In-vehicle passive entry lighting control system

• US 10,311,313 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2016
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yamane, Katsuyasu, Konishi, Yasuhiro, Terui, Norio, Tsuchiya, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Torrente, Richard T
• Application Number:
  US15/334,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20170124404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 348148
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/605 the adjustment being automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8006 for monitoring and displaying scenes of vehicle interior, e.g. for monitoring passengers or cargo
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An in-vehicle equipment control system includes a mobile terminal configured to receive a request signal and transmit a response signal; and in-vehicle equipment having: an imaging part that images surroundings of the vehicle; an illumination part that radiates light; a transmission/reception part that periodically transmits a request signal to the surroundings of the vehicle and receive a response signal from the mobile terminal; an imaging controller that causes the imaging part to image an outside of the vehicle when the response signal is received by the transmission/reception part; an object recognition part that recognizes a presence of a hazardous object on the basis of the captured image; and an illumination controller that controls the illumination part to perform illumination in different ways when the hazardous object is recognized by the object recognition part and when the hazardous object is not recognized.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle equipment control system comprising:

a mobile terminal configured to receive a request signal transmitted from a vehicle and transmit a response signal to the vehicle according to the received request signal; and

in-vehicle equipment having;

an imaging part configured to image surroundings of the vehicle;

an illumination part installed at a fixed position of the vehicle and configured to radiate light;

a transmission/reception part configured to periodically transmit a request signal to the surroundings of the vehicle and receive a response signal from the mobile terminal;

an imaging controller configured to cause the imaging part to image an outside of the vehicle when the response signal is received by the transmission/reception part;

an object recognition part configured to recognize a presence of a hazardous object on the basis of the image imaged by the imaging part; and

an illumination controller configured to control the illumination part to perform illumination in different ways when the hazardous object is recognized by the object recognition part and when the hazardous object is not recognized,

wherein the object recognition part determines whether the hazardous object is recognized at a boarding/deboarding position of the vehicle,

wherein, when a hazardous object is recognized by the object recognition part, the illumination controller causes the illumination part to illuminate a guide path, which guides a user who carries the mobile terminal to the boarding/deboarding position of the vehicle, at a region in which the hazardous object is not present.

2. The in-vehicle equipment control system according to claim 1,

wherein the in-vehicle equipment further comprises a person recognition part configured to recognize a presence of a person who approaches the vehicle on the basis of the image imaged by the imaging part, and

wherein the object recognition part performs processing of recognizing the presence of the hazardous object when a person who approaches the vehicle is recognized by the person recognition part.

3. The in-vehicle equipment control system according to claim 1,

wherein the illumination part is able to change a region that radiates light, and

wherein the illumination controller controls the illumination part to radiate light to a region except for the recognized hazardous object when the hazardous object is recognized by the object recognition part.

4. The in-vehicle equipment control system according to claim 1,

wherein the illumination part is able to change a direction in which light is radiated, and

wherein, when the hazardous object is recognized by the object recognition part, the illumination controller controls the illumination part not to illuminate the hazardous object by changing a direction in which the illumination part illuminates.

5. The in-vehicle equipment control system according to claim 1,

wherein the illumination part has at least two light sources to illuminate different directions, and

wherein, when the hazardous object is recognized by the object recognition part, the illumination controller controls the illumination part to prohibit emission of the light source in a direction in which the hazardous object is illuminated and turn on other light sources among the light sources provided in the illumination parts.

6. The in-vehicle equipment control system according to claim 1,

wherein the illumination part has at least a first emission part configured to emit light of a first wavelength and a second emission part configured to emit light of a second wavelength, and

wherein, when the hazardous object is recognized by the object recognition part, the illumination controller controls the illumination part to cause the first emission part to illuminate the hazardous object and cause the second emission part to illuminate other region.

7. The in-vehicle equipment control system according to claim 1,

wherein the object recognition part extracts a region where a position of the recognized hazardous object is disposed among a predetermined plurality of regions corresponding to each of boarding/deboarding positions of a plurality of doors provided in the vehicle, and

wherein, when at least one region the hazardous object is disposed is extracted by the object recognition part, the illumination controller controls the illumination part to perform illumination on the extracted region in a different way from a way performed on the non-extraction region.

8. The in-vehicle equipment control system according to claim 1,

wherein the hazardous object is a puddle.

9. The in-vehicle equipment control system according to claim 1,

wherein the vehicle performs communication with the mobile terminal at predetermined periods in a state in which connection to the mobile terminal is securely established, and

the mobile terminal has a display image that displays an image showing a position of the hazardous object on the basis of the communication result.