JP2020184174A - Vehicle control system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control system capable of appropriately performing switching between a high beam and a low beam without affecting detection accuracy of a front object.SOLUTION: The vehicle control system comprises: a sensor device (13) for detecting an object and acquiring distance information on the detected object; a head lamp (15) for lighting up a front area of a vehicle (10) and performing switching between a high beam whose irradiation distance is long and a low beam whose irradiation distance is short; and automatic head lamp switching means (17) for automatically switching the head lamp between the high beam and the low beam. In the system, switching to the low beam by the automatic head lamp switching means is set to be inhibited when the distance information is a first value (V1, V11) or more that is capable of detecting an object with the sensor device in a low beam state of the head lamp.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control system.

In a vehicle in which the irradiation angle of the headlight can be changed, a technology is known that automatically switches between a high beam that increases the irradiation angle and a low beam that decreases the irradiation angle according to the environment in front of the vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of controlling the headlights to have a high beam when an object other than a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle is detected in front of the vehicle.

Japanese Patent No. 5556508

In the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the headlight is set to a high beam, the driver of the preceding vehicle or the oncoming vehicle feels dazzling, and the vehicle (light like a bicycle) is used as the object in front to be detected. Vehicles excluding vehicles) are not included. Therefore, when the vehicle is located in front, the headlight always has a low beam.

In recent years, many automatic braking (AEB) devices have been put into practical use, which monitor the situation of the traveling direction of a vehicle and automatically decelerate when a predetermined condition is met to prevent or reduce collision damage. It is installed in the vehicle. However, as in Patent Document 1, if the headlight always has a low beam while the vehicle is in front, the light does not reach the vehicle at a position distant to some extent, and the sensor for automatic brake control of the vehicle in front The detection accuracy may decrease.

Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when a pedestrian or a bicycle is detected in front, the beam is switched to the high beam regardless of the distance to these objects and the predicted collision time (even in a situation where the high beam is unnecessary). Therefore, pedestrians and cyclists may feel dazzling.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control system capable of appropriately switching between a high beam and a low beam without affecting the detection accuracy of an object in front.

The present invention includes a sensor device that detects an object and acquires distance information of the detected object, and a headlight that illuminates the front of the vehicle and can switch between a high beam having a long irradiation distance and a low beam having a short irradiation distance. In a vehicle control system equipped with an automatic headlight switching means for automatically switching between high beam and low beam of the headlight, the distance information can detect an object by a sensor device in the low beam state of the headlight. When the value is equal to or greater than the value of, switching to the low beam by the automatic headlight switching means is prohibited.

According to the vehicle control system of the present invention, the high beam and the low beam can be appropriately switched without affecting the detection accuracy of the object in front.

It is a figure which shows the control system of the automobile of this embodiment. It is a time chart which shows the control example of the system when the collision prediction time is used as the distance information when the automatic brake is operated. It is a time chart which shows the control example of the system when the object distance detected by the sensor is used as the distance information at the time of operation of an automatic brake. It is a time chart which shows the control example of the system when the collision prediction time is used as the distance information when the automatic brake is not activated. It is a time chart which shows the control example of the system when the object distance detected by the sensor is used as the distance information when the automatic brake is not activated. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control when the collision prediction time is used as distance information. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control when the object distance detected by a sensor is used as the distance information.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a simplified view of the control system of the automobile 10 which is the vehicle according to the present embodiment.

The automobile 10 includes a brake 11 which is a braking device. The brake 11 applies a frictional force to the axle (not shown) that supports the wheels (not shown) to decelerate and stop the automobile 10. The brake 11 operates when the occupant driving the automobile 10 operates the brake pedal. Further, it has an automatic brake control function that automatically operates the brake 11 under the control of the brake control device 12 under predetermined conditions.

The automobile 10 includes a sensor device 13. The sensor device 13 has a sensor 14 that detects an object outside the automobile 10, and based on the detection signal from the sensor 14, the distance to the detected object (object) and the collision with the object. Calculate the collision prediction time until the collision occurs. As the sensor 14, an in-vehicle camera that captures an image outside the automobile 10 is used. The sensor device 13 calculates the position of an object within the photographing range and the distance to the object based on the image captured by the in-vehicle camera.

The sensor device 13 further calculates the collision prediction time based on the distance to the object obtained by the sensor 14 and the movement information such as the relative speed and the traveling direction of the object and the own vehicle (vehicle 10). .. During the operation of the automatic brake control, the brake control device 12 operates the brake 11 to decelerate the automobile 10 when a collision or an approach of a predetermined value or more is predicted from the calculated collision prediction time.

The automobile 10 is provided with a headlight 15 as a lighting device for illuminating the front. The headlight 15 has a bulb (not shown) which is a light emitting body, and a reflector (not shown) and a projector (not shown) that distribute the light emitted by the bulb toward the front. The bulb is provided with a light emitting unit for a high beam and a light emitting unit for a low beam. When the light emitting unit for the high beam is turned on, the reflector or the projector irradiates (light distribution) the light at the irradiation angle for the high beam. When the light emitting part for the low beam is turned on, the light in some directions is blocked by the shade (not shown), and the light distributed by the reflector or the projector is limited to a range lower than the irradiation angle for the high beam. It becomes the irradiation angle for the low beam. Due to this difference in irradiation angle, the irradiation distance of the low beam is shorter than the irradiation distance of the high beam.

The on / off of the headlight 15 and the selection of the high beam and the low beam in the lit state are controlled by the headlight controller 16. The switching between the high beam and the low beam in the headlight 15 can be performed by automatic switching by the automatic headlight switching means 17 provided in the sensor device 13 in addition to the manual switching performed by the operation of the occupant driving the automobile 10. The automatic headlight switching means 17 automatically turns on / off the headlight 15 and switches between high beam and low beam according to the surrounding environment (brightness, surrounding objects) of the automobile 10.

Hereinafter, the control of automatic switching of the headlight 15 will be described. The control described below is performed by a control unit mounted on the automobile 10. This control unit includes the brake control device 12, the sensor device 13, the headlight controller 16, the automatic headlight switching means 17, and the like shown in FIG. 1, and if the control subject is not particularly described, the control unit includes the brake control device 12, the sensor device 13, the headlight controller 16, and the like. It shall be comprehensively controlled by the control unit.

The high beam covers the wide irradiation range and the length of the irradiation distance required during normal traveling. The low beam is used when there is a risk of making the other party feel dazzling, such as when passing by an oncoming vehicle, when the distance to the preceding vehicle is short, or when a pedestrian or bicycle is nearby. , The irradiation range is narrower (lower) and the irradiation distance is shorter than the high beam. Therefore, the distance of the object to which the light from the headlight 15 reaches is closer when the low beam is selected than when the high beam is selected. The detection accuracy of an object in the sensor device 13 is affected by the lighting state of the object from the headlight 15, especially under a running condition in which the surroundings are dark.

In the control system of the automobile 10 of the present embodiment, a first value indicating a boundary value of distance information capable of detecting an object by the sensor device 13 is set with the low beam selected, and the distance information is equal to or greater than the first value. If this is the case, switching to the low beam by the automatic headlight switching means 17 is prohibited. As a result, the detection accuracy of the object by the sensor device 13 is not affected by the switching to the low beam, so that the object in front of which the distance from the automobile 10 is large can be reliably detected.

For example, in the case of vehicle speed-dependent control that automatically switches to the low beam when the vehicle speed falls below a predetermined value, the automatic switching from the high beam to the low beam during deceleration causes an object in front that is too far away to reach the low beam. , The sensor device 13 may not be able to detect. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the first value that is the threshold value for prohibiting automatic switching to the low beam is the distance information to the object, so that the distance to the target object even if the automobile 10 decelerates. As long as the information is equal to or greater than the first value, the automatic switching to the low beam is not performed, so that the detection accuracy of the sensor device 13 for an object that is separated in front by a certain amount or more does not decrease.

In addition, when the distance information is smaller than the first value, automatic switching to the low beam is permitted, so that oncoming vehicles, preceding vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, etc. located at a relatively short distance where the low beam can reach , It is possible to prevent the feeling of glare while maintaining the high beam.

Prohibition of automatic switching to low beam is particularly effective during operation of automatic brake control. Even if the speed of the automobile 10 drops while the automatic brake control is operating, as long as the distance information to the target object is equal to or greater than the first value, the automatic switching to the low beam is not performed. , The detection accuracy of the sensor device 13 for the object in front does not decrease. Therefore, the sensor device 13 does not suddenly lose sight of the target object during the operation of the automatic brake control, and the automatic brake control can be performed with high accuracy.

Further, when the distance information to the target object is greater than or equal to the second value larger than the first value, it may be controlled to allow switching to the low beam. The second value is a boundary value at which it is determined that even if the sensor device 13 loses sight of the object due to switching to the low beam, there is no immediate danger of collision or hindrance to running. In other words, the second value is the distance information that is sufficient for avoiding a collision with an object. Specifically, the value of the distance information sufficient for collision avoidance (second) based on the distance to the target object, the free running distance of the moving vehicle 10 and the braking distance according to the performance of the brake 11. Value) can be obtained. In this way, even when the distance information is large, it is possible to switch to the low beam according to the situation without fixing the prohibition of switching to the low beam, so that more flexible operation becomes possible.

The automatic switching control of the headlight 15 will be described with reference to a time chart and a flowchart. As a control pattern, there are a case where the distance information of the object is obtained based on the collision prediction time calculated by the sensor device 13 and a case where the object distance is set as the object distance based on the measurement by the sensor device 13. In addition, there are cases where control is accompanied by operation of automatic brake control, and cases where automatic brake control is controlled as non-operation.

FIG. 2 is a time chart showing a control example in which the collision prediction time is used as the distance information of the object with the operation of the automatic brake. At the start of the time chart, the headlight 15 is a high beam and automatic switching to a low beam is permitted. Then, the vehicle 10 is traveling at a vehicle speed α or a vehicle speed β (α> β), and the brake control device 12 automatically activates the brake based on the collision prediction time with the object calculated by the sensor device 13. (A1).

At the time when the automatic brake is activated (T1), the sensor device 13 determines whether the collision prediction time is equal to or greater than the first threshold value V1. This first threshold value V1 corresponds to the above-mentioned first value. When the vehicle speed is α at the start of the time chart, the collision prediction time at the time when the automatic brake is activated (T1) is smaller than the first threshold value V1 (B1). That is, judging from the current traveling speed (including deceleration rate) of the automobile 10, the distance to the detected object is small, the switching to the low beam does not affect the detection accuracy of the object by the sensor device 13, and the high beam. If this is maintained, the object may feel dazzling when it is a vehicle or a pedestrian. Therefore, when the collision prediction time is smaller than the first threshold value V1 (B1), automatic low beam switching is permitted (C1). Further, under the control of the automatic headlight switching means 17, the headlight controller 16 switches the headlight 15 from the high beam to the low beam (D1).

On the other hand, in the case of the vehicle speed β at the start of the time chart, the collision prediction time is equal to or greater than the first threshold value V1 (B2). That is, judging from the current traveling speed (including the deceleration rate) of the automobile 10, it is assumed that the distance to the detected object is large and the detection accuracy of the sensor device 13 is affected when the beam is switched to the low beam. It is in a state. Therefore, when the collision prediction time is equal to or longer than the first threshold value V1 (B2), automatic switching of the low beam is prohibited (C2), and the headlight 15 is maintained at the high beam (D2).

When the deceleration of the automobile 10 by the automatic brake is continuously stopped (T2), the operation of the automatic brake is released after a predetermined time (A2). Since the automobile 10 is stopped, the collision with the object detected by the sensor device 13 basically does not occur. Along with this, if the automatic switching of the low beam was previously prohibited (C2), the permission is switched to (C3). Further, under the control of the automatic headlight switching means 17, the headlight controller 16 switches the headlight 15 from the high beam to the low beam (C3). In general, the state in which the automatic brake operation is released after deceleration by the operation of the automatic brake or the vehicle is stopped is a state in which the high beam is not required, and this control can prevent the continuation of the unnecessary high beam. In addition, when the vehicle speed is slowed down (stopped) and the automatic braking operation is released, it is less necessary for the sensor device 13 to actively detect a distant object, so automatic switching to low beam is permitted. There is no problem.

FIG. 3 is a time chart showing a control example in which the distance to the object detected and calculated by the sensor device 13 is used as the distance information of the object with the operation of the automatic brake. It is common to the time chart of FIG. 2 except that it is determined whether or not the distance information of the object is equal to or higher than the first threshold value V1 based on the distance to the object. That is, when the automatic brake is activated (A3) (T3) and the distance to the object is smaller than the first threshold value V1 (B3), automatic low beam switching is permitted (C3), and the automatic front Under the control of the headlight switching means 17, the headlight controller 16 automatically switches the headlight 15 from the high beam to the low beam (D4). When the distance to the object is equal to or greater than the first threshold value V1 (B4) at the time when the automatic brake is activated (T3), automatic low beam switching is prohibited (C4), and the headlight 15 is set to the high beam. It is maintained (D5).

When the deceleration of the automobile 10 by the automatic brake is continuously stopped (T4), the operation of the automatic brake is released (A4). Along with this, if the automatic switching of the low beam is prohibited (C4), the headlight controller 16 automatically switches the headlight 15 from the high beam to the low beam (C5). D6).

When the distance to an object is used as the judgment standard, for example, the first is based on the performance standard of the passing headlight (performance that can confirm an obstacle at a distance of 40 m ahead at night) defined by the safety standard. The threshold value V1 can be set.

As can be seen from the time charts of FIGS. 2 and 3, automatic switching to the low beam is permitted when the distance information of the object falls below the first threshold value V1, that is, even if the sensor device 13 is switched to the low beam. This is a case that does not affect the detection accuracy. When the distance information of the object is equal to or higher than the first threshold value V1, that is, when switching to the low beam affects the detection accuracy of the sensor device 13, the automatic switching to the low beam is prohibited, so that the detection accuracy of the sensor device 13 is improved. The automatic braking can be controlled with high accuracy without lowering.

As described above, if the control automatically switches to the low beam based on the deceleration of the vehicle, the sensor may not be able to detect the object due to the switch to the low beam. Then, when the sensor detects the object again, a higher boosting performance of the brake and a higher performance brake are required as compared with the case where the object can be continuously detected. As a result, not only changes in brake control, but also brake-related hardware such as brake control units with improved motor performance to obtain high boost performance and high-performance base brakes may need to be changed. .. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since it is only necessary to set the switching control between the high beam and the low beam of the headlight 15, it is not necessary to confirm the performance by changing the structure, and the effect can be obtained by changing the setting at low cost and in a short period of time. Obtainable.

FIG. 4 is a time chart showing a control example in which the collision prediction time is used as the distance information of the object without the operation of the automatic brake. In this control, a first threshold value V11 and a second threshold value V12 larger than the first threshold value V11 are set as the collision prediction time. The first threshold value V11 is a boundary value that is determined not to affect the detection accuracy of the sensor device 13 even if the beam is switched to the low beam, like the first threshold value V1 described above, and corresponds to the first value described above. ..

The second threshold value V12 corresponds to the above-mentioned second value, and the distance to the object is sufficiently large. Even if the sensor device 13 loses sight of the object due to switching to the low beam, it becomes immediately dangerous. It is a boundary value that is judged to never happen. In other words, when the collision prediction time is equal to or greater than the second threshold value V12, it means that there is sufficient time and distance margin for avoiding a collision with an object.

At the start of the time chart of FIG. 4, automatic switching to the low beam is permitted, and the headlight 15 is set to the low beam. While the vehicle 10 is running, the predicted collision time is continuously monitored. When the collision prediction time falls below the second threshold value V12 due to a change in vehicle speed or the like (E1), automatic low beam switching is prohibited (F1). Further, when the collision prediction time falls below the first threshold value V11 (E2), automatic low beam switching is permitted (F2). With the prohibition of switching to the low beam (F1), the headlight controller 16 switches the headlight 15 from the low beam to the high beam under the control of the automatic headlight switching means 17 (G1). When the collision prediction time is less than the first threshold value V11, the headlight controller 16 switches the headlight 15 from the high beam to the low beam (G2) by the control of the automatic headlight switching means 17, and the low beam to the high beam. The control (G3) for switching to is arbitrarily performed. By allowing the switch to the low beam when the collision prediction time is equal to or less than the first threshold value V11, the high beam is maintained for oncoming vehicles, preceding vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, etc., which are relatively close to the low beam. It is possible to prevent the feeling of glare while it is left on.

Subsequently, when the collision prediction time exceeds the first threshold value V11 due to a change in vehicle speed or the like (E3), automatic switching to the permitted low beam is prohibited (F3). Further, when the collision prediction time exceeds the second threshold value V12 (E4), automatic switching to the prohibited low beam is permitted (F4). While the collision prediction time continues to be the second threshold value V12 or higher, the headlight controller 16 switches the headlight 15 from the high beam to the low beam by the control of the automatic headlight switching means 17 (G4). ) And the control (G5) for switching from the low beam to the high beam can be arbitrarily performed. Even if the sensor device 13 cannot detect the target object due to the switch to the low beam (G4), the object is located at a long distance that does not interfere with the safety, so that the low beam can be switched without any problem. ..

FIG. 5 is a time chart showing a control example in which the distance to the object detected and calculated by the sensor device 13 is used as the distance information of the object without operating the automatic brake. It is the same as the time chart of FIG. 4 except that it is determined whether or not the distance information of the object is equal to or higher than the first threshold value V11 or the second threshold value V12 based on the distance to the object.

When the distance to the object is used as the judgment standard, for example, the first is based on the performance standard of the passing headlight (performance that can confirm an obstacle at a distance of 40 m in front at night) defined by the safety standard. The threshold value V11 can be set, and the second threshold value V12 can be set based on the performance standard of the traveling headlight (the ability to confirm an obstacle at a distance of 100 m ahead at night).

At the start of the time chart of FIG. 5, automatic switching to the low beam is permitted, and the headlight 15 is set to the low beam. While the automobile 10 is traveling, the distance to the target object is continuously monitored. When the distance to the object falls below the second threshold value V12 due to a change in vehicle speed or the like (E5), automatic low beam switching is prohibited (F5). Further, when the distance to the object falls below the first threshold value V11 (E6), automatic switching of the low beam is permitted (F6). With the prohibition of switching to the low beam (F5), the headlight controller 16 switches the headlight 15 from the low beam to the high beam under the control of the automatic headlight switching means 17 (G6). When the distance to the object is less than the first threshold value V11, the headlight controller 16 switches the headlight 15 from the high beam to the low beam by the control of the automatic headlight switching means 17 (G7), and from the low beam. The control (G8) for switching to the high beam can be arbitrarily performed. By permitting switching to the low beam when the distance to the object is equal to or less than the first threshold value V11, the high beam can be applied to oncoming vehicles, preceding vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, etc., which are relatively close to the low beam. It is possible to prevent the feeling of glare while maintaining it.

When the distance to the object becomes equal to or higher than the first threshold value V11 due to a change in vehicle speed or the like (E7), automatic switching to the permitted low beam is prohibited (F7). Further, when the distance to the object becomes equal to or higher than the second threshold value V12 (E8), automatic switching to the prohibited low beam is permitted (F8). While the distance to the object continues to be the second threshold value V12 or higher, the headlight controller 16 switches the headlight 15 from the high beam to the low beam by the control of the automatic headlight switching means 17 (control of the automatic headlight switching means 17). G9) and control (G10) for switching from the low beam to the high beam can be arbitrarily performed. Even if the sensor device 13 cannot detect the target object due to the switch to the low beam (G9), the object is located at a long distance that does not hinder the safety, so that the low beam can be switched without any hindrance. ..

As can be seen from the time charts of FIGS. 4 and 5, automatic switching to the low beam is permitted when the distance information of the object falls below the first threshold value V11, that is, even if the sensor device 13 switches to the low beam. There is a case where the detection accuracy is not affected, and a case where the distance information of the object is equal to or higher than the second threshold value V12, that is, a case where the object is located at a long distance where the safety is not hindered even if the low beam is switched. If the distance information of the object is equal to or higher than the first threshold value V11 and lower than the second threshold value, that is, if switching to the low beam affects the detection accuracy and safety of the sensor device 13, automatic switching to the low beam is prohibited. , The detection accuracy of the sensor device 13 does not decrease, and the automatic braking can be controlled with high safety and high accuracy.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control flow when the collision prediction time is used as the distance information of the object. In step S11, it is determined whether or not the automatic brake control is in the non-operating state. If the automatic brake control is in the operating state (NO), the process proceeds to step S12, and if the automatic braking control is in the non-operating state (YES), the process proceeds to step S17. Subsequent processing is branched into a case where the automatic brake control is in the operating state (step S12 to step S16) and a case where the automatic braking control is not operating (step S17 to step S20).

When the automatic brake control is in the operating state (NO) in step S11, it is determined in step S12 whether or not the headlight 15 is a high beam. If it is a high beam (YES), the process proceeds to step S13, and if it is a low beam (NO), the process proceeds to step S16.

In step S13, it is determined whether or not the collision prediction time is smaller than the second threshold value (corresponding to the above-mentioned second value or the second threshold value V12) (whether it is equal to or greater than the second threshold value). If the collision prediction time is smaller than the second threshold value (YES), the process proceeds to step S14, and if the collision prediction time is equal to or longer than the second threshold value (NO), the process proceeds to step S16.

In step S14, it is determined whether or not the collision prediction time is equal to or longer than the first threshold value (corresponding to the above-mentioned first value or the first threshold value V11). If the collision prediction time is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (YES), the process proceeds to step S15, and if the collision prediction time is smaller than the first threshold value (NO), the process proceeds to step S16.

Switching to the low beam is prohibited in step S15. That is, the automatic brake is operating (NO in step S11), the headlight 15 is a high beam (YES in step S12), the collision prediction time is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value (step S13 and step). When all the conditions of YES) of S14 are satisfied, switching to the low beam is prohibited.

In step S16, switching to the low beam is permitted. That is, when the automatic brake is activated (NO in step S11), the headlight 15 has a low beam (NO in step S12), and the collision prediction time is equal to or greater than the second threshold value or less than the first threshold value (step). If either of the conditions of S13 or NO) of step S14 is satisfied, switching to the low beam is permitted without being prohibited.

When the automatic brake control is not activated in step S11 (YES), it is determined in step S17 whether or not the headlight 15 is a high beam. If it is a high beam (YES), the process proceeds to step S18, and if it is a low beam (NO), the process proceeds to step S20.

In step S18, it is determined whether or not the collision prediction time is equal to or longer than the first threshold value (corresponding to the above-mentioned first value or the first threshold value V1). If the collision prediction time is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (YES), the process proceeds to step S19, and if the collision prediction time is smaller than the first threshold value (NO), the process proceeds to step S20.

Switching to the low beam is prohibited in step S19. That is, all the conditions that the automatic brake is not activated (YES in step S11), the headlight 15 is a high beam (YES in step S17), and the collision prediction time is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (YES in step S18) are satisfied. When satisfied, switching to low beam is prohibited.

In step S20, switching to the low beam is permitted. That is, when the automatic brake is not activated (YES in step S11), the headlight 15 is a low beam (NO in step S17), and the collision prediction time is less than the first threshold value (NO in step S18). If any of the above is satisfied, switching to low beam is permitted without prohibition.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a control flow when the distance to the object detected and calculated by the sensor device 13 is used as the distance information of the object. It is common with the flowchart of FIG. 6 described above, except that the distance to the object is used as the determination criterion in step S33, step S34, and step S38.

In step S31, it is determined whether or not the automatic brake control is in the non-operating state. If the automatic brake control is in the operating state (NO), the process proceeds to step S32, and if the automatic braking control is in the non-operating state (YES), the process proceeds to step S37. Subsequent processing is branched into a case where the automatic brake control is in the operating state (step S32 to step S36) and a case where the automatic braking control is not in the operating state (step S37 to step S40).

When the automatic brake control is in the operating state (NO) in step S31, it is determined in step S32 whether or not the headlight 15 is a high beam. If it is a high beam (YES), the process proceeds to step S33, and if it is a low beam (NO), the process proceeds to step S36.

In step S33, whether the distance to the object detected by the sensor device 13 is smaller than the second threshold value (corresponding to the above-mentioned second value or the second threshold value V12) (whether it is equal to or higher than the second threshold value). Is determined. If the distance to the object is smaller than the second threshold value (YES), the process proceeds to step S34, and if the collision prediction time is equal to or longer than the second threshold value (NO), the process proceeds to step S36.

In step S34, it is determined whether or not the distance to the object is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (corresponding to the above-mentioned first value or the first threshold value V11). If the distance to the object is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (YES), the process proceeds to step S35, and if the distance to the object is smaller than the first threshold value (NO), the process proceeds to step S36.

Switching to the low beam is prohibited in step S35. That is, the automatic brake is operating (NO in step S31), the headlight 15 is a high beam (YES in step S32), and the distance to the object is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value (step S33 and). When all the conditions of YES) in step S34 are satisfied, switching to the low beam is prohibited.

In step S36, switching to the low beam is permitted. That is, when the automatic brake is operating (NO in step S31), the headlight 15 has a low beam (NO in step S32), and the distance to the object is equal to or greater than the second threshold value or less than the first threshold value. If any of the conditions (NO in step S33 or step S34) is satisfied, switching to the low beam is permitted without being prohibited.

When the automatic brake control is not activated in step S31 (YES), it is determined in step S37 whether or not the headlight 15 is a high beam. If it is a high beam (YES), the process proceeds to step S38, and if it is a low beam (NO), the process proceeds to step S40.

In step S38, it is determined whether or not the distance to the object is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (corresponding to the above-mentioned first value or the first threshold value V1). If the distance to the object is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (YES), the process proceeds to step S39, and if the distance to the object is smaller than the first threshold value (NO), the process proceeds to step S40.

Switching to the low beam is prohibited in step S39. That is, all the conditions that the automatic brake is not activated (YES in step S31), the headlight 15 is a high beam (YES in step S37), and the distance to the object is equal to or greater than the first threshold value (YES in step S38). When is satisfied, switching to low beam is prohibited.

In step S40, switching to the low beam is permitted. That is, when the automatic brake is not activated (YES in step S31), the headlight 15 is a low beam (NO in step S37), and the distance to the object is less than the first threshold value (NO in step S38). If any of the conditions are met, switching to low beam is permitted without prohibition.

In the automatic switching control of the headlights described above, it is possible to make the first value (first threshold value) different depending on whether the automatic brake is operating or not. Is. Specifically, in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the value of the first threshold value in step S14 and the value of the first threshold value in step S18 may be different. Alternatively, in the flowchart of FIG. 7, the value of the first threshold value in step S34 and the value of the first threshold value in step S38 may be different. As an example, when the automatic brake is activated, increase the first value (first threshold value) (set the object distance at which switching to the low beam is permitted and the collision prediction time small), and move forward. Make sure to detect objects at longer distances to. If the automatic braking is not activated, reduce the first value (first threshold value) (set a large object distance and collision prediction time for which switching to low beam is permitted), and the vehicle in front of you. Make it difficult to feel the glare of the high beam as much as possible.

As described above, in the vehicle control system according to the present embodiment, the detection accuracy of the object by the sensor device 13 is obtained by switching between the high beam and the low beam based on the distance information (distance and collision prediction time) with the object. It is possible to realize an appropriate light distribution by the headlight 15 without adversely affecting the light distribution. In particular, it is possible to prevent the sensor device 13 from becoming difficult to detect an object due to automatic switching to a low beam.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment or each modification, and can be modified in various ways. In the above embodiment, the configuration, control, and the like shown in the accompanying drawings are not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed within the range in which the effects of the present invention are exhibited. In addition, it can be appropriately modified and implemented as long as it does not deviate from the scope of the object of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the case where the distance information used for the switching control of the headlight 15 is obtained based on the collision prediction time and the case where the distance information is obtained based on the measured distance itself have been described in parallel. Whether to use the collision prediction time or the distance itself as the distance information can be appropriately selected. Since the collision prediction time is obtained by taking into account the movement information (speed, traveling direction, etc.) of the object or own vehicle in addition to the distance from the target object, when only the distance is used as the distance information. Compared to, there are more variables, which enables more precise control. On the other hand, when only the distance is used as the distance information, the burden of control can be suppressed because there are few variables and the arithmetic processing is easy. In this way, each control has an advantage, and an appropriate control form may be selected according to the required performance.

In the above embodiment, the sensor device 13 uses an in-vehicle camera that captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle as the sensor 14, but the type of the sensor device is not limited to this. Any sensor device may be used as long as the switching between the high beam and the low beam of the headlight may affect the detection accuracy of the distance information.

The first value (first threshold value) and the second value (second threshold value) in the above embodiment are appropriately changed according to factors that affect the detection performance of the sensor device, such as brightness in the vehicle surrounding environment. It is also possible. As an example, the threshold values may be different between daytime and nighttime.

As described above, the vehicle control system of the present invention has the effect of being able to appropriately switch between the high beam and the low beam without affecting the detection accuracy of the object in front, and particularly includes an automatic braking device. Useful for vehicles.

10: Automobile (vehicle)
11: Brake 12: Brake control device 13: Sensor device 14: Sensor 15: Headlight 16: Headlight controller 17: Automatic headlight switching means V1: First threshold value (first value)
V11: First threshold value (first value)
V12: Second threshold value (second value)

Claims (6)

A sensor device that detects an object and acquires the distance information of the detected object,
A headlight that illuminates the front of the vehicle and can be switched between a high beam with a long irradiation distance and a low beam with a short irradiation distance.
An automatic headlight switching means for automatically switching between the high beam and the low beam of the headlight,
In a vehicle control system equipped with
When the distance information is equal to or greater than the first value at which the object can be detected by the sensor device in the low beam state of the headlight, switching to the low beam by the automatic headlight switching means is prohibited. A vehicle control system characterized by that. It has a brake control device that automatically activates a brake when an object is detected by the sensor device and a collision or an approach of a predetermined value or more is predicted.
When the brake is automatically operated by the brake control device, when the distance information is equal to or greater than the first value, switching to the low beam by the automatic headlight switching means is prohibited. The vehicle control system according to claim 1. When the distance information is equal to or greater than a second value larger than the first value and the brake is not automatically activated by the brake control device, switching to the low beam is permitted by the automatic headlight switching means. The vehicle control system according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle is controlled. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, wherein the second value is a value sufficient for avoiding a collision with the object. When the brake control device automatically activates the brake to prohibit switching to the low beam, claims 2 to 4 are characterized in that the prohibition of switching to the low beam is released when the operation of the automatic brake is completed. The vehicle control system according to any one of the above. The vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the distance information is obtained based on a predicted collision time with the object.

Images