KR20130136107A - An automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle in which a beam pattern, which a head lamp light, is automatically varied according to a distance with a front vehicle. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle comprises: a shield, which is arranged inside a lighting module, for blocking a part of a light, which is coming to a lens; a shield actuator for driving the shield; a swivel actuator for rotating the lighting module from right to left; a head lamp including a leveling actuator for rotating the lighting module up and down; a camera sensor; and a controller for controlling the shield actuator, the swivel actuator, and the leveling actuator by judging the distance with the front vehicle according to the number of an upper and a lower pixel, between a pixel where a lamp of the front vehicle is positioned and a lower end, of image data which consist of multiple pixels which the camera sensor takes.

Description

Automotive {AN AUTOMOBILE}

The present invention relates to a vehicle, and more particularly, to a vehicle in which the beam pattern of the headlamp is variable according to the distance to the front vehicle.

Generally, in front of the automobile, a head lamp for recognizing the position of the road surface and the obstacle is provided so as to illuminate the front of the automobile during nighttime driving so that the driver can secure visibility.

The conventional head lamp operates in a low beam mode in which light to be distributed to the outside is directed to the road surface and in a high beam mode in which the light to be distributed to the outside is highly distributed.

The headlamps should ensure visibility to the driver of their vehicle and should not cause glare to the driver of the preceding vehicle and the opposite vehicle.

For example, when there is no vehicle traveling ahead, the headlamp is set to the high beam mode to ensure visibility of the driver of his vehicle, and when there is a vehicle traveling ahead, the vehicle is driven in the low beam mode to precede the vehicle and the opposite vehicle. Do not cause glare to the driver. Also, in the bright areas such as downtown, the low beam mode should be used so as not to cause glare to drivers or pedestrians of preceding and opposing cars, and the high beam mode in the dark areas can ensure visibility to the driver of his vehicle. It should be.

Recently, an adaptive headlamp has been developed in which a beam pattern of a headlamp is automatically changed by acquiring distance and angle information of the preceding vehicle and the opposite vehicle through image processing of the preceding vehicle and the opposite vehicle using a camera sensor. The driver of his vehicle ensures visibility and does not cause glare to the driver of the preceding vehicle and the opposite vehicle.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vehicle capable of automatically varying the beam pattern of the headlamp according to the distance to the front vehicle.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to achieve the above object, the vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, the shield disposed in the lighting module to block a part of the light incident on the lens, the shield actuator for driving the shield and the lighting module to the left and right A headlamp including a swivel actuator for rotating, a leveling actuator for rotating the lighting module up and down, a camera sensor, and image data consisting of a plurality of pixels photographed by the camera sensor, the illumination of the front vehicle from the bottom And a controller configured to determine the distance to the front vehicle according to the number of upper and lower pixels between the pixels and to control the shield actuator, the swivel actuator, and the leveling actuator.

The details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

The vehicle according to the present invention determines the distance from the front vehicle according to the number of pixels up and down between the pixels of the image data composed of the plurality of pixels photographed by the camera sensor from the bottom to the pixel where the illumination of the front vehicle is located, There is an effect that can vary the beam pattern shined by the lamp.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 is a view showing a head lamp of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention,
2 is a control block diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a view showing image data photographed by a camera sensor included in a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a diagram illustrating a beam pattern of a headlamp shining on a road surface according to a distance between a vehicle and a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention, and how to accomplish them, will become apparent by reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. Is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Hereinafter, an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a view showing a head lamp 100 of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a headlamp 100 of a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a lighting module 10 generating light and shining toward the front of the vehicle, and a shield 8 disposed in the lighting module 10. And a shield actuator 6 for driving the shield 8, a swivel actuator 4 for rotating the lighting module 10 to the left and right of the vehicle, and a rotation of the lighting module 10 up and down the vehicle. A leveling actuator 5.

The lighting module 10 includes a housing 3, a light source (not shown) disposed in the housing 3 to generate light, and a lens 1 shining the light generated by the light source to the outside of the vehicle. .

The light source may be provided as an LED lamp.

The lens 1 is formed of a transparent material through which light is transmitted to distribute light to the front of the vehicle, and is provided as an aspherical lens and coupled to the front end of the housing 3 through the lens holder 2.

The shield 8 and the shield actuator 6 are arranged in the housing 3.

The shield 8 is rotatably disposed in the lighting module 10, and a plurality of cut-off patterns for blocking a part of the light in each pattern so that the light distributed to the outside of the vehicle can have a predetermined pattern. (cut off pattern) is arranged along the perimeter. The shield 8 is coupled to a rotation axis (not shown) of the shield actuator 6 to rotate or reverse rotate by the rotation or reverse rotation of the shield actuator 6, so that one of the plurality of cut-off patterns is cut off the light. Is moved to.

In the shield 8, the plurality of cut-off patterns are formed differently so that the beam pattern distributed to the outside of the vehicle can form various beam patterns.

A reflector (not shown) for reflecting light of the light source to the lens 1 may be further disposed inside the housing 3, and the shield 8 may be disposed between the reflector and the lens 1, thereby reflecting the reflector. A part of light reflected from the lens 1 to the lens 1 can be blocked.

The shield actuator 6 is disposed in the illumination module 10 to rotate the shield 8 in both directions (forward or reverse) so that the plurality of cut off patterns can be moved to the light blocking positions, respectively.

In addition, the swivel actuator 4 and the leveling actuator 5 are coupled to the housing 3 and disposed outside the lighting module 10.

2 is a control block diagram of an automobile according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a vehicle includes a camera sensor 20 that detects an image around the vehicle, and a vehicle speed sensor 30 that detects a vehicle speed of a vehicle.

The motor vehicle is also provided with a controller 40 for controlling the shield actuator 6, the swivel actuator 4 and the leveling actuator 5. The controller 40 may be an electronic control unit (ECU), which is a representative control unit of a vehicle.

Light emitted from the lighting module 10 to the outside of the vehicle may cause glare to the driver of the preceding vehicle and the opposite vehicle when the vehicle speed of the vehicle is 40 km / h or more.

Therefore, when the vehicle speed of the vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor 30 is 40 km / h or more, the controller 40 rotates and rotates the shield actuator 6, the swivel actuator 4, and the leveling actuator 5. To control.

The controller 40 processes the image signal sensed by the camera sensor 20 to calculate the presence or absence of a vehicle (leader, opposing vehicle) traveling forward, and the distance and angle between the vehicle traveling forward, By controlling the rotation direction and the rotation angle of the shield actuator 6, the swivel actuator 4 and the leveling actuator 5, the light pattern emitted from the lighting module 10 to the outside of the vehicle is visible to the driver of his vehicle. In addition to the pattern to ensure the maximum, and to the driver of the vehicle (leaving vehicle and the opposite vehicle) driving ahead to be a pattern that does not cause glare.

3 is a diagram illustrating image data photographed by a camera sensor included in a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 3, the image data 25 captured by the camera sensor 20 includes a plurality of pixels.

The controller 40 is arranged between the pixels in which the lights 52, 54, 62, and 64 of the front vehicle 50, 60 are positioned from the bottom of the image data 25 composed of a plurality of pixels captured by the camera sensor 20. The shield actuator 6, the swivel actuator 4, and the leveling actuator 5 are determined by determining the distance from the front vehicle 50, 60 according to the number of pixels (a, c).

In FIG. 3, the left vehicle represents the opposite vehicle (opposite vehicle) 50, and the right vehicle represents the preceding vehicle 60. The lights 52, 54, 62, and 64 of the front vehicles 50 and 60 captured by the camera sensor 20 are headlamps 52 and 54 when the front vehicles 50 and 60 face the vehicle 50. If the front vehicle (50, 60) is the preceding vehicle 60, it is the tail lamp (62, 64).

The controller 40 determines that the distance between the front vehicles 50 and 60 is closer as the number of upper and lower pixels a and c decreases, and the distance between the front vehicles 50 and 60 as the upper and lower pixel numbers a and c increases. You can judge that it is far. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, since the number of the upper and lower pixels a of the opposite difference 50 is smaller than the number of the upper and lower pixels c of the preceding difference 60, the controller 40 determines that the opposite difference 50 is the preceding difference. We can judge that it is closer than (60).

The controller 40, when there are a plurality of front vehicles 50, 60 in the image data 25 captured by the camera sensor 20, the upper and lower pixels of the nearest vehicle (the opposite vehicle 50 in FIG. 3). According to the number a, the distance to the front vehicle 50 is determined, and the shield actuator 6, the swivel actuator 4 and the leveling actuator 5 are controlled.

Meanwhile, in the image data 25 captured by the camera sensor 20, illumination of a motorcycle such as a motorcycle may also exist. Only one illumination of the motorcycle present in the image data 25 exists. In the present embodiment, the controller 40 according to the number of pixels (a, c) between the lower end of the image data 25, the pixels in which the illumination of the front vehicle (50, 60) is located, the front vehicle (50, 60) Since the distance with the vehicle is determined, the distance with the vehicle 50, 60 may be determined regardless of the number of lights of the vehicle 50, 60.

In addition, when the plurality of lights 52, 54, 62, and 64 of the front vehicles 50 and 60 exist in the image data 25 captured by the camera sensor 20, the controller 40 may forward the front vehicle 50. The distance to the front vehicle 50, 60 may be determined by further using the number of left and right pixels b and d between the left and right lights 52 and 62 and the right and right lights 54 and 64. .

The controller 40 determines that the greater the number of left and right pixels b and d, the closer to the front vehicle 50 and 60, and the smaller the left and right number of pixels b and d, the smaller the number of left and right pixels b and d is. You can judge that it is far. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, since the number of left and right pixels b of the opposite difference 50 is greater than the number of left and right pixels d of the preceding difference 60, the controller 40 has the opposite difference 50. We can judge that it is closer than (60).

The controller 40 may determine the distance to the front vehicles 50 and 60 using at least one of the number of upper and lower pixels a and c and the number of left and right pixels b and d. However, even when the front vehicle is a two-wheeled vehicle such as a motorcycle, it is preferable that the controller 40 determines the distance using at least the number of pixels (a, c).

The controller 40 may use one of the upper and lower pixel numbers a and c and the left and right pixel numbers b and d as a sub-factor for determining the distance from the front vehicle 50 and 60. For example, whether the distance to the front vehicle 50, 60 determined according to the number of pixels (a, c) is reliable, or the front vehicle 50, 60 determined according to the number of pixels (b, d). By comparing the distances, if there is a match, the distance with the front vehicle 50, 60 can be finally determined.

On the other hand, if the number of the front vehicle is seven or more in the image data 25 captured by the camera sensor 20, the controller 40 may beam pattern the headlamp 100 according to the distance to the front vehicle. The beam pattern of the headlamp 100 is controlled only according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle sensed by the vehicle speed sensor 30 without controlling the control. For example, when the number of the front vehicle is seven or more in the image data 25 captured by the camera sensor 20, if the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 30 is 110 km / h or more, the controller ( 40 controls the shield actuator 6, the swivel actuator 4, and the leveling actuator 5 so that the beam pattern distributed from the lighting module 10 to the outside of the vehicle can maximize visibility to the driver of the vehicle. When the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 30 is lower than 110 km / h, the controller 40 does not control the shield actuator 6 and the swivel actuator 4 and the leveling actuator 5. By controlling only), the beam pattern distributed from the lighting module 10 to the outside of the vehicle is controlled to be a pattern that can ensure the maximum visibility to the driver of his vehicle.

The controller 40, when the number of the front vehicle is 6 or less in the image data 25 captured by the camera sensor 40, the distance to the front vehicle according to the number of pixels (a, c) up and down In response to the determination, the shield actuator 6, the swivel actuator 4, and the leveling actuator 5 are controlled. For example, when the number of the front vehicle is six or less in the image data 25 captured by the camera sensor 20, if the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 30 is 40 km / h or more, the controller ( 40 determines the distance to the front vehicle according to the number of pixels (a, c) up and down, and controls the shield actuator (6), the swivel actuator (4) and the leveling actuator (5), thereby providing a lighting module (10). ) So that the beam pattern distributed to the outside of the vehicle is a pattern that does not cause glare to the driver of the opposing vehicle 50 and the preceding vehicle 60, and a pattern that can ensure the visibility to the driver of his vehicle as much as possible. If the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 30 is lower than 40 km / h, the controller 40 controls only the swivel actuator 4 and the leveling actuator 5 without controlling the shield actuator 6. , The outside of the vehicle from the lighting module 10 The beam light distribution pattern that is to be controlled so that the pattern that can be possible to secure the visibility of the driver of the subject vehicle.

As described above, the controller 40 of the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention, using the image data 25 captured by the camera sensor 20 can determine the distance to the vehicle ahead, the camera, The number of vehicles existing in the image data 25 captured by the sensor 20 should be 6 or less, and the vehicle speed of the vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor 30 should be 40 km / h or more. Of course, the data on the street light or the building light of the city area existing in the image data 25 captured by the camera sensor 20 should be ignored.

Referring to the operation of the vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above are as follows.

4 is a diagram illustrating a beam pattern of a headlamp shining on a road surface according to a distance between a vehicle and a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 4, the controller 40 may vary the height and pattern of the light emitted from the headlamp 100 toward the front of the vehicle according to the distance between the vehicle and the front vehicles 50 and 60. Control the shield actuator 6, the swivel actuator 4 and the leveling actuator 5. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, as the distance between the own vehicle and the front vehicles 50 and 60 gets closer, the beam pattern formed on the road surface becomes shorter, and the distance between the front vehicles 50 and 60 becomes smaller. The controller 40 controls the shield actuator 6, the swivel actuator 4, and the leveling actuator 5 so that the beam pattern formed on the road surface increases as the distance increases. In order to understand the description, only the counter difference 50 shown in FIG. 3 will be described below, for example.

When the vehicle is running at 40 km / h or more, the light emitted from the headlamp 100 to the outside may cause glare to the driver of the opposite vehicle 50.

Therefore, when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 30 is 40 km / h or more, the controller 40 determines the distance from the counter car 50 using the image data 25 captured by the camera sensor 20. .

If the opposite vehicle 50 is present while the vehicle is running, the distance from the opposite vehicle 50 gradually comes closer. The controller 40 controls the shield actuator 6, the swivel actuator 4 and the leveling actuator 5 so that the beam pattern shown on the left side in FIG. 4 when the distance between the own vehicle and the counter vehicle 50 is 140 m. When the distance between the magnetic vehicle and the counter vehicle 50 is 130m, the beam pattern shown on the right side is formed next. The distance between the magnetic vehicle and the counter vehicle 50 is 110m, 91m, 81m, 60 The beam pattern formed on the right side of the vehicle 50 is gradually formed as it approaches, so that the beam pattern can be formed to maximize the visibility of the driver of the vehicle without causing glare to the driver of the opposite vehicle 50. To help.

The controller 40 according to the number of pixels (a) between the pixels of the image data 25 captured by the camera sensor 20 from the lower end between the pixels 52 and 54 where the illuminations 52 and 54 of the opposing difference 50 are located. The shield actuator 6, the swivel actuator 4, and the leveling actuator 5 may be controlled by determining the distance between the own vehicle and the counter vehicle 50.

As described above, the vehicle according to the present invention, the upper and lower pixels between the pixels of the illumination of the front vehicle 50, 60 from the bottom of the image data 25 consisting of a plurality of pixels taken by the camera sensor 20 According to the numbers a and c, distances from the front vehicles 50 and 60 may be determined to vary the beam pattern emitted by the headlamp 100.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and the equivalents thereof are included in the scope of the present invention Should be interpreted.

1: lens 4: swivel actuator
5: leveling actuator 6: shield actuator
8: shield 10: lighting module
20: camera sensor 25: image data
30: vehicle speed sensor 40: controller
50: counter car (= oncoming car) 60: preceding car

Claims (6)

A shield arranged in the lighting module to block a part of light incident to the lens, a shield actuator for driving the shield, a swivel actuator for rotating the lighting module from side to side, and a leveling actuator for rotating the lighting module up and down Including a headlamp;
Camera sensor; And
The shield actuator, the swivel actuator, and the distance from the vehicle in front of the image data composed of a plurality of pixels photographed by the camera sensor are determined based on the number of pixels up and down between the pixels on which the illumination of the vehicle ahead is located. And a controller for controlling the leveling actuator. The method according to claim 1,
When the plurality of lights of the front vehicle exist in the image data photographed by the camera sensor, the controller uses at least one of the number of upper and lower pixels and the number of left and right pixels between the left and right lights of the front vehicle. To determine the distance to the vehicle ahead. The method according to claim 1,
The lighting of the front vehicle is a head lamp if the vehicle ahead is a vehicle, and the tail lamp if the vehicle ahead is a preceding vehicle. The method according to claim 1,
When the number of the front vehicle exists in the image data photographed by the camera sensor is 6 or less, the controller determines the distance to the front vehicle according to the number of pixels up and down, the shield actuator, the swivel actuator And a vehicle controlling the leveling actuator. The method of claim 4,
Further comprising: a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a vehicle speed,
The controller may control the shield actuator, the swivel actuator, and the leveling actuator by determining a distance from the vehicle in front of the vehicle, when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor is 40 km / h or more. . The method according to claim 1,
The controller, when there are a plurality of front vehicles in the image data photographed by the camera sensor, determines the distance to the front vehicle according to the number of pixels up and down of the nearest vehicle, and determines the shield actuator and the swivel actuator. And a vehicle controlling the leveling actuator.

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