Lighting control device for vehicle headlamp, and vehicle headlamp system

• US 8,847,492 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2012
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stanley Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Stanley Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakadate, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Daniel D
• Application Number:
  US13/589,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20130049587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 315/82, 250/208.1, 362/466, 362/276, 362/465, 340/988
• US Class Current: 315/82
• 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 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/322 Road curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle

Abstract

A lighting control device for a headlamp of a vehicle includes a light-blocking range setting unit that sets a light-blocking range in a light distribution pattern in accordance with a position of a target vehicle that is present ahead of the vehicle, based on an image acquired by capturing a front view from the vehicle by a camera, and a moving direction detection unit that detects a moving direction of the target vehicle in a horizontal direction based on the image. In addition, a light-blocking range correction unit corrects the light-blocking range based on the moving direction detected by the moving direction detection unit, wherein the light-blocking range correction unit corrects the light-blocking range so that at least a moving direction side of the light-blocking range is expanded, and a headlamp control unit that drives the headlamp based on the light-blocking range corrected by the light-blocking range correction unit.

Claims

1. A lighting control device for a headlamp of a vehicle, the lighting control device comprising:

a light-blocking range setting unit that sets a light-blocking range in a light distribution pattern in accordance with a position of a target vehicle that is present ahead of the vehicle, based on an image acquired by capturing a front view from the vehicle by a camera;

a moving direction detection unit that detects a moving direction of the target vehicle in a horizontal direction based on the image;

a light-blocking range correction unit that corrects the light-blocking range based on the moving direction detected by the moving direction detection unit, wherein the light-blocking range correction unit corrects the light-blocking range so that at least a moving direction side of the light-blocking range is expanded; and

a headlamp control unit that drives the headlamp based on the light-blocking range corrected by the light-blocking range correction unit.

2. The lighting control device for the headlamp of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the light-blocking range correction unit further corrects the light-blocking range to narrow an opposite side of the light-blocking range in the moving direction.

3. The lighting control device for the headlamp of the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a moving speed detection unit that detects a moving speed of the target vehicle in the horizontal direction based on captured images,

wherein the light-blocking range correction unit increases and decreases an amount of correction in accordance with the moving speed detected by the moving speed detection unit.

4. The lighting control device for the headlamp of the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the light-blocking range correction unit further increases and decreases the amount of correction in accordance with a speed of the vehicle.

5. A headlamp system for a vehicle, the headlamp system comprising:

the lighting control device for the headlamp of the vehicle according to claim 1; and

the headlamp of the vehicle that is controlled by the lighting control device.