AUTOMATIC GLARE REDUCTION SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES

• US 20090204291A1
• Filed: 02/13/2009
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nathalie Grace Cernasov
• Original Assignee: Nathalie Grace Cernasov
• Inventors: CERNASOV, Nathalie Grace
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2202/18 Cellular lens surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/101 having an electro-optical light valve electro-optical elements per se G02F

Abstract

An apparatus and method of controlling the transparency of at least one window in a vehicle includes at least one multi-segment light filtering element, each segment having a controllable light transmissive characteristic. The apparatus includes at least one sensor configured to determine the physical location and orientation of the vehicle, a memory that includes stored road map information including glare characteristics of each roadway, and a control unit electrically connected to the memory and at least one sensor. The apparatus and method is configured to automatically adjust the transmissive characteristic of the at least one light transmitting element based at least upon stored road map information and the location of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicular glare reduction system, comprising:

at least one multi-segment light filtering element each segment having a controllable light transmissive characteristic;

at least one sensor configured to determine the physical location and orientation of the vehicle;

a memory that includes stored road map information including glare characteristics of each roadway; and

a control unit electrically connected to the at least one sensor and memory, the control unit configured to automatically adjust the transmissive characteristic of the at least one light transmitting element based upon the stored road map information, the vehicular location, and the physical orientation of the vehicle.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a location determining device having an output that provides the control unit with the physical location of the vehicle;

a compass module for providing the direction in which the vehicle is facing; and

a inclinometer for providing information pertaining to the attitude of the vehicle to the control unit.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a driver head/eye position sensor, the head eye position sensor providing an output to the control unit.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light filtering element comprises control leads, and an array of at least one of transmissive LC cells, electrochromic or electrophoretic (ePaper) light valves, the control leads electrically connected to an output of the control unit.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein a grid of electrodes overlays the light filtering element and is configured to apply a programmable electrical signal to determined portions of the light filtering element.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the light filtering elements are mounted on a transparent surface of the vehicle.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory includes mechanical design information of the vehicle.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a visibility sensor and a real time weather receiver, each providing an input to the control unit wherein the control unit is configured to adjust the transmissivity of the light filter elements based upon outputs of visibility sensor and weather receiver.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein light filtering elements are mounted on vehicular headlights and the system is configured to adjust a glare target domain defined by exposed portions of the headlights.

10. A method of reducing glare in a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining a real time location of the vehicle;

retrieving road and location specific glare mitigation data;

determining a glare condition based upon the location of the vehicle and the glare mitigation data; and

adjusting a light transmissivity characteristic of at least one region of a filter element to mitigate the determined glare condition.

11. The method of reducing glare, according to claim 10, wherein determining a glare condition further comprises:

reading a configuration file including mechanical design information of the vehicle.

12. The method of reducing glare, according to claim 10, wherein reading road specific glare mitigation data includes reading glare source domain and glare target domain information for the determined location of the vehicle.

13. The method of reducing glare, according to claim 10, further comprising determining at least one of direction, speed, acceleration, or attitude information of the vehicle.

14. A transparent surface having glare mitigation properties, comprising:

a light transmissive surface;

a multi-segment light filtering element disposed on the light transmissive surface, each segment of the light filtering element having an individually controllable light transmissive characteristic; and

an electrode grid disposed on the light filtering element, the grid configured to deliver an electric signal to the light filtering element that is operative to adjust the light transmissivity of selected portions of the light filtering element.

15. The transparent surface, according to claim 14, wherein the transparent surface is installed as a window in a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a glare reduction system, the glare reduction system including:

at least one sensor configured to determine the physical location and orientation of the vehicle;

a memory that includes stored road map information including glare characteristics of each roadway; and

a control unit electrically connected to the memory and at least one sensor;

a grid driver module having an input connected to the control unit, the grid driver module having an output connected to the electric grid;

wherein the glare reduction system is configured to automatically adjust transparency of selected portions of the window by automatically adjusting the transmissive characteristic of the light filtering element based upon the stored road map information, the vehicular location, and the physical orientation of the vehicle.

16. The transparent surface, according to claim 15, wherein stored glare characteristics includes glare source domain and glare target domain information.

17. The transparent surface, according to claim 14, wherein the transparent surface is installed as a lens in a pair of eyeglasses or binoculars.