Vehicle lamp control

• US 6,947,577 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Roberts, John K., Tonar, William L., Stam, Joseph S., Bechtel, Jon H., Poe, G. Bruce, Reese, Spencer D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kanjibhai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tabatabai, Abolfazl
• Application Number:
  US10/326,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20030138132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 382/104, 382/291, 382/100, 315 77- 82, 340/332, 340/425.5, 340/457, 340/2, 340/468, 340555-557, 340/815.42, 340/815.45, 340901-904, 340932-935, 340/982, 340/985, 340/436, 340/525, 340/815.4, 340/815.73, 359/204, 359/205, 359/227, 359/236, 359/297, 359/264, 359/265, 359/266, 359/267, 359/533, 359/548, 359/604, 359/605, 359/607, 359/608, 359/609, 359/844, 359/872, 359/873, 359/874, 359/875, 359/606, 701/36, 362/494
• 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 a variable spectral filter;

wherein, said at least one parameter is a function of a vehicle turning 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:

integration period, threshold and gain.

4. An automatic vehicle exterior light control, comprising:

a controller configured to receive at least one image, said controller is further configured to generate at least one exterior light control signal to illuminate a scene with maximum allowable illumination for a maximum amount of time as a function of said at least one image;

wherein, illumination is reduced to acceptable levels to avoid glare and illumination is increased when glare is not a concern.

5. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 4, wherein said controller is further configured to generate at least one automatic high beam headlight inhibit signal as a function of detecting at least one object in said at least one image.

6. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 5 wherein said at least one object is a tail light of a leading vehicle.

7. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 5 wherein said at least one object is a head light of an oncoming vehicle.

8. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 4 wherein said controller is further configured to generate at least one automatic high beam headlight activation signal as a function of at least one substantially clear image.

9. An automatic vehicle exterior light control, comprising:

a controller configured to distinguish an AC powered light source from a DC powered light source and to generate at least one exterior light control signal as a function thereof.

10. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 9 further comprising a photo sensor, said controller further comprises a low pass filter.

11. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 9 further comprising an image sensor;

wherein, said controller is further configured to receive a plurality of images from said image sensor.

12. An automatic vehicle exterior light control, comprising:

a controller configured to receive at least one image, said controller is further configured to substantially instantaneously generate at least one exterior light control signal upon detection of at least one object in one image.

13. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 12 wherein said at least one object is a tail light of a leading vehicle.

14. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 12 wherein said at least one object is a headlight of an oncoming vehicle.

15. An automatic vehicle exterior light control, comprising:

a controller configured to receive a plurality of images and to generate at least one exterior light control signal as a function of a rate of increase in brightness of at least one object within said images.

16. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 15 wherein said at least one object is a tail light of a leading vehicle.

17. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 15 wherein said at least one object is a headlight of an oncoming vehicle.

18. An automatic vehicle exterior light control, comprising:

a controller configured to receive a plurality of images and to generate at least one exterior light control signal as a function of the overtake rate of at least one object in said images.

19. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 18 wherein said at least one object is a tail light of a leading vehicle.

20. An automatic vehicle exterior light control method, the method comprising the steps of:

a) 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 a variable spectral filter;

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

21. An automatic vehicle exterior light control method as in claim 20 further comprising the step of generating at least one exterior light control signal as a function of said at least one parameter.

22. An automatic vehicle exterior light control method as in claim 20 wherein said sensitivity parameter is selected from the group comprising:

integration period, threshold and gain.

23. An automatic vehicle exterior light control method, the method comprising the steps of:

a) obtaining at least one image;

b) generating at least one exterior light control signal to illuminate a scene with maximum allowable illumination for a maximum amount of time as a function of said at least one image;

c) reducing illumination to acceptable levels to avoid glare; and

d) increasing illumination when glare is not a concern.

24. An automatic vehicle exterior light control method as in claim 23 further comprising the step of detecting at least one object in said at least one image;

wherein, said generating at least one exterior light control signal comprises generating at least one automatic high beam headlight inhibit signal as a function of detecting at least one object in said at least one image.

25. An automatic vehicle exterior light control method as in claim 24 wherein said at least one object is a tail light of a leading vehicle.

26. An automatic vehicle exterior light control method as in claim 24 wherein said at least one object is a headlight of an oncoming vehicle.

27. An automatic vehicle exterior light control method as in claim 23 further comprising the step of detecting at least one clear image;

wherein, said generating at least one exterior light control signal comprises the generating of at least one automatic high beam headlight activation signal as a function of at least one substantially clear image.

28. An automatic vehicle exterior light control, comprising:

a controller configured to receive at least one spectrally filtered image of a scene and at least one complementarily spectrally filtered image of substantially the same scene, said controller is further configured to generate at least one exterior light control signal as a function of analyzing said at least one spectrally filtered image and said at least one complementarily spectrally filtered image.

29. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 28 wherein said controller is further configured to identify at least one object within at least one image.

30. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 29 wherein said controller is further configured to compute a brightness ratio between at least one filtered and at least one complementarily filtered object.

31. An automatic vehicle exterior light control as in claim 28 wherein said at least one of said at least one spectrally filtered image and said at least one complementarily filtered image is infrared spectrally filtered.