Automatic headlamp control
AssigneeMagna Electronics Inc.
InventorMichael J. Higgins-Luthman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automatic headlamp control system for a vehicle which has an image sensor having a forward field of view that captures image data of a scene forward of the vehicle. The image processor processes the image data and detects objects of interest. A controller is responsive to the image processing to control a beam illumination state of the headlamps of the equipped vehicle. The controller is operable to detect at least a partial blocking condition at the image sensor and is operable to limit switching to a different beam illumination state in response to a signal indicative of an outside temperature at the equipped vehicle being below a threshold temperature level.
Claims20
An automatic headlamp control system for a vehicle, said automatic headlamp control system comprising:
- an image sensor having a forward field of view and capturing image data of a scene forward of the vehicle;
- an image processor processing said image data and detecting objects of interest;
- a control responsive to said image processing to control a beam illumination state of the headlamps of the equipped vehicle;
- wherein said control is operable to detect at least a partial blocking condition at said image sensor, and wherein operation of said control to detect an at least partial blocking condition is at least in part responsive to a signal indicative of an outside temperature at the equipped vehicle being below a threshold temperature level;
- and
- wherein said control is operable to limit switching to a different beam illumination state in response to a signal indicative of an outside temperature at the equipped vehicle being below a threshold temperature level.
An automatic headlamp control system for a vehicle, said automatic headlamp control system comprising:
- an image sensor having a forward field of view and capturing image data of a scene forward of the vehicle;
- an image processor processing said image data to detect an object of interest present in the forward field of view of said image sensor;
- a control responsive to said image processing to control a beam illumination state of the headlamps of the equipped vehicle;
- wherein said control is operable to detect at least a partial blocking condition at said image sensor;
- and
- wherein, responsive to a signal indicative of an outside temperature at the equipped vehicle being below a threshold temperature level, said control switches to a cold weather processing algorithm to detect at least a partial blocking condition at said image sensor.
An automatic headlamp control system for a vehicle, said automatic headlamp control system comprising:
- an image sensor having a forward field of view and capturing image data of a scene forward of the vehicle;
- an image processor processing said image data to detect an object of interest present in the forward field of view of said image sensor;
- a control responsive to said image processing to control a beam illumination state of the headlamps of the equipped vehicle, wherein said control switches said beam illumination state of the headlamps between a first beam illumination state and a second beam illumination state in response to said image processing;
- wherein said control is operable to detect at least a partial blocking condition at said image sensor;
- and
- wherein, responsive to a signal indicative of an outside temperature at the equipped vehicle being below a threshold temperature level that is at or near a freezing temperature, said control switches to a cold weather processing algorithm to enhance detection of snow or ice at said image sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.