Method for adjusting a lighting and / or display device of a motor vehicle, computer program and / or computer-readable medium, data processing device, motor vehicle

Abstract

Method for adjusting a lighting and / or display device of a motor vehicle having a plurality of output devices; the method comprising: capturing, by a vehicle-mounted interior camera, image data relating to an interior of the motor vehicle, wherein the interior comprises a plurality of sections, each associated with one of the output devices; determining, based on the image data, a plurality of brightness indicators, wherein each of the brightness indicators characterizes a brightness in one of the sections of the interior; and outputting a control signal for adjusting at least one of the output devices based on the brightness indicator that characterizes the section associated with the output device.

Description

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method for adjusting a lighting and / or display device of a motor vehicle having multiple output devices. The disclosure also relates to a computer program and / or computer-readable medium, a data processing device, and a motor vehicle.

[0002] The automatic control of, for example, the brightness of a display or ambient light, as examples of output devices for illuminating the interior of a motor vehicle, is known. Such control can be based on simple brightness sensors for detecting the brightness outside the vehicle.

[0003] JP 2023-064629A discloses that a control device for controlling a lighting device arranged in a cabin of a vehicle comprises: a detection part for detecting first brightness information indicating a first brightness, that is, a brightness outside the vehicle, and second brightness information indicating a second brightness, that is, the brightness of a part including at least a face of an occupant in the cabin; and a control part for executing lighting control to control the lighting device to adjust the second brightness based on the first brightness information and the second brightness information.

[0004] EP 4 194 245 A1 discloses an image enhancement system in a vehicle, comprising a forward-facing light sensor, an ambient light sensor, and an electronic control unit. The forward-facing light sensor is configured to detect forward-facing light seen by a driver to generate a forward-facing luminance value. The ambient light sensor is configured to detect ambient light perceived by the driver to generate an ambient luminance value.The electronic control unit is configured to calculate a display luminance control value based on the forward luminance value and the ambient luminance value, analyze a video image in a video input signal to determine multiple shades of gray within the video image, and adjust the shades of gray in the video image based on the forward luminance value, the ambient luminance value, and the display luminance control value to generate the video image and display the video image on the display.

[0005] However, brightness control can only roughly model and account for the conditions within the vehicle or its interior. Typically, the lighting and / or brightness adjustment of a display is uniform for the entire vehicle and independent of the position of the occupants and / or actual conditions within the vehicle, such as the interior geometry and the vehicle's equipment. For example, dark or light seats and / or the roof lining have different reflectivity and absorption properties and thus influence the effect of the lighting differently.

[0006] DE 10 2022 107 892 A1 discloses an active vehicle interior light focus.

[0007] Against the background of this prior art, one object of the present disclosure is to provide a method suitable for enriching the prior art and improving at least the above-mentioned aspects of the prior art. In particular, the object of the disclosure is to enable lighting in the interior of a motor vehicle, taking into account the conditions within the motor vehicle that influence the lighting.

[0008] The problem is solved by the features of the independent claims. The subclaims contain further developments of the disclosure.

[0009] According to one aspect of the disclosure, the object is achieved by a method for adjusting a lighting and / or display device of a motor vehicle having a plurality of output devices; wherein the method comprises: capturing, by means of a vehicle-mounted interior camera, image data relating to an interior of the motor vehicle, wherein the interior comprises a plurality of sections, each associated with one of the output devices; determining, based on the image data, a plurality of brightness indicators, wherein each of the brightness indicators characterizes a brightness in one of the sections of the interior; and outputting a control signal for adjusting at least one of the output devices based on the brightness indicator that characterizes the section associated with the output device.

[0010] In other words, the disclosure proposes interior camera-based control of the output devices depending on the section or region. For example, the brightness of displays and ambient lighting can be individually adjusted for each section according to the respective brightness indicator. It has been recognized that, in particular, the color and / or texture of the interior furnishings can influence the light's reflectivity and absorption, and thus the illumination, whereby this influence can be automatically accounted for using the image data.

[0011] The disclosure recognizes that it is possible to utilize the interior camera, which may already be present, and to measure the actual conditions, such as the brightness, inside the motor vehicle by evaluating the image data. It was also recognized that the resolution of the image data provided by the interior camera makes it possible to segment the image data in order to characterize the brightness within individual sections using brightness indicators assigned to each of the sections. This allows the actual brightness to be measured in the various sections, and the control signal for adjustment can be output accordingly.

[0012] The typically continuous acquisition of image data makes it possible to dynamically adjust the output device in order to adapt the setting to the respective conditions. The targeted and spatially coordinated adjustment of the output device according to the sections enables better perceptibility of displays and improved comfort and / or well-being of a motor vehicle occupant in the respective section and / or with regard to an output device in the respective section. In other words, for example, the displays and the ambient lighting within a section or occupant zone can be individually adjusted according to the brightness measured in the corresponding section and do not have to be generically adjusted uniformly throughout the entire motor vehicle.

[0013] Optionally, each of the brightness indicators corresponds to an intensity of light detected in the corresponding section. Based on the intensity, the brightness can be reliably and effectively characterized. A statistical analysis of the sections can be performed, for example, by creating a wavelength-dependent intensity histogram for each section to obtain an accurate representation of the color-resolved brightness.

[0014] Optionally, each of the brightness indicators is determined based on incident light and / or reflections depicted in the image data. This allows the brightness of light entering the interior, for example, from the vehicle's windows, and of reflections from the various interior materials to be measured. Reflections from the various interior materials, in particular, depend on the equipment and / or the presence and / or clothing of occupants. The incident light and / or reflections can be reliably detected using computer-aided image processing, particularly object recognition and classification.

[0015] Optionally, the control signal is output taking into account an IR signal describing the operating status of an infrared light source. It was recognized that an artificial infrared light source can be switched on in the dark to enable observation of the occupants. However, the infrared light source can influence the brightness actually perceived by the occupants compared to the brightness recorded based on the image data. In such cases, the IR signal can be included in the modeling and in determining the control signal as the status of the IR lighting (on / off), for example, as a section-dependent offset. This allows brightness fluctuations due to external brightness to continue to be detected, even at dusk, for example, and the system can react accordingly.

[0016] Optionally, the control signal is output taking into account a measurement signal from a brightness sensor measuring the brightness in one of the sections. It was recognized that the method described above can also utilize existing brightness sensors and include their measurement signals as an additional input variable. Alternatively, the method described above can be implemented independently of or without a brightness sensor, which may make brightness sensors unnecessary.

[0017] Optionally, the multiple sections are predefined based on seating positions for the occupants of the motor vehicle. It was recognized that the interior can be segmented into sections based on seating positions, as seating positions are typical locations within the interior where occupants may be located and from which an occupant may perceive the light output.

[0018] Optionally, the control signal for adjusting the brightness of the output device is output. It was recognized that the brightness of the output device should be adjusted primarily based on the perceived brightness in the interior, with the perceived brightness being appropriately represented by the image data.

[0019] According to one aspect of the disclosure, a computer program and / or a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer program and / or the computer-readable medium comprise instructions which, when the program or instructions are executed by a data processing device, cause the device to perform the method according to the disclosure and / or steps thereof. Optionally, the computer program and / or the computer-readable medium comprise instructions which, when the program or instructions are executed by a data processing device, cause the device to perform the method steps described as advantageous or optional in order to achieve an associated technical effect.

[0020] According to one aspect of the disclosure, a data processing device for a motor vehicle is provided. The data processing device is configured to perform the method described above. Optionally, the data processing device is configured to perform a method step described as advantageous or optional and / or to implement a method feature in order to achieve an associated technical effect.

[0021] According to one aspect of the disclosure, a motor vehicle comprising the data processing device described above is provided. Optionally, the data processing device of the motor vehicle and / or the motor vehicle is configured to perform a method step described as advantageous or optional and / or to implement a method feature in order to achieve an associated technical effect.

[0022] In the following, one embodiment is described with reference to the figures. Fig. 1 schematically shows a motor vehicle according to one aspect of the disclosure; Fig. 2 schematically shows an interior of a motor vehicle according to one aspect of the disclosure; Fig. 3 schematically shows image data from an interior camera of a motor vehicle according to one aspect of the disclosure; Fig. 4 schematically shows an architecture for a motor vehicle according to one aspect of the disclosure; Fig. 5 schematically shows a flow diagram of a method according to one aspect of the disclosure; and Fig. 6 shows a schematic representation of a computer program and / or computer-readable medium according to one aspect of the disclosure.

[0023] Fig. 1 schematically shows a motor vehicle 50 according to one aspect of the disclosure. The motor vehicle 50 is a land vehicle. The motor vehicle 50 is a passenger car.

[0024] The motor vehicle 50 has an interior 54 or a cabin in which one or more passengers 10 can be arranged when driving and / or operating the motor vehicle 50 (see also Fig. 2).

[0025] The motor vehicle 50 has an interior camera 55, a data processing device 51, an infrared light source 70, a brightness sensor 72 and a lighting and / or display device 60.

[0026] The motor vehicle 50 or the data processing device 51 is designed to process the data relating to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 described procedure 100.

[0027] For this purpose, the interior camera 55 is configured to capture image data 56 relating to the interior 54 of the motor vehicle 50. The interior camera 55 is arranged in the interior 54, for example in an area of the rearview mirror, and has a rearward-facing detection area 59 (see Fig. 2). The interior camera 55 comprises an image sensor device (not shown) having a plurality of pixels for capturing image data 56 as a pixel graphic. The interior camera 55 and the data processing device 51 are communicatively connected to one another so that the interior camera 55 can transmit the image data 56 to the data processing device 51.

[0028] The interior 54 has several sections 53 (see also Fig. 2) and the lighting and / or display device 60 has a plurality of output devices 61. Each of the output devices 61 is assigned a section 53, for example in that the output device 61 assigned to a section 53 is configured to emit light 20 perceptible to an occupant 10 into the section 53. Each of the output devices 61 can, for example, be a display device 62 for displaying information visually perceptible to the occupant 10 and / or a lighting device 63 for illuminating the assigned section 53. The data processing device 51 and the lighting and / or display device 60 are communicatively connected to one another so that the data processing device 51 can transmit a control signal 58 to the lighting and / or display device 60.

[0029] The data processing device 51 is configured to determine a plurality of brightness indicators 57 based on the image data 56. Each of the brightness indicators 57 characterizes a brightness in one of the sections 53 of the interior 54. Each of the brightness indicators 57 corresponds to an intensity of light 20 detected in the corresponding section 53 and can be calculated by evaluating the image data 56 by the data processing device 51. Each of the brightness indicators 57 is determined based on incident light 20 and / or reflections 21 depicted by the image data 56 (see also Fig. 2). For this purpose, the image data 56 can be evaluated, for example, statistically and / or with the support of artificial intelligence (AI). The brightness indicator 57 can be a positive number and / or a plurality of numbers in order to differentiate the brightness by color.

[0030] The control signal 58 is configured to control the lighting and / or display device 60 to adjust one of the output devices 61 based on the brightness indicator 57 characterizing the section 53 assigned to the output device 61. In other words, the control signal 58 can adjust the output devices 61. One of the output devices 61 is adjusted to emit light 20 in the section 53 assigned to the output devices 61 based on the brightness indicator 57 characterizing the brightness in the section 53. The control signal 58 is output to adjust the brightness of the output device 61. Optionally, the color of the emitted light 20 can be adjusted based on the brightness indicator 57.

[0031] The infrared light source 70 is configured to emit light 20 in an infrared portion of the spectrum into the interior 54. Whether the infrared light source 70 is operating is indicated by the IR signal 71. The IR signal 71 can, for example, be a control signal for operating the infrared light source 70. The control signal 58 is output taking into account an IR signal 71 describing an operating status of an infrared light source 70. The data processing device 51 and the infrared light source 70 are communicatively connected to one another so that the data processing device 51 can evaluate the IR signal 71.

[0032] The brightness sensor 72 is configured to detect the brightness in one of the sections 53 and accordingly transmit a measurement signal 73 to the data processing device 51. The data processing device 51 and the brightness sensor 72 are communicatively connected to one another so that the data processing device 51 can receive the measurement signal 73 from the brightness sensor 72. The control signal 58 is output taking into account the measurement signal 73.

[0033] Fig. 2 schematically shows an interior 54 of a motor vehicle 50 according to one aspect of the disclosure. Such a motor vehicle 50 is described with reference to Fig. 1 described. Fig. 2 is made with reference to Fig. 1 described.

[0034] In particular, Fig. 2 schematically shows a top view of an exemplary interior 54 of the motor vehicle 50. The interior 54 has five sections 53. Five seats 52 are arranged in the interior 54. Each of the sections 53 is defined or predetermined by a seat 52 and / or assigned to a seat 52. In another embodiment (not shown), the motor vehicle 50 can also have a different number of seats 52 and thus sections 53.

[0035] The interior camera 55 is arranged in a front section 53 of the motor vehicle 50 and the detection area 59 of the interior camera 55 is oriented rearward such that the image data 56 contain information about the brightness in each of the sections 53.

[0036] The interior camera 55 senses light 20 incident on the interior camera 55. The light 20 can, for example, be a result of light incident into the interior 54 and / or of reflections 21. In one of the reflections 21, light 20 falls on an object arranged in the interior 54, for example a seat, a console, a headliner, a door, a trim part and / or on an occupant 10 and is reflected in the direction of the interior camera 55, which can be sensed by the interior camera 55 as light 20.

[0037] Fig. 3 schematically shows image data 56 of an interior camera 55 of a motor vehicle 50 according to one aspect of the disclosure. Such a motor vehicle 50 is described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 described. Fig. 3 is made with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 described.

[0038] Fig. 3 schematically shows the segmentation of the interior 54 into the sections 53 from the perspective of the interior camera 55. The detection area 59 includes the areas related to Fig. 2 described sections 53, which are reflected in the image data 56.

[0039] Fig. 4 schematically shows an architecture for a motor vehicle 50 according to one aspect of the disclosure. Such a motor vehicle 50 is described with reference to Fig. 1 to 3. Fig. 4 is made with reference to Fig. 1 to 3, where Fig. 4 shows a special embodiment or a section.

[0040] The interior camera 55 captures the image data 56 (not shown) to determine the brightness indicators 57. The brightness indicators 57 and optionally the measurement signal 73 are processed to determine the control signal 58. The control signal 58 is transmitted to the lighting and / or display device 60 to adjust an output device 61 configured as a display device 62 and an output device 61 configured as a lighting device 63.

[0041] Fig. 5 schematically shows a flow diagram of a method 100 according to one aspect of the disclosure. The method 100 according to Fig. 5 is a method 100 for adjusting a lighting and / or display device 60 of a motor vehicle 50 having a plurality of output devices 61. Such a motor vehicle 50 and its features are described with reference to Fig. 1 to 4. Fig. 5 is made with reference to Fig. 1 to 4.

[0042] The method 100 comprises: capturing 110, by a vehicle-mounted interior camera 55, image data 56 relating to an interior 54 of the motor vehicle 50, wherein the interior 54 comprises a plurality of sections 53, each associated with one of the output devices 61. The plurality of sections 53 are predetermined based on seats 52 for occupants 10 of the motor vehicle 50.

[0043] The method 100 comprises: determining 120, based on the image data 56, a plurality of brightness indicators 57, wherein each of the brightness indicators 57 characterizes a brightness in one of the sections 53 of the interior 54. Each of the brightness indicators 57 corresponds to an intensity of light 20 detected in the corresponding section 53. Each of the brightness indicators 57 is determined based on incident light 20 and / or reflections 21 depicted by the image data 56.

[0044] The method 100 comprises: outputting 130 a control signal 58 for adjusting at least one of the output devices 61 based on the brightness indicator 57, which characterizes the section 53 assigned to the output device 61. The control signal 58 is output taking into account an IR signal 71 describing an operating status of an infrared light source 70. The control signal 58 is output taking into account a measurement signal 73 from a brightness sensor 72 measuring the brightness in one of the sections 53. The control signal 58 is output for adjusting the brightness of the output device 61.

[0045] The person skilled in the art will recognize that the method 100 according to Fig. 2 can also be performed in a different order than that shown. In particular, it is possible for steps of method 100 to be interchanged, shifted, and / or performed simultaneously.

[0046] Fig. 6 shows a schematic representation of a computer program and / or computer-readable medium 200 according to one aspect of the disclosure. The computer program and / or computer-readable medium 200 includes instructions (not shown) which, when the program or instructions are executed by a data processing device 51, cause the data processing device 51 to execute the method 100 and / or the steps of the method 100 according to Fig. 4 to be carried out.

[0047] The instructions can be present as program code in any code or language, in particular in code suitable for controlling and / or monitoring motor vehicles 50. The computer program and / or computer-readable medium 200 can be or include any digital data storage device, such as a USB stick, a hard drive, a CD-ROM, an SD card, or an SSD card. The computer program does not necessarily have to be stored on such a computer-readable storage medium, but can also be accessible via the Internet or otherwise. Reference symbol (part of the description) 10 inmates 20 light 21 Reflection 50 motor vehicles 51 Data processing device 52 seats Section 53 54 Interior 55 interior camera 56 image data 57 Brightness indicator 58 control signals 59 Detection range 60 Lighting and / or display device 61 Dispensing device 62 Display device 63 Lighting device 70 infrared light source 71 IR signal 72 Brightness sensor 73 measurement signal 100 procedures 110 Capturing image data 120 Determining multiple brightness indicators 130 Outputting a control signal 200 Computer program and / or computer-readable medium QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

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

[0000] JP 2023-064629

[0003] EP 4 194 245 A1

[0004] DE 10 2022 107 892 A1

[0006]

Claims

[1] Method (100) for adjusting a lighting and / or display device (60) of a motor vehicle (50) having a plurality of output devices (61); the method (100) comprising: - capturing (110), by means of a vehicle-mounted interior camera (55), image data (56) relating to an interior (54) of the motor vehicle (50), wherein the interior (54) comprises a plurality of sections (53) each associated with one of the output devices (61); - determining (120), based on the image data (56), a plurality of brightness indicators (57), each of the brightness indicators (57) characterizing a brightness in one of the sections (53) of the interior (54); and - Outputting (130) a control signal (58) for adjusting at least one of the output devices (61) based on the brightness indicator (57) which characterizes the section (53) assigned to the output device (61). [2] The method (100) of claim 1, wherein each of the brightness indicators (57) corresponds to an intensity of light (20) detected in the corresponding portion (53). [3] Method (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the brightness indicators (57) is determined based on incident light (20) and / or reflections (21) imaged by the image data (56). [4] Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control signal (58) is output taking into account an IR signal (71) describing an operating status of an infrared light source (70). [5] Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control signal (58) is output taking into account a measurement signal (73) of a brightness sensor (72) measuring the brightness in one of the sections (53). [6] Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of sections (53) are predetermined based on seating positions (52) for occupants (10) of the motor vehicle (50). [7] Method (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control signal (58) is output for adjusting the brightness of the output device (61). [8] Computer program and / or computer-readable medium (200) comprising instructions which, when the program or instructions are executed by a data processing device (51), cause the device (51) to carry out the method (100) and / or the steps of the method (100) according to one of claims 1 to 7. [9] Data processing device (51) for a motor vehicle (50), wherein the data processing device (51) is configured to carry out the method (100) according to one of claims 1 to 7. [10] Motor vehicle (50) comprising the data processing device (51) according to claim 9.

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