Analyzing Headlight Flicker Patterns for Improving the Pedestrian Detectability from a Driver

In this paper, we analyze headlight flicker patterns which improve the pedestrian detectability from a driver. Recently, headlights are becoming capable of selectively projecting light on a pedestrian in addition to the normal forward projection. However, it is still not clear how the light should be projected to effectively improve the visibility of the pedestrian. We actually analyze nine flicker patterns by controlling duty ratios and durations of lighting time, and conduct experiments in field and laboratory settings. As a result, we reveal that a specific fundamental frequency is effective for improving the pedestrian detectability from a driver. We also conclude that the difference between the two settings are not significant.