Method for operating a lighting device

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a vehicle's (1) lighting device, which, depending on a control command, emits light via at least one headlight (2) into the area surrounding the vehicle (1), wherein the approach of a person (5) in the area surrounding the vehicle (1) and their position relative to the vehicle (1) are detected. The method according to the invention is characterized in that, after the lighting device has been activated by the control command, the headlight (2) emitting the light is moved depending on the detected position of the person (5) in order to always illuminate the area between the person (5) and the vehicle (1). The invention also relates to a vehicle (1) suitable for carrying out the method.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for operating a lighting device of a vehicle according to the type defined in more detail in the preamble of claim 1. The invention also relates to a vehicle with a lighting device.

[0002] Vehicles often have a so-called "coming home" lighting package available, which keeps the vehicle's lights on for a short time after the driver leaves the vehicle, for example, to provide a safe and at least partially illuminated way home for the person exiting. German patent DE 10 2021 000 247 A1 addresses this in its introductory section. It then describes an improved ambient lighting device and its operating procedure. The lighting device is put into a standby mode and is automatically switched on whenever an authorized person approaches the vehicle.An authorized person within the meaning of the aforementioned German document is a person who has been recognized as authorized, for example, via voice recognition or facial recognition, or who carries a vehicle key with a transponder or a mobile device with an application that enables access authorization to the vehicle.

[0003] As described in the introductory section of DE 10 2021 000 247 A1 and the prior art explained therein, special lights are always present, for example in the doors or door sills, to illuminate as much of the vehicle's surroundings as possible. In practice, however, this is often unnecessary. Rather, it is sufficient if the path for a person exiting or approaching the vehicle is adequately illuminated.

[0004] The relevant state of the art is essentially represented by DE 10 2021 208 886 A1, DE 10 2022 203 515 A1 and DE 10 2022 201 559 A1.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and an improved vehicle suitable for this purpose, which enables a simple and energy-efficient way to illuminate the entire or at least a large part of a person's path away from or towards the vehicle and at the same time warns of unauthorized persons.

[0006] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a method having the features in claim 1, and in particular in the characterizing part of claim 1. A corresponding vehicle that also solves the problem is specified in claim 8.

[0007] In this method, a control command is used to operate a vehicle's lighting system, directing light from at least one headlight into the vehicle's surroundings when the command is received. Similar to the prior art mentioned above, the approach of a person in the vicinity of the vehicle can be detected, and in particular, their position relative to the vehicle. Once the lighting system has been activated or switched on via the control command, the headlight emitting the light is moved according to the detected position of the person, in order to illuminate at least the area between the person and the vehicle.The method therefore uses a movable headlight, which, according to a highly advantageous further development, is moved via corresponding actuators such as servomotors in order to precisely illuminate the path actually used by the person, for example, to approach or move away from the vehicle. The headlight's beam thus follows the person.

[0008] According to the invention, an alarm can be triggered when an unauthorized person approaches. Triggering the alarm does not necessarily mean a visually and / or audibly noticeable alarm. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the alarm can also be triggered simply as a notification within the application, thus specifically warning the vehicle owner of individuals who have approached their vehicle closer than permitted. Along with the alarm, the vehicle's lights can also be activated to deter potential vandalism. Naturally, the alarm can also be implemented as a standard alarm with a corresponding light and / or sound sequence. Furthermore, the alarm could initiate camera recording.In particular, all of this can only happen if the user of the mobile device has enabled it with the application, so that they can react to a warning that unauthorized persons have approached their vehicle by manually triggering a visual and / or acoustic alarm.

[0009] In principle, the control command can be activated whenever any person is detected in the vicinity of the vehicle. In practice, however, this would lead to a large number of often unnecessary activations of the headlight. According to a highly advantageous embodiment of the inventive method, the control command is therefore manually triggered and cleared via an application on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or a wearable. A person with such an application, whose mobile device is paired with the vehicle or at least recognizable to the vehicle as belonging to the vehicle's owner through a previous pairing, can thus be used to manually trigger the control command and ultimately switch the light on and off manually. This is particularly efficient for only switching on the light when it is actually needed.At the same time, the ability to switch the lights on and off via the app allows for remote control, particularly via the internet, even when the mobile device is outside the range of, for example, the vehicle's Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. This makes it possible, for instance, to switch on the light at the front door and then carry items to the vehicle with both hands without having to put them down to turn the light on.

[0010] Additionally or alternatively, the control command can also be triggered when an authorized person approaches the vehicle and deactivated when that person moves away. This eliminates the need for manual switching on and off, while still allowing the lights to be activated when approaching the vehicle, for which one is authorized. The lights will then be directed at the person being recognized, thus illuminating the path to the vehicle.

[0011] An authorized person can be identified analogously to the aforementioned state of the art, for example by: • the entry of an identification transmitter into a detection range of a vehicle identification system is detected, whereby the identification transmitter is in particular a vehicle key, transponder and / or a mobile device; • evaluating at least one camera image generated by at least one vehicle camera, in particular using facial recognition, that can identify the authorized person; and / or • the evaluation of an audio signal output by at least one vehicle microphone is carried out, wherein the audio signal in particular includes at least one keyword and / or key phrase spoken by the authorized person, and wherein preferably a voice characteristic of the authorized person is recognized.

[0012] According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the inventive method, the approach of a person to the vehicle can be detected using infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and / or optical sensors, such as cameras or a LiDAR. This enables reliable detection of a person's approach at various distances. If the person approaches close enough to be detected by an optical camera, this person can also be directly classified as authorized or unauthorized, for example, via facial recognition.

[0013] A particularly advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention can further provide that the ambient brightness is detected via a brightness sensor, after which the light intensity of the headlight is adjusted accordingly. If it is relatively bright in the vicinity of the vehicle, either because twilight has not yet completely ended or because streetlights are nearby, then the light intensity for illuminating the path for the person can be reduced accordingly. With sufficient ambient brightness, it can even be switched off completely, thus eliminating the need to operate the lighting device.Normally, a certain light intensity is emitted from the headlight in the desired direction, so that by additionally using the adjustment to the ambient brightness, the process is typically not dispensed with, but a considerable amount of energy can be saved because only a minimal necessary illuminance needs to be added by the headlight to the existing ambient brightness.

[0014] According to the invention, in a vehicle equipped with a lighting device and at least one control unit, the control unit is configured to execute a method described above. The vehicle can be any type of vehicle, such as a trackless land vehicle, a passenger car, a two-wheeler, or a truck.

[0015] An advantageous embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention can further provide that at least one headlight has servomotors for moving a light source and / or a beam optic. Thus, at least one of the headlights in the vehicle according to this further development can be configured to move accordingly, so that the method described above can be directly implemented, particularly with the vehicle's existing lighting devices.

[0016] Further advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention and of a vehicle according to the invention can also be seen from the exemplary embodiment, which is described in more detail below with reference to the figure.

[0017] The only accompanying figure shows a scenario to illustrate the method according to the invention with a vehicle according to the invention.

[0018] In the presentation of the Fig. Figure 1 shows a side view of a vehicle labeled 1 on the left. The vehicle includes headlights labeled 2 at the front and, for example, suitable sensors in the area of ​​a radiator grille labeled 3, to detect the approach of a person. These sensors could be, for example, infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, or similar devices. A camera 4 located in vehicle 1 can also be used as a sensor, particularly in conjunction with the sensors in the area of ​​the radiator grille 3.

[0019] In the depicted scenario, a person labeled 5 can be seen on the right, carrying a mobile device 6, in this example a smartphone. This person 6 is the authorized user of vehicle 1. They approach vehicle 1 in relatively low light conditions, for example, in the early morning or late evening. Using a corresponding application on their mobile device 6, they can then activate a control command to switch on the vehicle's lights. Vehicle 1 then uses its sensors, for example in the radiator grille 3 and / or the camera 4, to detect the position of person 5 relative to vehicle 1 and illuminates the area between person 5 and vehicle 1 by switching on the headlight 2 or the rear light.It uses its light source and, for example, adjusts it accordingly via servomotors to illuminate the path of person 5 to vehicle 1 as precisely as possible. Additional lighting can then be created around vehicle 1, for example at a distance of one meter, using conventional lighting devices.

[0020] Through the representation of the Fig.The light cone 7, indicated by a dashed line, can now illuminate the path of person 5 to vehicle 1 far beyond the area known from the prior art, via the headlight 2 of vehicle 1, which has a comparatively strong light source. This ensures a safe route where potential obstacles in the light cone 7, which follows the movements of person 5, can be easily detected. This creates a safe and very comfortable route for person 5 to reach vehicle 1.

[0021] As an alternative to activation via the application on the mobile device 6, the control command to switch on the lights can also be triggered, for example, when person 5 approaches the vehicle and the vehicle 1 recognizes them as an authorized person. Several options are conceivable for this. For instance, a vehicle key with a transponder functioning as an identification transmitter can be used, or a corresponding application on the mobile device 6 that grants access to the vehicle. This application can, of course, be the same application that also offers the option of manually switching the lights on and off, either as an alternative or supplement. Other methods are also conceivable, such as voice recognition, facial recognition, or similar technologies.

[0022] The headlight 2 itself, being equipped with motorized mechanisms such as servomotors, allows for dynamic lighting, enabling it to rotate towards the detected person 5. This ensures targeted illumination and increases the person's visibility, allowing them not only to see their own path more clearly but also to be seen more safely by other road users.

[0023] Vehicle 1 also features a brightness sensor 8. This sensor serves to increase energy efficiency by intelligently controlling the headlight 2 of the lighting device. This intelligent control ensures that, when there is sufficient ambient light, the light output of the headlight 2 is reduced or it switches to an energy-saving mode to minimize power consumption. The headlight 2 is therefore only used, and then only at the required brightness necessary to ensure the safety of person 5.

Claims

[1] Method for operating a lighting device of a vehicle (1) which, depending on a control command, emits light via at least one headlight (2) into the vicinity of the vehicle (1), wherein the approach of a person (5) in the vicinity of the vehicle (1) and their position relative to the vehicle (1) are detected, wherein, after the lighting device has been activated via the control command, the headlight (2) emitting the light is moved depending on the detected position of the person (5) in order to illuminate the area between the person (5) and the vehicle (1), characterized by , that when an unauthorized person approaches (5) an alarm is triggered in addition to the activation of the lighting device. [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by , that the control command is manually triggered and deleted via an application on a mobile device (6). [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that the control command is triggered when an authorized person (5) approaches and is deleted when the authorized person (5) moves away beyond a specified distance. [4] Method according to claim 3, characterized by , that a person (5) is identified as an authorized person (5) if: • the entry of an identification transmitter into a detection range of a vehicle identification system is detected, whereby the identification transmitter is in particular a vehicle key, transponder and / or a mobile device; • evaluating at least one camera image produced by at least one vehicle camera, in particular using facial recognition, which can identify the authorized person (5); and / or • the evaluation of an audio signal output by at least one vehicle microphone is carried out, wherein the audio signal in particular includes at least one keyword and / or key phrase spoken by the authorized person, and wherein preferably a voice characteristic of the authorized person is recognized. [5] Method according to claim 2, characterized by that the alarm is at least displayed in the application. [6] Method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by , that the approach of the person (5) is detected via infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors and / or optical sensors, such as cameras (4) and LiDAR. [7] Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by , that the ambient brightness is detected via a brightness sensor (8), after which the light intensity of the lighting device is adjusted according to the ambient brightness. [8] Vehicle (1) with a lighting device comprising at least one headlight (2) and with at least one control unit, characterized by that the control unit is configured to execute a method according to one of claims 1 to 7. [9] Vehicle (1) according to claim 8, characterized by , that at least one headlight (2) has servomotors for moving the light source and / or the beam optics.

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