Headlamp control apparatus and method for preventing light pollution caused by speed breaker

1. A headlamp control apparatus comprising:

a first determination unit configured to, when information regarding a distance from a speed breaker to a vehicle is received from a distance detection device included in the vehicle, determine whether or not the distance from the speed breaker is less than a predetermined first threshold distance;

a second determination unit configured to, when information regarding an inclination is received from an inclination detection device included in the vehicle, determine whether the inclination is a predetermined first inclination corresponding to an entry into the speed breaker or a predetermined second inclination corresponding to moving off of the speed breaker; and

a control unit configured to:

control a high-beam lamp or adjust brightness of the high-beam lamp not to shine forward with respect to the vehicle, as a first state of the high-beam lamp, when the first determination unit determines that the distance from the speed breaker is less than the first threshold distance,

control a general-beam lamp or adjust brightness of the general-beam lamp to shine forward and downward with respect to the vehicle, as a first state of the general-beam lamp, when the second determination unit determines that the inclination is the first inclination, and

control the high-beam lamp and the general-beam lamp to return to previous states of the high-beam and general-beam lamps when the second determination unit determines that the inclination is changed from the first inclination to the second inclination,

wherein the previous states of the high-beam and general-beam lamps respectively refer to a state of the high-beam lamp before the high-beam lamp is controlled or adjusted to the first state of the high-beam lamp and to a state of the general-beam lamp before the general-beam lamp is controlled or adjusted to the first state of the general-beam lamp.

2. The headlamp control apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a third determination unit configured to, when information regarding a speed is received from a speed detection device included in the vehicle, determine whether a movement distance calculated using the speed is greater than the distance from the speed breaker,

wherein the control unit controls the high-beam lamp to return to the previous state of the high-beam when the second and third determination units determine that the inclination is not equal to the first inclination and that the movement distance is greater than the distance from the speed breaker.

3. The headlamp control apparatus of claim 2 ,

wherein the third determination unit additionally counts a required time when the second determination unit determines that the inclination is not equal to the first inclination, additionally calculates a speed breaker transit time on the basis of the distance from the speed breaker, and additionally determines whether the required time is greater than the transit time, and the second determination unit determines whether the inclination is the first inclination until the required time is greater than the transit time, and

wherein when the second and third determination units determine that the inclination is not equal to the first inclination and also that the movement distance is greater than the distance from the speed breaker until the required time is greater than the transit time, the control unit controls the high-beam lamp to return to the previous state of the high-beam.

4. The headlamp control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the high-beam lamp is a lamp for shining forward with respect to the vehicle, and the general-beam lamp is a lamp for shining forward with respect to the vehicle at a lower angle than that of the high-beam lamp, the angle being adjusted to a plurality of predetermined angles.

5. The headlamp control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the distance detection device includes a camera, a radar, a lidar, a navigation device, a GPS sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor, and the inclination detection device includes a gravity sensor or a height sensor.

6. The headlamp control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the information regarding the distance from the speed breaker is calculated using location information of the vehicle and location information of the speed breaker acquired from a navigation device included in the vehicle.

7. The headlamp control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the information regarding the distance from the speed breaker is calculated using the location information of the vehicle and the location information of the speed breaker acquired through at least one of a radar signal, a lidar signal, a camera signal, or an ultrasonic signal acquired by a front-area detection device included in the vehicle.

8. The headlamp control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control unit decreases the brightness of the high-beam lamp when the first determination unit determines that the distance from the speed breaker is less than the first threshold distance, and controls the brightness of the high-beam lamp to return to the previous state of the high-beam when the second determination unit determines that the inclination is changed from the first inclination to the second inclination.

9. The headlamp control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control unit decreases the brightness of the general-beam lamp when the second determination unit determines that the inclination is the first inclination, and controls the brightness of the general-beam lamp to return to the previous state of the general-beam when the second determination unit determines that the inclination is changed from the first inclination to the second inclination.

10. A headlamp control method comprising:

receiving information regarding a distance from a speed breaker to a vehicle from a distance detection device included in the vehicle;

determining whether or not the distance from the speed breaker is less than a predetermined first threshold distance when the information regarding the distance from the speed breaker is received;

receiving information regarding an inclination from an inclination detection device included in the vehicle;

determining whether the inclination is a predetermined first inclination corresponding to an entry into the speed breaker or a predetermined second inclination corresponding to moving off of the speed breaker when the information regarding the inclination is received; and

controlling a high-beam lamp or adjusting brightness of the high-beam lamp not to shine forward with respect to the vehicle, as a first state of the high-beam lamp, when the distance from the speed breaker is determined to be less than the first threshold distance, controlling a general-beam lamp or adjusting brightness of the general-beam lamp to shine forward and downward with respect to the vehicle, as a first state of the general-beam lamp, when the inclination is determined to be the first inclination, and controlling the high-beam lamp and the general-beam lamp to return to previous states of the high-beam and general-beam lamps when the inclination is determined to be changed from the first inclination to the second inclination,

wherein the previous states of the high-beam and general-beam lamps respectively refer to a state of the high-beam lamp before the high-beam lamp is controlled or adjusted to the first current state of the high-beam lamp and to a state of the general-beam lamp before the general-beam lamp is controlled or adjusted to the first state of the general-beam lamp.

11. The headlamp control method of claim 10 , further comprising:

receiving information regarding a speed from a speed detection device included in the vehicle;

calculating a movement distance using the speed; and

determining whether the movement distance is greater than the distance from the speed breaker,

wherein the controlling comprises controlling the high-beam lamp to return to the previous state of the high-beam when the inclination is determined to be not equal to the first inclination and also that the movement distance is greater than the distance from the speed breaker.

12. The headlamp control method of claim 10 , wherein the controlling comprises decreasing the brightness of the high-beam lamp when the distance from the speed breaker is determined to be less than the first threshold distance and controlling the brightness of the high-beam lamp to return to the previous state of the high-beam when the inclination is determined to be changed from the first inclination to the second inclination.

13. The headlamp control method of claim 10 , wherein the controlling comprises decreasing the brightness of the general-beam lamp when the inclination is determined to be the first inclination and controlling the brightness of the general-beam lamp to return to the previous state of the general-beam when the inclination is determined to be changed from the first inclination to the second inclination.

14. A headlamp control method comprising:

receiving information regarding a distance from a speed breaker from a distance detection device included in a vehicle;

determining whether or not the distance from the speed breaker is less than a predetermined first threshold distance;

receiving information regarding a speed from a speed detection device included in the vehicle;

calculating a movement distance using the speed;

determining whether the movement distance is greater than the distance from the speed breaker; and

controlling a high-beam lamp or controlling brightness of the high-beam lamp not to shine forward with respect to the vehicle, as a first state of the high-beam lamp, when the distance from the speed breaker is determined to be less than the first threshold distance, and controlling the high-beam lamp to return to a previous state of the high-beam when the movement distance is determined to be greater than the distance from the speed breaker,

wherein the previous state of the high-beam lamp refers to a state of the high-beam lamp before the high-beam lamp is controlled or adjusted to the first state of the high-beam lamp.

15. The headlamp control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to control the high-beam lamp to shine forward with respect to the vehicle when the first determined unit determines that the distance from the speed breaker is greater than or equal to the first threshold distance.

16. The headlamp control method of claim 10 , wherein the controlling comprises controlling the high-beam lamp to shine forward with respect to the vehicle when the distance from the speed breaker is determined to be greater than or equal to the first threshold distance.

17. The headlamp control method of claim 14 , wherein the controlling comprises controlling the high-beam lamp to shine forward with respect to the vehicle when the distance from the speed breaker is determined to be greater than or equal to the first threshold distance.

18. The headlamp control apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control unit turns off the high-beam lamp when the first determination unit determines that the distance from the speed breaker is less than the first threshold distance.

19. The headlamp control method of claim 10 , wherein the controlling comprises turning off turns off the high-beam lamp when the distance from the speed breaker is determined to be less than the first threshold distance.

20. The headlamp control method of claim 14 , wherein the controlling comprises turning off turns off the high-beam lamp when the distance from the speed breaker is determined to be less than the first threshold distance.