Glare sensor for a vehicle
AssigneeKoito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
InventorsShoji Kobayashi, Toshihisa Hayami, Masaaki Ishikawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A glare sensor includes a light condensing means for condensing light beams from the fore scene and photo sensing element for sensing the light beams from the light condensing means. The photo sensing element is constructed with photodiodes. Blue filters are selectively coupled with the photodiodes. With provision of the blue filters, the glare sensor is able to discriminate red light from white light or yellow light. The output signals of the photodiodes with the blue filters and the photodiodes with no filters are used for detecting the direction and color of the light coming from the fore scene. With this, the glare sensor is capable of detecting forerunning cars, oppositely running cars and traffic lights.
Claims35
A glare sensor for use in a vehicle, comprising:
- holder means attached on a vehicle;
- lens means disposed on said holder means for condensing an incident light;
- means mounted in said holder means for detecting at least one of color and intensity of said incident light condensed by said lens means, said detection means generating a detection signal in response to said detection, wherein said detection means comprises a first detecting elements group and a second detecting elements group, and further comprises blue filters for each of said first detecting elements.
A glare sensor for a vehicle, comprising:
- a lens means for condensing incident light;
- and
- means for discriminating between red light and white light so as to distinguish between a car travelling in the same direction as said vehicle and a car travelling in an opposition direction, said discriminating means generating a detection signal in response to said discrimination.
A glare sensor for a vehicle, comprising:
- a lens means for condensing incident light;
- and
- means for detecting color and relative direction of an incident light condensed by said lens means, said detection means generating a detection signal in response to said detection.
A glare sensor for a vehicle which automatically changes intensity or direction of light beams emitted from vehicular headlamp in accordance with a color or an intensity of front side brightness of the vehicle, comprising:
- a lens means for condensing incident light;
- means for detecting at least one of color and intensity of said incident light condensed by said lens means, said detection means generating a detection signal in response said detection;
- and
- means for operatively changing a light distribution pattern of the headlamp of the vehicle in accordance with a detected intensity of said incident light beam emitted from an oppositely running vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.