JP2853523B2 - Headlamp irradiation range control device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a headlamp irradiation range control device, and more particularly, to a driver of another vehicle such as a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle traveling in front of a host vehicle while the vehicle is running. The present invention relates to a headlamp irradiation range control device for controlling the irradiation range of a headlamp so as not to cause glare.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle is provided with a headlamp, which is disposed substantially at the front end of the vehicle and illuminates a predetermined range, in order to improve the visibility of a driver in front of the vehicle at night or the like. ing.

A light beam from the headlamp includes a vehicle traveling in the same direction in front of the host vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a preceding vehicle) and a vehicle traveling in a direction facing the host vehicle (hereinafter referred to as an oncoming vehicle). There are two types: a high beam that irradiates a distant range when there is no vehicle, and a low beam for traveling in a bright city area when there is a preceding or oncoming vehicle. The high beam and the low beam are switched manually or automatically. ing. When irradiating with a high beam to a distant place, there is no problem if there is no preceding vehicle or oncoming vehicle, but if there is a preceding vehicle or oncoming vehicle within the irradiation range of the headlamp, the driver of the preceding vehicle or oncoming vehicle Will give unpleasant glare.

In view of such a problem, the following vehicle headlight device has been provided (JP-A-1-278848). That is, a cylindrical body rotatably supported via a pin on an outer frame member fixed to the vehicle body, a first focal position and a second focal position.
A headlamp having a focus position, a first focus position is a light source position, and a second focus position is a headlamp integrally formed with a substantially elliptical reflector which is a focus position of a condenser lens. Five light-receiving elements (photographing elements used for CCD cameras and the like) which independently detect tail lamps or headlamps of each vehicle according to the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle ahead, and A stepping motor that moves the headlamp downward and upward by moving the cylinder up and down around the pin based on the output signal of the pin and moves the optical axis of the headlamp, independently of the headlamp And a light-shielding plate for restricting irradiation to oncoming vehicles.

[0005] The vehicle headlight device thus configured determines which of the five light receiving elements has received the tail lamp by image processing, and drives the stepping motor in accordance with the received light receiving element. By moving the cylinder through the pin, the optical axis of the headlamp gradually moves up and down, so that the tail lamp of the preceding vehicle always enters the position of the intermediate light receiving element. By adjusting the hot zone to the position of the rear wheel lower part of the front vehicle, to ensure that glare is not given to the preceding vehicle, and to reduce dark areas that are not irradiated between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle. This prevents the driver from getting hung up, improving the driver's forward visibility. Also,
For the oncoming vehicle, glare is reliably prevented from being provided by a light shielding plate that restricts irradiation to the oncoming vehicle independent of the headlamp.

[0006]

By the way, glare is given to a driver of a preceding vehicle when a headlamp illuminates a door mirror or a fender mirror provided on the preceding vehicle. For the driver, the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle is irradiated. Therefore, if the headlamps do not illuminate these, no glare will be given to the driver of the preceding vehicle or the oncoming vehicle.

However, in the above-described vehicle headlight device, since the optical axis of the headlamp is adjusted so that the taillight of the preceding vehicle is always received at the position of the intermediate light receiving element, the headlamp is illuminated. The range is always the rear wheel part of the preceding vehicle. Therefore, the irradiation range of the headlamp does not reach the limit range where glare is not given to the preceding vehicle, and the irradiation range of the headlamp is unnecessarily limited. Therefore, the irradiation range of the headlamp is not the optimum irradiation range for the driver. Also, for oncoming vehicles, the light shielding plate is independent of the headlamps and does not control the irradiation range of the headlights according to the position of the oncoming vehicle, so the irradiation range of the headlights is unnecessarily limited. ing.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts,
An object of the present invention is to provide a headlamp irradiation range control device capable of expanding the irradiation range of a headlamp that does not give glare to a driver of a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a boundary line changing means for changing a boundary line between an irradiation range and a non-irradiation range of a headlamp of a host vehicle; Photographing means for photographing an area in front of the traveling direction of the host vehicle; detecting means for detecting the outermost position of the tail lamp of the preceding vehicle in the vehicle width direction based on an image photographed by the photographing means; The position of the mirror provided at the lowest position of the preceding vehicle based on the distance between the positions detected by the mirror or the mirror provided above the tail lamp and provided at the lowest position of the preceding vehicle. Control means for determining a lower position and controlling the boundary line changing means so that the boundary line is located at the determined position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a boundary line changing means for changing a boundary line between an irradiation range and a non-irradiation range of a headlamp of a host vehicle, and an image pickup for photographing an area in front of a running direction of the host vehicle. Means, detecting means for detecting the outermost position of the headlamp of the oncoming vehicle in the vehicle width direction based on the image taken by the photographing means, and opposing based on the distance between the positions detected by the detecting means. Determining a position above the eye point of the driver of the vehicle or the contact point of the front wheel of the oncoming vehicle and below the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle, and changing the boundary line so that the boundary line is located at the obtained position. And control means for controlling the

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the photographing means photographs an area ahead of the own vehicle in the traveling direction. The detecting means detects the outermost position of the tail lamp of the preceding vehicle in the vehicle width direction based on the image photographed by the photographing means.
The control means is provided at a position of a mirror provided at the lowest position of the preceding vehicle based on a distance between the positions detected by the detection means and for confirming a rearward position or a tail lamp, and at a lowest position of the preceding vehicle. A position below the mirror for confirming the rearward is determined, and the boundary line changing means is controlled so that the boundary line is located at the determined position. The boundary line changing means positions the boundary line at the determined position.

As described above, the control means is provided for controlling the position of the mirror provided at the lowermost position of the preceding vehicle to confirm the rear or the position of the mirror provided above the tail lamp and provided at the lowermost position of the preceding vehicle. Since the boundary line changing means is controlled so that the boundary line between the irradiation area and the non-irradiation area is also located below, the irradiation range of the headlamp that does not give glare to the driver of the preceding vehicle can be expanded. Thus, the forward visibility of the driver of the own vehicle can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the photographing means includes:
The area in front of the running direction of the vehicle is photographed. The detecting means detects the outermost position of the headlamp of the oncoming vehicle in the vehicle width direction based on the image photographed by the photographing means. The control means sets a position above the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle or a position below the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle based on the distance between the positions detected by the detecting means. The boundary line changing means is controlled so that the boundary line is located at the determined position. The boundary line changing means positions the boundary line at the determined position.

As described above, the control means sets the irradiation area and the non-irradiation area at a position above the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle or above the ground position of the front wheel of the oncoming vehicle and below the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle. The boundary line changing means is controlled such that the boundary line is located, so that the irradiation range of the headlamp that does not give glare to the driver of the oncoming vehicle can be expanded, and the forward visibility of the driver of the own vehicle can be improved. be able to.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a headlamp irradiation range control device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The headlamp irradiation range control device 100 according to the first embodiment controls a preceding vehicle traveling in the same direction in front of the vehicle 10 in black and white TV.
The present invention is applied to a case where a tone image is obtained from a camera.

As shown in FIG. 1, an engine hood 12 is disposed on an upper surface of a front body 10A of a vehicle 10, and a front bumper 16 is provided at both ends in the vehicle width direction at the front end of the front body 10A. Has been fixed. The upper part of the front bumper 16 and the front body 10
A pair of left and right headlamps 18 and 20 (both ends in the vehicle width direction) are disposed below A.

A windshield glass 14 is provided near the rear end of the engine hood 12, and a room mirror 15 is provided above the windshield glass 14 and inside the vehicle 10. This room mirror 15
In the vicinity, a TV camera 22 (corresponding to a photographing means) for photographing the front of the vehicle connected to the image processing device 48 (FIG. 4) is arranged. It should be noted that the arrangement position of the TV camera 22 may be located in the vicinity of the driver's visual position (a so-called eye point) so that the road shape ahead of the vehicle can be accurately recognized and more closely matches the driver's visual sense. preferable.

A speedometer (not shown) is provided in the vehicle 10, and a speed sensor 66 for detecting the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 10 is attached to a cable (not shown) of the speedometer (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the headlamp 18 is a projector type headlamp having a convex lens 30, a bulb 32 and a lamp house 34. The lamp house 34 is horizontally fixed to a frame (not shown) of the vehicle 10. A convex lens 30 is fixed to one opening of the lamp house 34, and an optical axis L (convex lens 30) of the convex lens 30 is fixed to the other opening. The bulb 32 is fixed via the socket 36 so that the light emitting point is located on the center axis of the bulb 32).

The bulb side inside the lamp house 34 is a reflector 38 having an elliptical reflection surface, and the light reflected by the bulb 38 by this reflector 38 is reflected by the convex lens 30 and the bulb 32.
It is collected during. Actuators 40 and 42 as boundary line changing means are provided near the converging point. The light shielding cams 40A of the actuators 40 and 42,
The light from the bulb 32 reflected and condensed by the reflector 38 is blocked by 42A, and the other light is
Emitted from.

The actuator 40 includes a light shielding cam 40A,
The actuator 42 includes light-shielding cams 42A, gears 42B, 4C, and gears 40B, 40C and a motor 40D.
2C and a motor 42D. Shading cam 4
0A and 42A are rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 44 fixed to the lamp house 34, and a gear 40B is fixed to the light shielding cam 40A. A gear 40C fixed to a motor 40D is meshed with the gear 40B. The motor 40D is connected to a control device 50 serving as control means and detection means. The light-shielding cam 40A has a cam shape in which the distance from the rotation shaft 44 to the outer periphery continuously changes, and the light-shielding cam 40A rotates in the lamp house 34 in response to a signal from the control device 50.
The position where the light of the bulb 32 is divided into the passing light and the shielded light changes vertically. Similarly, the light shielding cam 42A is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 44 fixed to the lamp house 34, and a gear 42B is fixed to the light shielding cam 42A. The gear 42B is meshed with a gear 42C fixed to a motor 42D. This motor 42
D is connected to the control device 50.

Therefore, the position above the light-shielding cams 40A and 42A is the line at the boundary between the irradiation area and the non-irradiation area of the headlamp of the host vehicle, more specifically, the limit line of the non-irradiation area of the headlamp of the host vehicle. It will be located on the road as a certain cut line. That is, as shown in FIG. 16, the cut line 70 is formed by the light shielding cam 40A, and the cut line 72 is formed by the light shielding cam 42A. As the light shielding cam 40A rotates, the cut line 70 is moved to a position (FIG. 16) corresponding to the uppermost lowermost position.
From the position of the cut line 70, which is the same or higher than the limit position of the unirradiated area in the case of the so-called high beam (the position of the imaginary line in FIG. 16, the unirradiated area in the case of the so-called low beam) To the limit position). Similarly, the cut line 72 is displaced in parallel from the highest position (the position of the cut line 72 in FIG. 16) to the lowest position (the position of the imaginary line in FIG. 16) by the rotation of the light shielding cam 42A.

The headlamp 20 includes an actuator 4
1, 43 (FIG. 4). Since the configuration of the headlamp 20 is the same as that of the headlamp 18, detailed description is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control device 50 includes a read only memory (ROM) 52, a random access memory (RAM) 54, a central processing unit (CPU) 56, an input port 58, an output port 60, and It is configured to include a bus 62 such as a data bus and a control bus to be connected. Note that the ROM 52 stores a map and a control program described later.

A vehicle speed sensor 66 and an image processing device 48 are connected to the input port 58. Output port 60
Are connected to the actuators 40 and 42 of the headlamp 18 and the actuators 41 and 43 of the headlamp 20 via a driver 64. Also, the output port 60
Are also connected to the image processing device 48.

The image processing device 48 is a device that performs image processing on an image captured by the TV camera 22 based on signals input from the TV camera 22 and the control device 50 as described later.

Note that the road shape includes a shape of a traveling route,
For example, it includes a road shape corresponding to one lane formed by a center line, a curb, and the like.

Next, the process of recognizing the preceding vehicle 11 by image processing during the daytime based on the present embodiment and performing cruise control such as traveling at a constant speed is described with reference to the vehicle recognition traveling control routine shown in FIG. I will explain. The position of each pixel on the image formed by the image signal is specified by coordinates (X _n , Y _n ) of a coordinate system defined by orthogonal X and Y axes set on the image.

FIG. 5A shows an image 120 that substantially matches the image visually observed by the driver when the TV 122 shoots the road 122 on which the vehicle 10 travels. This road 122 has white lines 124 on both sides of the lane in which the vehicle 10 travels. The preceding vehicle 11 is recognized based on the image 120.

When the image signal of the image 120 is input to the image processing device 48, the image processing is started, and the white line candidate point extraction processing and the linear approximation processing are performed in this order. setting the recognition region W _P (step 610). The process of step 610 will be described.

The white line candidate point extraction process is a process of extracting a candidate point estimated as a white line of the lane in which the vehicle 10 travels. First, a predetermined width γ is determined with respect to the position of the white line estimation line 126 obtained last time. a region having set the window area W _S (FIG. 5 (3) refer). In the case of the first time, the preset value of the white line estimation line 126 is read and the window area W _S
Set. In the upper and lower areas of the image 120,
Since the probability that the preceding vehicle 11 exists is low, the upper limit line 128
And a lower limit line 130, and the range between them is defined as the following processing target area. Then, by differentiating the brightness in the window area W _S, it extracts the peak point of the differential value (maximum point) as an edge point is a white line candidate point. That is, the vertical direction in the window area W _S (FIG. 5 (3) the direction of arrow A), the differentiating the brightness of each pixel in the horizontal direction to the pixel of the uppermost position from the pixel at the lowermost point, variation in brightness The peak point of the large differential value is extracted as an edge point. This continuation of the edge points is represented by a dotted line 13 in FIG.
2 is shown.

In the next straight line approximation process, the edge points extracted in the white line candidate point extraction process are linearly approximated using Hough transformation, and straight lines 134, 1
Find 36. Setting a region surrounded by the straight line 136, 138 and the lower limit line 130 determined as the vehicle recognition region W _P (FIG. 5 (4) refer). The above road 122 when the curved road, the area surrounded by the lower limit line 130 has a slope difference of the straight line 136 and 138 obtained above is set as the vehicle recognition region W _P (FIG. 5 (2) reference).

Next, the white line candidate point extraction process and the linear approximation processing ends, and the process in the order of the horizontal edge detection processing and the vertical edge detection processing, determining whether the preceding vehicle 11 in the vehicle recognition region W _P that has been set And the preceding vehicle 1
If there is 1, the inter-vehicle distance ΔV is calculated (step 62).
0). The process of step 620 will be described.

In the horizontal edge detection processing, the vehicle recognition area W _P
First, horizontal edge points are detected by the same processing as the above-described white line candidate point detection processing. Then, by integrating the detected horizontal edge points in the transverse direction, the integral value to detect the peak point E _P position exceeding a predetermined value (see FIG. 5 (5)).

In the vertical edge detection processing, when there are a plurality of peak points E _P of the integrated value of the horizontal edge points, the peak points E _P (points closer in distance) located on the lower side of the image are sequentially arranged from the peak points E _P. setting the window area W _R, W _L for detecting the straight line as each comprising opposite ends of the horizontal edge points included in (see FIG. 5 (6)). This window area W _R , W
_A vertical edge is detected in _L , and straight lines 138R and 138R are detected.
When 8L is stably detected, it is determined that the preceding vehicle 11 is present. Next, the window area W _R, W _L within each with detected linear 138R of, determine the vehicle width by determining the lateral spacing of 138L, and the preceding vehicle 11
Then, the inter-vehicle distance ΔV between the preceding vehicle 11 and the host vehicle 10 is calculated from the position of the horizontal edge and the obtained vehicle width. Straight line 138
R, 138L are spaced in the horizontal direction by straight lines 138R, 138.
It can be calculated from the difference between the representative X coordinates of each L (for example, average coordinate values and frequent coordinate values).

When the above process is completed, a set traveling process is executed (step 630). Step 630 is a processing example for performing feedback control of the presence of a preceding vehicle in setting traveling such as constant-speed traveling control and inter-vehicle distance control.
For example, when the obtained inter-vehicle distance ΔV exceeds a predetermined value, the vehicle continues to travel at a constant speed, and when the inter-vehicle distance ΔV becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, the vehicle drives at a constant speed. When the inter-vehicle distance is controlled to a predetermined value, the vehicle speed and the like are controlled so that the inter-vehicle distance ΔV between the host vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 11 maintains the predetermined distance.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. First,
When the driver turns on a light switch (not shown) of the vehicle and turns on the headlamps 18 and 20, the control main routine shown in FIG. 7 is executed at predetermined time intervals. In step 200 of the present control routine, the preceding vehicle recognition subroutine (see FIG. 8) is executed, and the preceding vehicle 11 is recognized. When the preceding vehicle 11 is recognized, the next step 3
At 00, the light distribution of the headlamps 18 and 20 is controlled by the light distribution control subroutine (see FIG. 19), and this routine ends.

Next, the details of step 200 will be described.
First, in step 202, a white line detection window area _Wsd is set in the same manner as the above-described daytime white line detection. In this embodiment, since the vehicle 10 travels at night, it can detect only an image up to approximately 40 to 50 m in front of the vehicle 10, and thus does not need to detect an image over 60 m in front of the vehicle 10. Therefore, the white line detection window area W _sd, so that it can detect to the front 60m of the vehicle 10, the window area W _S
Then, a white line detection window region W _{sd from} which a region _equal to or greater than the predetermined horizontal line 140 has been removed is set (see FIG. 9).

Next, similarly to the white line candidate point extraction processing and the straight line approximation processing in step 610, an edge point in the white line detection window area W _sd is detected (step 204), and Hough transform is performed (step 206). Then, approximate straight lines 142 and 144 along the white lines of the road 122 that have been linearly approximated are obtained (see FIG. 9).

In the next step 208, the intersection P _N (X coordinate, X _N ) of the obtained approximate straight line is obtained, and the intersection P P of the obtained intersection P _N and the approximate straight line in the case of a predetermined straight road as a reference is obtained.
₀ (X coordinate, X ₀ ) in the horizontal direction A (A = X _N)
−X ₀ ). The displacement A corresponds to the degree of the curved road 122.

In the next step 210, A ₂ ≧ A ≧ A ₁
By determining whether or not the road 122 is a substantially straight road, it is determined. The criterion value A ₁ is a criterion value indicating a boundary between a straight road and a right curve road, and the criterion value A ₂ is
This is a reference value indicating a boundary between a straight road and a left curved road.

When it is determined in step 210 that the road is a straight road
First, the vehicle speed V of the own vehicle 10 is read (step 21).
2) In the next step 214, the vehicle speed V read
Vehicle recognition area W according to_PApproximate line to set
Left and right correction width α to correct the position of_R, Α_LTo determine.
When traveling at high speed, the radius of curvature of the road where the vehicle can turn is large
Therefore, it can be considered that the vehicle is traveling on a substantially straight road,
When driving, even if the road in front of the vehicle is almost straight
In some cases, the radius of curvature of the road may be smaller,
Is the road straight with only the white line up to 60m in front of the vehicle 10?
Sometimes it cannot be determined. Therefore, when driving at low speed
By increasing the correction width and decreasing it at high speeds
(Refer to Fig. 12).
Knowledge area W _PTo increase the recognition area of the preceding vehicle 11
(See FIG. 11).

In the next step 216, the lower limit line 130,
The approximate straight lines 142 and 144 and the determined left and right correction width α
A vehicle recognition area W _P for recognizing and processing the preceding vehicle 11 is determined using _R and α _L (see FIG. 10).

If a negative determination is made in step 210,
In step 218, by determining whether A> A _2, the road is determined whether the right curve road or left curved road. In the case of an affirmative determination, the road is determined to be a right curve road, and the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 10 is read (step 22).
0), left and right correction widths α _R and α corresponding to the read vehicle speed V
_The correction values α _R ′ and α _L ′ for _L are determined (step 222, see FIG. 12). In the next step 224, the gains GL, G for determining the left and right correction widths α _R , α _L of the vehicle recognition area according to the displacement amount A, which is the degree of the curved road.
R (see FIGS. 13 and 14), and in step 226, the determined correction values α _R ′, α _L ′ and gain G
The left and right correction widths α _R and α _L of the final window area are determined based on L and GR. At this time, since the road is a curved road, the left and right sides are asymmetric, and the approximate straight lines 142, 144
Have different slopes. Therefore, the left and right correction widths α _R , α
_L is set to an independent value. That is, when the road is a right curve road and the radius of curvature is small (the displacement A is large), there is a high probability that the preceding vehicle 11 exists on the right side. Therefore, the correction width α _R is increased by increasing the right side gain GR (see FIG. 13), and the correction width α _L is reduced by reducing the left side gain GL (see FIG. 14). Further, when the road is a right curve road and the radius of curvature is large (the displacement A is small), the correction width α _R is reduced by decreasing the right side gain GR, and the correction width is increased by increasing the left side gain GL. α _L is increased. This change in the correction width is shown as an image in FIG.

[0045] At step 228, the correction width alpha _R of the left and right determined window region, the leading vehicle 11 sets a vehicle recognition region W _P recognizing process using the alpha _L.

On the other hand, a negative determination is made in step 218.
And proceeds to step 230 assuming the left curve road,
The vehicle speed V of 10 is read. Next, according to the vehicle speed V,
Left and right correction value α_R', Α_L'(Step 23
2, see FIG. 12), left and right gains G according to the displacement amount A
L and GR are determined (step 234). That is, the road
If the road is a left curve road and the radius of curvature is small (the displacement A is large)
When there is a high probability that the preceding vehicle 11 is on the left,
The correction width α is obtained by reducing the gain GR on the_RIs small
(FIG. 17) and increase the left side gain GL.
And the correction width α_LIs increased (FIG. 18). Next step
In step 236, the determined correction value α_R', Α _L' as well as
Left of final window area based on gains GL and GR
Right correction width α_R, Α_LDetermined and determined window territory
Left and right correction width α_R, Α_LTo recognize the preceding vehicle using
Vehicle recognition area W_P(Step 23)
8).

As described above, the vehicle recognition area W_PIs determined
Then, the process proceeds to step 240, and the process proceeds to step 620.
Vehicle recognition area W determined in the same way as the on-vehicle detection process_PInside
By performing horizontal edge point integration at
The preceding vehicle is recognized. In the next step 242, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the tail lamp edge of the preceding vehicle
J center position P₁(X₁, Y₁), P_Two(X_Two, Y₁)
To detect. This coordinate value Y₁Is the preceding vehicle in step 240
The outermost straight line in the vehicle width direction obtained when both were recognized
Y coordinate values of the uppermost position of the lines 140R and 140L in the Y direction
The average value with the Y coordinate value at the lowermost position, and the coordinate value X₁, X
_TwoAre the coordinate values in the X direction of the straight lines 140L and 140R.
You. In the next step 244, the coordinate value X_TwoFrom the coordinate value X₁To
By subtracting, the distance x between the edges of both tail lamps_m
, And in the next step 246, the tail lamps
Edge center position distance x_mMultiplied by a predetermined constant α
With the tail lamp edge center position from the door mirror
, That is, the most preferable position of the cut line
Distance ε in the Y direction to the lowest position of a door mirror_mTo
Ask. Here, the constant α is obtained as follows.
is there. In other words, for many passenger cars,
Distance x_mAnd edge center position P of tail lamp₁, P
_TwoFrom the bottom of the door mirror to the bottom of the door mirror_m
When the ratio was measured, it was almost constant as shown in equation (1).
Of 0.55 was obtained. In addition, like this
Door mirror based on the center position of the edge of the tail lamp
The distance ε in the Y direction to the lowest position of_mI'm looking for
Is a preceding vehicle obtained by photographing the preceding vehicle with the TV camera 22.
The information of the vehicle is clearly visible to the driver of the following vehicle
Tailorer with a limited placement position
This is because the light of the pump is the main. x_m/ Ε_m= 0.55 (1) In the next step 248, the edge center position of the tail lamp
Coordinate value Y₁Distance ε _mOn the image by adding
Coordinate value Y at bottom position of door mirror_mSeeking a book luch
End Note that both tail rails are
If the Y coordinate values of the pumps are different, calculate their average.
The average ε_mBy adding
Coordinate value Y_mAsk for.

As described above, since the recognition area of the preceding vehicle 11 is varied according to the vehicle speed and the degree of the curve of the road, the obtained vehicle recognition area is a range in which the probability that the preceding vehicle actually exists is high. It can be included reliably, and the preceding vehicle can be recognized with high accuracy.

In this embodiment, the relationship of FIG. 12 is stored as a speed map, the relationship of FIG. 17 is stored as a left GR map, the relationship of FIG. 13 is stored as a right GR map, and the relationship of FIG. Is stored as a left GL map, and FIG.
Is stored as a right GL map.

If the white line cannot be detected, the vehicle recognition area based on the position of the previously detected white line is used.

Next, step 300 will be described in detail.
Step 300 is a subroutine for controlling the actuator to change the position of the cut line according to the coordinate value Y _m of the door mirror obtained (see FIG. 19).

[0052] First, in step 302, based on the coordinate values Y _m, sets the control value the DEG _L of the actuator 40 corresponding to the right side of the cut line control. That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 20, stores the ROM52 the relationship Y coordinate value of the lowest position of the door mirror and the control value the DEG _L and the control value the DEG _R as a map is a table, this set by reading the control value the DEG _L based on the coordinate values Y _m. In the next step 304, the distance in the Y direction by multiplying the inclination θ, as shown in FIG. 21 from the coordinate values X ₀ of the center of the image by subtracting the coordinate value X ₁ of the edge position of the left side of the tail lamp to the subtraction value Find ΔY. Here, was performed such a process, setting a control value the DEG _R of the actuator 40 corresponding to the cut line control of the left based on the coordinate values Y _m, 21, shown in FIG. 16 As described above, in the present embodiment, the left cut line 7
Since 2 is inclined by θ, the headlamp may illuminate the left side mirror of the preceding vehicle. Therefore, in order to lower the left side of the cut line 72, from the coordinate values X ₀ of the image center is necessary to determine the rise ΔY of Y-coordinate to the coordinate values X ₁ of the left tail light. This process is not performed if the light shielding cam cut line has a straight line is a straight line, it is sufficient to set control values DEG actuator based on the coordinate values Y _m.

In the next step 306, the coordinate value Ym is _converted to Δ
A value Y _m 'obtained by subtracting Y is obtained, and in the next step 308,
Setting a control value the DEG _R of the actuator 40 corresponding to the cut line 72 controls the left based on the value Y _m '. As described above, the control values DEG _L of the actuators 40 and 42,
If the DEG _R is set, in the next step 310, the control value the DEG _R of the actuator which is set, by controlling the actuator in accordance with the DEG _L, the cut line 70 to move the light blocking cam of the actuator 40, 42,
72 is moved to the lowermost part of the door mirror of the preceding vehicle, and this routine ends.

As described above, in this embodiment, the vehicle recognition area for recognizing the preceding vehicle existing on the road ahead of the vehicle is set from the image taken by the TV camera, and the vehicle recognition area is set according to the vehicle speed and the shape of the road. recognition vital vehicle ahead by changing the vehicle recognition area cut by detecting the lowest position of the door mirror on the basis of the distance x _m between the edges center position of the tail lamp, which is the limit line of the non-irradiated regions in this position Since the lines 70 and 72 are located, the irradiation range of the headlamp can be expanded to a limit range where glare is not given to the driver of the preceding vehicle 11, whereby the irradiation range is widened and the visibility of the driver is improved. Optimal light irradiation by the headlamp of the vehicle 10 can be performed.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the preceding vehicle is recognized from the image in front of the vehicle 10, but in the second embodiment, the light distribution is controlled by recognizing the oncoming vehicle 11A. Since the configuration of the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. First, when the driver turns on a light switch (not shown) of the vehicle and turns on the headlamps 18 and 20, the control main routine shown in FIG. 22 is executed at predetermined time intervals. In step 400 of this control routine, an oncoming vehicle recognition subroutine (see FIG. 23) is executed to
Is recognized. When the oncoming vehicle 11 is recognized, in the next step 500, a subroutine for detecting the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle (see FIG. 28) is executed. After the eye point is detected, in the next step 600, the light distribution of the headlamps 18 and 20 is controlled by the light distribution control subroutine (see FIG. 31), and the present routine ends.

Next, step 400 will be described in detail. First, step 402 is a subroutine that executes steps 202 to 208 in the preceding vehicle recognition routine (FIG. 8) described above. That is,
A white line detection window area W _SD is set, an edge point in this area W _SD is detected, and Hough transform is performed to obtain approximate straight lines 142 and 144 along the white line of the road 122 that has been linearly approximated.

In the next step 404, the horizontal displacement amount A (see step 208) between the intersection P _N of the obtained approximate straight lines 142 and 144 and the intersection P ₀ of the approximate straight line in the case of the reference straight road is determined. read.

Next, at step 406, A_Two≧ A
≧ A₁It is determined whether or not the road 122 is a substantially straight road.
The vehicle speed V of the vehicle 10 is read in
408), the car read in the next step 410
Oncoming vehicle recognition area W according to speed V_POSet for near
Correction width α on the right for correcting the position of the similar straight line_ROTo determine.
In other words, when traveling at low speed, the same
The width is increased and reduced when driving at high speed (see FIG. 24).
See). In this case, the oncoming vehicle recognition area W during low-speed traveling
_POIs wider than that during high-speed driving.

In the next step 412, the lower limit line 130,
The vehicle recognition area W _PO for recognizing and processing the oncoming vehicle 11A is determined using the approximate straight line 144 and the determined correction width α _RO , and this routine ends (see FIG. 27).

If a negative determination is made in step 406,
In step 414, A> A_TwoWhether or not the road
Is a right curve road or a left curve road. Place of affirmative judgment
In this case, the road is determined to be a right curve road, and the vehicle speed of the vehicle 10
V is read (step 416), and the read vehicle speed V
Correction width α according to_ROCorrection value α for_RO'Determine
(Step 418, see FIG. 24). Next step 420
Then, the vehicle is recognized according to the displacement A which is the degree of the curved road.
Correction width α_ROGR for determining the _ODecide
(See FIG. 25).
Correction value α_RO'And gain GR_OBased on final
Oncoming vehicle recognition area W_POPosition of the approximate straight line for setting
Correction width α on the right to correct the position_ROTo determine. Next step
In step 424, the determined correction width α_ROOncoming vehicle using
Vehicle recognition area W for recognition processing of 11A_PODecide the book
End the routine.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 414, the process proceeds to step 426 on the assumption that the vehicle is on a left curve road, and the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 10 is read. Next, a correction value α _RO ′ is determined according to the read vehicle speed V (step 428, FIG. 24).
See), determines the gain GR _O in accordance with the displacement amount A (step 430, see FIG. 26). In the next step 432, a final correction width α _RO of the window area is determined based on the determined correction value α _RO ′ and the gain GR _O , and the preceding vehicle is recognized using the determined correction width α _RO. The vehicle recognition area W _PO to be _executed is determined (step 434), and this routine ends.

In this embodiment, the relationship shown in FIG. 24 is stored as a speed map, the relationship shown in FIG. 25 is stored as a left GR map, and the relationship shown in FIG. 26 is stored as a right GR map. Next, step 500 will be described in detail. When the oncoming vehicle recognition area W _PO is determined as described above, the process proceeds to step 504, where the image 120 (FIG.
9 (1)) is binarized. That is, since the light from the headlamp of the oncoming vehicle is direct light, and the amount of light is relatively easy to specify, the light exceeds a predetermined threshold value (for example, 90% of the peak brightness value) of the image 120. The area is binarized as a bright area (for example, data 1) and an area below the threshold value as a dark area (for example, data 0) (FIG. 29 (2)).
reference). Next, the expansion and contraction processing is performed a predetermined number of times (in this embodiment,
(Three times) Repeat to remove irregularities (step 506).
In other words, all the boundary pixels in the bright region are deleted, and a contraction process for removing one skin and a dilation process for expanding the boundary pixels in the background direction and making the skin thicker by performing a contraction process are performed. Separation is performed, and minute irregularities at the boundary between the bright region and the dark region are removed.

In the next step 508, labeling is performed on each of the bright areas from which the minute irregularities have been removed (see reference numerals 1 to 3 in FIG. 29 (3)). Next, step 510
Calculates the barycentric position and area in pixel units for each bright region labeled in. The position of the center of gravity can be calculated from the X coordinate value and the Y coordinate value of each pixel included in the bright region, and the area can be calculated by counting the number of pixels included in the bright region. In this case, as shown in FIG. 29 (3), the bright area with the reference number 1 is the center of gravity value (X ₁ , Y ₁ ),
Is the area S _1. Similarly, the bright area of the reference numeral 2 is the center of gravity value (X
₂ , Y ₁ ) and the area S ₂ , and the bright area of reference numeral 3 has the barycentric value (X ₃ , Y ₃ ) and the area S ₃ .

Here, normally, the oncoming vehicle 11A has a pair of left and right headlamps, and the light emitted by the oncoming vehicle 11A toward the host vehicle 10 is a pair in a substantially horizontal direction and according to the vehicle width. It is formed as a bright area at a predetermined interval. Therefore, if a pair of bright areas is detected from the image 120 in a substantially horizontal direction and at a predetermined interval according to the vehicle width, it is highly likely that the pair of bright areas is a headlamp of an oncoming vehicle. Therefore, in the next step 512, the coordinates of the center of gravity are substantially equal,
All the light area pairs whose X-coordinate distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value corresponding to the headlight interval of the standard vehicle are detected, and the oncoming vehicle 1 is detected.
This is a 1A headlamp candidate area. In this case, the bright area pair A corresponds (see FIG. 29 (3)).

The headlamp is usually arranged at a low position of the vehicle, and the light from the headlamp reflected on a road surface such as a road or a running road is also radiated forward of the vehicle. Therefore, when the oncoming vehicle 11A exists, the image 12
At 0, a bright area is formed below the direct light (bright area pair) from the headlamp and at a predetermined position (road surface). For this reason, if the bright area exists below the bright area pair, the presence of the oncoming vehicle 11A can be recognized with high accuracy. Further, the formation state of the bright area differs depending on the state of the road surface. For example, on a paved road or the like, light from a pair of headlamps scatters on the road surface to form one bright area (FIG. 29). When the reflectance of the road surface is high in rainy weather or the like, each light from the pair of headlamps is reflected on the road surface, and two bright areas are formed on the road surface (FIG. 30).
(See (1)). Therefore, in the next step 514, among the detected candidate areas (bright area pairs) of the oncoming vehicle 11A,
Oncoming vehicle 1 when there is a bright area pair corresponding to one or two bright areas having an area equal to or greater than a predetermined value below the bright area pair
It recognizes that it is the head lamp of 1A and recognizes that the oncoming vehicle 11A exists. That is, in the case of FIG.
The oncoming vehicle 11A is recognized by recognizing the bright area pair A as a headlamp of the oncoming vehicle 11A based on the presence of the bright area (number 3) corresponding to the (light areas 1 and 2). In the case of rainy weather, etc., as shown in FIG. 30 (2), a bright area pair (reference numbers 6, 7) corresponding to the bright area pair B (reference numbers 4, 5) is present. By recognizing B as a headlamp of the oncoming vehicle 11A, the oncoming vehicle 11A is recognized. Recognition of oncoming vehicles by such a method is based on only one bright area pair, and there are various objects such as signs and telephone poles on the oncoming vehicle side, and the sign reflected by the light reflected from these objects On the other hand, there is a case where a telephone pole or the like is judged as an oncoming vehicle, but the light that reaches the own vehicle from the headlamps of the oncoming vehicle includes the light that reaches the own vehicle directly and the light that reflects on the road surface and reaches the own vehicle. This is because, in the case of a car, a combination of a bright region pair and a bright region or a bright region pair corresponding to the bright region pair is considered.

[0067] When the oncoming vehicle 11A in this manner is recognized, in a next step 516, the headlamp edge center position _{P a (X a, Y a} ), P b (X b, Y a) detecting a. Coordinate value Y _a in the headlamp edge center position, the outermost straight first present the recognition processed when the obtained vehicle width direction of the oncoming vehicle 11A in step 514
The average value of the Y coordinate value of the uppermost position and the Y coordinate value of the lowermost position in the Y direction of 42R and 142L, and the coordinate values X _a , X
_b is the coordinate value in the X direction of the straight lines 142L and 142R. In the next step 518, the coordinate values X _a from the coordinate values X _b
Is subtracted to obtain a distance x _n between both headlamp edges.
In the next step 520, the distance x _n is multiplied by a constant β to obtain the ground contact position of the front wheel of the oncoming vehicle (coordinate value Y
The distance ε _n in the Y direction from _b ) to the driver's eye point A, which is the most preferable position of the cut line, is determined. Here, the constant β is obtained as follows. That is, for a number of cars, was measured the ratio of the distance epsilon _n in the Y direction from the front wheel ground positions of both edges distance x _n and oncoming above until the driver's eye point, the equation (2) As shown, a substantially constant value of 0.6 was obtained. The reason that the distance ε _n to the driver's eye point A is detected based on the ground position of the front wheel of the oncoming vehicle as a reference without using the center position of the light edge of the headlamp as described above is because the TV camera 22 detects the oncoming vehicle. The information of the oncoming vehicle obtained by shooting is mainly the light of the headlamp, but the position of the headlamp varies depending on the type of vehicle and it is not possible to use the headlamp as a reference. In this case, the distance ε _n from the ground contact position of the front wheel of the oncoming vehicle to the driver's eye point is substantially constant. In _{x n / ε n = 0.6 ···} (2) The next step 522, detects the coordinate value Y _b of the front wheel of the ground position of the oncoming vehicle. This coordinate Y _b is the Y of the bright area pair.
This is the average value of the coordinate values and the Y coordinate values of the bright area or the bright area pair facing this bright area pair. That is, when it is not rainy, as shown in FIG. 29 (3), the average value of the coordinate values Y ₁ and Y ₂ detected based on the light directly emitted from the oncoming vehicle to the own vehicle, and the road surface In the case of rainy weather, as shown in FIG. 30, each Y coordinate value of the bright area pair is obtained from the average value of the coordinate value Y ₃ detected based on the light reflected on the own vehicle and irradiated to the own vehicle. It is determined from the average of the averages of
In the next step 524, the coordinate value Y _n of the position of the eye point A is obtained by adding the distance ε _n to the coordinate value Y _b , and this routine ends.

As described above, the oncoming vehicle 11A is recognized in the oncoming vehicle recognition area W _PO determined according to the degree of the curved road and the vehicle speed. During this recognition process,
In the image (image) taken by the TV camera 22,
Even in the case where a plurality of light spots are formed by reflected light from outside lights or vehicles other than the vehicle, the light area of each of the pair of headlamps is detected, and the road surface existing below the light area pair is detected. Is recognized as a headlamp of an oncoming vehicle when there is a bright area in the reflection area, and the oncoming vehicle is recognized. As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to extract only a bright area having a high probability of being an oncoming vehicle, and it is possible to more reliably recognize an oncoming vehicle.

Next, step 600 will be described in detail. After the coordinate values Y _n of the eye point has been detected, the subroutine for controlling the light distribution of a head lamp (see FIG. 31) is executed, in step 608 from step 602, so as not to produce a glare to the driver of the leading vehicle of the aforementioned The same processing as the processing for controlling the light distribution of the headlamp (steps 302 to 308) is performed on the coordinate values Y _n and Y
_n ′, the control value D of the actuator 40 corresponding to the corresponding right and left cut line controls, respectively.
Setting the EG _L and the DEG _R. In step 510,
Set actuator control values DEG _R , DEG _L
The light shielding cams of the actuators 40 and 42 are moved by controlling the actuators according to
0, 72 are moved to the eye point A of the driver of the oncoming vehicle, and this routine ends.

As described above, in this embodiment, the actuator is controlled so that the driver's eye point of the oncoming vehicle is detected and the cut lines 70 and 72, which are the limit lines of the non-irradiated area, are located at this position. Therefore, the irradiation range of the headlamp can be expanded to a limit range where glare is not given to the driver of the oncoming vehicle 11A, whereby the irradiation range is widened and the visibility of the driver is improved, and the optimal light from the headlamp of the own vehicle 10 is improved. Irradiation can be performed.

In the above embodiment, the irradiation range in front of the vehicle is controlled by the light shielding cam. However, the light of the head lamp may be shielded by the light shielding plate or the shutter. Further, although the light distribution is controlled by blocking the light of the headlamp, the emission optical axis of the headlamp may be deflected.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the oncoming vehicle is a vehicle traveling on the road rule of the left-hand traffic existing on the front right side of the own vehicle has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It can be easily applied to vehicles that pass by.

In the above embodiment, the data of the white line of the road, which is the initial data, is stored as the data when a line of a flat ground and a predetermined width travels on a straight road provided on both sides of the vehicle. Even when the white line cannot be detected at the time of detection, a standard recognition area can be set. Also, by storing and selecting a plurality of patterns of this data, a recognition area can be determined by setting of the driver.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the tail lamp of the preceding vehicle and the head lamp of the oncoming vehicle are detected from the grayscale image obtained by the monochrome TV camera. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the detection may be performed by an image device (color television) provided with the above.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the edge center positions of the rectangular tail lamp and the head lamp are detected. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the outermost positions of the round tail lamp and the head lamp are detected. May be detected.

In the first embodiment described above, the lowermost position of the door mirror of the preceding vehicle is determined with reference to the essi center position of the tail lamp. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
The uppermost position or the lowermost position of the edge may be used as a reference. In this case, the constant α is set according to the reference position.
Needs to be changed. In the above-described second embodiment, the distance from the ground contact position of the front wheel of the oncoming vehicle to the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle is determined based on the center position of the edge of the headlamp. However, the present invention is not limited to this. , The uppermost position or the lowermost position of the edge. In this case, it is necessary to change the value of the constant β according to the reference position.

In the first embodiment, a description will be given of a control that does not give glare to the driver of the preceding vehicle. In the second embodiment, the control of not giving glare to the driver of the oncoming vehicle will be described separately. Although described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and control may be performed so as not to give glare to both the driver of the preceding vehicle and the driver of the oncoming vehicle. In this case, the preceding vehicle area and the oncoming vehicle area are respectively set, the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle are recognized in the respective areas, and the limit irradiation range of the head lamp is set at the lowermost part of the door mirror or the fender mirror of the preceding vehicle. The cut line may be located at the lowest position between the position and the position of the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, in order to prevent glare from the driver of the preceding vehicle, a door mirror, which is a mirror provided at the lowest position of the preceding vehicle, which is the most preferable position of the cut line, and which confirms the rear, The cut line is located at the lowermost position of the fender mirror (excluding the inner mirror (room mirror)), but is not limited to this, and is located above the tail lamp and below the door mirror and the fender mirror. May be determined, and the cut line may be positioned at the determined position. In addition, in order not to give glare to the driver of the oncoming vehicle, the cut line is located at the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle, which is the most preferable position of the cut line, but the present invention is not limited to this. The cut line may be located above the ground contact position of the front wheels of the vehicle and below the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle.

[0079]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the position of the mirror provided at the lowermost position of the preceding vehicle for confirming the rear or the position above the tail lamp and the lowermost position of the preceding vehicle. A head which does not give glare to the driver of the preceding vehicle, because the boundary line changing means is controlled so that the boundary line between the irradiation area and the non-irradiation area is located below the mirror for confirming the rear provided in the vehicle. The irradiation range of the lamp can be expanded, and the forward visibility of the driver of the own vehicle can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the irradiation area is located at a position above the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle or above the ground position of the front wheel of the oncoming vehicle and below the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle. Since the boundary line changing means is controlled so that the boundary line with the irradiation area is located, the irradiation range of the headlamp which does not give glare to the driver of the oncoming vehicle can be expanded, and the forward visibility of the driver of the own vehicle can be improved. Can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a front portion of a vehicle used in the present embodiment, viewed from diagonally forward of the vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration perspective view of a headlamp to which the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration of the headlamp (II in FIG. 2);
Line).

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a control device.

FIG. 5 is an image diagram illustrating a process of recognizing a preceding vehicle based on an image signal output by a TV camera photographed during the day.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a routine for recognizing a preceding vehicle based on an image signal of a TV camera taken during the day.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a control main routine according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a preceding vehicle recognition processing routine according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a window area at the time of white line recognition.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a vehicle recognition area.

FIG. 11 is an image diagram for explaining that a vehicle recognition area is changed according to a vehicle speed.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a vehicle speed and a correction width (correction value) of a window area according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a degree of a right curve road and a gain for determining a correction width on a right side of a window.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a relationship between a degree of a right curve road and a gain for determining a correction width on a left side of a window.

FIG. 15 is an image diagram showing window regions and correction widths for curved roads having different curvatures.

FIG. 16 is an image diagram for explaining a cut line displaced by an actuator.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a relationship between a degree of a left curve road and a gain for determining a correction width on the right side of the window.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a degree of a left curve road and a gain for determining a correction width on the left side of the window.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a light distribution control subroutine of the first embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a relationship between a Y coordinate value on an image of a door mirror and a control value DEG of an actuator.

FIG. 21 is an image diagram for supplementarily explaining a relationship between a cut line and a position of a left side door mirror.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a control main routine according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an oncoming vehicle recognition area setting processing routine according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a vehicle speed and a correction width (correction value) of a window area according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a degree of a left curve road and a gain for determining a correction width on the right side of the window in the second embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a relationship between a degree of a right curve road and a gain for determining a correction width on the right side of the window in the second embodiment.

FIG. 27 is an image diagram showing an oncoming vehicle recognition area according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart illustrating a subroutine for detecting an eye point according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 29 is an image diagram showing an oncoming vehicle recognition process according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 30 is an image diagram showing a photographed image of an oncoming vehicle in rainy weather or the like and a bright area by a headlamp.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing a light distribution control subroutine of the second embodiment.

FIG. 32A is a diagram showing a distance between a tail lamp edge of a preceding vehicle and a distance from a tail lamp to a door mirror. (B) is a diagram showing the relationship between the distance between the headlamp edges of the oncoming vehicle and the eye point.

[Explanation of symbols]

 18, 20 Headlamp 40, 42 Actuator 22 TV camera 48 Image processing device 50 Control device 66 Vehicle speed sensor 100 Traveling vehicle detection device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-63-158701 (JP, A) JP-A-62-131837 (JP, A) JP-A-1-278848 (JP, A) JP-A-6-318848 139802 (JP, A) JP-A-6-267303 (JP, A) JP-A-6-270733 (JP, A) JP-A-6-295601 (JP, A) JP-A-6-267304 (JP, A) JP-A-7-21803 (JP, A) JP-A-7-29403 (JP, A) JP-A-6-275104 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B60Q 1/14 F21M 3/05 F21M 3/18

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A boundary line changing means for changing a boundary line between an irradiation range and a non-irradiation range of a headlamp of a host vehicle, a photographing unit for photographing an area in a traveling direction of the host vehicle, and the photographing unit Detecting means for detecting the outermost position of the tail lamp of the preceding vehicle in the vehicle width direction based on the photographed image; provided at the lowest position of the preceding vehicle based on the distance between the positions detected by the detecting means. The position of the mirror that confirms the rear or the position above the tail lamp and below the mirror that confirms the rear provided at the lowermost position of the preceding vehicle is determined, and the boundary line is positioned at the determined position. Control means for controlling the boundary line changing means; and a headlamp irradiation range control device comprising: 2. A boundary line changing unit for changing a boundary line between an irradiation range and a non-irradiation range of a headlamp of the own vehicle, an imaging unit for imaging a region in a traveling direction of the own vehicle, and the imaging unit Detecting means for detecting the outermost position of the headlamp of the oncoming vehicle in the vehicle width direction based on the captured image; and an eyepoint of the driver of the oncoming vehicle based on the distance between the positions detected by the detecting means. Control means for determining a position above the ground contact position of the front wheels of the oncoming vehicle and below the eye point of the driver of the oncoming vehicle, and controlling the boundary line changing means so that the boundary line is located at the obtained position; Headlamp irradiation range control device provided with.