An anti-glare rearview system for automobiles and its anti-glare method

Abstract

The present invention provides an anti-glare rearview system and an anti-glare control method thereof. The system includes an image acquisition unit, a core processing unit, and an electrochromic unit, wherein the image acquisition unit is used to acquire the image of the light source behind the vehicle and the image of the driver's face; the core processing unit is used to identify the halo information in the image of the light source behind the vehicle, and send an anti-glare start signal to the electrochromic unit when the halo value is greater than a preset value; the core processing unit is also used to identify the facial brightness information in the image of the driver's face, and send an anti-glare off signal to the electrochromic unit when the facial brightness is lower than a preset brightness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicles, and particularly to an anti-glare rearview system and an anti-glare method thereof. Background Art

[0002] When driving at night, the lights of the following vehicle are reflected by the interior rearview mirror, which is likely to cause night blindness for the driver. Even after the glare light source is removed, the image remaining in the eyes will also cause blind spots. This phenomenon is called the "white spot effect". The "white spot effect" will increase the reaction time of the driver, making it difficult to determine potential dangers ahead on the road. Therefore, automatic anti-glare rearview mirrors that can adapt to different incident light intensities have emerged. The automatic anti-glare rearview mirror adds a layer of electrochromic material inside the mirror surface. When strong light shines, this material controlled by a photosensitive element will automatically deepen the color and change the reflectivity, thereby achieving the anti-glare effect.

[0003] Traditional anti-glare rearview mirrors are equipped with a front ambient light sensor and a rearview light sensor. By comparing the values of these two light sensors, it is determined whether to activate the anti-glare operation. However, the rearview light sensor is easily interfered by the light of in-vehicle electronic devices and infrared devices, resulting in the phenomenon of false triggering of anti-glare in the anti-glare rearview mirror when there is no strong light from the following vehicle.

[0004] Currently, some automatic anti-glare rearview mirrors use a rear camera installed at the position of the car shark fin or the trunk door of the vehicle tail to replace the rearview light sensor. By detecting the strong light from the rear with the rear camera, the defect that the rearview light sensor is easily affected by in-vehicle devices is compensated to a certain extent. However, the rear camera still cannot accurately determine the actual situation of the vehicle driver being reflected by strong light. For example, the strong light of the following vehicle is blocked by an in-vehicle obstacle and does not actually reflect onto the eyes of the vehicle driver, but the rear camera will still transmit a strong light signal to the control system, resulting in false anti-glare actions. In addition, most current rear cameras have the HDR function, which weakens the strong far light and reduces the accuracy of strong light recognition, thus affecting the recognition of glare and causing false judgments and missed judgments. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the above existing problems, the present invention provides an anti-glare rearview system that can truly feedback the glare intensity received by the driver.

[0006] The present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] An anti-glare system for an automotive rearview mirror, comprising an image acquisition unit, a core processing unit, and an electrochromic unit. The image acquisition unit is connected to an input end of the core processing unit, and the core processing unit is connected to the electrochromic unit;

[0008] The image acquisition unit is used to acquire the rear light image of the vehicle and the driver's face image, and output them to the core processing unit;

[0009] The core processing unit is used to identify the halo information in the rear light image of the vehicle, convert the halo information into a halo value, and send an anti-glare start signal to the electrochromic unit when the halo value is greater than a preset value; the core processing unit is also used to identify the face brightness information in the driver's face image, and send an anti-glare off signal to the electrochromic unit when the face brightness is lower than a preset brightness;

[0010] The electrochromic unit performs a color change response according to the anti-glare start signal or anti-glare off signal sent by the core processing unit;

[0011] The core processing unit is provided with a second input terminal, and an ambient light sensing unit is connected to the second input terminal. The ambient light sensing unit is used to collect the light intensity signal of the ambient light source and output it to the core processing unit.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, the image acquisition unit is built into the rearview mirror, and the image acquisition unit is blocked by the lens coating.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the halo information includes at least one of the halo size, halo brightness, and halo position.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present invention, the core processing unit is further used to calculate the anti-glare level according to the halo information. The anti-glare start signal includes the anti-glare level information, and the electrochromic unit starts a color change response of the corresponding level according to the anti-glare level information.

[0015] Preferably, the electrochromic unit includes an electrochromic lens, including a first lens layer, an electrochromic layer, a conductive layer, a seal, and a second lens layer.

[0016] The present invention also provides an anti-glare control method for an automotive rearview mirror, including the following steps:

[0017] S1. The image acquisition unit detects the rear driving state;

[0018] S2. When detecting the halo of the rear high beam light, the image acquisition unit acquires the rear light image of the vehicle and outputs it to the core processing unit;

[0019] S3. The core processing unit identifies the halo information in the rear light image of the vehicle, converts the identified halo information into a halo value, and when the halo value is greater than a preset value, enters step S4;

[0020] S4. The core processing unit outputs an anti-glare start signal to drive the electrochromic unit to perform coloring;

[0021] S5. The image acquisition unit continuously acquires the image of the light source behind the vehicle and outputs it to the core processing unit. When the calculated halo value is less than the preset value, it enters step S6;

[0022] S6. The image acquisition unit acquires the driver's face image and outputs it to the core processing unit;

[0023] S7. The core processing unit identifies the facial brightness information in the driver's face image and compares the identified facial brightness information with the preset brightness. When the facial brightness information is less than the preset brightness, it enters step S8;

[0024] S8. The core processing unit outputs an anti-glare off signal to drive the electrochromic unit to fade.

[0025] Preferably, before step S1, the following steps are further included in sequence:

[0026] S101. The ambient light sensing unit acquires the light intensity signal of the ambient light source and transmits the light intensity signal of the ambient light source to the core processing unit;

[0027] S102. The core processing unit compares the light intensity signal of the ambient light source with the preset light intensity value. When the light intensity signal of the ambient light source is less than the preset light intensity value, it enters step S1.

[0028] Preferably, the halo information includes at least one of the halo size, halo brightness, and halo position.

[0029] Preferably, step S3 further includes that the core processing unit calculates the anti-glare level according to the halo information.

[0030] Preferably, step S4 further includes that the anti-glare start signal includes the anti-glare level signal, and the electrochromic unit starts the corresponding level of coloring response according to the anti-glare level signal.

[0031] The beneficial effects of the present invention compared with the prior art are as follows: The present invention can effectively identify the high beam of the vehicle coming from behind by the image acquisition unit identifying the halo of the vehicle behind, preventing mis-triggering; by identifying the facial brightness of the driver, it can truly feedback the glare intensity received by the driver, further improving the anti-glare accuracy;

[0032] By identifying the size, brightness, and position of the halo, on the one hand, it can be used to judge whether there is a vehicle behind using the high beam, and on the other hand, according to the anti-glare algorithm, it can adjust the anti-glare color change level according to different halo situations;

[0033] The image acquisition unit, the core processing unit, and the electrochromic unit achieve dynamic linkage to ensure that the brightness of the driver's face is controlled within a certain range;

[0034] In addition, by integrating the image acquisition unit into the rearview mirror, the image acquisition unit is visually blocked, making it difficult for the driver to find the image acquisition unit in the interior rearview mirror in the vehicle, thereby eliminating the driver's privacy concerns. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The above content of the present invention and the following specific embodiments will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are only examples of the invention claimed. In the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same or similar elements.

[0036] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the anti-glare system module of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 2 It is a flowchart of the operation of the anti-glare control method of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an automotive rearview mirror with the anti-glare system of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0039] The following details the detailed features and advantages of the present invention in the specific embodiments. The content is sufficient for any person skilled in the art to understand the technical content of the present invention and implement it accordingly. Based on the specification, claims, and drawings disclosed in this specification, those skilled in the art can easily understand the related purposes and advantages of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the anti-glare system module of the present invention is shown, including an ambient light sensing unit, an image acquisition unit, a core processing unit, and an electrochromic unit. Among them, the ambient light sensing unit and the image acquisition unit are respectively connected to the input end of the core processing unit, and the output end of the core processing unit is connected to the electrochromic unit.

[0041] Among them, the ambient light sensing unit is used to collect the light intensity signal of the ambient light source and output it to the core processing unit; when the ambient light sensing unit detects daytime, the anti-glare system does not work and the anti-glare function is not activated; when it detects night, the anti-glare system starts to work;

[0042] The image acquisition unit is used to collect the image of the light source behind the vehicle and the image of the driver's face and output it to the core processing unit;

[0043] The core processing unit is used to identify the halo information in the image of the light source behind the vehicle, and the halo information includes at least one of the halo size, halo brightness, and halo position; the core processing unit then converts the halo information into a halo value, and when the halo value is greater than a preset value, it sends an anti-glare start signal to the electrochromic unit; the core processing unit is also used to calculate the anti-glare level according to the halo information, and the anti-glare start signal includes anti-glare level information, and the electrochromic unit starts a color change response of the corresponding level according to the anti-glare level information. The higher the anti-glare level, the deeper the color change depth;

[0044] The core processing unit is also used to identify the facial brightness information in the driver's facial image, and when the facial brightness is lower than the preset brightness, it sends an anti-glare off signal to the electrochromic unit;

[0045] The electrochromic unit performs a color change response according to the anti-glare start signal or anti-glare off signal sent by the core processing unit.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the image acquisition unit is built into the rearview mirror, and the image acquisition unit is blocked by the lens coating.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment, the anti-glare system further includes a glare sensor. When the image acquisition unit fails, it can be determined whether to turn on the anti-glare operation through the ambient light sensor and the glare sensor.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the image acquisition unit includes a camera module and an infrared supplementary light module. The former has a 140° wide angle, increasing the visible range; the latter is used for image supplementary light at night, increasing the brightness of the images collected by the camera at night and ensuring clear images.

[0049] Figure 2 The flowchart of the anti-glare control method of the present invention is shown, including the following steps:

[0050] S1. The image acquisition unit detects the driving state behind the vehicle. When the halo of the high beam light behind is detected, it enters step S2;

[0051] S2. The image acquisition unit acquires the image of the light source behind the vehicle and outputs it to the core processing unit;

[0052] S3. The core processing unit identifies the halo information in the image of the light source behind the vehicle, and the halo information includes at least one of the halo size, halo brightness, and halo position; the core processing unit then converts the identified halo information into a halo value. When the halo value is greater than a preset value, it enters step S4;

[0053] S4. The core processing unit outputs an anti-glare start signal to drive the electrochromic unit to color;

[0054] S5. The image acquisition unit continuously acquires the images of the light sources behind the vehicle and outputs them to the core processing unit. When the calculated halo value is less than the preset value, step S6 is entered;

[0055] S6. The image acquisition unit acquires the driver's face image and outputs it to the core processing unit;

[0056] S7. The core processing unit recognizes the facial brightness information in the driver's face image and compares the recognized facial brightness information with the preset brightness. When the facial brightness information is less than the preset brightness, step S8 is entered;

[0057] S8. The core processing unit outputs an anti-glare off signal to drive the electrochromic unit to fade.

[0058] In a preferred embodiment, before step S1, the following steps are further included:

[0059] S101. The ambient light sensing unit acquires the light intensity signal of the ambient light source and transmits the light intensity signal of the ambient light source to the core processing unit;

[0060] S102. The core processing unit compares the light intensity signal of the ambient light source with the preset light intensity value. When the light intensity signal of the ambient light source is greater than the preset value, the anti-glare system does not work; when the light intensity signal of the ambient light source is less than the preset light intensity value, the anti-glare system starts to work and step S1 is entered.

[0061] In a preferred embodiment, step S3 further includes that the core processing unit calculates the anti-glare level according to the halo information; step S4 further includes that the anti-glare start signal includes the anti-glare level information, and the electrochromic unit starts the coloring response of the corresponding level according to the anti-glare level information. The higher the anti-glare level, the deeper the color change.

[0062] Figure 3 The figure shows an automotive rearview mirror with the anti-glare system of the present invention, which sequentially includes a lens assembly 1, an adhesive tape 2, a glare sensor 3, a connecting plate 4, a PCB board 5, a camera module 6 as the image acquisition unit, an infrared supplementary light module 7, a slot 9 and its bolts 8, springs 10, a rear cover 11, an ambient light sensor 12, a mounting bracket 13 and its bolts 15, springs 14, wire harness channels 16, 17. In this embodiment, the camera module is built into the rearview mirror and is made invisible to the vehicle driver through the lens coating, thereby eliminating the driver's privacy concerns. In other embodiments, the image acquisition unit can be installed at other positions such as the front surface of the rearview mirror, the side surface of the rearview mirror, the bottom surface of the rearview mirror, the front windshield, the sun visor, etc. As long as it can acquire the images of the light sources behind the vehicle and the driver's face image, the present invention does not limit the specific installation position of the image acquisition unit.

[0063] In a preferred embodiment, the lens assembly 1 is an electrochromic lens, which includes a first lens layer, an electrochromic layer, a conductive layer, a seal, and a second lens layer. The electrochromic layer is sandwiched between the first lens layer and the second lens layer. The conductive layer is disposed between the first lens layer and the electrochromic layer and / or between the second lens layer and the electrochromic layer; the seal surrounds the electrochromic layer and is disposed between the first lens layer and the second lens layer.

[0064] The surfaces of the first lens layer and / or the second lens layer that are in contact with the electrochromic layer are conductive mirror surfaces, and the conductive mirror surfaces are connected to the conductive layer. The conductive layer transmits the voltage signal of the control circuit to the two conductive mirror surfaces, so as to control the coloring and fading of the electrochromic layer by adjusting the voltage of the electrochromic layer.

[0065] The electrochromic layer enables the rearview mirror of the present invention to have an anti-glare effect. The principle is that the electrochromic layer can adjust the intensity of the reflected light according to the intensity of the external light through an electronic induction system, achieving the anti-glare effect and making driving safer. In the normal state, the cathode of the electrolyte solution in the electrochromic layer is in a colorless oxidized state, and the anode is in a slightly yellow normal state. When a DC bias voltage is applied to the electrochromic layer, the cathode changes from a colorless state to blue, and the anode changes from a colorless state to yellow. When the two colors of blue and yellow are mixed, dark green is obtained visually. Due to the color change of the electrochromic layer, the light absorption effect of the electrochromic layer greatly reduces the light that should be reflected by the reflective layer, thus realizing the anti-glare function of the rearview mirror.

[0066] The conductive layer is made of a material with a small resistance and is connected to the power supply unit, which is used to provide an electric field for the electrochromic layer, so that the optical properties (reflectivity, transmittance, absorptivity, etc.) of the electrochromic layer undergo a stable and reversible color change phenomenon under the action of the electric field, which is manifested as a reversible change in color and transparency in appearance.

[0067] The seal is disposed outside the electrochromic layer to seal the electrochromic layer. Since the electrochromic layer is mostly a liquid or colloidal substance, in order to prevent its loss, a seal is disposed outside the electrochromic layer to ensure that the electrochromic layer will not flow out and extend the service life of the electrochromic layer.

[0068] The terms and expressions used herein are only for description, and the present invention should not be limited to these terms and expressions. The use of these terms and expressions does not mean excluding any equivalent features of the illustration and description (or parts thereof). It should be recognized that various modifications that may exist should also be included within the scope of the claims. Other modifications, changes, and substitutions may also exist. Accordingly, the claims should be regarded as covering all such equivalents.

[0069] Similarly, it should be noted that although the present invention has been described with reference to the current specific embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention, and various equivalent changes or substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, as long as the changes and modifications to the above embodiments are within the scope of the spirit of the present invention, they will fall within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A method for anti-glare control of an automotive rearview mirror, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: S1. The image acquisition unit detects the driving state of the vehicle behind. When the glare of the high beam light behind is detected, it proceeds to step S2; S2. The image acquisition unit acquires the image of the light source behind the vehicle and outputs it to the core processing unit; S3. The core processing unit identifies the glare information in the image of the light source behind the vehicle and converts the identified glare information into a glare value. When the glare value is greater than the preset value, it proceeds to step S4; S4. The core processing unit outputs an anti-glare activation signal to drive the electrochromic unit to color; S5. The image acquisition unit continuously acquires the image of the light source behind the vehicle and outputs it to the core processing unit. When the calculated glare value is less than the preset value, it proceeds to step S6; S6. The image acquisition unit acquires the driver's face image and outputs it to the core processing unit; S7. The core processing unit identifies the face brightness information in the driver's face image and compares the identified face brightness information with the preset brightness. When the face brightness information is less than the preset brightness, it proceeds to step S8; S8. The core processing unit outputs an anti-glare deactivation signal to drive the electrochromic unit to fade; Wherein, the image acquisition unit is built into the rearview mirror.

2. The anti-glare control method for an automotive rearview mirror according to claim 1, wherein: Before step S1, the following steps are further included in sequence: S101. The ambient light sensing unit acquires the light intensity signal of the ambient light source and transmits the light intensity signal of the ambient light source to the core processing unit; S102. The core processing unit compares the light intensity signal of the ambient light source with the preset light intensity value. When the light intensity signal of the ambient light source is less than the preset light intensity value, it proceeds to step S1.

3. A method for anti-glare control of an automotive rearview mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that: The glare information includes at least one of glare size, glare brightness, and glare position.

4. A method for anti-glare control of an automotive rearview mirror according to claim 1, characterized in that: Step S3 further includes that the core processing unit calculates the anti-glare level according to the glare information.

5. The anti-glare control method for an automotive rearview mirror according to claim 4, characterized in that: Step S4 further includes that the anti-glare activation signal includes the anti-glare level information, and the electrochromic unit starts the corresponding level of coloring response according to the anti-glare level information.

6. An automotive rearview mirror anti-glare system adopting the automotive rearview mirror anti-glare control method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that: It includes an image acquisition unit, a core processing unit, and an electrochromic unit. The image acquisition unit is connected to an input end of the core processing unit, and the core processing unit is connected to the electrochromic unit; The image acquisition unit is used to acquire the image of the light source behind the vehicle and the driver's face image and output them to the core processing unit; The core processing unit is used to identify the glare information in the image of the light source behind the vehicle and convert the glare information into a glare value, and send an anti-glare activation signal to the electrochromic unit when the glare value is greater than the preset value; the core processing unit is also used to identify the face brightness information in the driver's face image, and send an anti-glare deactivation signal to the electrochromic unit when the glare value is less than the preset value and the face brightness is lower than the preset brightness; The electrochromic unit performs a color change response according to the anti-glare activation signal or anti-glare deactivation signal sent by the core processing unit; The core processing unit is provided with a second input end, and the second input end is connected with an ambient light sensing unit. The ambient light sensing unit is used to acquire the light intensity signal of the ambient light source and output it to the core processing unit.

7. The anti-glare system for an automotive rearview mirror according to claim 6, wherein, The image acquisition unit is built into the rearview mirror, and the image acquisition unit is blocked by the lens coating.

8. An anti-glare system for a vehicle rearview mirror according to claim 6, wherein, The halo information includes at least one of halo size, halo brightness, and halo position.

9. The anti-glare system for an automotive rearview mirror according to claim 6, wherein The core processing unit is further configured to calculate an anti-glare level according to the halo information, the anti-glare activation signal includes the anti-glare level information, and the electrochromic unit activates a corresponding level of color change response according to the anti-glare level information.

10. A vehicle rearview mirror anti-glare system according to any one of claims 6-9, characterized in that, The electrochromic unit includes an electrochromic lens, which includes a first lens layer, an electrochromic layer, a conductive layer, a seal, and a second lens layer.

11. An anti-glare rearview mirror having an automotive rearview mirror anti-glare system according to any one of claims 6-10.

Images