Apparatus for controlling direction of light from on-vehicle headlights

• US 8,351,648 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kamioka, Takahiro, Horii, Yasutoshi, Hasegawa, Junichi, Kobayashi, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta, Bhavesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Nirav G
• Application Number:
  US12/207,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20090067184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103
• US Class Current: 382/103
• 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 2300/114 Vehicle acceleration or deceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights

Abstract

An apparatus is provided to control an angle of a light axis of light from headlights mounted on a vehicle. In the apparatus, images of a field of view in front of the vehicle are captured, and the captured images are used to detect taillights of a preceding vehicle. A illumination target position is set by using, as a positional reference, a position of the detected taillights in the captured images, and the angle of the light axis so that the light axis is directed to the illumination target position. The command is provided to an angle changing device, where the provided command depends on the angle calculated. The angle changing device changes the direction of the light axis of the light at an angle commanded by the command.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a direction of a light axis of light to be radiated from headlights mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

angle changing means for changing an angle of the light axis of the light to an angle commanded by a command;

image capturing means for capturing images of a field of view in front of the vehicle and outputting captured images;

taillight detecting means for using the captured images to detect taillights of a preceding vehicle which runs ahead of the vehicle provided with the apparatus;

position setting means for setting an illumination target position based on a position of the detected taillights in the captured images, wherein the position setting means includes shifting means that shifts, by an offset amount which is changeable, the illumination target position down from the position of the detected taillights in each of the captured images in a vertical direction of the images;

angle calculating means for calculating the angle of the light axis of the light so that the light axis is directed to the illumination target position;

angle commanding means for providing the command to the angle changing means, the provided command depending on the angle calculated by the angle calculating means; and

inter-vehicle distance acquiring means for acquiring an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle provided with the apparatus and the preceding vehicle; and

position changing means for changing the offset amount in the captured images depending on the inter-vehicle distance acquired.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the taillight detecting means is configured to detect, as the taillights, from the captured images, light sources having pixel intensities over a predetermined intensity threshold and having a hue which is within a predetermined hue range.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the position setting means is configured to set the illumination target position in accordance with a position of taillights which are positionally lowermost among the detected taillights in the captured images.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the angle calculating means is configured to calculate the angle of the light axis of the light depending on a distance between the image capturing means and the headlights both attached to the vehicle provided with the apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position setting means is configured to set the illumination target position in accordance with a position of taillights which are positionally lowermost among the detected taillights in the captured images.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the angle calculating means is configured to calculate the angle of the light axis of the light depending on a distance between the image capturing means and the headlights both attached to the vehicle provided with the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the angle calculating means is configured to calculate the angle of the light axis of the light depending on a distance between the image capturing means and the headlights both attached to the vehicle provided with the apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position changing means is configured to change the offset amount such that, as the inter-vehicle distance increases, the offset amount becomes smaller.

9. An apparatus for controlling a direction of a light axis of light to be radiated from headlights mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

angle changing means for changing an angle of the light axis of the light to an an angle commanded by a command;

image capturing means for capturing images of a field of view in front of the vehicle and outputting captured images;

taillight detecting means for using the captured images to detect taillights of a preceding vehicle which runs ahead of the vehicle provided with the apparatus;

position setting means for setting an illumination target position based on a position of the detected taillights in the captured images, wherein the position setting means includes shifting means that shifts, by an offset amount which is changeable, the illumination target position down from the position of the detected taillights in each of the captured images in a vertical direction of the images;

angle calculating means for calculating the angle of the light axis of the light so that the light axis is directed to the illumination target position; and

angle commanding means for providing the command to the angle changing means, the provided command depending on the angle calculated by the angle calculating means;

wherein

the angle calculating means includes first means for calculating an angle between a view direction of the image capturing means and a direction viewing from the apparatus to the target radiation position, second means for determining the vehicle provided with the apparatus is in a predetermined acceleration or a predetermined deceleration, and third means for filtering the angles captured by the first means for a predetermined period of time depending on a determined result of the second means.

10. An apparatus for controlling a direction of a light axis of light to be radiated from headlights mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

an angle changing device that changes an angle of the light axis of the light to an angle commanded by a command;

an image capturing device that captures images of a field of view in front of the vehicle and outputting captured images;

a taillight detecting device that uses the captured images to detect taillights of a preceding vehicle which runs ahead of the vehicle provided with the apparatus;

a position setting device that sets a illumination target position based on a position of the detected taillights in the captured images, wherein the position setting device includes a shifting device that shifts, by an offset amount which is changeable, the illumination target position down from the position of the detected taillights in each of the captured images in a vertical direction of the images;

an angle calculating device that calculates the angle of the light axis of the light so that the light axis is directed to the illumination target position;

an angle commanding device that provides the command to the angle changing device, the provided command depending on the angle calculated by the angle calculating device;

an inter-vehicle distance acquiring device that acquires an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle provided with the apparatus and the preceding vehicle; and

a position changing device that changes the offset amount in the captured images depending on the inter-vehicle distance acquired.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the taillight detecting device is configured to detect, as the taillights, from the captured images, light sources having pixel intensities over a predetermined intensity threshold and having a hue which is within a predetermined hue range.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the position setting device is configured to set the illumination target position in accordance with a position of taillights which are positionally lowermost among the detected taillights in the captured images.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the angle calculating device is configured to calculate the angle of the light axis of the light depending on a distance between the image capturing device and the headlights both attached to the vehicle provided with the apparatus.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the position changing means is configured to change the offset amount such that, as the inter-vehicle distance increases, the offset amount becomes smaller.

15. An apparatus for controlling an angle of a light axis of light to be radiated from headlights mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

angle changing means for changing the direction of the light axis of the light at an angle commanded by a command;

image capturing means for capturing images of a field of view in front of the vehicle and providing captured images;

taillight detecting means for using the captured images to detect taillights of a preceding vehicle which runs ahead of the vehicle provided with the apparatus;

position setting means for setting an illumination target position using, as a positional reference, a position of the detected taillights in the captured images;

angle calculating means for calculating the angle of the light axis of the light so that the light axis is directed to the illumination target position; and

angle commanding means for providing the command to the angle changing means, the provided command depending on the angle calculated by the angle calculating means;

*

wherein the angle calculating means includes first means for calculating an angle between a view direction of the image capturing means and a direction viewing from the apparatus to the target radiation position, second means for determining the vehicle provided with the apparatus is in a predetermined acceleration or a predetermined deceleration, and third means for filtering the angles captured by the first means for a predetermined period of time depending on a determined result of the second means.

16. An apparatus for controlling an angle of a light axis of light to be radiated from headlights mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

an angle changing device that changes the direction of the light axis of the light at an angle commanded by a command;

an image capturing device that captures images of a field of view in front of the vehicle and providing captured images;

a taillight detecting device that uses the captured images to detect taillights of a preceding vehicle which runs ahead of the vehicle provided with the apparatus;

a position setting device that sets a illumination target position using, as a positional reference, a position of the detected taillights in the captured images;

an angle calculating device that calculates the angle of the light axis of the light so that the light axis is directed to the illumination target position; and

an angle commanding device that provides the command to the angle changing device, the provided command depending on the angle calculated by the angle calculating device, wherein

the angle calculating device includes a first device for calculating an angle between a view direction of the image capturing device and a direction viewing from the apparatus to the target radiation position, a second device for determining the vehicle provided with the apparatus is in a predetermined acceleration or a predetermined deceleration, and a third device for filtering the angles captured by the first device for a predetermined period of time depending on a determined result of the second device.