System and method for controlling vehicle headlights

• US 8,538,636 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2008
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Inventors: Breed, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US12/098,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20080294315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,989 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/49, 701/1, 701/45, 315/77, 315/82, 315/157, 315/159, 382/104, 362/465, 362/466, 356/218, 356/121, 356/122, 250/208.1, 250/214.D, 250/214.AI, 340/468, 340/469, 340/435, 340/933, 340/942
• US Class Current: 701/49
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0268 using sensors or detectors for adapting the seat or seat part, e.g. to the position of an occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• 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 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/037 for occupant comfort , e.g. for automatic adjustment of appliances according to personal settings, e.g. seats, mirrors, steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1223 with sensors or transducers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1253 with cameras, video cameras or video screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0027 Post collision measures, e.g. notifying emergency services
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01315 monitoring occupant displacement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01516 using force or pressure sensing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0153 using field detection presence sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01534 using electromagneticwaves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01536 using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01538 for image processing, e.g. cameras or sensor arrays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01542 detecting passenger motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01544 detecting seat belt parameters, e.g. length, tension or height-adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01548 sensing the amount of belt winded on retractor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01552 : detecting position of specific human body parts, e.g. face, eyes or hands
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/01554 : Seat position sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 : in steering wheels or steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/25 : using biometry
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/255 : Eye recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/257 : Voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/43 : responsive to disruption of energy beams, e.g. light or sound
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/431 : specially adapted for vehicle windows or roofs
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/433 : using reflection from the obstruction
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 : Windows
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 : Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/04 : Systems determining presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/06 : Systems determining the position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/87 : Combinations of sonar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 : Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 : Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 : for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/417 : involving the use of neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4802 : using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/539 : using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/82 : using neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 : of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/59 : inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 : Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1282 : Automobiles
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/3219 : Geometry of the configuration

Abstract

Control system and method for automatically controlling headlights of a vehicle includes an optical system for imaging external sources of light within a predetermined field of view and an image processing system for processing images from the optical system and providing a control signal for controlling the headlights as a function of the processed images. Processing the images may entail identifying a source of radiation in the images, the control signal being provided to dim the headlights when a source of radiation in the images is identified as a headlight or taillight of another vehicle. To this end, the image processing system may include a trained pattern recognition system for processing the images to identify the source of radiation, e.g., a pattern recognition algorithm generated from data of possible sources of radiation including headlights and taillights of vehicles and patterns of received radiation from the possible sources.

Claims

1. A control system for automatically controlling headlights of a vehicle, comprising:

an optical system that images external sources of light within a predetermined field of view; and

an image processing system that processes an image from said optical system and provides a control signal that controls the headlights based on the processed image,

said image processing system identifying a source of radiation in the images image based on position of a plurality of lights in the image relative to one another, wherein said image processing system identifies different sources of radiation in the image based on position of a plurality of lights in the image relative to one another by measuring distance between one of the plurality of lights in the image and at least one other of the plurality of lights in the image.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the control signal is provided to dim the headlights of the vehicle when the source of radiation in the image is identified as headlights or taillights of another vehicle.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein said optical system comprises a CCD array.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein said optical system is arranged on a rear view mirror in an interior of the vehicle.

5. The control system of claim 1, wherein said optical system is arranged on a part of the vehicle that is not movable relative to a frame of the vehicle.

6. The control system of claim 1, wherein said optical system includes an image array sensor containing a plurality of pixels.

7. The control system of claim 1, wherein said optical system includes a plurality of image array sensors.

8. The control system of claim 1, wherein said optical system is arranged in an interior of the vehicle to thereby obtain images through a windshield of the vehicle.

9. The control system of claim 1, wherein said optical system comprises a vehicle-interior mounted camera.

10. A control system for automatically controlling headlights of a vehicle, comprising:

an optical system that images external sources of light within a predetermined field of view; and

an image processing system that processes an image from said optical system and provides a control signal that controls the headlights based on the processed image,

said image processing system identifying a source of radiation in the image based on position of a plurality of lights in the image relative to one another, wherein said image processing system is configured to identify the source of radiation in the image based on position of the plurality of lights in the image relative to one another by determining whether the position of the plurality of lights in the image considered relative to one another is similar to one of a plurality of different patterns of lights that each correspond to a known source of radiation, the known sources of radiation including headlights and taillights of vehicles.

11. The control system of claim 10, wherein the known sources of radiation further include reflections off of a sign post or a roadway on which the vehicle is travelling such that said image processing system differentiates headlights and taillights of another vehicle from reflections off of the sign post or the roadway on which the vehicle is travelling.

12. The control system of claim 10, wherein said image processing system comprises a pattern recognition algorithm that determines whether the position of the plurality of lights in the image considered relative to one another is similar to one of a plurality of different patterns of lights that each correspond to a known source of radiation.

13. The control system of claim 12, wherein said pattern recognition algorithm is trained prior to installation in the vehicle to determine that the position of the plurality of lights in the image relative to one another is similar to one of the plurality of different patterns of lights that each correspond to a known source of radiation.

14. The control system of claim 12, wherein said pattern recognition algorithm comprises a neural network.

15. The control system of claim 12, wherein said pattern recognition algorithm differentiates headlights and taillights of another vehicle from reflections off of a sign post or a roadway on which the vehicle is travelling.

16. The control system of claim 12, wherein said pattern recognition algorithm identifies different sources of radiation in the image based on position of a plurality of lights in the image relative to one another by measuring distance between one of the plurality of lights in the image and at least one other of the plurality of lights in the image.

17. The control system of claim 12, wherein said pattern recognition algorithm determines that the source of radiation in the image is headlights of another vehicle or taillights of another vehicle by recognizing the pattern of lights in the image corresponding to headlights or taillights of another vehicle and movement of the source of the recognized pattern of lights.

18. The control system of claim 12, wherein said pattern recognition algorithm is formed based on association of each of the known sources of radiation with an obtained image including the plurality of lights from that source of radiation.

19. A control system for automatically controlling headlights of a vehicle, comprising:

an optical system that images external sources of light within a predetermined field of view; and

an image processing system that processes an image from said optical system and provides a control signal that controls the headlights based on the processed image,

said image processing system comprising a pattern recognition algorithm that determines that the source of radiation in the image from said optical system is a particular one of a plurality of different, known sources of radiation based on position of a plurality of lights in the image relative to one another, the known sources of radiation including headlights and taillights of vehicles, said pattern recognition algorithm being formed based on association of each of the known sources of radiation with an obtained image including the plurality of lights from that known source of radiation, and

wherein the control signal is provided to dim the headlights of the vehicle when the source of radiation in the image is determined to be headlights or taillights of another vehicle, and

wherein the sources of radiation further include reflections off of a sign post or a roadway on which the vehicle is travelling such that said pattern recognition algorithm differentiates headlights and taillights of another vehicle from reflections off of the sign post or the roadway on which the vehicle is travelling.