Street light block enhanced adaptive high beam control

Abstract

The invention discloses street light block enhanced adaptive high beam control. In particular, computer-implemented methods and related aspects for adaptive high beam control (AHBC) of a vehicle are disclosed. The method includes acquiring information from a digital map layer on the presence of a street lamp of an imminent road segment ahead of the vehicle based on a current location of the vehicle, and wherein the digital map layer is formed from probe source data from a fleet. In addition, the digital map layer includes a plurality of street lamp blocks. Each street lamp block includes a starting point and an ending point along the roadway, and each street lamp block defines a road segment having one or more street lamps. The method further includes controlling illumination of a space in front of the vehicle based on the acquired information about the presence of the street lamp of the upcoming road segment to avoid projecting high beam illumination to a road area associated with the street lamp.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed technology relates to methods, systems, and other related aspects of adaptive high beam control (AHBC) for a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The development of autonomous vehicles has advanced by leaps and bounds over the past few years, and a variety of different solutions are being explored. More and more modern vehicles have advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to improve vehicle safety and more generally road safety. ADAS, which can be represented by adaptive cruise control ACC, collision avoidance systems, forward collision warning, etc. - are electronic systems that can help the driver of a vehicle while driving. Today, the development of ADAS and autonomous driving (AD) is taking place in a variety of different technical areas in these fields.

[0003] Therefore, in the near future, ADS solutions will enter modern vehicles to a greater extent. ADS can be interpreted as a complex combination of various components and can be defined as a system in which vehicle perception, decision-making and operation are performed by electronic devices and machines rather than human drivers, as well as the introduction of automation into road traffic. This includes the manipulation of the vehicle, the destination, and the perception of the surrounding environment. Although the automated system can control the vehicle, it allows the human operator to hand over all or at least part of the responsibilities to the system. ADS usually combines various sensors to perceive the vehicle's surroundings, such as radar, lidar, sonar, cameras, navigation systems (such as GPS, odometers and / or inertial measurement units (IMUs)), on the basis of which the advanced control system can interpret the sensor information to identify appropriate navigation paths as well as obstacles and / or relevant signs.

[0004] In the world of ADS solutions, Adaptive High Beam Control (AHBC) is a major advancement that revolutionizes the nighttime driving experience. AHBC is a technology that adjusts the vehicle’s headlight system to optimize visibility while ensuring the safety and comfort of the driver and other road users. Over the years, AHBC has evolved to incorporate sensors, cameras, and algorithms that enable headlights to automatically switch between high and low beams, or adjust the intensity of the light.

[0005] However, AHBC relies heavily on accurate sensor data, such as information from cameras, light sensors, and radar systems. Any inaccuracies or limitations in these sensors can result in incorrect adjustment of the headlights, affecting safety and user experience. Another challenge is that adverse weather conditions, such as heavy rain, fog, or snow, can affect the performance of the sensors and the system's ability to accurately detect and respond to other vehicles. These conditions can pose challenges to the effective operation of AHBC systems.

[0006] Despite technological advances, it is indeed challenging to provide systems and methods for AHBC with improved performance, security, and user experience. Therefore, there is still a need in the art for methods and systems that can improve the features of AHBC. Summary of the invention

[0007] The technology disclosed herein is intended to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate the deficiencies and shortcomings in the prior art to solve various problems associated with the efficient and accurate operation of the vehicle adaptive high beam control (AHBC) function.

[0008] It is therefore an object of the technology disclosed herein to provide a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, a system, and a vehicle that alleviate all or at least some of the disadvantages of currently known systems and methods.

[0009] Furthermore, it is an object of the technology disclosed herein to provide a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, a system, and a vehicle that provide improved control of the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle.

[0010] Various aspects and embodiments of the invention are defined below and in the accompanying independent and dependent claims.

[0011] A first aspect of the disclosed technology includes a computer-implemented method for vehicle adaptive high beam control (AHBC). The method includes obtaining information about the presence of streetlights on a road segment to be traveled in front of the vehicle from a digital map layer based on the current position of the vehicle, and wherein the digital map layer is formed by detection source data from a fleet of vehicles. In addition, the digital map layer includes a plurality of streetlight blocks. Each streetlight block includes a start point and an end point along a road, and each streetlight block defines a road segment with one or more streetlights. The method further includes controlling the lighting of a space in front of the vehicle based on the obtained information about the presence of streetlights on the road segment to be traveled, so as to avoid projecting high beam lighting onto a road area associated with the streetlights.

[0012] Therefore, a solution for providing an efficient AHBC function for a vehicle is provided. In more detail, the technology disclosed herein is capable of controlling the lighting of a road section that is about to be passed in front of the vehicle based on street light information. Information about the street lights of the road section that is about to be passed in front of the vehicle is obtained from a digital map layer. Specifically, the digital map layer includes a plurality of street light blocks, each of which defines one or more street lights. Each street light block includes a starting position and an ending position along the road. Finally, based on the information obtained about the existence of street lights of the road section that the vehicle is about to pass, the illumination of the space by the headlights of the vehicle is controlled. Therefore, when the existence of street lights of the road section that is about to be passed is identified, that is, when the digital map indicates one or more street light blocks, it is possible to avoid projecting high beam lighting to the road area associated with the street lights. Therefore, the digital map layer including the street light blocks can be used to guide the AHBC function / unit so that the projection of the high beam in front of the vehicle can be effectively and accurately controlled and in compliance with applicable regulations.

[0013] As a result, the lighting in front of the vehicle is efficiently and precisely controlled to avoid projecting high beam lighting into the area illuminated by street lights in accordance with applicable regulations. In addition, the risk of misclassifying distant street lights as oncoming vehicles is reduced.

[0014] A second aspect of the disclosed technology includes a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a computing device of a vehicle, cause the computing device to perform a method according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein. For this aspect of the disclosed technology, there are similar advantages and preferred features as the previously discussed aspects.

[0015] A third aspect of the disclosed technology includes a (non-transitory) computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a computing device of a vehicle, cause the computing device to perform a method according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein. For this aspect of the disclosed technology, there are similar advantages and preferred features as the previously discussed aspects.

[0016] The term "non-transitory" as used herein is intended to describe computer-readable storage media (or "memory") that do not include propagating electromagnetic signals, but is not intended to otherwise limit the types of physical computer-readable storage devices encompassed by the terms "computer-readable medium or memory." For example, the terms "non-transitory computer-readable medium" or "tangible memory" are intended to encompass types of storage devices that do not necessarily store information permanently, including, for example, random access memory (RAM). Program instructions and data stored in non-transitory form on tangible computer-accessible storage media may also be transmitted via transmission media or signals (e.g., electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals), which may be transmitted via communications media (e.g., networks and / or wireless links). Thus, the term "non-transitory," as used herein, is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than signals), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0017] A fourth aspect of the disclosed technology includes an adaptive high beam control (AHBC) system for a vehicle. The system includes one or more memory storage areas containing program code, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code are configured to use one or more processors to enable the system to obtain at least information about the presence of street lights on a road section that is about to be traveled in front of the vehicle from a digital map layer based on the current position of the vehicle, wherein the digital map layer is formed by detection source data from a fleet of vehicles, and wherein the digital map layer includes a plurality of street light blocks, each street light block includes a start point and an end point along the road, and each street light block defines a road section with one or more street lights. Then, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code are configured to use one or more processors to enable the system to control the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle based on the information obtained about the presence of street lights on the road section that is about to be traveled, so as to avoid projecting high beam lighting onto the road area associated with the street lights. For this aspect of the disclosed technology, there are similar advantages and preferred features as the aspects discussed above.

[0018] A fifth aspect of the disclosed technology comprises a vehicle comprising a system according to any one of the embodiments disclosed herein. For this aspect of the disclosed technology, similar advantages and preferred features exist as for the previously discussed aspects.

[0019] The disclosed aspects and preferred embodiments may be appropriately combined with each other in any manner obvious to a person skilled in the art, and thus one or more features or embodiments related to one aspect may also be considered to be related to another aspect or embodiment of another aspect.

[0020] Further embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. It should be emphasized that the term "comprises / comprising" when used in this specification is used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components. It does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or combinations thereof.

[0021] These and other features and advantages of the disclosed technology will be further elucidated below with reference to the embodiments described below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The above aspects, features and advantages of the present technology will be more fully understood with reference to the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of example embodiments of the present invention, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic flow chart of a method for adaptive high beam control (AHBC) for a vehicle, according to some embodiments.

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic top view of a street light block according to some embodiments.

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic top view of a street light block according to some embodiments.

[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle including an adaptive high beam control (AHBC) system for the vehicle, according to some embodiments.

[0027] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a method for constructing a street light map layer within a digital map layer according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some example embodiments of the disclosed technology are shown. However, the disclosed technology may be implemented in other forms and should not be construed as being limited to the disclosed example embodiments. The disclosed example embodiments are provided in order to fully convey the scope of the disclosed technology to those skilled in the art. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the steps, services, and functions explained herein may be implemented using separate hardware circuits, using software running in conjunction with a programmed microprocessor or general-purpose computer, using one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), using one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and / or using one or more digital signal processors (DSPs).

[0029] It should also be understood that when the present disclosure is described in terms of a method, it may also be implemented in an apparatus comprising one or more processors, one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, wherein computer code is loaded to implement the method. For example, in some embodiments, the one or more memories may store one or more computer programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to perform the steps, services, and functions disclosed herein.

[0030] It should also be understood that the terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. It should be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the articles "one", "the" and "said" are intended to indicate the presence of one or more elements, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, in some contexts, reference to "a unit" or "the unit" may refer to more than one unit, and so on. In addition, the words "include", "comprise" do not exclude other elements or steps. It should be emphasized that the term "include / comprises" is used in this specification to specify the presence of stated features, wholes, steps or parts. It does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, parts or combinations thereof. The term "and / or" should be interpreted as meaning that "both" and each is optional.

[0031] It should also be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. can be used to describe various elements or features in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the embodiment, the first signal can be referred to as the second signal, and similarly, the second signal can be referred to as the first signal. The first signal and the second signal are both signals, but they are not the same signal.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic flow chart of a method 100 for adaptive high beam control (AHBC) of a vehicle according to some embodiments is shown. The method 100 is preferably a computer-implemented method 100 executed by a processing system of a vehicle. The processing system may, for example, include one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more memories store one or more programs that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform the steps, services, and functions of the method 100 disclosed herein.

[0033] Method 100 includes, based on the current position of the vehicle, obtaining 101 information about the existence of street lights on a road section ahead of the vehicle from a digital map layer. The term "obtain" is interpreted broadly herein and includes direct and / or indirect reception, retrieval, collection, acquisition, etc. between two entities configured to communicate with each other or further communicate with other external entities. In addition, the digital map layer is formed by detection source data from a fleet of vehicles and includes a plurality of street light blocks. The digital map layer can be a layer of a standard definition map (SD map) or a high definition map (HD map), wherein the SD map or the HD map correspondingly includes a street light layer with a plurality of street light blocks, wherein each street light block has a start and an end point along the road, and each street light block defines a road section with one or more street lights. Therefore, a street light block can be interpreted as an indication in a digital map that represents a road section with street lights associated therewith. In more detail, a finite and continuous series of street lights placed along one or both sides of a road section form a street light block. In some embodiments, each streetlight block includes a plurality of streetlights, wherein adjacent streetlights along the same road whose distances from each other are less than a distance value are included in the same streetlight block.

[0034] In addition, the method 100 may further include obtaining 103 the position of the vehicle. The position of the vehicle may be interpreted as a geographic location of the vehicle, such as a map location of the vehicle (also referred to as an in-map location). The geographic location or map location may be understood as a set of (two or more) coordinates in a global coordinate system.

[0035] Furthermore, the method 100 includes controlling 102 the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle based on the information obtained about the presence of streetlights of the upcoming road segment to avoid projecting high beam lighting to the road area associated with the streetlights. In other words, the AHBC unit / function of the vehicle can be configured to control the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle using the digital map layer as input. Thus, the lighting can be controlled before the vehicle enters an urban area (indicated by the upcoming streetlight block), thereby improving the safety of the driver and other road users.

[0036] In some embodiments, the method 100 further includes acquiring 104 vehicle speed data, and controlling 102 lighting of a space in front of the vehicle is further based on the acquired speed data. The speed data of the vehicle may also be an indication of an urban environment to be traveled through, i.e., when entering or traveling within an urban area, the driving speed of the vehicle may be assumed to be lower. Therefore, in response to the vehicle's driving speed being less than a speed value (e.g., 60 km / h, 50 km / h, 40 km / h, etc.), the method 100 may include controlling 102 lighting of a space in front of the vehicle based on the acquired vehicle speed data to avoid projecting high beam lighting, as this may be used as an alternative indication that the vehicle is in or approaching an urban area.

[0037] In some embodiments, the method 100 includes acquiring 105 sensor data indicating the presence of one or more street light poles in the surroundings of the vehicle from one or more sensors, the one or more sensors being configured to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle, and controlling 102 the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle may be further based on the presence of the one or more street light poles indicated by the sensor data acquired 105. The surroundings of the host vehicle may be understood as a general area around the host vehicle, wherein objects (such as other vehicles, landmarks, obstacles, etc.) may be detected and identified by the vehicle sensors (radar, lidar, camera, etc.), i.e., within the sensor range of the host vehicle.

[0038] Therefore, the method 100 may include detecting one or more streetlight poles based on sensor data. The sensor data may be obtained from onboard sensors, such as cameras, lidars, and radars. The obtained sensor data indicating the presence of one or more streetlight poles may be used as an alternative indication of an urban area, i.e., to assess whether the vehicle is approaching an urban area or traveling in an urban area. In addition, the sensor data obtained 105 may be evaluated based on time series fluctuations, for example, the streetlight pole number indicated by the detection frame unit may be compared with the streetlight pole number indicated by the previous detection frame unit. An increasing number of streetlight poles may be an indication of an urban area that is about to be passed. Optionally, the number of streetlight poles may be counted and evaluated as a total number or a number per unit distance. Above a certain number, it may be assumed that an urban environment is ahead or has been entered. Therefore, in response to the sensor data obtained 105 indicating an urban area that is about to be passed, for example, in response to the number of streetlight poles being greater than a certain number or greater than a certain number per unit distance, the method 100 may include controlling 102 the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle to avoid projecting high beam lighting.

[0039] In addition, the method 100 may include acquiring 106 sensor data from one or more sensors, the sensor data including ambient lighting information of the surroundings of the vehicle, the sensor being configured to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle. Controlling 102 the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle may be further based on the ambient lighting information of the surroundings acquired 106. In other words, the method 100 may include acquiring 106 ambient lighting information based on the sensor data. The sensor may be a daylight sensor, a camera, or any other sensor configured to sense brightness within a sensor field of view. If the acquired 106 sensor data indicates daylight conditions, the method 100 may include controlling 102 the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle to avoid projecting high beam lighting. And if the acquired sensor data indicates nighttime, the method 100 may include controlling 102 the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle to project high beam lighting to the area in front of the vehicle unless other conditions are met, such as the vehicle is approaching a streetlight block, traveling within a streetlight block or traveling along a streetlight block, the speed is below a speed value, the sensor data indicates the presence of a streetlight pole, and / or the sensor data indicating the presence of another vehicle in front of the vehicle.

[0040] The term "if" as used herein may be interpreted as "when..." or "according to" or "in response to determining" or "in response to detecting" according to the context. The term "if the acquired sensor data indicates ambient lighting information" as used herein may be interpreted as "when nighttime or daytime is detected and identified" or "in response to detecting nighttime or daytime". Similarly, the words "if determined" or "when determined..." or "in an example" may be interpreted as meaning "when determining" or "in response to determining" or "when detecting and identifying the occurrence of an event" or "in response to detecting the occurrence of an event" according to the context.

[0041] In some embodiments, the method 100 includes obtaining 107 speed limit information of a road segment ahead of the vehicle from a digital map and / or from one or more sensors configured to monitor the surrounding environment of the vehicle based on the current position of the vehicle. Based on the current position of the vehicle, the speed limit of the road segment to be traveled can be obtained from a digital map including speed limit information for a specific road segment. Alternatively or additionally, speed limit signs along the road can be continuously monitored by a sensor (such as a forward-facing camera of the vehicle), and the relevant speed limit of the road segment to be traveled can be derived from the sensor data.

[0042] In addition, the acquired speed limit information may indicate a possible speed, such as the driving speed of the vehicle. Thus, the speed limit may be an alternative indication of the driving speed. In one example, if the acquired speed limit information indicates that the speed limit is X kilometers per hour, it may be assumed that the vehicle speed is X kilometers per hour or lower. In addition, similar to the acquired 104 vehicle speed data, the acquired 107 information about the speed limit of the road section to be passed may form the basis for detecting whether the vehicle is approaching an urban area. Therefore, in some embodiments, the method 100 includes controlling 102 the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle based on the acquired information about the speed limit of the road section to be passed.

[0043] Therefore, in some embodiments, method 100 further includes controlling 102 the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle based on a combination of one or more of: data indicating the presence of one or more street light poles in the vehicle's surroundings, speed data of the vehicle, or ambient lighting information of the vehicle's surroundings.

[0044] Executable instructions for performing these functions are optionally included in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or other computer program product, configured to be executed by one or more processors.

[0045] continue, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a pair of streetlight blocks according to some embodiments. Each streetlight block 21, 22 includes one or more streetlights 211a to 211d, 222a to 222c, and defines a road segment having streetlights 211a to 211d, 222a to 222c. It should be noted that the illustrations herein are not necessarily drawn to scale and are primarily intended to aid in understanding the described embodiments.

[0046] In some embodiments, only street lamps 211a to 211d, 222a to 222c whose distance 28 between adjacent street lamps along the same road 30 is lower than the distance value 29 are included in the same street lamp block 21, 22. Therefore, the street lamp block 21, 22 may be defined by a plurality of street lamps or street lamp poles 211a to 211d, 222a to 222c, wherein the distance 28 between adjacent street lamps is lower than the set distance value 29. For example, Figure 2 The first streetlight block 21 in the embodiment includes four streetlights 211a to 211d, wherein the distance 28 between adjacent / neighboring streetlights is lower than the set distance value 29. The distances between adjacent streetlights can be the same or different. However, as long as the distance 28 between adjacent streetlights is lower than the set value, the streetlights 211a to 211d are included in the same streetlight block 21. Figure 2The second streetlight block 22 includes three streetlights 222a to 222c, wherein the distance 28 between adjacent streetlights is lower than the set distance value 29. The distances 28 between adjacent streetlights may be the same or different. However, as long as the distances 28 between adjacent / neighboring streetlights are lower than the set value 29, the streetlights 222a to 222c are included in the same streetlight block 22. The set distance value 29 may be, for example, in the range of 50 meters to 500 meters, such as, for example, 100 meters, 200 meters, 250 meters, or 300 meters.

[0047] In addition, each streetlight block 21, 22 includes a start point and an end point (also referred to as a starting position and an ending position) along the road 30. In more detail, the digital map layer indicates the start and end positions of each streetlight block 21, 22. The start and end positions of the streetlight blocks can be based on the position of the first streetlight 211a, 222a and the position of the last streetlight 211d, 222c in the corresponding streetlight block 21, 22. For example, the start position of the first streetlight block 21 can be based on the position of the first streetlight block 21 along the driving direction (in Figure 2 The end position of the first street light block 21 may be the last street light 211d that appears last along the driving direction. In addition, the starting point and the end point of each street light block 21, 22 may be aligned with the positions of the first street light 211a, 222a and the last street light 211d, 222c in each block 21, 22, respectively. Optionally, the starting point of each street light block 21, 22 may be set to a certain distance (e.g., 10 meters, 20 meters, 50 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters, etc.) before the first street light 211a, 222a, and the end point of each street light block 21, 22 may be set to a certain distance after the last street light 211d, 222c. From the perspective of the vehicle's driving direction, the terms "before" and "after" in this document may be understood as "in front of" and "behind".

[0048] The streetlight blocks 21 and 22 can be defined as geographic fence areas within the digital map layer, such as Figure 2 As shown. The geo-fenced area may respectively surround the streetlights 211a to 211d, 222a to 222c and the associated road portions / segments of the corresponding blocks 21, 22. Therefore, the lighting space in front of the vehicle may be controlled based on the position of the vehicle relative to the geo-fenced area defining the streetlight block to avoid projecting high beam lighting onto the road area associated with the streetlight.

[0049] Figure 3Yet another schematic top view of a pair of streetlight blocks 23, 24 is shown, the streetlight blocks 23, 24 defining respective road segments of roads 31, 32 having one or more streetlights associated therewith, according to some embodiments. Each streetlight block 23, 24, 25 defines a road segment having one or more streetlights 233a to 233c, 234a to 234c, 244a to 244d, 245a to 245d, 255a to 255b. In more detail, the first streetlight block 23 includes three streetlights 233a to 233c, 234a to 234c located on each side of a common associated road segment of the road 31. Thus, if there are streetlights 233a to 233c, 234a to 234c extending in parallel along respective sides of the same road segment, these streetlights may be included in the same streetlight block 23. Similarly, the second streetlight block 24 has four streetlights 244a to 244d, 245a to 245d on each side of the common relevant road section of another road 32. In addition, Figure 3 Also depicted is a road section 33 which does not have any associated street lights, and therefore no street light block.

[0050] Figure 3 Two alternative geo-fencing solutions in each respective streetlight block 23 are further shown. Herein, a first streetlight block 23 is defined as a geo-fenced area surrounding streetlights 233a to 233c, 234a to 234c and an associated segment of road 31. However, a second streetlight block 24 is defined as a geo-fenced area surrounding a segment of road 32 without surrounding streetlights 244a to 244d, 245a to 245d associated therewith. Using a geo-fencing solution surrounding a segment having one or more streetlights facilitates implementation of AHBC as discussed herein and provides a simple and robust means for controlling AHBC to avoid projecting high beam illumination onto a road area associated with a streetlight.

[0051] In addition, in some embodiments, each street light block 21 to 24 may only include a single continuous road. In this case, a single continuous road should be understood as a section of road without road bifurcations or road intersections. Therefore, in the case where the distance between two street lights is less than the set distance value 29 (for example, Figure 3 233c and 244a), if these two street lights are located on two different roads, they will still not be included in the same street light block. Therefore, in some embodiments, any type of road separation or road intersection will cause a new street light block to start at the forked road segment, assuming that there are street lights along the road segment after the road separation or road intersection.

[0052] Figure 4is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 1 including a system 10 for adaptive high beam control (AHBC) for a vehicle according to some embodiments. As used herein, a "vehicle" is any form of motorized transportation. For example, vehicle 1 may be any road vehicle, such as a car (as shown herein), a motorcycle, a (freight) truck, a bus, etc.

[0053] The system 10 includes a control circuit 11 and a memory 12. The control circuit 11 may physically include a single circuit device. Alternatively, the control circuit 11 may be distributed over several circuit devices. As an example, the device 10 may share its control circuit 11 with other parts of the vehicle 1, such as an automated driving system (ADS) 310. In addition, the system 10 may form a part of the ADS 310, i.e., the system 10 may be implemented as a module or feature of the ADS. The term "ADS" used herein should be understood as an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) or an automated driving (AD) system. Therefore, the "ADS" used herein may include one or more features or functions of any level 0 to 5 of the SAEJ3016 highway vehicle driving automation level. In addition, in some embodiments, the device 10 forms part of the AHBC unit 340.

[0054] The control circuit 11 may include one or more processors, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, or a microprocessor. The one or more processors may be configured to execute program code stored in the memory 12 in order to perform various functions and operations of the vehicle 1 in addition to the methods disclosed herein. The processor may be or may include any number of hardware components for performing data or signal processing or for executing computer code stored in the memory 12. The memory 12 optionally includes a high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid-state memory devices; and optionally includes a non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. The memory 12 may include a database component, an object code component, a script component, or any other type of information structure for supporting various activities of the present specification.

[0055] In the example shown, the memory 12 also stores map data 308. The map data 308 can be used, for example, by the ADS 310 of the vehicle 1 in order to perform automatic functions of the vehicle 1. The map data 308 may include standard definition (SD) map data and / or high definition (HD) map data. The map data 308 may include a digital map layer that includes street light information as described above. It is contemplated that the memory 12, even if shown as an element separate from the ADS 310, may also be provided as an integrated element of the ADS 310. However, in some embodiments, the map data 308 may be stored in a remote server (e.g., a cloud server), whereby the map data is streamed or otherwise provided to the vehicle from the remote server. For example, a vehicle may request a specific portion of the map data based on the current location and estimated route of the vehicle to avoid exhausting memory storage space in the vehicle for irrelevant map data.

[0056] In other words, according to exemplary embodiments, any distributed or local storage device may be used to implement the inventive concept. Similarly, the control circuit 11 may be distributed, for example so that one or more processors of the control circuit 11 are provided as an integrated element of the ADS 310 or any other system of the vehicle 1. In other words, according to exemplary embodiments, any distributed or local control circuit device may be utilized in the implementation of the inventive concept. The ADS 310 is configured to perform the functions and operations of the automatic or semi-automatic functions of the vehicle 1. The ADS 310 may include a plurality of modules, wherein each module is responsible for a different function of the ADS 310.

[0057] The vehicle 1 includes various elements commonly found in autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles. It should be understood that the vehicle 1 may have Figure 4 Any combination of the various elements shown. In addition, the vehicle 1 may include Figure 4 . Although various elements are shown herein as being located inside the vehicle 1, one or more elements may be located outside the vehicle 1. For example, map data may be stored in a remote server and accessed by various components of the vehicle 1 via the communication system 326. In addition, even if various elements are described herein in a certain arrangement, the various elements may be implemented in a different arrangement, which is readily understood by those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that the various elements may be communicatively connected to each other in any suitable manner. Figure 5 The vehicle 1 should be regarded as merely an illustrative example, as elements of the vehicle 1 may be implemented in several different ways.

[0058] The vehicle 1 further comprises a sensor system 320. The sensor system 320 is configured to acquire sensory data about the vehicle itself or its surroundings. The sensor system 320 may, for example, comprise a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) module 322 (such as GPS) configured to collect geographic location data of the vehicle 1. The sensor system 320 may further comprise one or more sensors 324. The sensor 324 may be any type of onboard sensor, such as a camera, a lidar and a radar, an ultrasonic sensor, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, an odometer, etc. It should be understood that the sensor system 320 may also provide the possibility of acquiring sensory data directly or via a dedicated sensor control circuit in the vehicle 1.

[0059] The vehicle 1 further includes a communication system 326. The communication system 326 is configured to communicate with external units, such as other vehicles (i.e., via a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication protocol), a remote server (e.g., a cloud server), a database, or other external devices, i.e., a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication protocol. The communication system 318 can communicate using one or more communication technologies. The communication system 318 may include one or more antennas (not shown). Cellular communication technology can be used for remote communications, such as a remote server or a cloud computing system. In addition, if the cellular communication technology used has low latency, it can also be used for V2V, V2I, or V2X communications. Examples of cellular radio technologies are GSM, GPRS, EDGE, LTE, 5G, 5G NR, etc., also including future cellular solutions. However, in some solutions, medium- and short-range communication technologies, such as wireless local area networks (LANs), such as solutions based on IEEE 802.11, can be used to communicate with other vehicles near the vehicle 1 or with local infrastructure elements. ETSI is developing cellular standards for vehicle communications, and 5G, for example, is seen as a suitable solution due to its low latency and efficient handling of high bandwidth and communication channels.

[0060] The communication system 326 may accordingly provide the possibility to send outputs to a remote location (e.g. a remote operator or a control center) and / or receive inputs from a remote location by means of one or more antennas. In addition, the communication system 326 may be further configured to allow various elements of the vehicle 1 to communicate with each other. For example, the communication system may provide a local network setup such as CAN bus, I2C, Ethernet, fiber optics, etc. The local communication within the vehicle may also be of wireless type with protocols such as WiFi, LoRa, Zigbee, Bluetooth or similar medium / short range technologies.

[0061] The vehicle 1 further includes a steering system 320. The steering system 328 is configured to control the steering of the vehicle 1. The steering system 328 includes a steering module 330, which is configured to control the heading of the vehicle 1. The steering system 328 further includes a throttle module 332, which is configured to control the actuation of the throttle of the vehicle 1. The steering system 328 further includes a brake module 334, which is configured to control the actuation of the brakes of the vehicle 1. The various modules of the steering system 328 can also receive manual inputs from the driver of the vehicle 1 (i.e., from the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, and the brake pedal, respectively). However, the steering system 328 can be communicatively connected to the ADS 310 of the vehicle to receive instructions on how the various modules of the steering system 328 should act. Therefore, the ADS 310 can control the steering of the vehicle 1, for example, via the decision and control module 318.

[0062] The vehicle 1 further includes a lighting system (not shown) for controlling the exterior lights of the vehicle 1. The lighting system may, for example, be operably connected to the AHBC unit 340 so as to receive input signals from the AHBC unit 340. Thus, the AHBC unit 340 may be configured to output signals to the lighting system so as to control the headlights of the vehicle 1, in particular the high beams of the vehicle. As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the lighting system may further control the turning on / off of various exterior lights of the vehicle 1, such as turn indicators, brake lights, reverse lights, etc., based on inputs from various control systems of the vehicle 1.

[0063] The ADS 310 may include a localization module 312 or localization block / system. The positioning module 312 is configured to determine and / or monitor the geographic location and heading of the vehicle 1 and may utilize data from a sensor system 320, such as data from a GNSS module 322. Alternatively or in combination, the positioning module 312 may utilize data from one or more sensors 324. The positioning system may alternatively be implemented as a real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS for improved accuracy.

[0064] The ADS 310 may further include a perception module 314 or a perception block / system 314. The perception module 314 may refer to any known module and / or functionality, such as included in one or more electronic control modules and / or nodes of the vehicle 1, adapted and / or configured to interpret sensory data related to driving of the vehicle 1 to identify, for example, obstacles, lanes, relevant signs, appropriate navigation paths, etc. Thus, the perception module 314 may be adapted to combine, for example, sensory data from the sensor system 320, rely on and obtain inputs from multiple data sources, such as automotive imaging, image processing, computer vision, and / or in-vehicle networking, etc.

[0065] The positioning module 312 and / or the perception module 314 may be communicatively connected with the sensor system 320 to receive sensing data from the sensor system 320. The positioning module 312 and / or the perception module 314 may also send control instructions to the sensor system 320.

[0066] Specifically, a system 10 for adaptive high beam control (AHBC) includes one or more memory storage areas 12 containing program code, and the one or more memory storage areas 12 and the program code are configured to use one or more processors 11 to enable the system 10 to obtain information about the existence of street lights on a road section that is about to be passed in front of the vehicle from at least a digital map layer based on the current position of the vehicle. The digital map layer is formed by detection source data from a fleet of vehicles. In addition, the digital map layer includes a plurality of street light blocks, wherein each street light block includes a start point and an end point along a road, and each street light block defines a road section with one or more street lights. In addition, the program code is configured to enable the system 10 to control the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle based on the information obtained about the existence of street lights on the road section that is about to be passed, so as to avoid projecting high beam lighting onto the road area associated with the street lights.

[0067] Furthermore, the one or more memory storage areas 12 and the program code may be configured to cause the system 10, with the one or more processors 11, to at least acquire speed data of the vehicle 1. Thus, lighting control of the space in front of the vehicle may be further based on the acquired speed data.

[0068] In addition, the one or more memory storage areas 12 and the program code may be configured to, using the one or more processors 11, cause the system 10 to at least acquire sensor data indicating the presence of one or more street light poles in the surroundings of the vehicle 1 from one or more sensors 324, which are configured to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle 1. Thus, lighting control of the space in front of the vehicle 1 may be further based on the presence of one or more street light poles.

[0069] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the one or more memory storage areas 12 and the program code are configured to use the one or more processors 11 to cause the system 10 to at least acquire sensor data, including ambient lighting information of the vehicle's surroundings, from one or more sensors 324, the sensors 324 being configured to monitor the vehicle's surroundings. Thus, the lighting control of the space in front of the vehicle 1 can be further based on the acquired ambient lighting information of the surroundings.

[0070] In some embodiments, one or more memory storage areas 12 and program codes are configured to use one or more processors 11 to cause the system 10 to obtain, based at least on the current position of the vehicle, speed limit information of a road section that the vehicle 1 is about to pass through from the digital map 308 and / or from one or more sensors 324 configured to monitor the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1. Therefore, lighting control of the space in front of the vehicle can be further based on the obtained information about the speed limit of the road section that is about to pass through.

[0071] Additionally, another aspect of the technology disclosed herein includes a method 400 for constructing a street light map layer within a digital map. Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a method 400 for constructing a street light map layer within a digital map according to some embodiments.

[0072] The method 400 includes storing 420 streetlight information from the fleet. Herein, each vehicle may be configured to transmit 510 its map location (i.e., geographic location, e.g., GNSS location) and transmit 515 sensor data to a central server (e.g., a fleet management system) via a communication network (e.g., WLAN or cellular network). The transmitted 515 sensor data includes information about the presence of streetlights along a road segment that the vehicle is traveling or has traveled. In some embodiments, the sensor data may include the location of one or more streetlight poles relative to the vehicle.

[0073] Therefore, the street light information stored 420 may accordingly include an indication of the presence of street lights along one or more road segments and the locations of these road segments. The street light information stored 420 is then aggregated 425 over time based on the reported data from each vehicle in the fleet. In addition, the method 400 may further include checking whether the information aggregated 425 indicates the presence of a new street light block or whether it is already surrounded by an existing street light block. Therefore, if the information aggregated 425 indicates the presence of a new street light block, the digital map is updated 430. In more detail, in response to the aggregated 425 information indicating the presence of a new street light block, the street light map layer is updated 430. However, if the information aggregated 425 indicates the presence of street lights that are already surrounded by existing street light blocks of the street light map layer, no update is performed.

[0074] Additionally, in some embodiments, once the updated streetlight map layer updates 430 the digital map, the method 400 includes transmitting the updated 430 digital map to the fleet.

[0075] The present technology has been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, other embodiments in addition to the above are possible and are within the scope of the technology disclosed herein. Within the scope of the technology disclosed herein, method steps different from those described above may be provided, and the method may be performed by hardware or software. Therefore, according to some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of a vehicle control system, and the one or more programs include instructions for performing a method according to any of the above embodiments. Alternatively, according to some embodiments, a cloud computing system may be configured to perform any of the methods given herein. The cloud computing system may include distributed cloud computing resources that collectively perform the methods presented herein under the control of one or more computer program products.

[0076] It should be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims, that the present invention may be implemented at least partially by means of hardware and software, and that several "means" or "units" may be represented by the same item of hardware.

[0077] Although a specific order of method steps may be shown in the figure, the order of the steps may be different from that described. In addition, two or more steps may be performed simultaneously or partially simultaneously. For example, the steps of obtaining vehicle position and obtaining vehicle speed data can be interchanged based on a specific implementation. This change will depend on the selected software and hardware systems and the designer's choice. All these changes are within the scope of the present invention. Similarly, software implementation can be completed with standard programming techniques, which have rule-based logic and other logic to complete various processing steps, comparison steps and decision steps. The embodiments mentioned and described above are given as examples only and should not limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other solutions, uses, goals and functions within the scope of the present invention required by the following patent claims should be obvious.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for adaptive high beam control (AHBC) of a vehicle, the method comprising: Based on the current position of the vehicle, obtaining information about the existence of street lights on a road section that the vehicle is about to pass through from a digital map layer, wherein the digital map layer is formed by detection source data from a fleet of vehicles, wherein the digital map layer includes a plurality of streetlight blocks, each streetlight block includes a start point and an end point along a road, and each streetlight block defines a road segment having one or more streetlights; and Based on the acquired information about the existence of the street lamp of the road section to be traveled, the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle is controlled to avoid projecting high-beam lighting onto the road area associated with the street lamp.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising: Acquiring speed data of the vehicle; as well as Wherein controlling the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle is further based on the acquired speed data.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: acquiring sensor data indicative of the presence of one or more light poles in the surroundings of the vehicle from one or more sensors configured to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle; as well as Wherein controlling the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle is further based on the presence of one or more street light poles.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: acquiring sensor data including ambient lighting information of the vehicle's surroundings from one or more sensors configured to monitor the vehicle's surroundings; as well as Wherein, controlling the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle is further based on the acquired ambient lighting information of the surrounding environment.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: acquiring information about a speed limit of the upcoming road section ahead of the vehicle from the digital map and / or from one or more sensors configured to monitor the surrounding environment of the vehicle based on the current position of the vehicle; as well as Wherein, controlling the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle is further based on the acquired information about the speed limit of the road section to be traveled. The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining the position of the vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Each streetlight block includes a plurality of streetlights, wherein adjacent streetlights whose distances from each other along the same road are less than a distance value are included in the same streetlight block.

8. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computing device of a vehicle, cause the computing device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device of the vehicle, cause the computing device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-7.

10. A system for an adaptive high beam control (AHBC) for a vehicle, the system comprising one or more memory storage areas, the one or more memory storage areas comprising program code, the one or more memory storage areas and the program code being configured to, with one or more processors, cause the system to at least: Based on the current position of the vehicle, information about the existence of street lights on the road section that the vehicle is about to pass is obtained from the digital map layer, wherein: The digital map layer is formed by probe source data from the fleet, wherein the digital map layer includes a plurality of streetlight blocks, each streetlight block includes a start point and an end point along a road, and each streetlight block defines a road segment having one or more streetlights; and Based on the acquired information about the existence of the street lamp of the road section to be traveled, the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle is controlled to avoid projecting high-beam lighting onto the road area associated with the street lamp.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more memory storage areas and the program code are configured to, via the one or more processors, cause the system to at least: Acquiring speed data of the vehicle; as well as Wherein controlling the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle is further based on the acquired speed data.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more memory storage areas and the program code are configured to, via the one or more processors, cause the system to at least: acquiring sensor data indicative of the presence of one or more light poles in the surroundings of the vehicle from one or more sensors configured to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle; as well as Wherein controlling the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle is further based on the presence of one or more street light poles.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more memory storage areas and the program code are configured to, via the one or more processors, cause the system to at least: acquiring sensor data including ambient lighting information of the vehicle's surroundings from one or more sensors configured to monitor the vehicle's surroundings; as well as Wherein, controlling the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle is further based on the acquired ambient lighting information of the surrounding environment.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more memory storage areas and the program code are configured to, via the one or more processors, cause the system to at least: acquiring information about a speed limit of the upcoming road section ahead of the vehicle from the digital map and / or from one or more sensors configured to monitor the surrounding environment of the vehicle based on the current position of the vehicle; as well as Wherein, controlling the lighting of the space in front of the vehicle is further based on the acquired information about the speed limit of the road section to be traveled.

15. A vehicle comprising a system according to any one of claims 10-14.

Images