Method for controlling high beams in a vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method (1) for controlling high beams in a vehicle (2), wherein the high beams are controlled depending on the lighting of the road (3). The present invention is characterized in that lane markings (4) on the roadway are detected, the surrounding lighting conditions are determined by the length of the detected lane markings, and the high beams are activated if the length falls below a target length.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for controlling high beams in a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] When driving on an unlit road, the high beam is always activated. This applies both in urban areas and outside urban areas. In particular, if the vehicle is outside the city, the high beam in the vehicle is used. When the high beam is automatically activated, this is often done by visual detection. Here, a method for determining whether the vehicle is in the city or outside the city by visual detection of street lights is known from the prior art.

[0003] At this time, although the street lights themselves are detected, there is a drawback that their state cannot be detected. This particularly means that detection cannot guarantee whether the street lights are actually lit or not. Furthermore, it is impossible to determine whether the road is actually illuminated by the street lights. Therefore, the actual lighting situation cannot be guaranteed, and incorrect activation of the high beam in the vehicle may occur.

[0004] This is particularly a problem when the vehicle is in the city. That is, the high beam needs to be deactivated in the illuminated city, and is only allowed to be turned on in accordance with the road traffic rules when the road is no longer actively illuminated. Patent Document 1 describes a method for controlling the front lighting of a vehicle. Thereby, the front lighting itself can be controlled independently of the lighting situation by the high beam.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling high beams in a vehicle that overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks. In particular, the object of the present invention is to detect whether or not the road is actually illuminated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the present invention, the problem is solved by a method having the features of claim 1, and more particularly the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and variations will become apparent from the dependent claims.

[0008] At the core of this invention, lane markings on the roadway are detected, and the ambient lighting conditions are determined by the length of these detected lane markings. If the detected length falls below a target length, the high beams are activated. This makes it possible to include the actual lighting conditions of the road, regardless of the presence or absence of streetlights. The detection of lane markings makes it possible to determine the ambient illumination level. If particularly long lane markings are detected, the ambient lighting conditions are considered sufficient, and therefore, high beams are unnecessary. If the detected lane markings are relatively short, that is, if the lane markings are detected only in a small space in front of the vehicle, it is considered that there are not sufficient ambient lighting conditions. Therefore, high beams can be activated in such environments.

[0009] This method is designed to control the high beams of a vehicle, and the high beams are controlled in accordance with the road lighting. By taking into account the actual ambient brightness, the high beams operate reliably only outside of urban areas.

[0010] Lane marking detection can be performed via cameras already integrated into the vehicle. In particular, it is possible to use cameras capable of capturing lane markings on both the left and right sides near the vehicle. In this case, it is possible to inspect only the lane markings on the right side of the vehicle. In another configuration, it is possible to inspect the lane markings of the entire roadway, and similarly include markings or center lines on the opposite side of the roadway.

[0011] Preferably, the target length is less than 60m. Such a length has been demonstrated as a limit range to determine the limit range for ambient illumination. Therefore, when a lane marking line with a length of less than 60m is detected, it is possible to notify the vehicle that it is possible to activate the high beams. This can be done automatically.

[0012] According to a highly advantageous development of this idea, the target length is measured from the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to measure the distance between the vehicle and the furthest detectable lane marking.

[0013] In this advantageous configuration, the target length is measured in the direction of vehicle movement on the road. In particular, road transition and GPS data can be included. This makes it possible to ensure reliable prediction and actual lane marking assignment, especially in the case of intersections or branching roads.

[0014] In another advantageous configuration, the high beams are deactivated based on the detection of streetlights. If lane markings are already illuminated by the high beams, these markings can be detected, for example, within a range of 150m in front of the vehicle. Therefore, deactivating the high beams based solely on the detection of the length of lane markings is less reliable than deactivating them based on the detection of streetlights.

[0015] In this advantageous configuration, the sensitivity of lane marking detection can be adjusted depending on whether the road is wet or dry, thereby optimizing the method.

[0016] In this case, according to a highly advantageous development of the present idea, the determined data can be stored in the cloud and provided to other vehicles. It is possible to save the lane range to the cloud. In particular, this can be done in combination with saving time and weather conditions such as rain / dry / wet.

[0017] Further advantageous embodiments of the method according to the present invention will be evident from the embodiments described below in detail with reference to the figures. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This figure shows one embodiment of the present method applied to a vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019] Figure 1 illustrates one possible embodiment of Method 1. Method 1 is configured to control the high beams in a vehicle 2, and the high beams can be controlled depending on the lighting of the road 3. In the illustrated scenario, vehicle 2 is moving along road 3 in the right lane. Using sensors, particularly cameras already integrated into the vehicle, it is possible to detect visible lane markings in front of the vehicle. The length of the detected lane markings allows for the determination of the lighting conditions around vehicle 2. When the length of the detected lane markings falls below a target length, the high beams are activated.

[0020] Here, the target length is illustrated by a bidirectional arrow. Preferably, the target length is the distance between the vehicle 2 and the furthest detectable lane marking. This depends on the streetlights. In particular, a distance of less than 60m indicates that the road 3 is not lit or is not lit sufficiently. A distance greater than 60m can only be measured, for example, when the road is actively lit. Therefore, the boundary value for the target length can be 60m.

[0021] In this case, the method according to the present invention provides robust detection of illuminated roads, and this detection offers advantages over mere detection of streetlights.

Claims

1. A method (1) for controlling the high beams in a vehicle (2), wherein the high beams are controlled in accordance with the lighting of a road (3), The method (1) is characterized in that lane markings (4) on the roadway are detected, the surrounding lighting conditions are determined by the length of the detected lane markings, and the high beams are activated if the lighting conditions fall below a target length.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the target length is less than 60 m.

3. The method according to 1 or 2 (1), characterized in that the target length is measured from the vehicle (2).

4. The method according to 1, 2, or 3 (1), characterized in that the target length is measured in the direction of vehicle movement on the road.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 (1), characterized in that the deactivation of the high beam is performed based on the detection of a streetlamp.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 (1), characterized in that the sensitivity of detecting the lane markings (4) can be adjusted depending on whether the road is wet (3) or dry (3).

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 (1), characterized in that the determined data is stored in the cloud and can be provided to other vehicles.

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