Dynamic means of illuminating a field of vision

• US 9,981,593 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2014
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: ZKW Group GmbH (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Mayer, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Neils, Peggy
• Application Number:
  US14/904,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20160152173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• 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 1/1438 Actuating means for dimming masks or screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/16 illuminating the way asymmetrically
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/054 Variable non-standard intensity, i.e. emission of various beam intensities different from standard intensities, e.g. continuous or stepped transitions of intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/23 Driver's line of sight
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/322 Road curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/45 Special conditions, e.g. pedestrians, road signs or potential dangers

Abstract

A process for producing an adaptive light pattern that is produced by at least one vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) in a vehicle (2) that can be steered by a vehicle driver (3), the at least one vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) having at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2), wherein at least one camera (5) detects the direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver is looking, at least one computing unit (6) evaluates the information obtained in this way and produces, on the basis of this information, control signals and transmits the control signals to the at least one vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) with the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2), and wherein the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2) is controlled, on the basis of the control signals for targeted illumination of an area (BR1) lying in the direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking.

Claims

1. A process for producing an adaptive light pattern that is produced by at least one vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) in a vehicle (2) that is configured to be steered by a vehicle driver (3), the at least one vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) having at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2), the process comprising:

detecting, with at least one camera (5), a direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver is looking;

using at least one computing unit (6) to evaluate the detected direction and thereby produce control signals; and

transmitting the control signals to the at least one vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) with the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2) to produce the adaptive light pattern,

wherein the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2) is controlled, on the basis of the control signals, for targeted illumination of an area (BR1) lying in the direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking,

wherein the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2) is configured to execute different light functions comprising a low-beam function, a glare-free high-beam function, and an adaptive light pattern function, the light functions being organized in a hierarchy, in which a production of a low-beam pattern comprises the highest priority followed by a production of a high-beam pattern and the targeted illumination of the area lying in the direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking, and

wherein surroundings of the vehicle are detected by the at least one camera (5), and wherein the at least one computing unit (6) evaluated information obtained from the at least one camera (5), recognizes light-reflecting objects comprising road signs located in the vehicle surroundings, and controls an intensity of targeted illumination of one of the light-reflecting objects on the basis of its reflectivity.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the adaptive light pattern is produced by horizontal and/or vertical segmentation of a light pattern of the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2).

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the adaptive light pattern is put together from light patterns of two vehicle headlights (SW1, SW2), each of which includes the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2).

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the adaptive light pattern is put together from light patterns of two vehicle headlights (SW1, SW2), each of which has exactly one of the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2).

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the adaptive light pattern is produced by at least two adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2) that are controlled independently of one another.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the vehicle surroundings are detected by the at least one camera (5), and the at least one computing unit (6) evaluates information obtained by the at least one camera and recognizes road users located in the vehicle surroundings and selects them according to defined criteria, at least the targeted illumination of the selected road users being suppressed.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the at least one camera (5) detects a curve in a road lying in front of the vehicle (2).

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the vehicle surroundings are detected by the at least one camera (5), and wherein the at least one computing unit (6) evaluates information obtained by the at least one camera (5) and checks moving objects located in the vehicle surroundings for their relevance to traffic on the basis of defined criteria, the position of a respective object being compared with the direction in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking and, depending on a result of the checking of the object and the comparison with the direction in which the vehicle driver is looking, taking at least one illuminating engineering measure to direct the attention of the vehicle driver.

9. An illumination system (1) for producing an adaptive light pattern that is produced by at least one vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) in a vehicle (2) that is configured to be steered by a vehicle driver (3), the at least one vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) having at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2), the illumination system comprising:

at least one camera (5) configured to detect a direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver is looking; and

at least one computing unit (6) configured to control the at least one adaptive means of illumination for targeted illumination of an area (BR1) lying in the direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking,

wherein the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2) is configured to execute different light functions comprising a low-beam function, a glare-free high-beam function, and an adaptive light pattern function, the light functions being organized in a hierarchy, in which a production of a low-beam pattern comprises the highest priority followed by a production of a high-beam pattern and the targeted illumination of the area lying in the direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking, and

wherein at least one camera (5) is configured to detect vehicle surroundings, and wherein the at least one computing unit (6) is configured to evaluate information obtained by the at least one camera, recognize objects comprising road signs located in the vehicle surroundings, and to control an intensity of targeted illumination of a light-reflecting object on the basis of its reflectivity.

10. The illumination system of claim 9, wherein the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2) have horizontal and/or vertical segmentation.

11. The illumination system of claim 9, wherein the at least one vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) has exactly one of the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2).

12. The illumination system of claim 9, wherein the at least one camera (5) is configured to detect the vehicle surroundings, the at least one computing unit (6) being configured to evaluate information obtained by the at least one camera and to recognize road users located in the vehicle surroundings, recognized road users being selected according to defined criteria and the targeted illumination of the selected road users being suppressible.

13. The illumination system of claim 12, wherein the at least one camera (5) is configured to detect a curve in a road lying in front of the vehicle (2).

14. The illumination system of claim 9, wherein the at least one camera (5) is configured to detect the vehicle surroundings, wherein the at least one computing unit (6) is configured to evaluate information obtained from the at least one camera, recognize and check moving objects located in the vehicle surroundings, compare a position of a respective object with the direction in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking, and, depending on a result of the checking of the object and the comparison with the direction in which the vehicle driver is looking, trigger the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2) in a targeted manner.

15. A motor vehicle comprising at least one illumination system of claim 9.

16. The motor vehicle of claim 15, wherein the motor vehicle has two front headlights equipped with the illumination system.

17. A process for producing an adaptive light pattern that is produced by a vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) in a vehicle (2) that is configured to be steered by a vehicle driver (3), the vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) having an adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2), the process comprising:

detecting, with a camera (5), a direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver is looking;

using a computing unit (6) to evaluate the detected direction and thereby produce control signals; and

transmitting the control signals to the vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) with the adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2),

wherein the adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2) is controlled, on the basis of the control signals, for targeted illumination of an area (BR1) lying in the direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking,

wherein the adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2) is configured to execute different light functions comprising a low-beam function, a glare-free high-beam function, and an adaptive light pattern function, the light functions being organized in a hierarchy, in which a production of a low-beam pattern comprises the highest priority followed by a production of a high-beam pattern and the targeted illumination of the area lying in the direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking, and

wherein vehicle surroundings are detected by the camera (5), and the computing unit (6) evaluates the information obtained by the camera (5), checks moving objects located in the vehicle surroundings for their relevance to traffic on the basis of defined criteria, a position of a respective object being compared with the direction in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking, and, depending on a result of the checking of the object and the comparison with the direction in which the vehicle driver is looking, takes a illuminating engineering measure to direct the attention of the vehicle driver.

18. An illumination system (1) for producing an adaptive light pattern that is produced by a vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) in a vehicle (2) that is configured to be steered by a vehicle driver (3), the vehicle headlight (SW1, SW2) having an adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2), the illumination system comprising:

a camera (5) configured to detect a direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver is looking; and

a computing unit (6) configured to control the adaptive means of illumination for targeted illumination of an area (BR1) lying in the direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking,

wherein the adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2) is configured to execute different light functions comprising a low-beam function, a glare-free high-beam function, and an adaptive light pattern function, the light functions being organized in a hierarchy, in which a production of a low-beam pattern comprises the highest priority followed by a production of a high-beam pattern and the targeted illumination of the area lying in the direction (BR) in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking, and

wherein the camera (5) is configured to detect vehicle surroundings, the computing unit (6) being configured to evaluate information obtained by the camera, recognize and check moving objects located in the vehicle surroundings, compare a position of a respective object with the direction in which the vehicle driver (3) is looking, and, depending on a result of the checking of the object and the comparison with the direction in which the vehicle driver is looking, trigger the at least one adaptive means of illumination (BM1, BM2) in a targeted manner.