Method and control unit for setting at least one parameter of a driver assistance device of a vehicle

• US 9,566,899 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2015
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Foltin, Johannes Ludwig
• Primary Examiner(s): A, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US14/965,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20160167565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 315/76, 315/77, 315/78, 315/79, 315/80, 315/82, 315/83
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2300/05 Special features for controlling or switching of the light beam
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/052 Switching delay, i.e. the beam is not switched or changed instantaneously upon occurrence of a condition change
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/322 Road curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/45 Special conditions, e.g. pedestrians, road signs or potential dangers

Abstract

A method for setting at least one parameter of a driver assistance device of a vehicle includes reading in concealment data which represent at least one property of at least one concealment object situated adjacent to a roadway in a surroundings of the vehicle. The method also includes ascertaining a concealment-related visual range from the vehicle in an area of the surroundings situated in the forward travel direction ahead of the vehicle, using the concealment data. Finally, the method includes adapting the at least one parameter as a function of the concealment-related visual range.

Claims

1. A method for setting at least one parameter of a driver assistance device of a vehicle, the method comprising:

identifying at least one property of at least one concealment object situated adjacent to a roadway in a surroundings of the vehicle;

ascertaining a concealment-related visual range from the vehicle in an area of the surroundings situated in the forward travel direction ahead of the vehicle, using the identified at least one property of the at least one concealment object; and

adapting the at least one parameter as a function of the concealment-related visual range.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter represents a parameter for changing a characteristic of a light emission of at least one headlight of the vehicle from a first characteristic to a second characteristic.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the concealment data, using surroundings data which represent at least one property of the surroundings of the vehicle, a position, a pattern, an optical density, and/or a distance of the at least one concealment object relative to the roadway, relative to the vehicle, and/or relative to a trajectory of the vehicle being determined in the determining as the at least one property of the at least one concealment object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein geodata, vehicle-related location data, and/or at least one point and a distance of the at least one concealment object relative to the roadway and/or relative to the trajectory of the vehicle is determined in the determining as the position of the at least one concealment object, a continuous distance pattern along the roadway and/or the trajectory, a distance pattern extrapolated from a distance measured at a point, and/or a default distance pattern being determined as the distance of the at least one concealment object relative to the roadway and/or relative to the trajectory of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving the surroundings data from at least one interface with a position detection unit, a vehicle camera, a data transmission unit, and/or a surroundings detection unit of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein geodata, navigation data, building development data, vegetation data, image data, and/or distance data of the at least one concealment object relative to the roadway, relative to the vehicle, and/or relative to a trajectory of the vehicle are received as the surroundings data in the receiving.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the concealment-related visual range is ascertained in the ascertaining, using a position of the at least one concealment object and a trajectory of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a waiting time period and/or a controller time constant is/are adapted in the adapting, the waiting time period and/or the controller time constant being set to a first value when the concealment-related visual range is smaller than a threshold value, and the waiting time period and/or the controller time constant being set to a second value when the concealment-related visual range is greater than the threshold value, the first value being greater than the second value.

9. A control unit for setting at least one parameter of a driver assistance device of a vehicle, comprising:

a reading arrangement to identify at least one property of at least one concealment object situated adjacent to a roadway in a surroundings of the vehicle;

an ascertaining arrangement to ascertain a concealment-related visual range from the vehicle in an area of the surroundings situated in the forward travel direction ahead of the vehicle, using the identified at least one property of the at least one concealment object; and

an adapting arrangement to adapt the at least one parameter as a function of the concealment-related visual range.

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

a program code arrangement having program code for setting at least one parameter of a driver assistance device of a vehicle, by performing the following;

identifying at least one property of at least one concealment object situated adjacent to a roadway in a surroundings of the vehicle;

ascertaining a concealment-related visual range from the vehicle in an area of the surroundings situated in the forward travel direction ahead of the vehicle, using the identified at least one property of the at least one concealment object; and

adapting the at least one parameter as a function of the concealment-related visual range.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the at least one parameter represents a parameter for changing a characteristic of a light emission of at least one headlight of the vehicle from a first characteristic to a second characteristic.