Method and device for aligning an illuminated area of a headlight of a vehicle as a function of the suroundings of the vehicle

• US 20160023592A1
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: FOLTIN, Johannes
• Granted Patent: US 9,789,809 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 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind

Abstract

A method for aligning an illuminated area of a headlight of a vehicle as a function of the surroundings of the vehicle, includes classifying at least one other vehicle in the surroundings of the vehicle as a function of a piece of information concerning a position of the other vehicle in relation to the vehicle, determining a target position of the headlight, with disregard of the other vehicle, when the other vehicle is classified as passing the vehicle or as being passed by the vehicle, and providing a signal for moving the headlight into the target position while the vehicle is being passed by the other vehicle or is passing the other vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for aligning an illuminated area of a headlight of a vehicle as a function of the surroundings of the vehicle, the method comprising:

classifying at least one other vehicle in the surroundings of the vehicle as a function of a piece of information concerning a position of the other vehicle in relation to the vehicle;

determining a target position of the headlight, the determination taking place independently of the other vehicle, when the other vehicle is classified as passing the vehicle or the vehicle is classified as passing the other vehicle; and

providing a signal for moving the headlight into the target position while the vehicle is being passed by the other vehicle or is passing the other vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target position of the headlight is determined in the determining, using a piece of information concerning a position of an additional other vehicle, the additional other being classified as an oncoming vehicle or as a preceding vehicle in the classifying.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the additional other is classified as an oncoming vehicle or a preceding vehicle in the classifying when a distance to be measured in the travel direction of the vehicle, between the vehicle and the additional other, is above a predefined distance threshold value.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the additional other is classified as an oncoming vehicle in the classifying when its position in the travel direction of the vehicle is to the left of the vehicle in right-hand traffic, and/or is to the right of the vehicle in left-hand traffic, and is classified as a preceding vehicle when its position in the travel direction of the vehicle is in alignment with a position of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the target position of the headlight is determined in the determining, based on an evaluation of the surroundings of the vehicle using surroundings data, when the surroundings are free of additional other vehicles.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

reading in the information concerning a position of the other vehicle and/or the information concerning a position of an additional other vehicle and/or the surroundings data from a surroundings sensor of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the target position of the headlight is determined in the determining, using a piece of information concerning a trajectory of the vehicle, when the surroundings are free of additional other vehicles.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the target position is determined to be in alignment with a center of the headlight in the determining when the surroundings are free of additional other vehicles.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the target position of the headlight is determined in the determining when the headlight is in a low-beam mode in relation to the other vehicle.

10. A device for aligning an illuminated area of a headlight of a vehicle as a function of the surroundings of the vehicle, comprising:

a classification device to classify at least one other vehicle in the surroundings of the vehicle as a function of a piece of information concerning a position of the other vehicle in relation to the vehicle;

a determination device to determine a target position of the headlight, the determination device being configured for carrying out the determination independently of the other vehicle, when the other vehicle is classified as passing the vehicle, or the vehicle is classified as passing the other vehicle; and

a provision device to provide a signal for moving the headlight into the target position while the vehicle is being passed by the other vehicle or is passing the other vehicle.

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

a program code arrangement having program code configured for aligning an illuminated area of a headlight of a vehicle as a function of the surroundings of the vehicle, by performing the following;

classifying at least one other vehicle in the surroundings of the vehicle as a function of a piece of information concerning a position of the other vehicle in relation to the vehicle;

determining a target position of the headlight, the determination taking place independently of the other vehicle, when the other vehicle is classified as passing the vehicle or the vehicle is classified as passing the other vehicle; and

providing a signal for moving the headlight into the target position while the vehicle is being passed by the other vehicle or is passing the other vehicle.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the target position of the headlight is determined in the determining, using a piece of information concerning a position of an additional other vehicle, the additional other being classified as an oncoming vehicle or as a preceding vehicle in the classifying.