Vehicle light control apparatus, system and method

• US 7,561,064 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Lam P
• Application Number:
  US11/783,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20070262882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 340/539.1, 340/902, 340/933, 340/937, 340/942, 340/468, 340/469, 362/460, 362/464, 362/465, 362/466, 362/467, 362/468, 701/1, 701/36
• US Class Current: 340/902
• 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 1/547 for issuing requests to other traffic participants; for confirming to other traffic participants they can proceed, e.g. they can overtake
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered

Abstract

A vehicle light control apparatus includes an illumination control unit for executing illumination control on the mode of illumination of a subject vehicle based on signal transmission of a vehicle ID signal unique to the subject vehicle and signal reception of the vehicle ID signal unique to the subject vehicle. The control unit identifies a vehicle having brightness exceeding a predetermined threshold from an image of other vehicles acquired through an image recognition MPU as a vehicle having an illumination adjustment failure, and returns the same vehicle identification signal transmitted from the other vehicle thus identified to vehicles other than the subject vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle light control apparatus comprising:

an illumination control unit for executing illumination control on a mode of illumination of a headlight of a subject vehicle based on signal transmission of a subject identification signal unique to the subject vehicle and signal reception of the subject identification signal; and

an illumination adjustment requesting unit for identifying another vehicle having an illumination adjustment failure and returning another identification signal transmitted from the another vehicle and unique to the another vehicle, so that the another vehicle adjusts a mode of illumination thereof in response to the returned another identification signal.

2. The vehicle light control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the illumination adjustment requesting unit includes:

an imaging device taking an image of other vehicles present near the subject vehicle; and

an image processing unit for detecting brightness of the other vehicles and identifying the another vehicle in the other vehicles based on detected brightness exceeding a predetermined threshold.

3. The vehicle light control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the illumination adjustment requesting unit further includes:

a directional antenna;

a direction detecting unit for detecting a direction of the another vehicle from the subject vehicle; and

a communication unit for driving the directional antenna to point in a direction of the another vehicle to receive the another identification signal from the another unit and return the another identification signal to the another vehicle.

4. The vehicle light control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the direction detecting unit calculates the direction of the another vehicle from the subject vehicle based on coordinates of a group of pixels having brightness exceeding the threshold among a group of pixels of an image taken by the imaging device a magnification of imaging performed by the imaging device.

5. The vehicle light control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the illumination adjustment requesting unit includes:

a distance detecting unit for detecting a distance of the another vehicle from the subject vehicle and returning the another identification signal when a detected distance decreases to be shorter than a distance threshold defined as a distance within which a field of view at the subject vehicle is obscured.

6. A vehicle light control system comprising:

the vehicle light control apparatus of claim 1 mounted on the subject vehicle; and

a plurality of vehicle light control apparatuses of claim 1 mounted on other vehicles, respectively,

wherein mutual control of illumination modes is executed between the subject vehicle and the other vehicles based on signal transmission and signal reception of identification signals of the subject vehicle and the other vehicles.

7. The vehicle light control system according to claim 6, wherein the illumination adjustment requesting unit includes:

an imaging device taking an image of other vehicles present near the subject vehicle; and

an image processing unit for detecting brightness of the other vehicles and identifying the another vehicle in the other vehicles based on detected brightness exceeding a predetermined threshold.

8. The vehicle light control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the illumination adjustment requesting unit further includes:

a directional antenna;

a direction detecting unit for detecting a direction of the another vehicle from the subject vehicle; and

a communication unit for driving the directional antenna to point in a direction of the another vehicle to receive the another identification signal from the another unit and return the another identification signal to the another vehicle.

9. The vehicle light control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the direction detecting unit calculates the direction of the another vehicle from the subject vehicle based on coordinates of a group of pixels having brightness exceeding the threshold among a group of pixels of an image taken by the imaging device a magnification of imaging performed by the imaging device.

10. The vehicle light control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the illumination adjustment requesting unit includes:

a distance detecting unit for detecting a distance of the another vehicle from the subject vehicle and returning the another identification signal when a detected distance decreases to be shorter than a distance threshold defined as a distance within which a field of view at the subject vehicle is obscured.

11. A vehicle light control method comprising:

taking an image of other vehicles around a subject vehicle;

receiving, from the other vehicles, identification signals unique to the other vehicles, respectively;

detecting, in the other vehicles, another vehicle that has brightness exceeding a predetermined threshold in the image;

transmitting, from the subject vehicle, a return signal identifying the another vehicle; and

reducing intensity of illumination of a headlight of the another vehicle in response to the return signal transmitted from the subject vehicle.

12. The vehicle light control method according to claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a distance of the another vehicle from the subject vehicle,

wherein the reducing reduces the intensity of illumination only when the distance becomes shorter than a threshold distance.

13. The vehicle light control method according to claim 11, wherein the taking takes the image existing forward of the subject vehicle.

14. The vehicle light control method according to claim 11, wherein the taking takes the image existing rearward of the subject vehicle.

15. The vehicle light control method according to claim 11, further comprising:

driving a directional antenna of the subject vehicle in a direction toward the another vehicle when transmitting the return signal to the another vehicle.