Vehicle headlamp lighting control module for adas and autonomous vehicles
Assignee4D Intellectual Properties, LLC
InventorJames E. Retterath
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Vehicle headlamps are typically used to illuminate scenes for better vision. The same headlamps can be used as part of an active camera at discrete times during the camera's imaging periods. In embodiments, a lighting control module utilizes an electronic control module to control on/off states of the headlamps during a set of non-imaging periods of the camera system and a camera control configured to control multiple on/off states of the set of headlamps during a set of imaging periods of the camera system. Embodiments of lighting control modules can be used in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Control Systems for commercial and passenger vehicles.
Claims22
A lighting control module for a vehicle having a set of headlamps configured to selectively illuminate a scene proximal to the vehicle and a camera system configured to selectively generate an image of the scene, the lighting control module comprising:
- a controller configured to generate a control signal having a first state representative of non-imaging periods of the camera system and a second state representative of imaging periods of the camera system;
- an electronic control module configured to control on/off states of the set of headlamps during the non-imaging periods of the camera system based on the control signal;
- and
- a camera control configured to pulse the set of headlamps multiple times per second with a plurality of different predetermined pulse lengths during a set of the imaging periods of the camera system based on the control signal.
A vehicle comprising:
- a set of headlamps configured to selectively illuminate a scene proximal to the vehicle;
- a camera system configured to selectively capture an image of the scene;
- and
- a lighting control module comprising:
- a controller configured to generate a control signal having a first state representative of non-imaging periods of the camera system and a second state representative of imaging periods of the camera system;
- an electronic control module configured to control on/off states of the set of headlamps during the non-imaging periods of the camera system based on the control signal;
- and
- a camera control configured to pulse the set of headlamps multiple times per second during the imaging periods of the camera system based on the control signal.
A method of vehicle and camera lighting control, comprising:
- generating a control signal having a first state representative of non-imaging periods of a camera system and a second state representative of imaging periods of the camera system;
- determining a non-imaging period based on the control signal;
- controlling the on/off state of a set of headlamps during the determined non-imaging period;
- determining an imaging period based on the control signal;
- and
- pulsing the set of headlamps multiple times per second during the determined imaging period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.