Vehicle detecting device, vehicle lamp system, vehicle detecting method, light distribution controlling device, and light distribution controlling method
AssigneeKoito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
InventorTakehito Iriba
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle detecting device includes: a camera that includes an image sensor and a first filter, the image sensor including a plurality of imaging elements including a first imaging element group and a second imaging element group, the first filter keeping an amount of light entering the first imaging element group lower than an amount of light entering the second imaging element group; an image generating unit that generates a first image based on information obtained from the first imaging element group and a second image based on information obtained from the second imaging element group; and a detecting unit that detects a front vehicle based on the first image and the second image.
Claims20
A light distribution controlling device that, based on information obtained from an imaging device that captures an image of a region ahead of a vehicle, controls a light distribution variable lamp capable of illuminating the region ahead of the vehicle with a visible light beam of a variable intensity distribution, the light distribution controlling device comprising:
- a luminance analyzing unit that, based on information obtained from the imaging device, analyzes a luminance of each of a plurality of individual regions arrayed ahead of a host vehicle;
- and
- a lamp controlling unit that, based on an analysis result of the luminance analyzing unit, determines a light distribution pattern to be formed in the region ahead of the vehicle by determining an illuminance of light for illuminating each individual region, and controls the light distribution variable lamp so as to form the determined light distribution pattern, wherein
- the lamp controlling unit
- forms a reference light distribution pattern periodically at non-overlapping timings in a first individual region group and a second individual region group each included in the plurality of individual regions, the reference light distribution pattern including at least in part a fixed illuminance region that is not dependent on a luminance of the region ahead of the vehicle, and
- updates a partial light distribution pattern to be formed in an individual region group where the reference light distribution pattern is formed, based on a luminance held while the reference light distribution pattern is formed, and retains a partial light distribution pattern to be formed in an individual region group where the reference light distribution pattern is not formed.
A light distribution controlling method that, based on information obtained from an imaging device that captures an image of a region ahead of a vehicle, controls a light distribution variable lamp capable of illuminating the region ahead of the vehicle with a visible light beam of a variable intensity distribution, the light distribution controlling method comprising:
- forming a reference light distribution pattern periodically at non-overlapping timings in a first individual region group and a second individual region group each included in a plurality of individual regions arrayed ahead of a host vehicle, the reference light distribution pattern being not dependent on a luminance of the region ahead of the vehicle;
- and
- updating a partial light distribution pattern to be formed in an individual region group where the reference light distribution pattern is formed, based on a luminance held while the reference light distribution pattern is formed, and retaining a partial light distribution pattern to be formed in an individual region group where the reference light distribution pattern is not formed.
A vehicle lamp system, comprising:
- a vehicle lamp that illuminates a region ahead of a vehicle with light;
- an imaging device that captures an image of the region ahead of the vehicle;
- a housing that houses the vehicle lamp and the imaging device;
- and
- a lamp controlling unit that controls on and off of the vehicle lamp, wherein
- the lamp controlling unit turns off the vehicle lamp while the imaging device is capturing an image and turns on the vehicle lamp while the imaging device is not capturing an image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.