ANTI-BLINDING SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE

• US 20060146552A1
• Filed: 01/03/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Shaffer, Aric
• Granted Patent: US 7,195,379 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/465
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind

Abstract

An active light source operating system (10,11) for a vehicle (14) includes a light source (50) that generates an initial illumination beam (54). A selective attenuation filter (27,52) forms an emitted illumination beam (56), with an associated light attenuation matrix (32,33), in response to the initial illumination beam (54). A sensor (31) detects an object and generates an object detection signal. A controller (35) is coupled to the selective attenuation filter (27,52) and said sensor (31). The controller (35) attenuates a pixel (104) in the light attenuation matrix (32,33) in response to the object detection signal.

Claims

1. An active light source operating system for a vehicle comprising:

at least one light source generating an initial illumination beam;

a selective attenuation filter forming an emitted illumination beam having an associated light attenuation matrix, with a plurality of pixels, in response to said initial illumination beam;

a sensor detecting at least one object and generating an object detection signal; and

a controller coupled to said selective attenuation filter and said sensor and attenuating at least one of said plurality of pixels in said light attenuation matrix in response to said object detection signal.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein said at least one light source comprises at least one vehicle headlamp and illuminates an area forward of the vehicle.

3. A system as in claim 1 wherein said sensor in detecting said at least one object detects at least one oncoming illumination beam.

4. A system as in claim 1 wherein said controller attenuates at least one of said plurality of pixels associated with the coordinates of said object.

5. A system as in claim 1 wherein said controller is coupled to and operates said at least one light source continuously in a “

high-beam”

operating mode.

6. A system as in claim 1 wherein said controller is coupled to and operates said at least one light source in a “

high-beam”

operating mode regardless of said object detection signal.

7. A system as in claim 1 wherein said controller prevents illumination of at least one of said plurality of pixels in response to said object detection signal.

8. A system as in claim 1 wherein said selective attenuation filter comprises at least one of a liquid crystal display, a digital light projection device, and a liquid crystal on silicon device.

9. A vision system for a vehicle comprising:

at least one light source generating an initial illumination beam;

a selective attenuation filter forming an emitted illumination beam having an associated light attenuation matrix in response to said initial illumination beam;

a receiver generating an environmental status signal in response to at least a reflected portion of said emitted illumination beam; and

a controller coupled to said light source, said selective attenuation filter, and said receiver, said controller actively controlling operation of said selective attenuation filter and generating an image in response to said environmental status signal.

10. A system as in claim 9 wherein said controller detects at least one oncoming illumination beam and attenuates at least one pixel in said light attenuation matrix in response to said environmental status signal.

11. A system as in claim 9 wherein said controller detects at least one oncoming illumination beam and attenuates at least one pixel in said light attenuation matrix, associated with the coordinates of said at least one oncoming illumination beam, in response to said environmental status signal.

12. A system as in claim 9 wherein said controller detects at least one object and attenuates at least one pixel in said light attenuation matrix in response to said environmental status signal.

13. A system as in claim 9 wherein said controller detects at least one object and attenuates at least one pixel in said light attenuation matrix, associated with the coordinates of said at least one oncoming illumination beam, in response to said environmental status signal.

14. A system as in claim 9 wherein said at least one light source comprises a laser.

15. A system as in claim 9 wherein said at least one light source comprises a vehicle headlamp.

16. A system as in claim 9 wherein said selective attenuation filter comprises at least one of a liquid crystal display, a digital light projection device, and a liquid crystal on silicon device.

17. A method of actively controlling at least one illumination source of a vehicle comprising:

generating an initial illumination beam;

forming an emitted illumination beam via a selective attenuation filter having an associated light attenuation matrix in response to said initial illumination beam;

detecting an object and generating an object detection signal; and

attenuating at least one pixel in said light attenuation matrix in response to said object detection signal.

18. A method as in claim 17 further comprising:

generating an image signal in response to at least a reflected portion of said emitted illumination beam; and

attenuating said at least one pixel in response to said image signal.

19. A method as in claim 17 wherein attenuating said at least one pixel comprises generating a pattern of attenuated and non-attenuated pixels on said light attenuation matrix.

20. A method as in claim 17 wherein forming said emitted illumination beam comprises illuminating a first set of selected areas and non-illuminating a second set of selected areas external to the vehicle.