Method and device for changing a light emission of at least one headlight of a vehicle

• US 20130058116A1
• Filed: 08/22/2012
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Felix Wulf, Roland Galbas
• Inventors: GALBAS, Roland, WULF, Felix
• Application Number:
  US13/591,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20130058116A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/512
• 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 1/48 for parking purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/23 Driver's line of sight
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/45 Special conditions, e.g. pedestrians, road signs or potential dangers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body

Abstract

A method for changing a light emission of at least one headlight of a vehicle. The method includes reading in a position signal which represents a position of the object in front of or alongside the vehicle. The method also includes changing the light emission from at least one headlight of the vehicle onto the object or into the surroundings of the object, using the position signal. For the change, a changing illumination pattern is emitted onto the object or into the surroundings of the object in order to change the light emission of the at least one headlight of the vehicle.

Claims

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

reading in a position signal which represents a position of the object in front of or alongside the vehicle; and

changing the light emission from the at least one headlight of the vehicle onto the object or into the surroundings of the object, using the position signal, so that for the change, a changing illumination pattern is emitted onto the object or into the surroundings of the object to change the light emission of the at least one headlight of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the changing operation, an illumination pattern is emitted onto the object or into the surroundings of the object which has one subarea having a high brightness level and another subarea having a low brightness level, the subarea having the high brightness level moving toward the object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the changing operation, the illumination pattern is emitted so that it has at least one area which is circular or which peripherally surrounds the object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in the changing operation, the illumination pattern is emitted so that it has a linear strip-shaped area, which in particular is emitted over the object in a moving manner while the light emission is being changed.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in the reading in operation, the position signal also includes information concerning a type or a class of the object, in the changing operation, one of at least two different illumination patterns also being selected in response to the information concerning the type or the class of the object and emitted onto the object or into the surroundings of the object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in the reading in operation, the position signal is read in which represents a position of a mobile object or a height of a nonmobile object above a roadway.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein in the reading in operation, a driving signal concerning a vehicle parameter or a physical variable which represents a motion of the vehicle is also read in, in the changing operation, the light emission also being performed using the driving signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein in the changing operation, a rate of a change of the illumination pattern emitted onto the object or alongside the object takes place as a function of a read-in type or class of the object and/or a position of the object in front of or alongside the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein in the reading in operation, traffic lane data are also read in which represent information concerning a relationship of the position of the object with respect to the traffic lane on which the vehicle is present, in the changing operation, the light being emitted using the read-in traffic lane data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein in the reading in operation, information concerning a parking space that is present at an edge of a roadway traversed by the vehicle is read in, in the changing operation, the light emission also being changed so that at least a portion of the illumination pattern illuminates the parking space or is directed into the parking space.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein in the reading in operation, a brightness signal is read in which represents a brightness level in the surroundings of the vehicle, in the changing operation, the light emission being changed in response to the brightness signal, in particular in the changing operation, the light emission being changed if the brightness signal indicates a brightness level that is below a predefined threshold.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein in the reading in operation, information is read in that the vehicle is exiting from a parking space at that moment, in the changing operation, the illumination pattern being emitted so that at least one subarea of the illumination pattern is emitted onto an object, in particular another vehicle, that is abeam of the headlight.

13. A device for changing a light emission of at least one headlight of a vehicle, comprising:

an interface for reading in a position signal which represents a position of the object in front of or alongside the vehicle; and

a changing device for changing the light emission from the at least one headlight of the vehicle onto the object, using the position signal, so that for the change, a changing illumination pattern is emitted onto the object or into the surroundings of the object to change the light emission of the at least one headlight of the vehicle.

14. A computer readable medium having a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:

a program code arrangement having program code for changing a light emission of at least one headlight of a vehicle, by performing the following;

reading in a position signal which represents a position of the object in front of or alongside the vehicle; and

changing the light emission from the at least one headlight of the vehicle onto the object or into the surroundings of the object, using the position signal, so that for the change, a changing illumination pattern is emitted onto the object or into the surroundings of the object to change the light emission of the at least one headlight of the vehicle.