Apparatus and method for controlling the light-range of motor vehicle headlights
First Claim
1. In an apparatus for control of a light-range of headlights of a motor vehicle on a road comprising at least one adjusting device connected with the headlights, said at least one adjusting device setting and adjusting an orientation of the headlights;
- at least one sensor, said at least one sensor detecting at least indirectly a load condition of the motor vehicle and producing a sensor signal depending on the load condition; and
an analyzer/control unit connected to the at least one sensor and the at least one adjusting device, said analyzer/control unit receiving the sensor signal from the at least one sensor and controlling the adjusting device and thus the headlight orientation according to the sensor signal to maintain the light-range of the headlights substantially constant, the improvement wherein the at least one sensor is an electro-optic sensor such that the at least one sensor detects a state of light reflected from a portion of the road illuminated by the headlights in front of the motor vehicle and from obstacles located thereon; and
the analyzer/control unit contains means for storing data including set values representing the state of the reflected light when the headlights are in a desired orientation, means for storing other data including actual values representing the state of the reflected light for an actual orientation of the headlights derived from the sensor signals from the at least one sensor when the headlights are set in the actual orientation;
means for comparing the actual values and the set values and for forming differences therebetween; and
means for controlling the at least one adjusting device to set the headlights in at least one other actual orientation until the differences between the set values and the actual values are minimized to determine the actual orientation of the headlights closest to the desired orientation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The apparatus for control of a light-range of headlights of a motor vehicle includes two headlight orientation adjusting devices; at least one electro-optic sensor detecting actual values of light intensities of light reflected from an illuminated portion of the road; and an analyzer/control unit connected to the at least one electro-optic sensor and the adjusting devices to control the adjusting devices and the headlight orientation according to the sensor signal. To maintain the light-range of the headlights regardless of load conditions, the analyzer/control unit contains a memory device for storing data including set values of the light intensities for a desired headlight orientation and for storing other data including actual values of the reflected light intensities for actual headlight orientations when the headlights are set in the actual orientations; a comparator device for comparing the actual values for different actual orientations and the set values for the desired orientations; and a control device for controlling the adjusting devices according to the comparator device to set the headlights in various other actual orientations until the differences between the set values and actual values are minimized to determine the actual orientation closest to the desired orientation.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. In an apparatus for control of a light-range of headlights of a motor vehicle on a road comprising at least one adjusting device connected with the headlights, said at least one adjusting device setting and adjusting an orientation of the headlights;
- at least one sensor, said at least one sensor detecting at least indirectly a load condition of the motor vehicle and producing a sensor signal depending on the load condition; and
an analyzer/control unit connected to the at least one sensor and the at least one adjusting device, said analyzer/control unit receiving the sensor signal from the at least one sensor and controlling the adjusting device and thus the headlight orientation according to the sensor signal to maintain the light-range of the headlights substantially constant, the improvement wherein the at least one sensor is an electro-optic sensor such that the at least one sensor detects a state of light reflected from a portion of the road illuminated by the headlights in front of the motor vehicle and from obstacles located thereon; and
the analyzer/control unit contains means for storing data including set values representing the state of the reflected light when the headlights are in a desired orientation, means for storing other data including actual values representing the state of the reflected light for an actual orientation of the headlights derived from the sensor signals from the at least one sensor when the headlights are set in the actual orientation;
means for comparing the actual values and the set values and for forming differences therebetween; and
means for controlling the at least one adjusting device to set the headlights in at least one other actual orientation until the differences between the set values and the actual values are minimized to determine the actual orientation of the headlights closest to the desired orientation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
- at least one sensor, said at least one sensor detecting at least indirectly a load condition of the motor vehicle and producing a sensor signal depending on the load condition; and
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15. Method of controlling a light-range of headlights of a motor vehicle on a road with an apparatus comprising at least one adjusting device connected with the headlights, said at least one adjusting device controlling the orientation of the headlights;
- at least one electro-optic sensor, said at least one electro-optic sensor detecting light reflected from a portion of the road in front of the motor vehicle illuminated by the headlights and producing a sensor signal depending on intensities of the reflected light from various parts of the illuminated portion on the road; and
an analyzer/control unit connected to the at least one sensor and the at least one adjusting device, said analyzer/control unit receiving the sensor signal from the at least one sensor and controlling the at least one adjusting device and the headlight orientation according to the sensor signal to maintain the light-range of the headlights substantially constant, said method comprising;a. storing data including set values of the intensities of the reflected light when the headlights are in a desired orientation; b. moving the headlights through a plurality of actual orientations with the at least one adjusting device under control of the analyzer/control unit; c. storing other data including the actual values of the intensities of the reflected light for the actual orientations of the headlights derived from the sensor signals from the sensor during step b); d. comparing the actual values of the intensities for the plurality of actual positions taken in step b) and the intensities for the set values and forming differences between the actual values for each of the actual positions and the set values; and e. selecting the actual orientation closest to the desired orientation according to the differences between the actual values and the set values for the actual positions taken in step b).
- at least one electro-optic sensor, said at least one electro-optic sensor detecting light reflected from a portion of the road in front of the motor vehicle illuminated by the headlights and producing a sensor signal depending on intensities of the reflected light from various parts of the illuminated portion on the road; and
Specification