VEHICLE HEADLAMP LIGHT DISTRIBUTION CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20170225609A1
• Filed: 02/07/2017
• Published: 08/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsuzuki, Katsutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,944,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/115 by electric means details of the electric drive components, e.g. motors, shafts, ball joints B60Q1/076
• 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 2300/13 Attitude of the vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/148 the main emission direction of the LED being perpendicular to the optical axis
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/153 arranged in a matrix
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/25 Projection lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/321 the reflector being a surface of revolution or a planar surface, e.g. truncated
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/657 by moving light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/663 by switching light sources by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/675 by moving reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2102/13 for high-beam region or low-beam region
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2102/19 for curves

Abstract

A vehicle headlamp light distribution control device includes: a detector that is configured to detect a reference position from an image of a frond region of a vehicle; and a controller that is configured to control, during a time period until the reference position is detected by the detector, a light distribution of a headlamp of the vehicle in accordance with a sensed inclination of the vehicle or a physical amount expressing the inclination of the vehicle, and to control, after the reference position is detected by the detector, the light distribution of the headlamp on the basis of calibrated information obtained by calibrating information obtained from the image in accordance with the detected reference position.

Claims

1. A vehicle headlamp light distribution control device comprising:

a detector that is configured to detect a reference position from an image of a frond region of a vehicle; and

a controller that is configured to control, during a time period until the reference position is detected by the detector, a light distribution of a headlamp of the vehicle in accordance with a sensed inclination of the vehicle or a physical amount expressing the inclination of the vehicle, and to control, after the reference position is detected by the detector, the light distribution of the headlamp on the basis of calibrated information obtained by calibrating information obtained from the image in accordance with the detected reference position.

2. The vehicle headlamp light distribution control device of claim 1, wherein

the headlamp includes an upper illumination light source that is configured, in a case in which other vehicle exists in front of the vehicle, to illuminate a region further upward than the other vehicle, and

the controller is configured to control at least one of turning on/off of the upper illumination light source or changing of an illumination range of the upper illumination light source, such that the illumination range of the upper illumination light source does not overlap the other vehicle.

3. The vehicle headlamp light distribution control device of claim 2, wherein

the vehicle is configured to sense a vehicle height of a rear portion of the vehicle as the physical amount relating to the inclination of the vehicle, and, on the basis of a relationship between the vehicle height of the rear portion of the vehicle and an upper limit value of the inclination of the vehicle or a value within a predetermined range from the upper limit value, to control an optical axis of the headlamp by determining that the vehicle is tilting as much as the upper limit value that corresponds to the sensed vehicle height or a value within the predetermined range from the upper limit value, and

the controller is configured, during the time period until the reference position is detected, to determine an upper limit value of the inclination of the vehicle that corresponds to the sensed vehicle height, or a value within the predetermined range from the upper limit value, and to control the upper illumination light source by using a target position of a lower edge of an illumination range of the upper illumination light source that is determined on the basis of uncalibrated information obtained from the image, the target position being a position for setting the illumination range to not overlap the other vehicle, and the determined upper limit value of the inclination of the vehicle or the determined value within a predetermined range from the upper limit value.

4. The vehicle headlamp light distribution control device of claim 2, wherein

the vehicle is configured to sense a vehicle height of a rear portion of the vehicle as the physical amount relating to the inclination of the vehicle, and, on the basis of a relationship between the vehicle height of the rear portion of the vehicle and an upper limit value of the inclination of the vehicle or a value within a predetermined range from the upper limit value, to control an optical axis of the headlamp by determining that the vehicle is tilting as much as the upper limit value that corresponds to the sensed vehicle height or a value within the predetermined range from the upper limit value, and

the controller is configured, on the basis of a relationship between the vehicle height and a magnitude of a range of inclination of the vehicle, to determine a magnitude of the range of inclination of the vehicle that corresponds to the sensed vehicle height, and to control the upper illumination light source by using the determined magnitude of the range of inclination of the vehicle, and a target position of a lower edge of an illumination range of the upper illumination light source that is determined on the basis of uncalibrated information obtained from the image, the target position being a position for setting the illumination range to not overlap the other vehicle.

5. A vehicle headlamp light distribution control method comprising:

detecting a reference position from a captured image of a region in front of a vehicle;

during a time period until the reference position is detected, controlling a light distribution of a headlamp of the vehicle in accordance with a sensed inclination of the vehicle or a physical amount expressing the inclination of the vehicle; and

after the reference position is detected, controlling the light distribution of the headlamp on the basis of calibrated information obtained by calibrating information obtained from the captured image, in accordance with the detected reference position.

6. A non-transitory storage medium that stores a program causing a computer to execute a vehicle headlamp light distribution control processing, the vehicle headlamp light distribution control processing comprising:

detecting a reference position from a captured image of a region in front of a vehicle;

during a time period until the reference position is detected, controlling a light distribution of a headlamp of the vehicle in accordance with a sensed inclination of the vehicle or a physical amount expressing the inclination of the vehicle; and

after the reference position is detected, controlling the light distribution of the headlamp on the basis of calibrated information obtained by calibrating information obtained from the captured image, in accordance with the detected reference position.