JP2016088397A - Optical device and vehicle equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a useful optical device having a function of providing light indicating predetermined information, such as warning information, ahead of a following vehicle.SOLUTION: An optical device 100 according to the invention is mounted to a movable body for providing light on a road surface. The optical device 100 includes: a laser source for emitting a laser light; an optical element for receiving the laser light emitted from the laser source and emitting the light to the road surface; a detector for detecting a state behind the movable body; a determiner for determining whether any following movable body exists on the basis of results of detection by the detector; and a sensor for detecting the moving direction of the movable body. If the determiner determines that a following movable body exists and if the sensor detects a change in the moving direction, the optical device 100 provides light indicating predetermined information ahead of the following movable body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical device that illuminates a road surface and the like, and a vehicle equipped with such an optical device.

  Conventionally, a vehicular headlamp optical system using an incoherent light source such as halogen is known. In such a vehicle headlamp optical system, a light distribution pattern is created by a reflecting surface of a reflector disposed around the light source, and the light from the light source is reflected there and projected forward.

  On the other hand, compared to the combination of a single light source and a reflector, the light distribution pattern and color of the headlamps are controlled by refraction, etc. using multiple light sources such as LEDs in order to perform more free light distribution control. It has been proposed to do.

For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-519160) discloses a vehicular lamp including a plurality of LEDs having different emission colors.
Special table 2014-519160 gazette

  However, in the related art as described above, it is possible to provide an optical device having a configuration capable of controlling light color to some extent, but it has sufficient functionality in terms of more precise color change and light distribution control. There was a problem of not. Further, only the function as a vehicle headlamp is clearly described, and consideration is not given to further improvements in convenience and safety for the driver.

  The present invention is for solving the above problems, and an optical device according to the present invention is an optical device that is mounted on a moving body and illuminates a road surface, and a laser light source that emits laser light; Laser light emitted from the laser light source is incident, an optical element that performs illumination by emitting light to the road surface, a detection unit that detects a state behind the moving body, and a rear based on a detection result by the detection unit A determination unit that determines whether there is a moving body, and a sensor that detects a traveling direction of the moving body. The determination unit determines that there is a backward moving body, and the sensor determines a traveling direction. When a change is detected, predetermined information is illuminated in front of the rear moving body.

  An optical device according to the present invention is an optical device that is mounted on a moving body and illuminates a road surface, and includes a laser light source that emits laser light, a laser light emitted from the laser light source, and a scanning light. A scanning unit that emits light, an optical element that illuminates by emitting light to the road surface, a detection unit that detects a state behind the vehicle, and a rear based on a detection result by the detection unit A determination unit that determines whether there is a moving body, and a sensor that detects a traveling direction of the moving body. The determination unit determines that there is a backward moving body, and the sensor determines a traveling direction. When a change is detected, predetermined information is illuminated in front of the rear moving body.

  The optical device according to the present invention is characterized in that the optical element is a hologram and the light emitted from the hologram is a hologram reproduction image.

  The optical device according to the present invention is characterized in that the detection unit includes an imaging unit.

  The optical device according to the present invention is characterized in that the detection unit includes a distance measuring unit.

  A vehicle according to the present invention is a vehicle on which any one of the optical devices described above is mounted.

  According to the optical device of the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical device having a simple and inexpensive configuration with a reduced number of components, and a function of illuminating predetermined information such as warning information in front of the following vehicle. Since it has, it can contribute to prevention of entrainment and collision prevention.

  Moreover, according to the vehicle equipped with the optical device according to the present invention, safety is improved by the optical device having a function of illuminating predetermined information such as warning information in front of the following vehicle.

It is a figure which shows an example of the unit unit 10 which comprises the optical apparatus 100 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the illumination by the unit unit. It is a figure explaining the illumination by the optical apparatus 100 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the illumination by the optical apparatus 100 which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example in which the optical device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is used for rear illumination of a vehicle 200. 1 is a block diagram of an optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart for control of the optical apparatus 100 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the mode of the distance measurement of the distance D between subsequent vehicles. It is a figure which shows the example of illumination of the warning information by the optical apparatus 100 which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

    Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a unit unit 10 constituting an optical device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining illumination by the unit unit 10.

  The optical device 100 according to the present invention includes a plurality of unit units 10, and the unit unit 10 has the most basic minimum configuration.

  The unit unit 10 includes a laser light source that emits laser light and an optical element that is illuminated by the laser light emitted from the laser light source and emits the light. In the present embodiment, a transmission hologram is used as the optical element.

  The hologram may be a transmission hologram or a reflection hologram. Examples of the hologram include an embossed hologram, a volume hologram, and an electronic hologram. In addition, a computer-generated hologram that is produced by recording interference fringes on a predetermined recording surface by calculation using a computer can also be used. In addition, among the computer-generated holograms, a Fourier-transform hologram that is a computer-generated hologram using a Fourier transform optical system may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the unit unit 10 uses a unit laser array 30 as a laser light source. The unit laser array 30 has three laser light sources, a first laser light source 31, a second laser light source 32, and a third laser light source 33.

  The first laser light source 31, the second laser light source 32, and the third laser light source 33 emit light having different wavelengths from each other. Light having a second wavelength is emitted from 32, and light having a third wavelength is emitted from the third laser light source 33. In the present embodiment, for example, the first wavelength light emitted from the first laser light source 31 is blue light, the second wavelength light emitted from the second laser light source 32 is green light, The light of the third wavelength emitted from the three laser light source 33 can be red light.

  In the present embodiment, the unit laser array 30 will be described based on an example in which three different laser light sources, ie, a first laser light source 31, a second laser light source 32, and a third laser light source 33 are used. Depending on the configuration of the apparatus 100, the number of types of laser light sources used may be arbitrary.

  The laser light emitted from the first laser light source 31 enters the first storage area 51 of the unit hologram 50, and the laser light emitted from the second laser light source 32 enters the second storage area 52 of the unit hologram 50. The laser light emitted from the third laser light source 33 is incident on the third storage area 53 of the unit hologram 50.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, when the laser light from the first laser light source 31 is incident on the first storage area 51 of the unit hologram 50 as reference light, a hologram reproduction image recorded in the first storage area 51 is obtained. The unit illumination area is emitted from the unit hologram 50 to illuminate the unit illumination area.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, when the laser light from the second laser light source 32 enters the second storage area 52 of the unit hologram 50 as reference light, the hologram recorded in the second storage area 52 is reproduced. An image is emitted from the unit hologram 50 to illuminate the unit illumination area.

  As shown in FIG. 2C, when the laser beam from the third laser light source 33 enters the third storage area 53 of the unit hologram 50 as reference light, the hologram recorded in the third storage area 53 is reproduced. An image is emitted from the unit hologram 50 to illuminate the unit illumination area.

  Light emission of the first laser light source 31, the second laser light source 32, and the third laser light source 33 can be controlled by the upper control unit 110. Thus, in the unit unit 10, the unit illumination area can be arbitrarily illuminated with the three primary colors of each laser light source based on the control of each laser light source, so that the unit illumination area is illuminated with an arbitrary color. Will be able to.

  The optical device 100 according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of unit units 10 composed of a combination of the unit laser array 30 and the unit hologram 50 as described above, and the laser array 40 and the hologram 60 as the entire optical device 100 are configured. The That is, the laser array 40 is composed of a plurality of unit laser arrays 30, and the hologram 60 has a storage area corresponding to each laser light source of the plurality of unit laser arrays 30. The unit laser array 3 is composed of at least one laser light source.

  Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, each unit laser array 30 illuminates the unit illumination region, and the entire optical device 100 is formed as a whole illumination region.

  Here, the unit illumination region formed by the unit laser array 30 and the unit hologram 50 plays a role like a pixel in a general display device. In the optical device 100 according to the present invention, the unit illumination region Various illumination patterns can be formed by controlling the unit laser array 30 in the laser array 40 so as to perform different illuminations.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, the example in which the unit laser arrays 30 in the laser array 40 are planar, ie, two-dimensionally arranged, is described. However, the unit laser arrays 30 are arranged one-dimensionally. May be.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, the laser array 40 including a plurality of unit laser arrays 30 is used as a light source that is incident on the hologram 60 of the optical device 100, but as a light source that is incident on the hologram 60 of the optical device 100, Scanning light can also be used. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining illumination by the optical device 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

  The optical device 100 of FIG. 4 includes a mirror 70 that reflects the laser light emitted from each laser light source of the unit laser array 30 and emits scanning light. The mirror 70 is configured to rotate about one axis direction, or to rotate in two directions of one axis direction or two axis directions orthogonal to this, so that the hologram 60 is reflected by the reflected light of the laser beam. Scanning light for scanning can be formed.

  In this example, a configuration in which the scanning light reflected by the mirror 70 is incident on the hologram 60 is adopted, and the optical device 100 according to the present invention can also be realized by such a configuration.

  Specifically, as the mirror 70 as described above, a galvanometer mirror, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) scanner, a polygon mirror, or the like can be used.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the control unit 110 of the optical device 100 performs control of each laser light source of the unit laser array 30 and operation control of the mirror 70 as a scanning unit.

  Next, an application example of the optical device 100 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the optical device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is used for rear lighting of the vehicle 200. In such a vehicle 200, by controlling the laser array 40 with the control unit 110, for example, a blue illumination area as shown in FIG. 5A is formed in an area that can be illuminated by the optical device 100. It becomes possible to do.

  In other words, the optical device 100 according to the present invention can illuminate the rear of the vehicle 200 with white, or can perform illumination other than white as shown in A in addition to white illumination, or without white illumination. Only the illumination shown in A can be performed.

  The vehicle 200 on which the optical device 100 of the present invention can be mounted includes a vehicle that travels only with the driving force of the gasoline engine, a vehicle that travels with the driving force of the gasoline engine and the motor, and a vehicle that travels only with the driving force of the motor. Or, a vehicle that travels by the driving force of a diesel engine is included. Furthermore, the optical device 100 of the present invention can be mounted on a two-wheeled vehicle or the like. Motorcycles include not only motorcycles but also bicycles. In other words, the optical device 100 of the present invention can be mounted on various moving bodies as described above.

  Next, an operation example of the vehicle 200 equipped with the optical device 100 according to the present invention as described above will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the optical device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 6, the control unit 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a ROM (Read Only Memory) that holds a program operating on the CPU.
ry) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) which is a work area of the CPU. The control unit 110 cooperates and operates with each component connected to the illustrated control unit 110.

  The imaging unit 160 is a camera that acquires a moving image behind the vehicle 200. The image acquired by the imaging unit 160 is transmitted to the control unit 110, and image analysis is performed in the control unit 110. For example, a subsequent vehicle behind the vehicle 200 can be extracted.

  The distance measuring unit 170 measures the distance to an object existing behind the vehicle 200 and transmits this distance measurement data to the control unit 110. The control unit 110 obtains the distance D between the subsequent vehicle extracted by the image analysis and the subsequent vehicle based on the data from the distance measuring unit 170. As the distance measuring unit 170, a millimeter wave radar or the like can be used.

  The steering sensor 180 detects an operation of a steering (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 200. The steering sensor 180 detects steering angle data θ of steering by a driver and transmits the detected data to the control unit 110.

  Further, the control unit 110 can control each laser light source that constitutes the laser array 40 to illuminate the front of the vehicle 200. The control unit 110 controls the laser array 40, so that the optical device 100 can be used as a general vehicle headlamp. Furthermore, the control unit 110 controls the laser array 40 so that the optical device 100 can project lines, symbols, marks, characters, and the like onto the road surface.

  Next, control of the optical device 100 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for controlling the optical apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Such a flowchart is executed by the control unit 110.

  In the optical device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the vehicle 200 changes lanes, warning information is illuminated on the following vehicle.

  In FIG. 7, when the engine (not shown) of the vehicle 200 is started by the driver, subsequently, in step S101, the imaging unit 160 obtains a captured image behind the vehicle 200, and in step S102, The captured image of the imaging unit 160 is analyzed.

  In step S103, the analyzed image is referred to and it is determined whether or not there is a subsequent vehicle behind the vehicle 200. Here, if the determination in step 103 is NO, the process proceeds to step S109 to determine whether or not the engine is stopped. If the determination in step S109 is YES, the process proceeds to step S110 to end the process. If the determination in step S109 is NO, the process returns to step S101 again.

  In step S104, the distance D between the distance measurement unit 170 and the following vehicle is acquired. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state of distance measurement of the distance D between the following vehicles.

In the next step S105, it determines whether or not D <D _1. If the following vehicle exists too far away, it is meaningless to illuminate warning information when the vehicle 200 changes lanes, so only when the distance to the following vehicle is smaller than D ₁ The warning information is illuminated.

  If the determination in step 105 is no, the process proceeds to step S109 to determine whether or not the engine is stopped. If the determination in step S109 is YES, the process proceeds to step S110 to end the process. If the determination in step S109 is NO, the process returns to step S101 again.

In step S106, the steering angle data θ of the steering is obtained from the steering sensor 180, and in step S107, it is determined whether the steering angle data θ is larger than a predetermined angle θ _o . If the steering angle data θ is larger than the predetermined angle θ _o , it is determined that the driver is changing the lane.

  If determination of step S107 is NO, it will progress to step S109 and it will be determined whether it is an engine stop. If the determination in step S109 is YES, the process proceeds to step S110 to end the process. If the determination in step S109 is NO, the process returns to step S101 again.

  On the other hand, if determination of step S107 is YES, it will progress to step S108 and will illuminate warning information ahead of the following vehicle. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of illumination of warning information by the optical device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  In the warning information illumination shown in FIG. 9, for example, a red line is illuminated in front of the following vehicle. It is also possible to illuminate the warning information with text information such as “change lane” instead of the warning information illumination with the red line.

  As described above, according to the optical device 100 according to the present invention, it is possible to provide the optical device 100 with a simple and inexpensive configuration with a reduced number of parts, and to provide predetermined information such as warning information in front of the following vehicle. Since it has the function to illuminate, it can contribute to prevention of entrainment and collision.

  Further, according to the vehicle 200 on which the optical device 100 according to the present invention is mounted, safety is improved by the optical device 100 having a function of illuminating predetermined information such as warning information in front of the following vehicle.

10 unit unit 30 unit laser array 31 first laser light source 32 second laser light source 33 third laser light source 40 laser array 50 unit hologram 51 ... first storage area 52 ... second storage area 53 ... third storage area 60 ... hologram 70 ... mirror (scanning section)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Optical apparatus 110 ... Control part 160 ... Imaging part 170 ... Distance measuring part 180 ... Steering sensor 200 ... Vehicle

Claims (6)

An optical device that is mounted on a moving body and illuminates a road surface,
A laser light source for emitting laser light;
An optical element for illuminating by being irradiated with laser light emitted from the laser light source and emitting light to the road surface;
A detection unit for detecting a state behind the moving body;
A determination unit that determines whether there is a rear moving body based on a detection result by the detection unit;
A sensor for detecting a traveling direction of the moving body,
An optical apparatus characterized in that when the determination unit determines that there is a rear moving body and the sensor detects a change in the traveling direction, predetermined information is illuminated in front of the rear moving body. An optical device that is mounted on a moving body and illuminates a road surface,
A laser light source for emitting laser light;
A scanning unit that reflects laser light emitted from the laser light source and emits scanning light;
An optical element that illuminates by entering the scanning light and emitting the light to the road surface;
A detection unit for detecting a state behind the vehicle;
A determination unit that determines whether there is a rear moving body based on a detection result by the detection unit;
A sensor for detecting a traveling direction of the moving body,
An optical apparatus characterized in that when the determination unit determines that there is a rear moving body and the sensor detects a change in the traveling direction, predetermined information is illuminated in front of the rear moving body. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein the optical element is a hologram, and light emitted from the hologram is a hologram reproduction image. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit includes an imaging unit. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit includes a distance measurement unit. A vehicle on which the optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is mounted.

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