阅读说明：本技术 车辆用灯具系统、成对的左前大灯和右前大灯 (Vehicle lamp system, and paired left and right headlamps ) 是由 北泽达磨 向岛健太 于 2019-08-22 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供车辆用灯具系统、成对的左前大灯和右前大灯,其能够解决本发明所要解决的问题的至少一个。左红外照明装置(220L)设置于车辆的左侧,照射出红外的左探测光(PRB＿L)。右红外照明装置(220R)设置于车辆的右侧,照射出红外的右探测光(PRB＿R)。左探测光(PRB＿L)的照射区域和右探测光(PRB＿R)的照射区域不同。(The invention provides a vehicle lamp system, a pair of left and right headlamps, which can solve at least one of the problems to be solved by the invention. A left infrared illumination device (220L) is provided on the left side of the vehicle and emits a left infrared probe light (PRB _ L). A right infrared illumination device (220R) is provided on the right side of the vehicle and emits a right probe light (PRB _ R) in the infrared. The irradiation area of the left probe beam (PRB _ L) is different from the irradiation area of the right probe beam (PRB _ R).)

1. A lamp system for a vehicle, characterized by comprising:

a left infrared illumination device that is provided on the left side of the vehicle and irradiates left detection light of infrared; and

a right infrared illumination device that is provided on a right side of the vehicle and irradiates right detection light of an infrared,

the irradiation area of the left probe light and the irradiation area of the right probe light are different.

2. The vehicular lamp system according to claim 1,

the intensities of the left probe light and the right probe light and/or the light distributions of the left infrared illumination device and the right infrared illumination device are controlled independently and adaptively according to a driving scene.

3. The vehicular lamp system according to claim 1 or 2,

the remote illumination device, which is one of the left infrared illumination device and the right infrared illumination device, has a light distribution that mainly illuminates a remote place,

the side illumination device, which is the other of the left infrared illumination device and the right infrared illumination device, has a light distribution that mainly irradiates the side widely.

4. The vehicular lamp system according to claim 3,

the intensity of the probe light emitted from the remote illumination device is higher when the vehicle travels on a straight road than when the vehicle travels on a curved road.

5. The vehicular lamp system according to claim 3 or 4,

the intensity of the probe light emitted from the side illumination device is higher when the vehicle travels on a curve than when the vehicle travels on a straight road.

6. The vehicular lamp system according to claim 3,

the light distribution of the remote illumination device and/or the intensity of the probe light generated by the remote illumination device correspond to the vehicle speed.

7. The vehicular lamp system according to claim 3,

the light distribution of the side illumination device and/or the intensity of the probe light generated by the side illumination device corresponds to the steering angle.

8. The vehicular lamp system according to any one of claims 3 to 7,

the side illumination device has a dark light distribution in the center and has regions brighter than the center on the left and right sides.

9. The vehicular lamp system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,

the left infrared illuminating device and the light distribution variable lamp are arranged in the left headlamp together,

the right infrared illuminating device and the light distribution variable lamp are arranged in the right front headlamp together.

10. The vehicular lamp system according to claim 9,

the side lighting device is arranged in a headlamp on the reverse lane side,

the remote lighting device is built in a headlamp on the opposite side of the side lighting device.

11. The vehicular lamp system according to claim 9 or 10,

and a camera having sensitivity to infrared rays,

the light distribution pattern of the light distribution variable lamp is controlled based on an image obtained by capturing the probe light by the camera.

12. A pair of a right headlamp and a left headlamp is characterized in that,

the right front headlight and the left headlight each have:

a light distribution variable lamp; and

an infrared illumination device that irradiates infrared detection light,

the right headlamp and the left headlamp are different in irradiation area of the infrared illumination device.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp system.

Background

The vehicle lamp plays an important role at night or during safe driving in a tunnel. If the front of the vehicle is illuminated brightly over a wide range in priority to the visibility of the driver, there is a problem that the driver or pedestrian who is ahead of the host vehicle, or the driver or pedestrian who is in the opposite direction, is dazzled.

In recent years, an adb (adaptive Driving beam) technique has been proposed, which dynamically and adaptively controls a light distribution pattern of a headlamp based on a state of the surroundings of a vehicle. The ADB technique is a technique for detecting the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle or a pedestrian, and reducing glare on a driver or a pedestrian of the preceding vehicle by dimming or turning off a region corresponding to the preceding vehicle or the pedestrian. In ADB control and automatic driving, detection of a preceding vehicle, a following vehicle, and a pedestrian (hereinafter, collectively referred to as a target) is extremely important.

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the light distribution of a headlamp. The light distribution includes a portion a extending to a distant place and a portion B extending in the left-right direction. The light distributions PTN _ L and PTN _ R of left headlamp 110L and right headlamp 110R can be said to be substantially the same.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a case of traveling on a straight road. The preceding vehicle 2 is irradiated by the portion a, and the pedestrian 4 on the shoulder is irradiated by the portion B. The irradiation intensity is relatively high in the portion a for irradiating a distant place, and is relatively low in the portion B for suppressing dazzling of a pedestrian. By capturing an image of the front of the vehicle with a camera and performing image processing, the preceding vehicle 2 and the pedestrian 4 can be detected and recognized.

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2014-216087

The present inventors have studied a method of irradiating a probe light of infrared rays to the front of a vehicle and detecting a preceding vehicle, a following vehicle, and a pedestrian by the reflected light thereof, and as a result, they have recognized several problems.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating one of the problems in the case of using infrared probe light. The light distribution shown in fig. 1 is formed by the left and right headlights 110L and 110R, respectively, with a light source of infrared probe light incorporated therein. When driving around a curve as shown in fig. 3, the portion a can illuminate the pedestrian 6 on the shoulder. Since the white headlight can be visually recognized by a pedestrian, evasive action such as squinting or turning can be taken.

However, since the infrared probe light is not visually recognized by human eyes, the pedestrian cannot notice the infrared probe light, and there is a possibility that strong infrared light is irradiated to the pedestrian, which is not preferable.

In addition, when a light source of infrared probe light is incorporated in a headlamp, there may be no room for adding a new optical system. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to form a pattern including the portion a and the portion B only by a light source on one side.

Furthermore, these problems are not to be understood as a general knowledge of the person skilled in the art.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an exemplary object of an aspect of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp system capable of solving at least one of the above problems.

An aspect of the present invention relates to a vehicle lamp system. The vehicle lamp system includes: a left infrared illumination device that is provided on the left side of the vehicle and irradiates left detection light of infrared; and a right infrared illumination device that is provided on the right side of the vehicle and irradiates right detection light in the infrared. The irradiation area of the left probe light and the irradiation area of the right probe light are different.

In addition, any combination of the above-described constituent elements is effective as an embodiment of the present invention, in which the expression of the present invention is converted between a method, an apparatus, a system, and the like.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, at least one of the above problems can be solved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the light distribution of a headlamp.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a case of traveling on a straight road.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating one of the problems in the case of using infrared probe light.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the vehicle lamp system according to the embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a case where the automobile according to embodiment 1 travels on a straight road.

Fig. 6 (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating dynamic control of the irradiation pattern PTN _ F, PTN _ S in embodiment 1.

Fig. 7 (a) and (b) are diagrams for explaining control of the irradiation pattern based on the steering angle.

Fig. 8 (a) and (b) are diagrams showing a positional relationship between the host vehicle and the pedestrian, which are likely to cause an accident.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a case where the automobile according to embodiment 2 travels on a straight road.

Fig. 10 (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating side irradiation patterns according to a modification.

Description of the reference numerals

200 vehicle lamp system

210 light distribution variable lamp

220 infrared lighting device

220L left infrared illuminating device

220R right infrared illuminating device

230 camera

100 automobile

110L left headlight

110R right front headlight

110 front headlight

2 preceding vehicle

4. 6 pedestrian

Detailed Description

(outline of embodiment)

One embodiment disclosed in the present specification relates to a lamp system for a vehicle. The vehicle lamp system includes: a left infrared illumination device that is provided on the left side of the vehicle and irradiates left detection light of infrared; and a right infrared illumination device that is provided on the right side of the vehicle and irradiates right detection light in the infrared. The irradiation area of the left probe light and the irradiation area of the right probe light are different.

By sharing different irradiation regions between the left and right infrared illumination devices, the configuration and structure of each infrared illumination device can be simplified.

The intensities of the left probe light and the right probe light and/or the light distributions of the left infrared illumination device and the right infrared illumination device may be adaptively controlled independently according to the driving scene. This prevents strong infrared light from being emitted to pedestrians, and enables a distant vehicle to be reliably detected.

The distant-side illumination device, which is one of the left infrared illumination device and the right infrared illumination device, may have a light distribution for mainly illuminating a distant place, and the side illumination device, which is the other of the left infrared illumination device and the right infrared illumination device, may have a light distribution for mainly illuminating a side with a wide width. The configuration and structure of the infrared illumination device can be simplified by assigning the illumination region for the far side and the illumination region for the side to the right and left infrared illumination devices.

The intensity of the probe light emitted from the remote illumination device may be higher when the vehicle travels on a straight road than when the vehicle travels on a curved road. Thus, a vehicle in a farther distance can be detected when traveling on a straight road, and strong infrared light can be prevented from being irradiated to pedestrians on the shoulder of a road when traveling on a curve.

The intensity of the probe light emitted from the side illumination device may be higher when the vehicle travels on a curve than when the vehicle travels on a straight line. This makes it possible to widely radiate light during curve traveling, and to detect pedestrians and oncoming vehicles.

The light distribution of the remote illumination device and/or the intensity of the probe light emitted therefrom may be in accordance with the vehicle speed. The light distribution of the side illumination device and/or the intensity of the probe light emitted therefrom may correspond to the steering angle.

The light distribution of the side illumination device may be dark in the center and may have regions brighter than the center on the left and right sides. In the case of visible light, if the center is dark, the driver feels uncomfortable, and therefore the center needs to be bright. On the other hand, when infrared light is used, it is not visually recognized by the driver, and therefore, even if the illuminance at the center is low, the driver does not feel uncomfortable. Therefore, the portion of the road shoulder where the existence probability of the pedestrian is high is relatively strongly irradiated, and the pedestrian is more easily detected.

Alternatively, the left infrared illumination device and the light distribution variable lamp may be built in the left headlamp, and the right infrared illumination device and the light distribution variable lamp may be built in the right headlamp.

The side illumination device may be provided on the reverse lane side, and the remote illumination device may be provided on the side opposite to the side illumination device. This makes it possible to strongly irradiate a range which tends to be a blind spot, and to easily detect pedestrians, bicycles, and the like.

The vehicle lighting system may further include a camera having sensitivity to infrared rays. The light distribution pattern of the light distribution variable lamp may be controlled based on an image of the probe light captured by the camera.

(embodiment mode)

The above is an outline of the vehicle lamp system. The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The embodiments are not intended to limit the invention but to exemplify the invention, and all the features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily limited to the essential contents of the invention. The same or equivalent components, members and processes shown in the respective drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted as appropriate. The scale and shape of each part shown in the drawings are set for convenience of explanation, and are not to be construed as limiting unless otherwise specified. In addition, when the terms "1 st", "2 nd", and the like are used in the present specification or claims, the terms do not denote any order or importance, but are used to distinguish one structure from another.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the vehicle lamp system 200 according to the embodiment. The automobile 100 has a left infrared illumination device 220L and a right infrared illumination device 220R. Left infrared illumination device 220L is built in left headlamp 110L together with light distribution variable lamp 210L. Similarly, the right infrared illumination device 220R is built in the right front headlight 110R together with the light distribution variable lamp 210R.

The light distribution variable lamps 210L and 210R are headlamps and emit white light beams toward the front of the vehicle. Infrared illumination devices 220L and 220R emit probe light PRB _ L, PRB _ R for detecting an object in front of the vehicle. The infrared probe light PRB is reflected by a target in front of the vehicle. The camera 230 has sensitivity in the infrared region and captures reflected light of the infrared probe light PRB reflected by the target. By processing the image of the camera 230, the shape of the object or the type of the object can be determined. The information on the target obtained in this way can be used for automatic driving, and can also be used for controlling the light distribution pattern of the white luminous flux of the light distribution variable lamps 210L and 210R.

For example, the irradiation pattern of the probe light PRB _ L, PRB _ R can be determined so that both a pedestrian on the side of the vehicle and a vehicle far from the vehicle can be easily detected. More specifically, the probe light PRB may be irradiated to a region RGN _ SIDE (hatched) on the SIDE of the vehicle and a region RGN _ FRONT (dotted) on the FRONT of the vehicle.

If it is desired to configure the left infrared illumination device 220L (220R) so as to illuminate the entire T-shaped region including both the regions RGN _ SIDE and RGN _ FRONT, there is a problem that the circuit of the optical system becomes complicated. In particular, when the infrared illumination device 220 is incorporated in the headlamp 110, since an optical system for forming a white light beam already exists, there is a problem that it is difficult to secure a sufficient space in connection with patterning of the infrared detection light.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the irradiation areas are made different by the probe light PRB _ L of the left infrared illumination device 220L and the probe light PRB _ R of the right infrared illumination device 220R. For example, one of the infrared illumination devices 220L and 220R can have a light distribution for illuminating a distant area, and the other can have a light distribution for illuminating a nearby area with a wide width.

More specifically, one of the infrared illuminators 220L and 220R mainly illuminates the SIDE region RGN _ SIDE, and the other illuminates the FRONT region RGN _ FRONT. That is, the irradiation pattern PTN _ S is formed in a region including the left and right SIDE regions RGN _ SIDE by one of the infrared illumination devices 220L and 220R. In addition, the irradiation pattern PTN _ F of the probe light is irradiated to the region including the FRONT region RGN _ FRONT by the other of the infrared illuminators 220L and 220R.

The above is the structure of the vehicle lamp system 200. The advantages thereof will be explained next. According to the vehicle lamp system 200, the infrared illumination device can be simplified in structure and structure by sharing different irradiation regions between the left and right headlights 110L, 110R for generating the infrared detection light. In the example of fig. 4, one of the infrared illumination devices 220L and 220R is configured to form a long light beam in the lateral direction (y direction) of the vehicle, and the other thereof forms a long light beam in the longitudinal direction (x direction) of the vehicle. This can simplify the structure of the infrared illumination device 220 more than the case where the T-shaped region is illuminated by 1 infrared illumination device 220.

(embodiment 1)

In embodiment 1, a front illumination pattern PTN _ F is assigned to left infrared illumination apparatus 220L, and a side illumination pattern PTN _ S is assigned to right infrared illumination apparatus 220R.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a case where the automobile 1A according to embodiment 1 travels on a straight road. The preceding vehicle 2 is irradiated with a front irradiation pattern PTN _ F generated by the left infrared illumination device 220L of the left headlamp 110L, and the shoulder pedestrian 4 is irradiated with a side irradiation pattern PTN _ S generated by the right infrared illumination device 220R of the right headlamp 110R.

Each of the left infrared illumination device 220L and the right infrared illumination device 220R is capable of independently and adaptively controlling the intensity and/or the light distribution of the probe light according to the driving scene. For example, the intensity of the front illumination pattern PTN _ F generated by the left infrared illumination device 220L may be relatively increased in a straight line and relatively decreased in a curve.

The intensity of the side illumination pattern PTN _ S generated by the right infrared illumination device 220R may be relatively weak in a straight line and relatively strong in a curve.

Fig. 6 (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating adaptive control of the irradiation pattern PTN _ F, PTN _ S in embodiment 1. Fig. 6 (a) shows an illumination pattern PTN _ F, PTN _ S in straight-line driving, and fig. 6 (b) shows an illumination pattern PTN _ F, PTN _ S in curve driving.

In fig. 6 (a) and (b), a solid line indicating the irradiation pattern PTN _ F, PTN _ S indicates a range in which the intensity is higher than a certain threshold value. If the intensity is increased, the range exceeding the threshold value becomes wider, and if the intensity is decreased, the range exceeding the threshold value becomes narrower. As shown in fig. 6 (a), by increasing the intensity of the forward irradiation pattern PTN _ F during straight-line traveling, the range to which the infrared probe light reaches is widened, and the vehicle 2a at a farther distance can be detected. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 6 (b), by reducing the intensity of the forward irradiation pattern PTN _ F during the curve traveling, it is possible to prevent the pedestrian 4a present at the shoulder of the road on the front of the vehicle from being irradiated with strong infrared light. As shown in fig. 6 (b), the intensity of the side irradiation pattern PTN _ S is increased in the curve, and the reverse vehicle 2b is easily detected.

Further, there is an advantage that the unnecessary power consumption can be reduced by dynamically and adaptively changing the irradiation pattern.

As described above, the side illumination pattern PTN _ S and the front illumination pattern PTN _ F can be flexibly changed because they are respectively assigned to the left infrared illumination device 220L and the right infrared illumination device 220R. When a pattern including both the side illumination pattern PTN _ S and the front illumination pattern PTN _ F is generated by the infrared illumination device 220L, it can be said that it is difficult to independently control the 2 portions.

The irradiation pattern PTN _ F, PTN _ S may be changed according to the vehicle speed and the steering angle.

For example, on an expressway, the vehicle speed exceeds 80km/h, and therefore, it is necessary to detect a distant object, and there is no pedestrian on the shoulder. On the other hand, when traveling at a speed of 40km or less, it can be said that there is a high possibility that a pedestrian is present in the vicinity of the vehicle including the shoulder of the road, and the distance to the target to be detected is short. Therefore, the intensity of the front irradiation pattern PTN _ F may be changed according to the vehicle speed.

Fig. 7 (a) and (b) are diagrams for explaining control of the irradiation pattern based on the steering angle. Fig. 7 (a) shows a case when the intersection turns right, and fig. 7 (b) shows a case when the intersection turns left. (i) A state in which the steering angle is small, and (ii) a state in which the steering angle is large. When the intersection turns right or left, the steering angle becomes large. In this case, by increasing the intensity of the side irradiation pattern PTN _ S, it is easy to detect pedestrians 4c, 4d, bicycles, and other vehicles in the intersection. Further, the intensity of the front irradiation pattern PTN _ F may be decreased as the steering angle becomes larger. This can prevent the reverse vehicle 2c from being strongly irradiated with the infrared detection light.

An infrared illumination device for generating the side illumination pattern PTN _ S may be provided on the reverse lane side, and an infrared illumination device for generating the front illumination pattern PTN _ F may be provided on the opposite side to the reverse lane side. In this point of view, embodiment 1 is effective for countries and regions that pass on the left side. The reason for this will be explained.

It is known that in the event of a pedestrian accident, the proportion of pedestrians on the reverse lane side is high. Fig. 8 (a) and (b) are diagrams showing a positional relationship between the host vehicle and the pedestrian, which are likely to cause an accident. The solid line shows the side illumination pattern PTN _ S generated by the right infrared illumination device 220R. The broken line shows the side illumination pattern PTN _ S' when the same pattern is generated by the left infrared illumination device 220L. In countries and regions where pedestrians pass on the left, the pedestrians 4e and 4f can be easily detected by assigning the side illumination pattern PTN _ S to the right infrared illumination device 220R which is the reverse lane side.

(embodiment 2)

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a case where the automobile 1B according to embodiment 2 travels on a straight road. In embodiment 2, a front illumination pattern PTN _ F is assigned to right infrared illumination device 220R, and a side illumination pattern PTN _ S is assigned to left infrared illumination device 220L. The others are the same as those in embodiment 1.

The 2 nd embodiment is particularly effective in countries, regions for right-hand traffic.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. The present embodiment is an example, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications can be realized in combinations of these respective components and respective processing procedures, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. Next, such a modification will be described.

(modification 1)

The shape of the side irradiation pattern PTN _ S is not limited to the above. Fig. 10 (a) and (b) are diagrams illustrating a side irradiation pattern PTN _ S according to a modification. In fig. 10 (a), the left and right sides are irradiated separately. As shown in fig. 10 (b), the left and right sides are irradiated in dots, and an irradiation pattern is formed so as to connect the areas therebetween. In the case of visible light, if the center is dark, the driver feels uncomfortable, and therefore the center needs to be bright. On the other hand, when infrared light is used, it is not visually recognized by the driver, and therefore, even if the illuminance at the center is low, the driver does not feel uncomfortable. Therefore, the pedestrian can be detected more easily by irradiating the portion of the road shoulder where the existence probability of the pedestrian is high relatively strongly.

(modification 2)

In the embodiment, the case where left and right infrared illumination devices 220L and 220R are incorporated in left and right headlamps 110L and 110R has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The left and right infrared lighting devices 220L and 220R may be provided as separate units from the left and right headlamps 110L and 110R.

(modification 3)

In the embodiment, the intensities of the probe lights generated by the left infrared illumination device 220L and the right infrared illumination device 220R are adaptively controlled, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the shape and the irradiation range of the pattern formed by the probe lights may be dynamically controlled.

The present invention has been described based on the embodiments using specific terms, but the embodiments are merely one mode of illustrating the principle and application of the present invention, and in the embodiments, many modifications and changes in arrangement are recognized within the scope not departing from the idea of the present invention defined in the claims.