Adaptive Headlight Frame-Region for Object Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adaptive headlight systems struggle to effectively draw the driver's attention to critical objects at night due to low contrast sensitivity, and may dazzle oncoming drivers or animals, increasing the risk of accidents.
Innovation Solution
The adaptive headlight system generates a frame-region around detected objects with reduced illumination compared to the surrounding scene, creating a high contrast that directs the driver's attention without dazzling, using an object-detection system to outline objects with a darkened frame-region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If spot-beam illumination is used to highlight critical objects, then object visibility is improved, but the risk of dazzling oncoming drivers or animals increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a frame-region with distinct illumination characteristics (reduced intensity) around detected objects, while the interior of the frame maintains normal illumination. This localized differentiation allows the object to be highlighted through contrast without exposing surrounding areas (including oncoming drivers or animals) to excessive light intensity, thereby resolving the contradiction between object visibility and dazzling risk.
2Illumination intensity
If illumination intensity is increased to improve object detection, then contrast sensitivity is enhanced, but the risk of dazzling others increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a localized frame-region with reduced illumination intensity that outlines the detected object. This local modification provides contrast enhancement for object detection without increasing overall illumination intensity, thereby avoiding the dazzling of oncoming drivers or animals while maintaining improved object visibility.
3Illumination intensity
If the entire scene is illuminated uniformly, then overall visibility is maintained, but critical objects do not stand out sufficiently for driver attention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a frame-region with reduced illumination intensity that outlines detected objects. This local differentiation in illumination quality causes critical objects to stand out through contrast against the darker frame, directing driver attention to important objects while maintaining overall scene visibility through the preserved interior illumination and surrounding light.
Data Source
AI summary
An adaptive headlight system for a vehicle uses an adaptive headlight controller which controls one or more headlights so as to illuminate a scene visible to a vehicle driver. The controller causes the headlights to generate a frame-region within the scene which outlines an object detected by an object-detection system carried by the vehicle. The frame-region is illuminated at a reduced level relative to the areas of the scene inside and outside the frame-region, thereby creating a dark/light contrast, visible to the driver, between the frame-region and the scene. If the object-detecting system indicates that the object is a living being, the frame-region is located to cover a head of the living being so as to avoid visually dazzling the being.