Computer Controlled Patents (Class 362/466)
  • Patent number: 10442343
    Abstract: A vehicle exterior environment recognition apparatus includes a computer and an illumination mechanism. The computer serves as a vehicle extractor that extracts a tail lamp of a preceding vehicle, a preceding vehicle recognizer that recognizes the preceding vehicle on a basis of the extracted tail lamp, and a light-distribution controller that determines light distribution of a headlamp. The illumination mechanism switches between a low beam and a high beam on a basis of instruction issued by the light-distribution controller. The vehicle extractor determines, on a basis of an angle of view and a depth distance of a block in the image, and a cut-off line angle of the high beam, whether the block is irradiated with the high beam, and changes, on a basis of a result of the determination as to whether the block is irradiated, thresholds that determine whether the tail lamp is the tail lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Genya Ogawa
  • Patent number: 10343590
    Abstract: It is an object to provide a motor vehicle headlight assembly that includes a headlight module having a first luminous intensity distribution, a first additional headlight module having a second luminous intensity distribution different from the first luminous intensity distribution, and a control circuit. The control circuit may be configured to apply power to the headlight module based on one or more of a switch input and a light/dark input, and apply power to the first additional headlight module when a speed of the motor vehicle exceeds a first predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventors: John Orisich, Brant Potter, Emigdio Leon
  • Patent number: 10317033
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp includes: a light source unit including at least one light source configured to generate light; a shield portion located closer to a front of the vehicle lamp as compared to the light source unit, and configured to receive the light generated by the light source and to transmit at least a portion of the received light to form a beam pattern, the shield portion including: a first shield configured to form at least part of the beam pattern; and a second shield having a light transmittance that is configured to be controlled to modify the beam pattern; a drive unit configured to drive the shield portion; and at least one processor configured to control at least one of the shield portion or the drive unit to modify the beam pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Taeyoung Na
  • Patent number: 10300840
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp control system comprises a light source unit in which a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements are arranged in a predetermined direction, an electric current setting unit that can set a first electric current distribution and a second electric current distribution in which electric current value is smaller than that of the first electric current distribution, and a control unit. When a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements of each of second lamp units are turned off after an additional light distribution pattern employing a first electric current distribution is formed, a headlamp control unit controls so that all the semiconductor light emitting elements are turned off after the plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements are turned on based on a second electric current distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takeshi Masuda
  • Patent number: 10286835
    Abstract: A vehicle headlight device is disposed with an optical lens group to concentrate light emitted from a light source as incident light, the image sensor detects a dynamic image in front of the vehicle and sends the image to an image process and control component for analyzing and processing to obtain corresponding control signal, the control signal controls an optical switch array device to process the incident light by spatial distribution modulation for obtaining an emission light with an optical distribution pattern corresponding to the dynamic image, therefore it is unnecessary to turn on/off the light source frequently but still can reinforce, weaken or prevent light projected on target areas in front of the vehicle, the driver can achieve the optimum view without affecting the vehicle ahead. Moreover, the invention further provides a vehicle such as a car adopting the vehicle headlight device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: KAISTAR LIGHTING (XIAMEN) CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jimmy Tzeng
  • Patent number: 10272823
    Abstract: A vehicle headlamp system providing a glare-free high beam. A forward image-capturing device captures a forward image ahead of a vehicle on which the headlamp system is disposed. A blind spot sensor detects blind spots to side and rear of the vehicle. A headlamp lights ahead of the vehicle based on a set illumination area. An electronic control unit (ECU) generates a control command for controlling an illumination area of the headlamp, based on the forward image captured using the forward image-capturing device and information regarding the blind spots detected by the blind spot sensor. A driving unit drives the headlamp based on the control command from the ECU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jun Young Sung
  • Patent number: 10266109
    Abstract: When a duration time period in which a turn signal lever is held at a first operation position P1L (P1R) is equal to or larger than an assist request confirmation time period, a driving support ECU starts a lane change assist control. When an operation force is released under a situation in which the turn signal lever positions at the first operation position, the turn signal lever returns to a neutral position PN. When the driving support ECU starts the lane change assist control, the driving support ECU continues flashing a turn signal until a turn signal turning-off condition depending on a state of the lane change assist control is established. When the turn signal lever is performed at a second operation position P2L (P2R) while the lane change assist control is being executed, the lane change assist control is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shota Fujii
  • Patent number: 10254382
    Abstract: A system and method for determining vehicle position uses light based communication (LBC) signals and a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) to determine the vehicle position. Each vehicle includes a LBC system having an array of transmitting light emitting diodes (LEDs) and an array of receiver photodiodes for transmitting and receiving pulsed light binary messages. Each LBC system has a controller coupled to the transmitter diodes and receiver diodes. The controller includes a vehicle communication module that may be executed by a processor to determine the distance. The processor models a first distance between a first transmitting LBC system and a first receiving LBC system, then models a second distance between a second transmitting LBC system and the first receiving LBC system, and then determines the distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle using trilateration of the first distance and the second distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: OSRAM SYLVANIA Inc.
    Inventors: Vimlesh Shukla, Jeremy Spaulding, Mervyn Anthony
  • Patent number: 10227032
    Abstract: A vehicle headlamp alignment system is provided that includes a headlamp located on a vehicle, an adjuster module for adjusting aim of the headlamp, and a camera located on the vehicle. Sensors may determine distance and orientation of the vehicle relative to a wall. A controller processes images of a beam on the wall acquired by the camera and determines the aim of the headlamp based on the images. The controller controls the adjuster module to align the headlamp based on the determined aim.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Stuart C. Salter, Aaron Bradley Johnson, Stephen Kenneth Helwig, Paul Kenneth Dellock
  • Patent number: 10220766
    Abstract: A method for capturing objects in the environment of a vehicle includes generating a first light pattern in the environment of the vehicle using a light-emitting apparatus of the vehicle; generating a second light pattern in the environment of the vehicle using an alter light-emitting apparatus of an alter vehicle; transmitting generation parameters of the second light pattern from the alter vehicle to the vehicle; optically capturing the first light pattern and the second light pattern using a capturing module of the vehicle; and generating a depth image of at least part of the environment of the vehicle on the basis of the captured light patterns and the transmitted generation parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: DR. ING. H.C. F. PORSCHE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Sebastian Soehner, Christian Schneider
  • Patent number: 10207630
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling a light scanner (7) in a headlight for vehicles, wherein the laser beam of at least one modulated laser light source (1) is directed in a scanning manner, by way of the light scanner, onto a light conversion means (8) so as to generate a light image (11) thereon, which is projected via an imaging system (12) as a light image (11?) onto the roadway, a micromirror (10) of the light scanner is pivoted according to defined characteristic control curves in at least one coordinate direction, the desired light image (11) is divided into a pixel set having n rows and/or m columns, the horizontal and/or vertical characteristic control curves for the micromirror (10) are adapted to at least one selected row and/or column in terms of the required optical power of the pixels, and the adapted horizontal and/or vertical characteristic control curves are used to control the micromirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: ZKW GROUP GMBH
    Inventors: Bettina Reisinger, Thomas Mitterlehner
  • Patent number: 10161592
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a lighting module for an automobile headlamp that is able to emit a cut-off light beam along a predetermined optical axis. The lighting module includes a light source for generating a beam and an optical element for receiving the beam generated by the light source and configured to form from this beam the cut-off light beam. The optical element has a collimator configured to receive the beam generated by the light source and to collimate this beam into a collimated beam. An optical coupler is configured to couple the collimated beam into a coupled beam in a lightguide. A cut-off means is disposed within the lightguide on the path of the rays of the coupled beam and configured to intercept a portion of the rays in the lightguide and to form a cut-off beam. At least one output face of the lightguide is configured to project the cut-off beam outside of the optical element, and the optical element is formed as a single part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: VALEO VISION
    Inventors: Maxime Laminette, Jean-Francois Doha, Lionel Floch
  • Patent number: 10165653
    Abstract: A rear lamp (RL) provided on a rear part of a vehicle (CAR1), wherein the rear lamp (RL) includes, in addition to a normal lamp, a sub-tail lamp (STL) configured to be lit on at least when a following vehicle is self-driving and to be detectable by the following vehicle when lit on. Since the following vehicle detects the sub-tail lamp (STL) lit in addition to the normal lamp, it is possible to detect the sub-tail lamp (STL) more accurately and more reliably than in detection of the normal lamp, and to detect the preceding vehicle (CAR1) in a highly accurate and quick manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Osamu Endo
  • Patent number: 10132643
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing navigation services including illumination data. A request for a route is received with one or more preferences related to illumination for the route. One or more road segments that have illumination road attributes that correspond to the one or more preferences are selected. The illumination road attributes are calculated as a function of high beam frequency for the one or more road segments. The route is generated including the one or more road segments. The route is provided with the illumination road attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventors: Joshua Thompson, Yunjie Zhao
  • Patent number: 10102434
    Abstract: A lane detection system includes a non-volatile memory storing machine-readable instructions and an image processor capable of receiving a road image. The image processor, when executing the machine-readable instructions, is capable of: (i) processing the road image to identify a lane candidate within a lane-existing region of the road image, the lane-existing region having (a) a near subregion including an imaged road region nearer to the vehicle and (b) a far subregion including an imaged road region farther from the vehicle, (ii) verifying the lane candidate as a true lane candidate when a minimum distance between (a) a line fit to a portion of the lane candidate in the near subregion and (b) a predetermined reference point in the road image is less than a neighborhood distance; and (iii) extending the true lane candidate into the far subregion to form a detected lane marker demarcating the lane marker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Lei Yang, Donghui Wu
  • Patent number: 10071674
    Abstract: A projection light module for a motor vehicle headlight with a low-beam diaphragm, which separates a low-beam volume of the projection light module located above this diaphragm from a high-beam volume of the projection light volume located below this diaphragm, and with a high-beam diaphragm arranged in the high-beam volume, which has a vertical diaphragm edge and which divides the high-beam volume into a high-beam volume lying to the right of it and a high-beam volume lying left to it. The low-beam diaphragm and the high-beam diaphragm are components of a composite diaphragm and the high-beam diaphragm is arranged in the high-beam volume obliquely to the optical axis of the projection light module so that its distance from the optical axis of the projection light module increases with increasing distance along the optical axis from the diaphragm edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Automotive Lighting Reutlingen GmbH
    Inventors: Ernst-Olaf Rosenhahn, Wolfgang Hoßfeld, Jens Humburg, Benjamin Stauß
  • Patent number: 9969319
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and system for automatic control of a headlight of a vehicle by a mobile computing device. The mobile computing device receives vehicle related information and external information associated with the mobile computing device, where the mobile computing device is associated with an operator of the vehicle and is communicatively coupled with vehicle. Further, the mobile computing device computes an intensity and an orientation of a headlight of the vehicle based on one or more vehicle lighting patterns, where said vehicle lighting patterns are generated based on behavior of the headlight of the vehicle, which is operated by the operator, for a pre-defined duration in association with the vehicle related information and external information and provides computed intensity and orientation of the headlight of the vehicle to a lighting control module of the vehicle for automatic control of the headlight of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: Wipro Limited
    Inventors: Tomson Ganapathiplackal George, Ashok Chandran
  • Patent number: 9956901
    Abstract: A curvature estimation unit estimates the curvature of the road on which a vehicle is driving. A swivel angle setting unit is configured to perform a first mode in which a swivel angle of a lamp unit is set such that a light distribution pattern follows the travelling direction of the vehicle based on the curvature estimated by the curvature estimation unit, and perform a second mode in which a swivel angle of the lamp unit is set such that a shielded area created in a light distribution pattern follows the position of the vehicle detected by a vehicle position detector. A pattern determination unit determines a light distribution pattern such that the position of the vehicle detected by the vehicle position detector remains in the shielded area. A swivel angle setting unit performs the first mode when it is determined that the road is a curved road based on the curvature estimated by the curvature estimation unit, and performs the second mode when it is determined that the road is a straight road.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yutaka Nakanishi, Manabu Sasa, Atsushi Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9891071
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing navigation services including illumination data. A request for a route is received with one or more preferences related to illumination for the route. One or more road segments that have illumination road attributes that correspond to the one or more preferences are selected. The illumination road attributes are calculated as a function of high beam frequency for the one or more road segments. The route is generated including the one or more road segments. The route is provided with the illumination road attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Joshua Thompson, Yunjie Zhao
  • Patent number: 9873372
    Abstract: An ADB headlamp distributes light having more partial pattern segments than light sources form a dark zone in a segment where a preceding or oncoming vehicle is located is provided. The adaptive driving beam (ADB) headlamp for a vehicle includes first lamp and second lamps having a plurality of light sources. The plurality of partial patterns irradiated from adjacent light sources included in the first and second lamps respectively, partially overlap other to form a first and a second light distribution patterns. The first and second light distribution patterns formed by the first and second lamps partially overlap each other to form a light distribution pattern. The light distribution pattern is divided into a plurality of partial pattern segments that correspond to the location of a sensed vehicle ahead selected from the partial pattern segments. A dark zone is formed by the partial pattern segments by reducing a light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: SL Corporation
    Inventors: Youngho Son, Hyo Jin Han
  • Patent number: 9849827
    Abstract: A vehicle headlight system can include a headlight controller and a lamp unit incorporating a high beam module, which can emit favorable marking lights while the headlight controller associates each of a shading driver and a swivel structure with a shading width setter and a swivel setter, respectively. When a forward vehicle does not exist in a forward direction, the headlight systems can provide favorable light distribution patterns by overlapping the light distribution pattern projected from the high beam module with each of light distribution patterns for a high and low beam. When the forward vehicle exists, the headlight system can prevent the lamp unit from emitting a glare type light to the forward vehicle. Thus, the disclosed subject matter can provide vehicle headlight systems, which can emit favorable light patterns toward a pedestrian as a marking light, and which can provide favorable light distribution patterns to drive at night.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: STANLEY ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Uchida, Yoshiaki Nakazato
  • Patent number: 9802529
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling a predictive cornering light with at least one headlight with a pivoting means for the controlled pivoting of the headlight, wherein a monitoring device is provided, which monitors the roadway and/or lane in front of the vehicle, and a control unit is provided, which, on the basis of the data of the monitoring device, drives the pivoting means for setting the headlight for illuminating the roadway and/or lane. The invention also relates to a lighting device in this regard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: HELLA KGAA HUECK & CO.
    Inventors: Matthias Herntrich, Ingo Hoffmann
  • Patent number: 9751454
    Abstract: A computing device for a vehicle exterior light control system is described. The computing device includes one or more processors for controlling operation of the computing device, and a memory for storing data and program instructions usable by the one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to automatically operate vehicle headlights responsive to a location of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey E. Pierfelice
  • Patent number: 9656596
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp system includes a lamp unit, a control unit that controls a change in luminance of LEDs of the lamp unit, and a storage unit that stores information indicating a priority of an event. In a case in which a second event occurs while the luminance of the LEDs is being gradually changed to reach first luminance in a first period, the control unit gradually changes the luminance of the LEDs to reach second luminance in a second period if the priority of the second event is higher than the priority of the first event, and gradually changes the luminance of the LEDs to reach the second luminance irrespective of the second period if the priority of the second event is lower than the priority of the first event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignees: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Atsushi Uesugi, Hideki Uchida, Tatsuya Takagaki, Takuya Murakami
  • Patent number: 9649976
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle lamp that includes a first light emission unit and a second light emission unit including an organic EL element as a light source. The second light emission unit is turned on at a tail lamp on time. Both the first light emission unit and the second light emission unit are turned on at a stop lamp on time. The vehicle lamp further includes a light reduction unit configured to make light intensity of the second light emission unit at the stop lamp on time become lower than that at the tail lamp on time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Haruhiko Iyoda, Masaya Shido, Yoshiro Ito, Toru Ito
  • Patent number: 9586515
    Abstract: A method for recognizing an illuminated roadway ahead of a vehicle, having a step of recognizing a first light object as a first roadway illumination unit. The method also includes a step of ascertaining a distance covered by the vehicle. The method also includes a step of recognizing a second light object as a second roadway illumination unit. The method also includes a step of providing a signal when the first roadway illumination unit and the second illumination unit have been recognized. The signal is provided using the distance covered, the signal representing a recognition of an illuminated roadway ahead of a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Johannes Foltin
  • Patent number: 9527443
    Abstract: The present invention provides an AVM system, including: a display module; a camera module which captures surrounding videos of a vehicle; and a control module which calculates an illumination brightness corresponding to an illumination region of a head lamp which is mounted in the vehicle and a shadow brightness corresponding to a shadow region in an AVM video obtained by composing the surrounding videos, generates state information of the head lamp based on the illumination brightness and the shadow brightness, and controls the display module to display the AVM video and the state information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hyun Su Ryu
  • Patent number: 9517716
    Abstract: In a light sensor, an operational determination circuit determines based on first and second intensity signals respectively indicative of intensities of light irradiated from above and ahead of a vehicle whether the vehicle is positioned under a shield structure, determines whether it is necessary to turn on a light in the vehicle for the shield structure, and outputs a result of determination as a determination signal. A communication output circuit receives the first intensity signal and the determination signal, and outputs information to a control unit whether it is necessary to turn on the light for the shield structure when the vehicle is positioned under the shield structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Katsunori Michiyama
  • Patent number: 9504113
    Abstract: A method is provided for improving the illumination of an illuminated area (100), especially an operating area, of an illuminating device (10) with at least two light modules (20). The method includes the emission of an illuminant characteristic of the light module (20) with a preset amplitude from each light module (20). The reflected amplitudes of all characteristic light types are detected. The detected amplitudes for each light module (20) are compared. The light intensity of at least one light module (20) is varied on the basis of the comparison of the detected amplitudes for each light module (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2016
    Assignee: DRÄGERWERK AG & CO. KGaA
    Inventors: Frank Sattler, Livio Fornasiero, Hartmut Stark
  • Patent number: 9493110
    Abstract: A vehicular headlamp has a light source portion that provides a low beam lighting mode, a high beam lighting mode, and a dimming lighting mode, a light source power supply portion that supplies to the light source portion a lighting current having a current value according to lighting mode, a light distribution mechanism portion that switches light distribution of illumination light by the light source portion according to the lighting mode, and a control portion that, at least in the dimming lighting mode, causes the light source power supply portion to supply lighting current having a second current value lower than a first current value for the low beam lighting mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tomokazu Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9487258
    Abstract: A predefined length between first and second optical lens sections and of the first and second highly-directional light units is smaller than a length, which is half of a length between a left end of a lower portion of a left front-wheel support unit and a right end of a lower portion of a right front-wheel support unit in the left-right direction of a vehicle, and the predefined length is greater than half a smaller one of minimum widths of the optical lens sections of the first and the second highly-directional light units. A configuration is adopted in which light radiated through the optical lens section of the first highly-directional light unit partially overlaps light radiated through the optical lens section of the second highly-directional light unit and the remaining part does not overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takehiro Inoue, Yutaka Kubo, Takeshi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 9465138
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining presence of objects in an area (207) surrounding a luminaire (200). The luminaire (200) includes a first light source (203), a second light source (205), and a sensor (216). The first light source (203) is configured to emit a first light beam (204) adapted to illuminate a first predefined area. The second light source (205) is configured to emit a second light beam (206) adapted to illuminate a background area surrounding the first predefined area. The sensor (216) is configured to detect a back-reflected first light beam (210) and a back-reflected second light beam (212). The method includes determining whether objects are present in the area surrounding the luminaire based on a comparison of information indicative of a signal strength of the detected back-reflected first light beam (210) and information indicative of a signal strength of the detected back-reflected second light beam (212).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Michel Cornelis Josephus Marie Vissenberg, Willem Franke Pasveer, Antonius Petrus Marinus Dingemans
  • Patent number: 9376053
    Abstract: A head lamp cut off position correction system for a vehicle includes a head lamp switch configured to output a turn-on/off signal of a head lamp. A vehicle speed detector is configured to detect a driving vehicle speed. A video input is configured to detect a video of a front of the vehicle while driving. A controller is configured to determine an actual cut off position of a head lamp low beam by analyzing a video image detected by the video input, compares the determined cut off position and a cut off control value of the head lamp low beam depending on a height of the vehicle, and corrects the cut off position. An actuator aligns a beam position of the head lamp upward or downward by control from the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Jae Woong Min
  • Patent number: 9333902
    Abstract: A device for determining control parameters to adjust the light distribution of a vehicle headlight when driving through a curve from a first or second angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the first angle determined from first information, namely measurements and/or parameters to be adjusted via actuators of the vehicle, such as speed, steering angle, yaw rate, steering angle of the front wheels, distance from a second vehicle, or road progression ahead of the vehicle, with a control means to determine the first angle the second angle, with an interface to connect the device with actuators to adjust the light distribution of the headlight, where control parameter-signals can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: HELLA KGAA HUECK & CO.
    Inventors: Jürgen Schmidt, Tobias Irmscher, Boris Kubitza, Carsten Wilks, Andreas Krauβ
  • Patent number: 9319650
    Abstract: A device includes a DMD (digital mirror device) that displays an icon in an illuminated area on a road surface by controlling contrast of light generated by a light source for a headlight that illuminates ahead of vehicle, an in-cabin camera that obtains a driver's eye position, and a display control unit that controls a shape of the icon displayed by the DMD so that the shape of the icon is not distorted when viewed from the driver's eye position by using a difference between a reflection position of a reflected light by the DMD and the driver's eye position obtained by the in-cabin camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Katsumi
  • Patent number: 9302611
    Abstract: In a vehicle lamp control device, a control unit is configured to a) hold a road surface angle reference value and a vehicle posture angle reference value in a volatile manner, b) generate an optical axis adjusting signal using a vehicle posture angle in response to variation in a total angle during the stop of the vehicle, c) avoid generating or outputting the optical axis adjusting signal or output an optical axis holding signal, and hold a road surface angle as a new reference value, in response to variation in the total angle during travelling of the vehicle. The control unit, in response to receiving the turn-off signal of the switch, d-1) writes at least the road surface angle reference value in the storage unit or continues to execute the step (c) while delaying the step (d-1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masashi Yamazaki, Yusuke Kasaba, Kazuo Goto
  • Patent number: 9285094
    Abstract: There is provided a lamp unit which is to be installed in a vehicle. The lamp unit includes a light source; a projector lens; a rotary shade that is disposed behind the projector lens so as to block a portion of the light emitted from the light source and that has a rotation axis; and a drive mechanism that rotates the rotary shade about the rotation axis. The rotary shade includes: a first end edge; a second end edge; and a twisted end edge that extends around the rotation axis so as to intersect with the first end edge and the second end edge. A first inclination angle is formed between the rotation axis and a first imaginary plane that is orthogonal to an optical axis of the projector lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akinori Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 9278644
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an ADB head lamp system and a beam control method using the ADB head lamp system, the ADB head lamp system includes an ADB head lamp which is installed in a vehicle; a driving unit which drives the ADB head lamp; a road circumstance detecting unit; and a control unit which controls the driving unit to allow the ADB head lamp to radiate beam below a horizontal line in accordance with a signal which is generated by road circumstance information obtained by the road circumstance detecting unit, thereby implementing a beam which suppresses glare to the opposite vehicle, glare to a vehicle ahead, and minimize fatigue to a driver of the driving vehicle by recognizing a road circumstance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hyun Soo Lee
  • Patent number: 9261428
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for calibrating at least one headlamp (2, 3) and/or at least one element of a headlamp, particularly on a motor vehicle (1), using the illumination structure that is contained in the light distribution of the headlamp or of the element of the headlamp, with an image data acquisition unit (6) and a control unit (7), wherein the illumination structure of at least one headlamp (2, 3) and/or of at least one element of a headlamp is formed between a dark area (9) and a light area (10), such as a dark/light boundary, and the image data acquisition unit (6) detects an, in particular retro-reflective, object (13) when changing from the dark area (9) to the light area (10), wherein also the absolute position of the object (13) upon entry into the light area (10) is determined and this is used to determine an actual setting of the at least one headlamp (2, 3) or of the at least one element of a headlamp. The invention also relates to an apparatus in this regard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: HELLA KGAA HUECK & CO.
    Inventor: Ingo Hoffmann
  • Patent number: 9220147
    Abstract: A luminaire (1a, 1b) and a method for controlling a luminaire are disclosed. The luminaire (1a, 1b) comprises a light source (2) and an ultrasonic sensor (3). The ultrasonic sensor (3) detects the presence and direction of movement of a person (4) with respect to the light source (2). A controller modifies a lighting parameter emitted from the light source (2) depending on whether a person (4) is moving towards or away from the light source (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Philip Steven Newton, Bart Kroon
  • Patent number: 9185778
    Abstract: A lighting arrangement for presentation of a first object is disclosed. The arrangement comprises an accent lighting assembly and a decoration lighting assembly. The accent lighting assembly is arranged to provide illumination of the first object, has at least one accent light characteristic, and comprises at least one accent light generating device. The decoration lighting assembly is arranged to provide background lighting of the first object, has at least one decoration light characteristic, and comprises at least one decoration light generating device. The arrangement also comprises at least one sensor, arranged to detect a distance between the sensor and a second object and to generate a signal value representing the distance, and a controller arranged to receive the signal value from the at least one sensor and to adapt the accent light characteristic and the decoration light characteristic based on the signal value. Corresponding use, method and computer program product are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Bartel Marinus Van De Sluis, Anthonie Hendrik Bergman, Johanna Cornelia Maria Francisca Tielens, Christopher Schutte, Johannes Petrus Wilhelmus Baaijens, Geradus Antonius Maria Bagen
  • Patent number: 9168861
    Abstract: In a method for controlling a headlamp system for a vehicle, the headlamp system having two headlamps, set apart from each other, road users are detected in front of the vehicle in the driving direction, and a first total light pattern is able to be produced, in which the illumination range on a first side of a center axis is greater than on the other, second side of this center axis, and a second total light pattern is able to be produced, in which the total light pattern is controllable such that it has an illumination range in the direction of at least one detected road user that is less than the distance to the detected road user, and which has an illumination range in another direction that is greater than the distance to the detected road user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AG
    Inventors: Karsten Dierks, Martin Freese, Bernd Jahrsau
  • Patent number: 9114754
    Abstract: A method for beam range regulation of at least one headlamp of a vehicle includes: reading in a camera image of at least one camera of the vehicle, the camera image including at least a part of a representation of a projection surface of a light cone of the headlamp in front of the vehicle; determining at least one coordinate of at least one predefined brightness transition and/or of a predefined brightness inhomogeneity in the camera image; comparing the coordinate with a target coordinate in order to obtain a difference of the coordinate from the target coordinate, the target coordinate representing a coordinate at which the predefined brightness transition or the predefined brightness inhomogeneity is expected; and controlling the headlamp with a beam range modification signal that is a function of the difference, in order to modify the beam range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Tobias Ehlgen, Stefan Nordbruch, Johannes Foltin
  • Patent number: 9119240
    Abstract: Lighting control system includes lighting fixture having identification information, controller for setting lighting condition for dimming level and color temperature of illumination light of lighting fixture, and dimmer for outputting dimming signal to lighting fixture. Lighting fixture includes dimmer for modulating illumination light to superpose thereon information signal containing identification information and lighting information of lighting fixture. Controller includes wireless communication unit for outputting control signal to dimmer, display unit with touch panel, for displaying image of lighting fixture, and visible light receiver for reading identification information and lighting information from information signal superposed on illumination light. Display unit is configured to associate identification information read through visible light receiver with image of lighting fixture to display image so as to reflect lighting information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazufumi Nagazoe
  • Patent number: 9102264
    Abstract: A vehicular lighting adjustment system (10) has a housing (12) with at least two headlamp adjusters (14), each headlamp adjuster (14) comprising a rocker arm (16) pivotally mounted about a pivot axis (X). A common adjuster (30) is mounted to the housing (12) for rotational displacement. Respective elevation tuning adjusters (34) bear on rocker arms (16) and are displaceable along the common adjuster (30) from an initial axial position to an adjusted axial position whereby each rocker arm (16) deflects about its pivot axis (X). The elevation tuning adjusters (34) are selectively fixed to the adjustment rod (30) in the adjusted axial position. After each elevation tuning adjuster (34) is fixed in its adjusted axial position to the common adjuster (30), displacement of the common adjuster (30) simultaneously displaces the headlamp adjusters (14) by pivotal motion of the rocker arms (16) about their respective said pivot axes (X).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: Valeo North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert King
  • Patent number: 9096171
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp controller, a vehicle lamp system having the vehicle controller, and a vehicle lamp control method are provided. The vehicle lamp controller includes a receiver configured to receive information on a detected vector from an output of an acceleration sensor, a memory in which a plurality of reference vectors are stored, the reference vectors corresponding to different pitch angles of a vehicle, a control unit configured to obtain a pitch angle of the vehicle from the detected vector and one of the reference vectors that has a smallest angle with respect to the detected vector, and to generate a control signal for adjusting an optical axis of a vehicle lamp based on the obtained pitch angle, and a transmitter configured to transmit the control signal to an optical axis adjustment portion of the vehicle lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Kasaba, Masashi Yamazaki, Atsushi Toda
  • Patent number: 9050927
    Abstract: There is provided a control device for controlling a vehicle lamp. The device includes: a receiver configured to receive an output value from an inclination sensor; and a controller configured to control an optical axis of the vehicle lamp based on a vehicle attitude angle that is an inclination angle of the vehicle with respect to a road surface. The controller is configured to control the optical axis in a first optical axis control mode or a second optical axis mode, wherein an optical axis angle of the optical axis is adjusted in accordance with the vehicle attitude angle in the first optical axis mode, and the second optical axis control mode is different from the first optical axis control mode. The controller controls the optical axis in the second optical axis control mode, when the vehicle attitude angle is not included in a predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Kasaba, Masashi Yamazaki, Kazuo Goto, Atsushi Toda
  • Publication number: 20150146441
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp control apparatus includes a receiver, a storage, a correction section, and an adjustment instruction section. The receiver receives output values of an acceleration sensor. The storage stores information indicating an ideal positional relationship between sensor-side axes and vehicle-side axes. The correction section plots the output values, obtained during running of a vehicle, on coordinates in which acceleration in a vehicle longitudinal direction is set to a first axis and acceleration in a vehicle lateral/vertical direction is set to a second axis, derives a straight line from plotted points, calculates displacements of the sensor-side and vehicle-side axes from the ideal positional relationship, using an inclination of the straight line, and corrects the information. The adjustment instruction section derives a tilt angle of the vehicle from current acceleration using the corrected information, and generates a control signal to instruct adjustment of an optical axis of a vehicle lamp.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventors: Yukinori Saeki, Masashi Yamazaki, Yusuke Kasaba
  • Publication number: 20150138787
    Abstract: One object of the present invention is to provide a headlight control system. The headlight control system is configured to be used with a headlight of a vehicle. The headlight control system includes a first light sensor, a microcontroller, a first driving motor, a power module and an optical lens module. The optical lens module is disposed in front of the headlight in order to receive illumination of the headlight. The microcontroller is electrically connected to the first light source sensor and configured to receive a signal transmitted by the first light sensor. The first driving motor is electrically connected to the microcontroller. The first driving motor is configured to follow an instruction from the microcontroller to drive a first driving mechanism. The first driving mechanism is configured to adjust the optical lens module upon being driven by the first driving motor. The power module is electrically connected to the microcontroller and the headlight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventor: Chang Jo Wu
  • Patent number: 9028117
    Abstract: The invention relates to a headlight (100) for a two-wheeled vehicle (1), including at least one light source combined with at least one reflector for reflecting the light from the light source in the traveling direction of the vehicle (e1), characterized in that the headlight has a rotational axis about which it can pivot, said axis extending, when the headlight is in a reference position corresponding to a position in which the vehicle is substantially vertical and not inclined, in a substantially median and vertical longitudinal plane (e1, e3) of the headlight, the rotational axis further being inclined relative to the vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Quality Electronics Design S.A.
    Inventor: Benedictus Haest