there are no ON pixels (N in S106), the control device 300 determines whether i = m, i.e., whether checking has been completed for all shaded regions SHDi (S108). If i ≠ m (N in S108), the control device 300 increments the variable i (S110), and returns to processing S106 to perform the same processing for the next shaded region SHDi. If i = m (Y in S108), the control device 300 determines that the region is in the OFF state (S112), and ends processing.

[0047] The above is the lighting determination according to the first embodiment.

[0048] This determination method eliminates the need to determine whether all pixels PIX1 in the control image IMG1 are on or off, thereby reducing the load of determining whether the light is on. For example, suppose the control image IMG1 has 256 x 64 pixels. In this case, if all pixels are to be checked for on or off, 256 x 64 = 16,384 pixels must be checked.

[0049] In contrast, in the determination method according to the first embodiment, if the size of each light-blocking region is 256 x 64 pixels, the number of pixels surrounding it is 256 x 2 + 64 x 2 + 4 = 644. When the maximum number of targets m is 8, the number of pixels to be checked is 644 x 8 = 5152, which is a reduction of 31.4% compared to scanning all pixels. This is the most time-consuming case in the first embodiment; in reality, the size of the light-blocking region is smaller and the number of surrounding pixels is even smaller, so the reduction effect is even greater.

[0050] Second Embodiment Next, a lighting determination according to a second embodiment will be described.

[0051] In the first embodiment, regardless of the number m of light-shielded regions SHD, the on / off determination is performed for the plurality of pixels PIXa surrounding each light-shielded region. In contrast, in the second embodiment, when the number m is 3 or less, the processing is simplified.

[0052] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a first process of lighting determination according to the second embodiment.

[0053] When the number m is 3 or less, the control device 300 first determines whether each of the pixels PIXb (dotted) adjacent to the corner pixels (hereinafter referred to as corner pixels C) of each of the light-shielded areas SHD1 to SHDm in the control image IMG1 is on or off. If an on pixel is detected, the control device 300 determines that the pixel is in the lit state.

[0054] 6 is a diagram illustrating a second process for determining whether a light is on according to the second embodiment. If, as a result of the first process, no ON pixels are found among the corner-adjacent pixels, an ON / OFF determination is performed for each of a plurality of pixels (referred to as edge adjacent pixels) PIXc (marked with dots) adjacent to the pixels (referred to as edge pixels E) on the sides of each light-shielded region in the control image IMG1. If an ON pixel is detected, the light is determined to be on. If no ON pixel is detected in the second process, the light is determined to be off.

[0055] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of lighting determination according to the second embodiment.

[0056] The control device 300 checks the number of shaded areas SHD (number of targets) m included in the shaded data S1 (S200). If the number of targets m is 0 (Y in S200), the control device 300 determines that the light is on (S202).

[0057] When the number of targets m is 4 or more (N in S200, Y in S204), process P1 is executed. Process P1 corresponds to the process surrounded by the dashed line P1 in Fig. 4, and detects ON pixels from among the multiple pixels surrounding each light-blocking region.

[0058] If the number of targets m is 3 or less (N in S204), the first process is executed. First, the variable i is initialized (S206). The control device 300 determines whether there are any ON pixels among the pixels PIX1 in the control image IMG1 and among the multiple pixels PIXb adjacent to the corner pixel of the i-th shaded region SHDi (S208). If there are any ON pixels (Y in S208), the control device 300 determines that the pixel is in the ON state (S202). If there are no ON pixels (N in S208), the control device 300 determines whether i = m, i.e., whether checking has been completed for all shaded regions SHDi (S210). If i ≠ m (N in S210), the control device 300 increments the variable i (S212), and returns to process S208 to perform the same process for the next shaded region SHDi. If i = m (Y in S210), the control device 300 proceeds to process S208.

[0059] First, the variable i is initialized (S214). The control device 300 determines whether there are any ON pixels among the pixels PIX1 in the control image IMG1, among the multiple pixels PIXc adjacent to the edge pixel of the i-th light-shielded region SHDi (S216). If there are any ON pixels (Y in S216), the control device 300 determines that the region is in the ON state (S202). If there are no ON pixels (N in S216), the control device 300 determines whether i = m, that is, whether checking has been completed for all light-shielded regions SHDi (S218). If i ≠ m (N in S218), the control device 300 increments the variable i (S220), and returns to processing S216 to perform the same processing for the next light-shielded region SHDi. If i = m (Y in S218), the control device 300 determines that the region is in the OFF state (S222), and ends processing.

[0060] In the first and second embodiments, it is assumed that the light-shielded region SHD overlaps with portions of the base light distribution image IMG2 where pixel values ​​are non-zero (ON pixels). In contrast, in the third embodiment, the light-shielded region SHD is allowed not to overlap with ON pixels of the base light distribution image IMG2, or conversely, to overlap only with OFF pixels.

[0061] 8 is a diagram illustrating a light-shielded region SHD that does not overlap with ON pixels. The light-shielded regions SHD1 to SHD3 have a shape, size, and position such that they always overlap with ON pixels in the base light distribution image IMG2. On the other hand, the light-shielded regions SHD4 and SHD5 have a shape, size, and position such that they include only OFF pixels in the base light distribution image IMG2.

[0062] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating constraints imposed on the base light distribution image IMG2 in embodiment 3. Four base light distribution images IMG2a to IMG2d are shown in Fig. 9. The upper left base light distribution image IMG2a exemplarily shows an image that satisfies all constraints, while the remaining images do not satisfy the constraints. In Fig. 9, black pixels indicate off pixels, and gray to white pixels indicate on pixels.

[0063] Constraint 1. The base light distribution image IMG2 includes at least one ON pixel.

[0064] Constraint 2: All ON pixels must be contained in one continuous area (called the ON area).

[0065] Constraint 3: One ON region made up of ON pixels of the base light distribution image must be in contact with at least one of the four sides of the base light distribution image.

[0066] The base light distribution image IMG2d does not include any ON pixels and therefore does not satisfy constraint 1. The remaining base light distribution images IMG2a to IMG2d satisfy constraint 1.

[0067] The base light distribution image IMG2c forms two regions (ON regions) RON1 and RON2 where ON pixels are separated, and therefore does not satisfy constraint 2. The base light distribution images IMG2a and IMG2b include a single ON region RON1, and therefore satisfy constraint 2.

[0068] In the base light distribution image IMG2b, the ON region RON1 does not contact any of the four sides of the base light distribution image IMG2b, and therefore does not satisfy constraint condition 3. In the base light distribution image IMG2a, the ON region RON1 contacts the left side of the base light distribution image IMG2a, and therefore satisfies constraint condition 3.

[0069] That is, the base light distribution image IMG2a satisfies all of the constraints 1 to 3 and conforms to the lighting determination described below.

[0070] Next, a description will be given of lighting determination according to embodiment 3. The lighting determination according to embodiment 3 uses a base light distribution image IMG2 in addition to a control image IMG1.

[0071] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of lighting determination according to the third embodiment.

[0072] If there is no target, that is, if the number of targets m is 0 (Y in S300), the light is determined to be on (S302) and the process ends.

[0073] If a target object is present, that is, if m≠0 (N in S300), a preliminary determination (tentative determination) S304 is performed based on the control image IMG1. For the preliminary determination, the lighting determination process described in the first embodiment is performed. That is, the on / off status of pixels surrounding each light-blocked area in the control image IMG1 is checked (S304), and if an on pixel is detected in a position surrounding any of the light-blocked areas (Y in S304), the lighting state is determined (S302). If the lighting state is determined in the preliminary determination, this is considered correct and the process ends.

[0074] On the other hand, if no ON pixel is detected in the pre-determination S304 of the first embodiment (N in S304), it is provisionally determined to be in the OFF state (S308), and the post-determination S310 is performed.

[0075] In the main determination S310, an on / off determination is made for multiple pixels at the outermost periphery of each of all light-blocked regions in the base light distribution image IMG2. If an on pixel is detected at the outermost periphery of any of the light-blocked regions (Y in S310), a main determination is made that the light is off (S306), and the process ends. In other words, the off determination made in the previous determination S304 is confirmed to be correct.

[0076] Conversely, if all of the pixels at the outermost periphery of each of the light-blocking regions in the base light distribution image IMG2 are off pixels (N in S310), the off determination made in the previous determination is deemed to be incorrect, and the state is re-determined to be on (S302).

[0077] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the post-determination S310 in FIG. 10 . The control device 300 initializes a variable j (S312). The control device 300 determines whether or not there are ON pixels among the pixels of the base light distribution image IMG2 at the outermost periphery of the j-th light-shielded region SHDj (S314). If there is at least one ON pixel (Y in S314), the control device 300 determines that the light is off (S306).

[0078] In process S314, if there is no ON pixel (N in S314), it is determined whether j = m, that is, whether checking has been completed for all light-shielded areas SHDi (S316). If i ≠ m (N in S316), the variable j is incremented (S318), and the process returns to process S314 to perform the same process for the next light-shielded area SHDj. If j = m (Y in S316), it is determined to be in the lit state (SS302), and the process ends.

[0079] Several examples of this determination will be described.

[0080] 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of this determination. In this example, three light-blocking regions SHD1 to SHD3 are generated, and the light-on region RON of the base light distribution image IMG2 is entirely covered by the three light-blocking regions SHD1 to SHD3, so all pixels in the control image IMG1 are OFF.

[0081] When a provisional determination is made on the control image IMG1 in which all pixels are off, all pixels surrounding each of the light-shielded areas SHD1 to SHD3 are off pixels, so it is provisionally determined to be in an off state, and then a final determination is made.

[0082] In this determination, the base light distribution image IMG2 is referenced, and the on / off state of the pixels on the outermost periphery of the light-blocked region SHD1 is checked. In the example of Fig. 12, since there are on pixels on the outermost periphery, it is determined that the region is in the off state.

[0083] 13 is a diagram illustrating another example of this determination. In this example, two light-shielded regions SHD1 and SHD2 are generated, and the two light-shielded regions SHD1 and SHD2 completely cover the lit region RON of the base light distribution image IMG2, so all of the control image IMG1 becomes off pixels.

[0084] When a provisional determination is made on the control image IMG1 in which all pixels are off, it is provisionally determined to be in the off state, and then a final determination is made.

[0085] In this determination, the base light distribution image IMG2 is referenced, and the on / off state of the pixels on the outermost periphery of the light-shielded area SHD1 is checked. In the example of Fig. 13, since there are no on pixels on the outermost periphery, the next light-shielded area SHD2 is referenced. Then, the on / off state of the pixels on the outermost periphery of the light-shielded area SHD2 is checked. In the example of Fig. 13, since there are on pixels on the outermost periphery, it is determined that the light-shielded area is in the off state.

[0086] 14 is a diagram illustrating yet another example of this determination. In this example, three light-blocking regions SHD1 to SHD3 are generated. Since none of the three light-blocking regions SHD1 to SHD3 overlaps with the lit region RON of the base light distribution image IMG2, the control image IMG1 includes ON pixels.

[0087] 14, if a provisional determination is made on the control image IMG1 containing ON pixels and the light-shielded areas SHD1 to SHD3, the control image IMG1 and the light-shielded areas SHD1 to SHD3 will be erroneously determined to be in the OFF state, even though they are actually in the ON state. In order to correct this erroneous determination, the following main determination is made.

[0088] In this determination, the base light distribution image IMG2 is referenced, and the on / off status of the pixels on the outermost periphery of the shaded area SHD1 is checked. In this example, because there are no on pixels on the outermost periphery of the shaded area SHD1, the next shaded area SHD2 is referenced. Then, the on / off status of the pixels on the outermost periphery of the shaded area SHD2 is checked. Because there are no on pixels on the outermost periphery of the shaded area SHD2, the next shaded area SHD3 is referenced. There are also no on pixels on the outermost periphery of the shaded area SHD3. As a result, the provisional determination of the off state is deemed to be incorrect, and the determination is changed to the on state.

[0089] As described above, according to the third embodiment, correct determination is possible in a situation where the light-blocking region is generated without overlapping with the ON pixels of the base light distribution image.

[0090] 15 is a block diagram of a microcontroller. The microcontroller 800 includes a processor 810, a nonvolatile memory 820, a memory 830, and an interface circuit 840. The nonvolatile memory 820 is a flash memory, and is a storage medium for storing the above-mentioned software program 850 executed by the processor 810. The processor 810 loads the software program 850 into the memory 830 at startup and executes the instructions of the software program 850. The interface circuit 840 includes a universal asynchronous receiver and transmitter (UART), a three-wire serial interface, an I / O interface, and the like. ２ The components of the microcontroller 800 may include a serial interface such as a C bus interface, a CAN interface, a GPIO, an A / D converter, a D / A converter, etc. The components of the microcontroller 800 may be built into a single IC package, or may be a microcomputer board in which several IC packages are mounted on a printed circuit board.

[0091] The lighting determination according to the first and second embodiments is implemented by the CPU of the microcontroller 800 and a software program executed by the CPU. The above is an example of the implementation of the control device 300.

[0092] The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of the components and the processing steps. Such modifications will be described below.

[0093] In the embodiment, the variable light distribution lamp 210 has been described as an LED array, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the variable light distribution lamp 210 may be a combination of a light source and a spatial light modulator that patterns the light emitted from the light source. For example, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) or a liquid crystal device can be used as the spatial light modulator.

[0094] In the embodiment, the control device 300 is implemented as a microcontroller, but it may also be implemented as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0095] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described using specific terms, this description is merely an example to facilitate understanding and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure or the claims. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and therefore, embodiments, examples, and modifications not described herein are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0096] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle lamp.

[0097] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Lighting fixture system 110 Vehicle ECU 120 Target sensor 200 Vehicle lighting fixture 210 Variable light distribution lamp 212 Light-emitting device 300 Control device IMG1 Control image IMG2 Base light distribution image 4 High beam light distribution 6 Light-blocking area 8 Irradiation unit

Claims

1. A control device for controlling a matrix-type variable light distribution lamp, wherein the matrix-type variable light distribution lamp includes a plurality of control pixels that can be controlled according to a control image, and is configured so that an area where a high beam light distribution should be formed can be irradiated with a beam having an intensity distribution corresponding to the luminance distribution of the plurality of control pixels, and the control device obtains position information of one or more light-blocking areas, and generates the control image that instructs the state of the plurality of control pixels so that a light-blocking area is formed corresponding to each light-blocking area, (a) when the number of light-blocking areas is four or more, the control device makes an on / off judgment for each of a plurality of pixels in the control image that surrounds each light-blocking area, and when an on pixel is detected, it judges the lamp to be in a lit state, and when an on pixel is not detected, it judges the lamp to be in an off state.

2. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that (b) even when the number of the light-shielding areas is three or less, the control device judges whether each of the multiple pixels surrounding each light-shielding area in the control image is on or off, and if an on pixel is detected, it judges the state to be on, and if an on pixel is not detected, it judges the state to be off.

3. The control device according to claim 2, characterized in that the control device generates a base light distribution image that defines the light distribution when no light-blocking area exists, and generates the control image by turning off pixels included in the one or more light-blocking areas of the base light distribution image.

4. The control device according to claim 3, wherein the light-blocking region is generated so as to always overlap with ON pixels in the base light distribution image.

5. The control device according to claim 3, characterized in that the light-blocking area is allowed not to overlap with ON pixels in the base light distribution image, all ON pixels of the base light distribution image are included in one continuous area, and the one area of the base light distribution image is in contact with at least one of the four sides of the base light distribution image, and when the control device determines the off state in the process (a) or (b), it determines whether each of multiple pixels on the outermost periphery of each light-blocking area in the base light distribution image is on or off, and when at least one ON pixel is detected, it maintains the determination of the off state, and when all pixels are off, it re-determines the on state.

6. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: (c) when the number of the light-shielding areas is three or less, the control device performs an on / off determination for each of the pixels at the corners of each light-shielding area and adjacent pixels in the control image, and if an on pixel is detected, determines that the pixel is in a lit state; and (d) when no on pixel is detected in process (c), the control device performs an on / off determination for each of the pixels at the sides of each light-shielding area and adjacent pixels in the control image, and if an on pixel is detected, determines that the pixel is in a lit state, and if an on pixel is not detected, determines that the pixel is in an unlit state.

7. A control device for controlling a matrix-type variable light distribution lamp, wherein the matrix-type variable light distribution lamp includes a plurality of control pixels that can be controlled according to a control image, and is configured so that an area where a high beam light distribution should be formed can be irradiated with a beam having an intensity distribution corresponding to the luminance distribution of the plurality of control pixels, the control device: obtains position information of one or more light-blocking areas, and generates the control image that instructs the states of the plurality of control pixels so that a light-blocking area is formed corresponding to each light-blocking area; (c) when the number of light-blocking areas is three or less, it makes an on / off judgment for each of a plurality of pixels adjacent to a pixel at the corner of each light-blocking area in the control image, and if an on pixel is detected, it is judged to be in a lit state; (d) when no on pixel is detected in process (c), it makes an on / off judgment for each of a plurality of pixels adjacent to a pixel on the side of each light-blocking area in the control image, and if an on pixel is detected, it is judged to be in a lit state, 8. (a) When the number of the light-shielding areas is four or more, the control device described in claim 7 judges whether each of the pixels surrounding each light-shielding area in the control image is on or off, and when an on pixel is detected, it judges the state to be on, and when an on pixel is not detected, it judges the state to be off.

9. A vehicle lamp comprising: a control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and the matrix-type variable light distribution lamp.

10. A program for a control device that controls a matrix-type variable light distribution lamp, wherein the matrix-type variable light distribution lamp includes a plurality of control pixels that can be controlled according to a control image, and is configured so that an area where a high beam light distribution should be formed can be irradiated with a beam having an intensity distribution according to the luminance distribution of the plurality of control pixels, and the program causes a processor of the control device to execute the steps of: acquiring position information of one or more light-blocking areas; and (a) if the number of light-blocking areas is four or more, determining whether each of the plurality of pixels surrounding each light-blocking area in the control image is on or off, and determining that the lamp is in a lit state if an on pixel is detected, and determining that the lamp is in an off state if no on pixel is detected.

11. The program according to claim 10, characterized in that the program causes the processor to execute the following step: (b) even when the number of light-shielding areas is three or less, determine whether each of the multiple pixels surrounding each light-shielding area in the control image is on or off, and if an on pixel is detected, determine that the state is on, and if an on pixel is not detected, determine that the state is off.

12. The program according to claim 11, characterized in that the program causes the processor to execute the steps of: generating a base light distribution image that defines the light distribution when no shading area exists; and generating the control image by turning off pixels in the base light distribution image that are included in the one or more shading areas.

13. The program according to claim 12, wherein the light-blocking region is generated so as to always overlap with ON pixels in the base light distribution image.

14. The program according to claim 13, characterized in that the light-blocking areas are allowed not to overlap with ON pixels in the base light distribution image, all ON pixels of the base light distribution image are included in one continuous area, and the one area of the base light distribution image is in contact with at least one of the four sides of the base light distribution image, and the program causes the processor to execute the steps of: when the off state is determined in processing (a) or (b), determining whether each of multiple pixels on the outermost periphery of each light-blocking area in the base light distribution image is on or off; and when at least one on pixel is detected, maintaining the determination of the off state, and when all pixels are off, re-determining the on state.

15. The program according to claim 10, characterized in that the program causes the processor to: (c) if the number of light-shielding areas is three or less, determine whether each of the pixels at the corners of each light-shielding area and a plurality of adjacent pixels in the control image is on or off, and if an on pixel is detected, determine that the pixel is in a lit state; and (d) if no on pixel is detected in process (c), determine whether each of the pixels at the sides of each light-shielding area and a plurality of adjacent pixels in the control image is on or off, and if an on pixel is detected, determine that the pixel is in a lit state, and if an on pixel is not detected, determine that the pixel is in an off state.

16. A program for a control device that controls a matrix-type variable light distribution lamp, wherein the matrix-type variable light distribution lamp includes a plurality of control pixels that can be controlled according to a control image, and is configured so that an area where a high beam light distribution is to be formed can be irradiated with a beam having an intensity distribution corresponding to the luminance distribution of the plurality of control pixels, the program causing a processor of the control device to execute the following steps: (a) acquiring position information of one or more light-blocking areas; (b) generating the control image that instructs the states of the plurality of control pixels so that a light-blocking area is formed corresponding to each light-blocking area; (c) if the number of light-blocking areas is three or less, making an on / off determination for each of a plurality of pixels adjacent to a pixel at the corner of each light-blocking area in the control image, and determining that the lamp is in a lit state if an on pixel is detected; and (d) if no on pixel is detected in process (c), making an on / off determination for each of a plurality of pixels adjacent to a pixel on the side of each light-blocking area in the control image, and determining that the lamp is in a lit state if an on pixel is detected, and determining that the lamp is in an off state if an on pixel is not detected.

17. The program according to claim 16, characterized in that the program causes the processor to execute the steps of: (a) when the number of light-shielding areas is four or more, determining whether each of the pixels in the control image surrounding each light-shielding area is on or off, and determining that the pixel is in a lit state if an on pixel is detected, and determining that the pixel is in an off state if an on pixel is not detected.

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