Road lighting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11798406-B2
Application number	US-202218084373-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2022
Priority date	Mar 21, 2018
Publication date	Oct 24, 2023
Grant date	Oct 24, 2023

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods are disclosed in which one or more light sources, a detector, a processor and a controller are configured such that light from the one or more light sources improves the ability of a human or automated motor vehicle driver to identify and avoid pedestrians. The one or more light sources may provide spot illumination to moving objects or pedestrians on a road surface, with the spot illumination following the moving object or pedestrians along the portion of the road surface. The one or more light sources may project images on the ground or on other surfaces. The light source may be carried by a pedestrian or on personal transport used by a pedestrian. The light sources may be stationary and provide lighting for a pedestrian street crossing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A road lighting system deployed on or near a roadway, the road lighting system comprising:
one or more light sources comprising a microLED array, the microLED array comprising a plurality of pixels each 500 microns or less in size and arranged in a matrix, a spacing between adjacent pixels being 50 microns or less, the pixels mounted on and electrically connected to CMOS circuitry;
one or more detectors arranged to detect an object or person on or near the roadway and arranged to detect disability glare;
a processor configured to receive and process signals from the one or more detectors; and
a controller configured to receive signals from the processor and in response control the one or more light sources to illuminate a portion of the road surface and to provide spot illumination to the object or person on or near the roadway that provides increased visual contrast of the object or person against the roadway.

2. The road lighting system of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more detectors are arranged to detect a motor vehicle on the roadway approaching the object or person; and
the controller is configured to control illumination of the object or person so that a vertical illuminance component of the spot illumination on the object or person is visible from the motor vehicle.

3. The road lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive signals from the processor and in response control pixels in the microLED array in the light source to provide the spot illumination to the object or person that tracks the object or person as the object or person moves on or near the roadway.

4. The road lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to receive signals from the processor and in response control the pixels in the microLED array to provide spot illumination comprising a projection that tracks and at least partially surrounds the object or person as the object or person moves on or near the roadway.

5. The road lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the CMOS circuitry is arranged to switch individual ones of the pixels on and off.

6. The road lighting system of claim 4 , wherein the one or more light sources comprise an infrared (IR) light source.

7. The road lighting system of claim 6 , wherein the IR light source comprises a VCSEL array.

8. The road lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the microLED array has a luminance of 10 to 100 lux (lx).

9. The road lighting system of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to receive signals from the processor and in response control pixels in the microLED array to provide spot illumination on the object or person comprising vertical illuminance from 10 to 100 lx.

10. The road lighting system of claim 9 , wherein the spot illumination on the object person comprises horizontal illuminance, the vertical illuminance being different from the horizontal illuminance.

11. A road lighting system deployed on or near a roadway, the road lighting system comprising:
one or more light sources comprising a first LED array and configured to emit visible light;
one or more infrared (IR) light sources comprising a VCSEL or a second LED array and configured to emit IR light;
one or more cameras configured to operate in the (IR) range and arranged to detect an object or person on or near the roadway with the IR light emitted from the one or more IR light sources;
a processor configured to receive and process signals from the one or more cameras and configured to communicate with the one or more IR light sources; and
a controller configured to receive signals from the processor and in response control the one or more light sources to provide spot illumination to the object or person on or near the roadway that provides increased visual contrast of the object or person against the roadway.

12. The road lighting system of claim 1 , wherein:
the one or more detectors are arranged to detect disability glare by at least one of detecting oncoming traffic and reflectivity of the roadway.

13. The road lighting system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to receive signals from the processor and in response control the one or more light sources to mitigate disability glare.

14. The road lighting system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to control the one or more light sources to mitigate disability glare by controlling the one or more light sources to produce asymmetric light output such that light is directed onto the side of the object or person facing oncoming traffic.

15. The road lighting system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more light sources comprises an IR light source and the one or more detectors comprises a camera configured to operate in the IR range, the camera arranged to detect the object or person on the roadway by use of the IR light source.

16. The road lighting system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more detectors comprises a pressure sensitive pad.

17. The road lighting system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more detectors comprises a camera comprising:
a charge-coupled device (CCD);
a digital signal processor (DSP) comprising an analog digital converter (ADC) and configured to communicated with the processor.

18. A road lighting system deployed on or near a crosswalk on a roadway, the road lighting system comprising:
a first light source comprising an LED array disposed above or adjacent to a first side of the crosswalk facing or opposite to oncoming vehicular traffic;
a second light source disposed above or adjacent to a second side of the crosswalk perpendicular to the first side;
one or more detectors arranged to detect a pedestrian on or near the crosswalk;
a processor configured to receive and process signals from the one or more detectors; and
a controller configured to receive signals from the processor and in response control the first and second light sources to illuminate a portion of the crosswalk and/or to provide spot illumination to the object or person, the first and second light sources controlled to provide different horizontal illuminance components and vertical illuminance components from each other, the horizontal illuminance components in a plane parallel to the roadway and the vertical illuminance components in a plane perpendicular to the roadway.

19. The road lighting system of claim 18 , wherein at least one of the processor and the controller is connected to the network or the Ethernet and is configured to communicate to the object or person, or an oncoming vehicle, a visual and/or audible warning.

20. The road lighting system of claim 18 , wherein at least one of the processor and the controller is connected to the network or the Ethernet and is configured to receive a communication from a mobile phone or other communication device and in response control the one or more light sources to illuminate the object or person.

Assignees

• Lumileds Llc

Inventors

• Camras Michael
• Bhardwaj Jyoti Kiron

Classifications

• H05B47/195

  the transmission using visible or infrared light · CPC title

• H05B47/1985

  Creation of lighting zones or scenes · CPC title

• H05B47/1965

  using handheld communication devices · CPC title

• G08G1/005 Primary

  including pedestrian guidance indicator · CPC title

• B60Q1/525

  automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data · CPC title