Image Projection Techniques with Automotive Lighting Systems
5 patents in this list
Updated:
Automotive lighting has evolved beyond simple illumination, now serving as a dynamic tool for enhanced driving experiences. Modern headlights can project images and data onto the road, aiding drivers with real-time information and improved visibility. This capability transforms how vehicles interact with their environment, offering new levels of safety and communication.
Yet, achieving precise image projection through vehicle lighting presents significant challenges. Engineers must balance light intensity, beam direction, and environmental factors like weather and terrain. These systems must be robust, adaptable, and seamlessly integrated into existing vehicle frameworks without compromising performance.
This page explores recent advancements that address these challenges, such as dual-function headlamps with integrated infrared sensing and terrain-adaptive angle adjustments. Readers will discover how multi-source masked light systems and segmented light patterns are being utilized to enhance visibility and communication on the road, offering practical insights into the future of automotive lighting technology.
1. Device for Road Surface Image Projection Using Multi-Source Masked Light System
Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd., 2023
A compact, inexpensive device for drawing images on road surfaces using light projection. The device has multiple light sources, a mask with corresponding windows, partitions between the light sources, and a common projection lens. Each light source illuminates a window on the mask, which projects the graphic onto the road through the lens. By individually activating the light sources, different graphics can be projected to draw a variety of images on the road.
2. Vehicle Headlight System with Dual Lighting Units and Secondary Optical Imaging
Hella GmbH & Co. KGaA, 2023
A vehicle headlight system that combines a first lighting unit, a second lighting unit, an actuator to control them, and a secondary optical unit. The first and second lighting units each have a light source and a primary optical unit to shape the light. The secondary optical unit images the light from the primary optics of the first and second units into different light distributions. An actuator controls the units to generate a combined light distribution. This allows a compact headlight system with separate light sources to generate complex light patterns without needing complex lens systems for each light source.
3. Matrix Light Source Projection Method with Crosstalk-Compensated Intensity Filtering
VALEO VISION, 2023
A method for projecting high-precision patterns using a matrix light source in automotive headlights. The method involves filtering the light intensity parameters for each pixel in a projected image. The filtering takes into account the contribution of each pixel's light source to neighboring pixels due to crosstalk. This accounts for the matrix light source's non-homogeneous response. The filtered parameters are sent to the lighting unit to control the light sources.
4. Motor Vehicle Headlight with Longitudinally Adjustable Projection Optics System
ZKW Group GmbH, 2023
A lighting device for a motor vehicle headlight that provides a simple and reliable way to adjust the light beam direction. The device has a projection optics system and a light source unit that can generate a lighting pattern on a surface. The optics system can move longitudinally parallel to its optical axis before being fixed to the support structure. Moving the optics system along the guide rails allows the projected light pattern to be adjusted without complex mechanisms.
5. Elongated Light Guide with Configurable Output Regions for Pattern Projection in Vehicle Interiors
Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft, 2023
An illumination device for motor vehicles that uses an elongated light guide to create a customizable light graphic pattern. The light guide has multiple output regions where light can escape. By arranging these output regions to form a specific pattern, when the light guide is used in a vehicle interior, it can project that pattern onto nearby surfaces like the dashboard or door panels.
Due to these advancements-- customizable interior light patterns and projecting images onto road surfaces, drivers now have improved visibility, safety, and even customization options. Future car lighting systems ought to advance in sophistication in tandem with these technological advancements.
