JP2023017283A - Vehicle Lighting Systems, Vehicles, Street Lights, and Programs - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a lamp fitting unit which enables pedestrians on a crosswalk crossed by a right-turning vehicle to realize existence of the right-turning vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicular lamp fitting system detects a position of a crosswalk crossed by a vehicle when turning right and existence of a pedestrian on the crosswalk or pedestrians trying to enter the crosswalk, before the vehicle enters an intersection to turn right. When the pedestrian exists, the vehicular lamp fitting system emits spot light from a light source to a position of the crosswalk crossed by the vehicle when turning light.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle lighting system that guides the line of sight of pedestrians at an intersection.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, techniques have been proposed for assisting driving of a vehicle by controlling the light of lamps mounted on the vehicle.

For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for improving visibility by irradiating light from an auxiliary light source attached to the side of the vehicle to the side of the vehicle when turning right or left, so that the luminous flux of the auxiliary light source is applied to the pedestrian crossing that the vehicle crosses. disclosed.

Further, in Patent Document 2, a pedestrian walking on the left side of the own vehicle is detected by a camera image or a millimeter wave radar, and when the distance from the own vehicle is less than a predetermined distance, a luminous flux pot is emitted onto the road surface. A technology is disclosed in which the vehicle recognizes the pedestrian by gradually approaching the pedestrian.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-38300 (especially FIG. 44) Japanese Patent No. 5696701 (especially FIG. 6)

When a vehicle makes a right turn at a large intersection, it is difficult for pedestrians to notice the presence of the right-turning vehicle because the distance between the vehicle and pedestrians on the crosswalk that the vehicle crosses when turning right is large at the start of the right turn. In particular, when a pedestrian and a vehicle enter an intersection facing the same direction, and the pedestrian is walking on a crosswalk crossed by a right-turning vehicle, the pedestrian does not recognize the right-turning vehicle until just before the right-turning vehicle crosses the pedestrian crossing. Hateful.

The technology of Patent Document 1 does not detect the presence of crosswalks or pedestrians, and there is a point in time where the light emitted from the side of the right-turning vehicle reaches the crosswalk. By cutting and changing the trajectory, there are angles at which the light does not reach the pedestrian crossing. In addition, when the pedestrian crossing is illuminated with light emitted from the side of the vehicle, it is difficult for pedestrians to know that the vehicle is turning right.

According to the technology of Patent Document 2, when a pedestrian is walking toward a vehicle, the pedestrian's line of sight is guided by the luminous flux spot illuminated by the vehicle, and the vehicle can be recognized. However, if the pedestrian's traveling direction is the same as the vehicle's traveling direction, the pedestrian cannot perceive the existence of the vehicle because the luminous flux spot cannot be seen by the pedestrian. Therefore, when the technology of Patent Document 2 is applied to the relationship between a pedestrian walking on a crosswalk at an intersection and a vehicle turning right, if the pedestrian and the vehicle are facing the same direction at the start of entering the intersection, the pedestrian: The existence of the vehicle cannot be made to be recognized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a lamp unit that enables pedestrians on a pedestrian crossing crossed by a right-turning vehicle to recognize the presence of the right-turning vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a light source unit mounted on a vehicle and a light source control section for receiving information from a detection section mounted on the vehicle and controlling the light source unit based on the information are provided. A vehicle lighting system is provided. Here, from the information received from the detection unit, the light source control unit determines the position of the crosswalk that the vehicle will cross when turning right and the pedestrian on the crosswalk or the pedestrian on the crosswalk before entering the intersection for the right turn. The presence or absence of a pedestrian is detected, and if there is a pedestrian, a spot light is emitted from the light source to the position of the pedestrian crossing when turning right.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lamp unit that allows pedestrians on a pedestrian crossing crossed by a right-turning vehicle to recognize the presence of the right-turning vehicle.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of a vehicle 100 equipped with a vehicle lamp unit according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. (a) is a top view showing the mounting position of the vehicle lighting system 1 to the vehicle 100, and (b) is a top view showing the arrangement of auxiliary light source units in the vehicle lighting system 1. FIG. (a) to (c) are a top view, a front view, and a rear view, respectively, showing the configuration of the auxiliary light source unit 10 of the vehicle lamp system 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the light source control section 20 of Embodiment 1. FIG. (a) to (e) are explanatory diagrams showing the positions of spotlights irradiated onto a pedestrian crossing by the vehicle lighting system 1 of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a table showing switching timings stored in a storage unit 21 of a light source control unit 20 according to the second embodiment; 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the light source control section 20 of Embodiment 2; FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of a vehicle 100 equipped with a vehicle lamp unit according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention and a street lamp; FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the structure of a street light 300 including a light source control section 20 and an auxiliary light source unit 10 according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention;

One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<<Embodiment 1>>
<Overview>
When a vehicle equipped with the vehicle lighting system of Embodiment 1 enters an intersection for a right turn, the position of the pedestrian crossing that the vehicle will cross when turning right, the pedestrian on the pedestrian crossing, or the intention of entering the pedestrian crossing. The presence or absence of a pedestrian is detected, and if there is a pedestrian, a spot light is emitted from the light source to the position of the pedestrian crossing when turning right.

This allows pedestrians on the pedestrian crossing crossed by the right-turning vehicle to recognize the presence of the right-turning vehicle.

At that time, the vehicle can guide the line of sight of the pedestrian by moving the spot light on the pedestrian crossing as the vehicle moves within the intersection. In particular, as the vehicle approaches the crosswalk in the intersection, the pedestrian's line of sight can be guided toward the right-turning vehicle by moving the spot light in the direction of approaching the vehicle in the width direction of the crosswalk. It is more effective because it can

<Structure>
First, the vehicle lighting system 1 of Embodiment 1 and the structure of a vehicle 100 equipped with it will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of a vehicle 100. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2(a) shows the mounting position of the vehicle lighting system 1 on the vehicle 100, and FIG. 3A to 3C are a top view, a front view, and a rear view showing a configuration example of the auxiliary light source unit 10. FIG.

The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle lighting system 1, a vehicle drive unit 90 such as an engine and a motor, a camera 50 that captures an image of at least a predetermined angle in front of the vehicle, a vehicle position detection unit (for example, GPS) 70, It includes a navigation system 60 that provides route guidance using the detected vehicle position and map data, a vehicle speed detector 80 , a blinker unit 110 , and an in-vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 40 . The vehicle 100 also includes a transmission, power steering, etc., although not shown.

The in-vehicle ECU 40 uses the detection results of the camera 50, the vehicle position detection section 70, the vehicle speed detection section 80, and the like to control the vehicle driving section 90, the transmission, the power steering, and the like, thereby controlling the running of the vehicle. Further, when the driver operates the turn signal lever 111 of the turn signal unit 110, the in-vehicle ECU 40 turns on the turn signal light source 112 to blink.

The vehicle lamp system 1 includes a headlamp unit 30 that irradiates headlamps (high beam, low beam) in front of the vehicle, an auxiliary light source unit 10, and a light source control that controls the headlamp unit 30 and the auxiliary light source unit 10. a portion 20;

The headlamp unit 30 has a low beam light source 31 and a high beam light source 32 .

The light source control unit 20 receives information from a detection unit (such as the camera 50) mounted on the vehicle 100, and controls the auxiliary light source unit 10 based on the received information. As will be described in detail later, the light source control unit 20 determines the position of the crosswalk that the vehicle 100 crosses when turning right and the pedestrians on the crosswalk or the crosswalk at the time when the vehicle 100 enters the intersection to turn right. The presence or absence of a pedestrian about to enter is detected, and if there is a pedestrian, an auxiliary light source unit 10 irradiates a spot light to the position of the pedestrian crossing when turning right.

The auxiliary light source unit 10 includes an aiming mechanism 11 that adjusts the optical axis of the auxiliary light source unit 10 , and irradiates a spot light onto a position designated by the light source control section 20 .

Here, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the auxiliary light source unit 10 is arranged in the headlight unit 30 and closer to the side of the vehicle 100 than the low beam light source 31 and the high beam light source 32. It is

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary light source unit 10 includes a plurality of light sources (LEDs) 301, 302, and 303 mounted on a mounting substrate 308, and on the light emitting surface side of the light sources 301 to 303, A mask 307 for generating a desired light distribution pattern is mounted, and projection lenses 304, 305, and 306 are arranged on the mask 307 for condensing light from the light sources 301 to 303 that have passed through the mask. The directions and positions in which the projection lenses 304, 305, and 306 converge the light from the light sources 301, 302, and 303, respectively, are designed to be different predetermined directions and positions, as shown in FIG. .

A heat sink 309 for heat radiation is fixed to the back surface of the mounting substrate 308 , and the back surface of the heat sink 309 for heat radiation is mounted on a rectangular plate-like bracket 310 .

The bracket 310 is provided with, as the aiming mechanism 11, a mechanism for adjusting the optical axes of the light sources 301 to 303 in the left-right direction and the up-down direction. For example, here, one corner of a rectangular plate-shaped bracket 310 is provided with a pivot 311 serving as a fulcrum, and the tip of a columnar rib 312 is fixed. A base portion of the rib 312 is fixed to a plate-shaped support portion 313 .

In order to tilt the bracket 310 in the left-right direction with respect to the support portion 313 with the pivot 311 as a fulcrum, a left-right direction adjuster is provided at the corner of the bracket 310 opposite to the corner where the pivot 311 is provided in the left-right direction. A pivot 314 is provided, into which the tip of a screw 315 is screwed. A base portion of the screw 315 penetrates the support portion 313 and is inserted into a horizontal direction adjustment actuator 316 arranged on the back side of the support portion 313 . The lateral direction adjustment actuator 316 rotates the screw 315 to bring the corner of the bracket 310 provided with the lateral direction adjustment pivot 314 closer to or away from the support portion 313 , thereby adjusting the orientation of the bracket 310 . Tilt in the horizontal direction.

A vertical adjustment pivot 318 is provided at a corner of the bracket 310 that is diagonal to the corner where the pivot 311 is provided, and the tip of a screw (not shown) is screwed thereon. The base of this screw passes through the support portion 313 and is inserted into the vertical adjustment actuator 317 arranged on the back side of the support portion 313 . The vertical adjustment actuator 317 moves the corner of the bracket 310 provided with the vertical adjustment pivot 318 closer to or away from the support 313 by rotating the screw, thereby adjusting the orientation of the bracket 310 up or down. Tilt in direction.

The light source control unit 20 switches the light sources 301, 302, and 303 to irradiate the light in order to change the position of the spot light irradiated from the auxiliary light source unit 10 toward the crosswalk.

Here, among the light sources 301 to 303, the first light source 301 is closer to the pivot (fulcrum) 311, so compared to the third light source 303, the vertical and horizontal adjustment range is smaller. Therefore, the first light source 301 is used for long-distance illumination. Since the second and third light sources 302 and 303 are located farther from the pivot (fulcrum) 311 than the first light source 301, they have a wide adjustment range in the vertical and horizontal directions, and are used when illuminating a nearby area. be done.

It is preferable that the color of the light spot emitted by the auxiliary light source unit 10 is different from the color of the headlight emitted by the headlight unit 30, because it is easy to attract the attention of pedestrians.

For example, if the color of the light spot emitted by the auxiliary light source unit 10 is amber or green, it is preferable because it tends to attract pedestrians' attention.

<Action>
The operation of the vehicle lamp system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of the light source control unit 20, and FIGS. 5(a) to 5(e) show the positions of the spotlights that the vehicle lighting system 1 irradiates onto the crosswalk.

The light source control section 20 controls each section in accordance with the flow of FIG. 4, so that when there is a pedestrian, the auxiliary light source unit 10 irradiates a spotlight onto the pedestrian crossing when turning right.

The light source control unit 20 is configured by a computer or the like including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and a memory, and the processor reads and executes a program stored in the memory. An example of realizing the operation of FIG. 4 by software will be described. However, the light source control unit 20 is not limited to the one that realizes its functions by software, and part or all of it can be configured by hardware. For example, a custom IC such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or a programmable IC such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) is used to realize the functions of the light source control unit 20 as shown in FIG. circuit design.

(Step 401)
First, the light source control unit 20 receives information as to whether or not the turn signal light source 112 of the turn signal unit 110 is turned on from the in-vehicle ECU 40, and proceeds to step 402 if it is turned on.

(Step 402)
Next, the light source control unit 20 receives the image of the camera 50 from the in-vehicle ECU 40, and from this image, the position of the pedestrian crossing 501 that the vehicle 100 crosses when turning right, and the pedestrian on the pedestrian crossing 501 or the pedestrian crossing. Detect the presence or absence of pedestrians trying to enter.

Specifically, by subjecting the image of the camera 50 to image processing such as binarization processing, the pedestrian crossing in the image is extracted, and the pedestrian crossing 501 on the right side of the vehicle is selected (see FIG. 5A). ). Thereby, the pedestrian crossing 501 that the vehicle 100 crosses when turning right is specified. Also, an area 504 is set in a range of about 3/4 from the front side (closer to the vehicle 100) in the longitudinal direction of the pedestrian crossing 501 on the image, and whether or not the pedestrian 503 is present in the area 504 is detected by image processing. do. As a result, it is possible to detect whether or not there is a pedestrian on the pedestrian crossing in the area closer to the position when the vehicle enters the intersection than the position where the vehicle crosses when turning right.

The crosswalk 501 is specified not from the image of the camera 50, but from the map data of the intersection where the vehicle 100 is about to enter from the navigation system 60, and the light source control unit 20 extracts the crosswalk that the vehicle 100 crosses when turning right. It may be done by

If there is a pedestrian in area 504 of pedestrian crossing 501 , light source control unit 20 proceeds to step 403 .

(Step 403)
Light source control unit 20 determines whether vehicle 100 has reached predetermined position A-1. The position A-1 is the entry line 506 through which the vehicle 100 enters the intersection, or the predetermined position of the crosswalk that the vehicle 100 first crosses when entering the intersection (for example, the position where the crosswalk has been crossed). do.

Specifically, the light source control unit 20 detects the position of the vehicle 100 by image processing the image of the camera 50, and determines whether or not the vehicle 100 has reached the position A-1. Further, the light source control unit 20 may determine whether or not the vehicle 100 has reached the position A-1 by receiving the position of the vehicle 100 from the vehicle position detection unit (hereinafter referred to as GPS) 70 of the navigation system 60 .

Light source control unit 20 proceeds to step 404 when vehicle 100 reaches predetermined position A-1.

(Step 404)
The light source control unit 20 directs the spot light from the auxiliary light source unit 10 of the vehicle 100 that has reached the position A-1 to the farthest (width Direction deep side) The area R-1 is flashed.

Specifically, the light source control unit 20 uses the image of the camera 50 or the map data of the navigation system 60 to position the crosswalk 501 identified in step 402 on the far side in the longitudinal direction of the crosswalk 501 (farther from the vehicle 100 ). A region 505 is set within a predetermined range (for example, about 1/4 of the range) from the edge). Further, light source control unit 20 sets the farthest region from vehicle 100 in the width direction of pedestrian crossing 501 as region R-1.

The light source control unit 20 controls the horizontal adjustment actuator 316 and the vertical adjustment actuator 317 of the aiming mechanism 11 of the auxiliary light source unit 10 in order to irradiate the area R-1 with spot light from the position A-1 of the vehicle 100. Calculate the drive amount. At this time, the light source control unit 20 selects the first light source 301 from the light sources 301 to 303, and irradiates the spot light from the first light source 301 onto the region R-1. A driving amount of the vertical adjustment actuator 317 is calculated.

The light source control unit 20 blinks and lights the first light source 301, and sets the calculated driving amounts for the lateral adjustment actuator 316 and the vertical adjustment actuator 317 of the aiming mechanism 11. FIG. As a result, the spot light emitted from the first light source 301 is applied to the area R-1.

Pedestrian 503, who has started to walk across pedestrian crossing 501, notices that area R-1 on the right side of pedestrian crossing 501 in front of him is illuminated by blinking spotlights of a color different from that of the headlights. Visually, the line of sight is guided to the region R-1 (FIG. 5(a)).

(Step 405)
Vehicle 100 enters an intersection and proceeds for a right turn. Light source control unit 20 determines whether vehicle 100 has reached predetermined position A-2. Position A-2 is the halfway point between the intersection entry line 506 or first crosswalk 502 and the middle position 507 of the intersection.

Specifically, the light source control unit 20 detects the position of the vehicle 100 by image processing the image of the camera 50, and determines whether or not the vehicle 100 has reached the position A-2. Further, the light source control unit 20 may receive the position of the vehicle 100 from the GPS 70 of the navigation system 60 to determine whether the position A-2 has been reached.

Furthermore, the light source control unit 20 may determine that the position A-2 has been reached when the center of the vehicle body of the vehicle 100 reaches the longitudinal entry line 508 passing through the center position 507 of the intersection.

Light source control unit 20 proceeds to step 406 when vehicle 100 reaches predetermined position A-2.

(Step 406)
The light source control unit 20 directs the spot light from the auxiliary light source unit 10 of the vehicle 100 that has reached the position A-2 to the width direction of the pedestrian crossing 501 within the area 505 that the vehicle crosses when turning right on the pedestrian crossing 501. The area R-2 in the central part of is flashingly illuminated.

Specifically, the light source control unit 20 sets the central region in the width direction of the pedestrian crossing 501 within the region 505 set in step 404 as the region R-2.

The light source control unit 20 calculates the driving amount of the aiming mechanism 11 of the auxiliary light source unit 10 in order to irradiate the spot light from the position A-2 of the vehicle 100 to the area R-2. At this time, the light source control unit 20 selects the second light source 302 from the light sources 301 to 303, and irradiates the spot light from the second light source 302 onto the area R-2. A driving amount of the vertical adjustment actuator 317 is calculated.

The light source control unit 20 turns off the first light source 301, turns on and off the second light source 302, and sets the calculated drive amount to the horizontal direction adjusting actuator 316 and the vertical direction adjusting actuator 317 of the aiming mechanism 11. . As a result, the blinking spot light emitted from the second light source 302 is applied to the area R-2.

Pedestrian 503 walking on crosswalk 501 moves to area R-2 in the center of the pedestrian crossing. The line of sight is guided to 2 (FIG. 5(b)).

(Step 407)
Vehicle 100 continues further into the intersection for a right turn. Light source control unit 20 determines whether vehicle 100 has reached predetermined position A-3. Position A-3 is the middle position 507 of the intersection.

Specifically, the image of the camera 50 is image-processed, and when the vehicle 100 reaches the lateral entry line 509 passing through the central position 507 of the intersection, it is determined that the vehicle 100 has reached the position A-2. Light source control unit 20 may determine whether position A-3 has been reached by receiving the position of vehicle 100 from GPS 70 of navigation system 60 .

The light source control unit 20 proceeds to step 408 when the vehicle 100 reaches the predetermined position A-3.

(Step 408)
The light source control unit 20 directs the spot light from the auxiliary light source unit 10 of the vehicle 100 that has reached the position A-3 in the width direction of the pedestrian crossing 501 within the area 505 where the vehicle crosses when turning right. The area R-3 closest to the vehicle 100 is flashingly illuminated.

Specifically, the light source control unit 20 sets the area closest to the vehicle 100 in the width direction of the pedestrian crossing 501 within the area 505 set in step 404 as the area R-3.

The light source control unit 20 calculates the driving amount of the aiming mechanism 11 of the auxiliary light source unit 10 in order to irradiate the area R-3 from the position A-2 of the vehicle 100 with spot light. At this time, the light source control unit 20 selects the third light source 303 from among the light sources 301 to 303, and irradiates the spot light from the third light source 303 onto the area R-3. A driving amount of the vertical adjustment actuator 317 is calculated.

The light source control unit 20 turns off the second light source 302, turns on and off the third light source 302, and sets the calculated drive amount to the horizontal direction adjusting actuator 316 and the vertical direction adjusting actuator 317 of the aiming mechanism 11. . As a result, the blinking spot light emitted from the third light source 303 is irradiated onto the region R-3.

Pedestrian 503 walking on pedestrian crossing 501 moves to region R-3 on the left in the width direction of the pedestrian crossing. The line of sight is guided to (Fig. 5(c)). At this time, the pedestrian 503 recognizes the vehicle 100 because the vehicle 100 exists immediately to the left of the area R-3 where the pedestrian 503 is guided by the visual line.

(Step 409)
The vehicle 100 further advances through the intersection to turn right and approaches the pedestrian crossing 501 (FIG. 5(d)). During this time, the light source control unit 20 continues to irradiate the region R-3 with the blinking spot light emitted from the third light source 303 .

Thereby, the pedestrian 503 can cross the pedestrian crossing 501 while recognizing the vehicle 100 .

(Steps 410, 411)
The light source control unit 20 receives the image from the camera 50 and detects the presence or absence of pedestrians on the pedestrian crossing 501 from this image (step 409).

If there is no pedestrian, the light source control section 20 proceeds to step 410 and turns off the auxiliary light source unit 10 (FIG. 5(e)).

Vehicle 100 crosses pedestrian crossing 501 and completes the right turn because there are no pedestrians.

As described above, the light source control unit 20 moves the spot light on the pedestrian crossing 501 in the width direction of the pedestrian crossing 501 as the vehicle 100 moves in the intersection, and gradually approaches the vehicle 100. Thus, the line of sight of the pedestrian 503 can be guided from right to left in the width direction of the pedestrian crossing 501 and finally guided to the approaching vehicle 100 for a right turn. This allows pedestrians to recognize the vehicle 100 turning right.

Although the spotlight is moved in the width direction of the pedestrian crossing 501 in this embodiment, the moving direction is not limited to the width direction. It can be moved along the longitudinal direction of the pedestrian crossing, or it can be moved in a desired pattern such as zigzag.

Further, the positions A-1, A-2, and A-3 of the vehicle 100 at which the spotlights are moved are not limited to the positions described above. For example, the position where the driver of the vehicle 100 turns the steering wheel by 30° (30° steering angle) is position A-2, and the position where the driver turns the steering wheel by 45° (45° steering angle) is position A-3. good.

Also, the diameter of the spot light may be changed for each of the regions R-1, R-2 and R-3. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the longitudinal diameter of the crosswalk 501 of the spot light may be increased in order of regions R-1, R-2, and R-3.

Further, in step 402, when it is detected that many people are walking on the crosswalk 501, the light source control unit 20 ends the control because the spot light irradiated onto the crosswalk 501 cannot be seen. good too.

The light source control unit 20 may be configured to end the control even when there is a vehicle in front of the vehicle 100 .

<<Embodiment 2>>
A vehicle 100 equipped with the vehicle lighting system 1 of the second embodiment will be described.

In the first embodiment, it is detected whether or not the vehicle 100 has reached positions A-1, A-2, and A-3 within the intersection. It was a configuration to switch to R-1, R-2, and R-3. In the second embodiment, the position of the vehicle 100 is not detected, and the areas R-1, R-2, and R-3 are sequentially irradiated with spotlights at switching timings according to the speed of the vehicle 100 when it enters the intersection. switch. As a result, it is possible to omit the calculation for detecting the position of the vehicle, so that substantially the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved while reducing the amount of calculation.

The configuration of the vehicle lighting system 1 of Embodiment 2 is the same as that of Embodiment 1, but the light source control section includes a storage section 21 that stores switching timings obtained in advance for each of a plurality of speeds. is different from the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows an example of switching timings stored in the storage unit 21 . As shown in FIG. 6, here, regions R-1, R-2, and R-3 are set according to the length and width of the pedestrian crossing 501 that the vehicle 100 crosses when turning right, in addition to the speed at which the vehicle 100 enters the intersection. The timing for sequentially switching the irradiation area of the spot light is determined in advance in a table format and stored in the storage unit 21 .

The operation of the vehicle lamp system 1 will be described below using the flow of FIG. In the flow of FIG. 7, steps similar to those of the flow of FIG. 4 are assigned the same step numbers, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

(Steps 401, 402)
Similarly to steps 401 and 402 in the flow of FIG. A pedestrian 503 about to enter a person or crosswalk 501 is detected.

When the pedestrian 503 is detected, the light source control unit 20 proceeds to step 601 .

(Step 601)
The light source control unit 20 receives the current vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection unit 80 via the in-vehicle ECU 40 . Also, the light source control unit 20 obtains the length and width of the pedestrian crossing 501 from the image of the camera 50 or the map data of the navigation system 60 . The switching timings of the light spots of the regions R-1, R-2, and R-3 corresponding to the obtained vehicle speed and the length and width of the pedestrian crossing 501 are read out from the storage unit 21. FIG.

(Step 602)
The light source control unit 20 determines whether or not the read lighting timing 1 has come after reading the switching timing from the storage unit 21 in step 601 .

Since the vehicle 100 is proceeding through the intersection until lighting timing 1, the vehicle 100 has reached the vicinity of position A-1 in the first embodiment at lighting timing 1. FIG.

(Step 404)
At lighting timing 1, the light source control unit 20 directs the spot light from the auxiliary light source unit 10 to a region R on the pedestrian crossing 501, which is farthest from the vehicle 100 (on the far side in the width direction) within the region 505 that the vehicle crosses when turning right. Blinking irradiation to -1. Step 404 is performed similarly to step 404 of the first embodiment.

(Step 603)
The light source control unit 20 determines whether or not lighting timing 2 has come.

At lighting timing 2, the vehicle 100 has reached the vicinity of position A-2 in the first embodiment.

(Step 406)
At lighting timing 2, the light source control unit 20 directs the spot light from the auxiliary light source unit 10 of the vehicle 100 to the center of the crosswalk 501 in the width direction within the area 505 where the vehicle crosses when turning right on the crosswalk 501. Blinking irradiation is performed on the region R-2 of the part. The processing of step 406 is performed in the same manner as step 406 of the first embodiment.

(Step 604)
The light source control unit 20 determines whether or not the lighting timing 3 has come.

At the lighting timing 3, the vehicle 100 has reached the vicinity of the position A-3 in the first embodiment.

(Step 408)
The light source control unit 20 directs the spot light from the auxiliary light source unit 10 of the vehicle 100 that has reached the position A-3 in the width direction of the pedestrian crossing 501 within the area 505 where the vehicle crosses when turning right. The area R-3 closest to the vehicle 100 is flashingly illuminated. The processing of step 408 is performed in the same manner as step 408 of the first embodiment.

(Step 409)
The vehicle 100 further advances through the intersection to turn right and approaches the pedestrian crossing 501 (see FIG. 5(d)). During this time, the light source control unit 20 continues to irradiate the region R-3 with the blinking spot light emitted from the third light source 303 (step 409).

Thereby, the pedestrian 503 can cross the pedestrian crossing 501 while recognizing the vehicle 100 .

(Steps 410, 411)
The light source control unit 20 detects the presence or absence of a pedestrian on the pedestrian crossing 501 from the image of the camera 50, and if there is no pedestrian, the light source control unit 20 turns off the auxiliary light source unit 10 (FIG. 5(e) )).

As described above, according to the second embodiment, switching timings 1, 2, and 3, which are predetermined according to the vehicle speed and the like, are read out from the storage unit 21, thereby reducing the amount of calculation and performing the same operation as in the first embodiment. A similar effect can be achieved.

In the above-described embodiment, a configuration has been described in which switching timings 1, 2, and 3 are determined in advance for each speed or the like and stored in the storage unit 21 . However, without being limited to this configuration, the light source control unit 20 may calculate the switching timing each time from the speed received from the vehicle 100 in step 601 .

<<Embodiment 3>>
A street light 200 according to Embodiment 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

In Embodiments 1 and 2, the auxiliary light source unit 10 mounted on the vehicle was configured to irradiate the areas R-1, R-2, and R-3 with spot light. A spot light is emitted from the street lamp 200 to the regions R-1, R-2, and R-3.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the street light 200 includes an auxiliary light source unit 210 and a communication section 130 . The vehicle lighting system of the vehicle 100 does not include the auxiliary light source unit 10 but includes a communication section 120 .

The light source control unit 20 of the vehicle 100 performs the same processing as in the flow of FIG. , R-2, and R-3.

The street lamp 200 irradiates spotlights from the auxiliary light source unit 210 to the regions R-1, R-2, and R-3 designated by the light source control section 20. FIG.

As a result, according to the third embodiment, even if the vehicle 100 is not equipped with the auxiliary light source unit 210, the line of sight of the pedestrian is guided when turning right at the intersection provided with the street light 300. Spot light irradiation can be performed. Therefore, the pedestrian can be made aware of the presence of the vehicle 100 turning right.

Therefore, the structure of vehicle 100 can be simplified and the weight thereof can be reduced. Moreover, by installing the street lights 300 only at intersections where the right-turning vehicle 100 is difficult to recognize, it is also possible to select intersections where pedestrians' gaze guidance is performed by irradiating spotlights.

The auxiliary light source unit 210 of the street light 200 may have an aiming mechanism 211. However, since the street light 200 does not move and the positional relationship between the street light 200 and the crosswalk 501 is fixed, the aiming mechanism 211 does not have to be 3 without the aiming mechanism 211, the spot lights emitted by the first light source 301, the second light source 302, and the third light source 303 respectively Adjustments may be made in advance so as to reach R-1, R-2, and R-3. As a result, the areas R-1, R-2 and R-3 can be irradiated with spot light from the auxiliary light source unit 210 of the street light 200 without the aiming mechanism 211. FIG.

Further, the light source control unit 20 of the vehicle 100 performs processing similar to that of the flow of FIG. The auxiliary light source unit 210 of the streetlight 200 may be instructed to irradiate the regions R-1, R-2, and R-3 with light.

<<Embodiment 4>>
As Embodiment 4, a street light 300 including a light source control section 20 and an auxiliary light source unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

The street light 300 of Embodiment 4 includes a camera 350 , a vehicle speed detection section 380 , a light source control section 20 and an auxiliary light source unit 10 . The camera 350 captures an image from above the intersection that allows the positional relationship between the vehicle 100 and the pedestrian crossing to be grasped. Vehicle speed detection unit 380 detects the vehicle speed of vehicle 100 using a radar or the like.

The operation of the light source control unit 20 is the same as the flow of FIG. 4 of the first embodiment. , go to step 402 .

After step 402, the light source control unit 20 of the street light 300 detects that the vehicle 100 has reached the intersection positions A-1, A-2, and A-3 in the image of the camera 350 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. , the spots R-1, R-2, and R-3 are sequentially irradiated with spot light.

The auxiliary light source unit 210 of the street light 300 may include the aiming mechanism 211, but since the positional relationship between the street light 200 and the crosswalk 501 is fixed, the aiming mechanism 211 may not be provided. are the same as in the third embodiment.

As a result, according to the fourth embodiment, only the street lamp 300 can irradiate a spot light that guides the pedestrian's line of sight, and the pedestrian can be made aware of the presence of the vehicle 100 turning right. .

Further, the light source control unit 20 of the street light 300 may perform the same processing as the flow of FIG. 7 of the second embodiment after step 402 . In this case, in step 601, the vehicle speed of the vehicle 100 detected by the vehicle speed detection unit 380 and the switching timing of the regions R1, R-2, and R-3 corresponding to the length and width of the crosswalk are obtained from the table of the storage unit 21. read out. Since the length and width of the crosswalk at the intersection under the street light 300 are fixed, the table is more simplified than in FIG.

The auxiliary light source unit 10 of this embodiment changes the curvature of the front and back surfaces of the projection lenses corresponding to the three light sources to change the far and near positions where the spot light is focused. Like the autofocus lens of a camera, a projection lens that can control the far-near position where the spot light is condensed by mechanically moving the position of any one lens out of a plurality of lenses can be used. good. In that case, only one light source and one mask are required, and the size of the auxiliary light source unit can be reduced. The mask may be of a liquid crystal type, and the size and shape of the spot light can be freely changed by controlling the transmission region of the light from the light source by switching ON/OFF of the liquid crystal. In addition, the mask may be of the MEMS type, and the MEMS type combined with a MEMS mirror that uses a laser as the light source and can scan the laser light in the left and right direction is capable of turning the laser light on and off and the MEMS mirror swinging up and down and left and right. , the size and shape of the spot light can be freely changed. The auxiliary light source unit 10 that switches between three light sources and the auxiliary light source unit that controls the condensing position with one light source can freely change the size and shape (graphics, characters) of the spot light by changing the mask to a liquid crystal type or MEMS type. Because it can be varied, it is possible to create spotlights that are likely to attract the attention of pedestrians.

1 vehicle lighting system 10 auxiliary light source unit 11 aiming mechanism 20 light source control unit 21 storage unit 30 headlight unit 31 low beam light source 32 high beam light source 50 camera 40 vehicle ECU
60 navigation system 70 vehicle position detection unit 80 vehicle speed detection unit 90 vehicle drive unit 100 vehicle 110 winker unit 111 winker lever 112 winker light source 120 communication unit 130 communication unit 200 street light 210 auxiliary light source unit 211 aiming mechanism 300 street light 301 light source 302 light source 303 Light source 304 Projection lens 307 Mask 308 Mounting substrate 309 Heat sink for heat radiation 310 Bracket 311 Pivot 312 Rib 313 Supporting part 314 Horizontal adjustment pivot 315 Screw 316 Horizontal adjustment actuator 317 Vertical adjustment actuator 318 Vertical adjustment pivot 350 Camera 380 Vehicle speed detector 501 Crosswalk 502 Crosswalk 503 Pedestrian 504 Area 505 Area 506 Approach line 507 Center position 508 Vertical approach line 509 Lateral approach line

Claims (20)

a light source unit mounted on a vehicle;
a light source control unit that receives information from a detection unit mounted on the vehicle and controls the light source unit based on the information;
Before the vehicle enters the intersection for the right turn, the light source control unit determines from the information received from the detection unit, the position of the pedestrian crossing that the vehicle crosses when turning right, and the pedestrians on the pedestrian crossing or the pedestrian on the pedestrian crossing. The presence or absence of a pedestrian entering the crosswalk is detected, and if there is a pedestrian, the light source irradiates a predetermined position of the crosswalk to be crossed when turning right with a spot light. Vehicle lighting system. 2. The vehicle lamp system according to claim 1, wherein said light source control unit moves said spot light on said pedestrian crossing as the vehicle moves within said intersection. system. 3. The vehicle lighting system according to claim 2, wherein said light source control unit causes said spot light to approach said vehicle in the width direction of said pedestrian crossing as said vehicle approaches said pedestrian crossing within said intersection. A vehicle lighting system characterized by moving in a direction. 2. The vehicular lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the light source control unit controls the position of the pedestrian crossing when the vehicle enters the intersection rather than the position where the vehicle crosses when the vehicle turns right. 1. A vehicle lighting system that detects whether or not there is a pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing in an area near the intersection from the information of the detection unit before the vehicle enters the intersection. 2. The vehicle lighting system according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle before entering an intersection for a right turn is when said vehicle turns on a turn signal for a right turn, or when said vehicle enters an intersection. A vehicle lighting system, characterized in that it is before reaching a pedestrian crossing that crosses for the first time. 4. The vehicle lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light source control unit further detects the position of the vehicle in the intersection from the information of the detection unit,
The light source control unit sequentially moves the spot light to a plurality of locations on the crosswalk when it is detected that the vehicle has reached a plurality of predetermined locations within the intersection. A vehicle lighting system. The vehicle lamp system according to claim 6,
The light source control unit
When the position of the vehicle reaches the approach line of the intersection or the first crosswalk to be crossed, irradiate the spot light to the farthest part from the vehicle in the width direction on the crosswalk to be crossed when turning right,
When the position of the vehicle reaches the midway point between the approach line of the intersection or the first crosswalk to cross and the center of the intersection, the spot light is placed at the center in the width direction of the crosswalk that crosses the right turn. Irradiate the part,
A lighting system for a vehicle, wherein when the position of the vehicle reaches the center of the intersection, the spot light is applied to a portion of the crosswalk that is crossed when turning right, which is closest to the vehicle in the width direction. 4. The vehicle lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light source control unit receives from the vehicle a speed at which the vehicle enters an intersection,
The vehicle lighting system, wherein the light source control unit sequentially moves the spot light to a plurality of locations on the pedestrian crossing at a switching timing according to the speed. 9. The vehicle lighting system according to claim 8, further comprising a storage unit for storing switching timings obtained in advance for each of a plurality of speeds,
The light source control unit reads the switching timing corresponding to the speed received from the vehicle from the storage unit, and sequentially moves the spot light to a plurality of locations on the crosswalk at the read switching timing. vehicle lighting system. 9. The vehicle lighting system according to claim 8, wherein said light source control unit calculates said switching timing from said speed received from said vehicle. 4. The vehicle lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein information on the pedestrian crossing is received from the vehicle to detect the length of the pedestrian crossing;
The light source control unit selects a switching timing corresponding to the detected length of the crosswalk from switching timings predetermined for each length of a plurality of pedestrian crossings, and changes the spot light at the selected timing. A vehicle lighting system characterized by being sequentially moved to a plurality of locations on a pedestrian crossing. 12. The vehicle lamp system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the light source unit includes an aiming mechanism that adjusts an optical axis of the light source unit,
The vehicle lamp system, wherein the light source control unit controls the aiming mechanism to change the position of the spotlight. 13. The vehicle lighting system according to claim 12, wherein the light source unit has a plurality of light sources configured to emit light in different directions,
In order to change the position of the spot light, the light source control unit switches the light source for irradiating the light, and adjusts the optical axes of the plurality of light sources by the aiming mechanism after the switching. Vehicle lighting system. 12. The vehicle lamp system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a headlamp unit for illuminating the headlamp,
The vehicle lamp system, wherein the color of the light spot emitted by the light source unit is different from the color of the headlamp illuminated by the headlamp unit. 15. The vehicle lighting system according to claim 14, wherein the color of the light spot emitted by said light source unit is amber or green. a light source;
a detection unit for detecting, before the vehicle enters an intersection for a right turn, the position of a crosswalk that the vehicle crosses when turning right and the presence or absence of a pedestrian on the crosswalk or a pedestrian about to enter the crosswalk;
and a light source control unit that, when the detecting unit detects the pedestrian, causes the light source to irradiate a predetermined position of the pedestrian crossing detected by the detecting unit with a spot light. 17. The vehicle of Claim 16, wherein the detector includes a camera. a light source control unit that receives information from a detection unit mounted on a vehicle and controls the light source unit based on the information; and a communication unit,
Before the vehicle enters the intersection for the right turn, the light source control unit determines from the information received from the detection unit the location of the crosswalk that the vehicle crosses when turning right and the presence of pedestrians on the crosswalk or the crosswalk. The presence or absence of a pedestrian about to enter is detected, and if there is a pedestrian, a street light is sent via the communication unit so as to irradiate a predetermined position of the crosswalk to be crossed when turning right with a spot light. A vehicle lighting system, characterized by: a light source;
a detection unit for detecting, before the vehicle enters an intersection for a right turn, the position of a crosswalk that the vehicle crosses when turning right and the presence or absence of a pedestrian on the crosswalk or a pedestrian about to enter the crosswalk;
and a light source control unit that irradiates a predetermined position of the crosswalk detected by the detection unit with a spot light from the light source when the detection unit detects the pedestrian. to the computer,
receiving information from a detector onboard the vehicle to determine whether the vehicle is about to enter an intersection for a right turn;
When the vehicle is about to enter an intersection for a right turn, from the information, the position of the pedestrian crossing that the vehicle crosses when turning right, and whether or not there is a pedestrian on the pedestrian crossing or about to enter the pedestrian crossing. and detecting
and instructing a light source to irradiate a spot light to a predetermined position of the crosswalk that the vehicle crosses when turning right when the pedestrian is present.

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