Motor vehicle headlamp

• US 9,505,341 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Schneider, Ingolf, Roeckl, Philipp, Haberkorn, Rouven
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, JIMMY T
• Application Number:
  US14/460,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20150048737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 315 77- 82
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1438 Actuating means for dimming masks or screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light

Abstract

A method for changing at least one light emission parameter of a headlamp system or a vehicle headlamp of a motor vehicle based on changing ambient light conditions. The light emission parameters of the headlamp system are stored in a memory of a computer at the factory. The ambient light conditions in the driving direction of the motor vehicle are detected by a sensor and forwarded to the computer. Actual light emission parameters of the headlamp system and the ambient light condition are compared and a change of at least one of the light emission parameters of the headlamp system or the vehicle headlamp in accordance with the ambient light conditions forwarded is determined that a predefined or predefinable threshold value or limiting value of the current actual light emission parameters is exceeded.

Claims

1. A headlamp system for a motor vehicle comprising:

a headlamp having at least one light emission parameter;

a sensor configured to detect an ambient light condition and convert the ambient light condition into an ambient light signal, wherein the ambient light condition is not emitted by the headlamp in front of a motor vehicle;

a headlamp controller configured to;

store the at least one light emission parameter;

compare a current actual light emission parameter with the ambient light signal acquired from the sensor;

change the at least one light emission parameter in accordance with the ambient light signal when a control value for the current actual light emission parameter is reached; and

store the changed light emission parameter as an updated light emission parameter for a subsequent comparison with the ambient light signals acquired from the sensor.

2. The headlamp system according to claim 1, wherein the control value is selected from the group consisting of a predefined threshold value, a predefinable threshold value and or limiting value.

3. The headlamp system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor continuously detects the ambient light conditions, converts the ambient light conditions into the ambient light signal and forwards the ambient light signal to the headlamp controller.

4. The headlamp system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor cyclically detects the ambient light conditions, converts the ambient light conditions into the ambient light signal and forwards the ambient light signal to the headlamp controller.

5. The headlamp system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a camera.

6. The headlamp system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light emission parameter is selected from the group consisting of a brightness, a degree of focusing, a color of the light and a beam angle of the light relative to the longitudinal vehicle axis.

7. The headlamp system according to claim 1, wherein the headlamp comprises a light source having an LED.

8. The headlamp system according to claim 1, further comprising an actuator configured to adjusted at least one part of the headlamp system, wherein the headlamp controller is configured to generate and transmit a control signal for the actuator.

9. The headlamp system according to claim 1, wherein the headlamp controller comprises a central computer of the motor vehicle.

10. The headlamp system according to claim 1, wherein the headlamp comprises a light source, the sensor for detecting ambient light conditions and a headlamp controller configured to control the light source.

11. A motor vehicle comprising the headlamp system according to claim 10.

12. A vehicle headlamp of a motor vehicle comprising:

a light source with at least one light emission parameter,

at least one sensor for detecting an ambient light condition and converting the ambient light condition into an ambient light signal, wherein the ambient light condition is not emitted by the headlamp in front of the motor vehicle; and

a headlamp controller configured to

control the light source,

store the at least one light emission parameter,

compare a current actual light emission parameter with the ambient light signal acquired from the at least one sensor,

change the at least one light emission parameter in accordance with the ambient light signal when a control value for the current actual light emission parameter is reached, and

store the changed light emission parameter as an updated light emission parameter for a subsequent comparison with the ambient light signals acquired from e sensor.

13. A method for changing at least one light emission parameter of a headlamp system of a motor vehicle in response to changing ambient light conditions, the method comprising:

storing a current actual light emission parameters of the headlamp system in an intermediate memory of a computer at the factory;

detecting ambient light conditions in the driving direction of the motor vehicle by a sensor and forwarding to the computer;

comparing the current actual light emission parameters of the headlamp system and the ambient light conditions forwarded by the sensor with one another by the computer,

initiating a change of at least one of the light emission parameters of the headlamp system by the computer in accordance with the ambient light conditions forwarded by the sensor upon determining that a control value of the current actual light emission parameters is exceeded; and

transmitting the updated light emission parameter to the intermediate memory as new updated actual light emission parameter.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the control value is selected from the group consisting of a predefined threshold value, a predefinable threshold value or a limiting value.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising distinguishing a cone of light of the headlamp system from a cone of light of oncoming motor vehicles.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising distinguishing a cone of light of the headlamp system from other light reflections due to a change of the at least one light emission parameter.

17. A computer program for carrying out a method according to claim 13.

18. A computer program product comprising program code stored on a machine-readable data carrier in order to carry out the method according to claim 13 when the program code is executed on a computer.