13 patents in this list
Updated: May 02, 2024
Headlight glare from approaching automobiles seriously jeopardizes drivers' safety because it can cause momentary blindness, make it harder to see, and increase the risk of collisions.
To solve this issue, adaptive headlights are required, which alter their beam patterns based on the surrounding circumstances. This page looks at the most recent developments in automotive lighting that reduces glare.
LUMILEDS LLC, 2023
A vehicle headlamp that provides proper low beam illumination, including a zone III beam, to avoid glare for oncoming drivers without using a shutter. The headlamp has two light sources—one for low and one for high beams. Optics shape the beams from each source. The low beam optics have two parts—one redirects light below the cutoff line, and the other redirects light above the cutoff to create a zone III beam.
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC, 2023
Method to reduce glare from vehicle headlights for better driver comfort and safety. The method involves dynamically adjusting the intensity of individual LEDs in the headlamps based on detected objects in the environment. When a potential glare source is found, it dims the LEDs adjacent to the source while maintaining brightness elsewhere. This gradual transition prevents harsh transitions in brightness that can cause eye strain. The dimming range is adjustable to balance glare suppression and light output.
HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD., 2021
Controlling the beam pattern of a vehicle headlight prevents glare for oncoming vehicles and improves visibility for pedestrians and animals. The headlight uses adaptive driving beam (ADB) technology to adjust the beam pattern based on object detection. When an opposing vehicle is detected, the headlight masks out that area to prevent glare. If a pedestrian or animal is detected, the headlight flashes around their boundaries to alert them without blinding them. This allows the vehicle to be spotlighted without causing discomfort or harm to others.
GM Global Technology Operations LLC, 2020
This is a smart headlight system that dynamically adjusts the beam pattern to reduce glare for oncoming vehicles. The system uses a camera to detect nearby vehicles in the headlight beam, measure distance, calculate glare level, and switch to a lower glare beam pattern if it exceeds a target. This mitigates excessive brightness and discomfort for other drivers.
Ford Global Technologies, LLC, 2019
A vehicle lighting system that reduces blinding of oncoming drivers and improves pedestrian visibility. The system has sensors to detect nearby road users and illuminates the vehicle side where they approach when they get close. This focuses light on their path to avoid blinding them. The sensors determine distance and side, and then the vehicle's lights rotate or aim laterally to illuminate the approaching road user's path. This helps prevent oncoming drivers from being blinded by the vehicle's lights. It also improves pedestrian visibility from the vehicle's lights when crossing.
HELLA GMBH & CO. KGAA, 2019
Controlling the light distribution of a vehicle headlamp to dynamically generate an additional light field on the vehicle's lane edge to direct the driver's attention away from oncoming headlights. An oncoming traffic detector detects approaching vehicles. Like a dynamic LED array, an effector superimposes a variable size, shape, position, contrast, color, and intensity light field on the lane edge. It expands during encounters with oncoming headlights to catch the driver's attention while guiding their gaze to a wider area. This prevents driver adaptation and weakens the effect over time.
Valeo North America, Inc., 2018
Headlamp assembly for vehicles that improve visibility, especially on curves, by combining a primary beam from the main headlamps with supplemental beams from auxiliary lamps. The auxiliary lamps aim to fill dark areas of the primary beam pattern, like the outer left side, where visibility is reduced. This creates a composite beam with better coverage and reach. The auxiliary lamps have masks that restrict intensity in critical areas to meet regulations. The composite beam has similar distances on both left and right curves.
Hella KGAA Hueck & Co., 2014
A system for producing a glare-free high beam in a vehicle's headlights using LED arrays and object detection. The system has a headlamp with separately controllable LEDs, an object detection device, and a positioning device to determine object locations relative to the vehicle. It divides detected objects into subgroups like oncoming vehicles vs. vehicles ahead, then sets each subgroup's glare-critical angle ranges and illuminance limits. The LEDs are dimmed as needed to avoid exceeding the limits for detected objects.
HELLA KGAA, 2012
Upgrading headlight systems to provide dazzle-free high beams by using LED arrays and optical elements to create customizable anti-glare areas. Based on sensor data, the headlights have multiple LED sources controlled by a dimming or on/off mechanism. The LED sources are aimed at using reflectors or lenses to create rectangular light spots on a screen. Combining these spots creates a composite high-beam pattern with vertical boundaries. By selectively activating LEDs, anti-glare areas with variable widths can be formed around objects. The LED arrays allow homogeneous illumination when all sources are on. Shaping the beam pattern provides adaptive high beams that dynamically avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.
Hella KGaA, 2012
A device for a vehicle's headlights that automatically switches between high beam and low beam without dazzling oncoming traffic. The device uses a control unit to adjust the horizontal and vertical cutoff of the headlights. The horizontal cutoff is set based on the object angle of the oncoming vehicle, the headlight aim, and the vertical cutoff. This prevents glare by shaping the beam pattern specifically for the oncoming vehicle's position relative to the headlight aim. The device may read the oncoming vehicle angle from sensors and adjust the cutoff angles accordingly.
Denso Corporation, 2011
A headlight control system for vehicles that reduces dazzling of oncoming drivers while allowing the controlled vehicle's driver to see roadside objects. The system determines the dazzling potential for an oncoming vehicle based on relative position. If the controlled vehicle is close enough that the oncoming driver won't see the headlights, it reduces light output. But if the oncoming driver may see the lights, it keeps the brightness. This prevents excessive light variation between irradiated and non-irradiated areas.
KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., 2011
Automotive headlamp system that enhances visibility for the driver by selectively adjusting the intensity of light in areas without forward vehicles. The system has a headlamp with multiple individual light patterns above the cutoff line. The controller reduces the brightness of the pattern overlapping forward vehicles and increases the brightness of other patterns in areas without vehicles to improve visibility in those areas. This selective brightness adjustment balances glare prevention for oncoming vehicles with enhanced visibility in unoccupied areas.
GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC., 2011
Preventing driver blindness from reflected light when approaching obstacles in low light conditions. The invention involves controlling the headlights of a vehicle based on light detected by a sensor. The headlight brightness is adjusted to prevent the driver from being blinded by their own reflected headlight beams off obstacles like walls. The headlights dim if the sensor detects high reflected light levels. This allows the driver to see obstacles without being dazzled by their own headlights.
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The advances presented here show a great deal of advancement in the field of glare-reducing automobile lighting systems. These developments make driving at night safer for all drivers and improve visibility, which lowers the number of accidents.