Control system for automotive vehicle headlamps and other vehicle equipment
First Claim
1. A control system automatically controlling the energization and de-energization of electrically energizable headlamps on an automotive vehicle, said control system comprising, in combination, means sensing the relative spectral intensities of the skylight levels of a broad area of the sky, said sensing means including means taking at least two skylight readings with different color responses and measuring the balance between a color component which is weighted towards the short wavelength part of the color spectrum relative to another differently weighted color component to differentiate between a cloudy sky and a blue sky, and means in said control system effective to energize and de-energize said headlamps as a function of the measured balance.
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Abstract
A control system is provided for controlling the energization of the headlamps on a first automotive vehicle, the headlamps being electrically energizable and each having a high beam state and a low beam state. The system includes means for collecting light emanating from a second vehicle and means for collecting ambient light. Sensing means is provided which is effective to selectively sense the intensity of the collected light emanating from the second vehicle and the collected ambient light. In addition, the system includes means controlling the state of the beams of the headlamps as a function of the sensed intensity of the beam of light emanating from said second vehicle, and means controlling the electrical energization of the headlamps as a function of the sensed ambient light.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A control system automatically controlling the energization and de-energization of electrically energizable headlamps on an automotive vehicle, said control system comprising, in combination, means sensing the relative spectral intensities of the skylight levels of a broad area of the sky, said sensing means including means taking at least two skylight readings with different color responses and measuring the balance between a color component which is weighted towards the short wavelength part of the color spectrum relative to another differently weighted color component to differentiate between a cloudy sky and a blue sky, and means in said control system effective to energize and de-energize said headlamps as a function of the measured balance.
- 2. A control system automatically controlling modes of energization and de-energization and brightness of electrically energizable headlamps on an automotive vehicle, said control system comprising, in combination, sensing means taking at least two skylight measurements with different color responses, said sensing means including means measuring the balance between a color component which is weighted towards the short wavelength part of the color spectrum relative to another differently weighted color component to differentiate between a cloudy sky and a blue sky, and means in said control system controlling the modes of energization and de-energization and brightness of said headlamps as a function of the measured balance.
- 6. A control system automatically controlling the energization and de-energization of electrically energizable headlamps on an automotive vehicle, said control system measuring the relative spectral intensities of the light levels of a broad area of the sky, said control system applying a predetermined functional relationship to at least two different color responses of said system to establish the relative spectral distribution in the light from the sky to determine whether the light is bluish in balance indicative of a clear sky or less bluish in balance indicative of an overcast sky, said control system operating in response to a less bluish balance to adjust the light threshold at which the headlamps are energized to favor energizing the headlamps during overcast conditions.
Specification