METHOD FOR CALIBRATING A LIGHTING APPARATUS

• US 20170305327A1
• Filed: 07/07/2017
• Published: 10/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hella Gmbh & Co. Kgaa (Forvia SE)
• Original Assignee: Hella KGaA Hueck & Company
• Inventors: HOFFMANN, Ingo, Graf, Susanne, Hillenkamp, Monika
• Granted Patent: US 10,131,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/064 by fluid means
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2200/38 Automatic calibration of motor-driven means for adjusting headlamps, i.e. when switching on the headlamps, not during mounting at factories
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/153 arranged in a matrix
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/285 Refractors, transparent cover plates, light guides or filters not provided in groups F21S41/24-F21S41/28
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/63 by acting on refractors, filters or transparent cover plates
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/645 by electro-optic means, e.g. liquid crystal or electrochromic devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/663 by switching light sources by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 11/065 details about the image analysis

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for calibrating a lighting apparatus, particularly lighting apparatus for a motor vehicle.

Claims

1. Method for calibrating a lighting apparatus, wherein the lighting apparatus has a plurality of illuminants as light sources that each produce an individual light distribution, control means for controlling the settings of the individual light distributions to produce a superimposed overall light distribution by dint of superimposition of the individual light distributions of at least single illuminants, additionally characterized by

the production of an essentially overlap-free distribution of the individual light distributions of at least single selected illuminants,

pickup of the light distribution of the selected illuminants by means of a sensor,

determination of at least one characteristic of the picked-up individual light distributions of the selected illuminants,

calibration of the lighting apparatus on the basis of a comparison of the at least one characteristic of different illuminants among one another and/or with prescribable setpoint data.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the illuminants are provided with means for setting the direction of radiation of the individual light distribution and/or with means for setting the focusing of the individual light distribution.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the illuminants are in a form such that the intensity of the individual light distribution is adjustable, the respective intensity of the individual light distribution of the illuminants being controllable by the control means.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the calibration of the lighting apparatus is setting and/or the actuation is control of the direction of radiation of the individual light distribution from at least one illuminant or all illuminants and/or of the focusing of the individual light distribution from at least one illuminant and/or from all illuminants and/or of the intensity of the individual light distribution from at least one illuminant or from all illuminants.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the calibration of the lighting apparatus is setting and/or the actuation is control of the direction of radiation of the individual light distribution from at least one of the selected illuminants or all selected illuminants and/or of the focusing of the individual light distribution from at least one of the selected illuminants and/or from all selected illuminants and/or of the intensity of the individual light distribution from at least one of the selected illuminants or from all selected illuminants.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic is a center or focus of an individual light distribution.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic is an expansion and/or a profile of the light distribution.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein the comparison is a comparison of centers and/or expansion parameters and/or profile parameters from light distributions that are ascertained from different illuminants.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein the comparison is used to examine at least one regularity.

12. Method according to Claim 1, wherein the comparison is a comparison of centers and/or expansion parameters and/or profile parameters from light distributions that are compared with setpoint positions, setpoint expansions and/or setpoint profiles.

13. Method according to claim 1, wherein the production of an essentially overlap-free distribution of the individual light distributions is performed over an area in front of the vehicle.

14. Method according to claim 13, wherein the area is an at least essentially even area that has a horizontal or vertical profile, in particular.

15. Method according to claim 13, wherein the area is a selected area or is a subregion of a selected area in which the operation of the headlamp is essentially unimpaired and/or the driver of the vehicle and/or other road users are not disturbed or influenced.

16. Method according to claim 15, wherein the area is not visible to the driver of the vehicle.

17. Method according to claim 1, wherein the method for calibration is performed cyclically in multiple calibration cycles.

18. Method according to claim 17, wherein the method for calibration is performed such that only a portion of the illuminants of the lighting apparatus are calibrated in a calibration cycle, different calibration cycles involving a respective different portion of the illuminants being calibrated.

19. Method according to claim 17, wherein after a complete pass through the calibration cycles, essentially all illuminants are calibrated.

20. Method according to claim 17, wherein the selected illuminants for calibration are selected such that they are currently not used to produce a light distribution that is needed on account of the situation, or such illuminants are used but they are at least intermittently replaced by other illuminants.

21. Method according to claim 1, wherein only one individual light distribution for an illuminant at a time is calibrated in a calibration cycle.

22. Method according to claim 1, wherein the production of the overlap-free distribution of the individual light distributions is performed in at least one of various settings for the illuminants.

23. Method according to claim 18, wherein the setting that is set is a central position, a, in particular extreme, swivel position, a, in particular extreme, focusing and/or an, in particular extreme, expansion.

24. Method according to claim 1, wherein a dynamic setting for the individual light distribution or for the light distributions is made.

25. Method according to claim 1, wherein swiveling and/or circling and/or expansion and contraction is set.

26. Method according to claim 1, wherein the calibration and/or the ascertainment of control parameters for a lighting apparatus of a motor vehicle is performed, the calibration and/or the ascertainment of control parameters being performed at a standstill during and/or after the production of the motor vehicle.

27. Method according to claim 1, wherein the calibration and/or the ascertainment of control parameters for a lighting apparatus of a motor vehicle is performed, the calibration and/or the ascertainment of control parameters being performed during a driving situation of the motor vehicle.

28. Method according to claim 1, wherein a comparison is followed by a discrepancy in an individual light distribution for a selected illuminant from a setpoint value being established, from which a correction value for actuating the selected illuminant is determined, so that the discrepancy is reduced.

29. Method according to claim 26, wherein the correction value is stored and is used or taken into account during operation of the illuminant.

30. Method according to claim 1, wherein calibration involves a first pattern being produced and/or projected from the individual light distributions, in which the individual light distributions at least essentially do not overlap.

31. Method according to claim 1, wherein calibration involves at least one second pattern being produced and/or projected from the individual light distributions, in which the individual light distributions at least essentially do not overlap.

32. Method according to claim 30, wherein the second pattern is a complementary pattern for the first pattern.

33. Method according to claim 30, wherein a change between the first pattern and the second pattern and vice versa is effected at a prescribable frequency.

34. Method according to claim 30, wherein the first pattern and/or the second pattern is a regular pattern.

35. Control apparatus, such as a controller, for carrying out the method according to claim 1.

2. Method for actuating a lighting apparatus, wherein the lighting apparatus has a plurality of illuminants as light sources that each produce an individual light distribution, having control means for controlling the settings of the individual light distributions to produce a superimposed overall light distribution by dint of superimposition of the individual light distributions of at least single illuminants, additionally characterized by

the production of an essentially overlap-free distribution of the individual light distributions of at least single selected illuminants at a selected time,

pickup of the light distribution of the selected illuminants by means of a sensor,

determination and storage of at least one characteristic of the picked-up individual light distributions of the selected illuminants,

actuation of the lighting apparatus during operation based on the at least one characteristic.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the actuation involves a setpoint value for the characteristic being compared with the actual value and the difference being used for control.