METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A CORNERING LIGHT AND LIGHTING DEVICE

• US 20150336500A1
• Filed: 05/20/2015
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hella KGaA Hueck & Company
• Original Assignee: Hella KGaA Hueck & Company
• Inventors: HOFFMANN, Ingo, HERNTRICH, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 9,802,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/08 automatically
• 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 1/12 due to steering position
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/16 illuminating the way asymmetrically
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/322 Road curvature

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling a predictive cornering light with at least one headlight with a pivoting means for the controlled pivoting of the headlight, wherein a monitoring device is provided, which monitors the roadway and/or lane in front of the vehicle, and a control unit is provided, which, on the basis of the data of the monitoring device, drives the pivoting means for setting the headlight for illuminating the roadway and/or lane. The invention also relates to a lighting device in this regard.

Claims

1. Method for controlling a predictive cornering light with at least one headlight with a pivoting means for the controlled pivoting of the headlight, wherein a monitoring device is provided, which monitors the roadway and/or lane in front of the vehicle and generates roadway data, wherein a control unit is provided, which, on the basis of the data of the monitoring device, drives the pivoting means for setting the headlight for illuminating the roadway and/or lane, wherein for maximizing the illumination of the roadway and/or lane, a model of the headlight light distribution is used in addition to the roadway data, wherein the deviation between the model of the headlight light distribution and the roadway on the basis of the roadway data is minimized by a rotation of the model of the headlight light distribution and a pivoting angle is determined on the basis of the resultant position of the model of the headlight light distribution, said pivoting angle being used for driving the headlight.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the pivoting angle corresponds to a resulting rotation angle of the model of the headlight light distribution relative to a selected and/or initial model position.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the selected and/or initial model position is defined as a position of the model of the headlight light distribution without pivoting.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the minimization of the deviations corresponds to a minimization of the sum of all partial deviations of the roadway from the model.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the minimization of the deviations corresponds to a minimization of the difference of a right-hand at least one partial deviation and/or of a left-hand at least one partial deviation between roadway and model.

6. Method according to any of claim 1, wherein the model is a section model.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the section model describes the centroid position of the light distribution.

8. Method according to claim 6, wherein the section model is a section of the length of the low-beam light range.

9. Method according to claim 6, wherein the determination of the at least one partial deviation between the roadway and the section model is effected by means of at least one area determination between the section and a curve characterizing the roadway course or lane course.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein a first area arises as an area between the section and the curve characterizing the roadway course or lane course up to the point of intersection thereof and a second area arises between the section and the curve characterizing the roadway course or lane course after the point of intersection thereof up to a predefinable distance, wherein in the case of a right-hand curve the first area is defined as the right-hand partial deviation and the second area is defined as the left-hand partial deviation, and in the case of a left-hand curve the first area is defined as the left-hand partial deviation and the second area is defined as the right-hand partial deviation.

11. Method according to claim 6, wherein the section lies in the selected and/or initial model position on a straight line in the direction of the vehicle longitudinal axis and proceeds from the current position of the vehicle.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein the model is an area model.

13. Method according to claim 12, wherein the area model is an area which is situated on the roadway plane and which is delimited by at least one curve.

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein the area model is the area between a right-hand delimiting ray and between a left-hand delimiting ray up to a predefinable distance.

15. Method according to claim 1, wherein the model is a volume model.

16. Method according to claim 15, wherein the determination of the at least one partial deviation between the roadway and the volume model is carried out by means of an intersection area determination between the roadway plane and the volume and by means of a determination of the at least one area proportion which lies on the left and/or on the right alongside the lane on said intersection area.

17. Lighting device comprising at least one headlight with a pivoting means for the controlled pivoting of the headlight for controlling a predictive cornering light, and wherein a monitoring device is provided, which monitors the roadway and/or lane in front of the vehicle and generates roadway data, and wherein a control unit is provided, which, on the basis of the data of the monitoring device, drives the pivoting means for setting the headlight for illuminating the roadway and/or lane, in particular for carrying out a method according to claim 1.

22. Method according to claim 1, wherein the first pivoting angle is determinable by ascertaining, on the basis of the ascertained roadway course or lane course, the point of intersection between the roadway course or lane course and a straight line at the predetermined distance, wherein the straight lane proceeds from the current position of the motor vehicle.

23. Method according to claim 1, wherein the second pivoting angle is determined in such a way that a straight line is determined, whose point of intersection with the ascertained roadway course or lane course is chosen in such a way that the resulting two areas between the straight line and the roadway course or lane course up to the predetermined distance assume a predefinable size ratio.

24. Method according to claim 23, wherein the areas are of identical size.

25. Method according to claim 23, wherein the size ratio is dependent on the curve radius.

26. Method according to claim 25, wherein a first area arranged nearer to the vehicle and a second area further away from the vehicle are formed, wherein the ratio between the sizes of the two areas is chosen depending on the curve radius.

27. Method according to claim 26, wherein, in the case of a first predefinable curve radius, such as, in particular, an infinite curve radius, the first area is maximal and the second area is zero.

28. Method according to claim 26, wherein in the case of a second predefined curve radius the size of the first area is equal to the size of the second area.

29. Method according to claim 26, wherein in the case of a curve radius between the second predefined curve radius and a first predefinable curve radius the ratio of the size of the first area to the size of the second area rises.

18. Method for controlling a predictive cornering light with at least one headlight with a pivoting means for the controlled pivoting of the headlight, wherein a monitoring device is provided, which monitors the roadway and/or lane in front of the vehicle and generates roadway data, wherein a control unit is provided, which, on the basis of the data of the monitoring device, drives the pivoting means for setting the headlight for illuminating the roadway and/or lane, wherein a first pivoting angle is determined from the roadway data at a roadway point at a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle, wherein a second pivoting angle is determined from the first pivoting angle, depending on the curve radius of the roadway, said second pivoting angle being used for driving the headlight.

19. Method according to claim 18, wherein the second pivoting angle is corrected, such as in particular reduced, relative to the first pivoting angle by means of a correction.

20. Method according to claim 19, wherein the correction is greater in the case of a smaller curve radius than in the case of a larger curve radius.

21. Method according to claim 18, wherein the first pivoting angle is determined according to a method for controlling a predictive cornering light with at least one headlight with a pivoting means for the controlled pivoting of the headlight, wherein a monitoring device is provided, which monitors the roadway and/or lane in front of the vehicle and generates roadway data, wherein a control unit is provided, which, on the basis of the data of the monitoring device, drives the pivoting means for setting the headlight for illuminating the roadway and/or lane, wherein for maximizing the illumination of the roadway and/or lane, a model of the headlight light distribution is used in addition to the roadway data, wherein the deviation between the model of the headlight light distribution and the roadway on the basis of the roadway data is minimized by a rotation of the model of the headlight light distribution and a pivoting angle is determined on the basis of the resultant position of the model of the headlight light distribution, said pivoting angle being used for driving the headlight.

35. Lighting device comprising at least one headlight with a pivoting means for the controlled pivoting of the headlight for controlling a predictive cornering light, wherein a monitoring device is provided, which monitors the roadway and/or lane in front of the vehicle and generates roadway data, wherein a control unit is provided, which, on the basis of the data of the monitoring device, drives the pivoting means for setting the headlight for illuminating the roadway and/or lane, in particular for carrying out a method according to claim 18.

30. Method for controlling a predictive cornering light with at least one headlight with a pivoting means for the controlled pivoting of the headlight, wherein a monitoring device is provided, which monitors the roadway and/or lane in front of the vehicle and generates roadway data, wherein a control unit is provided, which, on the basis of the data of the monitoring device, drives the pivoting means for setting the headlight for illuminating the roadway and/or lane, wherein an area determination is performed from the profile of the roadway data and by means of an auxiliary line proceeding from the vehicle, on the basis of which the point of intersection between the course of the roadway and the auxiliary line is determined, which characterizes the pivoting angle of the headlight that is used for driving the headlight.

31. Method according to claim 30, wherein the pivoting angle is defined as an angle between the auxiliary line and the vehicle longitudinal direction.

32. Method according to claim 30, wherein the area determination is effected in such a way that a predefinable ratio is achieved between the first area between the auxiliary line and the roadway course up to the point of intersection thereof and the second area between the auxiliary line and the roadway course after the point of intersection up to a predefinable distance.

33. Method according to claim 32, wherein the area determination is effected in such a way that the ratio between the first area and the second area assumes a predefinable value.

34. Method according to claim 33, wherein the area determination is effected in such a way that the ratio between the first area and the second area is 1:

1.