Headlamp follow-up steering control method and storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses a headlamp follow-up steering control method and a storage medium. The headlamp follow-up steering control method comprises the following steps in each control period: acquiring a vehicle steering angle; according to the vehicle steering angle, processing the background light shape image to obtain a light shape image corresponding to the vehicle steering angle; and the controller reads an output control instruction of the emergent light shape corresponding to the light shape image, and controls the array light source to emit light rays and then project the light rays to form the emergent light shape. According to the headlamp follow-up steering control method, the requirement for the computing power of the controller is lowered, and the follow-up steering effect which is smooth, quick in response and simple in structure can be achieved.

Description

Headlamp follow-up steering control method and storage medium Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a headlamp follow-up steering technology, and in particular to a headlamp follow-up steering control method. In addition, the present invention also relates to a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Research statistics show that the probability of traffic accidents at night is much higher than during the day. Blind spots caused by insufficient lighting at night prevent drivers from perceiving and anticipating road hazards ahead, a major cause of nighttime traffic accidents.

[0003] Normally, ordinary headlights installed on cars have a certain lighting range regardless of their brightness. Therefore, when the road lighting facilities have low brightness or even no lighting, there will inevitably be unlit blind spots on the road ahead due to the fixed position of ordinary headlights. This is especially true when the vehicle is driving on curves and intersections, making it impossible for the driver to observe the road, pedestrians, vehicles and other obstacles in the "blind spot", making it very easy for traffic accidents to occur.

[0004] To this end, cars are currently equipped with adaptive steering systems (AFS), which adjust the headlights' angle, shape, brightness, and illumination time according to the vehicle's driving conditions, road conditions, and weather, thereby achieving optimal lighting performance under the corresponding conditions.

[0005] Two technical solutions are commonly used to implement the AFS function. One is through mechanical transmission, that is, using transmission components such as motors and shafts to rotate the lighting module to achieve the AFS effect, but this has a complex structure. The other is to use a matrix lighting module (Matrix module) to achieve the AFS function by turning LEDs on and off. However, there will be a relatively obvious "stutter" when implementing the AFS function, and it has high requirements for the computing power of the controller.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a headlamp follow-up steering control method, which reduces the requirements on the computing power of the controller and can achieve a smooth, fast-response, and simple-structured follow-up steering effect.

[0008] A further technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a storage medium for storing a computer instruction program for implementing a method for controlling the follow-up steering of a headlamp.

[0009] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a method for controlling headlamp steering, which performs the following steps in each control cycle:

[0010] Get the vehicle steering angle;

[0011] Processing the background light image according to the vehicle steering angle to obtain a light image corresponding to the vehicle steering angle;

[0012] The controller reads an output control instruction of an outgoing light shape corresponding to the light shape image, and controls the array light source to emit light and then project it to form the outgoing light shape.

[0013] Optionally, when processing the background light image, the brightest point in the background light image is moved in the horizontal direction according to the steering angle of the vehicle.

[0014] Furthermore, the brightest point is moved linearly with the steering angle of the vehicle based on the central axis of the background light image.

[0015] Optionally, a mask image is constructed, and according to the steering angle of the vehicle, the mask image and the background light image are moved in the horizontal direction, and the mask image and the background light image are superimposed to form a low beam light image, and the controller reads the output control instruction of the output light shape corresponding to the low beam light shape image, controls the array light source to emit light and then project it to form a low beam light shape.

[0016] Specifically, the mask image is a picture that retains an alpha channel.

[0017] Specifically, the mask image has a dark area for correspondingly forming a low beam cut-off line.

[0018] Optionally, the array light source is an LED array light source.

[0019] More specifically, the LED light source of the LED array light source is connected to an LED driver.

[0020] Optionally, the controller is an MCU.

[0021] Another aspect of the present invention provides a storage medium, which stores computer instructions. When a computer executes the computer instructions, it is used to execute the steps of the headlamp follow-up steering control method described in any one of the above technical solutions.

[0022] Through the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0023] By processing the background light pattern image, the present invention can obtain the light pattern image corresponding to the vehicle's current steering angle. The controller stores the light pattern image and output control instructions for the output light pattern. These output control instructions are used by the controller to turn the light source units in the array light source on and off, thereby obtaining the corresponding output light pattern. Compared to existing mechanical transmission methods for achieving AFS, the present invention has a simpler structure and requires less computing power from the controller than existing matrix lighting modules, achieving a smooth, fast-response, and simple AFS effect.

[0024] Other advantages of the present invention and the technical effects of the preferred embodiments will be further described in the following specific embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the following detailed description, they are used to explain the present invention but do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0026] 1 is a schematic diagram of a process of superimposing a background light image and a mask image in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the effect of a background light-shaped image in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] FIG3 is a schematic diagram showing the effect of a background light-shaped image shifting to the left in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] FIG4 is a schematic diagram showing the effect of the background light-shaped image shifting to the right in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the superposition effect of the background light image and the mask image in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] FIG6 is a schematic diagram showing the effect of the background light image and the mask image being shifted to the left and superimposed in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] 7 is a schematic diagram showing the effect of the background light image and the mask image being shifted to the right and superimposed in accordance with a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] FIG8 is a flowchart of a method for controlling headlamp steering according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The following describes the specific embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to illustrate and explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0035] It should be understood that, for the purpose of facilitating and simplifying the description of the present invention, the terms "front," "rear," "left," and "right" are relative to the vehicle's direction of travel. Generally, when a vehicle is traveling forward, the left and right sides are the front. Accordingly, with respect to the light pattern projected by the headlights, the left and right directions of the light pattern are substantially consistent with the left and right directions of the vehicle. Therefore, the terms are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. Furthermore, the directional terms regarding the light pattern of the present invention should be understood in conjunction with actual installation conditions.

[0036] 1 to 8 , the present invention provides a method for controlling a headlamp with adaptive steering, wherein the following steps are performed in each control cycle:

[0037] Get the vehicle steering angle;

[0038] Processing the background light image according to the vehicle steering angle to obtain a light image corresponding to the vehicle steering angle;

[0039] The controller reads an output control instruction of an outgoing light shape corresponding to the light shape image, and controls the array light source to emit light and then project it to form the outgoing light shape.

[0040] In the above technical solution, the vehicle steering angle is used as the basis. Since the vehicle steering angle is related to the vehicle's steering wheel control, the steering wheel rotation angle can also be used as the basis. In order to achieve the effect of follow-up steering, the output light pattern needs to be roughly maintained in front of the vehicle during the vehicle's curve turning process. For the existing matrix lighting module method, it is necessary to control some light source units in the matrix lighting module to turn on and others to turn off to obtain the output light pattern; in the existing matrix lighting module method, it is necessary to set up an infrared night vision system, illuminate the road surface in front of the vehicle through an infrared light source, and use an infrared camera to collect road surface information in front, and then feed it back to the vehicle controller. The controller needs to perform a large amount of calculations to control some light source units in the matrix lighting module to turn on and others to turn off to obtain the output light pattern; the existing matrix lighting module method has very high requirements for the computing power of the controller. However, the present invention directly processes the background light pattern based on the steering wheel rotation angle to obtain a light pattern corresponding to the steering wheel rotation angle. The controller can directly query the stored program that corresponds to the light pattern and the outgoing light pattern. Based on the light pattern, it finds the corresponding control instruction for the outgoing light pattern. This query method causes the controller to issue the control instruction, thereby presenting the corresponding outgoing light pattern in front of the vehicle. The entire control process is simple and does not require the controller to have high computing power.

[0041] Generally, LED can be selected as the light source unit in the array light source to form an LED array light source. By controlling the on and off of each LED in the array light source, the corresponding output light shape is obtained; alternatively, other light source units that are suitable for forming an array light source, such as a laser light source, can also be selected.

[0042] In one specific embodiment, a single-chip microcomputer (MCU) can be used as the controller in the vehicle lighting control system. A program that queries the stored correspondence between the light pattern image and the output light pattern causes the MCU to issue control instructions. Alternatively, the controller can be another form of control device, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0043] In a specific embodiment, a driver is provided between the controller and the array light source. For an LED array light source, each LED is connected to an LED driver, and the controller controls the LED to turn on and off through the LED driver.

[0044] Referring to Figure 2 , the background light image refers to an image corresponding to the outgoing light pattern of a vehicle traveling in a straight line. This background light image is stored in the controller and serves as the basis for image processing. Referring to Figures 1 and 5 , the mask image refers to an image having an inverted trapezoidal dark area, the edges of which correspond to the cutoff line of the low-beam light pattern. When superimposed with the background light image, the superimposed image can appear as a low-beam light pattern.

[0045] During the process of the vehicle turning a curve, the image processing program stored in the vehicle's controller will process the background light image based on the feedback information of the steering wheel rotation angle obtained. Specifically, for the high beam light shape, there is generally an area in the image with the highest brightness relative to other areas, which is called the brightest point. When the vehicle is driving in a straight line, the brightest point is usually located in the center area of ​​the background light shape image, so that the center area of ​​the emitted high beam light shape has a higher brightness. In this way, assuming that the horizontal movement angle of the brightest point of the background light shape image is linear with respect to the steering wheel rotation angle, and that the linear relationship is related to the horizontal angle from the brightest point of the background light shape image to the center of the background light shape image; assuming that the vertical angle movement of the brightest point of the background light shape image in response to the steering wheel rotation angle is always 0, the above two assumptions are obviously reasonable. Based on the above assumptions, the vertical axis of the vehicle's background light image when traveling in a straight line is used as the central axis. Depending on the steering wheel angle, the brightest point is shifted to the left or right of the central axis. For example, referring to FIG4 , a steering wheel rotation angle of 2 degrees shifts the brightest point to the right of the central axis. Relative to the vehicle's background light image when traveling in a straight line, the processed image can be seen as the bright areas of the background light image shifting and converging to the right, while simultaneously reducing the bright areas on the left. Similarly, referring to FIG3 , the processed image can be seen as the bright areas of the background light image shifting and converging to the left, while simultaneously reducing the bright areas on the right. Thus, the image obtained by shifting the brightest point in the background light image to the left or right, depending on the steering wheel angle, is substantially consistent with the corresponding high-beam pattern. The controller then queries the stored correspondence between the high-beam pattern image and the high-beam pattern control command and outputs a control command to the driver, controlling the on and off of each light source unit in the array light source, thereby enabling the emitted high-beam pattern to exhibit a steering-following effect.

[0046] For low-beam lighting, the upper portion of the light pattern needs to be blocked. Accordingly, a mask image is stored in the controller. Referring to Figure 1, the mask image has an inverted trapezoidal dark area, the edge of which corresponds to the cutoff line of the low-beam light pattern. The mask image retains an alpha channel, which is used to record transparency information in the image. If transparent, the image displays a black background color; if opaque, the image displays white. During cornering, based on the steering wheel angle feedback information obtained, the transparency of some pixels in the mask image is set to transparent, while the transparency of other pixels is set to opaque. Referring to Figures 6 and 7, the processed mask image appears as if the black area within it has shifted left or right. And the brightest point of the processed background light image will move to the left or right side of the central axis, and then the processed mask image will be superimposed on the processed background light image to form a low beam light image, which is basically consistent with the corresponding low beam light shape. The controller queries the correspondence between the stored low beam light image and the control instruction of the low beam light shape, and outputs the control instruction to the driver to control the opening and closing of each light source unit in the array light source, so that the emitted low beam light shape has a follow-up steering effect.

[0047] In the various embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 7, the background light shape image is graphically similar to the outgoing high beam light shape when the vehicle is traveling in a straight line, and the mask image is superimposed on the background light shape image to form a low beam light shape image that is graphically similar to the outgoing low beam light shape when the vehicle is traveling in a straight line. This design is mainly for the convenience of understanding the technical solution of the present invention. It can be understood that an image that is not graphically similar to the high beam light shape can also be used as the background light shape image, and the brightest point in the background light shape image is offset to form query information corresponding to the high beam light shape control instruction, and an image that is not graphically similar to the low beam light shape can be used as a mask image and superimposed on the background light shape image to read the query information corresponding to the low beam light shape control instruction. This simple deformation also falls within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] In order to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention is described below in combination with relatively comprehensive technical features.

[0049] 1 to 7 , the headlamp adaptive steering control method performs the following steps in each control cycle:

[0050] Get the steering wheel rotation angle;

[0051] Extracting a background light image corresponding to the vehicle's straight-line travel; when high-beam illumination is required, the brightest point in the background light image is shifted to a corresponding position according to the steering wheel rotation angle through an image processing program to form a high-beam light image; a controller queries the correspondence between the high-beam light image and a control instruction for controlling an LED array light source to form a corresponding high-beam light shape, and outputs a control instruction to an LED driver, causing the LED array light source to emit light and project the light onto the road surface in front of the vehicle to form a corresponding high-beam light shape;

[0052] When the vehicle is traveling in a straight line and requires high beam illumination, the background light image may not be processed. Instead, the corresponding relationship between the control instructions for controlling the LED array light source to form the corresponding high beam light shape in this case is directly queried, and the control instructions are output to the LED driver to cause the LED array light source to emit light and project the light onto the road surface in front of the vehicle to form the corresponding high beam light shape.

[0053] When low beam lighting is required, a mask image corresponding to the vehicle traveling in a straight line is extracted, and the mask image is processed through the alpha channel according to the steering wheel rotation angle, so that the dark area corresponding to the low beam cutoff line in the upper part of the mask image is shifted to a corresponding position as the steering wheel rotation angle is adjusted. The processed mask image is then superimposed on the background light image to form a low beam light image. The controller queries the correspondence between the low beam light image and the control instruction for controlling the LED array light source to form the corresponding low beam light shape, and outputs the control instruction to the LED driver, causing the LED array light source to emit light and project it onto the road surface in front of the vehicle to form the corresponding low beam light shape.

[0054] Among them, when the vehicle keeps traveling in a straight line and requires low beam illumination, the mask image can be processed without processing, and the correspondence between the control instructions for controlling the LED array light source to form the corresponding low beam light shape in this case can be directly queried, and the control instructions are output to the LED driver to make the LED array light source emit light and project it onto the road surface in front of the vehicle to form the corresponding low beam light shape.

[0055] Compared with the existing method of using a matrix lighting module to achieve the follow-up steering function, the headlamp follow-up steering control method of the present invention, when applied, stores the logic of the LED array light source working mode corresponding to different light patterns into a program in the MCU. Under different circumstances, the MCU issues control instructions in a query manner to achieve the follow-up steering function, thereby achieving a smooth, fast-response, and simple-structured high and low beam follow-up steering effect.

[0056] The present invention also provides a storage medium storing computer instructions. When a computer executes the computer instructions, the storage medium is used to execute all the steps of the headlamp follow-up steering control method as described above.

[0057] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present invention, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solution of the present invention, and these simple modifications all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0058] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any appropriate manner without contradiction. To avoid unnecessary repetition, the present invention will not further describe various possible combinations.

[0059] In addition, the various embodiments of the present invention may be arbitrarily combined, and as long as they do not violate the concept of the present invention, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a headlamp with a following steering mechanism, characterized in that: The following steps are performed in each control cycle: Get the vehicle steering angle; Processing the background light image according to the vehicle steering angle to obtain a light image corresponding to the vehicle steering angle; The controller reads an output control instruction of an outgoing light shape corresponding to the light shape image, and controls the array light source to emit light and then project it to form the outgoing light shape.

2. The headlamp follow-up steering control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When processing the background light image, the brightest point in the background light image is moved in the horizontal direction according to the vehicle steering angle.

3. The headlamp follow-up steering control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: Taking the central axis of the background light image as a reference, the brightest point is moved linearly along with the steering angle of the vehicle.

4. The headlamp follow-up steering control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: A mask image is constructed, and according to the steering angle of the vehicle, the mask image and the background light image are moved horizontally, and the mask image and the background light image are superimposed to form a low-beam light image. The controller reads the output control instruction of the output light shape corresponding to the low-beam light shape image, controls the array light source to emit light, and then projects it to form a low-beam light shape.

5. The headlamp follow-up steering control method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The mask image is a picture that retains the alpha channel.

6. The headlamp follow-up steering control method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The mask image has a dark area for correspondingly forming a low beam cut-off line.

7. The headlamp follow-up steering control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The array light source is an LED array light source.

8. The headlamp follow-up steering control method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The LED light source of the LED array light source is connected to an LED driver.

9. The headlamp follow-up steering control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The controller is an MCU.

10. A storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores computer instructions, and when a computer executes the computer instructions, it is used to execute the steps of the headlamp steering control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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