Light quantity control apparatus and storage medium

• US 8,519,625 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nishii, Takahito, Kamizono, Tsutomu, Nakano, Takahiro, Nishitani, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Hammond, Crystal L
• Application Number:
  US13/315,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20120146506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 315/77
• 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 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/114 Vehicle acceleration or deceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/32 Road surface or travel path
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/322 Road curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/332 on city roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/333 on suburban or country roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/336 Crossings
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/337 Tunnels or bridges
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/45 Special conditions, e.g. pedestrians, road signs or potential dangers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/47 Direct command from other road users, i.e. the command for switching or changing the beam is sent by other vehicles or road devices

Abstract

A light quantity control apparatus, which controls light quantity of a light of a vehicle, includes a traffic-jam-information obtaining unit obtaining traffic-jam-information including information on positions and on presence/absence of a traffic jam, a vehicle-position obtaining unit obtaining a position of a vehicle, a traffic-jam identifying unit identifying whether the vehicle is in a traffic jam based on the traffic-jam-information and the position of the vehicle, a traffic-jam-time light quantity control unit decreasing the light quantity compared with a normal time if the vehicle is in a traffic jam, an urban-district obtaining unit obtaining information on whether or not the vehicle is in an urban district or near an intersection, and an urban-district-traveling-time light quantity control unit decreasing the light quantity compared with a case where the vehicle is in an area other than urban districts and intersections if the vehicle is in the urban district or near an intersection.

Claims

1. A light quantity control apparatus which controls light quantity of a light installed in a vehicle, comprising:

a traffic jam information obtaining unit which obtains traffic jam information including information on positions and information on presence/absence of a traffic jam at each of the positions;

an own vehicle position obtaining unit which obtains a position of an own vehicle;

a traffic jam identifying unit which identifies whether or not the own vehicle is in a traffic jam based on the traffic jam information and the position of the own vehicle;

a traffic-jam-time light quantity control unit which decreases the light quantity of the light compared with a normal time if the own vehicle is in a traffic jam;

an urban district obtaining unit which obtains information on whether or not the own vehicle is in an urban district or near an intersection; and

an urban-district-traveling-time light quantity control unit which decreases the light quantity of the light compared with a case where the own vehicle is in an area other than urban districts and intersections if the own vehicle is in the urban district or near an intersection, wherein

whether or not the own vehicle is in the urban district is determined based on map data or density of buildings around the own vehicle.

2. The light quantity control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a gradient obtaining unit which obtains information on the fact that the own vehicle is inclined in the front-back direction; and

an inclined-time light quantity control unit which decreases the light quantity of the light compared with a case where the own vehicle is not inclined in the front-back direction, when an optical axis of the light moves in the upper direction due to inclination of the own vehicle in the front-back direction.

3. The light quantity control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an illuminance variation detecting unit which detects variation of illuminance around the own vehicle; and

an illuminance-variation-time light quantity control unit which decreases the light quantity of the light when the illuminance around the own vehicle has varied to be higher, and which increases the light quantity of the light when the illuminance around the own vehicle has varied to be lower.

4. The light quantity control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a visibility information obtaining unit which obtains visibility information which represents good/poor of visibility on a road around the own vehicle; and

a visibility light quantity control unit which increases the light quantity of the light when it is determined that the visibility around the own vehicle is poor based on the visibility information.

5. The light quantity control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light quantity control unit sets a lower limit of the light quantity of the light to a value equal to or more than light quantity required under a law when the light quantity of the light is decreased.

6. A light quantity control apparatus which controls light quantity of a light installed in a vehicle, comprising:

a traffic jam information obtaining unit which obtains traffic jam information including information on positions and information on presence/absence of a traffic jam at each of the positions;

an own vehicle position obtaining unit which obtains a position of an own vehicle;

a traffic jam identifying unit which identifies whether or not the own vehicle is in a traffic jam based on the traffic jam information and the position of the own vehicle;

a traffic-jam-time light quantity control unit which decreases the light quantity of the light compared with a normal time if the own vehicle is in a traffic jam;

a gradient obtaining unit which obtains information on the fact that the own vehicle is inclined in the front-back direction; and

an inclined-time light quantity control unit which decreases the light quantity of the light compared with a case where the own vehicle is not inclined in the front-back direction, when an optical axis of the light moves in the upper direction due to inclination of the own vehicle in the front-back direction.

7. The light quantity control apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

an illuminance variation detecting unit which detects variation of illuminance around the own vehicle; and

an illuminance-variation-time light quantity control unit which decreases the light quantity of the light when the illuminance around the own vehicle has varied to be higher, and which increases the light quantity of the light when the illuminance around the own vehicle has varied to be lower.

8. The light quantity control apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a visibility information obtaining unit which obtains visibility information which represents good/poor of visibility on a road around the own vehicle; and

a visibility light quantity control unit which increases the light quantity of the light when it is determined that the visibility around the own vehicle is poor based on the visibility information.

9. The light quantity control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the light quantity control unit sets a lower limit of the light quantity of the light to a value equal to or more than light quantity required under a law when the light quantity of the light is decreased.

10. A non-transitory storage medium which stores a computer readable program, the program comprising:

obtaining traffic jam information including information on positions and information on presence/absence of a traffic jam at each of the positions;

obtaining a position of an own vehicle;

identifying whether or not the own vehicle is in a traffic jam based on the traffic jam information and the position of the own vehicle;

decreasing light quantity of a light installed in the own vehicle compared with a normal time if the own vehicle is in a traffic jam;

obtaining information on whether or not the own vehicle is in an urban district or near an intersection; and

decreasing the light quantity of the light compared with a case where the own vehicle is in an area other than urban districts and intersections if the own vehicle is in the urban district or near an intersection, wherein

whether or not the own vehicle is in the urban district is determined based on map data or density of buildings around the own vehicle.

11. A non-transitory storage medium which stores a computer readable program, the program comprising:

obtaining traffic jam information including information on positions and information on presence/absence of a traffic jam at each of the positions;

obtaining a position of an own vehicle;

identifying whether or not the own vehicle is in a traffic jam based on the traffic jam information and the position of the own vehicle,

decreasing light quantity of a light installed in the own vehicle compared with a normal time if the own vehicle is in a traffic jam;

obtaining information on the fact that the own vehicle is inclined in the front-back direction; and

decreasing the light quantity of the light compared with a case where the own vehicle is not inclined in the front-back direction, when an optical axis of the light moves in the upper direction due to inclination of the own vehicle in the front-back direction.