Headlight beam control system and headlight beam control method

• US 20060267502A1
• Filed: 05/23/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Okabe, Hidefumi, Kubota, Tomoki
• Granted Patent: US 7,429,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/82
• 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 2300/21 Manual control
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/335 Number or size of road lanes
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/338 Overtaking
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/43 following vehicle

Abstract

A headlight beam control system includes an image taking apparatus for capturing an image to the rear of the user'"'"'s vehicle and for generating image data from the captured image, a following vehicle information acquisition unit for acquiring following vehicle information from the image data, a passing action prediction unit for predicting a passing action based on the following vehicle information, a mode switching condition judgment unit for judging whether a mode switching condition is satisfied, based on the predicted passing action, and an automatic mode setting unit for switching the headlights between a high beam mode and a low beam mode when the mode switching condition is satisfied. When passing of the user'"'"'s vehicle is predicted based on the following vehicle information, the headlights are switched from the high beam mode to the low beam mode.

Claims

1. A headlight beam control system comprising:

an imaging device which captures an image to the rear of the user'"'"'s vehicle and generates image data from the captured image;

following vehicle information acquisition means for reading the image data and for acquiring following vehicle information from the image data;

passing action prediction means for predicting an attempt to pass the user'"'"'s vehicle by a passing vehicle following the user'"'"'s vehicle based on the following vehicle information;

headlight mode switching condition judgment means for judging whether a headlight mode switching condition is satisfied, based on the predicted attempt to pass; and

automatic headlight mode setting means for switching headlights from a high beam mode to a low beam mode when the headlight mode switching condition is satisfied.

2. The headlight beam control system according to claim 1, wherein the following vehicle information includes at least one of a distance from the user'"'"'s vehicle to the passing vehicle following the user'"'"'s vehicle, a speed of the passing vehicle, and an acceleration of the passing vehicle.

3. The headlight beam control system according to claim 1, wherein the automatic headlight mode setting means switches the headlight mode from the low beam mode to the high beam mode when the passing vehicle has passed the user'"'"'s vehicle and the distance between the passing vehicle and the user'"'"'s vehicle has become equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

4. A method of controlling a headlight beam, Comprising;

obtaining an image to the rear of the user'"'"'s vehicle and generating image data of the obtained image;

reading the image data and acquiring following vehicle information from the image data;

predicting an attempt to pass the user'"'"'s vehicle by a passing vehicle following the user'"'"'s vehicle, based on the following vehicle information;

judging whether a headlight mode switching condition is satisfied, based on the predicted attempt to pass; and

, responsive to a judgment that the headlight mode switching condition is satisfied, switching headlights from a high beam mode to a low beam mode.