Vehicle light distribution control apparatus and method

• US 8,827,514 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2010
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Takagaki, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimeshkumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): HORIKOSHI, STEVEN Y
• Application Number:
  US13/696,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20130155704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 362/465, 362/466, 382/184
• US Class Current: 362/466
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/08 automatically
• 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 2300/052 Switching delay, i.e. the beam is not switched or changed instantaneously upon occurrence of a condition change
• 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 2300/41 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: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights

Abstract

A vehicle light distribution control apparatus includes a camera and lighting apparatus. A controller detects 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 controls a light distribution of the illumination light based on a detection result. When 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 when 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.

Claims

1. A vehicle light distribution control apparatus, comprising:

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 of a high beam such that the object estimated as another vehicle is not illuminated by the illumination light of the high beam;

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 of the high beam 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 of the high beam with respect to the image portion related to the object.

2. The vehicle light distribution control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller detects the image portion in the image captured by the camera as the object estimated as another vehicle, the image portion having features of light which meet the predetermined criterion.

3. The vehicle light distribution control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object estimated as another vehicle is detected based on at least one of features including brightness of an image portion in the image captured by the camera, a movement of the image portion and a color of the image portion.

4. A method of controlling a vehicle light distribution, comprising:

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 high beam 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 of the high beam such that the object estimated as another vehicle is not illuminated by the illumination light of the high beam if the object estimated as another vehicle is detected within the illumination region of the illumination light of the high beam;

canceling the limitation on the illumination region of the illumination light of the high beam 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 of the high beam; and

prohibiting the limitation on the illumination region of the illumination light of the high beam 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.