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US 10,894,503 B2Granted
Detector controlled headlight system
OwnerYechezkal Evan Speroinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automated headlight system for vehicles replaces the high and low beam with a continuum of beam patterns, with further variable spatial distribution of intensities and color spectrum. The digital-headlight is comprised of a controller, sensors and multiple, individually-controllable light-sources modified by optical-control elements to form narrow-beams which are then combined to create the overall headlamp beam. Utilizing real-time sensor data regarding beings, objects and vehicles in the way-ahead, as well as optional information on the driver, vehicle and environment, the logical controller dynamically adapts the headlight system's illumination so as to provide vehicle operators with optimal visibility while preventing discomfort-glare from reaching the eyes oncoming traffic or pedestrians.
Claims70
A vehicle headlight system comprising:
- one or more headlamps and a vehicle structure, arranged for affixing components of the system to the vehicle;
- a plurality of light clusters, arranged in each of the one or more of the one or more headlamps, the headlamps capable of projecting light so as to illuminate a plurality of sub-sections of a field-of-view with different illumination characteristics, the subsections determined in response to sensor data, wherein the light clusters operate to create a headlight beam;
- electronic control circuitry configured to independently operate the light clusters;
- one or more sensors configured to obtain and provide the sensor data predefined as pertinent to illumination requirements for the field-of-view;
- and
- a logical controller including a processor, the processor in communication with a memory storing one or more algorithms, with the sensors, and with the control circuitry, wherein the processor is configured to process the one or more algorithms and the sensor data to determine an illumination for at least two of the sub-sections, that reduces illumination to reduce glare in at least a first of the at least two subsections and adapt the light emitted from one or more of the light-clusters so as to create the headlight beam that provides the determined illumination.
3 more elements
A vehicle headlight system, comprising:
- one or more headlamps affixed to a vehicle, each headlamp including at least three directional light sources aimed at different angles relative to the vehicle, the light sources configured to have one or more controllable light characteristics, wherein a first light source of the more than one light sources at a first angle is less visually disturbing to traffic than a second light source of the more than one light sources aimed at a second angle, different from the first angle;
- control circuitry configured to adjust the at least one light characteristic of at least one of the directional light sources;
- one or more sensors configured to sense information defined as pertinent to determining illumination output from the one or more headlamps and communicating the sensed information to a processor as sensor data;
- the processor, in communication with at least the sensors and the control circuitry, configured to:
- process the sensor data to determine, within a field-of-view, at least a first subsection including a detected vehicle and at least a second subsection not including the detected vehicle,
- determine optimal use of the differently aimed directional light sources to maximize vehicle operator visibility in at least the second subsection, while minimizing a disturbing effect, resulting from the illumination output, on the vision of other traffic in at least the first subsection, and
- direct the control circuitry to adjust the directional light sources to achieve the determined optimal use.
4 more elements
A method for generating a headlight beam in an adaptive headlight system that provides illumination to at least a portion of a field-of-view, comprising:
- utilizing one or more sensors of a vehicle including the adaptive headlight system to obtain and provide data predefined as relevant to a determination of illumination requirements for the field-of-view, the data including data indicative of at least one of one or more other vehicles or a pedestrian;
- determining illumination requirements for the field-of-view based on the data sensed by the sensors, including determining illumination for at least a first subsection of the field-of-view including the other vehicle or pedestrian, as indicated by the sensor data, and for at least a second subsection of the field-of-view not including the other vehicle or pedestrian;
- determining a control strategy for controlling one or more directional light clusters in a headlight assembly to create an output headlight beam meeting the determined illumination requirements, the headlight beam spatial light distribution shaped to provide high beam illumination for a driver of the vehicle, in at least the second subsection, while mitigating glaring light illuminating at least the first subsection including detected other vehicles or pedestrians;
- sending control signals implementing the control strategy to an electronic control circuitry configured to operate the light-clusters;
- and
- controlling the light clusters via the electronic control circuitry to collectively emit the headlight beam meeting the determined illumination requirements.
3 more elements
A vehicle headlight system comprising:
- one or more headlamps affixable to a first vehicle;
- a plurality of light clusters arranged in each of the one or more of the headlamps and capable of illuminating sub-sections of a field-of-view with different illumination characteristics, wherein at least two of the light clusters operate to create a headlight beam;
- one or more sensors configured to obtain and provide sensor data, at least a portion of the sensor data indicating a second vehicle within the field-of-view;
- and
- at least one processor configured to:
- receive the sensor data;
- process the sensor data to determine a light distribution pattern for an adaptive headlight beam, such that a headlight beam adapted to the pattern substantially illuminates a first subsection of the field-of-view including at least a portion of the second vehicle with an illuminance below a predefined threshold value, while the beam substantially illuminates at least the one or more second subsections of the field-of-view to either side of the first subsection with an illuminance above the predefined threshold value;
- and
- instruct operation of at least two of the light clusters to create the adapted headlight beam.
6 more elements
A vehicle headlight system, comprising:
- one or more headlamps affixed to a first vehicle, each headlamp including at least three directional light sources having different aimings relative to the first vehicle, the light sources having one or more controllable illumination characteristics;
- one or more sensors configured to sense information, at least a portion of the sensed information indicating a second vehicle, and communicate sensor data reflecting the sensed information to at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
- process the sensor data to identify a first subsection, of a field of view, that includes at least a portion of the second vehicle;
- determine light output for the headlight system that aims illumination at the first subsection, the illumination aimed at the first subsection substantially resulting in light below a first predefined illuminance in the first subsection, and that aims illumination at one or more second subsections of the field of view to either side of the first subsection, the illumination aimed at the one or more second subsections substantially resulting in light above the first predefined illuminance in the one or more second subsections;
- and
- instruct adjustment of one or more of the light sources to achieve the determined output.
3 more elements
A method for generating a headlight beam in an adaptive headlight system that provides illumination to at least a portion of a field-of-view, comprising:
- utilizing one or more sensors of a first vehicle to obtain and provide data, the data including data indicating at least a second vehicle;
- determining illumination for at least a first subsection including the second vehicle and at least one or more second subsections, to either side of the first subsection, including determining an illumination level for the first subsection that substantially illuminates the first subsection below a predefined illuminance, and determining an illumination level for the one or more second subsections that substantially illuminates the one or more second subsections above the predefined illuminance;
- determining control instructions for controlling one or more directional light sources included in the adaptive headlight system to achieve the determined illumination levels for at least the first and one or more second subsections;
- and
- controlling the light sources to emit the headlight beam in accordance with the control instructions.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.