Vehicle Lighting Luminance Adjustment for Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle lighting systems struggle to maintain optimal visibility in adverse weather conditions, such as fog or high humidity, due to the blurring of vehicle contours and reduced visibility, despite the use of automatic headlight activation based on light and weather conditions.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that adjust the luminance of a vehicle's light beam based on the visual range, incorporating additional parameters like vehicle construction, tire tread depth, and driver conditions, using sensors for temperature, humidity, and video image processing to determine and evaluate visibility, and adjust headlight and rear light intensity accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If automatic headlight activation is used based on light and weather conditions, then headlight switching is automated, but visibility is insufficient in adverse weather conditions due to spray mist blurring vehicle contours
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts lighting parameters (luminance intensity) based on detected environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, visual range) to optimize visibility in adverse weather conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to detect visibility conditions and feeds this information back to the control unit, which then adjusts the luminance of lighting devices accordingly to maintain optimal visibility
2Illumination intensity
If light intensity is increased to improve visibility in adverse weather, then visibility of own vehicle and other vehicles is increased, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system dynamically adjusts luminance intensity based on real-time visibility conditions rather than operating at fixed high intensity, optimizing the balance between visibility and energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes lighting parameters (luminance level) according to environmental conditions, using higher intensity only when visibility conditions deteriorate below thresholds
3Measurement precision
If multiple sensors and evaluation parameters are added to improve visibility optimization, then visibility assessment is more accurate, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs multiple functions: it processes sensor data from temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and video devices, evaluates visibility based on multiple parameters, and controls multiple lighting devices, consolidating these functions in a single control system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple sensing functions (temperature detection, humidity detection, video image analysis) into an integrated visibility evaluation system that works together to assess overall visibility conditions
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device and method for automatically adjusting the luminance of a light beam issued from an illuminating device of a vehicle as a function of the visibility. The device comprises: an apparatus (35) for determining a current visibility (SI) using at least one first parameter representing a measure of the current visibility (SI); an evaluation apparatus (38) for evaluating the determined current visibility (SI) using at least one second parameter as an evaluation criterion, and outputting a corresponding evaluation parameter; and an adjustment apparatus (25) for assigning a required luminance as a function of the determined current visibility (SI) and as a function of the corresponding evaluation parameter, and for adjusting to the required luminance.