HEADLAMP LIGHT DISTRIBUTION CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20130026916A1
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Published: 01/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Imaeda, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 8,884,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/82
• 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 2300/056 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: G06V 10/48 by mapping characteristic values of the pattern into a parameter space, e.g. Hough transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/56 relating to colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights

Abstract

An extraction unit extracts a forward vehicle from an acquired image of the forward area image. A judgment unit extracts a lamp of the forward vehicle from the image of the extracted forward vehicle if a distance to the forward vehicle is less than a predetermined value, and judges whether the extracted lamp is actually two lamps or a single lamp. A control unit controls an irradiation direction of a headlamp such that a first shielded area is set in an irradiation area to prevent an area including the lamp of the forward vehicle from being irradiated if judged that the extracted lamp is actually two lamps, and such that a second shielded area is set in the irradiation area to have a margin in right and left directions larger than the first shielded area if judged that the extracted lamp is really only a single lamp.

Claims

1. A headlamp light distribution control device for a vehicle, comprising:

an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of a forward area of an own vehicle;

an extraction unit that extracts a forward vehicle from the acquired image of the forward area to produce an image of the extracted forward vehicle;

an distance acquisition unit that acquires a distance from the own vehicle to the forward vehicle;

a judgment unit that extracts a lamp configured by a pair of lamps mounted in the forward vehicle from the image of the extracted forward vehicle to produce an image of the extracted lamp if the distance acquired by the distance acquisition unit is less than a predetermined value, and that judges whether the extracted lamp is in a both lamps lit state where both of the pair of lamps are lit or in an single lamp lit state where only one of the pair of lamps is lit; and

a control unit that controls an irradiation direction of a headlamp of own vehicle such that a first shielded area is set in an irradiation area of a headlamp of the own vehicle so as to prevent an area including the lamp of the forward vehicle from being irradiated if judged that the extracted lamp of the forward vehicle is in the both lamps lit state, and such that a second shielded area is set in the irradiation area of the headlamp of own vehicle so as to have a margin in right and left directions larger than the first shielded area if judged that the extracted lamp is in the single lamp lit state.

2. The headlamp light distribution control device according to claim 1, wherein

the judgment unit is configured to:

calculate a distance between the two lamps of the extracted lamp;

judge that the extracted lamp is in the single lamp lit state if the distance is less than a predetermined value; and

judge that the extracted lamp is in the both lamps lit state if the distance is equal to or more than the predetermined value.

3. The headlamp light distribution control device according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit is configured to change the margin in right and left directions to be larger, as the distance acquired by the distance acquisition unit is smaller.

4. The headlamp light distribution control device according to claim 2, wherein

the control unit is configured to change the margin in right and left directions to be larger, as the distance acquired by the distance acquisition unit is smaller.

5. The headlamp light distribution control device according to claim 1, wherein

the extraction unit, the judgment unit, and the control unit are included in a control processing unit which is connected to the image acquisition unit and the distance acquisition unit.

6. A headlamp light distribution apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a headlamp light distribution control device; and

an irradiation direction switching device that switches an irradiation direction of a headlamp mounted in the vehicle based on a command signal from headlamp light distribution control device,

wherein the headlamp light distribution control device includes;

an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of a forward area of an own vehicle;

an extraction unit that extracts a forward vehicle from the acquired image of the forward area to produce an image of the extracted forward vehicle;

an distance acquisition unit that acquires a distance from the own vehicle to the forward vehicle;

a judgment unit that extracts a lamp configured by a pair of lamps mounted in the forward vehicle from the image of the extracted forward vehicle to produce an image of the extracted lamp if the distance acquired by the distance acquisition unit is less than a predetermined value, and that judges whether the extracted lamp is in a both lamps lit state where both of the pair of lamps are lit or in an single lamp lit state where only one of the pair of lamps is lit; and

a control unit that controls an irradiation direction of a headlamp of the own vehicle such that a first shielded area is set in an irradiation area of a headlamp of the own vehicle so as to prevent an area including the lamp of the forward vehicle from being irradiated if judged that the extracted lamp of the forward vehicle is in the both lamps lit state, and such that a second shielded area is set in the irradiation area of the headlamp of the own vehicle so as to have a margin in right and left directions larger than the first shielded area if judged that the extracted lamp is in the single lamp lit state.

7. The headlamp light distribution apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the judgment unit is configured to:

calculate a distance between the two lamps of the extracted lamp;

judge that the extracted lamp is in the single lamp lit state if the distance is less than a predetermined value; and

judge that the extracted lamp is in the both lamps lit state if the distance is equal to or more than the predetermined value.

8. The headlamp light distribution apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the control unit is configured to change the margin in right and left directions to be larger, as the distance acquired by the distance acquisition unit is smaller.

9. The headlamp light distribution apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the control unit is configured to change the margin in right and left directions to be larger, as the distance acquired by the distance acquisition unit is smaller.

10. The headlamp light distribution apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the extraction unit, the judgment unit, and the control unit are included in a control processing unit which is connected to the image acquisition unit and the distance acquisition unit.

11. A headlamp light distribution control method for a vehicle, comprising:

acquiring, at an image acquisition unit, an image of a forward area of an own vehicle;

extracting, at an extraction unit, a forward vehicle from the acquired image of the forward area to produce an image of the extracted forward vehicle;

acquiring, at an distance acquisition unit, a distance from the own vehicle to the forward vehicle;

extracting, at a judgment unit, a lamp configured by a pair of lamps mounted in the forward vehicle from the image of the extracted forward vehicle to produce an image of the extracted lamp if the distance acquired by the distance acquisition unit is less than a predetermined value, and judging, at the judgment unit, whether the extracted lamp is in a both lamps lit state where both of the pair of lamps are lit or in an single lamp lit state where only one of the pair of lamps is lit; and

controlling, at a control unit, an irradiation direction of a headlamp of own vehicle such that a first shielded area is set in an irradiation area of a headlamp of own vehicle so as to prevent an area including the lamp of the forward vehicle from being irradiated if judged that the extracted lamp of the forward vehicle is in the both lamps lit state, and such that a second shielded area is set in the irradiation area of the headlamp of own vehicle so as to have a margin in right and left directions larger than the first shielded area if judged that the extracted lamp is in the single lamp lit state.

12. The headlamp light distribution control method according to claim 11, wherein

the judgment unit calculates a distance between the two lamps of the extracted lamp, judges that the extracted lamp is in the single lamp lit state if the distance is less than a predetermined value, and judges that the extracted lamp is in the both lamps lit state if the distance is equal to or more than the predetermined value.

13. The headlamp light distribution control method according to claim 11, wherein

the control unit changes the margin in right and left directions to be larger, as the distance acquired by the distance acquisition unit is smaller.

14. The headlamp light distribution control method according to claim 12, wherein

the control unit changes the margin in right and left directions to be larger, as the distance acquired by the distance acquisition unit is smaller.

15. The headlamp light distribution control method according to claim 11, wherein

the extraction unit, the judgment unit, and the control unit are included in a control processing unit which is connected to the image acquisition unit and the distance acquisition unit.