Patent ID: 8063935

Claim:
A method for the early detection of the arrival in a dark sector of a motor vehicle having a camera, a computer processor and a set of lighting devices which may be selectively switched on or off, the method comprising the steps of: (a) implementing an image processing application on a set of images supplied by the camera to determine the imminent arrival of the vehicle in the dark sector; the application comprising the substeps of: (i) identifying, on a first image supplied by the camera, at least one dark object liable to correspond to the dark sector; (ii) analyzing, on following images supplied by the camera, a change in each dark object identified; (b) using a predictive filter for mitigating any disappearance of at least one of the dark objects identified out of a previously determined number of following images supplied by the camera; and (c) switching on at least one of the motor vehicle lighting devices following the determination of the imminent arrival of the motor vehicle in the dark sector.