Method and control unit for validating an illumination-range test value of a light cone of a vehicle headlight

• US 9,589,080 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2011
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Rentschler, Tobias, Renner, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Kamini S
• Application Number:
  US13/698,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20130158960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,126 Days
• Field of Search: 703/8, 703/6, 703/2, 382/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/10 due to vehicle inclination, e.g. due to load distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 11/065 details about the image analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 11/068 with part of the measurements done from inside the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

A method for validating an illumination-range test value of a light cone of at least one headlight of a vehicle. The method includes reading in a reflection intensity of a point on at least one road marking illuminated by the light cone; generating a reflection intensity model for the road marking, based on the obtained reflection intensity and a particular distance of the point from the vehicle, the reflection intensity model being designed to assign different reflection intensities to different positions on the road marking in front of the vehicle; determining an illumination-range plausibility value, at which, according to the reflection intensity model, a reflection intensity is reached, which corresponds to a reflection-intensity threshold value; and comparing the illumination-range plausibility value to the illumination-range test value, to validate the illumination-range test value, if the illumination-range plausibility value is inside a tolerance range around the illumination-range test value.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a light cone of at least one headlight of a variable illumination range system of a host vehicle, comprising:

reading in, by an interface, a detected reflection intensity of a point on at least one road surface lane marking illuminated by the light cone, wherein the reflection intensity is detected by a sensor;

generating, by a control unit including a processor, a reflection intensity model for the road surface lane marking solely based on the detected reflection intensity and a particular distance of the point on the at least one road surface lane marking from the vehicle, the reflection intensity model assigning different reflection intensities to different positions on the road surface lane marking in front of the vehicle;

determining, by the control unit, an illumination-range plausibility value, at which, according to the reflection intensity model, a reflection intensity is reached, which corresponds to a reflection-intensity threshold value, wherein the reflection-intensity threshold value is a reflection intensity value of a position representing an end point of the light cone away from the at least one headlight;

comparing, by the control unit, the illumination-range plausibility value to an illumination-range test value to validate the illumination-range test value if the illumination-range plausibility value is inside a tolerance range of the illumination-range test value and maintaining, by the control unit, headlight inclination, wherein the illumination-range test value is a detected distance between the at least one headlight of the host vehicle and one of a headlight or a taillight of a second vehicle situated in the light cone; and

controlling, by the control unit, the variable illumination range system to adjust the light cone of the at least one headlight of the host vehicle if the illumination-range plausibility value is outside the tolerance range of the illumination-range test value.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the reflection intensity is measured at a point on the road surface lane marking at which the reflection intensity is at a maximum over all points on the road surface lane marking.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the reflection intensity is measured of a point which is situated on a longest of a plurality of road surface lane markings illuminated by the light cone.

4. A device for controlling a light cone of at least one headlight of a variable illumination range system of a host vehicle, comprising:

an interface unit to read in a detected reflection intensity of a point on at least one road surface lane marking illuminated by the light cone, wherein the reflection intensity is detected by a sensor;

a control unit including a processor configure to;

generate a reflection intensity model for the road surface lane marking solely based on the detected reflection intensity and a particular distance of the point on the at least one road surface lane marking from the vehicle, the reflection intensity model assigning different reflection intensities to different positions on the road surface lane marking in front of the vehicle;

determine an illumination-range plausibility value, at which, according to the reflection intensity model, a reflection intensity is reached which corresponds to a reflection-intensity threshold value, wherein the reflection-intensity threshold value is a reflection intensity value of a position representing an end point of the light cone away from the at least one headlight;

compare the illumination-range plausibility value to an illumination-range test value to validate the illumination-range test value if the illumination-range plausibility value is inside a tolerance range of the illumination-range test value and maintain headlight inclination, wherein the illumination-range test value is a detected distance between the at least one headlight of the host vehicle and one of a headlight or a taillight of a second vehicle situated in the light cone; and

control the variable illumination range system to adjust the light cone of the at least one headlight of the host vehicle if the illumination-range plausibility value is outside the tolerance range of the illumination-range test value.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code to control a light cone of at least one headlight of a variable illumination range system of a host vehicle, the program code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to perform the steps of:

reading in, by an interface, a detected reflection intensity of a point on at least one road surface lane marking illuminated by the light cone, wherein the reflection intensity is detected by a sensor;

generating, by a control unit including a processor, a reflection intensity model for the road surface lane marking solely based on the detected reflection intensity and a particular distance of the point on the at least one road surface lane marking from the vehicle, the reflection intensity model assigning different reflection intensities to different positions on the road surface lane marking in front of the vehicle;

determining, by the control unit, an illumination-range plausibility value, at which, according to the reflection intensity model, a reflection intensity is reached, which corresponds to a reflection-intensity threshold value, wherein the reflection-intensity threshold value is a reflection intensity value of a position representing an end point of the light cone away from the at least one headlight;

comparing, by the control unit, the illumination-range plausibility value to an illumination-range test value to validate the illumination-range test value if the illumination-range plausibility value is inside a tolerance range of the illumination-range test value and maintaining, by the control unit, headlight inclination, wherein the illumination-range test value is a detected distance between the at least one headlight of the host vehicle and one of a headlight or a taillight of a second vehicle situated in the light cone; and

controlling, by the control unit, the variable illumination range system to adjust the light cone of the at least one headlight of the host vehicle if the illumination-range plausibility value is outside the tolerance range of the illumination-range test value.