Method for event-based override strategy for automatic high-beam control

• US 8,853,946 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Wolski, Brian, Prodin, Timothy, Shutko, John, Mayer, Kenneth Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): A, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US13/329,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20130154477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 315/76, 315/80, 315/77, 315/78, 315/81, 315/82
• US Class Current: 315/82
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/21 Manual control

Abstract

A system and method for re-enabling automatic mode after manually overriding automatic mode of an automatic headlamp control system for a motor vehicle. The system and method monitors the headlamp state in a controller, recommends a headlamp state from the automatic mode of the automatic headlamp control system, monitors a driver request for headlamp state in the controller, and causes the controller to return to the automatic mode when the recommended headlamp state matches the driver request for a headlamp state.

Claims

1. A method for resuming automatic mode of a headlamp control system, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring a headlamp state in the headlamp control system;

recommending a headlamp state from an automatic mode of the headlamp control system;

monitoring a driver input for a headlamp state to the headlamp control system;

causing a controller to temporarily change from the automatic mode to a manual mode when a driver inputs a headlamp state that conflicts with the recommendation from the automatic mode; and

causing the controller to return to an automatic mode when a recommendation for a headlamp state from the automatic mode matches the driver input for a headlamp state.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the controller operates the headlamp state as input by the driver and remains in the manual mode while the driver input for a headlamp state conflicts with the recommendation from the automatic mode.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the headlamp state is a high beam state or a low beam state.

4. A system for switching between manual and automatic control of a vehicle headlamp system that controls a headlamp state of illumination, the system comprising:

a controller for controlling and monitoring a state of illumination of a vehicle headlamp system;

a sensor coupled to the controller, the sensor for detecting illumination characteristics of a forward view of a vehicle headlamp system and providing an input to the controller, wherein the controller automatically controls a state of illumination for the vehicle headlamp system based on the sensor input;

an input device coupled to the controller for inputting a state of illumination that manually overrides automatic control of the state of illumination; and

the controller transitioning back to automatic control when the automatically controlled state of illumination matches the manually overridden input state of illumination.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the controller operates the headlamp system according to the input device while the state of illumination from the input device conflicts with a state of illumination controlled by the automatic control.

6. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the state of illumination is a high beam state or a low beam state.

7. A method for re-enabling automatic mode after manually overriding automatic mode of an automatic headlamp control system for a motor vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring headlamp state in a controller;

recommending a headlamp state from the automatic mode of the automatic headlamp control system;

monitoring a driver request for headlamp state in the controller; and

causing the controller to return to the automatic mode when the recommended headlamp state matches the driver request for a headlamp state.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the controller operates the headlamp system according to the driver request for headlamp state while the driver request for headlamp state conflicts with a recommended headlamp state.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the headlamp state is a high beam state or a low beam state.