VEHICLE LIGHT DISTRIBUTION CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD
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Abstract
A vehicle light distribution control apparatus includes a camera configured to capture a scene in a forward direction of the vehicle; a lighting apparatus configured to illuminate a forward direction of the vehicle with illumination light; and a controller configured to detect an image portion in an image captured by the camera as an object estimated as another vehicle when the image portion meets a predetermined criterion, and control a light distribution of the illumination light based on a detection result, wherein if the controller detects the object estimated as another vehicle within an illumination region of the illumination light, it limits the illumination region of the illumination light such that the object estimated as another vehicle is not illuminated by the illumination light, and then if it does not detect an object estimated as another vehicle within a non-illumination region of the illumination light due to the limitation, it restricts a cancellation of the limitation of the illumination region of the illumination light until a predetermined cancellation criteria is met.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1-8. -8. (canceled)
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9. A vehicle light distribution control apparatus, comprising:
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a camera configured to capture a scene in a forward direction of the vehicle; a lighting apparatus configured to illuminate a forward direction of the vehicle with illumination light; and a controller configured to detect an image portion in an image captured by the camera as an object estimated as another vehicle when the image portion meets a predetermined criterion, and control a light distribution of the illumination light based on a detection result, wherein if the controller detects the object estimated as another vehicle within an illumination region of the illumination light, the controller limits the illumination region of the illumination light such that the object estimated as another vehicle is not illuminated by the illumination light;
then if the image portion related to the object detected as the object estimated as another vehicle does not meet the predetermined criterion, the controller cancels the limitation on the illumination region of the illumination light and determines that the object detected as the object estimated as another vehicle is a reflecting object other than another vehicle; and
then even if an image portion related to the object determined as the reflecting object other than another vehicle meets the predetermined criterion, the controller prohibits the limitation on the illumination region of the illumination light with respect to the image portion related to the object. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of controlling a vehicle light distribution, comprising:
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obtaining an image from a camera which captures a scene in a forward direction of the vehicle; illuminating a forward direction of the vehicle with illumination light of a lighting apparatus; detecting an image portion in an image captured by the camera as an object estimated as another vehicle when the image portion meets a predetermined criterion; limiting an illumination region of the illumination light such that the object estimated as another vehicle is not illuminated by the illumination light if the object estimated as another vehicle is detected within the illumination region of the illumination light; canceling the limitation on the illumination region of the illumination light and determining that the object detected as the object estimated as another vehicle is a reflecting object other than another vehicle, if the image portion related to the object detected as the object estimated as another vehicle does not meet the predetermined criterion after limiting the illumination region of the illumination light; and prohibiting the limitation on the illumination region of the illumination light with respect to an image portion related to the object determined as the reflecting object other than another vehicle, even if the image portion meets the predetermined criterion.
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Specification