Vehicle lamp control

• US 20030138131A1
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John K. Roberts, Jon H. Bechtel, Joseph S. Stam, Poe G. Bruce, Spencer D. Reese, William L. Tonar
• Original Assignee: John K. Roberts, Jon H. Bechtel, Joseph S. Stam, Poe G. Bruce, Spencer D. Reese, William L. Tonar
• Inventors: Roberts, John K., Tonar, William L., Stam, Joseph S., Bechtel, Jon H., Poe, G. Bruce, Reese, Spencer D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,728,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• 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 1/18 being additional front lights bracket mounted headlights B60Q1/0483
• 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 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/114 Vehicle acceleration or deceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/116 Vehicle at a stop
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/122 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/134 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/142 Turn signal actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/144 Rearward ratio actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/21 Manual control
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/312 Adverse weather
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/32 Road surface or travel path
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/322 Road curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/332 on city roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/3321 Detection of streetlights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/333 on suburban or country roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/334 : on motorways
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/337 : Tunnels or bridges
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 : preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 : oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/30 : Daytime running lights [DRL], e.g. circuits or arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 : Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 : Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 : of vehicle lights or traffic lights

Abstract

A system and method of automatically controlling vehicle headlamps including an image sensor and a controller to generate headlamp control signals.

Claims

1. An automatic vehicle exterior light control, comprising:

an image sensor; and

a controller in communication with said image sensor, said controller configured to generate at least one parameter selected from the group comprising sensitivity, image window size, field of view, image window center, rate of change of exterior light brightness, image analysis, exterior light automatic operation inhibit, image sensor aim, exterior light control transition delay, operator indicator, and variable spectral filter;

wherein, said at least one parameter is a function of a vehicle speed signal.

2. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 1 wherein said controller is further configured to generate at least one exterior light control signal as a function of said at least one parameter.

3. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 1 wherein said sensitivity parameter is selected from the group comprising an integration period, a threshold, and a gain.

4. A method of generating an exterior light control signal in a system comprising an image sensor generating a plurality of pixel levels from a scene being imaged and a controller to generate at least one exterior light control signal, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving pixel levels from the image sensor;

determining at least one vehicle speed criterion; and

analyzing at least one image as a function of said at least one speed criterion.

5. The method as in claim 4 further comprising the step of generating at least one exterior light control signal as a function of the results of the steps of analyzing said at least one image.

6. The method as in claim 4 wherein said at least one speed criterion is whether the vehicle brakes are actuated.

7. The method as in claim 4 wherein said at least one speed criterion is whether the vehicle is traveling at highway speeds.

8. The method as in claim 4 wherein the step of analyzing said at least one image includes changing the size of the scene viewed by the image sensor as a function of the vehicle speed.

9. The method as in claim 8 wherein the speed above which the scene is enlarged is higher than the speed below which the scene is decreased.

10. The method as in claim 4 wherein said exterior light control signal prevents at least one exterior light from coming on automatically if the vehicle speed is below a threshold level.

11. The method as in claim 4 wherein the step of generating at least one exterior light control signal comprises fading at least one exterior light off as the vehicle decelerates to a stop.

12. A method for generating at least one parameter in an automatic exterior light control, the method comprising the steps of:

a) obtaining at least one image;

b) determining at least one speed criterion; and

c) generating at least one parameter selected from the group comprising sensitivity, image window size, field of view, image window center, rate of change of exterior light brightness, image analysis, exterior light automatic operation inhibit, image sensor aim, exterior light control transition delay, operator indicator, and variable spectral filter;

wherein, said at least one parameter is a function of said speed criterion.

13. The method as in claim 12 further comprising the step of generating an exterior light control signal as a function of said at least one parameter.

14. The method as in claim 12 wherein said sensitivity parameter is selected from the group comprising an integration period, a threshold, and a gain.

15. The method as in claim 12 wherein said at least one speed criterion is whether the vehicle brakes are actuated.

16. The method as in claim 12 wherein said at least one speed criterion is whether the vehicle is traveling at highway speeds.

17. An automatic vehicle exterior light control, comprising:

a controller configured to generate at least one exterior light control signal as a function of a speed criterion, wherein said at least one control signal is in a first state when said at least one speed criterion is below a first threshold and said at least one control signal is in a second state when said speed criterion is above a second threshold.

18. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 17 wherein said first and second thresholds are equal.

19. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 17 wherein said first threshold is less than said second threshold.

20. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 17 wherein said at least one control signal is a high beam headlight automatic operation inhibit signal