JP2012158293A - Headlamp control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for reducing the possibility of giving glare to a vehicle forward in a headlamp control device for performing follow-up swivel control.SOLUTION: Target calculation processing executed by an ECU of a headlamp control device is started when detecting a vehicle forward (objective vehicle forward) present in a follow-up swivel range. When the partial high-beam is made to follow the objective vehicle forward, the head lamp turning amount (target swivel) requested for including the objective vehicle forward in a shielding part of the partial high beam is calculated (S402-S404). The operational state of a turning mechanism (motor) when detecting the objective vehicle forward is acquired (S401). Based on the operational state, the control margin indicating a margin to the target swivel is set (S405). The target position of the head lamp is determined by correcting the target swivel by adding the control margin. Thus, the shielding part in the partial high beam can be set to the position of the objective vehicle forward with excellent accuracy.

Description

  The present invention relates to a headlamp control apparatus that controls a headlamp provided in a vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to improve visibility during night driving, a headlamp control device that includes various mechanisms in a vehicle headlamp and controls the headlamp according to a traveling environment is known. Specifically, in the headlight control device, regarding the operation of the irradiation mechanism that irradiates the headlight, the headlamp is automatically switched to a high beam or a low beam according to the behavior of the vehicle, or the headlamp is moved to the vehicle. With respect to the operation of the rotation mechanism that rotates (swivels) in the vehicle width direction, swivel control for switching the direction of the headlight in a direction corresponding to the behavior of the own vehicle is performed.

  Further, the headlamp is provided with a shielding mechanism that shields a part of the light source in order to form a light-shielding portion in the headlight irradiation area by the high beam, and when the headlight control device detects the front vehicle by the in-vehicle camera, the shielding is performed. The operation of the mechanism and the irradiation mechanism is controlled, and a partial high beam having a light-shielding portion corresponding to the position of the preceding vehicle is generated (for example, see Patent Document 1). Then, it is considered to perform follow-up swivel control for controlling the rotation mechanism so that the partial high beam follows the vehicle ahead. Thereby, it is expected that visibility from the own vehicle is further improved while reducing glare (glare) to the preceding vehicle.

JP 2009-214812 A

  However, in the conventional headlamp control device, when the follow swivel control is performed, the target position of the headlamp is simply determined according to the position of the preceding vehicle, so the time spent until the headlamp reaches the target position. If the variation occurs, the light blocking area of the headlight in the partial high beam may deviate from the position of the preceding vehicle, which may cause glare to the preceding vehicle.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention reduces the possibility of glare (hereinafter also referred to as “the possibility of glare”) in a headlight control device that performs follow-up swivel control. The purpose is to provide.

  A headlamp control device, which is an invention made to achieve the above object, includes a headlamp provided in a vehicle, and a heading mechanism that rotates the headlamp in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle. It is a device that controls the light. However, the headlamp shields a part of the light source in order to form a light-shielding portion in the irradiation region of the headlight by the high beam and the irradiation mechanism that irradiates the headlight with the high beam or the low beam using the light source provided in the vehicle. And a shielding mechanism.

  In the headlight control device, the front detection unit detects the front vehicle existing ahead of the vehicle and the position of the front vehicle (for example, the relative position of the front vehicle with respect to the vehicle). Then, with the preceding vehicle existing in the tracking swivel range set in advance within the range in which the headlamps can be illuminated by the headlamp as the target forward vehicle, the target extraction means determines the target forward vehicle based on the detection result by the forward detection means. Extract. The follow swivel range corresponds to a range in which the turning mechanism can turn in the vehicle width direction, for example, and is a range set in advance so that the partial high beam follows the front vehicle.

  Further, when the target swivel calculation means causes the target front vehicle to follow a partial high beam that is a high beam having a light blocking portion according to the position of the target front vehicle, the target front vehicle is included in the light blocking portion. The required amount of headlamp rotation is calculated as the target swivel. Then, with the position of the headlamp corresponding to the target swivel as a target position, the follow swivel control means controls the operation of the shielding mechanism and the irradiation mechanism so that the headlamp irradiates the partial high beam at the target position.

  According to the present invention, in this configuration, the target position determination unit calculates the margin for the target swivel calculated by the target swivel calculation unit based on the operating state of the turning mechanism when the target forward vehicle is extracted by the target extraction unit. A control margin to be expressed is set, and the target position of the headlamp is determined by correcting the target swivel by adding the control margin.

  According to the headlamp control device configured as described above, since the control margin absorbs the variation in time taken until the headlamp reaches the target position, the operating state (position, It is possible to suppress the shift of the partial high beam caused by the difference in speed, acceleration, etc., and thus the possibility of giving glare to the target front vehicle can be made smaller than before. That is, the possibility of glare can be reduced.

  Further, in the headlamp control device of the present invention, the relative speed calculation means calculates the relative speed of the target front vehicle with respect to the vehicle when the target front vehicle extracted by the target extraction means approaches the vehicle. The target position determination unit may set a large control margin according to the relative speed calculated by the relative speed calculation unit.

  According to the headlight control device configured as described above, it is possible to suppress the shift of the partial high beam caused by the difference in the approach speed of the target front vehicle, and further reduce the possibility of glare.

  In the headlamp control device of the present invention, when the relative speed calculation means determines that the target forward vehicle is an oncoming vehicle of the vehicle based on the detection result by the forward vehicle detection means, the vehicle speed of the vehicle A value obtained by multiplying by a preset coefficient may be calculated as a relative speed. Incidentally, this coefficient may be a variable value that changes in accordance with the host vehicle speed, or may be a fixed value that is fixed regardless of the host vehicle speed.

  According to the headlight control device configured as described above, the relative speed can be approximately calculated only by detecting the own vehicle speed. Therefore, compared with a configuration in which an accurate relative speed needs to be calculated. The apparatus configuration can be simplified and the control load can be reduced.

  In the headlight control device of the present invention, the turning detection means detects the turning direction and the turning amount of the vehicle, and the target position determination means determines the turning direction based on the detection result by the turning detection means. If the vehicle width direction is any one of the preset left and right setting directions (for example, the right direction in Japan), a large control margin may be set according to the turning amount.

  According to the headlight control device configured in this way, the control margin is set so that, for example, the margin to the inside of the right curve is increased, so that the front vehicle traveling inside the curve with respect to the vehicle It is also possible to cope with a case where the relative position of the oncoming vehicle (for example, an oncoming vehicle) changes abruptly, and as a result, the possibility of glare during a curve can be reduced.

  In the headlight control device of the present invention, the road information acquisition means acquires road information indicating the shape of the traveling road of the vehicle, and the target position determination means is based on the road information acquired by the road information acquisition means. Thus, the turning amount may be reflected in the control margin only when the traveling road has a curved shape.

  According to the headlight control device configured as described above, if the traveling road is a straight line, even if the turning amount of the vehicle is detected, the turning amount is not reflected in the control margin. It is not necessary to set an unnecessary control margin for a single turn of the vehicle other than at the time of a curve, and thus a useless control load can be prevented.

  By the way, in the headlamp control device of the present invention, the follow swivel prohibiting means prohibits the execution of the follow swivel control means when the target swivel corrected by the target position determining means exceeds a preset threshold amount. The low beam irradiation process for controlling at least the operation of the irradiation mechanism may be executed so that the headlamp irradiates the low beam.

  According to the headlight control device configured as described above, when it is necessary to largely change the irradiation angle of the headlight in order to perform the tracking swivel control, the tracking swivel control is canceled and the low beam is irradiated. Therefore, glare can be reliably prevented without causing the driver to feel uncomfortable due to an excessively long swivel (movement of the headlight).

  In the headlamp control device of the present invention, the relative speed calculation means calculates the relative speed of the target front vehicle with respect to the vehicle when the target front vehicle extracted by the target extraction means approaches the vehicle. Further, the following swivel prohibiting unit may be configured to execute the above-described low beam irradiation processing even when the relative speed exceeds a preset threshold speed based on the calculation result by the relative speed calculating unit. .

  According to the headlight control device configured as described above, for example, even when the approach speed of an oncoming vehicle is high, the tracking swivel control is canceled and the low beam is irradiated. ), Glare can be reliably prevented without causing the driver to feel uncomfortable.

  Further, in the headlamp control device of the present invention, the time setting means sets the target arrival time necessary for the headlamp to reach the target position based on the determination result by the target position determination means, and rotates. The speed detection means detects the rotation speed of the headlamp by the rotation mechanism. Even when the follow swivel prohibiting means determines that the headlamp cannot reach the target position within the target arrival time set by the time setting means based on the detection result by the rotation detecting means, the low beam irradiation processing is also performed. May be configured to execute.

  According to the headlamp control device configured in this way, even if the rotation position of the headlamp does not reach the target position within the target arrival time, the follow swivel control is canceled and the low beam is irradiated. For example, glare caused by the operation delay of the rotating mechanism can be reliably prevented.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the headlamp control apparatus with which this invention was applied. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example in the light distribution pattern of a partial high beam. It is a functional block diagram showing the various processes which ECU10 performs. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of control processing (normal swivel control processing) executed by a normal swivel control unit 20 of the ECU 10. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of control processing (overall control processing) executed by an overall control unit 50 of the ECU 10. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the control process (following swivel control process) which the followable swivel control part 30 of ECU10 performs. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the control process (target calculation process) which the target calculation part 40 of ECU10 performs. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the control margin calculation process performed in S405 in a target calculation process.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a headlamp control apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the headlamp control device 1 is provided in the vehicle 5 in order to control a pair of left and right headlamps 2 attached to both sides in the vehicle width direction at the front end of the vehicle 5. A behavior sensor unit 3 for detecting the behavior of the vehicle 5, an image sensor unit 4 for detecting a forward vehicle that is another vehicle ahead of the vehicle 5, and the behavior sensor unit 3 and the image The ECU 10 includes an ECU 10 that performs various processes for controlling the headlamp according to the detection result by the sensor unit 4 and the like.

  In addition, a navigation device 11 that performs route guidance for the vehicle 5 and the like is connected to the headlamp control device 1. In addition, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, the navigation apparatus 11 is a position which outputs the various detection signals for calculating the map data input device for inputting map data etc., and the position, direction, moving distance, etc. of a target vehicle. It is configured to include a detector, a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and an audio output device for outputting various guide sounds. The map data is data including road information indicating the shape of the road in the map image together with various map images, and is stored in a storage device such as a hard disk connected to the map data input device.

  The navigation device 11 calculates the current position of the vehicle 5 as a set of coordinates and traveling directions based on the detection signal from the position detector, and displays a map image near the current position read via the map data input device. It is a well-known one that performs map display processing to be displayed on the device, route calculation for obtaining an optimum route from the current position to the destination, and route guidance processing for performing route guidance via the display device and the voice output device. .

  Note that the navigation device 11 of the present embodiment is configured to output road information corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 5 (that is, information indicating the shape of the traveling road of the vehicle 5) to the ECU 10.

  The behavior sensor unit 3 includes a steering angle sensor 6 that detects a steering angle (that is, a turning direction and a turning amount of the vehicle 5) with respect to the straight traveling direction of the vehicle 5 based on an operation amount of the steering wheel, and a transmission output side (gear and gear). At least a vehicle speed sensor 7 for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle 5 (that is, the own vehicle speed) based on the number of rotations of the shaft or the like, and outputting behavior information representing the detection results of these sensors 6 and 7 to the ECU 10. It is configured.

  The image sensor unit 4 includes an image sensor 8 that captures a landscape (front landscape) in a predetermined range (predetermined angle) in the straight traveling direction (front) of the vehicle 5 with a stereo camera using a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD or MOS. And an image processing device 9 that detects the vehicle ahead by performing signal processing on the image captured by the image sensor 8.

  The image processing device 9 extracts information (hereinafter referred to as target information) such as the color, shape, and brightness of the lamp of the preceding vehicle displayed in the image captured by the image sensor 8, and based on at least one of the target information. For example, a head lamp if the color is white or yellow, and a tail lamp if the color is red, such that the lamp is a head lamp or a tail lamp, and information indicating the identification result (identification information) ) Is output to the ECU 10. In addition to detecting a forward vehicle based on the identified lamp, the position, direction, distance, and the like of the forward vehicle with respect to the vehicle 5 are identified based on the well-known principle of binocular stereo vision, and information indicating the identification result ( Specific information) is output to the ECU 10.

  The headlamp 2 includes a headlamp 12 that irradiates a headlight using a plurality of light sources (in the present embodiment, halogen lamps) provided in the vehicle 5, and the headlamp 12 is arranged in advance in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 5. And a rotation mechanism 14 that rotates (swivels) within a set swivel range.

  The rotating mechanism 14 swivels the headlamp 12 with a motor such as a well-known stepping motor, thereby turning the optical axis of the headlight in the left-right direction, and the irradiation direction (irradiation angle) of the headlight with respect to the straight traveling direction of the vehicle 5. It is possible to change.

  The headlamp 12 includes an irradiation mechanism 16 that irradiates the headlight with a high beam or a low beam using a halogen lamp, and a shielding mechanism 18 that shields a part of the light source in order to form a light-shielding portion in the irradiation region of the headlight with the high beam. It has.

  The irradiation mechanism 16 has a relatively high angle of the optical axis in the vehicle height direction, for example, a high beam lamp 21 that can irradiate a headlight about 100 m away, and a relatively low angle of the optical axis in the vehicle height direction, for example, 40 m. It has a low beam lamp 23 that can irradiate the headlight to a certain extent, and is configured so that the irradiation state of the headlight can be changed by a switch or the like for turning on and off the lamps 21 and 23, respectively. Yes.

  The shielding mechanism 18 is a shade provided in the vicinity of a condensing point between a reflector that reflects an optical axis emitted backward from the high beam lamp 21 toward the front side of the vehicle 5 and a convex lens that expands the reflected light. Thus, a part of the light emitted from the high beam lamp 21 is shielded to form a cut line.

  Note that a plurality of high beams (hereinafter referred to as partial high beams) in which such cut lines (and thus light shielding portions) are formed are prepared in advance as shown in FIG. 2, for example, a light shielding portion at the center of the irradiation region. There is a donut-shaped light distribution pattern (see FIG. 2 (a)) in which is formed, and a concave light distribution pattern (see FIG. 2 (b)) in which a light-shielding portion is formed above the center of the irradiation region. Further, an L-shaped light distribution pattern (see FIG. 2C) in which a light shielding portion is formed on the upper right side from the center of the irradiation region, or a light distribution pattern in which a light shielding portion is formed on the upper left side of the irradiation region (illustrated). The height of the cut line can be changed by adjusting the position of each shade corresponding to each light shielding portion.

  Between the rotation mechanism 14, the irradiation mechanism 16, and the shielding mechanism 18 and the ECU 10, a driving circuit 25 for driving a stepping motor, a switch, and a shade (actuator), and a motor and an actuator are provided. An operation state such as the current position and rotation speed, and a state sensor unit 27 for detecting the on / off state of the switch are connected.

[Configuration of ECU]
Next, FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing various processes executed by the ECU 10.
As shown in FIG. 3, the ECU 10 uses the normal swivel control unit 20 that changes the irradiation direction of the headlight according to the behavior information input from the behavior sensor unit 3 and various information input from the image sensor unit 4. A tracking swivel control unit 30 that changes the headlight irradiation direction so as to follow the vehicle ahead, a target calculation unit 40 that calculates a target swivel to be described later using the detection result of the state sensor unit 27, and each unit 20 , 30, and 40.

  The normal swivel control unit 20, the follow swivel control unit 30, the target calculation unit 40, and the overall control unit 50 are all periodically executed on a known microcomputer having a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, and the like. As a process to be realized. The flash memory also includes a light distribution switching map in which each light distribution pattern in the partial high beam described above is associated with a position of a shade (actuator) necessary for forming each light distribution pattern in advance. A control map in which the control margin and various parameters (the operation state of the turning mechanism 14, the relative speed of the vehicle ahead of the vehicle 5 and the turning amount of the vehicle 5) are associated in advance is stored. Further, in the RAM, the estimated traveling direction of the vehicle 5 (and thus the headlight irradiation direction during normal swiveling), the partial high beam light distribution pattern, the target swivel of the headlamp 12 (and thus the motor of the rotating mechanism 14), Areas for storing the target position and the target arrival time are provided.

[Normal swivel control processing]
Next, the control process (normal swivel control process) executed by the normal swivel control unit 20 of the ECU 10 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When this process is started, behavior information is first acquired from the behavior sensor unit 3 (S101), and the progress of the vehicle 5 is determined based on the steering angle (turning amount) with respect to the straight traveling direction of the vehicle 5 in the behavior information. The direction is estimated and stored in the RAM (S102). If the traveling direction of the vehicle 5 is already stored in the RAM, the stored content is updated.

  Then, the headlamp 12 is rotated via the drive circuit 25 (and thus the motor of the rotation mechanism 14) so that the headlight is irradiated in the estimated traveling direction of the vehicle 5 stored in the process of S102 (S103).

  Subsequently, in the behavior information acquired in the process of S101, it is determined whether or not the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle 5 is equal to or higher than a preset permitted speed (S104). (S104; YES), since the vehicle speed is relatively high, a high beam irradiation process is executed to control the operation of the irradiation mechanism 16 via the drive circuit 25 so that the headlamp 12 emits a high beam ( S105), the process returns to S101. In the high beam irradiation process, the low beam lamp 23 is turned off and the high beam lamp 21 is turned on via the drive circuit 25 (and thus the switch of the irradiation mechanism 16).

  On the other hand, when the vehicle speed is less than the permitted speed (S104; NO), since the vehicle speed is relatively low, the operation of the irradiation mechanism 16 via the drive circuit 25 so that the headlamp 12 emits a low beam. Is executed (S106), and the process returns to S101. In the low beam irradiation process, the low beam lamp 23 is turned on and the high beam lamp 21 is turned off via the drive circuit 25 (and thus the switch of the irradiation mechanism 16).

  That is, in this process, (1) the operation of the irradiation mechanism 16 is controlled so that the headlamp 12 irradiates by switching the headlight to the high beam or the low beam according to the vehicle speed, and the direction according to the steering angle (the vehicle 5 The operation (normal swivel operation) of the rotation mechanism 14 is controlled so that the headlamp 12 rotates in the estimated traveling direction).

[Overall control processing]
Next, the control process (overall control process) executed by the overall control unit 50 of the ECU 10 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This process is started when it is determined that headlight irradiation is necessary for driving the vehicle 5 based on the detection result of an illuminance sensor (not shown), for example, at night, at dusk, or during tunnel travel. This is repeated until it is determined that headlight irradiation is unnecessary.

  When this process is started, first, the above-described normal swivel control process is started by outputting a start command to the normal swivel control unit 20 (S201). In addition, when the target calculation process and the follow swivel control process which will be described later are being executed, these processes are ended.

  Subsequently, based on the detection signal from the image sensor unit 4, it is determined whether or not there is a forward vehicle within a preset followable swivel range (S202). ) Does not exist (S202; NO), the process returns to S201. If the normal swivel control process has already been started, the normal swivel control unit 20 continues that process.

  On the other hand, when the target forward vehicle exists (S202; YES), a start command is output to the target calculation unit 40 and the follow swivel control unit 30, thereby starting a target calculation process and a follow swivel control process described later ( S203, S204) and the process returns to S202. If the target calculation process and the follow swivel control process have already been started, the target calculation unit 40 and the follow swivel control unit 30 are allowed to continue these processes. Further, when starting the target calculation process and the follow swivel control process, the normal swivel control process is terminated.

  That is, in this process, when a forward vehicle (target forward vehicle) existing in the follow swivel range is extracted, the process (application) is switched from the normal swivel control process to the follow swivel control process (and target calculation process) When the preceding vehicle is not extracted, the application is switched from the follow swivel control process (and the target calculation process) to the normal swivel control process.

[Follow swivel control processing]
Next, the control process (following swivel control process) executed by the follow-up swivel control unit 30 of the ECU 10 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When this process is started, first, identification information and specific information are acquired from the image sensor unit 4 (S301), and based on at least the position of the target forward vehicle with respect to the vehicle 5 among these information, the position of the target forward vehicle A light distribution pattern (partial high beam) having a light-shielding portion (shade) corresponding to is selected from the light distribution switching map stored in advance in the flash memory and stored in the RAM (S302). If a partial high beam light distribution pattern is already stored in the RAM, the stored contents are updated.

  In this embodiment, based on at least one of the position and distance of the target front vehicle among the specific information, the cut line of the irradiation region becomes lower (the irradiation region becomes narrower) as the target front vehicle is closer to the vehicle 5. The light distribution pattern is corrected so that the cut line of the irradiation area becomes higher (the irradiation area becomes wider) as the distance from the vehicle increases. Further, based on the identification information, if the detected target front vehicle lamp is a tail lamp, the target front vehicle is a preceding vehicle of the vehicle 5, and if the lamp is a headlamp, it is determined that the target front vehicle is an oncoming vehicle. If the vehicle is judged to be a car, the light distribution pattern is further corrected so that the cut line is relatively low (the irradiation area becomes narrow), and in the case of the preceding vehicle, it is relatively high (the irradiation area becomes wide). . When the target front vehicle is an oncoming vehicle, an L-shaped light distribution pattern (see FIG. 2C) in which a light shielding portion is formed on the upper right side from the center of the irradiation region is selected.

  Subsequently, based on the specific information acquired in the previous S301, the relative speed of the target forward vehicle with respect to the vehicle 5 is calculated with the case where the target forward vehicle approaches the vehicle 5 being positive (S303). Note that if it is determined that the target forward vehicle is an oncoming vehicle of the vehicle 5 based on the identification information acquired in S301, instead of calculating the relative speed based on the specific information, the behavior sensor unit 3 Behavior information is acquired, and a value obtained by multiplying the traveling speed (own vehicle speed) of the vehicle 5 by a coefficient N (for example, N = 2) set in advance is approximated as the relative speed.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the relative speed calculated in S303 exceeds a preset threshold speed (S304). If an affirmative determination is made here (S304; YES), the process proceeds to S309, while a negative determination is made. If so (S304; NO), the process proceeds to S305.

  In S305, a target swivel (described later) stored in the RAM is read to obtain a target swivel corrected by the target calculation unit 40, and whether or not the target swivel exceeds a preset threshold amount. to decide. If an affirmative determination is made here (S305; YES), the process proceeds to S309. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made (S305; NO), the process proceeds to S306.

  In S306, the target position (to be described later) determined by the target calculation unit 40 is acquired by reading the target position stored in the RAM, and the drive circuit 25 (and thus the rotation mechanism) is reached so as to reach this target position. 14), the headlamp 12 is rotated. However, if the target position exceeds the follow swivel range, the headlamp 12 is stopped at the upper limit position in the rotation direction within that range, and the standby is performed until the target position set by the target calculation unit 40 reaches the upper limit position. To do. In this standby mode, the operation of the irradiation mechanism 16 is controlled via the drive circuit 25 so that the headlamp 12 emits a low beam.

  Next, the target arrival time set by the target calculation unit 40 is acquired by reading out the target arrival time stored in the RAM, the target arrival time and the target position acquired in the previous S306, and the state sensor unit Based on the motor operation state (current position, rotation speed) of the rotation mechanism 14 among the 27 detection results, it is determined whether or not the headlamp 12 (and thus the motor) reaches the target position within the target arrival time. Judgment is made (S307). Specifically, when it is assumed that the rotation speed has reached the maximum speed defined in advance by the motor specifications with respect to the length (distance) from the current position of the motor to the target position, within the target arrival time. It is calculated whether the headlamp 12 can reach the target position or not. If an affirmative determination is made here (S307; YES), the process proceeds to S308. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made (S307; NO), the process proceeds to S309.

  In S308, when it is detected that the headlamp 12 has reached the target position via the state sensor unit 27, the drive circuit 25 (so that the headlamp 12 emits a partial high beam of the orientation pattern selected in the previous S302. As a result, the partial high beam irradiation process for controlling the operation of the shielding mechanism 18 is performed via the shade actuator), and the process returns to S301.

  On the other hand, in S309, the operation of the rotating mechanism 14 (following swivel operation) is prohibited, and a low beam irradiation process for controlling the operation of the irradiation mechanism 16 via the drive circuit 25 so that the headlamp 12 emits a low beam is performed. Execute, and the process returns to S301.

  In other words, in this process, (1) when the target forward vehicle is detected, the headlamp 12 rotates to the target position input from the target calculation unit 40 (only the target swivel described later) rotates. The operation of the moving mechanism 14 (following swivel operation) is controlled to irradiate a partial high beam. (2) When the relative speed of the target front vehicle with respect to the vehicle 5 is relatively large, when the target swivel is relatively large, or when there is an operation delay in the motor of the rotation mechanism 14, a follow swivel operation is performed. Is prohibited and a low beam is irradiated.

[Target calculation process]
Next, a control process (target calculation process) executed by the target calculation unit 40 of the ECU 10 will be described in detail along the flowchart of FIG.

  When this processing is started, first, information (operation information) indicating the operation state of the motor in the rotation mechanism 14 is acquired based on the detection signal from the state sensor unit 27 (S401), and then stored in the RAM. By reading the stored light distribution pattern, the light distribution pattern set by the follow swivel control unit 30 is acquired (S402).

  Next, based on the specific information acquired from the image sensor unit 4 by the follow-up swivel control unit 30 (the position of the target front vehicle, etc.), the target front vehicle is located in the light shielding portion of the light distribution pattern acquired in S401 for the headlamp 12. An included position (hereinafter referred to as a target position) is set (S403).

  Then, the target position of the headlamp 12 set in S403 is stored in the RAM, and the headlamp based on the current position of the motor in the rotating mechanism 14, that is, the straight traveling direction of the vehicle 5, out of the operation information acquired in S401. The current position of 12 (in other words, the irradiation angle of the headlight) is recognized. Subsequently, when the partial high beam is made to follow the target front vehicle according to the difference between the target position of the headlamp 12 and its current position, the headlamp 12 required to make the target front vehicle be included in the light-shielding portion. A rotation amount (hereinafter referred to as a target swivel) is calculated (S404).

  Next, although details will be described later, a control margin setting process for setting a control margin representing a margin amount for the target swivel calculated in S404 is executed (S405), and the control margin set here is added. The target swivel calculated in S404 is corrected (S406).

  Then, the target swivel corrected in S406 is stored in the RAM, and a position away from the current position of the headlamp 12 by the target swivel is determined as the target position of the headlamp 12 (S407), and the determined target position is determined. Store in RAM.

  Finally, from the operation information acquired in S401, the rotation speed of the motor in the rotation mechanism 14 is recognized, and this rotation speed is set as the initial speed, from the initial speed and the acceleration based on the motor specifications, from the current position of the motor. The time to reach the target position, in other words, the time required for the headlamp 12 to move by the target swivel is calculated as the target arrival time (S408), and the calculated target arrival time is stored in the RAM.

  As described above, in this process, when the partial high beam follows the target front vehicle, the amount of rotation of the headlamp 12 (target swivel), target position, And the target arrival time are set respectively.

[Control margin setting processing]
Finally, the control margin setting process executed by the target calculation unit 40 of the ECU 10 in S405 of the previous target calculation process will be described in detail.

  When this process is started, first, based on the operation information acquired in S401 of the target calculation process and the control map stored in the flash memory, the rotation speed (initial speed) of the motor in the rotation mechanism 14 is determined. As an input parameter, a control margin corresponding to this input parameter is set from the control map (S501). In the control map, the direction toward the target position of the headlamp 12 is positive, and the control margin is determined in advance so that the control margin decreases as the initial speed (motor rotation speed) increases.

  Next, based on the identification information acquired in S301 of the follow swivel control process, it is determined whether or not the target forward vehicle is an oncoming vehicle of the vehicle 5 (S502). If an affirmative determination is made here (S502; YES), the process proceeds to S504, whereas if a negative determination is made (S502; NO), the process proceeds to S503.

  In S503, based on the specific information acquired in S301 of the follow swivel control process, the position of the target front vehicle is time-differentiated to calculate the relative speed of the target front vehicle with respect to the vehicle 5, and the process proceeds to S505.

  In S504, the behavior information is acquired from the behavior sensor unit 3, and the value obtained by multiplying the traveling speed (the vehicle speed) of the vehicle 5 by a preset coefficient N (for example, N = 2) is relative to the behavior information. Approximate as speed. The coefficient N may be a fixed value or a variable value that varies according to the host vehicle speed (for example, a variable value that decreases the coefficient N as the host vehicle speed increases).

  In S505, based on the relative speed calculated in S503 or S504 and the control map stored in the flash memory, the relative speed is used as an input parameter, and a control margin corresponding to the input parameter is extracted from the control map. The control margin set in S501 is updated by adding the extracted control margin. In the control map, the control margin is determined in advance so that the control margin increases as the relative speed increases.

  Subsequently, the behavior information is acquired from the behavior sensor unit 3, and it is determined whether or not the turning direction of the vehicle 5 is the right direction as a preset direction (set direction) in the behavior information (S506). If the determination is affirmative (S506; YES), the process proceeds to S507. If the determination is negative (S506; NO), the process returns to S501.

  In S507, road information is acquired from the navigation device 11, and it is determined whether or not the traveling road of the vehicle 5 has a curved shape. If the determination is affirmative (S507; YES), the process proceeds to S508, On the other hand, if a negative determination is made (S507; NO), the process returns to S501.

  In S508, based on the behavior information acquired in S506 and the control map stored in the flash memory, the turning amount of the vehicle 5 is used as an input parameter, and a control margin corresponding to this input parameter is extracted from the control map. By adding the extracted control margin, the control margin updated in S505 is re-updated. In the control map, it is determined in advance that the control margin becomes larger as the turning amount of the vehicle 5 is larger.

  As described above, in the target calculation process and the follow swivel control process including this process, (1) when the target front vehicle is detected, the control margin is set based on the operation state of the motor in the turning mechanism 14, and this control is performed. The target position of the headlamp 12 is determined by correcting the target swivel by adding a margin. Further, (2) a large control margin is set according to the relative speed of the target front vehicle with respect to the vehicle 5 and the turning amount of the vehicle 5 in the setting direction.

[Effect of this embodiment]
As described above, in the headlamp control device 1 of the present embodiment, a margin (control margin) corresponding to the operating state (position, initial speed) of the turning mechanism 14 (motor) at the time of detection of the target front vehicle is obtained. Since the target swivel is corrected by adding, the light-shielding portion of the partial high beam can be adjusted to the position of the target front vehicle with relatively high accuracy.

  Therefore, according to the headlamp control device 1 of the present embodiment, the possibility that the irradiated portion of the partial high beam enters the target front vehicle can be made relatively small, and as a result, glare is given to the target front vehicle. The possibility can be reduced.

  Further, in the headlamp control device 1 of the present embodiment, the headlamp 12 is brought to the target position within the target arrival time based on the operation state (rotation speed) of the rotation mechanism 14 (motor) during the follow swivel operation. When it is determined that it is not reachable, the follow swivel operation is stopped and the low beam is emitted, so that glare caused by the operation delay of the motor can be reliably prevented.

  Furthermore, in the headlamp control device 1 of the present embodiment, the control margin is reset according to various conditions such as the behavior of the vehicle 5, the shape of the traveling road, and the relative speed of the target front vehicle. As a result, the target swivel and the target position of the headlamp 12 can be accurately determined.

[Correspondence between this embodiment and claims]
In the present embodiment, the image sensor unit 4 is the forward vehicle detection means, the overall control process S202 is the target extraction means, the target calculation process S404 is the target swivel calculation means, the follow swivel control process is the follow swivel control means, and the target calculation. Processes S405 to S407 are target position determining means, follow-up swivel control process S303 and control margin setting processes S502 to S504 are relative speed calculating means, behavior sensor unit 3 is turning detection means and turning speed detection means, and navigation device 11 Is the road information acquisition means, S304 to S309 of the follow-up swivel control process corresponds to the follow-up swivel prohibition means, and S408 of the target calculation process corresponds to the time setting means.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it is possible to implement in various aspects.

  For example, the headlight control device 1 of the above embodiment is configured to include the steering angle sensor 6 in the behavior sensor unit 3 and detect the turning direction and turning amount (turning state) of the vehicle 5 based on the steering angle. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a yaw rate sensor may be provided and the turning state of the vehicle 5 may be detected based on the yaw rate.

  In the control margin setting process of the above embodiment, the control margin is updated (set) according to the turning state of the vehicle 5, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the traveling road of the vehicle 5 has a curved shape. If so, a large control margin may be set according to the curvature of the curve.

  In the control margin setting process of the above embodiment, since it is assumed that the traveling lane is on the left side, when the turning direction is the right direction, a control margin corresponding to the turning amount of the vehicle 5 is set. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in a region where the traveling lane is on the right side, a large control margin may be set according to the turning amount of the vehicle 5 when the turning direction is the left direction.

  In any case, since the control margin is set so that the margin to the inside of the curve (on the opposite lane) is increased, the front vehicle (for example, the oncoming vehicle) that runs inside the curve with respect to the vehicle 5 Considering that the amount of movement of the vehicle 5 in the lateral direction as viewed from the image sensor 8 becomes large, the motor can be operated with a margin, and thus the possibility of glare during a curve can be reduced.

  In the follow-up swivel control process of the above-described embodiment, whether or not the follow-up swivel operation can be performed is determined regardless of the own vehicle speed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the own vehicle speed is less than a preset permitted speed. If so, the follow swivel operation may be prohibited and the low beam may be irradiated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Headlamp control apparatus, 2 ... Headlamp, 3 ... Behavior sensor unit, 4 ... Image sensor unit, 5 ... Vehicle, 10 ... ECU, 11 ... Navigation apparatus, 12 ... Headlamp, 14 ... Turning mechanism, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 ... Irradiation mechanism, 18 ... Shielding mechanism, 20 ... Normal swivel control part, 21 ... High beam lamp, 23 ... Low beam lamp, 25 ... Drive circuit, 27 ... Status sensor unit,
30 ... following swivel control unit, 40 ... target calculation unit, 50 ... general control unit.

Claims (8)

An irradiation mechanism for irradiating a headlight with a high beam or a low beam using a light source provided in a vehicle, and a shielding mechanism for shielding a part of the light source in order to form a light-shielding portion in the irradiation region of the headlight by the high beam A headlamp control device that controls a headlamp including a headlamp and a rotation mechanism that rotates the headlamp in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle,
A forward vehicle present ahead of the vehicle and a forward vehicle detection means for detecting the position of the forward vehicle;
A target vehicle to be extracted based on a detection result by the front vehicle detection means, with a front vehicle existing in a preset swivel range within a range where headlight can be irradiated by the headlamp as a target front vehicle. Extraction means;
When a partial high beam, which is a high beam having a light-shielding portion according to the position of the target front vehicle, is caused to follow the target front vehicle, a headlamp necessary for the target front vehicle to be included in the light-shielding portion A target swivel calculating means for calculating a rotation amount as a target swivel;
Using the position of the headlamp corresponding to the target swivel as a target position, the operation of the rotating mechanism is controlled so that the headlamp reaches the target position, and the headlamp irradiates the partial high beam at the target position. Tracking swivel control means for controlling the operation of the shielding mechanism and the irradiation mechanism,
Based on the operating state of the turning mechanism at the time of extraction of the target forward vehicle by the target extraction means, a control margin representing a margin for the target swivel calculated by the target swivel calculation means is set, and the control margin Target position determining means for determining the target position of the headlamp by correcting the target swivel by adding
A headlamp control device comprising: A relative speed calculation means for calculating a relative speed of the target forward vehicle with respect to the vehicle when the target forward vehicle extracted by the target extraction means approaches the vehicle;
The headlamp control device according to claim 1, wherein the target position determination unit sets a large control margin in accordance with the relative speed calculated by the relative speed calculation unit.   When the relative speed calculation unit determines that the target front vehicle is an oncoming vehicle of the vehicle based on the detection result by the front vehicle detection unit, the relative speed calculation unit multiplies the vehicle speed of the vehicle by a preset coefficient. The headlamp control device according to claim 2, wherein the value is the relative speed. A turning detection means for detecting the turning direction and turning amount of the vehicle;
The target position determining means, based on the detection result by the turning detection means, according to the turning amount when the turning direction is any one of left and right setting directions set in advance in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle. The headlamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a large control margin is set. Road information acquisition means for acquiring road information indicating the shape of the traveling road of the vehicle,
The target position determination means reflects the turning amount in the control margin only when the traveling road has a curved shape based on the road information acquired by the road information acquisition means. 4. The headlamp control device according to 4.   When the target swivel corrected by the target position determining means exceeds a preset threshold amount, the follow swivel control means is prohibited and execution of at least the irradiation mechanism so that the headlamp emits the low beam. The headlamp control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising follow-up swivel prohibiting means for executing a low beam irradiation process for controlling the operation. A relative speed calculation means for calculating a relative speed of the target forward vehicle with respect to the vehicle when the target forward vehicle extracted by the target extraction means approaches the vehicle;
The follow-up swivel prohibiting unit executes the low beam irradiation process based on a calculation result by the relative velocity calculating unit even when the relative velocity exceeds a preset threshold velocity. The headlamp control device described. Based on the determination result by the target position determining means, a time setting means for setting a target arrival time required for the headlamp to reach the target position;
Rotation speed detection means for detecting the rotation speed of the headlamp by the rotation mechanism;
With
The follow-up swivel prohibiting means also determines that the headlamp cannot reach the target position within the target arrival time set by the time setting means based on the detection result by the rotation speed detecting means. The headlamp control device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the low beam irradiation process is executed.