Procedures for operating a motor vehicle and motor vehicle

Abstract

A method for operating a motor vehicle (100) with an adaptive chassis (3) and a projection system (10) for projecting light displays (8) onto a ground outside the motor vehicle (100) is proposed, wherein settings of the adaptive chassis (3) are detected and the projection system (10) is controlled depending on the detected settings. Furthermore, a motor vehicle (100) is proposed.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for operating a motor vehicle with an adaptive chassis and a projection system for projecting light displays onto a ground outside the motor vehicle. The present invention further relates to a motor vehicle with an adaptive chassis and a projection system for projecting light displays onto a ground outside the motor vehicle. Modern vehicles are often equipped with projection systems that project light patterns onto the ground. Projecting these patterns increases safety when getting in and out of the vehicle, especially in darkness and poor visibility. The projection system illuminates the ground with a light pattern, typically in an attractive design, making obstacles visible. Furthermore, the light pattern also serves as a warning to other road users. For example, a bright light pattern on the ground indicates that there is a high probability a vehicle door is about to be opened. Approaching traffic can then exercise caution accordingly. In addition to providing safety features and signaling, the projection system can also display vehicle information. For example, the vehicle's user can see from the light display that the vehicle has been unlocked. It is also possible to customize the light displays to the individual user. This personalized display allows the user to confirm that the vehicle is expecting the correct user and has selected the appropriate settings. High-quality vehicles are also equipped with adaptive suspension systems. An adaptive suspension allows the vehicle's settings, such as suspension stiffness or ride height, to be adjusted to the current driving situation. For example, the vehicle can be lowered for sporty driving. Conversely, when driving on rough terrain, when large maximum approach angles are required, or when a comfortable driving dynamic is desired, the ride height is raised. Furthermore, adaptive suspension systems also offer the option of lowering the vehicle, for example, in the trunk area for loading and unloading. From the publication DE 10 2019 204 057 A1, a motor vehicle is known in which light projections are corrected in such a way that imaging errors caused by driving dynamics are eliminated. The interaction between the projection system and the adaptive suspension has proven problematic. The projection system's floor projectors are typically fixed to the vehicle body. When the suspension height changes, the distance between the floor projectors and the ground outside the vehicle also changes. The effect of this is that at a higher suspension height, the projected light display is larger than at a lower suspension height, which can lead to irritation when using the vehicle. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for operating a motor vehicle and a motor vehicle which do not have the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art, but allow a reliable, consistent and high-quality projection of the light display onto the ground in conjunction with an adaptive chassis. This problem is solved by a method for operating a motor vehicle according to claim 1. This problem is further solved by a motor vehicle according to claim 7. The inventive method for operating a motor vehicle provides that the motor vehicle has an adaptive suspension and a projection system for projecting light displays onto the ground outside the vehicle. The adaptive suspension is a suspension system whose ride height is adjustable. The adaptive suspension can, for example, be an air suspension. The projection system can comprise one or more ground projectors. A ground projector projects a two-dimensional image onto the ground outside the vehicle. According to the invention, the settings of the adaptive suspension are detected, and the projection system is controlled depending on these detected settings. By detecting the settings of the adaptive suspension, it is advantageously possible to ensure a high-quality projection of the light display.Settings of the adaptive suspension that affect the projection of the lighting display are detected and taken into account during the projection process. Unlike a fixed setting, for example, different heights of the adaptive suspension and corresponding height settings of the projection system, actually detecting the settings of the adaptive suspension allows for significantly more precise control of the projection system. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims and in the description with reference to the drawings. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the settings of the adaptive suspension are continuously monitored, at least during operation of the projection system. This advantageously allows the projection of the light display to be continuously adjusted and ensures a consistently high projection quality. In particular, the projection of the light display can thus be kept constant during the dynamic changes of the adaptive suspension settings. According to the invention, the adaptive suspension settings include the ride height. If the projection system is not controlled based on the ride height, a higher ride height results in a larger light display than a lower ride height. According to the invention, several light displays are projected side-by-side onto the ground, so that at a given ride height, they form a single overall image. By taking the ride height into account, it is advantageously avoided that the light positions overlap at a higher ride height and that unwanted gaps between the light displays occur at a lower ride height. According to the invention, the detected settings of the adaptive suspension comprise a first suspension height on a first axle of the vehicle and a second suspension height on a second axle of the vehicle. The first axle can, for example, be a front axle of the vehicle and the second axle can be a rear axle. This advantageously makes it possible to take different suspension heights on the axles of the vehicle into account and to control the projection system in such a way that any tilt of the vehicle caused by the different suspension heights is compensated for during the projection of the light display. A particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention is one in which at least one two-dimensional template is projected onto the floor by the projection system for the purpose of projecting the light display. The at least one template is adjusted to control the positioning system. This advantageously eliminates the need for any mechanical movement or pivoting of the projection system. This results in lower costs for the projection system, as well as improved reliability and mechanical stability. According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the size of the template is adjusted depending on the landing gear height. It is conceivable that the size of the template is reduced with increasing landing gear height and that the size of the template is increased with decreasing landing gear height. This advantageously makes it possible to keep the size of the light display constant even though the distance between the projection system and the ground outside the landing gear is adjusted differently. According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the template is distorted depending on the difference between the first and second suspension heights. This advantageously compensates for distortions in the light display caused by this difference. For example, if the rear axle of the vehicle is lowered for loading the trunk, the light display in the rear area of ​​the vehicle unintentionally increases. The overall image of the light display is thus distorted. By correspondingly counteracting the distortion of the template, this can be advantageously avoided, resulting in a stable and uniform image of the light display. According to the invention, the projection system comprises a first floor projector and a second floor projector. The first and second floor projectors are controlled independently of each other depending on the detected settings. This advantageously makes it possible to project light displays onto the ground over large areas, particularly along the sides of the vehicle, with virtually no interference or aberrations. The separate control of the floor projectors allows for a high degree of flexibility in the control process and thus high-quality light displays. According to the invention, the first and second floor projectors are provided for projecting the light displays laterally on the side of the vehicle. Preferably, the first floor projector is arranged on an A-pillar of the vehicle. Preferably, the second floor projector is arranged on a C-pillar of the vehicle. This ensures an advantageously good distribution of the projection system along the length of the vehicle. Another object of the present invention for solving the problem formulated at the outset is a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle has an adaptive chassis and a projection system for projecting light displays onto the ground outside the motor vehicle. The motor vehicle is configured to carry out a method according to the invention. All details, features and advantages previously disclosed in connection with the method according to the invention also relate to the motor vehicle according to the invention. Further details, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the drawing and from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawing. The drawing merely illustrates exemplary embodiments of the invention, which do not limit the inventive concept. Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a motor vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a motor vehicle 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The motor vehicle 100 has an adaptive suspension 3. The ride height of the adaptive suspension 3 can be adjusted at a first axle 4 of the motor vehicle 100, here the front axle, and at a second axle 5 of the motor vehicle 100, here a rear axle. This makes it possible to adapt the suspension 3 to different operating conditions of the motor vehicle 100. For example, the adaptive suspension 3 can be lowered for sporty driving. If the motor vehicle 100 is maneuvering into an underground parking garage and requires a larger maximum approach angle, the ride height of the adaptive suspension 3 at the first axle 4 can be increased. The vehicle 100 also has a projection system 10. The projection system 10 comprises a first floor projector 1, which is arranged on an A-pillar 6 of the vehicle 100. The projection system 10 also comprises a second floor projector 2, which is arranged on a C-pillar 7 of the vehicle 100. The floor projectors 1 and 2 of the projection system 10 each project a (not shown) image onto the ground outside the vehicle 100. The floor projectors 1 and 2 generate light patterns 8 on the ground, which can, for example, illuminate the area at the driver's door so that potential obstacles on the ground can be detected. Furthermore, it is possible for the light patterns 8 to transmit information to the user of the vehicle 100.If the vehicle 100 recognizes a user who unlocks it, for example, using a personalized key, the projection system 10 can project personalized light displays 8. This allows the user to see whether they have been correctly recognized. The use of at least two floor projectors 1, 2, spaced far apart along the length of the vehicle, enables the projection of the light displays 8 over a very large area on the ground with almost complete freedom from optical aberrations. The light displays 8 are directly adjacent to each other and together form an image. When the adaptive suspension 3 is adjusted in height, the distance of the floor projectors 1, 2 to the ground changes. If the suspension height increases, the light displays 8 become larger. The light displays 8 may even overlap. If the suspension height decreases, the distance of the floor projectors 1, 2 to the ground also decreases, thus reducing the size of the light displays 8. This may result in unwanted gaps between the light displays 8. If the vehicle 100 is raised or lowered on only one of the axles 3, 4, the light displays 8 become distorted. To compensate for this, the settings of the adaptive suspension 3 are continuously recorded, at least during the operation of the projection system 10. Continuous recording is, for example, recording with a cycle time of 10 ms. The settings of the adaptive suspension 3 that are recorded include the ride height at the first axle 4 and the ride height at the second axle 5. Depending on the recorded settings, the projection system 10 is controlled. In particular, the template is adjusted to the recorded ride heights. If a large ride height is detected, the corresponding template is reduced in size. Conversely, the corresponding template is increased in size if a small ride height is detected. In addition, a difference in ride heights at the two axles 4 and 5 is determined. Depending on the determined difference, the templates are distorted.The difference in chassis height at axles 4 and 5 causes a distortion of the light representations 8. The distortion of the templates is chosen so that the distortion of the light representations 8 is compensated for. This makes it possible to generate high-quality and stable uniform light displays 8 despite changed settings of the adaptive chassis 3. Reference symbol list 1 First floor projector 2 Second floor projector 3 Adaptive chassis 4 First axle 5 Second axle 6 A-pillar 7 C-pillar 8 Light display 10 Projection system 100 Motor vehicle

Claims

Method for operating a motor vehicle (100) with an adaptive chassis (3) and a projection system (10) for projecting light displays (8) onto a ground outside the motor vehicle (100), wherein settings of the adaptive chassis (3) are detected and the projection system (10) is controlled depending on the detected settings, wherein the detected settings of the adaptive chassis (3) comprise a first chassis height at a first axle (4) of the motor vehicle (100) and a second chassis height at a second axle (5) of the motor vehicle (100), wherein the projection system (10) comprises a first ground projector (1) and a second ground projector (2), wherein the first ground projector (1) and the second ground projector (2) are controlled independently of each other depending on the detected settings.wherein the first floor projector (1) and the second floor projector (2) are provided for projecting the light displays (8) to the side of the motor vehicle (100) and project several light displays side by side onto the ground, so that at a certain chassis height these form an overall image. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the settings of the adaptive chassis (3) are continuously recorded at least during the operation of the projection system (10). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one two-dimensional template is projected onto the floor by the projection system (10) for projecting the light display (8), wherein the at least one template is adapted for controlling the projection system (10). Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the size of the template is adjusted depending on the chassis height. Method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the template is distorted depending on a difference between the first landing gear height and the second landing gear height. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first floor projector (1) is arranged on an A-pillar (6) of the motor vehicle (100) and / or the second floor projector (2) is arranged on a C-pillar (7) of the motor vehicle (100). Motor vehicle (100) comprising an adaptive chassis (3) and a projection system (10) for projecting light displays (8) onto a ground outside the motor vehicle (100), wherein the motor vehicle (100) is configured to perform a method according to one of the preceding claims.

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