Motor Vehicle Lighting Device Beam Stabilization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Vehicle vibrations and changes in position destabilize the beam light distribution of motor vehicle headlights, necessitating a solution to stabilize the light beam projection onto the roadway.

Innovation Solution

A lighting device with a first calculation unit, a second calculation unit, and a correction unit that determines a first image stream and a correction value based on vehicle data, generating a second image stream with a higher correction rate than the frame rate, allowing for stabilization of the light beam distribution by selecting areas within individual images and emitting a light beam distribution using a pixel light arrangement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If the frame rate of the first image stream is increased to improve stabilization responsiveness, then the latency in generating and buffering the image stream increases, but this limits the correction rate and reduces stabilization effectiveness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveframe rateVSAvoidlatency
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the image processing into two distinct streams: a first image stream generated at a lower frame rate for stability, and a second image stream derived by selecting areas from the first stream at a higher correction rate. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high correction rates without being constrained by the frame rate limitations and associated latencies of generating and buffering complete high-rate image streams.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The correction unit extracts only the necessary selection areas from the first image stream frames to create the second image stream. By taking out only the required portions rather than processing complete frames at high rates, the system achieves high correction rates while minimizing the latency and computational burden associated with generating and buffering full high-frame-rate image streams.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Measurement precision

If the image resolution of the first image stream is increased to improve stabilization precision, then the data processing load increases, but this complicates the generation and buffering process

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestabilization precisionVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by maintaining high resolution only in the selection areas that are actually used for stabilization, rather than processing and buffering entire high-resolution frames. The correction unit selects and processes only the relevant portions of the first image stream at high resolution, reducing the overall data processing load and buffering requirements while preserving the necessary stabilization precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If the correction rate is increased to improve light distribution stability, then the update rate of the emitted light distribution is limited by the frame rate, but this reduces stabilization effectiveness

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight distribution stabilityVSAvoidcorrection rate
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The first image stream is generated in advance at a lower frame rate, and the correction unit then rapidly selects areas from these pre-generated frames to create the second image stream at a high correction rate. This preliminary action of generating the base image stream beforehand allows the system to achieve high correction rates for stabilization without being limited by the frame rate of generating complete high-speed image streams.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The second image stream is created as a derived copy of the first image stream by selecting specific areas from it. This copying approach allows the system to generate the correction data at a high rate without the full computational and buffering overhead of generating an independent high-frame-rate image stream, thereby improving correction rate while maintaining light distribution stability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP3689679B1Method and lighting device for a motor vehicle
Publication Date: 2021.10.13 MARELLI GERMANY GMBH
  • EP3689679B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3689679B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3689679B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A method for operating a lighting device (2) of a motor vehicle is provided, the method comprising: determining a first image stream with a frame rate depending on first vehicle data by means of a first computing unit (4), determining at least one correction value with a correction rate which is greater than the frame rate, depending on second vehicle data by means of a second computing unit (6), and determining a second image stream depending on the determined first image stream and depending on the at least one determined correction value by means of a correction unit (8).