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DE-102012110534-B4 - Lighting system for a motor vehicle and method for adjusting a lighting unit of such a lighting system

DE102012110534B4DE 102012110534 B4DE102012110534 B4DE 102012110534B4DE-102012110534-B4

Abstract

Method for adjusting a light unit (12, 13) of a lighting system (6), wherein in a first step the HDGs (20, 21) are projected onto a surface (18) in a traffic area, wherein in a second step the position of the surface (18) with the projected HDGs (20, 21) is recorded at time t 1 by means of the image acquisition unit (10) and the vehicle dynamics data at time t 1 are determined and transmitted to the control unit (22), wherein in a third step the position of the surface (18) with the projected HDGs (20, 21) is recorded at time t 2 by means of the image acquisition unit (10) and the vehicle dynamics data at time t 2 are determined and transmitted to the control unit (22), in order to carry out an adjustment of the light unit (12, 13) in a final step, characterized in that the surface (18) is a rear area (18) of a preceding vehicle. (4) is used, in a fourth step the images of the HDGs (20, 21) are processed by the control unit (22) in the period Δt=t 2 -t 1 , in a fifth step a target/actual comparison of the HDGs (20, 21) is carried out and in a sixth step an adjustment of the light unit (12, 13) is carried out by means of the actuator (32).

Inventors

  • Sebastian Söhner
  • Torsten Schaal

Assignees

  • DR. ING. H.C. F. PORSCHE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20121105

Claims (8)

  1. Method for adjusting a light unit (12, 13) of a lighting system (6), wherein in a first step the HDGs (20, 21) are projected onto a surface (18) in a traffic space, wherein in a second step the position of the surface (18) with the projected HDGs (20, 21) is recorded at time t 1 by means of the image acquisition unit (10) and the vehicle dynamics data at time t 1 are determined and transmitted to the control unit (22), wherein in a third step the position of the surface (18) with the projected HDGs (20, 21) is recorded at time t 2 by means of the image acquisition unit (10) and the vehicle dynamics data at time t 2 are determined and transmitted to the control unit (22) in order to in a final step an adjustment of the light unit (12, 13) is carried out, characterized in that a rear area (18) of a preceding vehicle (4) is used as the surface (18), in a fourth step the images of the HDGs (20, 21) are processed by the control unit (22) in the period Δt=t 2 -t 1 , that in a fifth step a target/actual comparison of the HDGs (20, 21) is carried out and that in a sixth step an adjustment of the light unit (12, 13) is carried out by means of the actuator (32).
  2. Method for adjusting a light unit (12, 13) of a lighting system (6) according to Claim 1 characterized in that, in the fourth step, the captured image is filtered.
  3. Lighting system for a motor vehicle with a control unit (22) for carrying out a procedure according to one of the Claims 1 or 2 , with at least one image acquisition unit (10), with at least one light unit (12, 13) which has at least one light source (14), wherein the light unit (12, 13) is adjustable by means of at least one actuator (32) and wherein the light unit (12, 13) in the activated state generates a light distribution with light-dark boundaries (20, 21), abbreviated HDGs, such that an adjustment of the light unit (12, 13) can be carried out by means of a target/actual comparison with HDGs stored in the control unit (22), characterized in that at least one sensor unit (16) is provided which determines vehicle dynamics data which can be transmitted as input variables to the control unit (22).
  4. Lighting system according to Claim 3 , characterized in that the sensor unit (16) is arranged in the front of the vehicle (8).
  5. Lighting system according to Claim 3 or 4 , characterized in that the sensor unit (16) is also connected to a speed control device in terms of control technology.
  6. Lighting system according to one of the Claims 3 - 5 , characterized in that the sensor unit (16) is integrated into the image acquisition unit (10).
  7. Lighting system according to one of the Claims 3 - 6 , characterized in that a stereo camera, a 2D-3D PMD camera or a mono camera can be used as the image acquisition unit (10).
  8. Lighting system according to one of the Claims 3 - 7 , characterized in that the image acquisition unit (10) has a filter device for filtering contrasts of an ambient image.

Description

The invention relates to a method for adjusting a lighting unit of such a lighting system, solved by first projecting the HDGs onto a surface, then in a second step capturing the position of the surface with the projected HDGs at time t1 using the image acquisition unit, determining the vehicle dynamics data at time t1 and transmitting it to the control unit, then in a third step capturing the position of the surface with the projected HDGs at time t2 using the image acquisition unit, determining the vehicle dynamics data at time t2 and transmitting it to the control unit, and finally in a third step adjusting the lighting unit. The invention further relates to a lighting system for a motor vehicle with a control unit. Such a lighting system, or a method for adjusting a lighting unit of such a lighting system, is, for example, derived from the DE 10 2010 046 517 A1 The known method involves calibrating or adjusting the lighting unit with respect to light-dark boundaries (HDBs) while the vehicle is inactive. For this purpose, the vehicle is positioned at a defined distance from a surface such that the lighting unit can project an image onto the surface and the image capture unit can detect and evaluate the light-dark boundaries. This is intended to ensure optimal illumination of the area in front of and to the sides of the vehicle while it is in motion. Furthermore, fine adjustments to the light distribution within the HDBs can be made while the vehicle is in motion. However, for the initial adjustment, the vehicle must be stationary and a defined surface onto which the light-dark boundaries can be projected must be provided. A similarly designed lighting system or a method for adjusting a lighting unit of such a lighting system is also described in this context. DE 10 2008 025 458 A1 This is known. A fundamental adjustment during operation, for example due to specific loading situations, is not possible according to the aforementioned state of the art. In contrast, the DE 10 2010 006 190 A1 A method for adjusting a lighting unit of a lighting system requires the vehicle to be in a state of uniform linear motion in darkness to perform the procedure. It should be clear that this significantly limits the applicability of the method. Furthermore, the image data used consists of light projections onto the road surface, which, compared to projections onto a surface perpendicular to the road, introduce greater uncertainty into the evaluation. Therefore, the task is to provide a lighting system or a method for adjusting a light unit of such a lighting system, thereby avoiding the aforementioned disadvantage. This task is solved by a method for adjusting a light unit of a lighting system, in that a rear area of a preceding vehicle is used as the surface, in a fourth step the images of the HDGs are used by the control unit in the period Δt=t 2 -t 1 , in a fifth step a target/actual comparison of the HDGs is carried out and in a sixth step an adjustment of the light unit is carried out by means of the actuator. It is particularly advantageous to filter the captured image in the fourth step. This filtering can then be performed as bandpass filtering. This task is also accomplished by a vehicle lighting system by incorporating at least one sensor unit that acquires driving dynamics data, which can then be transmitted as input to the control unit. This allows the adjustment of the lighting system to be integrated into the vehicle's operational use. Because driving dynamics data from a sensor unit is transmitted as input to the control unit responsible for the lighting system, surfaces during normal driving, such as the rear of the vehicle, can also be used to project the HDGs (High Beam Speeds). The adjustment of the lighting unit can be performed manually or automatically in specific driving situations, such as approaching a traffic light. The lighting system can thus be individually adapted to the specific conditions of each driving situation. Advantageously, the sensor unit is located in the front of the vehicle. In this configuration, the sensor unit can also be easily integrated with a cruise control system. Therefore, no additional components are required compared to a vehicle with an existing cruise control system. It is also advantageous for the sensor unit to be integrated into the image acquisition unit. A stereo camera, a 2D-3D PMD camera or a mono camera can advantageously be used as the image acquisition unit. In order for the image acquisition unit to perform a distance-dependent assessment of the grayscale image, it can have a filter device for filtering contrasts of an ambient image. , that The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing, which shows: 1 a schematic view of a driving situation in which an adjustment of a light unit of a lighting system is being made, 2 a front view of a vehicle with a schematically represented light unit and an image capture unit, and 3 A block