Toronto, Ontario — Ford Motor Company has filed a patent application for a vehicle system that would use adaptively steered vehicle headlamps that rely on driver gaze and head direction.
The patent was filed on January 5th 2023 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and published on July 11, 2024.
The patent specifically describes a headlight system that “has a steerable headlamp configured to illuminate the roadway with a light beam along a selectable projection angle” using a controller that is “configured to compare the driver gaze angle.”
Furthermore, “when the driver gaze angle is greater than (a) first threshold view and the difference is less than a second threshold angle, the vehicle (would) then adjust the projection angle to a target angle based on the driver gaze angle.”
Essentially, the technology would come with eye tracking and head tracking tools to monitor when and where to direct the headlights.
The patent further notes that “when the vehicle is being steered around a curve in the road, adaptive headlight systems may direct more light toward the direction of the turn (at an angle proportional to the curve as determined by a steering wheel orientation).”
Moreover, “when approaching an intersection, the pattern of the light beam may shift to one side of the road or the other in preparation for the possibility of turning.”
“Adaptive headlight systems can also be used to restrict a light level directed toward certain objects by steering the light beam elsewhere. In the case of oncoming vehicles, the headlamp beams could be directed away from shining into the vision of the oncoming drivers and avoiding glare.” ‘
However, the patent also acknowledges the risk of having lights follow a driver’s gaze by stressing that because “a driver’s gaze spends much time scanning the roadway and surroundings to maintain situational awareness,” “the pointing of headlamp beams (would be) subject to various roles and regulations which must be followed at all times. For example, beam steering may be prohibited where it raises a potential for causing glare to another driver. While such adaptive headlight rules will take priority, there will still be room for certain adjustments to improve visibility by steering a headlamp beam in appropriate cases.”
One such safety feature described is that the light system would have a built-in timer so that the direction of the light would return to normal conditions after a set period of time. The function would also be able to be disabled by the driver as necessary.
As such, while there is no guarantee that this technology will ever make it to the manufacturing stage, the patent presents one potential way that vehicles could help reduce the traffic glare that comes from overly bright headlights.
To see the full patent application, click here.
