JP2022052596A - System of vehicular lamp fitting - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology that provides ease of viewing of projection images and enables adjustment of glare suppression.SOLUTION: A lamp fitting system includes: a driver 12 configured to drive individual LEDs in an LED matrix 11 in which the LEDs are arranged in a two-dimensional manner; and a controller 13 which supplies a set of driving signals to the driver 12 in response to a trigger signal, indicating an on state of a start switch 73, to project an image from the LED matrix 11. The individual LEDs are driven based on the individual driving signals included in the set of driving signals. The controller 13 is configured to supply the set of driving signals, which are subject to glare suppression processing according to conditions of a space to which the image is projected, to the driver 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle lighting system.

In general, vehicle lighting fixtures can switch between low beam and high beam. The low beam illuminates the area in front of the vehicle, and is unlikely to cause glare on the oncoming vehicle or the preceding vehicle. The high beam illuminates farther than the low beam and has a high risk of giving glare to oncoming vehicles and preceding vehicles. Therefore, high beams are often used in more limited situations than low beams.

In recent years, ADB (Adaptive Driving Beam) technology for dynamically and adaptively controlling the light distribution pattern of a high beam according to the surrounding conditions of a vehicle has been intensively researched or developed. The visibility of the driver is enhanced by the high beam irradiation, and the suppression of glare generation due to the high beam irradiation to the oncoming vehicle and the preceding vehicle is simultaneously achieved.

Further, the vehicle lighting equipment is not limited to the above-mentioned lighting when the vehicle is running, but is also used for the purpose of alerting surrounding vehicles and pedestrians to the start of the own vehicle. For example, in Patent Document 1, in order to alert the surrounding people and the vehicle to start the vehicle, the light sources are sequentially turned on in the left and right light source groups, and the moving directions of the irradiation regions of the plurality of light sources in the left and right light source groups are opposite to each other. (Claim 1 of Patent Document 1). Further, at this time, it is also disclosed that the maximum illuminance is lowered as compared with the time when the vehicle is running (claim 2 of Patent Document 1). As shown in Patent Document 2, it is also known to adopt a light source in which LEDs are arranged in a matrix when mounting the ADB.

Japanese Patent No. 6130105 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-21240

In a vehicle lamp provided with a light source (for example, LED or LD matrix) in which the light emitting portion is arranged in a two-dimensional manner, the projection surface away from the lamp (for example, 1 to 10 m in front of the lamp) when the vehicle is not running. By projecting an image on a virtual surface), it is possible to promote attention to the surroundings. Although this purpose can be achieved even at low illuminance as compared with the time when the vehicle is running, uniformly reducing the amount of light or the luminous intensity of all the light emitting parts to be lit reduces the visibility of the projected image. Increasing the amount or luminous intensity of the light emitting portion to be lit in order to make the projected image easier to see may cause glare to drivers and pedestrians in the surrounding vehicle. The inventor of the present application has newly found the significance of providing a technique capable of adjusting the visibility of the projected image and the suppression of glare in this way.

The vehicle lighting fixture control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a driver configured to drive individual light emitting parts in a light source in which light emitting parts are arranged in a two-dimensional manner, and in response to a start command to the vehicle. It includes a controller that supplies a set of drive signals to the driver to project an image from a light source. Individual light emitting units are driven based on the individual drive signals included in the set of drive signals. The controller is configured to supply the driver with a set of glare-suppressed drive signals depending on the spatial conditions on which the image is projected or the brightness of the surroundings of the vehicle. The light emitting unit may be a semiconductor light emitting device such as an LED or an LD.

In some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine if glare suppression processing is required based on input data according to spatial conditions. The input data may be an image acquired in response to the driver's approach to the vehicle or in response to a start command (eg, turning on the start switch).

In some embodiments, the controller is configured to perform glare suppression processing based on input data according to spatial conditions. The input data can be position information indicating the position of a person and / or a vehicle in the space where the image is projected.

In some embodiments, glare suppression processing involves masking a subset of drive signals contained in a set of drive signals. The masking process can be a process suitable for the spatial situation. The masking process is included in the set of drive signals corresponding to the human (eg, human head) and / or the vehicle (eg, its contour as seen from the front of the vehicle) on an image that at least partially captures the spatial situation. It may be a process of converting a subset of drive signals into an extinguishing signal or a dimming signal.

In some embodiments, the masking process is a process that is not suitable for spatial conditions and turns off or turns off a predetermined drive signal in order to turn off or turn off a predetermined light emitting part that is likely to cause glare. This is the process of converting to a signal.

In some embodiments, the controller generates location information based on the person and / or vehicle on an image that at least partially captures the spatial situation, and a set of drive signals read from memory based on the location information. It is configured to be modified. For example, the controller converts the drive signal corresponding to the position information into an extinguishing signal or a dimming signal.

In some embodiments, the controller selectively supplies a first set of drive signals to the driver when glare suppression processing is required, and a second drive signal when glare suppression processing is not required. Selectively supply the driver with a set of.

In some embodiments, the driver is configured to check for anomalies in each light emitting unit driven in response to each drive signal.

In some embodiments, the controller is configured to continuously supply a set of drive signals to the driver to project a dynamic image from a light source.

In some embodiments, the light source is a high beam light source. The light emitting unit includes one LED or a subset of LEDs.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is facilitated to provide a technique capable of suppressing glare and adjusting the visibility of a projected image.

It is a schematic diagram of the vehicle which concerns on one aspect of this disclosure. It is a schematic diagram of the high beam light source of the vehicle lamp according to one aspect of this disclosure. It is a schematic block diagram of the vehicle and the lamp system for a vehicle which concerns on one aspect of this disclosure. It is a schematic diagram of the LED matrix which is a high beam light source. It is a schematic block diagram of a driver. It is a block circuit diagram which is the schematic diagram of the LED drive circuit. It is a schematic diagram which shows the set of the 1st drive signal for putting the LED matrix into the 1st lighting state. It is a schematic diagram which shows the set of the 2nd drive signal for making the LED matrix into the 2nd lighting state. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 1st lighting state of the LED matrix. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 2nd lighting state of the LED matrix. It is a schematic diagram which shows the image taken by the image acquisition part when the person is present in the lighting space by a lamp. It is a schematic diagram which shows the set of the 3rd drive signal for making the LED matrix into the 3rd lighting state. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 3rd lighting state of the LED matrix. It is a schematic flowchart which shows the operation of the vehicle and the lamp for a vehicle which concerns on one aspect of this disclosure. It is a schematic flowchart of the mask processing which concerns on one aspect of this disclosure. It is a schematic diagram which shows the variation of the lamp for a vehicle. It is a schematic diagram which shows the variation of the lamp for a vehicle.

Hereinafter, non-limiting embodiments and features of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. One of ordinary skill in the art can combine each embodiment and / or each feature without over-explanation, and the synergistic effect of this combination is also understandable. Overlapping description between embodiments will be omitted in principle. The reference drawings are primarily intended to describe the invention and have been simplified for convenience of drawing. Each feature is understood as a universal feature that is not only valid for the vehicle lamps disclosed herein, but is also applicable to various other vehicle lamps not disclosed herein. ..

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 9 has a vehicle system 7 and one or more lamp systems 8. The vehicle system 7 includes a vehicle controller 71, an image acquisition unit 72, a start switch 73, a proximity sensor 74, an accelerator opening sensor 75, a brake sensor 76, a steering sensor 77, and various sensors 78.

The vehicle controller 71 is implemented as a computer, and can execute various functions by executing a program stored in a memory by a CPU (Central Processing Unit). For example, when the start switch 73 is turned on, an on signal indicating an on state of the start switch is transmitted to the lamp system 8 (the lamp controller 13 of the lamp system 8 described later). Further, when the proximity sensor 74 detects the proximity of the driver's key, the vehicle controller 71 activates the image acquisition unit 72 to acquire an image, and transmits this image to the lamp system 8 (lamp controller 13). The accelerator opening sensor 75, the brake sensor 76, the steering sensor 77, and various sensors 78 are provided in a normal vehicle, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. For example, when the vehicle is an electric vehicle, the vehicle controller 71 controls the rotation speed or the generated torque of the armature of the electric motor in response to the output signal of the accelerator opening sensor 75.

The lamp system 8 has two lamps 10 on the left and right. Each lamp 10 is configured to be switchable between low beam and high beam, but should not be limited to this. The lamp 10 includes the lamp unit 10a shown in FIG. 2, and includes the LED matrix 11 as a light source (particularly, a high beam light source). The LED matrix 11 is a two-dimensional arrangement of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). For example, the LED group is mounted on the mounting board 62 and thermally connected to the heat sink 63 via the mounting board 62. The heat generated in the LED when the LED is driven is conducted to the heat sink 63 via the mounting substrate 62. The light radiated from the LED matrix 11 is radiated to the outside of the vehicle through the lens 23 arranged outside the vehicle (for example, in front of the LED matrix 11). The lens 23 is held by a split or integrated lens holder 24.

The type of LED is not limited, but for example, a white LED is used. Any kind of semiconductor light emitting element can be adopted as the light emitting unit of the light source, and not only the LED but also the LD (Laser Diode) can be adopted. The semiconductor light emitting device emits light in response to a drive current supply or a drive voltage application. The light emitting unit can include various optical components (for example, a filter, a diffuser plate, a microlens) in addition to the semiconductor light emitting element. Depending on the lamp, an optical device for controlling the orientation is provided between the light source and the lens.

The image acquisition unit 72 is provided so as to acquire an image that captures a space including a projection surface on which an image projected from the LED matrix 11 via the lens 23 is projected. Typically, the image acquisition unit 72 is provided so as to face forward through the windshield of the vehicle. The image pickup unit of the image acquisition unit 72 typically has an image pickup element such as a CMOS image sensor. The image output from the image sensor is provided to the lamp system 8 (the lamp controller 13 described later) without image processing (for example, binarization) or image processing. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the pixel subset of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 72 corresponds to the LED in the LED matrix 11. For example, the LEDs at the four corners correspond to the pixel subsets at the four corners. When glare occurs in the space corresponding to a pixel subset in a corner, the LED corresponding to the pixel subset is dimmed or turned off.

The start switch 73 is an input device for putting the vehicle in the starting state. Typically, the start switch 73 is an ignition switch for a vehicle having an internal combustion engine or a power switch for an electric vehicle. This power switch is provided, for example, between the motor and the power supply. In a vehicle equipped with a touch panel, the start switch is an icon displayed on the touch panel. For example, select an icon to move from the off position to the on position. As a result, the electric vehicle is put into the starting state.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lamp system 8 includes the above-mentioned LED matrix 11, a driver 12, and a lamp controller (hereinafter, simply referred to as a controller) 13. The driver 12 is configured to drive the individual LEDs in the LED matrix 11. The controller 13 supplies a set of drive signals to the driver 12 in response to a trigger signal (start command for the vehicle) indicating the ON state of the start switch 73, and projects an image from the LED matrix 11 onto the projection surface. The controller 13 can also continuously supply a set of drive signals to the driver 12 to project a dynamic image from the LED matrix 11. The projection plane is a virtual plane located away from the lamp unit 10a, and in some cases, is parallel to the vertical direction. If there is an obstacle in front of the lamp unit 10a, for example, a wall, the wall surface of the wall becomes the projection surface. The image emitted from the LED matrix 11 via the lens 23 can be projected onto the wall surface thereof. Depending on the design, the projection surface can be the road surface.

The individual light emitting units included in the light source and the individual drive signals included in the set of drive signals are associated with each other. Hereinafter, one light emitting unit will be described as corresponding to one semiconductor light emitting device, but it is also assumed that one light emitting unit corresponds to a subset of semiconductor light emitting elements (for example, four LEDs). In this case, the number of drive signals can be reduced and the required signal processing costs (eg, power and time) can be reduced.

In the LED matrix 11 shown in FIG. 4, a total of 288 LEDs are arranged in 12 rows and 24 columns. A total of 288 drive signals corresponding to the individual LEDs are prepared. As shown in FIG. 4, an address is assigned to each LED by a row number and a column number. Identification of the drive signal can be achieved by assigning an identifier to the drive signal, but should not be limited to this. When a set of drive signals is transmitted serially, the drive signals are identified by the order of the drive signals. When a set of drive signals is transmitted in parallel, the drive signals are identified by the terminal name or terminal number.

As shown in FIG. 5, the driver 12 includes a processing circuit 121 and a plurality of drive circuits 122 for individually driving the light emitting unit (LED). The processing circuit 121 receives a set of drive signals serially or in parallel from the controller 13 and transmits the individual drive signals to the individual drive circuits 122. The processing circuit 121 can also perform signal processing such as A / D conversion.

The drive circuit 122 receives a drive signal from the processing circuit 121 and drives the LED in response to the drive signal. The drive signal is a signal that determines the drive condition of the LED, and thus determines the amount and luminous intensity of the synchrotron radiation from the LED. When the LED is PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controlled, the drive signal is a signal indicating a duty ratio. When the duty ratio is large, the drive current per unit time becomes large, and the amount of light emitted from the LED increases. When the duty ratio is small, the drive current per unit time becomes small, and the amount of light emitted from the LED decreases. Not limited to PWM control, the drive current may be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the resistance value of the resistor connected in series with the LED.

The drive circuit 122 has an LED, a switching circuit, and an inspection circuit connected in series between the power supply potential and the ground potential, and further, a PWM circuit that controls opening and closing of the switching circuit according to a drive signal that specifies a duty ratio. Has. The switching circuit is typically a semiconductor switch such as a MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor). The PWM circuit supplies an on-voltage to the gate terminal of the MOSFET at the duty ratio specified by the drive signal. While the MOSFET is on, a drive current flows through the LED and the LED emits light.

The inspection circuit is provided for inspecting the presence or absence of LED failure, and when detecting LED failure, a failure detection signal is generated and output. This failure detection signal is transmitted from the lamp system 8 to the vehicle system 7, and the LED abnormality flag (for example, 1 of the binary signal) is held in the vehicle system 7. When the duty ratio is zero, the switching circuit is turned off and no drive current flows through the LED, but inspection is possible even in this case.

As shown in FIG. 3, the controller 13 includes a determination unit 14 and a drive signal supply unit 15. The determination unit 14 determines whether or not the glare suppression process is necessary based on the input data according to the spatial condition (that is, the spatial condition outside the vehicle) including the projection surface on which the image is projected from the LED matrix 11. For example, an image (input data) is received from the image acquisition unit 72 of the vehicle system 7 and it is determined whether or not the vehicle and the human are captured in the image. The determination unit 14 outputs a determination signal according to the determination result. The drive signal supply unit 15 supplies the driver with either a set of drive signals that have been subjected to glare suppression processing or a set of drive signals that have not been subjected to glare suppression processing based on the determination signal. The determination signal may be a binary signal indicating the presence or absence of glare suppression. The determination signal may additionally or as an alternative include position information for glare suppression.

Although not necessarily limited to this, the determination unit 14 is configured to specify the position and / or range of an object (for example, a human or a vehicle) on the image. The determination unit 14 identifies the position of the object on the image based on the pattern matching technique. The position of the object on the image can be specified by, for example, the pixel address. The determination unit 14 outputs this pixel address as position information.

As an addition or alternative, the determination unit 14 can also specify the position of the object on the image by the area number. Images are partitioned in advance, and area numbers are assigned to each area. As a result, the determination unit 14 can output this area number as position information. By specifying the position of the object on the image, it becomes possible to control the lighting of the LED matrix 11 under the conditions adapted to the condition of the lighting space of the lamp unit 10a.

The above-mentioned data processing may be performed outside the lamp system 8 (for example, the vehicle system 7), and the controller 13 may receive the position information (pixel address or area number) as input data. For example, the determination unit 14 determines that the glare suppression process is necessary when receiving the input data of the position information, and determines that the glare suppression process is not necessary when the position information is not input. The vehicle controller 71 may execute the glare suppression process based on the input data of the position information without making a determination. For example, the mask processing execution unit 16 described later receives the input data of the position information and executes the mask processing as described later.

The imaging space of the image acquisition unit 72 (the space on which the acquired image is captured) and the illumination space of the lamp unit 10a do not have to completely match, and the imaging space of the image acquisition unit 72 and the illumination space of the lamp unit 10a are superimposed. Just do it. For example, the image acquisition unit 72 is provided in common with the left and right lamp units 10a (left and right LED matrices 11) provided in front of the vehicle. The imaging space by the image acquisition unit 72 includes the illumination space of the left and right lamp units 10a. The determination unit 14 can determine whether or not a person or a vehicle exists in the illumination space of the left lamp unit 10a in the left side portion of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 72. Similarly, the determination unit 14 can determine whether or not a person or a vehicle is present in the illumination space of the right lamp unit 10a in the right side portion of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 72.

The drive signal supply unit 15 includes a mask processing execution unit 16, a memory 17 in which a set of drive signals is stored, and a buffer 18 in which a set of drive signals is temporarily stored. The memory 17 is a semiconductor memory such as DRAM or SRAM or a part thereof. Like the memory 17, the buffer 18 is also a semiconductor memory such as a DRAM or SRAM or a part thereof. The memory 17 and the buffer 18 can be allocated to different memory spaces of the same semiconductor memory. As will be described later, the drive signal supply unit 15 is not limited to the one that executes the mask process.

The mask processing execution unit 16 executes mask processing on a set of drive signals stored in the buffer 18 based on the determination signal and / or the position information supplied from the determination unit 14. As a result, one or more drive signals included in the drive signal set are changed, and a glare-suppressed drive signal set is generated. As a result of this, the driving conditions of one or more LEDs in the LED matrix 11 are changed, and the image projected from the LED matrix 11 on the projection surface is changed. Again, the mask processing execution unit 16 may receive input data of position information from outside the lamp system 8 (for example, the vehicle system 7) and execute the mask processing based on the input data.

This will be further described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 15. FIG. 7 shows a first set of drive signals for putting the LED matrix 11 into the first lighting state (L indicates an extinguishing signal; H indicates a lighting signal (same in FIGS. 8 and 13). ). FIG. 8 shows a second set of drive signals for putting the LED matrix 11 into the second lighting state. FIG. 9 shows the first lighting state of the LED matrix 11. FIG. 10 shows the second lighting state of the LED matrix 11. FIG. 11 shows an image captured by the image acquisition unit when a human is present in the illumination space including the projection surface of the image emitted from the LED matrix. FIG. 12 shows a third set of drive signals for setting the LED matrix 11 to the third lighting state. FIG. 13 shows a third lighting state of the LED matrix in which the LED subset is turned off in the first lighting state of the LED matrix.

The memory 17 stores a set of first and second drive signals (FIGS. 7 and 8) for setting the LED matrix 11 into the first and second lighting states (FIGS. 9 and 10). The controller 13 alternately supplies the first and second sets of drive signals (FIGS. 7 and 8) to the driver 12 in response to the trigger signal indicating the ON state of the start switch 73, and supplies the LED matrix 11 to the first LED matrix 11. And the second lighting state (FIGS. 9 and 10) are alternately switched. In this way, the intention of starting the own vehicle can be notified to the surroundings. Note that FIGS. 7 and 8 are reference diagrams created to show the correspondence between the light emitting unit (LED) and the drive signal, and do not show the address space of the memory 17. There is no particular limitation on the storage mode of the drive signal in the memory 17. Further, not only a striped pattern but also a form of projecting a stationary or dynamic logo or mark is assumed.

The controller 13 responds to a trigger signal indicating an ON state of the start switch 73, and before supplying the driver 12 with a set of first or second drive signals (FIGS. 7 and 8), the illumination space of the LED matrix 11 It is determined whether or not an object (human or vehicle) exists in the object. Specifically, the determination unit 14 determines the presence or absence of an object based on the image processing of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 72, and also specifies the position (pixel address or area number described above) on the image. do.

In the case shown in FIG. 11, the human head is shown in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 72. The determination unit 14 identifies a region in which the human head is copied by a pixel address or an identification number, and supplies this as position information to the drive signal supply unit 15 (particularly, the mask processing execution unit 16). The drive signal supply unit 15 can supply the driver 12 with a set of drive signals that have been subjected to glare suppression processing, based on the determination signal and / or the position information supplied from the determination unit 14. When receiving the position information, the drive signal supply unit 15 can specify the drive signal to be masked. For example, the mask processing execution unit 16 operates to mask a specific drive signal based on the position information. When the drive signal is masked, the LED driven by the drive signal is, for example, dimmed from 50% lit to 20% lit or turned off until 0% lit. 50% lighting corresponds to, for example, a duty ratio of 50%.

More specifically, the drive signal supply unit 15 causes the memory 17 to transfer the first set of drive signals to the buffer 18. Next, the drive signal supply unit 15 causes the mask processing execution unit 16 to perform mask processing on the first set of drive signals held in the buffer 18. As a result, the first set of drive signals shown in FIG. 7 is converted into the third set of drive signals shown in FIG. LED addresses ((3,3) to (6,3), (3,4) to (6,4), (3,5) to (6,5), (3,6) to (6,6) ) Is turned off, so that the drive signal supplied to the drive circuit for driving these LEDs is converted into L (turn-off signal). Next, the drive signal supply unit 15 outputs a set of a third drive signal from the buffer 18 and supplies it to the driver 12. The driver 12 drives the LED matrix 11 based on a third set of drive signals, the LED matrix 11 is lit as shown in FIG. 13, and a striped image in which the portion corresponding to the human head is masked. Is projected onto the projection plane. The image is chipped in some areas of the human head, but the image is clearly visible in other areas.

After a predetermined time in which the drive signal supply unit 15 commands the output of the third drive signal set from the buffer 18, the drive signal supply unit 15 transfers the second drive signal set from the memory 17 to the buffer 18. Next, the drive signal supply unit 15 causes the mask processing execution unit 16 to perform mask processing on the second set of drive signals held in the buffer 18. In the second set of drive signals, all the drive signals specified based on the position information are L (LED off signal). Therefore, the mask processing execution unit 16 skips the mask processing for these drive signals. Next, the drive signal supply unit 15 outputs a second set of drive signals from the buffer 18 and supplies them to the driver 12. The driver 12 drives the LED matrix 11 based on the second set of drive signals, the LED matrix 11 is lit as shown in FIG. 10, which is complementary to the striped image of the first lit state. A striped image is projected onto the projection plane.

Further will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. When the driver's key enters the predetermined range from the vehicle (S1), the proximity sensor 74 outputs an H signal to the vehicle controller 71. The vehicle controller 71 puts the image acquisition unit 72 in the standby state (S2). When the driver sits in the driver's seat and turns on the start switch 73 (S3), the image acquisition unit 72 acquires an image and optionally performs image processing such as binarization (S4). This image data is transferred to the controller 13 of the lamp system 8 by a command from the vehicle controller 71 or automatically.

Subsequently, the determination unit 14 of the controller 13 determines whether or not there is an object (for example, a human or a vehicle) in the acquired image (S5) to generate a determination signal, and / or its position and / or. A range is specified and position information (for example, a pixel address or a region number) is generated (S6). Next, the mask processing execution unit 16 executes mask processing on the set of drive signals based on the determination signal and / or the position information (S7). This produces a set of drive signals with varying values for one or more drive signals.

Next, the driver 12 receives this set of drive signals and drives the LED matrix 11 accordingly (S8). When the LED is driven, the inspection circuit of the driver 12 inspects the LED (S9). When the LED fails, an LED error signal is output from the inspection circuit and the LED error flag is set in the vehicle system 7. When there is no object in the irradiation area, the LED matrix 11 is driven by the original drive signal set (S10).

The masking process is performed, for example, as shown in FIG. For convenience of explanation, a natural number identification number is attached to the drive signal to be masked (specified based on the position information). The N = 1st drive signal to be masked is read from the buffer 18, and it is determined whether the drive signal = L. When the drive signal is L, it is not necessary to perform mask processing again, so N = N + 1. When the drive signal = H, the drive signal is changed from H to L on the buffer 18. Then, the same procedure is performed for the next drive signal. In this way, the drive signal is rewritten on the buffer 18, and a set of drive signals processed for glare suppression is generated. The drive signal is not limited to a binary signal of L (off signal) and H (lighting signal). The drive signal can be understood as a dimming signal, and the LED can be made to emit light with a brightness between lighting and extinguishing.

In the above case, the mask processing can be said to be a processing suitable for the spatial situation, but can be changed to a processing not suitable for the spatial situation. That is, the determination unit 14 does not generate position information, but transmits only the determination information to the mask processing execution unit 16. Based on this determination information, the mask processing execution unit 16 converts the drive signal supplied to the predetermined LED, which is likely to cause glare, into a light-off signal or a light-down signal in order to reduce or turn off the light. Can be done. A predetermined LED that is likely to cause glare can be determined for each vehicle in consideration of the position in the LED matrix 11 and the optical action of the lens 23.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 16, the first memory 91 stores the original set of drive signals that have not been subjected to glare suppression processing, and the second memory 92 stores the set of drive signals that have been subjected to glare suppression processing. When the determination signal indicates that glare suppression is necessary, the selection unit 93 outputs a set of drive signals from the second memory 92. When the determination signal indicates that glare suppression is unnecessary, the selection unit 93 outputs a set of drive signals from the first memory 91. Even in such an embodiment, it is expected that the same effect as that described above can be obtained. As a matter of course, the first and second memories 91 and 92 can be allocated to different memory spaces of the same memory device.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 17, as an addition or alternative to the various embodiments described above, the controller 13 responds to the driver 12 with a set of drive signals in response to a start command to the vehicle, depending on the brightness of the surroundings of the vehicle. The driver is supplied with a set of drive signals that have been subjected to glare suppression processing. When the surroundings of the vehicle are dark, such as in the evening or at night, glare may be felt more strongly. By performing glare suppression processing according to the brightness of the surroundings of the vehicle, glare generation can be suppressed during lighting control in response to the vehicle start command.

The illuminance sensor 94 outputs a detection value according to the brightness around the vehicle. This detected value is transmitted to the controller 13 of the lamp system 8 with or without the vehicle system 7. The determination unit 14 compares the input value indicating the brightness around the vehicle with the threshold value to determine whether or not the glare suppression process should be performed. The determination unit 14 can generate a difference value between the input value and the threshold value, and the mask processing execution unit 16 can execute the glare suppression process according to the difference value. For example, the light reduction control is performed in proportion to the difference value. As described above, the function of the determination unit 14 may be assigned to the vehicle side.

The functions of a part or all of the determination unit and / or the mask processing execution unit can be realized by the CPU executing the program. A part or all of the functions of the mask processing execution unit can be implemented by a logic circuit (wired logic).

8 Lamp system 10 Lamp 11 LED matrix 12 Driver 13 Lamp controller 14 Judgment unit 15 Drive signal supply unit

Claims (16)

A driver configured to drive individual light emitting parts in a light source in which the light emitting parts are arranged in a two-dimensional manner,
A controller that supplies a set of drive signals to the driver in response to a start command to the vehicle to project an image from the light source, and the individual light emitting units based on the individual drive signals included in the set of drive signals. Equipped with a controller to drive
The controller is configured to supply the driver with a set of drive signals that have been glare-suppressed according to the spatial conditions on which the image is projected or the brightness of the surroundings of the vehicle. System. The controller is configured to determine whether glare suppression processing is necessary based on the input data according to the spatial situation, and / or executes the glare suppression processing based on the input data according to the spatial situation. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured to be the same. The system according to claim 2, wherein the input data is an image acquired in response to the driver's approach to the vehicle or in response to the start command. The system according to claim 2, wherein the input data is position information indicating the positions of humans and / or vehicles in the space where the image is projected. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the glare suppressing process includes masking a subset of drive signals included in the set of drive signals. The system according to claim 5, wherein the mask processing is a processing suitable for the spatial situation. The mask process is a process of converting a subset of drive signals included in the set of drive signals into turn-off signals or dimming signals corresponding to humans and / or vehicles on an image that at least partially captures the spatial situation. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that there is. The controller is configured to generate location information based on humans and / or vehicles on an image that at least partially captures the spatial situation and modify a set of drive signals read from memory based on the location information. The system according to claim 7, wherein the system is to be used. The mask process is a process that does not conform to the spatial condition, and is a process of converting a predetermined drive signal into an extinguishing signal or a dimming signal in order to dimming or extinguishing the predetermined light emitting portion that is likely to cause glare. The system according to claim 5, wherein the system is characterized by the above. The controller selectively supplies a first set of drive signals to the driver when the glare suppression process is required, and supplies a second set of drive signals when the glare suppression process is not required. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the system is selectively supplied to a driver. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether or not glare suppression processing is necessary based on the input signal indicating the brightness. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the driver is configured to inspect an abnormality of each light emitting unit driven in response to each drive signal. The controller according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the controller is configured to continuously supply a set of the drive signals to the driver to project a dynamic image from the light source. The system described. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the light source is a high beam light source. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the light emitting unit includes one LED or a subset of LEDs. A vehicle lamp comprising the system according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

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