US 12,459,423 B2
Headlamp control apparatus and vehicle
Shunichi Nakamura, Tokyo (JP); and Noriaki Asano, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jul. 27, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/360,113.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-127355 (JP), filed on Aug. 9, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0051457 A1, Feb. 15, 2024
Int. Cl. B60Q 1/14 (2006.01)
CPC B60Q 1/143 (2013.01) [B60Q 2300/112 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A headlamp control apparatus to be applied to a vehicle, the headlamp control apparatus comprising:
a front vehicle detection unit configured to perform a detection of a front vehicle present in a region in front of the vehicle;
a speed determination unit configured to make a determination as to whether a traveling speed of the vehicle has become less than a first speed; and
a headlamp control unit configured to perform control of lighting of a headlamp of the vehicle based on a result of the detection by the front vehicle detection unit and a result of the determination by the speed determination unit, wherein
the headlamp control unit is configured to operate under a first mode and a second mode,
the first mode is a mode in which the headlamp control unit performs adaptive control of a beam pattern to vary an illuminated region of the headlamp based on a position of a detected front vehicle, and switches the lighting of the headlamp to a high beam when the front vehicle is not detected,
the second mode is a mode in which the headlamp control unit switches the lighting of the headlamp to a low beam when a front vehicle is detected, and switches the lighting of the headlamp to a high beam when no front vehicle is detected, wherein the second mode does not include control for varying the illuminated region of the headlamp based on a position of the front vehicle,
the headlamp control unit is configured to cause the control of the lighting to transition from the first mode to the second mode when, in the first mode, the speed determination unit determines that the traveling speed of the vehicle has become less than the first speed,
the headlamp control apparatus further comprises a braking state detection unit configured to detect whether automatic braking is in operation,
the speed determination unit is configured to further determine whether the traveling speed has become less than a second speed that is slower than the first speed, and
the headlamp control unit is configured to switch the lighting of the headlamp to the low beam, when the speed determination unit determines that the traveling speed of the vehicle has become less than the second speed and the braking state detection unit determines that the automatic braking is not in operation.