Automotive headlamp system and method of controlling the same

• US 9,260,053 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2012
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SL Corporation
• Original Assignee: SL Corporation
• Inventors: Park, Jong Ryoul, Kim, Sung Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Cole, Brandon S
• Application Number:
  US13/478,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20120299478A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 315 76- 84
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/054 Variable non-standard intensity, i.e. emission of various beam intensities different from standard intensities, e.g. continuous or stepped transitions of intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/663 by switching light sources by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162

Abstract

Disclosed is an automotive headlamp system which can control an illumination pattern of headlamps by rotating a headlamp unit and/or adjusting the light intensity of a light source included in the headlamp unit based on the position of a front vehicle located ahead in a driving direction, and a method of controlling the automotive headlamp system. The automotive headlamp system includes an image capture unit capturing an image of an area ahead of a vehicle in a driving direction of the vehicle, a position determination unit determining a position of a front vehicle based on the captured image, a headlamp unit comprising an array of a plurality of light sources, and a control unit controlling an illumination pattern of the headlamp unit by rotating the headlamp unit and/or adjusting a light intensity of a light source based on the determined position of the front vehicle.

Claims

1. An automotive headlamp system comprising:

an image capture unit configured to capture an image of an area ahead of a vehicle in a driving direction of the vehicle;

a position determination unit configured to determine a position of a front vehicle based on the captured image;

a headlamp unit comprising an array of a plurality of light sources; and

a control unit configured to perform one of rotation of the headlamp unit or adjustment of a light intensity of a light source if the position of the front vehicle is determined to be within a predetermined angular range with respect to a centerline of the vehicle and perform the other of rotation of the headlamp unit or adjustment of the light intensity of the light source if the position of the front vehicle is determined to be outside the predetermined angular range with respect to the centerline of the vehicle.

2. The automotive headlamp system of claim 1, wherein the control unit forms a shadow zone by rotating the headlamp unit and/or adjusting the light intensity of the light source based on the determined position of the front vehicle and, when the shadow zone is wider than the front vehicle, adjusts left and right ends of the shadow zone respectively to left and right sides of the front vehicle by rotating the headlamp unit.

3. The automotive headlamp system of claim 2, wherein when there are multiple front vehicles, the control unit determines a distance between a leftmost front vehicle and a rightmost front vehicle as a width of the front vehicles.

4. The automotive headlamp system of claim 1, wherein the headlamp unit comprises a first headlamp and a second headlamp.

5. The automotive headlamp system of claim 4, wherein when the front vehicle exists within the predetermined angular range with respect to the centerline of the vehicle, the control unit forms a shadow zone by rotating one or more of the first headlamp and the second headlamp.

6. The automotive headlamp system of claim 4, wherein when the front vehicle exists outside the predetermined angular range with respect to the centerline of the vehicle, the control unit forms a shadow zone by adjusting light intensities of one or more of a plurality of light sources included in one or more of the first headlamp and the second headlamp.

7. The automotive headlamp system of claim 6, wherein when the shadow zone formed by the adjusting of the light intensities is wider than the front vehicle, the control unit adjusts left and right ends of the shadow zone respectively to the left and right sides of the front vehicle by rotating one or more of the first headlamp and the second headlamp.

8. The automotive headlamp system of claim 7, wherein when there are multiple front vehicles, the control unit determines a distance between a leftmost front vehicle and a rightmost front vehicle as a width of the front vehicles.

9. The automotive headlamp system of claim 1, wherein the light sources are light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

10. The automotive headlamp system of claim 1, wherein when the headlamp unit rotates in an inward direction of the vehicle, the control unit increases light intensities of light sources located at outermost positions of the vehicle.

11. The automotive headlamp system of claim 1, further comprising auxiliary light sources installed at the outermost positions of the vehicle and driven when the headlamp unit rotates in the inward direction of the vehicle.

12. A method of controlling an automotive headlamp system, the method comprising:

capturing, by an image capture unit, an image of an area ahead of a vehicle in a driving direction of the vehicle;

determining, by a position determination unit, a position of a front vehicle based on the captured image; and

preforming one of rotating, by a control unit, a headlamp unit which comprises an array of a plurality of light sources or adjusting, by the control unit, a light intensity of a light source if the position of the front vehicle is determined to be within a predetermined angular range with respect to a centerline of the vehicle; and

preforming the other of rotating, by the control unit, the headlamp unit which comprises the array of the plurality of light sources or adjusting, by the control unit, the light intensity of the light source if the position of the front vehicle is determined to be outside the predetermined angular range with respect to the centerline of the vehicle to control an illumination pattern of the headlamp unit.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the controlling of the illumination pattern comprises:

forming a shadow zone by rotating the headlamp unit and/or adjusting the light intensity of the light source based on the determined position of the front vehicle; and

adjusting left and right ends of the shadow zone respectively to left and right sides of the front vehicle by rotating the headlamp unit when the shadow zone is wider than the front vehicle.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling of the illumination pattern comprises, when there are multiple front vehicles, determining a distance between a leftmost front vehicle and a rightmost front vehicle as a width of the front vehicles.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the headlamp unit comprises a first headlamp and a second headlamp.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the controlling of the illumination pattern comprises:

forming a shadow zone by rotating one or more of the first headlamp and the second headlamp when the front vehicle exists within the predetermined angular range with respect to the centerline of the vehicle; and

forming the shadow zone by adjusting a light intensity of a light source corresponding to the determined position of the front vehicle when the front vehicle exists outside the predetermined angular range with respect to the centerline of the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the controlling of the illumination pattern comprises adjusting left and right ends of the shadow zone respectively to the left and right sides of the front vehicle by rotating one or more of the first headlamp and the second headlamp when the shadow zone is wider than the front vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the controlling of the illumination pattern comprises, when there are multiple front vehicles, determining a distance between a leftmost front vehicle and a rightmost front vehicle as a width of the front vehicles.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising compensating for a shadow zone formed in an outward direction of the vehicle by rotation of the headlamp unit in an inward direction of the vehicle.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a processor or controller, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions that receive an image of an area ahead of a vehicle in a driving direction of the vehicle captured by an image capture unit;

program instructions that determine a position of a front vehicle based on the captured image; and

program instructions that preform one of rotation of a headlamp unit, which comprises an array of a plurality of light sources or adjustment of a light intensity of a light source, if the position of the front vehicle is determined to be within a predetermined angular range with respect to a centerline of the vehicle and preform the other of rotation of the headlamp unit, which comprises the array of the plurality of light sources or adjustment of the light intensity of the light source, if the position of the front vehicle is determined to be outside the predetermined angular range with respect to the centerline of the vehicle to control an illumination pattern of the headlamp unit.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the program instructions that control of the illumination pattern comprises:

program instructions that form a shadow zone by rotating the headlamp unit and/or adjusting the light intensity of the light source based on the determined position of the front vehicle; and

program instructions that adjust left and right ends of the shadow zone respectively to left and right sides of the front vehicle by rotating the headlamp unit when the shadow zone is wider than the front vehicle.