RU92789U1 - DRIVER EYE PROTECTION SYSTEM WHEN BLINDING HEADLIGHTS OF A BOARD VEHICLE - Google Patents

Abstract

 1. A system for protecting the driver’s eyes when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by light, comprising a screen, a camera, a device that determines the coordinates of the intersection of the optical axis of the eye with the screen, a control unit based on a software and hardware complex capable of periodically reading the coordinates of the driver’s eye position a sensor for determining the coordinates of the position of each human eye relative to the screen, characterized in that the screen is made in the form of a transparent or partially transparent protective a low-resolution polymer liquid crystal screen of matrix type and is mounted on the windshield of the car or between the windshield and the driver, the function of which is the dimming in proportion to the headlights of the oncoming vehicle in that part of the screen that is necessary to protect the eyes of the driver of the vehicle from being dazzled by the light of the oncoming headlights vehicle, and the control unit is configured to periodically read the image of the headlights of the oncoming vehicle but from the camera. ! 2. The system for protecting the driver’s eyes when the headlights of the oncoming vehicle are blinded by light according to claim 1, characterized in that the device that determines the coordinates of the intersection of the optical axis of the eye with the screen consists of a scanning device configured to read the coordinates of the position of each eye of the driver of the vehicle funds from a reflective device, which is made in the form of glasses with a reflective surface deposited on them or in the form of reflective makeup around the driver’s eyes

Description

Application area

The invention relates to devices for protecting the driver’s eyes when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by light, and can be used on vehicles.

State of the art

It is known that during the rapid transition from dark to light, or vice versa, from light to dark, the irritation received by the retina of the eye is so great that for a while the eyes stop seeing anything: temporary blindness sets in. However, the eye is arranged so that the amount of light entering its retina can be regulated. This allows the eye to adapt to different lighting conditions, i.e. adapt. With a gradual, slow change in illumination, adaptation occurs so that the driver does not feel a sense of blindness. Blinding can also be reduced by blurring the contrast between the light source and the background. The task of protecting the driver’s eyes when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by light is solved both by purely electric means by switching the main and dipped beam lamps using a relay, and by electromechanical tilting of the headlights, reflectors, and the introduction of additional screens and glasses. The prior art various devices that are implemented on this basis. For example, it is known an anti-glare device for fixing on the driver’s head [1], which contains a holder mounted on the driver’s head with a folding visor on which screens are fixed in the guides and can be moved along the guides and fixed on them due to friction. Light-shielding screens are mounted on a folding visor with a stop-lock of the working position, while the cranes are mounted movably with the possibility of changing their position relative to the driver’s eyes, and the lower edge is oblique and makes the peak in the working position of the peak 5 ... 150 angle with a horizontal plane.

A disadvantage of the known device is that all light shields are opaque, which significantly narrows the field of view of the carriageway and makes traffic less safe.

There is also known a method of protecting the driver’s eyes when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by light [2], which consists in turning the driver’s head to cover with a narrow translucent barrier, oncoming headlights installed on the front of the oncoming traffic part of a windshield or spectacle frame of any kind, or mounted on a headgear of any kind (helmet, helmet, goggles). The disadvantages of this method include the presence in the device for its implementation of a significant dead zone, not visible by the driver, since the dimming area is located near the eye or on a significant part of the windshield and its size should be commensurate with the size of the pupil. In addition, due to the proximity to the eye (in the embodiment with glasses), it is impossible to obtain a sharp image of the darkening area.

A lighting device for the carriageway of oncoming vehicles [3] is also known, where when two vehicles meet, a photosensitive element located under the headlights, depending on the intensity of illumination by the headlights of the oncoming vehicle, generates a current supplied to the threshold switching circuit. In this case, the main beam is switched to the low beam (using a relay), and, after a certain time interval (after the oncoming vehicle has passed), set taking into account the vehicle speed, the reverse switches.

The disadvantage of this device is that systems using photosensitive elements that regulate the headlights, having many positive sides, are powerless if the vehicle equipped with such a system, moving with the dipped headlights, gets into a situation when it is blinded headlights of an oncoming vehicle, also equipped with a similar system, however, the inclusion of an anti-dazzling system of this vehicle requires that the driver of the vehicle already blinded turn on light, which further exacerbates the blinding, as the light of their own headlights, turned on sharply, will increase the effect of light on the retina of their eyes, increasing the adaptation time.

The closest analogue is a device for protecting the eyes from the action of bright light [4] in the form of glasses, containing a liquid crystal panel, a polarizer that absorbs or transmits light transmitted through the panel, and a control device in the form of a solar cell that sends a signal to the liquid crystal panel when it hits cell of sunlight.

The main disadvantage of this device is that when bright light appears, the transparency of the entire screen surface (glasses glasses) decreases.

The technical result of this utility model is the implementation of effective eye protection for the driver of a vehicle when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by light while maintaining the transparency of the windshield in areas that were not exposed to light from a source.

Utility Model Implementation

The claimed technical result is achieved in that the system for protecting the driver’s eyes when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by light, comprising a screen, a camera, a device that determines the coordinates of the intersection of the optical axis of the eye with the screen, a control unit based on a software and hardware complex configured to periodically reading the coordinates of the position of the driver’s eyes from the sensor to determine the position coordinates of each person’s eye relative to the screen, characterized in that the screen is made in the form of a transparent or partially transparent protective polymer low-resolution liquid crystal screen of the matrix type and is mounted on the windshield of the car or between the windshield and the driver, the function of which is the dimming in proportion to the headlights of the oncoming vehicle in that part of the screen that is necessary to protect the eyes the driver of the vehicle from being blinded by the headlights of the oncoming vehicle, and the control unit is configured to periodically read from light reflection of headlights of an oncoming vehicle from the camera.

In addition, the device that determines the coordinates of the intersection of the optical axis of the eye with the screen consists of a scanning device configured to read the coordinates of the position of each eye of the driver of the vehicle from a reflective device, which is made in the form of glasses with a reflective surface deposited on them or in the form of a reflective makeup around the eyes of the driver of the vehicle.

Utility Model Implementation

The essence of the utility model is illustrated by the drawing: Fig. 1 shows a diagram of a driver’s eye protection system when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by light. A device for protecting the driver’s eyes when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by light consists of the base of the screen 1 mounted on the windshield 6 or between the windshield 6 and the driver, camera 2, the function of which is to image the headlights 3 of the oncoming vehicle 8, the control unit based on a hardware-software complex 4 and a device for determining the coordinates 5 of the position of each human eye relative to the screen 1. Device 5 can be implemented, for example, based on the device described nnogo US Patent №4859050, 1989 "Method and system for generating a visual representation of the synchronized image and quality assessment for the submission of many viewers." According to this method, a movie is pre-shot and recorded on high-quality equipment for subsequent presentation on a television screen. A man is sitting in front of the screen and watching a performance. The movement of the human eye is monitored by a device that determines the coordinates of the intersection of the optical axis of the eye with the screen. A hardware-software complex based on a computer converts data from a camera, determines the coordinates of a person’s eyes, calculates which objects are displayed on a screen, the viewer is currently looking at and displays on the graphic monitor an image of these screen objects that the viewer is looking at. Then, using the second graphic monitor, a video camera and an optical device, the signals of the original representation and the graphic monitor are added.

It is this device that can be used in the claimed system to determine the coordinates of the position of each human eye relative to the windshield.

Moreover, the screen 1 is made in the form of a transparent or partially transparent protective polymer low-resolution liquid crystal screen of a matrix type, the function of which is the formation of dimming 3, comparable with the light of the headlights of an oncoming vehicle 8, only in that part of the screen 1, which is necessary to protect the eyes of the driver of the vehicle from blinding by the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 8, by means of a control unit based on a hardware-software complex 4, configured to periodically th image reading headlamp of oncoming vehicle 8 from the camera 2. The screen 1 may be implemented, for example, based on the manufacturing technology matrix monochrome transparent screens Twisted Nematic, with high speed switching of cells and a low price. Also, reading the coordinates of the position of each eye of the driver to determine the coordinates of the position of each eye of a person relative to the windshield can be carried out by means of a scanning device 5 configured to read the coordinates of the position of each eye of the driver of the vehicle from the reflective device 11, which (see Figure 2) is made in in the form of glasses with a reflective surface applied to them or in the form of reflective makeup around the eyes of the driver of the vehicle. The reflective device 11 contributes to a more accurate determination of the coordinates of the driver’s eyes and their easier fixation, because the reflective device 11 to fix the position of the reflective glasses or reflective makeup around the eyes is easier and more accurate than the position of the driver’s eyes themselves, as darker and smaller objects. In this case, the screen 1 can be made with the possibility of maintaining a review of the roadway viewed by the driver, by dimming with dark spots of the required size depending on the position and size of the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 8 on the screen for each driver’s eye. In this case, dimming 3 on the screen is formed only in the alignment area along the headlight line, and not the entire screen 1, so that the driver is less likely to create interference in the form of "blind spots". A control unit 4 based on a software-hardware complex can be implemented, for example, on the basis of a computer that functions similarly to a computer of a software-hardware complex, which is described in US patent No. 4859050. The system for protecting the driver’s eyes when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by the light works as follows: camera 2 continuously shoots in zone 9, which is a potential area of oncoming vehicles, and when the oncoming vehicle 8 appears, camera 2, preferably low resolution, forms an image of the headlights of oncoming vehicles vehicle, the control unit 4 on the basis of the hardware-software complex reads the image of the headlights from the camera 2 and at the same time, the device 5 performs continuous monitoring of the driver in zone 10, where his head can move in the process of driving. According to the data from device 5, the position coordinates of each human eye are formed. Then, the control unit 4 based on the hardware-software complex, having processed the position coordinates of each person’s eye and the image of the headlights of the oncoming vehicle 8, forms a dimming 3 on the screen 1 for each driver’s eye of the required size depending on the position and size of the light source of the headlights of the oncoming vehicle means 8 and the position of the driver’s eyes, that is, the dimming area 3 on the screen and the light source are aligned along the headlight line. In general, the device provides the possibility of effective protection of the eyes of the driver of a vehicle when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by light while preserving the transparency of the screen and the windshield in areas that were not exposed to light from a source, safety, and ease of use. This is explained by the fact that active protection from the headlights of oncoming cars at night is based on darkening a remote light source using a screen on which a darkening commensurate with such a light source is formed only in that area of the screen that is necessary to protect the human eye from dazzle, the rest the screen space is not darkened. The proposed device allows in the aggregate to quite successfully solve the problem of protecting the driver’s eyes when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by light, due to the availability of modern technical devices that make it possible to implement ease of use and fully meet the criteria of ergonomics and ease of use, which increases road safety.

Information sources:

1. USSR author's certificate No. 1653767, A61F 9/02, 1984.

2. Patent for the invention of the Russian Federation No. 2055557, A61F 9/00, 03/10/1996.

3. German patent DE 3432323 A1, B60Q 1/00, 10/03/1985.

4. European patent EP0341519 A2, G02C 7/10, 11/15/1989.

Claims (2)

1. A system for protecting the driver’s eyes when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by light, comprising a screen, a camera, a device that determines the coordinates of the intersection of the optical axis of the eye with the screen, a control unit based on a software and hardware complex capable of periodically reading the coordinates of the driver’s eye position a sensor for determining the coordinates of the position of each human eye relative to the screen, characterized in that the screen is made in the form of a transparent or partially transparent protective a low-resolution polymer liquid crystal screen of matrix type and is mounted on the windshield of the car or between the windshield and the driver, the function of which is the dimming in proportion to the headlights of the oncoming vehicle in that part of the screen that is necessary to protect the eyes of the driver of the vehicle from being dazzled by the light of the oncoming headlights vehicle, and the control unit is configured to periodically read the image of the headlights of the oncoming vehicle but from the camera. 2. The system for protecting the driver’s eyes when the headlights of an oncoming vehicle are blinded by light according to claim 1, characterized in that the device that determines the coordinates of the intersection of the optical axis of the eye with the screen consists of a scanning device configured to read the coordinates of the position of each eye of the driver of the vehicle funds from a reflective device, which is made in the form of glasses with a reflective surface applied to them or in the form of reflective makeup around the eyes of the driver of a transport vehicle food.