Headlamp control to prevent glare

Abstract

A system for controlling at least one exterior vehicle light of a controlled vehicle includes an array of sensors and a control unit. The array of sensors is capable of detecting light levels in front of the controlled vehicle. The control unit is in communication with the array of sensors and the at least one exterior vehicle light and determines a distance and an angle from the at least one exterior vehicle light of the controlled vehicle to a leading vehicle. The control unit is operable to control operation of the at least one exterior vehicle light as a function of the distance and angle, based on the output from the array of sensors, and prevent the at least one exterior vehicle light from providing a disruptive glare to a driver of the leading vehicle.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 253,476, filed on Sep. 5, 2002, entitled “HEADLAMP CONTROL TO PREVENT GLARE,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 339,762, entitled “HEADLAMP CONTROL TO PREVENT GLARE,” which was filed Dec. 10, 2001, and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [0002] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 197,834, entitled “CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE HEADLAMP CONTROL,” filed Jul. 18, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,593,698, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 938,774, entitled “CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE HEADLAMP CONTROL,” filed on Aug. 24, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,429,594, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 546,858, entitled “CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE HEADLAMP CONTROL,” filed on Apr. 10, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,632, which is a cont...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention is directed to a system for controlling at least one exterior vehicle light of a controlled vehicle and includes an array of sensors and a control unit. The array of sensors is capable of detecting light levels in front of the controlled vehicle. The control unit is in communication with the array of sensors and the at least one exterior vehicle light and determines an approximate distance and an angle from the at least one exterior vehicle light of the controlled vehicle to a leading vehicle. The control unit is also operable to control operation of the at least one exterior vehicle light as a function of the distance and angle, based on output from the array of sensors, and prevent the at least one exterior vehicle light from providing disruptive glare to a driver of the leading vehicle.

[0009] According to another embodiment of the present invention, an illumination control system for controlling at least one exterior vehicle light of a controlled vehicle includes a discrete light sensor and a control unit. The discrete light sensor generates electrical signals, which are provided to the control unit, which is in communication with the at least one exterior vehicle light. The control unit is operable to acquire and process electrical signals from the discrete light sensor to determine when the at least one exterior vehicle light should transition to a town lighting mode. The discrete light sensor provides an indication of an AC component present in ambient light, and the control unit causes the at least one exterior vehicle light to transition to the town lighting mode when the AC component exceeds a predetermined AC component threshold.

[0010] According to still another embodiment of the present invention, an illumination control system for controlling the at least one exterior vehicle light of a controlled vehicle includes an imaging system and a control unit. The imaging system obtains an image to a front of the controlled vehicle and includes an array of sensors, which each generate electrical signals that represent a light level sensed by the sensor. The control unit is in communication with the at least one exterior vehicle light and is operable to acquire electrical signals received from the array of sensors and to separately process the electrical signals. The control unit is operable to examine a position and brightness of an on-coming vehicle headlamp over time, as indicated by the electrical signals provided by the array of sensors, to determine when a median width is appropriate for the activation of a motorway lighting mode and causes the at least one exterior vehicle light to transition to the motorway lighting mode responsive to the determined median width.

Problems solved by technology

This glare may be especially disruptive in busy traffic situations where an SUV or truck is following a small passenger car.

Unfortunately, solutions such as reducing the mounting height limit of an SUV or truck's headlamps may generally require an objectionable change to the front end styling of the SUV or truck.

Additionally, the physical construction of large SUVs and trucks may make it impossible to reduce the mounting height significantly.

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