SLM Controller Bit Plane Generation for Headlight Memory Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spatial light modulator (SLM) controllers for adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlights are costly and require significant memory to store full headlight frames, which hinders efficient operation and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
A bit plane generation component within an SLM controller generates bit planes in parallel, reducing memory requirements by projecting only the necessary bits of a headlight frame, eliminating the need for a graphics processing unit and lowering costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If full headlight frames are stored in memory, then complete image data is available for projection, but memory requirements and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the headlight frame into multiple bit planes (e.g., 8 bit planes for 8-bit grayscale). Each bit plane contains only the bits at the same position from all pixels, representing a specific intensity level. This segmentation allows the system to process and store bit planes separately, reducing the need to store complete pixel data and enabling more efficient memory utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the traditional 2D spatial representation of image data into a 3D structure by adding the bit plane dimension. Instead of storing images as 2D pixel arrays, the system organizes data as multiple 2D bit plane matrices stacked along the bit depth dimension. This dimensional transformation enables parallel processing of bits across different spatial positions and facilitates more compact memory storage.
2Manufacturing precision
If graphics processing units are used to generate headlight frames, then high-quality image processing is achieved, but hardware costs and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential functionality required for headlight projection by directly generating bit planes from headlight commands without requiring a full graphics processing pipeline. The system takes out only the necessary bit plane generation capability from the broader GPU functionality, implementing a simplified controller that directly produces the bit plane data needed for SLM operation, thereby reducing hardware complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive, complex graphics processing hardware with a simpler, purpose-built controller design. Instead of using costly GPUs with extensive processing capabilities, the system employs a dedicated bit plane generation component that performs only the specific function needed for headlight control. This substitution with a simpler, task-specific device reduces hardware costs while maintaining adequate performance for the application.
3Productivity
If bit generation pipelines operate in parallel, then processing speed and productivity increase, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the bit plane generation process into multiple parallel pipelines, each responsible for generating a specific bit plane. This segmentation of the processing task into independent parallel units enables simultaneous generation of multiple bit planes, significantly improving throughput. Each pipeline operates independently on its assigned bit plane, allowing the system to generate complete headlight frames faster while keeping individual pipeline complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller is provided that includes a bit plane generation component and a processor configured to receive one or more headlight commands and to configure the bit plane generation component to generate bit planes of a headlight frame responsive to the one or more headlight commands, wherein the bit plane generation component includes bit generation pipelines configured to operate in parallel to generate respective bits of consecutive bits of a bit plane of the headlight frame.