Procedure and control unit for a motor vehicle

Abstract

Method for a motor vehicle (10) comprising the steps of: - detecting (50) an accident of the motor vehicle (10), - illuminating the vehicle surroundings (18, 20, 22) based on a detected accident of the motor vehicle (10) and based on a detected standstill of the motor vehicle (10) on its wheels by: a) activating (52) the front headlights (12) of the motor vehicle (10) and controlling (54) the front headlights (12) to lower the beam angles along the pitch and / or yaw angle of the motor vehicle (10) to illuminate a front vehicle surroundings (18), b) activating (56) a light projection system (14) of at least one exterior mirror and / or vehicle door to illuminate a side vehicle surroundings (20) and / or c) activating (58) an underbody lighting system to illuminate a lower vehicle surroundings (22).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method and a control unit for a motor vehicle.

[0002] In a traffic accident involving a motor vehicle in a dark environment, there is an additional risk that other road users will not see the damaged vehicle. Furthermore, rescue attempts by vehicle occupants are hampered in the dark, especially if injuries or deformation of the passenger compartment are not immediately visible to rescuers due to insufficient light, thus further complicating the process of extricating and rescuing the occupants. Professional rescue teams therefore carry specialized equipment to adequately illuminate an accident scene. Regular road users, who often act as first responders at the scene, typically do not have this professional equipment.

[0003] Publication DE 10 2006 049 778 A1 describes an emergency system for a motor vehicle with sensors for detecting an emergency situation, whereby interior lighting functions are activated in an emergency mode upon detection of an emergency situation. Furthermore, external lighting functions, such as hazard warning lights, exterior door handle lighting, brake lights, and front and rear lights, can also be activated.

[0004] The familiar emergency systems for motor vehicles offer other road users assistance in recognizing the accident scene, for example through activated hazard warning lights and front or rear lights. However, these do not illuminate the immediate surroundings of the accident scene, or not sufficiently, so the disadvantages caused by darkness for rescue by regular road users as first responders persist.

[0005] The invention is therefore based on the objective of providing a method and a control unit for a motor vehicle which facilitates rescue measures in an accident situation involving the motor vehicle.

[0006] The problem according to the invention is solved by a method for a motor vehicle and a control unit for a motor vehicle according to the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are the subject of the respective dependent claims.

[0007] A first aspect concerns a procedure for a motor vehicle. In one step of the procedure, a motor vehicle accident is detected. For example, an accident is detected by an airbag control unit or other sensors of the motor vehicle, such as acceleration, pressure, crash impact sound sensing (CISS), and / or rollover sensors. With CISS sensors, an accident is detected based on changes in structure-borne sound from the deforming body panels during impact. Additionally or alternatively, an accident is also preferably detected based on the irreversible deployment of a seat belt pretensioner.

[0008] In a further step of the inventive method, the vehicle's surroundings are illuminated based on a detected accident. Preferably, the vehicle's surroundings are also illuminated based on a detected standstill of the vehicle, upright on its wheels. If the vehicle were to stand still but not upright on its wheels, for example, lying on its side or roof, this would create a risk of dazzling others. A standstill of the vehicle can be detected using the vehicle's motion sensors. A standstill of the vehicle implies that the detected accident is highly likely to be over, thus opening the window of opportunity for potential rescue measures.Illuminating the area around a vehicle after a detected accident can facilitate subsequent rescue operations, for example, by first responders without special (lighting) equipment, and further increase the visibility of the damaged vehicle to other road users, thereby reducing the risk of secondary accidents. The invention is particularly advantageous in dark environments, but also in cases where, for example, areas around the vehicle covered or darkened by (accident) objects impair visibility.

[0009] When illuminating the vehicle's surroundings, the vehicle's headlights are activated and their beam angles are adjusted to reflect the vehicle's pitch and / or yaw angles, illuminating the area in front of the vehicle. Additionally or alternatively, a light projection system is activated in at least one exterior mirror and / or vehicle door to illuminate the side of the vehicle. Also additionally or alternatively, an underbody lighting system is activated to illuminate the area below the vehicle. Vehicle surroundings illumination is defined as the predominant direction of light emission from the vehicle, i.e., towards the surroundings.Prioritizing the illumination of a vehicle part or surface, such as exterior door handle lighting, does not fall under the definition of illuminating the vehicle's surroundings.

[0010] In the case of controlling the headlights to lower their beam angles, a process step is preferably carried out in which the current position of the headlight(s) is checked to ensure that a further lowering of the beam angles along the vehicle's pitch angle is permissible. The headlights are then controlled to lower their beam angles based on the result of this check. This check advantageously prevents a headlight that is already swiveled to its maximum downward position along the pitch angle from being controlled for further lowering.

[0011] The light projection system is preferably arranged in the exterior mirror or the vehicle door such that one projection direction is directed essentially towards the underside of the vehicle. The light projection system is preferably configured to illuminate a (lateral) area at a distance of up to 5 m, preferably up to 2.5 m, from the vehicle. The light projection system is preferably configured to primarily illuminate only the area to the side of the vehicle. The underbody lighting system and / or the light projection system can, for example, be installed primarily as decorative lighting systems in the vehicle, which, according to the invention, can then be used as a lighting system for the vehicle's surroundings in the event of an accident. The underbody lighting system preferably comprises a plurality of light sources, in particular LEDs, distributed over the underbody of the vehicle.The underbody lighting system is preferably designed to illuminate a front, side, and / or rear area at a distance of up to 3 m, preferably up to 1 m, from the vehicle. The underbody lighting system allows the lower area immediately surrounding the vehicle to be illuminated in every direction (360°) around the vehicle.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the headlights are controlled by means of an electromechanical headlight range control system. Electromechanical headlight range control systems are widely used in modern vehicles. Consequently, the method is applicable to a large number of motor vehicles.

[0013] In a further preferred embodiment, at least one, preferably all, headlights comprise an adaptive LED matrix headlight, and the headlight(s) are controlled by selectively controlling the LED matrix headlight. LED matrix headlights consist of a plurality of individual LEDs whose emitted light can be selectively focused into one or more beam paths by means of a mirror arrangement. Thus, LED matrix headlights represent an advantageous design for changing the pitch angle as well as the yaw angle of the emitted light cone.

[0014] Preferably, the headlight(s) are controlled such that an area in front of the vehicle is illuminated, the center of which is 1 m to 10 m away from the vehicle, preferably 1 m to 5 m, and particularly preferably 2.5 m. In other words, the light cone of the headlights is adjusted so that the center of the light cone lies in the center of the aforementioned area. Illuminating areas close to the vehicle facilitates rescue operations particularly effectively.

[0015] In a further preferred embodiment, it is provided that when the light projection system and / or the underbody lighting system is activated, an energy supply in the overload range is applied. In other words, the light projection system and / or the underbody lighting system is operated with an electrical current and / or an electrical voltage in the overload range in order to achieve a particularly high light intensity. This allows the naturally low light intensity of the light projection system and / or the underbody lighting system to be increased for a short time in order to provide improved illumination of the vehicle's surroundings in an accident situation.

[0016] In a further preferred embodiment, the light projection system is a safety-relevant light projection system with an enhanced light source. In other words, the safety-relevant light projection system is not only intended for conventional decorative purposes where low light intensity is sufficient, but is specifically designed for illuminating the vehicle's side surroundings. For example, the enhanced light source is configured to illuminate a (lateral) area at a distance of up to 10 m, preferably up to 5 m, from the vehicle. For example, a lower light intensity for use in conventional decorative purposes can be achieved by reducing the energy input (electric current and / or voltage). At least in this case, a high light intensity from the enhanced light source is available for illuminating the vehicle's side surroundings according to the invention.Furthermore, the safety-relevant light projection system could also be used to illuminate the side of the vehicle for changing a tire in the dark, for example due to a burst tire.

[0017] In a further preferred embodiment, the vehicle is also equipped with a brightness sensor, and the illumination of the vehicle's surroundings is based on a value detected by the brightness sensor. The brightness sensor allows the system to determine whether sufficient brightness is present due to the prevailing environmental conditions, i.e., whether illumination of the accident scene is necessary. Preferably, the vehicle's surroundings are not illuminated if the brightness sensor's reading exceeds a predetermined threshold. This saves energy from the vehicle's battery, which can then be used for other systems, such as making an emergency call (eCall), unlocking the central locking system, and the like.In other versions, the vehicle environment is illuminated independently of the brightness sensor, especially if the brightness sensor is damaged and / or no signals can be received from the brightness sensor.

[0018] In a further preferred embodiment, it is provided that, based on a detected accident, at least one of the (mentioned) systems for illuminating the vehicle's surroundings is checked for integrity. Particularly in accident situations, vehicle parts and components can be damaged as a result of the accident. Thus, individual lighting systems or individual bulbs within the lighting systems can sometimes be affected. Based on knowledge of the lighting systems' status regarding their integrity, further decisions can be made to compensate for a possible lighting failure using other lighting systems. For example, an intact headlight can be controlled in such a way that the beam angle is changed along the yaw angle of the vehicle in the direction of the defective headlight.In another example, the beam angle of the light projection of the light projection system can be shifted in the direction of the intact component, for example the headlight.

[0019] If a faulty headlight is detected, the high beam of at least one (or all) headlights is activated as a priority. It's possible that the faulty headlight only has a low beam function, while the high beam is still working. In this case, the activated high beam can compensate for the lack of illumination of the vehicle's surroundings caused by the faulty headlight. Additionally or alternatively, the high beam of a functioning headlight can be activated similarly to at least partially compensate for the missing illumination.

[0020] Another aspect concerns a control unit for a motor vehicle, which is configured to carry out the aforementioned procedure. The motor vehicle is preferably designed as described above. The optional features and their advantages described in the procedure can be implemented analogously in the control unit and are therefore freely combinable.

[0021] The aforementioned control unit is preferably implemented using electrical or electronic components (hardware) or firmware (ASIC). Additionally or alternatively, the functionality of the control unit is realized when a suitable program (software) is executed. Equally preferred is the control unit implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and / or software. For example, individual components of the control unit for providing specific functionalities are designed as separate integrated circuits or arranged on a common integrated circuit.

[0022] The individual components of the control unit are preferably configured as one or more processes running on one or more processors in one or more electronic computing devices and generated during the execution of one or more computer programs. The computing devices are preferably configured to cooperate with other components, such as a lighting system or a motor controller, to implement the functionalities described herein. The instructions of the computer programs are preferably stored in a memory, such as a RAM element. However, the computer programs can also be stored in a non-volatile storage medium, such as a CD-ROM, flash memory, or the like.

[0023] It is also apparent to a person skilled in the art that the functionalities of several computing units (data processing devices) can be combined or combined in a single device, or that the functionality of a particular data processing device can be distributed across a large number of devices in order to realize the functionality of the control unit.

[0024] Another aspect concerns a computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, such as a control unit for a motor vehicle, cause it to carry out the method according to the invention, in particular a method for a motor vehicle.

[0025] Further preferred embodiments of the invention result from the other features mentioned in the dependent claims.

[0026] Unless otherwise stated in individual cases, the various embodiments of the invention mentioned in this application can be advantageously combined with one another.

[0027] The invention is explained below using exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. These show: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of a motor vehicle according to one embodiment; and Fig. 2 a schematic representation of a procedure according to a form of implementation.

[0028] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a motor vehicle 10 according to one embodiment. The motor vehicle 10 comprises two front headlights 12 or two front headlight modules, four light projection systems 14, two of which are in the two exterior mirrors and two in the two front vehicle doors, an underbody lighting system (not shown), and a control unit 16, which is connected to the aforementioned lighting systems 12 and 14. The Fig. The number of lighting systems 12, 14 shown is merely exemplary and can be replaced by any other number of lighting systems 12, 14 without departing from the essential idea of ​​this document. In particular, individual lighting systems 12, 14, such as the underbody lighting system or one or more of the light projection systems 14, can also be omitted.

[0029] The motor vehicle 10 further comprises sensors for detecting an accident involving the motor vehicle 10, namely acceleration, pressure, and rollover sensors, and a CISS sensor, as well as an airbag control unit. The functions of the airbag control unit can be taken over by the control unit 16, so that in some embodiments an explicit airbag control unit is not required. In some embodiments, the airbag deployment signal is directly received or received by the airbag control unit as a detected accident. Furthermore, the motor vehicle 10 comprises motion sensors to detect when the motor vehicle 10 is stationary on its wheels. For this purpose, the rollover sensors and / or integrated roll angle sensors can be used. The stationary state of the motor vehicle 10 indicates that the accident involving the motor vehicle 10 is likely over and that a time window for rescue measures subsequently exists.

[0030] Furthermore, the control unit 16 of the motor vehicle 10 is configured to, with regard to Fig. Two procedures for illuminating the vehicle's surroundings 18, 20, 22 are described in more detail below. Illuminating the vehicle's surroundings 18, 20, 22 reduces the risk of other road users failing to recognize the crashed vehicle 10. Furthermore, it facilitates rescue attempts, particularly when injuries to vehicle occupants or deformation of the passenger compartment are not immediately visible to rescuers due to insufficient light, thus further complicating the occupants' exit and rescue. Unlike professional rescue workers, regular road users, who often act as first responders at the accident scene, typically do not carry professional equipment for adequately illuminating the accident site.

[0031] Fig. Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of a procedure according to one implementation form.

[0032] In a first procedural step 50, an accident involving motor vehicle 10 is recorded. Based on the recorded accident, the vehicle's surroundings 18, 20, 22 are illuminated. Up to three complementary or alternative procedural steps are carried out to illuminate the vehicle's surroundings 18, 20, 22.

[0033] In a first process step 52 of the first (additional or) alternative process step, the headlights 12 of the motor vehicle 10 are activated. In a second process step 54 of the first alternative process step, the headlights 12 are controlled to lower their beam angles along the pitch angle of the motor vehicle 10. By lowering the headlights 12 along the pitch angle of the motor vehicle 10, the focus of the light emitted by the headlights 12 is directed as close as possible to the vehicle's front surroundings 18. Fig. Figure 1 shows two exemplary sections of the vehicle's front surroundings 18, represented by dashed rounded squares, each illuminated by one of the two headlights 12. The illuminated sections of the vehicle's front surroundings 18 correspond, by way of example, to an area extending from 1 m to 5 m away from the vehicle 10.

[0034] According to the second (additional or) alternative procedure step 56, the light projection systems 14 of the exterior mirrors and the front vehicle doors are activated to illuminate the side of the vehicle 20. As in Fig. As shown in dashed circles, the light projection systems 14 illuminate lateral areas of the side of the vehicle 20 at a distance of up to 2.5 m from the motor vehicle 10.

[0035] In a third (additional or) alternative process step 58, the underbody lighting system is activated to illuminate a lower vehicle area 22. Fig.Figure 1 shows an example of a dashed, rounded rectangle of the lower vehicle surroundings 22, which is illuminated by the underbody lighting system. The underbody lighting system illuminates the lower vehicle surroundings 22, for example, in a front, side, and rear area at a distance of up to 1 m from the vehicle. Reference symbol list 10 motor vehicle 12 headlights 14 Light projection system 16 Control unit 18 front vehicle environment 20 lateral vehicle environment 22 lower vehicle environment 50 first procedural step 52 first procedural step of the first alternative procedural step 54 second procedural step of the first alternative procedural step 56 second alternative procedure step 58 third alternative procedure step QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 102006049778 A1

[0003]

Claims

[1] Method for a motor vehicle (10), comprising the steps of: - detection (50) of an accident involving the motor vehicle (10), - Illuminating the vehicle surroundings (18, 20, 22) based on a detected accident of the motor vehicle (10) by: a) activating (52) the headlights (12) of the motor vehicle (10) and controlling (54) the headlights (12) to lower the beam angle along the pitch and / or yaw angle of the motor vehicle (10) to illuminate a front vehicle environment (18), b) activating (56) a light projection system (14) of at least one exterior mirror and / or a vehicle door for illuminating a lateral vehicle environment (20) and / or c) activating (58) an underbody lighting system for illuminating a lower vehicle environment (22). [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the control of the headlights (12) is carried out by means of an electromechanical headlight range adjustment. [3] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one headlight (12) comprises an adaptive LED matrix headlight and the headlights (12) are controlled by selectively controlling the LED matrix headlight. [4] Method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the control of the headlights (12) is carried out in such a way that an area in front of the motor vehicle (10) is illuminated, the center of which has a distance from the motor vehicle (10) of 1 m to 10 m, preferably 1 m to 5 m, particularly preferably 2.5 m. [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein upon activation of the light projection system (14) and / or the underbody lighting system, energy is supplied in the overload range. [6] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the light projection system (14) is a safety-relevant light projection system with an amplified light source. [7] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the motor vehicle (10) further comprises a brightness sensor and the illumination of the vehicle surroundings (18, 20, 22) is further carried out based on a detected value of the brightness sensor. [8] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein, based on a detected accident, at least one of the systems (12, 14) for illuminating the vehicle surroundings (18, 20, 22) is checked for integrity. [9] Method according to claim 8, wherein if one of the headlights (12) is not intact, the high beam of at least one of the headlights (12) is activated. [10] Control unit (16) for a motor vehicle (10), which is designed to carry out a method according to one of the preceding claims.

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