METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A LIGHT EMISSION OF A HEADLIGHT OF A VEHICLE

• US 20130054087A1
• Filed: 08/16/2012
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: MOHAMED, Manoj
• Granted Patent: US 9,545,875 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/18 being additional front lights bracket mounted headlights B60Q1/0483
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/336 Crossings
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/45 Special conditions, e.g. pedestrians, road signs or potential dangers

Abstract

A method for controlling a light emission of at least one headlight of a host vehicle includes: reading in a side collision warning signal which represents a risk for the host vehicle of a side impact from another vehicle; generating an activation signal using the side collision warning signal and a position information which represents a position of the other vehicle relative to the host vehicle; and controlling the light emission of the at least one headlight based on the activation signal, in order to illuminate the other vehicle with the aid of the at least one headlight.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a light emission of at least one headlight of a host vehicle, comprising:

receiving a side collision warning signal representing a risk for the host vehicle of a side impact from another vehicle;

generating an activation signal using the side collision warning signal and a position information representing a position of the other vehicle relative to the host vehicle; and

controlling the light emission of the at least one headlight based on the activation signal, in order to illuminate the other vehicle with the aid of the at least one headlight.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the side collision warning signal is received from at least one of an optical detection device and a radar detection device.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the controlling of the light emission of the at least one headlight includes at least one of (i) directing the light emission toward the other vehicle, and (ii) activating the light emission of the at least one headlight.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one headlight of the host vehicle includes at least one of a front headlight and a side collision warning headlight, and the controlling of the light emission of the at least one headlight includes controlling at least one of a light emission of the front headlight and a light emission of the side collision warning headlight.

5. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the position information representing the position of the other vehicle relative to the host vehicle is determined based on at least one of image data and radar data.

6. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the light emission of the at least one headlight is directed toward the other vehicle.

7. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

verifying, using an optical detection device, whether the other vehicle is illuminated with the aid of the at least one headlight of the host vehicle.

8. A control system for controlling a light emission of at least one headlight of a host vehicle, comprising:

a receiver unit for receiving a side collision warning signal representing a risk for the host vehicle of a side impact from another vehicle;

an activation-signal generator for generating an activation signal using the side collision warning signal and a position information representing a position of the other vehicle relative to the host vehicle; and

a controller for controlling the light emission of the at least one headlight based on the activation signal, in order to illuminate the other vehicle with the aid of the at least one headlight.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable data storage medium storing a computer program having program codes which, when executed on a computer, implements a method for controlling a light emission of at least one headlight of a host vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a side collision warning signal representing a risk for the host vehicle of a side impact from another vehicle;

generating an activation signal using the side collision warning signal and a position information representing a position of the other vehicle relative to the host vehicle; and

controlling the light emission of the at least one headlight based on the activation signal, in order to illuminate the other vehicle with the aid of the at least one headlight.