Adaptive Headlight Beam Control for Motorcycle Leaning Turns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles, particularly motorcycles, face challenges in maintaining optimal visibility and sensor alignment during leaning maneuvers, as headlights and sensors are sub-optimally positioned, leading to reduced visibility and inefficient use of electrical resources.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive lighting system that adjusts headlight beams and sensor orientations based on the vehicle's lean angle, using a controller and sensors to selectively illuminate adaptive elements and adjust the focal point of the headlight, ensuring better road visibility and efficient energy use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the vehicle leans during a turn, then the vehicle can navigate the turn, but the headlights and sensors become misaligned and illuminate in sub-optimal directions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the lighting system and sensors movable rather than fixed. The housing is coupled to the vehicle frame allowing it to move with the vehicle during leaning, while actuators independently adjust the light sources and sensors to maintain proper alignment. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction between turning capability and alignment reliability.
2Illumination intensity
If all light elements are continuously illuminated, then maximum visibility is provided, but electrical resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by selectively illuminating only the portions of the road that need lighting based on vehicle lean angle and position. The controller activates specific light elements (adaptive elements, primary low beam, primary high beam) according to lean angle thresholds, ensuring that light is provided locally where needed rather than uniformly across all elements. This resolves the contradiction between visibility and energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts which light elements are active based on real-time vehicle lean angle and operational mode. The controller continuously monitors lean angle and selectively activates or deactivates light elements to match current driving conditions, providing maximum visibility when needed while conserving energy during normal operation.
3Illumination intensity
If the headlight beam is directed straight ahead, then the road directly in front is illuminated, but the curvature of the road and objects ahead remain less visible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by adjusting the headlight beam direction to compensate for vehicle lean angle. When the vehicle leans into a turn, the lighting system asymmetrically redirects the beam toward the inside of the turn to illuminate the road curvature and objects in that direction. This asymmetric illumination pattern provides better awareness of road geometry and hazards compared to symmetric straight-ahead illumination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from lean angle sensors to continuously adjust headlight beam direction. The controller receives real-time lean angle data and modifies the illumination pattern accordingly, ensuring the light follows the road curvature and provides optimal visibility of upcoming hazards and road geometry.
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting system for a vehicle having a vehicle structure. The vehicle has a vehicle speed sensor generating a vehicle speed signal. The lighting system has a housing and a lens coupled to the housing. The lens has a focal point. The system also has a plurality of light sources generating light and an actuator coupled to the lens. A controller selectively controls the actuator to move the lens relative to the light sources to change the focal point based on the vehicle speed signal.