Vehicle light system and active light adjusting method for a vehicle light system
By employing zone division and sensor control in the vehicle lighting system, the problems of heat accumulation and complex algorithms in LED vehicle lights have been solved, resulting in a simplified heat dissipation system and an easy active lighting adjustment method, thus reducing costs.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- WISTRON CORP
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-09
AI Technical Summary
Existing LED vehicle lights suffer from severe heat accumulation, requiring complex cooling systems. Furthermore, the lighting algorithm for adaptive headlights is overly complex, necessitating the inspection of the field of view of each individual LED.
The design employs a partitioning of light-emitting element areas on the substrate. The first area faces oncoming traffic, while the second and third areas correspond to oncoming traffic. The spacing between the light-emitting elements gradually increases. Combined with sensors, the system determines whether traffic objects are within the shadow area and reduces or turns off the corresponding light-emitting elements.
It reduces heat buildup, simplifies the design of the heat dissipation system, lowers costs, and simplifies the active lighting method, avoiding complex lighting algorithms.
Smart Images
Figure CN122170376A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to a light source system and a method for adjusting the lamp thereon, and more particularly to a vehicle lighting system and an active lamp adjustment method for the vehicle lighting system. Background Technology
[0002] Current LED automotive lights use densely packed LED chips, with different current values applied to different areas of the chips to produce different light patterns. However, the high current and the close spacing of the LEDs can accumulate heat, requiring a more complex cooling system to cope with this.
[0003] Furthermore, current adaptive driving beam systems (ADBS) use an algorithm that calculates the position of the vehicle ahead and compares it to the field of view of each LED's effective illumination range. Once the vehicle ahead is within the field of view of an LED's effective illumination range, that LED is turned off. However, this method is overly complex, requiring the checking of the field of view of each LED individually to determine whether to turn off the light. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The present invention provides a vehicle lighting system that has less severe heat accumulation and does not require a complex heat dissipation system.
[0005] This invention provides an active headlight adjustment method for vehicle lighting systems, which is relatively simple and uncomplicated.
[0006] One embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle lighting system including a substrate and a plurality of light-emitting elements. The substrate has a first region, a second region, and a third region, wherein the first region corresponds to the direction of oncoming vehicles, the second region and the third region correspond to the direction of vehicles traveling in the same direction, and the second region is located above the third region. The light-emitting elements are disposed on the substrate and distributed in the first, second, and third regions, wherein the spacing between the plurality of light-emitting elements in the first region is greater than the spacing between the plurality of light-emitting elements in the second region, and the spacing between the plurality of light-emitting elements in the second region is greater than the spacing between the plurality of light-emitting elements in the third region.
[0007] An embodiment of the present invention provides an active lighting adjustment method for a vehicle lighting system, comprising: providing a vehicle lighting system, wherein the vehicle lighting system includes a plurality of light-emitting elements and a sensor; using the sensor to sense at least one traffic object in front; and determining, by means of a sensing signal generated by the sensor, whether the traffic object falls within the shadow area generated by at least a portion of the light-emitting elements when they are turned off, and in response to the traffic object falling within the shadow area generated by at least a portion of the light-emitting elements when they are turned off, reducing the brightness of at least a portion of the light-emitting elements or turning off at least a portion of the light-emitting elements.
[0008] In the vehicle lighting system of this invention, the spacing between multiple light-emitting elements in the first zone is greater than the spacing between multiple light-emitting elements in the second zone, and the spacing between multiple light-emitting elements in the second zone is greater than the spacing between multiple light-emitting elements in the third zone. This design results in a less dense arrangement of light-emitting elements, leading to less severe heat accumulation. Therefore, the vehicle lighting system of this invention does not require a complex heat dissipation system, thus achieving a simpler architecture and lower cost. In the active lighting adjustment method for the vehicle lighting system of this invention, a sensing signal generated by a sensor determines whether a traffic object falls within the shadow area created by at least a portion of these light-emitting elements when they are turned off, thereby determining which light-emitting elements should have their brightness reduced or turned off. Therefore, the active lighting adjustment method for the vehicle lighting system of this invention is simpler and less complex. Attached Figure Description
[0009] Figure 1 This is a rear view schematic diagram of a substrate and a light-emitting element according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0010] Figure 2 This is a top view schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between a car equipped with a vehicle lighting system according to an embodiment of the present invention and an oncoming vehicle.
[0011] Figure 3 Draw Figure 1 A diagram showing the relationship between the shadow area of the light-emitting element and the traffic objects in front.
[0012] Figures 4A to 4C Draw Figure 1 A diagram showing the relationship between the shadow area of another embodiment of the light-emitting element and the positions of the three traffic objects in front.
[0013] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of the light-emitting element and the shadow area.
[0014] Figure 6A Draw traffic objects relative to Figure 2 The coordinates of the sensor.
[0015] Figure 6B Draw traffic objects relative to Figure 2 The coordinates of the light-emitting element.
[0016] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of an active headlight adjustment method for a vehicle lighting system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0017] Figure 8 and Figure 9 for Figure 2 The calibration flowchart for the vehicle lighting system.
[0018] The reference numerals in the attached figures are explained as follows:
[0019] 60: Oncoming vehicle
[0020] 70: Transportation objects
[0021] 100: Headlight System
[0022] 110: Substrate
[0023] 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125: Light-emitting elements
[0024] 130: Sensor
[0025] 140: Controller
[0026] A1: Zone 1
[0027] A2: Second District
[0028] A3: Third District
[0029] G1, G2, G3: Spacing
[0030] GP, GPA: gap
[0031] SH1, SH1A, SH1B: Shaded areas
[0032] (R,Φ,Θ) :coordinate
[0033] S110~S160, S210~S260, S310~S330: Steps Detailed Implementation
[0034] Figure 1 This is a rear view schematic diagram of the substrate and light-emitting element according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a top view schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between a car equipped with a lighting system according to an embodiment of the present invention and an oncoming vehicle. Please refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 2 The vehicle lighting system 100 of this embodiment includes a substrate 110 and a plurality of light-emitting elements 120, which are disposed on the substrate 110. Figure 1This is a rear view taken from the back side of substrate 110. Normally, substrate 110 would obscure the light-emitting elements 120. However, to clearly show the position of these light-emitting elements 120, substrate 110 is depicted as dashed lines and is transparent. The light emitted by these light-emitting elements 120 is directed forward (in the direction of entering the view in the figure). The substrate has a first region A1, a second region A2, and a third region A3, where the first region A1 corresponds to the direction of an oncoming vehicle 60. In areas where vehicles travel on the right side of the road, the first region A1 is located on the left side of substrate 110, such as... Figure 1 As shown in the illustration. Conversely, in areas where vehicles travel on the left side of the road, the first zone A1 is located on the right side of the substrate 110. The second zone A2 and the third zone A3 correspond to the same direction as the forward-moving vehicle, with the second zone A2 located above the third zone A3.
[0035] These light-emitting elements 120 are distributed in a first region A1, a second region A2, and a third region A3. The spacing G1 between the multiple light-emitting elements 120 in the first region A1 is greater than the spacing G2 between the multiple light-emitting elements 120 in the second region A2, and the spacing G2 between the multiple light-emitting elements 120 in the second region A2 is greater than the spacing G3 between the multiple light-emitting elements 120 in the third region A3. This design is because it is less necessary to project high-intensity light onto oncoming vehicles 60, and the intensity of light illuminating the ground in front of the vehicle is generally higher than the intensity of light illuminating the area above the vehicle. Furthermore, the arrangement of the light-emitting elements 120 in this design is less dense, resulting in less severe heat accumulation. Therefore, the vehicle lighting system 100 of this embodiment does not require a complex heat dissipation system, thus achieving a simpler architecture and lower cost.
[0036] In this embodiment, the light-emitting element 120 is, for example, a light-emitting diode, and the substrate 110 is, for example, a circuit board, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
[0037] Figure 3 Draw Figure 1 The diagram shows the relationship between the shadow area of the light-emitting element and the traffic objects in front. Figures 4A to 4C Draw Figure 1 A diagram showing the relationship between the shadow area of another embodiment of the light-emitting element and the positions of the three traffic objects in front. Please refer to... Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figures 4A to 4CIn this embodiment, the vehicle lighting system 100 further includes a sensor 130 and a controller 140. The sensor 130 is used to sense at least one traffic object 70 in front. In this embodiment, the sensor 130 is, for example, a camera. The controller 140 is electrically connected to the light-emitting elements 120 and the sensor 130, and is used to determine whether the traffic object 70 falls within the shadow area SH1 generated by at least a portion of the light-emitting elements 120 when it is turned off, based on the sensing signal transmitted from the sensor 130. In response to the traffic object 70 falling within the shadow area SH1 generated by at least a portion of the light-emitting elements 120 when it is turned off, the controller 140 reduces the brightness of at least a portion of the light-emitting elements 120 or turns off at least a portion of the light-emitting elements 120. That is, when the controller 140 determines that the traffic object 70 falls within the shadow area SH1 generated by at least a portion of the light-emitting elements 120 when it is turned off, the controller 140 reduces the brightness of at least a portion of the light-emitting elements 120 or turns off at least a portion of the light-emitting elements 120.
[0038] For example, such as Figure 3 As illustrated, when the field of view of the light-emitting element 120 is relatively narrow, the illumination areas of these light-emitting elements 120 do not partially overlap. Therefore, the shadow areas SH1 generated by these light-emitting elements 120 when they are turned off will overlap (i.e., partially overlap). When the sensor 130 detects that the traffic object 70 falls within the shadow area SH1 corresponding to the light-emitting element 121, the controller 140 reduces the brightness of the light-emitting element 121 or turns off the light-emitting element 121 to avoid excessively bright illumination affecting the driving of the traffic object 70 (e.g., oncoming vehicles). Figures 4A to 4C As illustrated, when the field of view of the light-emitting element 120 is relatively wide, the illumination areas of these light-emitting elements 120 overlap with each other (i.e., partially overlap), resulting in discontinuities in the shadow area SH1 produced by these light-emitting elements 120 when they are turned off (e.g., ...). Figure 5 (As shown). Furthermore, as... Figure 4A As illustrated, the traffic object 70 falls simultaneously within the shadow area SH1 corresponding to the light-emitting elements 121 and 122. Therefore, the controller 140 reduces the brightness of both light-emitting elements 121 and 122, or turns both light-emitting elements 121 and 122 off. Similarly, in Figure 4B In this process, controller 140 needs to reduce the brightness of light-emitting elements 122, 123, and 124, or turn off light-emitting elements 122, 123, and 124. And... Figure 4C In the case where multiple traffic objects 70 cover all the shadow areas SH1 of all light-emitting elements 120, the controller 140 reduces the brightness of all light-emitting elements 120 or turns off all light-emitting elements 120.
[0039] In one embodiment, the controller 140 is further configured to respond to the traffic object 70 falling within the shadow area SH1 generated by at least a portion of these light-emitting elements 120 when they are turned off, by reducing the brightness of at least one adjacent light-emitting element 120 or turning off at least one adjacent light-emitting element 120, wherein the at least one adjacent light-emitting element 120 is adjacent to this at least portion of the light-emitting elements 120. For example, in Figure 3 In this example, controller 140 can further reduce the brightness of adjacent light-emitting elements 122 or turn off adjacent light-emitting elements 122. Figure 4A In this example, the controller 140 can further reduce the brightness of adjacent light-emitting elements 123 or turn off adjacent light-emitting elements 123. And... Figure 4B In this example, the controller 140 can further reduce the brightness of adjacent light-emitting elements 121 and 125 or turn off adjacent light-emitting elements 121 and 125.
[0040] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of the light-emitting element and the shadow area. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 5 The controller 140 is used to determine, via sensing signals from the sensor 130, whether the traffic object 70 falls within the gap GP between the shadow areas SH1 generated by at least a portion of the light-emitting elements 120 when they are turned off. In response to the traffic object 70 falling within the gap GP between the shadow areas SH1 generated by at least a portion of the light-emitting elements 120 when they are turned off, the controller reduces the brightness of at least a portion of the light-emitting elements 120 corresponding to the shadow areas SH1 on both sides of the gap GP or turns off at least a portion of the light-emitting elements 120 corresponding to the shadow areas SH1 on both sides of the gap GP. For example, in Figure 5 In the diagram, multiple shaded areas SH1 are discontinuous, and gaps GP exist between adjacent shaded areas SH1. When the traffic object 70 falls... Figure 5 When the gap GPA is in the middle, the controller 140 can reduce the two light-emitting elements 120 corresponding to the shadow areas SH1A and SH1B on both sides.
[0041] Figure 6A Draw traffic objects relative to Figure 2 The coordinates of the sensor, and Figure 6B Draw traffic objects relative to Figure 2 The coordinates of the light-emitting element. Please refer to... Figure 2 , Figure 6A and Figure 6B The controller 140 is used to process the traffic objects detected by the sensor 130. Figure 6A and Figure 6BThe coordinates (R, Φ, Θ) of the oncoming vehicle 60 are converted into the coordinates of the traffic object relative to these light-emitting elements 120. Then it is determined whether the traffic object falls within the shadow area SH1 generated by at least a portion of these light-emitting elements 120 when they are turned off.
[0042] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the active headlight adjustment method for a vehicle lighting system according to the present invention. Please refer to... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 7 The active headlight adjustment method for vehicle lighting systems in this embodiment can utilize... Figure 1 and Figure 2 The method is performed by the vehicle lighting system 100, which includes providing the vehicle lighting system 100 and the aforementioned controller 130.
[0043] In the active headlight adjustment method for a vehicle lighting system of this embodiment, the sensor 130 determines whether a traffic object 70 falls within the shadow area SH1 generated by at least a portion of the light-emitting elements 120 when they are turned off, based on the sensing signal generated by the sensor 130. This determines which light-emitting elements 120 should have their brightness reduced or be turned off. Therefore, the active headlight adjustment method for a vehicle lighting system of this embodiment is relatively simple and uncomplicated.
[0044] For example, first, in step S110, the controller 130 turns on all the light-emitting elements 120. Next, in step S120, the controller 130 determines whether there is a traffic object 70 in front by means of the sensing signal transmitted by the sensor 130. If not, it returns to step S110; if yes, it continues to execute step S130.
[0045] Step S130 calculates the left and right boundary angles of each traffic object 70 for the controller 130. Then, step S140 is executed, which determines whether the traffic object 70 falls within the shadow area SH1 of the light-emitting element 120. If yes, step S150 is executed. Step S150 reduces the brightness of the corresponding light-emitting element 120 or turns off the corresponding light-emitting element 120. If the result of step S140 is no, step S160 is executed, which determines whether the traffic object 70 falls within the gap GP between the shadow areas SH1. If yes, step S150 is executed, where the corresponding light-emitting element 120 refers to the light-emitting element 120 corresponding to the shadow areas SH1 on both sides of the gap GP. If the result of step S160 is no, the process returns to step S110.
[0046] Figure 8 and Figure 9 for Figure 2 The calibration flowchart for the vehicle lighting system is provided. The vehicle lighting system 100 in this embodiment can be pre-calibrated before leaving the factory or before use. Figure 8 and Figure 9 Please refer to the procedure for correction. Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 8 First, step S210 is executed, in which the light-emitting elements 120 are turned off in turn, and an image of the shadow area SH1 in front of the headlight system 100 is captured. Next, step S220 is executed, in which the captured image undergoes pre-processing and image enhancement, such as adjusting white balance or brightness compensation. Then, step S230 is executed, in which the color image is converted to a grayscale image (i.e., a grayscale image), and then the grayscale image is further binarized, and the width of the shadow area SH1 is determined using the binarized image. Finally, step S240 is executed, in which the Cartesian coordinates of the shadow area SH1 are converted to angular coordinates. Then, step S250 is executed to determine whether the angle calculation of the shadow areas SH1 of all light-emitting elements 120 has been completed. If yes, step S260 is executed, which stores multiple angular coordinates of the multiple shadow areas SH1 corresponding to these light-emitting elements 120 (e.g., stored in a memory electrically connected to the controller 140) so that the controller 140 can determine whether the traffic object 70 falls on the shadow area SH1 generated by at least a portion of these light-emitting elements 120 when they are turned off. If the determination result of step S250 is no, the process returns to step S210 to turn off the next or the next group of light-emitting elements 120.
[0047] Please refer to again Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 9 Then, step S310 can be executed, which loads the angles of the shadow areas SH1 of all light-emitting elements 120. Next, step S320 is executed to identify discontinuous shadow areas SH1 and the angular coordinate range of the gaps GP between the discontinuous shadow areas SH1. Then, step S330 is executed, which stores the light-emitting elements 120 corresponding to the discontinuous shadow areas SH1 and their angular coordinate ranges, to determine whether the traffic object 70 falls within the gaps GP between the shadow areas SH1 generated when at least a portion of these light-emitting elements 120 are turned off.
[0048] In one embodiment, the controller 140 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable controller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or other similar devices or combinations thereof, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the functions of the controller 140 may be implemented as multiple program codes. These program codes are stored in a memory and executed by the controller 140. Alternatively, in one embodiment, the functions of the controller 140 may be implemented as one or more circuits. The present invention does not limit the implementation of the functions of the controller 140 in software or hardware.
Claims
1. A vehicle lighting system, comprising: A substrate has a first region, a second region, and a third region, wherein the first region corresponds to the direction of an oncoming vehicle, the second region and the third region correspond to the direction of a vehicle traveling in the same direction, and the second region is located above the third region; and Multiple light-emitting elements are disposed on the substrate and distributed in the first region, the second region and the third region, wherein the spacing between the multiple light-emitting elements in the first region is greater than the spacing between the multiple light-emitting elements in the second region, and the spacing between the multiple light-emitting elements in the second region is greater than the spacing between the multiple light-emitting elements in the third region.
2. The vehicle lighting system as described in claim 1, further comprising: A sensor for sensing at least one traffic object ahead; as well as A controller is electrically connected to the plurality of light-emitting elements and the sensor, and is used to determine, by means of a sensing signal transmitted from the sensor, whether the traffic object falls within the shadow area generated by at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements when they are turned off, and to reduce the brightness of at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements or turn off the at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements in response to the traffic object falling within the shadow area generated by at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements when they are turned off.
3. The vehicle lighting system of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to reduce the brightness of at least one adjacent light-emitting element or turn off the at least one adjacent light-emitting element in response to the traffic object falling in the shadow area generated by the at least portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements when it is turned off, wherein the at least one adjacent light-emitting element is adjacent to the at least portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements.
4. The vehicle lighting system as described in claim 1, further comprising: A sensor for sensing at least one traffic object ahead; as well as A controller is electrically connected to the plurality of light-emitting elements and the sensor, and is used to determine, by means of a sensing signal transmitted from the sensor, whether the traffic object falls within the gap between the shadow areas generated by at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements when they are turned off, and is used to, in response to the traffic object falling within the gap between the shadow areas generated by at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements when they are turned off, reduce the brightness of at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements corresponding to the shadow areas on both sides of the gap or turn off the at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements corresponding to the shadow areas on both sides of the gap.
5. The vehicle lighting system of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to convert the coordinates of the traffic object measured by the sensor into the coordinates of the traffic object relative to the plurality of light-emitting elements, and thereby determine whether the traffic object falls within the shadow area generated by at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements when they are turned off.
6. An active headlight adjustment method for a vehicle lighting system, comprising: A vehicle lighting system is provided, wherein the vehicle lighting system includes multiple light-emitting elements and a sensor; The sensor is used to detect at least one traffic object in front; as well as The sensor determines whether the traffic object falls within the shadow area generated by at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements when they are turned off, and in response to the traffic object falling within the shadow area generated by at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements when they are turned off, the brightness of at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements is reduced or the at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements is turned off.
7. The active headlight adjustment method for a vehicle lighting system as described in claim 6, further comprising: In response to the traffic object falling into the shadow area generated by at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements when they are turned off, the brightness of at least one adjacent light-emitting element is reduced or the at least one adjacent light-emitting element is turned off, wherein the at least one adjacent light-emitting element is adjacent to the at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements.
8. The active headlight adjustment method for a vehicle lighting system as described in claim 6, further comprising: The sensor determines whether the traffic object falls within the gap between the shadow areas generated by at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements when they are turned off, based on the sensing signal transmitted by the sensor. In response to the traffic object falling within the gap between the shadow areas generated by at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements when they are turned off, the brightness of at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements corresponding to the shadow areas on both sides of the gap is reduced or the at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements corresponding to the shadow areas on both sides of the gap is turned off.
9. The active headlight adjustment method for a vehicle lighting system as described in claim 6, further comprising: The coordinates of the traffic object measured by the sensor are converted into the coordinates of the traffic object relative to the plurality of light-emitting elements, thereby determining whether the traffic object falls within the shadow area generated by at least a portion of the plurality of light-emitting elements when they are turned off.
10. The active headlight adjustment method for a vehicle lighting system as described in claim 6, further comprising: The multiple light-emitting elements were turned off in turn, and images of the shadowed area in front of the vehicle's lighting system were captured. Convert the rectangular coordinates of the shaded area to angular coordinates; as well as Store multiple angular coordinates of multiple shadow areas corresponding to the multiple light-emitting elements, so as to determine whether the traffic object falls within the shadow area generated by at least a portion of the multiple light-emitting elements when they are turned off.
11. The active headlight adjustment method for a vehicle lighting system as described in claim 10, further comprising: Identify discontinuous shaded areas; Find the range of angular coordinates for the gaps between the discontinuous shaded areas; as well as The corresponding light-emitting element and the angular coordinate range of the discontinuous shadow area are stored to determine whether the traffic object falls in the gap between the shadow areas generated by at least a portion of the multiple light-emitting elements when they are turned off.