Device for controlling the brightness of an instrumentation light of an automobile

• US 6,246,174 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2000
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Pöchmüller, Werner, Hürtgen, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US09/529,283
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: 315/82, 315/83, 315/155, 315/291, 315/77, 315/308, 250/214.AL, 250/214.L, 250/214.RC, 364/424.019, 364/424.033, 364/424.094, 340/469, 340/500, 340/525, 340/942, 340/461
• US Class Current: 315/77
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/18 for varying the light intensity

Abstract

A device for controlling the brightness of dashboard lights in a motor vehicle is described, where an optoelectric receiver adjusts the light intensity of the dashboard lights with the output signal as a function of ambient brightness. To obtain an automatic measurement of the ambient brightness distribution in the direction of vehicle travel, taking into account the brightness in certain regions in the vicinity of the vehicle, an image sensor pointing in the direction of vehicle travel is provided as an optoelectric receiver to perform a location-selective absolute brightness measurement, and its electric output signal, weighted with preselected or preselectable algorithms for determining ambient brightness by an analyzer unit, so it can be sent to a control unit to influence the brightness of the dashboard lights.

Claims

1. A device for controlling a brightness of a dashboard light in a motor vehicle, comprising:

an electro-optical transducer aligned in a direction of travel and for producing an output signal that changes a light intensity of the dashboard light as a function of an ambient brightness in front of the motor vehicle, wherein;

the electro-optical transducer includes a logarithmic CMOS image-processing sensor having a non-linear conversion characteristic, and

the CMOS image-processing sensor produces a decrease in the output signal of the electro-optical transducer as an increase occurs in an incident light signal;

an evaluation unit for weighting the output signal of the electro-optical transducer in accordance with predefined algorithms; and

a control unit supplied with the output signal of the electro-optical transducer for influencing the brightness of the dashboard light.

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

a plurality of additional sensors for providing further information to the evaluation unit.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

the CMOS image-processing sensor is positioned between a windshield of the motor vehicle and a rearview mirror mounted at a top of the windshield at a location approximately in a middle of the windshield.