Energy-Efficient Illumination by Matrix Headlamps for Nighttime Automated Object Detection

Abstract

The contribution at hand presents a novel approach to generate dynamic energy-optimized illumination by matrix headlamps designed for automated driving. The approach consists of a novel basic minimal illumination adapted to the current road environment with minimum brightness and a light pixel control strategy to adjust the illumination of potential objects uniformly and selectively only. The approach was developed and optimized by considering the impact of other lighting functions such as Glare-Free High Beam and marker light on the quality of object detection and possible alternatives such as symbol projection with structured light. The concept achieves a similar quality of object detection as conventional high beam, but requires only around 16% of the energy. This shows the energy saving potential of automated vehicles in combination with novel headlight control strategies.

A Novel Way of Optimizing Headlight Distributions Based on Real Life Traffic and Eye Tracking Data Part 1: Idealized Baseline Distribution

“…Furthermore, with the availability of light sources such as LEDs and lasers, possibilities for optimizing headlight distributions in terms of homogeneity and intensity have changed drastically. Numerous investigations have occurred in recent years regarding the visibility requirements from advanced headlight systems and illumination requirements for visibility and visually guided behavior at night MÜLLER, ROSENHAHN, KANNA, ERKAN, REAGAN, FUNK, WALDNER, CENGIZ, WINTER [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] While MOISEL has proposed some initial optimizations [19], the present series of papers will go into further detail.…”

A Novel Way of Optimizing Headlight Distributions Based on Real-Life Traffic and Eye Tracking Data Part 3: Driver Gaze Behaviour on Real Roads and Optimized Light Distribution

“…Since the science of tracking drivers' gaze behaviour has been evolving since at least 1972 [2], much work has been published over the last 50 years. In recent years, there have been numerous investigations into visibility from advanced headlighting systems and on the illumination requirements for visually guided behaviour [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Many different topics have been investigated such as the difference of gaze orientation between experienced and inexperienced drivers [2], orientation behaviour when cornering [14], and gaze directions of tired versus vigilant drivers [15].…”

A Novel Way of Optimizing Headlight Distributions Based on Real-Life Traffic and Eye-Tracking Data Part 2: Analysis of Real-World Traffic Environments Data in Germany

“…As HUHN shows, even for oncoming traffic at night it is beneficial for the human eye to add light into the direct surroundings of those vehicles to minimize glare effects and help with short-term adaptation in the presence of light sources from oncoming traffic. Numerous investigations of visibility requirements from advanced headlighting systems and illumination needs for visually guided behavior have been undertaken by MÜLLER, ROSENHAHN, KANNA, ERKAN, REAGAN, FUNK, WALDNER, CENGIZ and WINTER [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”