Vehicular headlight detection and reaction system
AssigneeBlackBerry Limited
InventorsNeil Patrick Adams, Jeremy Lawson Kominar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and systems to mitigate headlight blinding during travel in a vehicle by relaying location data from vehicles to a remote server. The remote server identifies vehicles approaching each other on an otherwise unoccupied roadway and sends one or more of those vehicles a warning signal. The vehicle receiving such as warning signal may then automatically take a headlight mitigation action.
Claims18
A method of mitigating headlight blinding during travel in a vehicle, the method comprising:
- wirelessly sending location data regarding the geographic location of the vehicle to a remote server;
- receiving a warning signal from the remote server indicating an approaching vehicle;
- and
- automatically taking a headlight mitigation action in response to the warning signal,
- wherein the vehicle includes a windshield having an electrically-controlled opacity, and wherein the headlight mitigation action includes increasing an opacity of the windshield to dim the appearance of lights on the approaching vehicle.
A system to mitigate headlight blinding during travel in a vehicle, the system comprising:
- a server having memory, a processor, and processor-executable instructions stored in the memory that, when executed, cause the processor to:
- receive location information from other vehicles;
- calculate vehicle trajectories;
- determine that the vehicle and an approaching vehicle are at least a first distance apart on a roadway and that their respective trajectories are towards each other;
- and
- based on that determination, generate and transmit a warning signal to the vehicle to cause the vehicle to automatically take a headlight mitigation action in response to the warning signal,
- wherein the vehicle includes a windshield having an electrically-controlled opacity, and wherein the headlight mitigation action includes increasing an opacity of the windshield to dim the appearance of lights on the approaching vehicle.
A vehicle implementing a headlight blinding mitigation process, the vehicle including:
- a windshield having an electrically-controlled opacity;
- a controller to control vehicle components and to communicate wirelessly with a remote server to send location data regarding the geographic location of the vehicle and to receive a warning signal from the remote server indicating an approaching vehicle;
- and
- headlights controllable by the controller and having a low beam setting and a high beam setting,
- wherein the controller is to automatically take a headlight mitigation action in response to the warning signal,
- and wherein the headlight mitigation action includes the controller outputting a signal causing an increase in opacity of the windshield to dim the appearance of lights on the approaching vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.