Koito Manufacturing Company, Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Takanori Namba

Masayasu Ito

Mitsuharu Mano

Satoshi Kikuchi

Fuminori Shiotsu

Takashi Inoue

Osamu Endo

Hidetada Tanaka

Akihiro Matsumoto

Tetsuya Suzuki

Naoki Sone

Takenori Wama

Mikio Motomori

Daijiro Arisawa

Toshiyuki Tsuchiya

Tomokazu Suzuki

Yoshihiro Uchiyama

Yuji Higashi

Masato Watanabe

Kazushi Yoshikawa

A lamp unit and a camera are disposed in a lamp housing including a translucent cover, and an aiming adjustment of the camera is enabled. The camera is provided with a lens hood for preventing light emitted from the lamp unit from being incident on the camera. The lens hood has a required gap with respect to the translucent cover and allows the camera to tilt.

Vehicle lamp

A vehicle detecting device includes a region setting unit that sets a plurality of regions of interest having different ranges on image data acquired from an image capturing device that captures an image of a space in front of a host vehicle; and a vehicle determining unit that determines, for each of the regions of interest, presence of a front vehicle based on a luminous point present in the region and that executes a determination at different frequencies in the respective regions of interest.

Vehicle detecting device and vehicle lamp system

An image acquiring apparatus for a vehicle includes a light emitting unit configured to emit pulse light to a predetermined direction, an image acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of different images of target distance ranges by imaging reflected light returning from the target distance ranges at imaging timings set according to the target distance ranges, and a timing controller configured to control a light emission cycle of the pulse light and the imaging timings. The timing controller is configured to control at least one of the light emission cycle and the imaging timing such that among different target distance ranges, a range of a specific distance necessary for object recognition is imaged with luminance higher than that for ranges other than the range of the specific distance.

Image acquiring apparatus for vehicle, control device, vehicle having image acquiring apparatus for vehicle or control device, and image acquiring method for vehicle

An image acquiring apparatus for a vehicle includes a light emitting unit configured to emit pulse light to a predetermined direction, an image acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of different images of target distance ranges by imaging reflected light returning from the target distance ranges at imaging timings set according to the target distance ranges, and a timing controller configured to control a light emission cycle of the pulse light and the imaging timings. The timing controller is configured to set a light emission interval time to be longer than a delay time which is a time from a light emission start time point of the light emitting unit to an imaging start time point of the image acquisition unit and is required to image a longest-distance range of the target distance ranges from which the reflected light can be imaged.

An image acquiring apparatus for a vehicle includes a light emitting unit configured to emit pulse light to a predetermined direction, an image acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of different images of target distance ranges by imaging reflected light returning from the target distance ranges at imaging timings set according to the target distance ranges, and a timing controller configured to control a light emission cycle of the pulse light and the imaging timings. The timing controller is configured to control the light emission cycle and the imaging timings such that the light emission cycle and the imaging timings are modulated by random numbers.

A vehicle image acquisition device includes a RGB light source unit having a red light source configured to emit red light, a green light source configured to emit green light, and a blue light source configured to emit blue light, the RGB light source unit being configured to emit respective color light at a predetermined light emission period in a predetermined direction, an image acquisition unit configured to capture reflected light returning from a target distance area at an imaging timing set according to the target distance area, and to acquire a plurality of captured images having different target distance areas, a timing controller configured to control light emission period of the respective color light and the imaging timing; and an image processor configured to combine the captured images each acquired by the respective color light to generate a color image.

Image acquisition device to be used by vehicle and vehicle provided with same

Provided is a vehicle lamp lighting control device which ensures proper lighting control of a lamp even when an abnormality occurs in the lamp or a camera. The vehicle lamp lighting control device includes a plurality of lamps (L-HL, R-HL) mounted on a vehicle, and each of the lamps includes a lamp unit () for illuminating a required region, an imaging unit () for imaging the required region, and a lamp control unit () for controlling lighting of the lamp unit () based on a captured image. When one lamp of the plurality of lamps is abnormal, the lamp control unit () of another lamp controls lighting of at least one normal lamp unit () of the plurality of lamps.

Vehicle lamp lighting control device

Provided is a vehicular lamp including a main lamp unit, a sub lamp unit, and an imaging unit disposed in a lamp housing and configured to perform a light distribution control of the main lamp unit based on an image captured by the imaging unit. The sub lamp unit is disposed between the imaging unit and the main lamp unit. Light emitted from the main lamp unit is shaded by the sub lamp unit and suppressed from being incident on the imaging unit.

Vehicular lamp

A vehicular lamp includes a light source, a cooling fan configured to cool the light source, a light source power supply module configured to drive the light source for emission of light, and a control module configured to execute an abnormal rotation detection of the cooling fan and to control the light source power supply module so that the quantity of light emitted from the light source is reduced in response to a detection of abnormal rotation.

In an automotive headlamp, a light-emitting module is configured such that a light-emitting element and a control circuit unit for controlling the lighting of the light-emitting element are structured integrally with each other. A control circuit unit in a position anterior to the light-emitting element in a lamp unit is located below a shade section so that the control circuit unit can be clear of the path of light used to form a low beam light distribution pattern of the light emitted by the light-emitting element. In this setting, the light-emitting element is so located that a main optical axis Axis perpendicular respect to an optical axis Axof the lamp unit and that a light-emitting portion of the light-emitting element protrudes higher than the control circuit unit in the direction of the main optical axis Ax

Automotive headlamp, heat radiating mechanism, light-emitting apparatus and light source fixing member

A semiconductor light source lighting circuit is provided with: a switching regulator that generates a drive current of a semiconductor light source using a switching element; and a control circuit that controls ON/OFF of the switching element. The control circuit is provided with: a comparator that compares the drive current and a target value; a counter that counts a digital value in a count direction determined by a comparison result of the comparator; a digital-analog converter that converts the digital value into an analog signal; and a drive circuit that controls the ON/OFF of the switching element based on the analog signal. The counter counts the digital value at a speed determined by an ON/OFF cycle of the switching element.

Semiconductor light source lighting circuit

A semiconductor light source lighting circuit includes a voltage step-down unit configured to generate a drive voltage lower than an input voltage by turning on or off a first switching element in a voltage step-down mode, a voltage step-up unit configured to generate the drive voltage higher than the input voltage by turning on or off a second switching element in a voltage step-up mode, and a controller. The controller includes a charge pump unit configured to repeat charging from the drive voltage to a second capacitor and discharging from the charged second capacitor to the first capacitor in the voltage step-up mode, and a switch drive unit configured to apply a voltage higher than the voltage at the other end of the first switching element to the control terminal of the first switching element by using a voltage of the charged first capacitor.

Semiconductor light source lighting circuit and vehicular lamp

A circuit for lighting a semiconductor light source is provided. The circuit includes: a switching regulator including a switching element and configured to generate a drive current for the semiconductor light source using the switching element; and a control circuit configured to control on-off of the switching element such that the magnitude of the drive current comes close to a targeted value. The control circuit includes: a comparator configured to compare the magnitude of the drive current with the targeted value; an up/down counter configured to count a digital value in a counting-up direction or counting-down direction, based on a comparison result of the comparator; a digital-to-analog converter configured to convert the counted digital value into an analog signal; and a drive circuit configured to control on/off of the switching element based on the analog signal.

A semiconductor light source lighting circuit includes a switching regulator that produces a drive current Iwith a switching element, and a control circuit that controls turning on and off of the switching element so that the magnitude of the drive current Iapproaches a target value. The control circuit includes an error comparator that compares the drive current Iand the target value, an up/down counter that performs a counting operation, in which the control digital value is incremented or decremented based on the result of the comparison, a D/A converter that converts the control digital value into an analog duty ratio setting signal S, and a drive circuit that controls the turning on and off of the switching element based on the signal S. The up/down counter stops the counting operation when the switching regulator is brought into the inactive state.

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Shizuoka, Japan

Takanori Namba