Patent Document ID: 20120051599
Application ID: 13292120
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. An automatic lighting system for a vehicle, said automatic lighting system comprising: an imaging device having a field of view at least generally forwardly with respect to a forward direction of travel of a vehicle equipped with said automatic lighting system as the equipped vehicle travels forwardly along a road; wherein said imaging device is operable to capture image data representative of at least a portion of the field of view of said imaging device; a control operable to process said captured image data to determine if an object imaged by said imaging device is an object of interest to a driver of the equipped vehicle that is present at least one of (i) generally forwardly of the equipped vehicle as the equipped vehicle travels along the road and (ii) generally sidewardly of the equipped vehicle as the equipped vehicle travels along the road; wherein said control is operable to determine if an object imaged in the field of view is an object of interest at least in part by determining at least one of (a) a size of the imaged object, (b) a shape of the imaged object, (c) a distance to the imaged object and (d) a direction toward the imaged object; an illumination source operable to illuminate at least one of generally forwardly of the equipped vehicle and generally sidewardly of the equipped vehicle as the equipped vehicle travels along the road, wherein said illumination source comprises an array of light emitting diodes and wherein illumination emanating from said illumination source is adjustable via selectively activating at least some individual light emitting diodes of said array of light emitting diodes; and wherein adjustment of said illumination source is responsive to determination by said control that an imaged object is an object of interest.