Vehicle cabin lighting apparatus

• US 20060018641A1
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
• Inventors: Okada, Rokuro, Goto, Tomoyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/4
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/1004 Alarm systems characterised by the type of sensor, e.g. current sensing means using door lock sensors B60R25/1001
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/302 using recording means, e.g. black box
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/305 using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/02 Illuminating scene

Abstract

A plurality of lighting units are positioned forwardly of the driver seat in the cabin of a vehicle for applying infrared radiations in respective directions to the vehicle driver seated on the driver seat. The intensities of the emitted infrared radiations are controlled according to respective basic controlled variables depending on the illuminance in the vehicle cabin. The position and orientation of the face of the vehicle driver are recognized from an image captured of the vehicle driver by an imaging device, and the basic controlled variables are corrected according to the recognized position and orientation, thereby adjusting the intensities of the infrared radiations emitted from the lighting units and a balance of the infrared radiations emitted from the lighting units. Thereafter, the illuminance in the vehicle cabin and the recognized position and orientation change, then corrective coefficients for the basic controlled variables are updated depending on the changes.

Claims

1. A vehicle cabin lighting apparatus for lighting a vehicle cabin of a vehicle to allow an imaging device installed in the vehicle cabin to capture an image of a subject in the vehicle cabin, comprising:

at least one lighting unit disposed in the vehicle cabin, for lighting an imaging area in the vehicle cabin which is to be imaged by the imaging device, said imaging area including the subject;

a brightness detecting unit for detecting the brightness in the vehicle cabin or the brightness of the subject; and

a light emission controller for controlling the intensity of light emitted from said lighting unit, depending on the brightness in the vehicle cabin or the brightness of the subject which is detected by said brightness detecting unit.

2. A vehicle cabin lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said brightness detecting unit comprises a first illuminance sensor for detecting the illuminance in the vehicle cabin.

3. A vehicle cabin lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said brightness detecting unit comprises a brightness acquiring unit for acquiring the brightness in the vehicle cabin or the brightness of the subject by processing an image captured by the imaging device.

4. A vehicle cabin lighting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a position detecting unit for detecting the position of the subject in said vehicle cabin;

wherein said light emission controller controls the intensity of light emitted from said lighting unit, depending on the brightness in the vehicle cabin or the brightness of the subject which is detected by said brightness detecting unit, and the position of the subject which is detected by said position detecting unit.

5. A vehicle cabin lighting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said position detecting unit detects the position of the subject in said vehicle cabin by processing an image captured by the imaging device.

6. A vehicle cabin lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said subject comprises a vehicle occupant seated on a seat in the vehicle cabin, and said imaging device and said lighting unit are disposed around said seat for imaging and lighting the vehicle occupant seated on the seat in the vehicle cabin.

7. A vehicle cabin lighting apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a seated orientation detecting unit for detecting the orientation of the vehicle occupant seated on the seat in the vehicle cabin by processing an image captured by the imaging device;

wherein said lighting unit comprises a plurality of lighting units; and

sand light emission controller controls a balance of lights emitted from said lighting units, depending on the intensities of the lights emitted from said lighting units and the orientation of the vehicle occupant which is detected by said seated orientation detecting unit.

8. A vehicle cabin lighting apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a seated orientation detecting unit for detecting the orientation of the vehicle occupant seated on the seat in the vehicle cabin by processing an image captured by the imaging device;

wherein sand light emission controller controls the direction of light emitted from said lighting unit, depending on the intensity of the light emitted from said lighting unit and the orientation of the vehicle occupant which is detected by said seated orientation detecting unit.

9. A vehicle cabin lighting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a predicting unit for predicting a change in the brightness in the vehicle cabin or the brightness of the subject as the vehicle travels on;

wherein when said predicting unit predicts a change in the brightness in the vehicle cabin or the brightness of the subject, sand light emission controller corrects the intensity of the light emitted from said lighting unit based on the predicted change.

10. A vehicle cabin lighting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said predicting unit comprises a second illuminance sensor for detecting the illuminance around the vehicle in a front position with respect to the direction in which the vehicle travels on, said predicting unit predicts a change in the brightness in the vehicle cabin or the brightness of the subject based on a change in the illuminance detected by said second illuminance sensor.

11. A vehicle cabin lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said imaging device and said lighting unit are positioned across the vehicle cabin from a door of the vehicle for imaging and lighting an unauthorized intruder as said subject attempting to enter the vehicle cabin through said door.

12. A vehicle cabin lighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said lighting unit emits an infrared radiation, and said imaging device captures an image of the subject in said imaging area based on infrared rays which are reflected from the subject when the subject is irradiated with the infrared radiation emitted from the lighting unit.

13. A vehicle occupant lighting control system for controlling the lighting of a vehicle occupant in a vehicle cabin in order to capture an image of the vehicle occupant with an imaging device, comprising:

a lighting unit disposed in the vehicle cabin, for emitting light to illuminate the vehicle occupant to be imaged by the imaging device;

an illuminance sensor disposed in the vehicle occupant, for detecting the illuminance in the vehicle cabin; and

a controller for controlling the intensity of the light emitted from said lighting unit based on the illuminance detected by said illuminance sensor.

14. A vehicle occupant lighting control system according to claim 13, wherein said controller acquires the brightness of an image captured of the vehicle occupant by the imaging device by processing the captured image, and controls the intensity of the light emitted from said lighting unit based on the acquired brightness.

15. A vehicle occupant lighting control system according to claim 13, wherein said controller acquires the position of the vehicle occupant by processing an image captured of the vehicle occupant by the imaging device, and controls the intensity of the light emitted from said lighting unit based on the acquired position.

16. A vehicle occupant lighting control system according to claim 13, comprising:

a plurality of lighting units disposed at spaced locations in the vehicle cabin;

wherein said controller acquires the position and orientation of the vehicle occupant by processing an image captured of the vehicle occupant by the imaging device, and independently controls the intensities of lights emitted from said lighting units based on the acquired position and orientation.

17. A vehicle occupant lighting control system according to claim 13, wherein said lighting unit comprises a lighting unit capable of adjusting the direction of light emitted therefrom, and said controller acquires the orientation of the vehicle occupant by processing an image captured of the vehicle occupant by the imaging device, and control said lighting unit to adjust the direction of the light emitted therefrom based on the acquired orientation.

18. A vehicle occupant lighting control system according to claim 17, wherein said lighting unit is capable of vertically adjusting the direction of the light emitted therefrom.

19. A vehicle occupant lighting control system according to claim 17, wherein said lighting unit is capable of horizontally adjusting the direction of the light emitted therefrom.

20. A vehicle occupant lighting control system according to claim 17, wherein said lighting unit is capable of vertically and horizontally adjusting the direction of the light emitted therefrom.

21. A vehicle occupant lighting control system for controlling the lighting of a vehicle occupant in a vehicle cabin in order to capture an image of the vehicle occupant with an imaging device upon unauthorized entry made into the vehicle cabin by the vehicle occupant, comprising:

a pair of lighting units disposed across the vehicle cabin from a pair of opposite doors, respectively, for emitting light to illuminate the respective doors to be imaged by said imaging device;

an illuminance sensor disposed in the vehicle occupant, for detecting the illuminance in the vehicle cabin; and

a controller for energizing one of said lighting units which is positioned across the vehicle cabin from one of said opposite doors through which the vehicle occupant has made unauthorized entry into the vehicle cabin, and controlling the intensity of the light emitted from the energized lighting unit based on the illuminance detected by said illuminance sensor.

22. A vehicle occupant lighting control system according to claim 21, wherein said controller acquires the brightness of an image captured of the vehicle occupant by the imaging device by processing the captured image, and controls the intensity of the light emitted from the energized lighting unit based on the acquired brightness.

23. A vehicle occupant lighting control system according to claim 21, wherein said controller acquires the position of the vehicle occupant by processing an image captured of the vehicle occupant by the imaging device, and controls the intensity of the light emitted from the energized lighting unit based on the acquired position.