# US 10,864,845 B2 · Adaptive headlamp system for vehicles

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- Number: US 10,864,845 B2
- Document ID: US10864845B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/456,844
- Filed: 2019-06-28
- Published: 2020-03-12
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2018-09-10
- Assignees: Lumileds LLC
- Applicants: Lumileds Holding B.V.
- Inventors: Ronald Bonne; Jyoti Kiron Bhardwaj
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864845B2

## CPC

- B60Q 1/1423: {Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic}
- B60Q 1/0023: {the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera}
- B60Q 1/143: {combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers}
- F21S 41/141: Light emitting diodes [LED]
- G06K 9/00825
- H04L 12/40: Bus networks
- H05B 45/10: Controlling the intensity of the light
- B60Q 2300/054: Variable non-standard intensity, i.e. emission of various beam intensities different from standard intensities, e.g. continuous or stepped transitions of intensity
- B60Q 2300/42: oncoming vehicle
- B60R 11/04: Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
- B60R 16/023: for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
- F21W 2102/13: for high-beam region or low-beam region
- H04L 2012/40273: {the transportation system being a vehicle}
- B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F21W: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS

## Abstract

A vehicle headlamp system includes a vehicle supported power and control system including a data bus. A sensor module can be connected to the data bus to provide information related to environmental conditions or information relating to presence and position of other vehicles and pedestrians. A separate headlamp controller can be connected to the vehicle supported power and control system and the sensor module through the bus. The headlamp controller can include an image frame buffer that can refresh held images at greater than 30 Hz speed. An active LED pixel array can be connected to the headlamp controller to project light according to a pattern and intensity defined by the image held in the image frame buffer and a standby image buffer can be connected to the image frame buffer to hold a default image.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A headlamp control system, comprising:
a headlamp controller connectable to a vehicle supported power, sensor, and control system through a data bus, the headlamp controller having an image frame buffer to store images;
a standby image buffer connected to the image frame buffer to hold a default image; and
an LED pixel array connected to the headlamp controller to project light according to patterns and intensities defined by the images or the default image loaded from the image frame buffer, the image frame buffer to load the images or the default image at a rate greater than 30 Hz, and wherein each of the images or the default image define a response of corresponding LED pixels of the LED pixel array.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The headlamp control system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle supported power, sensor, and control system is to be used to create at least a portion of the images provided to the image frame buffer of the headlamp controller.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The headlamp control system of claim 1, wherein a local sensor module connected to the headlamp controller is to be used to create at least a portion of the images provided to the image frame buffer of the headlamp controller.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The headlamp control system of claim 1, wherein the LED pixel array can be directed to reduce light emitted toward an oncoming vehicle.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The headlamp control system of claim 1, wherein each of the LED pixels of the LED pixel array is individually addressable.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The headlamp control system of claim 1, wherein the LED pixel array has a plurality of selectable LED areas that define a number of pixels of the LED pixel array to be operated, and wherein an area for operation is to be selected from the selectable LED areas.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The headlamp control system of claim 1, wherein the LED pixel array is positioned adjacent to static LED lighting.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The headlamp control system of claim 1, wherein the image frame buffer is connected to the LED pixel array through a pulse width modulator.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The headlamp control system of claim 1, wherein the image frame buffer is to load the images or the default image at 60 Hz or greater.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The headlamp control system of claim 1, wherein the standby image buffer is to direct the default image to the image frame buffer for provision of the default image from the image frame buffer to the LED pixel array.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The headlamp control system of claim 1, wherein LED pixels of the LED pixel array are grouped into groups of pixels, and wherein each group of the groups of pixels are to be controlled as a group.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The headlamp control system of claim 1, wherein the headlamp controller is to adjust the intensities of each of the LED pixels of the LED pixel array via ramp times and pulse width for each of the LED pixels.

### Claim 13

A headlamp system, comprising:
a headlamp controller having an image frame buffer that store images provided by at least one of a vehicle supported power, sensor, and control system through a vehicle data bus and a local image creation module through a local data connection; and
an LED pixel array connected to the headlamp controller, the LED pixel array having individually addressable pixels connected to the headlamp controller to project light according to patterns and intensities defined by the images loaded from the image frame buffer, the image frame buffer is to load the images at a rate greater than 30 Hz, and wherein each of the images define a response of the pixels of the LED pixel array.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The headlamp system of claim 13, wherein an image pattern is to be provided in response to receipt of sensor information from the vehicle supported power, sensor, and control system.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The headlamp system of claim 13, wherein an image pattern is to be provided at least in part in response to local sensor information.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The headlamp system of claim 13, wherein the LED pixel array has a plurality of selectable LED areas that define a number of pixels of the LED pixel array to be operated, and wherein an area for operation is to be selected from the selectable LED areas.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The headlamp system of claim 13, wherein the LED pixel array is positioned adjacent to static LED lighting.

### Claim 18 (depends on 13)

The headlamp system of claim 13, wherein the image frame buffer is connected to the LED pixel array through a pulse width modulator.

### Claim 19 (depends on 13)

The headlamp system of claim 13, wherein the image frame buffer is to load the images at 60 Hz or greater.

### Claim 20 (depends on 13)

The headlamp system of claim 13, further comprising a standby image buffer connected to the image frame buffer, the standby image buffer to store a default image and direct the default image to the image frame buffer if there are no stored images within the image frame buffer.