Arrangement and method for producing an asymmetrical, glare-free high-beam

• US 10,336,244 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2018
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varroc Lighting Systems S.R.O. (Varroc Engineering Limited)
• Original Assignee: Varroc Lighting Systems S.R.O. (Varroc Engineering Limited)
• Inventors: Neumann, Rainer, Kub{hacek over (e)}na, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): Hammond, Dedei K
• Application Number:
  US16/133,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20190084471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 287 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/141 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/663 by switching light sources by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2102/15 wherein the light is emitted under L-shaped cut-off lines, i.e. vertical and horizontal cutoff lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/08 Detecting or categorising vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

An arrangement for producing a glare-free high-beam for vehicles is disclosed with headlights, which have a plurality of LEDs controllable by an ADB control and regulating unit and that a front camera is provided which is connected with the ADB control and regulating unit and which is designed to transmit information about oncoming and/or preceding vehicles to the ADB control unit, the arrangement being characterized in that the headlights are designed to generate an ADB illumination area asymmetrically only for an area of the own lane and that the headlights are designed to generate for an area of the oncoming lane only a low-beam area and a high-beam area. A method for producing an asymmetrical, glare-free high-beam is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An arrangement for generating a glare-free high-beam for vehicle headlights comprising,

a plurality of LEDs controllable by an Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) control and regulating unit,

a front camera connected with the ADB control and regulating unit and configured to transmit information about oncoming and/or preceding vehicles to the ADB control and regulating unit,

wherein the vehicle headlights are configured for generating an asymmetric ADB illumination area only for an area of an own lane and wherein for an area of an oncoming lane, the headlights generate only a low-beam area and a high-beam area, and

wherein the number of LEDs in the headlights for the area of the oncoming lane to be illuminated is reduced to one half compared to the number of LEDs for the areas to be illuminated for the own lane.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the camera is configured to capture 25 to 50 images per second.

3. A method for producing an asymmetrical, glare-free high-beam for vehicle headlights comprising the following steps,

separately regulating and controlling a plurality of LEDs of a vehicle headlight and controlled and regulated by an ADB unit for illuminating an oncoming lane and an own lane of a road, and

upon detecting oncoming vehicles by a front camera, the oncoming lane is switched to low-beam, and the own lane is switched to high-beam and remains in ADB mode, and/or

when detecting preceding vehicles by the front camera, the own lane is switched to low-beam and remains in the ADB mode and the oncoming lane is switched to high-beam, and

when no vehicles are detected by the front camera, the oncoming traffic lane is switched to high-beam and the own traffic lane operates in ADB mode.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of configuring the ADB function of the glare-free high-beam in combination with an Adaptive Front-Light System (AFS) function of an adaptive cornering light.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein upon cornering towards the oncoming lane, the ADB function for the own lane is turned off, switching back to low-beam.

6. The method according to claim 3, further including information from a navigation system for controlling and regulating the light beam.