VEHICULAR HEADLIGHT APPARATUS

• US 20150003087A1
• Filed: 09/18/2014
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Futamura, Shinichi, Mizuno, Ryu, MASUDA, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,415,718 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/466
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• 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 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/122 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/334 on motorways
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/45 Special conditions, e.g. pedestrians, road signs or potential dangers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes

Abstract

The vehicular headlight apparatus includes a control means configured to change a light illumination area following a position of a detected target object until a shift angle between a reference direction and a direction to the target object with respect to a headlight is calculated to exceed a maximum limit shift angle, and configured to, when a vehicle speed is detected to exceed a predetermined threshold value, set the maximum limit shift angle to a small deflection angle, and change the present light illumination area to a low-beam light illumination area covered by the headlight in a low-beam state if the shift angle is calculated to exceed the maximum limit shift angle set to the small deflection angle.

Claims

1. A vehicular headlight apparatus comprising:

a headlight which illuminates ahead of a vehicle;

changing means for changing a light illumination area of the headlight;

recognition means for recognizing ahead of the vehicle;

analyzing means for calculating a position of a given target object based on data outputted from said recognition means;

vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a speed of the vehicle; and

control means for controlling the changing means, when the given target object is detected, said control means working to change the light illumination area through said changing means in order to minimize dazzling to the given target objet based on analysis results derived by said analyzing means,

wherein when the speed of the vehicle, as detected by said vehicle speed detecting means, exceeds a given threshold value, said control means changes the light illumination area to a low-beam light illumination area earlier than when the speed of the vehicle is lower than the given threshold value.

2. A vehicular headlight apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said analyzing means detects the given target object and calculates positions of the given target object in a vertical direction and a width-wise direction thereof based on the data, as outputted from said recognition means, further comprising:

reference direction determining means for determining a reference direction with respect to a direction of light emission of the headlight when the target object is detected;

shift angle calculating means for calculating, as a shift angle, an angle between the reference direction and a direction to the target object based on a location where the headlight is mounted;

first storage means for storing a maximum deflection angle set to a maximum limit shift angle that is a maximum value of said shift angle for following the target object, wherein when the target object is detected, the control means changes the light illumination area until the shift angle exceeds the maximum deflection angle based on the analysis results derived by said analyzing means in order to follow the target object, further comprising second storage means for storing a small deflection angle smaller than the maximum deflection angle, and wherein the control means is configured to, when the vehicle speed is detected to exceed the given threshold value, set the maximum limit shift angle to the small deflection angle, and change the light illumination area to a low-beam light illumination area covered by the headlight in a low-beam state when the shift angle, as calculated by said shift angle calculating means, has exceeded the small deflection angle.

3. A vehicular headlight apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said analyzing means detects the given target object and calculates a distance to the given target object based on the data, as outputted from said recognition means, and wherein when the target object is detected, said control means changes the light illumination area so as to follow the target object based on the analysis results, as derived by the analyzing means, until the calculated distance drops below a given distance and, when the speed of the vehicle, as detected by said vehicle speed detecting means, exceeds the given threshold value, also increases the given distance to be longer than when the speed of the vehicle does not exceed the given threshold value.

4. A vehicular headlight apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the given target object is an oncoming vehicle.

5. A vehicular headlight apparatus comprising:

a headlight which illuminates ahead of a vehicle;

changing means for changing a light illumination area of the headlight;

recognition means for recognizing ahead of the vehicle;

analyzing means for calculating a position of a given target object based on data outputted from said recognition means;

relative speed detecting means for detecting a relative speed of the given target object; and

control means for controlling the changing means, when the given target object is detected, said control means working to change the light illumination area in order to minimize dazzling to the given target objet based on analysis results derived by said analyzing means,

wherein when the relative speed of the target object, as detected by said vehicle relative speed detecting means, exceeds a given threshold value, said control means changes the light illumination area to be narrower than when the relative speed does not exceed the given threshold value.

6. A vehicular headlight apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein when the relative speed, as detected by said relative speed detecting means, exceeds the given threshold value, said control means changes the light illumination area to a low-beam light illumination area earlier than when the relative speed does not exceed the given threshold value.

7. A vehicular headlight apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said controlling means excludes an area where the target object is present from an area to be illuminated by the headlight, thereby changing the light illumination area, and wherein when the relative speed of the target object, as detected by said vehicle relative speed detecting means, exceeds the given threshold value, said control means changes the excluded area to be wider than when the relative speed does not exceed the given threshold value.

8. A vehicular headlight apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the relative speed detecting means includes a radar.

9. A vehicular headlight apparatus comprising:

a headlight which illuminates ahead of a vehicle;

changing means for changing a light illumination area of the headlight;

recognition means for recognizing ahead of the vehicle;

analyzing means for calculating a type and a position of a given target object based on data outputted from said recognition means; and

control means for controlling the changing means, when the given target object is detected, said control means working to change the light illumination area in order to minimize dazzling to the given target objet based on analysis results derived by said analyzing means,

wherein when the type of the target object is determined to be an oncoming vehicle, said control means changes the light illumination area to be narrower than when the type of the target object is determined not to be an oncoming vehicle.

10. A vehicular headlight apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein when the type of the target object is determined to be an oncoming vehicle, said control means changes the light illumination area to a low-beam light illumination area earlier than when the type of the target object is determined not to be an oncoming vehicle.

11. A vehicular headlight apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein said controlling means excludes an area where the target object is present from an area to be illuminated by the headlight, thereby changing the light illumination area, and wherein when the target object is determined to be an oncoming vehicle, said control means changes the excluded area to be wider than when the target object is determined not to be an oncoming vehicle.

12. A vehicular headlight apparatus comprising:

a headlight which illuminates ahead of a vehicle;

changing means for changing a light illumination area of the headlight;

recognition means for recognizing ahead of the vehicle;

analyzing means for calculating a position of a given target object based on data outputted from said recognition means;

turning condition detecting means for detecting a given parameter representing a turning condition of the vehicle; and

control means for controlling the changing means, when the given target object is detected, said control means working to change the light illumination area in order to minimize dazzling to the given target objet based on analysis results derived by said analyzing means,

wherein when the given parameter representing the turning condition of the vehicle, as detected by said turning condition detecting means, exceeds a given threshold value, said control means changes the light illumination area to be narrower than when the given parameter does not exceed the given threshold value.

13. A vehicular headlight apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein when the given parameter exceeds the given threshold value, said control means changes the light illumination area to a low-beam light illumination area earlier than when the given parameter does not exceed the given threshold value.

14. A vehicular headlight apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein said controlling means excludes an area where the target object is present from an area to be illuminated by the headlight, thereby changing the light illumination area, and wherein when the given parameter, as detected by said turning condition detecting means, exceeds the given threshold value, said control means changes the excluded area to be wider than when the given parameter does not exceed the given threshold value.

15. A vehicular headlight apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein said turning condition detecting means includes a yaw rate sensor.

16. A vehicular headlight apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein said turning condition detecting means includes steered angle detecting means for detecting a steered angle of the vehicle, vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a speed of the vehicle, and turning radius calculating means for calculating a turning radius of the vehicle based on the speed of the vehicle, as detected by the vehicle speed detecting means, and the turning radius, as calculated by the turning radius calculating means.

17. A camera apparatus in combination with a vehicular headlight apparatus equipped with a headlight which illuminates ahead of a vehicle and changing means for changing a light illumination area of the headlight, comprising:

control means for controlling the changing means;

recognition means for recognizing ahead of the vehicle;

analyzing means for calculating a position of a given target object based on data outputted from said recognition means; and

vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a speed of the vehicle,

wherein when the given target object is detected, said control means works to change the light illumination area in order to minimize dazzling to the given target objet based on analysis results derived by said analyzing means, and

wherein when the speed of the vehicle, as detected by said vehicle speed detecting means, exceeds a given threshold value, said control means changes the light illumination area to a low-beam light illumination area earlier than when the speed of the vehicle does not exceed the given threshold value.

18. A camera apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein the camera apparatus is a stereo camera.

19. A camera apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein the vehicular headlight apparatus is equipped with a radar.

20. A camera apparatus in combination with a vehicular headlight apparatus equipped with a headlight which illuminates ahead of a vehicle and changing means for changing a light illumination area of the headlight, comprising:

control means for controlling the changing means;

recognition means for recognizing ahead of the vehicle;

analyzing means for calculating a position of a given target object based on data outputted from said recognition means; and

vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a speed of the vehicle,

wherein said analyzing means works to detect an object that is at least one of a lane on a road, a configuration of the road, a road surface condition, a retreat area (i.e., a safe area), a light source, an obstacle, a preceding vehicle, a preceding pedestrian, a preceding object, a stationary vehicle, a stationary pedestrian, a stationary object, an oncoming vehicle, an oncoming pedestrian, an oncoming object, a two-wheeled vehicle, a bicycle, a roadside object, a signboard, a road sign, a traffic signal, an object blocking a view of the camera apparatus, and an environment outside the vehicle,

wherein when the given target object is detected, said control means works to change the light illumination area in order to minimize dazzling to the given target objet based on analysis results derived by said analyzing means,

wherein said control means performs a vehicle control mode that is at least one of a frontal collision avoidance operation, a collision avoidance operation at a traffic intersection, a crossing collision avoidance operation, a speed alerting operation, a lane departure controlling operation, a collision alerting operation, an inter-vehicle gap alerting operation, a lane departure warning operation, an automatic high-beam operation, a sign displaying operation, a full-speed adaptive cruise control operation, a lane-keeping operation, an accident avoidance operation when a lane is changed, a blind spot alerting operation, a blind spot monitoring operation, an automatic lane change operation, a front cross traffic alerting operation, a rear cross traffic alerting operation, a pedal misapplication avoidance operation, and an automatic parking operation, and

wherein when the speed of the vehicle, as detected by said vehicle speed detecting means, exceeds a given threshold value, said control means changes the light illumination area to a low-beam light illumination area earlier than when the speed of the vehicle does not exceed the given threshold value.