Adaptive Headlight Margin Control for Distant Vehicles

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vehicle headlight control devices set constant margin distances from the headlight illumination regions to the lateral ends of a forward vehicle, regardless of the distance between vehicles, leading to reduced visibility for drivers when the forward vehicle is distant, as the ratio of margin distance to vehicle width increases, causing inadequate illumination and potential glare issues.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle headlight control device that adjusts the light distribution based on the distance from the driver's vehicle to the forward vehicle, reducing the margin distance as the distance increases, and determines the margin distance based on vehicle information and relative positional deviations to optimize illumination and reduce glare.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If constant margin distance is set from headlight illumination regions to lateral ends of forward vehicle, then glare prevention is improved, but visibility for distant forward vehicle becomes worse

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveglare preventionVSAvoidvisibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the margin distance variable rather than constant. The control device dynamically adjusts the margin distance based on the detected distance to the forward vehicle, allowing the illumination region boundary to move closer to the forward vehicle when it is distant, thereby improving visibility while maintaining glare prevention when the vehicle is close

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of margin distance based on the distance to the forward vehicle. When the forward vehicle is detected at a greater distance, the margin distance is reduced, allowing the illumination region to extend closer to the forward vehicle's lateral ends, thus improving visibility without causing glare

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If margin distance ratio (m/W2) is increased for distant forward vehicle, then glare prevention is improved, but illumination coverage of persons near forward vehicle becomes insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveglare preventionVSAvoidillumination coverage
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the margin distance adaptive by detecting the distance to the forward vehicle and adjusting the margin distance accordingly. This dynamic adjustment ensures that the margin distance ratio is optimized for each scenario, preventing glare when the vehicle is close while maintaining sufficient illumination coverage when the vehicle is distant

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3061653B1Vehicle headlight control device
Publication Date: 2021.09.29 TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
  • EP3061653B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3061653B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3061653B1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)~3(b)

AI summary

A vehicle headlight control device (1) that controls a light distribution of headlight (30), includes: an obtaining section (10) that obtains a distance (d1, d2) from a driver's vehicle to a forward vehicle (201, 203) and the position of a forward vehicle (201, 203); and a light distribution control section that changes the light distribution of the headlight (30) based on the position of the forward vehicle (201, 203), and set an illumination region, and a non-illumination region provided in a vicinity of the forward vehicle (201, 203) so as to include the forward vehicle (201, 203) and a margin distance (m1, m2) from an end of a body of the forward vehicle (201, 203). The light distribution control section (20) determines a distance (m1, m2), in a vehicle width direction, between: a boundary between the illumination region and the non-illumination region; and each of left and right lateral ends of the forward vehicle, such that the greater the distance (d1, d2) is, the less the distance (m1, m2) in the vehicle width direction is.