Control system to automatically dim vehicle head lamps
AssigneeGentex Corporation
InventorsJoseph Scott Stam, Jon Harold Bechtel, John King Roberts
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automatic vehicle head lamp dimming system which includes an optical system and an imaging processing system. The optical system is configured to discriminate between head lamps and tail lamps and focus the light rays from the head lamps and tail lamps on different portions of a pixel sensor array. The optical system as well as the image processing system provides for relatively increased discrimination of head lamps and tail lamps of other vehicles and also enables the high beam head lamps of the control vehicle to be controlled as a function of the distance as well as horizontal angular position of other vehicles relative to the controlled vehicle.
Claims53
A control system for automatically controlling the state of the head lamps of a controlled vehicle, said control system comprising:
- an optical system for imaging external sources of light within a predetermined field of view;
- and
- an image processing system for processing images from said optical system and providing a control signal for controlling the state of the head lamps as a function of the relative output of pixels imaging the same spectral band of light.
A control system for automatically controlling the state of the head lamps of a controlled vehicle, the control system comprising:
- an optical system for imaging external sources of light within a predetermined field of view, the optical system including an image array sensor and two or more lenses, each configured to image said predetermined field of view onto two or more corresponding portions of said array;
- and
- an image processing system for processing images from said optical system and providing a control signal for controlling the head lamps as a function of the relative output of the pixels imaging said external sources of light.
A control system for automatically controlling the state of the head lamps of a controlled vehicle, the control system comprising:
- an optical system for imaging external sources of light within a predetermined field of view;
- and
- an image processing system for processing images from said optical system for providing a control signal for controlling said head lamps, said image processing means including means for detecting nuisance light sources by detecting the AC intensity modulation of said nuisance light sources resulting from the alternating current source from which said nuisance light sources are powered.
A control system for automatically controlling the high beam state of the head lamps of a controlled vehicle comprising:
- an optical system for imaging external sources of light within a predetermined field of view onto an image sensor containing a plurality of pixels, said optical system configured to selectively transmit one or more predetermined spectral bands of light, and said optical system configured to image light within each predetermined spectral band onto different predetermined blocks within said image sensor;
- and
- an image processing system for processing images from said optical system and providing a control signal for controlling the high beam state of the head lamps as a function of the output of one or more pixels within each of said predetermined blocks, relative to the output of other pixels within the same block.
A control system for automatically controlling the high beam state of the head lamps of a controlled vehicle comprising:
- an optical system for imaging external sources of light within a predetermined field of view onto an image array sensor, said optical system configured to distinguish light sources which emit red light from those which emit white light, said optical system further configured to not image light in the infrared region of the spectrum emitted by said light sources, thereby increasing the distinction between said red-emitting sources and said white-emitting sources;
- and
- an image processing system for processing images from said optical system and providing a control signal for controlling the high beam state of the head lamps.
A control system for automatically controlling the high beam state of the head lamps of a controlled vehicle comprising:
- an optical system for imaging external sources of light within a predetermined field of view;
- a head lamp system wherein the brightness of the head lamps is variable;
- and
- an image processing system for processing images from said optical system and providing a control signal for controlling the brightness of the head lamps, said processing system configured to distinguish between external sources of light and reflections from the controlled vehicle's head lamps off of various external objects by comparing the relative brightness of imaged objects between two consecutive images where the brightness of said head lamps is varied between each image.
A control system for automatically controlling the high beam state of the head lamps of a controlled vehicle comprising:
- a sensor for sensing external sources of light within a predetermined field of view;
- and
- a processing system providing a control signal for controlling said head lamps wherein said processing system is capable of distinguishing between oncoming vehicle head lamps and stationary light sources by detecting the intensity modulation in said stationary light sources which results from the alternating current power source from which said stationary light sources are powered.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.