HEADLIGHT DEVICE OF A VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR ILLUMINATING A PROJECTION FIELD COMPOSED OF A FIRST PROJECTION AREA AND A SECOND PROJECTION AREA

Description

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to headlight devices. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a headlight device of a vehicle and a method for illuminating a projection field composed of a first projection area and a second projection area.

[0002] Headlight devices are known that are used in vehicles to provide one or another vehicle headlight function, for example, high beam, low beam, or so-called HD (high definition) function. Due to assembly or adjustment tolerances, deviations in beam directions or projection directions can occur between different headlight units of a vehicle, which can impair headlight performance. Even minor mismatches between individual headlight units can sometimes be noticeable, distract the driver, and endanger road safety.

[0003] DE 10 2011 002 335 A1 discloses a headlight assembly for motor vehicles comprising a right and a left headlight and a control unit. A first light distribution can be generated with the right headlight, and a second light distribution with the left headlight, which, when superimposed, result in an overall light distribution. The overall light distribution serves to provide glare-free high beam with a dynamically generated dark area to minimize glare for other road users.

[0004] Furthermore, US 2016 / 0368414 A1 relates to a headlight with a first light source for a low beam and a matrix light source for a glare-free high beam.

[0005] An object of the embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a headlight device of a vehicle and a method for mitigating the negative consequences of assembly tolerances of headlight units of a headlight device.

[0006] To achieve this object, according to a first aspect, a headlight device of a vehicle is provided for illuminating a low-beam projection area, a high-beam projection area, and an HD (high-definition) projection field, wherein the HD projection field is composed of a first projection area and a second projection area. The headlight device comprises a first controllable headlight unit of a left-hand vehicle headlight for illuminating the first projection area with variable spatial illumination distribution, and a second headlight unit of a right-hand vehicle headlight for illuminating the second projection area with variable spatial illumination distribution. The headlight device also comprises a control unit for controlling the first headlight unit and the second headlight unit.

[0007] The control unit is configured to control the first headlight unit and the second headlight unit such that the HD projection field lies within the low beam projection area on a roadway within a lane of the vehicle, and that by locally darkening the first projection area and the second projection area, a dark zone can be generated in a boundary area between the first projection area and the second projection area, which dark zone is formed at an edge of the HD projection field close to the vehicle and extends over the two projection areas.

[0008] The first headlight unit and the second headlight unit can each comprise a light source controllable by the control unit, for example an LED light source, as well as headlight optics, for illuminating the first and second projection areas, respectively. The headlight device can in particular be installed in the vehicle such that the illuminated projection area lies in the direction of travel of the vehicle. The first headlight unit can in particular be mounted on the left half of the vehicle, and the second headlight unit can in particular be mounted on the right half of the vehicle. The first headlight unit and the second headlight unit can in particular be mounted together with other headlight units or headlight modules on a common support frame.

[0009] The first projection area and the second projection area can be located close to each other, at a distance from each other, and / or overlap. The overlap between the first and second projection areas can, for example, be within a projection angle range of 5° to 10°.

[0010] The headlight device can in principle also comprise a plurality of headlight units, so that the HD projection field can also be composed of a plurality of projection areas, whereby mismatches can arise, in particular at the boundaries between individual projection areas. The at least one dark zone can comprise one or more dark zones. The dark zones are illuminated by headlight units with reduced brightness or illuminance compared to the rest of the HD projection field. The at least one dark zone in the boundary area can mask out any detectable mismatches between the first and second projection areas. The mismatches can arise, for example, from inaccurate positioning and / or alignment of the headlight units.Inaccurate brightness matching between headlight units can also lead to such mismatches, which can be concealed by the formation of a dark zone at the boundary between the first projection area and the second projection area. When dark zones are formed, the brightness of the HD projection field can remain unchanged outside of the locally defined dark zones. The local dark zones at the points of mismatches thus allow the mismatches to be masked, so that the mismatches are barely noticeable to vehicle occupants, without noticeably impairing the performance of the headlight units.

[0011] In the border area between the first projection area and the second projection area, mismatches are particularly noticeable to vehicle occupants due to the spatial proximity of the two projection areas. Due to the extension of the dark zone across the two projection areas, noticeable mismatches in the border area can be masked particularly well.

[0012] Mismatches between projection areas are usually most noticeable at the edges of the projection areas, especially at the nearest edge. This can be due, in particular, to inaccuracies in adjustment or

[0013] Alignment of the headlight units can lead to a step-like offset of projection areas at the nearby edge, which can be concealed with the dark zone at the nearby edge.

[0014] The control unit can be configured to control the first headlight unit and the second headlight unit such that the at least one dark zone expands toward the near edge of the HD projection field. Since the mismatches are particularly noticeable at the near edge, these abnormalities can be suppressed particularly efficiently by expanding the dark zone toward the edge, in particular with minimal impact on the performance of the headlight units.

[0015] The control unit can further be configured to control the first headlight unit and the second headlight unit such that the at least one dark zone is limited to a projection solid angle of less than 1°, in particular less than 0.3°. Angular shifts caused by the misalignment can be less than 1°, in particular less than 0.3°. By limiting the dark zone to the corresponding solid angles, abnormalities can be suppressed without noticeably impairing headlight performance.

[0016] The control unit can, in particular, be configured to control the first headlight unit and the second headlight unit such that the at least one dark zone is laterally offset from a center line oriented along the direction of travel. The lateral offset of the dark zone can, in particular, help to suppress laterally offset mismatches, such as those that can occur with overlapping projection areas, without having to expand the dark zones.

[0017] The control unit can further be configured to control the first headlight unit and the second headlight unit such that the at least one dark zone has blurred or indistinct boundaries or contours. The blurring at the boundaries of the dark zone can be achieved in particular by generating a flattened brightness profile across the boundary of the dark zone. A dark zone with blurred or indistinct boundaries appears blurred and is less noticeable to vehicle occupants. The blurring of the edges of the dark zone allows the dark zone to be unobtrusively integrated into the HD projection field, minimizing irritation to vehicle occupants and thus contributing to general road safety.

[0018] The control unit can be configured to control the first headlight unit and the second headlight unit such that the at least one dark zone exhibits locally varying blurriness at its boundaries. The local differences in the blurriness of the dark zone boundary can specifically conceal local anomalies. Thus, the blurriness in the immediate vicinity of a disturbing mismatch can be higher than in other areas.

[0019] In some embodiments, the control unit is designed to control the first headlight unit and the second headlight unit such that the at least one dark zone is dynamically adapted to changes in the first projection area and / or in the second projection area. In particular, the projection areas can change over time, for example in shape, size, brightness, and / or texture, and can also adapt to the driving and / or traffic situation. The change in the projection areas can also change the positions and / or shape of the mismatches between the projection areas. By dynamically adapting the dark zones, in particular the changes in the projection areas can be taken into account, so that the mismatches can be reliably masked out despite dynamic changes in the projection areas.

[0020] In particular, the control unit can be configured to control the first headlight unit and the second headlight unit such that the at least one dark zone dynamically adapts to changes in the first projection area and / or in the second projection area depending on a current vehicle speed and / or a current curve radius. For example, the dark zone can deform when cornering to adapt to curved projection areas, and at high speeds to adapt to longitudinal projection areas. Thus, the at least one dark zone can be adapted to the current driving situation.

[0021] In some embodiments, the first headlight unit and / or the second headlight unit is designed as an HD (high-definition) headlight unit for generating an HD projection on the roadway. The HD headlight unit can be designed with at least one light source in the form of an LED module with an LED pixel array. The LED pixel arrays can in particular comprise a plurality of individually and / or cluster-controlled LEDs for generating a high-resolution projection. The design of the headlight unit as an HD headlight unit allows the projection areas to be precisely defined as HD projection areas and for traffic signs or auxiliary information in the form of text and symbols to be projected therein with high resolution. Mismatches between two HD projection areas are more noticeable due to the precise boundaries of the projection areas.The inaccuracy of the alignment of the headlight units due to the tolerances of camera-based calibration systems can lead to deviations of 0.1° to 0.5° between the projection areas, which can be particularly noticeable in HD projection areas. The controllability of the LED pixel arrays allows the dark zone to be easily shaped by controlling the LEDs individually and / or in clusters.

[0022] According to a second aspect, a method is provided for illuminating an HD (high definition) projection field composed of a first projection area and a second projection area using a headlight device of a vehicle. The headlight device can be designed in particular according to the first aspect and has a first headlight unit of a left-hand vehicle headlight for illuminating the first projection area with a variable spatial illumination distribution and a second headlight unit of a right-hand vehicle headlight for illuminating the second projection area with a variable spatial illumination distribution.

[0023] According to the method, the first headlight unit is controlled to illuminate the first projection area and the second headlight unit (21) is controlled to illuminate the second projection area, so that the HD projection field lies within a dimming projection area on a roadway within a lane of the vehicle.

[0024] The first headlight unit and the second headlight unit are further controlled so that, by locally darkening the first projection area and the second projection area, at least one dark zone is created in a boundary area between the first projection area and the second projection area. The dark zone is formed at an edge of the HD projection field closest to the vehicle and extends across the two projection areas.

[0025] By creating local dark zones, mismatches between the first projection area and the second projection area can be specifically concealed so that the mismatches are not or hardly noticeable.

[0026] Due to the extension of the dark zone over the two projection areas, the noticeable mismatches in the border area can be masked particularly well.

[0027] With the dark zone at the near edge of the HD projection field, step-like displacements at the near edge can be concealed particularly well.

[0028] In some embodiments, the at least one dark zone is dynamically adapted to changes in the first projection area and / or the second projection area. Dynamically adapting the dark zones allows, in particular, changes in the projection areas to be taken into account, so that mismatches can be reliably masked out despite dynamic changes in the projection areas.

[0029] According to a third aspect, a vehicle is provided, wherein the vehicle has a headlight device according to the first aspect in the installed state. Due to the suppression of the mismatches between the first and second projection areas, the vehicle offers improved headlight functionality and increased safety.

[0030] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying figures. The same reference numerals are used throughout the figures for identical or equivalent parts. Fig. 1 schematically shows a vehicle with a headlight device for illuminating a projection field composed of a first projection area and a second projection area, Fig. 2 schematically shows a vehicle with a headlight device for illuminating a projection field composed of a first projection area and a second projection area according to an embodiment, and Fig. 3 shows a schematic circuit diagram of the headlight device according to an embodiment.

[0031] Fig. 1 schematically shows a vehicle 1 with a headlight device 2 for illuminating a projection field 5 composed of a first projection area 3 and a second projection area 5. The vehicle 1 of the figure has, in particular, a headlight device 2 with a first headlight unit 20 (not shown) for illuminating a first projection area 3 and a second headlight unit 21 (not shown) for illuminating a second projection area 4. The vehicle 1 further has a control unit 30 (not shown) for controlling the first headlight unit 20 and the second headlight unit 21.

[0032] The first projection area 3 and the second projection area 4 together form the projection field 5 or HD projection field. The projection field 5 lies within the projection area of ​​the low beam 7 (represented by a dashed line). The projection field 5 has a stepped offset 6 at an edge of the projection field closest to the vehicle. The stepped offset 6 is due to a mismatch between the first projection area 3 and the second projection area 4 caused by assembly or adjustment tolerances of the headlight units 20 and 21.

[0033] In some embodiments, the headlight units 20 and 21 and the control unit 30 can be configured so that the texture, shape, and size of the projection areas 3 and 4 can change depending on the current driving situation. In particular, the projection areas 3 and 4 can deform according to the curve radius when cornering. The projection areas 3 and 4 can be textured such that a strip of contrasting brightness is created along the driving curve in the boundary area between the first projection area 3 and the second projection area 4.

[0034] Fig. 2 schematically shows a vehicle with a headlight device for illuminating a projection field composed of a first projection area and a second projection area according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 essentially corresponds to the Fig. 1 , wherein the projection field 5 has a dark zone 8 in the boundary area between the first projection area 3 and the second projection area 4. The dark zone 8 is formed at an edge of the projection field 5 closest to the vehicle and extends over the two projection areas 3 and 4.

[0035] The dark zone 8 can be formed by appropriately controlling the first headlight unit and the second headlight unit, in particular if the LEDs responsible for the area of ​​the dark zone 8 in the first headlight unit and in the second headlight unit are switched off or dimmed down. Fig. 2 The stepped offset between the first projection area 3 and the second projection area 4 is not shown, as it is concealed by the dark zone 8. Instead, a tapered indentation formed by the dark zone 8 can be seen in the projection field 5.

[0036] Fig. 3shows a schematic circuit diagram of the headlight device according to an exemplary embodiment. The headlight device 2 comprises a first headlight unit 20 and a second headlight unit 21. The first headlight unit 20 and the second headlight unit 21 are each designed as controllable headlight units for illuminating a projection area 3, 4 with variable spatial illumination distribution. The headlight device 2 further comprises a control unit 30, which in particular has a processor (not shown) and a memory unit (not shown). The memory unit can in particular comprise machine-readable instructions for the processor for controlling the first headlight unit 20 and the second headlight unit 21.In particular, the memory unit of the control unit 30 can contain instructions for the processor for controlling the first headlight unit and the second headlight unit, so that by locally darkening the first projection area 3 and / or the second projection area 3, at least one dark zone 8 can be generated in a boundary area between the first projection area 3 and the second projection area 4.

[0037] The first headlight unit 20 and the second headlight unit 21 are designed as LED matrix headlight units or HD (High Definition) units for generating an HD projection in the first projection area 3 and in the second projection area 4, respectively. The LED matrix headlight units each have a plurality of LEDs arranged in a matrix. For example, the headlight units 20 and 21 can have LED modules with 20,000 or more LEDs, which can be controlled individually and / or in clusters to generate an HD projection with variable spatial illumination distribution on the roadway. The first headlight unit 20 and the second headlight unit 21 can be designed, in particular, as part of a left or right headlight of the vehicle 1.

[0038] The dark zone 8 can have different shapes in different designs. In particular, the dark zone 8 can be substantially bell-shaped or Gaussian-shaped, circular, triangular, and / or rectangular. In some embodiments, the shape of the dark zone 8 can contain useful information for the vehicle driver and / or design features as an indication of the vehicle manufacturer.

[0039] In some designs, dark zone 8 may have blurred or indistinct boundaries. The blurred boundaries of dark zone 8, particularly through a gradual light-dark transition across the boundaries of the dark zone, can effectively conceal any mismatches between the first and second projection areas.

[0040] The dark zone 8 can further have a variable shape. In particular, the control unit can be configured to control the first headlight unit and the second headlight unit such that the dark zone is dynamically adapted to changes in the first projection area and / or the second projection area. For example, the dark zone 8 can deform when cornering such that it adapts to curved projection areas 3 and 4, and at high speeds to longitudinal projection areas 3 and 4. Thus, the one dark zone 8 can be adapted to the current driving situation so that it is unnoticeable or hardly noticeable even with changed configurations of the projection areas.

[0041] The dark zone 8 can be limited, in particular, to the central area of ​​the projection field 5. By limiting the dark zone 8 to the central area of ​​the projection field 5, it can be ensured, in particular, that the illumination of the left and right side edges of the projection field 5, which can serve as an orientation aid for the driver, is not impaired.

[0042] Dark zone 8 can also be laterally offset. The lateral offset of the dark zone can particularly help to suppress laterally offset mismatches, such as those that can occur with overlapping projection areas, without having to expand the dark zones excessively or beyond the necessary extent. For example, with a dark zone laterally offset by a projection angle of approximately 5°, the stepped offset between projection areas 3 and 4 can be efficiently suppressed when the two projection areas overlap by approximately 10°.

[0043] Although at least one exemplary embodiment has been shown in the foregoing description, various changes and modifications may be made. The aforementioned embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing description provides those skilled in the art with a road map for implementing at least one exemplary embodiment; numerous changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, multiple modules or multiple products may be connected together in accordance with the principles described herein to obtain additional functions. List of reference symbols

[0044] 1Vehicle 2Headlight device 3First projection area 4Second projection area 5Projection field 6Offset 7Projection area of ​​the low beam 8Dark zone 20First headlight unit 21Second headlight unit 30Control unit

Claims

1. A headlamp apparatus of a vehicle (1) for illuminating a low beam projection area (7), a high beam projection area and an HD projection field (5), wherein said HD (High Definition) projection field (5) is composed of a first projection area (3) and a second projection area (4), comprising: - a first controllable headlight unit (20) of a left vehicle headlight for illuminating the first projection region (3) with variable spatial illumination distribution, - a second controllable headlight unit (21) of a right vehicle headlight for illuminating the second projection region (4) with variable spatial illumination distribution, - a control unit (30) for controlling the first headlight unit (20) and the second headlight unit (21), characterised in that the control unit (30) is configured to control the first headlight unit (20) and the second headlight unit (21) in such a way that the high-definition projection field (5) within the low-beam projection region (7) on a roadway within a lane of the vehicle (1) is located, and that by means of a local darkening of the first projection region (3) and of the second projection region (4) a dark zone (8) in a boundary region between the first projection region (3) and the second projection region (4) can be produced, which is formed on an edge of the high-definition projection field (5) close to the vehicle (1) and extends over the two projection regions (3, 4).

2. A headlight apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (30) is configured to control the first headlight unit (20) and the second headlight unit (21) in such a way that the at least one dark zone (8) to the edge of the hd - projection field widens.

3. A headlight device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (30) is configured, the first headlight unit (20) and the second headlight unit (21) in such a way that the at least one dark zone (8) to a projection solid angle of less than 1°, in particular less than 0,3° is restricted.

4. A headlight device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (30) is configured, the first headlight unit (20) and the second headlight unit (21) in such a way that the at least one dark zone (8) from a along the direction of travel directed centre line is displaced laterally.

5. A headlight device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (30) is configured, the first headlight unit (20) and the second headlight unit (21) in such a way that the at least one dark zone (8) has blurred boundaries.

6. A headlight device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (30) is configured to control the first headlight unit (20) and the second headlight unit (21) in such a way that the at least one dark zone (8) is dynamically matched to changes in the first projection region (3) and / or the second projection region (4).

7. A headlight device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (30) is configured to control the first headlight unit (20) and the second headlight unit (21) in such a way that the at least dark zone (8) adapts dynamically to changes in the first projection region (3) and / or in the second projection region (4) as a function of a current vehicle speed and / or of a current curve radius.

8. A headlight device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first headlight unit (20) and / or the second headlight unit (21) is designed as an HD (high definition) headlight unit (or headlight module) for generating an HD projection.

9. A method for illuminating an HD (High Definition) projection field (5) composed of a first projection region (3) and a second projection region (4) with a headlight device (2) of a vehicle (1), wherein the headlight device (2) has a first headlight unit (20) of a left vehicle headlight for illuminating a first projection region (3) with variable spatial illumination distribution and a second headlight unit (21) of a right vehicle headlight for illuminating a second projection region (4) with variable spatial illumination distribution, wherein the first headlight unit (20) is driven to illuminate the first projection region (3) and wherein the second headlight unit (21) is driven to illuminate the second projection region (4), characterised in that The invention relates to an HD projection field (5) within a dipped projection area (7) on a roadway within a lane of the vehicle (1), and wherein the first headlight unit (20) and the second headlight unit (21) are controlled in such a way that a local darkening of the first projection area (3) and of the second projection area (4) produces at least one dark zone (8) in a boundary area between the first projection area (3) and the second projection area (4), said dark zone being formed on an edge of the projection field (5) close to the vehicle (1) and extending over the two projection areas (3, 4).

10. A method according to Claim 9, wherein the at least one dark zone (8) is dynamically adapted to changes in the first projection region (3) and / or the second projection region (4).

11. A vehicle, wherein the vehicle (1) at least one headlight device (2) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 8 in the installed state.