A Novel Approach against Sun Glare to Enhance Driver Safety

Abstract

The automotive industry is developing continuously, trying to improve, among others, the safety of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Using modern technology, the dangers caused by weather hazards like rain, snow, fog, or glare were identified and reduced. This paper presents an anti-glare solution using existing technologies that can be found already in a high-end car like the driver’s eyes tracking systems, light intensity sensors, or head-up displays. In addition to the existing elements, a sun tracking sensor is required to detect the point where the sun light has the maximum intensity on the windshield surface. Knowing the driver’s position and the point on the windshield where the sunlight has a high intensity, a dark spot can be created on the windshield in order to reduce the discomfort created by glare. Depending on the intensity of the light and taking into consideration the traffic safety laws, the spot’s transparency can vary between certain limits. Therefore, the dangers caused by glare will be diminished and the risks of not observing pedestrians, other traffic participants, traffic signs, or sudden curves will be considerably lower. Another advantage of using a digital sunshade based on smart glass or in-glass transparent displays, instead of a regular sunshade, is that the whole windshield can be protected against glare not just the top of it. The results were verified and highlighted using computer simulations done via a MATLAB environment.