System and method for assisted real-time control of vehicle headlight

• US 9,649,974 B1
• Filed: 03/09/2016
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wipro Limited
• Original Assignee: Wipro Limited
• Inventors: Hosabettu, Raghavendra, Arumugasamy, Parthasarathy Shunmugam
• Primary Examiner(s): A, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US15/065,043
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 315 76- 78, 315 80, 315 82
• 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 1/20 Fog lights
• 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 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/14 Other vehicle conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/31 Atmospheric conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/312 Adverse weather
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/32 Road surface or travel path
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/33 Driving situation
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/331 characterised by the driving side, e.g. on the left or right hand side
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/335 Number or size of road lanes
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/19 via wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

This disclosure relates generally to controlling headlights and more particularly to a system and method for automatically controlling vehicle headlights using image processing techniques.

In one embodiment, a Headlight Controlling Device for automatically controlling vehicle headlights is disclosed. The Headlight Controlling Device comprises a processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor. The memory stores processor instructions, which, on execution, causes the processor to collect at least one of vehicle information, vehicle speed, road information, area information, weather information or a multimedia object associated with a forward path of the vehicle. The processor further determines a current light intensity distribution of the vehicle headlight based on the multimedia object. The processor further compares the current light intensity distribution of the vehicle headlight with an optimal light intensity distribution, wherein the optimal light intensity distribution is retrieved from a database based on at least one of the vehicle information, the vehicle speed, the road information, the area information or the weather information. The processor further controls the vehicle headlight based on the comparison.

Claims

1. A method of automatically controlling a vehicle headlight, the method comprising:

collecting, by a Headlight Controlling Device, at least one of vehicle information, vehicle speed, road information, area information, weather information or a multimedia object associated with a forward path of the vehicle;

determining, by the Headlight Controlling Device, a current light intensity distribution of the vehicle headlight based on the multimedia object;

comparing, by the Headlight Controlling Device, the current light intensity distribution of the vehicle headlight with an optimal light intensity distribution, wherein the optimal light intensity distribution is retrieved from a database based on at least one of the vehicle information, the vehicle speed, the road information, the area information or the weather information; and

controlling, by the Headlight Controlling Device, the vehicle headlight based on the comparison.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle information comprises at least one of vehicle type, vehicle size or vehicle position.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the road information comprises at least one of road type, route number, driving side or road conditions.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the road type, the route number and the road conditions are determined based on a Global Positioning System.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the multimedia object comprises at least one of a video and an image.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein controlling the vehicle headlight comprises altering a headlight mode.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein controlling the vehicle headlight comprises altering light intensities of the vehicle headlight.

8. A Headlight Controlling Device for automatically controlling a vehicle headlight, the Headlight Controlling Device comprising:

a processor;

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores the processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the processor to;

collect at least one of vehicle information, vehicle speed, road information, area information, weather information or a multimedia object associated with a forward path of the vehicle;

determine a current light intensity distribution of the vehicle headlight based on the multimedia object;

compare the current light intensity distribution of the vehicle headlight with an optimal light intensity distribution, wherein the optimal light intensity distribution is retrieved from a database based on at least one of the vehicle information, the vehicle speed, the road information, the area information or the weather information; and

control the vehicle headlight based on the comparison.

9. The Headlight Controlling Device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the vehicle information comprises at least one of vehicle type, vehicle size or vehicle position.

10. The Headlight Controlling Device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the road information comprises at least one of road type, route number, driving side or road conditions.

11. The Headlight Controlling Device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the road type, the route number and the road conditions are determined based on a Global Positioning System.

12. The Headlight Controlling Device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the multimedia object comprises at least one of video and image.

13. The Headlight Controlling Device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to control the vehicle headlight by altering the headlight mode.

14. The Headlight Controlling Device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to control the vehicle headlight by altering the light Intensities of the vehicle headlight.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for assisted real-time control of a vehicle headlight, wherein upon execution of the Instructions by one or more processors, the processors perform operations comprising:

collecting at least one of vehicle information, vehicle speed, road information, area information, weather information or a multimedia object associated with a forward path of the vehicle;

determining a current light intensity distribution of the vehicle headlight based on the multimedia object;

comparing the current light intensity distribution of the vehicle headlight with an optimal light intensity distribution, wherein the optimal light intensity distribution is retrieved from a database based on at least one of the vehicle information, the vehicle speed, the road information, the area information or the weather information; and

controlling the vehicle headlight based on the comparison.