Vehicle Headlight Segmentation for Glare and Resolution Trade-offs

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing headlight devices for motor vehicles lack an intuitive and reliable method to dynamically adjust the illumination of different areas around the vehicle, which can distract drivers and potentially blind other road users, especially in dynamic lighting conditions.

Innovation Solution

A headlight device with adjustable light segments, where the number of luminous points can be set based on various parameters such as driving characteristics, brightness, and road conditions, allowing for flexible adjustment of illuminated areas and resolution to provide clear visual feedback to the driver without diverting attention from the road.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If the number of luminous points per light segment is increased to provide larger illuminated areas, then the illumination coverage is improved, but the resolution of the headlight device decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveilluminated areaVSAvoidresolution
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The headlight device divides the total set of luminous points into multiple light segments, where each segment can be independently controlled. This segmentation allows the system to provide both large illuminated areas (by activating multiple segments) and maintain high resolution (by using sufficient luminous points within each segment), thus resolving the contradiction between area coverage and resolution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If dynamic lighting modes are activated to adapt to changing road conditions, then the adaptability is improved, but the driver may be distracted by visual feedback

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedynamic lighting adaptationVSAvoiddriver attention
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different illumination characteristics to different spatial regions through controlled light segments. By selectively activating specific segments based on detected road conditions, the system provides localized illumination adjustments that adapt to changing environments without creating distracting visual changes across the entire field of view, thus maintaining driver attention while improving adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Illumination intensity

If high illumination intensity is provided to improve visibility, then the visibility is improved, but glare is generated for other road users

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovevisibilityVSAvoidglare
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

By dividing the illumination into separate controllable light segments, the system can selectively activate only the segments necessary for the current driving situation. This allows high illumination intensity to be provided in specific directions or areas where it is needed for visibility, while keeping other segments inactive to avoid creating glare for other road users, thus resolving the contradiction between visibility and glare reduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3088249B1Method for operating a headlamp device and headlamp device of a motor vehicle
Publication Date: 2020.05.06 AUDI AG
  • EP3088249B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for operating a headlight device (1) for a motor vehicle (4), wherein the headlight device (1) comprises several lighting segments (Aij, A'ij) with an adjustable number of luminous points (2) for illuminating different areas (Bij, B'ij) of an environment (3) of the motor vehicle (4), with a setting parameter being provided, and the number of luminous points (2) belonging to the respective lighting segments (A) and thus switching together for activating or deactivating the lighting segment (Aij, A'ij) being set by the headlight device (1) depending on the setting parameter, in order to provide information about the functionality of the headlight device (1) for a motor vehicle (4) with several lighting segments (Aij, A'ij) for illuminating respective different areas (Bij, B'ij) of the environment (3) of the motor vehicle (4) in an intuitive and safe manner.