Vehicle Interior Lighting With Gaze-Based Active Focus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automotive interior lighting systems are cumbersome to control, often resulting in inefficient illumination due to manual operation and the need for multiple light sources, which can cause glare and fail to adapt optimally to the occupant's dark adaptation needs.
Innovation Solution
An active interior light system that adjusts light sources based on the occupant's gaze direction, using a video camera or sensor to identify the area of interest and dynamically adjust brightness levels of light sources, with the ability to learn individual preferences and automatically control light activation to avoid glare and maintain dark adaptation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple light sources are deployed to cover different regions, then illumination coverage is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple light sources into a single adjustable spotlight that can dynamically change its illumination direction and area. Instead of deploying multiple fixed light sources to cover different regions, one spotlight merges their functions by rotating to illuminate different areas sequentially based on occupant gaze, thereby reducing the total number of light sources while maintaining comprehensive coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The spotlight is designed with dynamic adjustment capabilities, allowing it to rotate and change its beam direction in real-time based on occupant gaze tracking. This dynamic behavior enables a single light source to cover multiple regions that would otherwise require multiple static light sources, resolving the contradiction between coverage area and device complexity.
2Area of stationary object
If flood lighting is used to illuminate larger areas, then illumination coverage is improved, but harmful factors increase due to glare and distraction
Solution Approach 1:
The spotlight provides localized illumination by concentrating light in a focused beam directed at specific areas based on occupant gaze. Instead of flooding the entire cabin with light, the spotlight delivers targeted illumination only to the region the occupant is looking at, thereby improving coverage where needed while minimizing glare and distraction in other areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The spotlight dynamically adjusts its beam direction and illumination area in real-time based on tracked occupant gaze. This dynamic focusing capability allows the system to provide adequate coverage by redirecting the focused beam to different locations, eliminating the need for continuous flood lighting and thereby reducing glare and distraction while maintaining necessary illumination coverage.
3Illumination intensity
If interior lights are activated under dark ambient conditions, then visibility is improved, but dark adaptation recovery is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The spotlight applies partial illumination by providing focused light only in the specific area the occupant is looking at, rather than illuminating the entire cabin. This partial action provides sufficient visibility for the occupant's immediate field of view while minimizing overall light exposure, thereby allowing dark adaptation recovery to proceed more effectively compared to full-cabin flood lighting.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides localized illumination precisely where the occupant needs it (in the direction of gaze) while leaving other areas in relative darkness. This local quality approach maintains visibility in the critical viewing area without subjecting the occupant's eyes to excessive light that would impede dark adaptation recovery, thus resolving the contradiction between visibility and adaptation reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of light sources are mounted in a vehicular passenger cabin. Each light source illuminates a respective illumination zone with a midpoint. Each light source is configured to illuminate at a plurality of brightness levels up to a full brightness. A gaze tracker monitors an occupant cabin to detect a gaze point. A controller responds to an illumination request from the occupant to actuate at least two light sources to illuminate the passenger cabin at the gaze point. The controller uses the gaze point to select a respective brightness level for each light source based on a proximity of the gaze point to respective midpoints of the illumination zones. At least a first one of the actuated light sources with a midpoint closer to the gaze point provides a higher brightness level than a second one of the actuated light sources with a midpoint farther from the gaze point.