Vehicle illumination device, vehicle illumination control method and recording medium storing a vehicle illumination control program

• US 20080101077A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Shinya
• Granted Patent: US 7,708,435 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/466
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle

Abstract

In light that is irradiated from a front light of a vehicle illumination device, a portion thereof is modulated to include a light signal, and a camera captures light from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle illumination device identifies luminance point(s) in the captured images of the camera, and also detects for the light signal, and extracts the luminance point(s) in the captured images other than the luminance point(s) with the detected light signal. The vehicle illumination device identifies segmented region(s) in the light distribution range of the front light that correspond to the extracted luminance point(s), and control is undertaken of the light distribution such that the identified segmented regions are made in a non-illuminating state, and the segmented regions other than those identified are illuminated. By doing so, control of the light distribution for light that is irradiated from the vehicle itself may be prevented.

Claims

1. A vehicle illumination device comprising:

a vehicle illumination unit having a light distribution that can be modified;

a light receiving unit that receives light from a vehicle'"'"'s surroundings;

a determination unit that determines, on the basis of the results of the light received by the light receiving unit, whether or not the light is reflected light from light that has been irradiated from the vehicle illumination unit;

a controller that controls the light distribution of the vehicle illumination unit such that when a determination has been made by the determination unit that the light is not reflected light from light that has been irradiated from the vehicle illumination unit, light that is irradiated from the vehicle illumination unit in the direction of the light received by the light receiving unit is either reduced or made non-illuminating.

2. The vehicle illumination device of claim 1, wherein the determination unit comprises an irradiation unit that generates a predetermined light signal, and the determination made by the determination unit as to whether or not the light is reflected light from light that has been irradiated from the vehicle illumination unit is made by detecting the light signal that has been irradiated by the irradiation unit based on the results of the light received by the light receiving unit.

3. The vehicle illumination device of claim 2, wherein a light source of the vehicle illumination unit comprises LED light sources and the irradiation unit generates the light signal by controlling driving of the LED light sources.

4. The vehicle illumination device of claim 1, wherein the determination unit comprises a switching section that switches an illumination state of the vehicle illumination unit, and the determination as to whether or not the light is reflected light from light that has been irradiated from the vehicle illumination unit is made by detecting the illumination state that has been switched by the switching section based on the results of the light received by the light receiving unit.

5. The vehicle illumination device of claim 4, wherein the vehicle illumination unit comprises a plurality of light sources, and the switching section switches the illumination state of a portion of the light sources in the plurality of light sources.

6. The vehicle illumination device of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a luminance point identification section that identifies luminance point(s) on the basis of the results of the light received by the light receiving unit; and

a luminance point extraction section, that, on the basis of the results of the determination by the determination unit, extracts the luminance point(s) that have been identified by the luminance point identification section that are other than the luminance point(s) corresponding to reflected light from the light that has been irradiated from the vehicle illumination unit, wherein the light distribution of the vehicle illumination unit is controlled such that light that is irradiated in the direction of the luminance point(s) extracted by the luminance point extraction section is reduced or made non-illuminating.

7. The vehicle illumination device of claim 6, wherein the controller controls the light distribution of the vehicle illumination unit such that, when there are a plurality of luminance points that have been extracted by the luminance point extraction section, light that is irradiated in the direction of the brightest luminance point thereof is reduced or made non-illuminating.

8. The vehicle illumination device of claim 6, wherein the controller controls the light distribution of the vehicle illumination unit such that, when there are a plurality of luminance points that have been extracted by the luminance point extraction section, light that is irradiated in the direction of the brightest two horizontally aligned luminance points thereof is reduced or made non-illuminating.

9. The vehicle illumination device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the light that is irradiated from the vehicle illumination unit comprises a modulated light signal.

10. The vehicle illumination device of claim 1, wherein the light that is irradiated from the vehicle illumination unit is switched such that at least a portion of the illumination state thereof changes.

11. The vehicle illumination device of claim 1, wherein the light irradiated from the vehicle illumination unit comprises identification information that identifies the vehicle itself.

12. A vehicle illumination control method comprising:

receiving light from a vehicle'"'"'s surroundings;

determining, on the basis of the results of the received light, whether or not the light is reflected light from light that has been irradiated from an illumination unit of the vehicle, the illumination unit having a light distribution that can be modified;

controlling the light distribution of the vehicle illumination unit such that when the determination has been made by a determination unit that the light that has been received is not reflected light from the light that has been irradiated from the vehicle illumination unit, light that is irradiated from the vehicle illumination unit in the direction of the received light is either reduced or made non-illuminating.

13. The vehicle illumination control method of claim 12, the method further comprising:

radiating light from the vehicle illumination unit before the light receiving, wherein the light radiated includes a light signal, and at least a portion of the light signal has been modulated, and

the determining is carried out on the basis of detection of inclusion of the light signal within the results of the received light.

14. The vehicle illumination control method of claim 12, the method further comprising:

radiating light from the vehicle illumination unit before the light receiving;

switching at least a portion of the light that is irradiated such that there is a change in an illumination state of that portion, wherein

the determining is carried out on the basis of a detected change in the illumination state.

15. The vehicle illumination control method of claim 12, the method further comprising:

radiating light from the vehicle illumination unit before the light receiving;

wherein the light radiated includes identification information that identifies the vehicle itself.

16. An information recording medium, the information recording medium having a vehicle illumination control program recorded thereon, the control program executing, in a computer, light distribution control of a vehicle illumination device, the light distribution control comprising:

receiving light from a vehicle'"'"'s surroundings with a light receiving unit;

determining, on the basis of the results of the received light, whether or not the light is reflected light from light that has been irradiated from an illumination unit of the vehicle, the illumination unit having a light distribution that can be modified;

controlling the light distribution of the vehicle illumination unit such that when it has been determined that the light that has been received by the light receiving unit is not reflected light from the light that has been irradiated from the vehicle illumination unit, light that is irradiated in the direction of the light that has been received by the light receiving unit is either reduced or made non-illuminating.