Method for illuminating the environment surrounding a vehicle and motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for illuminating the vehicle surroundings of a motor vehicle (4), comprising an illumination device (5) and a detection device (12), wherein the illumination device (5) is set up to illuminate at least partially a solid angle region of the vehicle surroundings with different illumination patterns (1, 10, 18, 20), in particular with visible light, wherein the illumination patterns (1, 10, 18, 20) each predefine an illumination intensity for different sub-solid angle regions (2, 3, 19) of the solid angle region, the method comprising the following steps: - illuminating the vehicle surroundings by means of the illumination device (5) with a first illumination pattern (1, 18) of the illumination patterns (1, 18), - detecting by means of the detection device (12) a light pattern (7) resulting from illuminating the vehicle surroundings with the first illumination pattern (1, 18), - selecting a second illumination pattern (10, 20) as a function of the detected light pattern (7), and - illuminating the vehicle surroundings by means of the illumination device (5) with the second illumination pattern (10, 20).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a method for illuminating the vehicle surroundings of a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle comprising an illumination device and a detection device. Furthermore, the present application also relates to a motor vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] When driving on rough terrain, there can be bumps or obstacles on the roadway which should not be driven over or only very carefully. In particular in the dark, the respective obstacles are hardly perceptible to the driver under the usual illumination by means of low beams.

[0003] Different methods are known from the prior art for projecting a light pattern in the vehicle surroundings and for highlighting bumps to the driver or for automatically recognizing them by means of the motor vehicle on the basis of the distortion of the projected light pattern. Respective methods are discussed, for example, in the printed documents DE 10 2015 206 936 A1, DE 197 30 414 A1 and WO 2019 / 121880 A1. It is problematic here that different requirements arise for the comfortable recognition of bumps by the driver himself observing the distorted light pattern and for the automatic recognition of bumps. In order to be able to automatically recognize bumps in the vehicle surroundings as well as possible, the vehicle surroundings should be illuminated with a very fine pattern. However, the areal illumination of the vehicle surroundings with a very fine pattern is often perceived as rather disturbing by the driver and also makes it difficult for the driver himself to recognize the distortion of the projected pattern or grid.

[0004] Therefore, in the prior art for the automated recognition of obstacles by means of light projection, it is generally recommended to use infrared light. However, this can only be used for the automated recognition of obstacles, since this illumination is not visible to the driver. In addition, additional illumination devices are required, whereby the technical outlay for implementing this method can be higher than in the case of the use of visible light. SUMMARY

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present application to illuminate the vehicle surroundings in such a way that on the one hand a comfortable recognition of the surroundings, in particular of obstacles and bumps, by the driver is enabled and on the other hand an automated recognition of obstacles and bumps in the vehicle surroundings is supported.

[0006] According to the application, this object is achieved by a method for illuminating the vehicle surroundings of a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle comprising an illumination device and a detection device, wherein the illumination device is set up to illuminate at least partially a solid angle region / space angle region of the vehicle surroundings with different illumination patterns, in particular with visible light, wherein the illumination patterns respectively predefine an illumination intensity for different sub-solid angle regions of the solid angle region, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

[0007] - illuminating the vehicle surroundings by means of the illumination device with a first illumination pattern of the illumination patterns,

[0008] - detecting, by means of the detection device, a light pattern resulting from the illumination of the vehicle surroundings with the first illumination pattern,

[0009] - selecting a second illumination pattern of the illumination patterns in dependence on the detected light pattern, and

[0010] - illuminating the vehicle surroundings by means of the illumination device with the second illumination pattern.

[0011] It is proposed according to the application to take the detected light pattern into account in order to select the illumination pattern for illuminating the vehicle surroundings in the future. As will be explained in more detail later, it can already be possible to recognize on the basis of the first detected light pattern, for example, whether or not and where a relevant convexity or obstacle can be present in the vehicle surroundings, for which relevant convexity or obstacle additional information should be recognized, for example, automatically. Subsequently, the second illumination pattern can be selected in such a way that the relevant region, for example a region which can comprise a convexity or obstacle, is illuminated with a finely structured illumination pattern, for example, in order to enable a good automated evaluation.

[0012] For other regions, for example, a relatively coarse resolution pattern can be used, which is very suitable for highlighting and clearly indicating large-area convexities or obstacles to the driver. Thus, taking the detected light pattern into account for selecting the second illumination pattern enables the characteristics of the vehicle surroundings to already be taken into account when the second illumination pattern is selected and the second illumination pattern is thus selected in such a way that relevant information can be provided to the driver and to an automated image processing system.

[0013] A high-resolution headlight system of a motor vehicle, for example a so-called "digital matrix light", can be used as the illumination device, for example. The illumination patterns can be projected jointly by one headlight or by a plurality of headlights. A high-resolution headlight can be implemented, for example, on the basis of a matrix of light-emitting diodes or by means of switchable mask elements, for example a liquid crystal matrix. In current headlight systems, a particularly high azimuthal resolution is achieved by using a micro-mirror array. Here, several thousand or even, for example, millions of individually switchable sub-solid angle regions can be present within the headlight cone or the illuminated solid angle region.

[0014] The illumination pattern can for example specify for each solid angle region whether light should be emitted there or not. It is thus possible that for example exactly two different illumination intensities are possible. This can be advantageous because the recognition of obstacles or unevennesses can be achieved particularly easily by means of a distorted light pattern when the light pattern has a strong contrast. However, it is also possible to use intermediate intensities, for example by illuminating with a light intensity having a very high frequency which is beyond the resolution capability of a human being and for example adjusting the pulse width of the illumination. A light pattern can thus be produced which is more pleasant for the driver.

[0015] The method according to the application can be utilized only in certain driving situations or only when certain components are installed in the motor vehicle. For example, it can only be used when a high-resolution headlight system or other suitable illumination device and / or suitable detection devices are installed in the motor vehicle. It can furthermore be used for example only when the driver activates the method, for example sets the light flicker module to "automatic", the speed is below a predefined speed limit, the vehicle is ready to drive, the off-road driving program is activated, the road being driven on is classified as "off-road" on the basis of navigation data, or the assistance system signals a poor road surface. It is possible to check all the mentioned conditions, only one of the mentioned conditions or a subset of the mentioned conditions which does not include all the conditions. As will be explained later, the method according to the application can also be used to output a warning message to the driver or to parameterize an adaptive chassis. It is thus possible that the method is only executed when an output device for the respective indication, for example a head-up display, or an adaptive chassis is installed, or when an automatic parameterization of the chassis is activated or the display of the respective warning is activated.

[0016] Depending on the detected light pattern it can be recognized whether a bump and / or an obstacle is present in the solid angle region and / or a category is assigned to the recognized bump and / or to the recognized obstacle by means of a classification algorithm and / or the position of the recognized bump and / or of the recognized obstacle is determined, wherein the selection of the second illumination pattern can depend on the category and / or on the position and / or can depend on whether a bump and / or an obstacle is present in the solid angle region.

[0017] Depending on the first illumination pattern and the detected light pattern, height information is determined for segments of the driving plane which lie within the solid angle region, wherein the recognition and / or classification of the bump and / or obstacle and / or the determination of the position is carried out depending on these height information. It is known that, when a planar light beam is projected onto an object to be determined, for example the driving plane, a precise straight line will result, viewed from the angle of the illumination device. However, when this line is detected by a detection device which is offset in relation to the illumination device, a deformed line results, the degree of deformation of which is a measure of the height of the object. This method is known per se as the light section method in the prior art. This method can be transferred to any pattern with a strong light-dark transition, as long as each light-dark transition in the detected light pattern can be unambiguously assigned to a light-dark transition in the illumination pattern. If this unambiguous assignment can not be stable, for example because the pattern is too distorted due to a too great height difference, these ambiguities can be eliminated, for example, by successive illumination with different illumination patterns and detection of the assigned light patterns. This is also referred to as a coded illumination method.

[0018] By means of the mentioned or similar methods, it is thus possible to extract the height profile of the driving plane from the light pattern. Then, when the height of a segment is above or below a limit value, or when the determined height changes by a value which exceeds a limit value over a certain length of the driving plane, an obstacle or a bump can be recognized, for example.

[0019] The respective height or height difference can also be evaluated, for example, in order to classify the bump or obstacle. For example, with such a classification it can be determined whether the obstacle is expected to be able to be driven over without difficulty, or whether it is expected to be possible to drive over only under certain conditions, for example at low speed or after a corresponding adjustment of the chassis, or whether it is generally to be avoided to drive over the obstacle.

[0020] For example, the position of the obstacle or bump can be chosen to be the middle of the segment which is highest or lowest in the region of the obstacle or bump or in a similar region.

[0021] The limit values used in the recognition or classification of the obstacle can be related to further parameters, for example the driving mode used, the chassis adjustment or the geometry of the motor vehicle.

[0022] While the described determination of height information enables a very robust recognition of obstacles or humps or a classification and position recognition thereof, alternatively for example it is achieved that without prior determination of height information, information is performed which localizes, classifies or determines whether a hump or obstacle is present at all. The scale of the local distortion of the detected light pattern can for example be determined directly by comparing the detected light pattern with a calculated or prior stored ideal light pattern which would result from a projection of the illumination pattern onto a flat running plane.

[0023] In at least one selected sub-region of the second illumination pattern, the alternation of the illumination intensity in at least one direction can be more frequent than in the selected same sub-region of the first illumination pattern. The frequency / frequency of the intensity alternation can be considered as a resolution of the light pattern. For example, the frequency of the intensity alternation can be increased by having a higher number of lines in the selected sub-region in the case of a line pattern for the second illumination pattern than for the first illumination pattern. In the case of a grid pattern, the grid constant can for example be made smaller in at least one direction in order to obtain a frequent alternation of the illumination intensity. For example, if concentric circles are projected as a pattern, a higher number of circle segments / circular arc segments can be imaged locally in the selected sub-region. In particular, the first illumination pattern and the second illumination pattern can have an at least locally periodic intensity alternation. If this is the case, the illumination intensity in the selected sub-region can have a higher azimuthal frequency in the second illumination pattern than in the first illumination pattern.

[0024] When it is recognized based on the light pattern that an obstacle or hump is present within the solid angle region which is assigned to the sub-region, then in particular the frequency of the illumination intensity alternation in this sub-region can be increased. If it is not recognized that an obstacle or hump is present within the solid angle region which is assigned to the sub-region, then the same illumination pattern can be continued to be used in total or for the respective sub-region, or it can also be possible that the frequency of the alternation of the illumination intensity in the sub-region in which no obstacle or hump is recognized to be present is reduced.

[0025] The selected sub-region can be selected in dependence on the position of the recognized hump and / or the recognized obstacle. In particular, the illumination pattern can thus have a continuously dense alternation of the illumination intensity in at least one direction in the region of the hump or obstacle or in the surrounding region around the hump or obstacle which is intended to be illuminated. Thereby, the position of the hump or obstacle can be detected with high accuracy or the automatic recognition and classification of obstacles or humps can be improved.

[0026] Outside the selected region, the illumination intensity can continue to alternate at a relatively low frequency, so that a relatively large area of the bump or obstacle or of the bump or obstacle which varies slowly in its height profile is illuminated in a way which is well recognized, in particular by the driver.

[0027] The position of the bump or obstacle can be determined three-dimensionally relative to the motor vehicle by the light section method already mentioned above or a method similar thereto. Thus, the edges in the illumination pattern define planes, respectively, so that the imaging of such an edge in a particular image point of the light pattern which is assigned to a particular spatial angle relative to the detection device defines unambiguously in three-dimensional space the position at which the emitted light is scattered or reflected. Thus, a subregion can be selected in order to illuminate it with a pattern of higher resolution which illuminates a subangular region of the sterically angular region in which the bump or obstacle is located.

[0028] The method can also be repeated. For example, a further light pattern can be detected which results from the illumination of the vehicle's surroundings with a second illumination pattern. For example, when a second illumination pattern is used in which the illumination intensity in the relevant region alternates at a higher frequency than in the first illumination pattern, the position of the bump or obstacle can be determined with higher accuracy on the basis of this light pattern. On the basis of this more accurate position, a subregion of the second illumination pattern can be reselected, and a third illumination pattern can then be selected so that in this further selected subregion the illumination intensity is alternated more frequently than in the second illumination pattern, and so on.

[0029] A further light pattern or another light pattern which results from the illumination of the vehicle's surroundings with a second illumination pattern can be detected by the detection device, wherein at least one parameter of the motor vehicle chassis is adjusted in dependence on the further light pattern and / or an indication is output to the driver of the motor vehicle.

[0030] For example, the ground clearance can be increased by adjusting the chassis before driving over the obstacle or bump, or for example individual springs can be made stiffer or softer in order to be able to drive over the bump or obstacle without damage.

[0031] While the use of a more intensive light pattern in the region of the obstacle or the bump already suffices to indicate the respective region to the driver, it is also advantageous to output additional information. In the simplest case, this can be achieved by a sound warning or a visual display, for example in the instrument panel or in a central display screen. The visual warning can also be inserted, for example, via the head-up display of the motor vehicle, for example by means of a corresponding symbol. However, it is particularly preferred that the obstacle or the bump is highlighted by means of a contact-analog head-up display, so that a corresponding warning indication, warning symbol or similar message is shown in the head-up display, which is illustrated in the driver's field of view as overlapping the obstacle or the bump. Solutions for implementing a contact-analog head-up display are known from the prior art and should therefore not be explained in detail.

[0032] The first and / or second illumination pattern can be selected in such a way that, when the first and / or second illumination pattern is emitted by the illumination device in the region of the illuminated flat road surface, a stripe pattern or a grid pattern or concentric circles are produced as light pattern. In the case of the use of such relatively regular structures as illumination pattern, it is particularly easy for the driver to recognize a pattern change due to a bump or an obstacle, for example. It is also possible to use coded light figures, defined point patterns or similar patterns in order to recognize an obstacle or a bump in the vehicle's surroundings on the basis of a change in the projected light pattern.

[0033] The illumination device is preferably a headlight of the motor vehicle or comprises at least one headlight of the motor vehicle. For example, a headlight can be used which is capable of emitting a high-resolution light figure into the vehicle's surroundings. An example in this regard is a so-called "Digital Matrix Light", which uses a micro-mirror array for showing a light pattern. In particular, the illumination device can emit light in the visible spectral range, for example in the range between 380 nm and 780 nm.

[0034] In addition to the method according to the application, the application also relates to a motor vehicle having an illumination device, a detection device and a control device, wherein the control device is set up to control the illumination device in accordance with the method according to the application. The control device is preferably also set up to control the further components of the motor vehicle which have already been discussed above with reference to the method according to the application in accordance with the method according to the application. In general, the features explained with regard to the method according to the application with the stated advantages can be transferred to the motor vehicle according to the application and vice versa. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] Further advantages and details of the application result from the following examples and figures. Here schematically:

[0036] Figure 1 A flow chart showing an embodiment of the method according to the application;

[0037] Figure 2 and Figure 4 a first illumination pattern and a second illumination pattern used in the method are shown;

[0038] Figure 3 and Figure 5 a light pattern generated in the method by the illumination pattern projected by an embodiment of a motor vehicle according to the application is shown; and Figure 2 and Figure 4 a light pattern generated in the method by the illumination pattern projected by an embodiment of a motor vehicle according to the application is shown; and

[0039] Figure 6 and Figure 7 a first illumination pattern and a second illumination pattern used in the method are shown; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Figure 1 a flowchart of a method for illuminating the vehicle surroundings of a motor vehicle is shown, in which the illumination is to be used to visually highlight, for the driver, protrusions or obstacles in the vehicle surroundings and to improve the automatic recognition of obstacles or protrusions by means of devices on the vehicle side. In step S1, for this purpose it is first checked whether the prerequisites are fulfilled and whether the vehicle surroundings are therefore to be illuminated with a specific pattern in order to highlight obstacles or protrusions. This is to be done, in particular, in off-road operation of the motor vehicle. Thus, for example, it can be checked whether a driving program for off-road driving is activated and / or whether navigation data classify the currently traveled route as an off-road section and / or whether an assistance system indicates poor road conditions. Furthermore, it can also be checked whether the user has activated a corresponding illumination mode, for example whether a light flashing module is switched to automatic operation. Within the scope of the activation conditions it can also be checked, for example, whether the relevant components for such a method are present in the vehicle, for example whether a high-resolution headlight system is installed; whether suitable detection devices are present; whether display means for outputting an indication to the driver are present; whether an adaptive chassis or similar device is installed.

[0041] If it is determined in step S1 that the illumination of the vehicle surroundings for highlighting protrusions or obstacles is to be carried out, a first illumination pattern 1 is emitted in step S2 by means of an illumination device 5 of a motor vehicle 4, which is shown schematically in Figure 3 and which is shown schematically in Figure 1 The selection or predetermination of the illumination pattern 1 is carried out by means of a control device 6. Exemplarily, a simple stripe pattern is used as the illumination pattern 1, in which brightly illuminated stripes or sub-solid angle regions 2 alternate with substantially non-illuminated stripes or sub-solid angle regions 3.

[0042] If the road surface projected by lighting pattern 1 has an obstacle at position 9, then as Figure 3 The diagram schematically illustrates the generation of a light pattern 7, in which, within the obstacle area, the light stripes or contrast jumps between the differently illuminated sub-solid angle regions 2 and 3 are distorted. This allows the driver of vehicle 1 to easily identify the corresponding area based on the distortion of the light pattern 7.

[0043] In step S3, the light pattern 7 is detected by the vehicle's detection device 12, such as a camera. In step S4, the detected image data is processed by the control device 6 to identify relevant obstacles or protrusions / recesses in the area of ​​the light pattern 7. This is achieved, for example, by determining the height configuration of the segment 8 of the driving plane based on the distortion of the light stripes, as explained above. If this height configuration changes beyond a limit, it can then be identified as an obstacle or protrusion / recess. Alternatively, protrusions / recesses or obstacles may also be identified by identifying the deviation of the detected light pattern 7 from a pre-given expected light pattern. In particular, the position 9 of the protrusion / recess or obstacle is determined in step S4. Optionally, protrusions / recesses or obstacles may also be classified, for example, to distinguish between obstacles or protrusions / recesses that can be driven through, those that can only be driven through under specific conditions, and those that cannot be driven through.

[0044] Because a relatively coarse stripe pattern is initially used as the illumination pattern 1, the identification of protrusions or obstacles, and especially the determination of their location or type, is initially relatively inaccurate. Therefore, in step S5, a second illumination pattern 10 is selected based on the detected light pattern 7, and especially based on the location 9 determined by means of the detected light pattern, such as... Figure 4 As shown. The difference between the second lighting pattern 10 and the first lighting pattern 1 is that the lighting intensity in the selected sub-region 11 of the second lighting pattern 10 is... Figure 4 The alternation in the lateral direction is more frequent than the alternation in the same selected sub-region 22 of the first illumination pattern 1. Here, sub-regions 11 and 22 are selected such that they illuminate segments 8 and 14 of the vehicle's surrounding environment around position 9, and thus illuminate objects or protrusions / recesses. The frequent alternation of illumination intensity is achieved by using a narrower stripe pattern in sub-region 11. In the example, the illumination intensity in sub-region 11 therefore varies at twice the frequency compared to sub-region 22. This results in a significant improvement in the scanning resolution of the surrounding environment in the lateral direction.

[0045] The method is then repeated starting from step S2, wherein a second illumination pattern 10 is emitted to replace the first illumination pattern 1, and so on. Figure 5The diagram schematically shows the generation of another light pattern 13. Based on this light pattern 13, the height configuration of the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 can now be determined again, for example, where a significantly better orientation resolution can be achieved in section 14 due to the narrower stripe pattern. For example, this may result in a change in the determination of the location 15 of obstacles or protrusions.

[0046] The changes in the lighting pattern, and especially the illumination of the surrounding environment of the relevant positions 9 and 15 with increasingly higher resolution patterns, can be repeated multiple times, for example, for a specific number of rounds, until the resolution limit of the lighting device 5 or the detection device 12 is reached, or a certain convergence criterion is met, for example, until the positions 9 and 15 are substantially no longer affected by further changes in the lighting pattern.

[0047] By emitting illumination patterns 1 and 10 and thus light patterns 7 and 13 visible in the environment in front of the vehicle, it is possible for the driver to easily make a good estimate of the surface conditions, and in particular, to accurately identify obstacles and protrusions. Furthermore, it improves the automated identification of obstacles and protrusions. For example, this can be used to indicate particularly important protrusions or obstacles to the driver, such as those that should not be driven over or can only be passed at low speeds. A corresponding instruction can be output in step S6. For this purpose, the control device 6 of the vehicle 4 can drive the indicating device 16, such as a head-up display or a center console display. When using a head-up display, the display can be performed in a particularly tactile analog manner, thereby enabling the highly accurate identification of the positions 9 and 15 of protrusions or obstacles.

[0048] Alternatively, it may be suitable to adjust at least one parameter of the chassis 17 via the control device 6 based on the respective detected light patterns 7, 13. For example, the height or type of a protrusion or obstacle can indicate that the vehicle should only pass over the protrusion or obstacle with an increased ground clearance. Thus, the chassis 17 of the vehicle 4 can be parameterized before reaching an obstacle to avoid running aground.

[0049] In the embodiments described so far, it is assumed that lighting patterns 1 and 10 are striped patterns. However, other lighting patterns may also be used. The following explanation is purely illustrative based on a grid-like first lighting pattern 18, which... Figure 6 As shown in the image. For clear reasons, Figure 6 The bright sub-corner regions 19 are shown as single lines. The width of these bright sub-corner regions 19 can be selected as needed. If, through the above evaluation of the generated light pattern, it is now identified that there are obstacles or protrusions / recesses in a certain segment of the light pattern that require further investigation, then... Figure 7The second lighting pattern 20 is selected by supplementing the selected sub-region 21 with additional grid lines, or bright sub-solid angle regions 19, and reducing the line width of these grid lines if necessary, so that the alternation of lighting intensity in the selected second sub-region 21 is more frequent than the alternation of lighting intensity in the same sub-region of the first lighting pattern 18.

Claims

1. A method for illuminating the surrounding environment of a motor vehicle (4), said motor vehicle comprising a lighting device (5) and a detection device (12), wherein, The lighting device (5) is configured to illuminate at least partially the solid angle region of the vehicle's surrounding environment with different lighting patterns (1, 10, 18, 20), wherein the lighting patterns (1, 10, 18, 20) pre-determine the lighting intensity for different sub-solid angle regions (2, 3, 19) of the solid angle region, and the method includes the following steps: The lighting device (5) illuminates the environment around the vehicle using the first lighting pattern (1, 18) in the lighting pattern. The detection device (12) detects the first light pattern (7) generated by illuminating the environment around the vehicle using the first lighting pattern (1, 18). Based on the detected first light pattern (7), a second lighting pattern (10, 20) is selected from the lighting patterns, and the vehicle's surrounding environment is illuminated by the lighting device (5) using the second lighting pattern (10, 20). Among them, based on the detected first light pattern (7). Identify whether protrusions and / or obstacles are located in the solid angle region, and / or The identified protrusions and / or obstacles are assigned categories using a classification algorithm, and / or... Determine the location of the identified protrusions and / or obstacles (9, 15). The selection of the second lighting pattern (10, 20) is related to the category and / or the position (9, 15) and / or whether the protrusion / recess and / or obstacle is located within the solid angle region. Its features are, Based on the first illumination pattern (1, 18) and the detected first light pattern (7, 13), height information is determined for each segment (8, 14) of the driving plane located within the solid angle region. Thus, the height distribution of the driving plane is extracted from the detected first light pattern (7, 13). The identification and / or classification of protrusions and / or obstacles and / or the determination of their positions are performed based on the height information. An additional light pattern generated by illuminating the vehicle's surroundings with the second illumination pattern is detected. The additional light pattern is used to improve the accuracy of the determination of the positions of protrusions or obstacles compared to the determination based on the first light pattern. The alternation of illumination intensity in at least one direction in at least one selected sub-region (11, 21) of the second illumination pattern (10, 20) is more frequent than the alternation in the same selected sub-region (22) of the first illumination pattern (1, 18).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The selected sub-regions (11, 21) are selected based on the location of the identified protrusions and / or obstacles (9, 15).

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The detection device (12) detects an additional light pattern (13) generated by illuminating the vehicle's surrounding environment with a second lighting pattern (10, 20), wherein at least one parameter of the chassis (17) of the motor vehicle (4) is adjusted according to the additional light pattern (3) and / or a prompt message is output to the driver of the motor vehicle (4).

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The first lighting pattern (1, 18) and / or the second lighting pattern (10, 20) are selected in such a way that when the first lighting pattern (1, 18) and / or the second lighting pattern (10, 20) are emitted by the lighting device (5) onto the area of ​​the flat road surface that is illuminated, a striped pattern or a grid pattern or a concentric circle is generated as the first light pattern (7, 13).

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The lighting device (5) is the headlight of the motor vehicle (1), or includes at least one headlight.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lighting device (5) is configured to illuminate at least part of the solid angle area of ​​the vehicle’s surroundings with visible light using different lighting patterns (1, 10, 18, 20).

7. A motor vehicle, the motor vehicle comprising a lighting device (5), a detection device (12) and a control device (6), characterized in that, The control device (6) is configured to drive the lighting device (5) according to any one of the preceding claims.

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