HEADLIGHT SYSTEM, AND FAULT DETECTION METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a headlight system which switches the illumination light flux of a headlight from high-beam light distribution to low-beam light distribution when an oncoming vehicle is detected and which enables the driver of his or her own vehicle to know the failure of a camera; and to provide a failure detection method. SOLUTION: The headlight system 100, which switches the illumination light flux of the headlight 14 from the high-beam light distribution to the low-beam light distribution when an oncoming vehicle is detected from the front image data picked up by the camera 12, includes: an illuminance detecting means 13 which detects the illuminance around the own vehicle; a road light determining means 23 which detects approaching of the own vehicle to a road light 11 based on the illuminance; a pixel change detecting means 22 which detects the pixel value in a predetermined region of the image data picked up in time series when approaching to the road light is detected; a camera failure detecting means 26 which detects the failure of the camera 12 if the change quantity at passing the road light 11 is below a first threshold. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT