Method for situation-based actuation of lighting along a road

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for situation-based actuation of lighting along a road (16), in which at least one road lighting device (12) in a group of road lighting devices (10) is equipped with a Car2X module and receives information from an approaching vehicle (18) and the lighting provided by each of the road lighting devices (12) within the group is adapted as required on the basis of the transmitted information. In the process, in particular information that the approaching vehicle (18) acquires by observing its surroundings is transmitted to the road lighting device (12) equipped with a Car2X module, such that the lighting provided by the road lighting devices (12) within the group is able to be adapted individually to road users and / or objects not equipped with a Car2X module.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Method for situational control of lighting along a road

[0003] The invention relates to a method for situational control of lighting along a road, in which at least one street lighting device in a group of street lighting devices is equipped with a Car2X module and receives information from an approaching vehicle. Based on the transmitted information, the lighting of each of the street lighting devices within the group is adjusted as needed. In particular, information that the approaching vehicle detects through its environmental observation is transmitted to the street lighting device equipped with a Car2X module, so that the lighting of the street lighting devices within the group can be individually adjusted to road users and / or objects not equipped with a Car2X module.

[0004] The development of connected driving is progressing steadily and aims, among other things, to integrate urban infrastructure into the network. This includes street lighting and traffic control systems such as traffic lights.

[0005] Connectivity holds great potential, especially for street lighting, because it would enable intelligent, demand-based control, which could significantly reduce energy consumption and thus the CO2 footprint of street lighting, and could also mitigate light pollution, particularly in inner-city areas. Adaptation to various situation-dependent lighting needs would also be conceivable.

[0006] Several solutions have already been proposed in the prior art. For example, DE 10 2013 002 876 B4 describes a method for operating street lighting, wherein route data describing the road user's further route along the road is received via a communication connection between at least one road user and a communication device associated with a light source, and the light sources are switched from the basic state to the illuminated state depending on the route data. US 9,706,624 B2 discloses a lighting method, system, and a street lamp. Here, the lighting of the street lamp is only activated when a vehicle is within the illumination range of the street lamp. For this purpose, the street lamp is equipped with a communication module that receives travel information (longitude and latitude) from the vehicle.

[0007] DE 102017 205 075 A1 relates to a method for controlling infrastructure lighting from a vehicle, in which wireless communication exists between the vehicle and at least one light source (in particular a street lighting device) of the infrastructure lighting, and at least one device of the vehicle is functionally coupled to the infrastructure lighting. The street lighting device is switched on when the vehicle approaches within a certain distance, optionally taking into account its further route.

[0008] However, none of the solutions known to date take into account that far from all road users are able to participate in communication between road users (Car2Car) and with the surroundings (Car2X), and this may not be possible in the future. This includes vehicles or road users without the appropriate equipment, such as pedestrians, cyclists, and the like.

[0009] US 2020 / 0170093 A1 and EP 3770488 A1 demonstrate methods in which lighting is adjusted based on data collected by street lighting. The disadvantages here are the technical complexity of equipping the street lighting systems and the perspective used for data collection, which differs from that of the driver.

[0010] Therefore, the object of the invention is to provide a method for adapting street lighting, in which in particular road users and / or objects that do not participate in the network are taken into account.

[0011] The object of the invention is achieved by a method according to claim 1 and a computer program product according to claim 11. Further preferred embodiments of the invention emerge from the remaining features mentioned in the subclaims.

[0012] In the method according to the invention for the situational control of lighting along a road, at least one street lighting device in a group of street lighting devices along the road receives information from at least one approaching vehicle equipped with a Car2X module by means of a Car2X module and, on the basis of the transmitted information, adapts the lighting of each of the street lighting devices in the group of street lighting devices as required, wherein the at least one approaching vehicle transmits information acquired by means of its surroundings observation to the at least one street lighting device comprising a Car2X module, so that the lighting of each of the street lighting devices in the group of street lighting devices can be adapted or adapted to road users and / or objects not equipped with Car2X modules.

[0013] A street's lighting is provided by a variety of street lighting devices. This includes all lighting devices that illuminate the street or traffic area. They can be mounted as standing lamps, also known as streetlights, or suspended, mounted on buildings or provided in other ways. Street lighting devices can illuminate traffic areas in urban areas, rural areas, tunnels, and any type of traffic surface.

[0014] For the method according to the invention, street lighting devices are to be influenced or adjusted in groups. Such a group of street lighting devices can, for example, comprise the street lighting devices of a street between two intersections or within a defined stretch of road. It can combine the street lighting devices on both sides of the road or only on one side of the road. Other groupings are possible within the scope of the invention. In any case, a group of street lighting devices is a number of at least two street lighting devices that are to be controlled by the method according to the invention based on the same input values; therefore, the street lighting devices of a group should be grouped in a meaningful way. For the sake of better readability, reference is also made below only to the "group".

[0015] In a group of street lighting fixtures, at least one street lighting fixture should be equipped with a Car2X module to receive information. Several street lighting fixtures in the group can also be equipped with this module to enable more precise control of the street lighting.

[0016] With regard to Car2X modules, there should be no restriction to any one technology; C-V2X (Cellular V2X) or DSRC technology can be used, as well as other or online-based solutions. DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) involves communication between vehicles without driver involvement, based on semi-passive transponder technology with a very small communication zone. C-V2X is a solution that allows communication with the cellular network.

[0017] Within the scope of the method according to the invention, the at least one street lighting device equipped with a Car2X module receives information from at least one approaching vehicle that also has a Car2X module. Connected vehicles constantly transmit status information to their surroundings, which is then received, evaluated, and used by other road users or receivers. This includes, among other things, the current position of the vehicle, its speed, its direction of travel, and, if applicable, information about the planned route. Thus, as is known in the art, a street lighting device can be switched on when a vehicle approaches and switched off when it has moved away from the lighting area.As a result, a side street into which the vehicle intends to turn can be illuminated in good time, indicating the route to the driver and also informing other road users, such as pedestrians, of an approaching vehicle. The color and / or intensity of the light can also be controlled, and lighting can be animated, for example, by flashing or pulsating. Each of the individual street lighting devices can be controlled and adjusted individually.

[0018] Accordingly, based on the information transmitted to the at least one street lighting device equipped with a Car2X module, each of the street lighting devices within the associated group can be individually controlled. This can be done via a controller in the street lighting device equipped with a Car2X module, which then forms a central intelligence. However, the control can also be carried out from another location. This can be a location within the group of street lighting devices, where a control device can be safely and securely stored and communicate with the street lighting devices in the group. However, the control can also be provided at a completely different location and can also be provided as an online or cloud solution.A stable communication connection is then required between the street lighting device equipped with a Car2X module and the control device, and from there to the other street lighting devices in the group, in order to transmit the control signals for adjusting the lighting.

[0019] The method according to the invention now provides that, in addition to the status information of the transmitting vehicles, further information of the at least one approaching vehicle, namely information from its surroundings observation, is also taken into account in order to adapt the street lighting also for road users and / or objects without a Car2X module.

[0020] Today's vehicles are equipped with a multitude of sensors to monitor and record their surroundings. These include temperature, the presence of rain or snow, the presence and relative position of other road users or objects, and the like. This type of environmental monitoring can also detect and recognize non-networked road users and / or objects. This can be determined or detected, for example, by monitoring the surroundings using a camera, lidar, or radar, followed by corresponding downstream analysis in a vehicle.

[0021] The information generated in this way is then transmitted to the street lighting system equipped with a Car2X module, so that the street lighting adjustment can be based on a broader data basis and also take into account non-connected road users and / or objects. Road users include pedestrians, cyclists, scooter riders, and the like, as well as (older) vehicles without a Car2X module. Non-connected objects can be parked bicycles, scooters, and the like, as well as all types of objects that impede traffic. This can therefore also include, for example, cargo dropped from a vehicle or fallen trees. The plural formulation aims to ensure that at least one road user and / or at least one object without a Car2X module is taken into account for the lighting adjustment.

[0022] Considering non-connected road users and / or objects, i.e., those without a Car2X module, should include illuminating their path or position so that non-connected road users can move safely in their surroundings while remaining sufficiently visible. With regard to non-connected objects, their visibility should be ensured in order to inform approaching vehicles of their presence and prevent accidents or damage. The accuracy and usefulness of this lighting adjustment increases the more connected vehicles transmit information from their surroundings to the street lighting system equipped with a Car2X module.The networked vehicles thus act like sensors for non-networked road users and / or objects, so that no separate sensor technology needs to be provided for them, for example on the street lighting equipment, or active information provision on their part, for example in the form of applications in the mobile devices of such road users.

[0023] As a result, the lighting in a street can now be individually switched on and off as needed at each of the street lighting fixtures in the associated group, its brightness and / or light color can be adjusted, and so on. This can be done not only for road users with a Car2X module, but also for other road users and / or objects without such a module. Such networked systems will then be accessible to all road users without the need for complex retrofitting or additional effort. This will continue to save energy and reduce CO2 consumption for street lighting, but also increase road safety for non-networked road users and / or objects, as well as for all other road users.

[0024] In a first preferred embodiment, particularly vulnerable road users are detected by means of the environmental observation of the at least one approaching vehicle, and the lighting of the street lighting devices in the group of street lighting devices in whose lighting area particularly vulnerable road users are located or moving is adapted to the particularly vulnerable road users.

[0025] A subgroup of road users who are not connected or equipped with a Car2X module are the particularly vulnerable road users (VRU), also known as unprotected road users. This group includes those road users who are at particular risk of being injured or killed in traffic because they are not surrounded by a protective shell such as a vehicle body. The group of vulnerable road users therefore includes pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. The aim of this design is to better protect these particularly vulnerable road users through adapted street lighting.

[0026] For this purpose, the VRUs are to be detected and identified as part of the environmental monitoring of at least one approaching vehicle, which is typically the case in modern vehicles. This can affect one or more particularly vulnerable road users. The information about VRUs in the vicinity of the at least one vehicle approaching the street lighting device with the Car2X module is then transmitted to the Car2X module of the street lighting device. The associated control device can then adjust the lighting of the street lighting devices whose lighting areas illuminate the location or path of movement of a particularly vulnerable road user, for example, by switching them on, adjusting their brightness and / or light color, or similar, so that the particularly vulnerable road user(s) are more visible to all other road users.If such a road user leaves a lighting zone, the lighting of the associated street lighting fixture can be switched off or dimmed. This significantly reduces the risk of accidents for the VRUs while still reducing energy consumption. Furthermore, better lighting can also improve the personal sense of safety of such vulnerable road users, not only with regard to surrounding traffic but also against unwanted attacks or robberies.

[0027] In principle, particularly vulnerable road users can also participate in the networking of road traffic using their own sensors and / or applications on their mobile devices, so that their passive detection and the resulting protection according to the above design would not be necessary or would merely be supplementary.

[0028] A second embodiment of the method according to the invention provides that, in order to adapt the illumination of the street lighting devices in the group of street lighting devices, the probable direction of movement and / or the probable speed of movement of a road user and / or object not equipped with a Car2X module is estimated. This can also include the aforementioned particularly vulnerable road users. When detecting road users and / or objects not equipped with a Car2X module, their position as well as their current movement is generally recorded. A vehicle whose surroundings observation detects such a road user and / or object therefore also detects a direction of movement, provided the road user or object is moving, and can also detect or at least determine the speed of movement.If the road user is a non-connected vehicle and indicates an impending turn using the direction indicator, this can also be information for estimating the movement of the non-connected road user.

[0029] This information is transmitted, as previously described, to the street lighting device equipped with a Car2X module. The associated control device can then use the available information to estimate the probable direction of movement and / or probable speed of movement of the same unconnected road user and / or object, particularly if several approaching vehicles have detected the same unconnected road user and / or object. From a direction of movement and a speed of movement, it is possible to calculate where the road user and / or object will be at a later point in time, provided it does not change its direction of movement and speed. However, since this cannot be ruled out, such a calculation can only be an estimate, which can be adjusted or updated based on further information from other approaching vehicles or later data records from the same vehicle(s).Further factors influencing this estimate include the local conditions, such as whether there is an intersection nearby, a branching footpath, house entrances, or similar features that could lead to a change in the direction of movement. In the absence of these, it can be estimated with some certainty that a change in the direction of movement is unlikely.

[0030] If the probable direction of movement and / or the probable speed of movement of a road user and / or object without a Car2X module is known, the street lighting fixtures within whose illumination area the object and / or road user is located or moving, or is located or will be moving, can be adjusted in their illumination. This means, as already described, that they can be switched on, adjusted in brightness and / or light color, and switched off or dimmed after leaving the illumination area. This makes it possible to predictively illuminate the movement of a non-networked road user, so that even a non-networked road user can benefit from such a connected street lighting system. At the same time, they are more visible to other road users.

[0031] Unconnected objects with a specific direction and / or speed of movement can also be objects that move unintentionally and unintentionally, such as a branch falling from a tree or the falling load of a vehicle. In this case, this embodiment of the method has the advantage that adjusting the lighting in the area of ​​movement of this object, particularly adjusting the color, can indicate the potential danger that could arise from an uncontrolled moving object.

[0032] To further optimize the method according to the invention, stationary road users equipped with a Car2X module can transmit information acquired through their surroundings observation to the at least one street lighting device comprising a Car2X module. Accordingly, stationary vehicles, in particular vehicles that are parked and / or charging with electric power, should also transmit information to the at least one street lighting device comprising a Car2X module. Even when a vehicle is parked or charging at a charging station, its surroundings observation can capture information about passing traffic, including non-networked road users, which can contribute to adapting the street lighting. Thus, stationary vehicles with a Car2X module also act as sensors within the meaning of the method according to the invention.

[0033] To avoid unnecessary strain on their energy resources, stationary vehicles can be configured not to continuously monitor their surroundings and transmit information, but rather to do so alternately and / or at different time windows. This can also be done depending on their energy reserves, in particular the charge level of an electric vehicle and, if applicable, the progress of a charging process.

[0034] Adjusting street lighting can also cause road users to feel dazzled. To avoid this, the lighting of the street lighting devices should be adjusted to reduce or avoid dazzling road users, taking environmental information into account. Glare from street lighting is extremely unpleasant and also a safety risk. It can occur, for example, when it is raining or when street lighting is very bright in the dark. Therefore, according to this embodiment, environmental information should be taken into account. This information is also regularly recorded by vehicles monitoring their surroundings in order to support and / or secure the driver's own journey and can therefore also be transmitted and used for the method according to the invention.This can include, among other things, the occurrence and optionally the intensity of rain, snow, or fog, as well as the ambient lighting conditions. From this, it can be determined whether a risk of glare could arise from one or more street lighting fixtures in the group, and their lighting can be adjusted accordingly, for example, by reducing their intensity. If there is no risk of glare, the lighting does not need to be changed.

[0035] A further embodiment of the method according to the invention can consist in adjusting the lighting of the street lighting devices in the group of street lighting devices to mark a hazardous location. A hazardous location can be the site of an accident, a broken-down vehicle, a loss of cargo, a fallen object, or the like. In order to prevent further accidents at such hazardous locations and / or to make it easier for emergency services to locate the hazardous location, the lighting of those street lighting devices in whose illumination area the hazardous location is located can be adjusted. For example, marking with colored light and / or pulsating or flashing light would be possible.A so-called light corridor, in which the lighting of several street lighting devices arranged in the direction of the danger point is adjusted so that they visually lead to the danger point, can also be a suitable warning and / or aid for marking the danger point.

[0036] As already described, danger spots are detected by monitoring the surroundings of networked vehicles and can be supplemented by status information from a vehicle that has been involved in an accident or has broken down, provided it is networked.

[0037] A next embodiment of the method for situational control of street lighting is when the at least one street lighting device comprising a Car2X module forwards the transmitted information to an evaluation unit, which statistically evaluates the forwarded information in order to optimize the adaptation of the lighting of the street lighting devices in the group of street lighting devices on the basis of the evaluation.

[0038] The at least one street lighting device equipped with a Car2X module is not only connected to a control device of any type, but also transmits the received information to an evaluation device. This evaluation device can be located at the same location, in the same facility, or in the same device as the control device, but can also be maintained independently.

[0039] The evaluation device, which in the simplest case can be a computer or an application on a server, performs a statistical analysis of the information transmitted to it. This makes it possible, for example, to determine at which times traffic density is at its highest or so high that switching off or dimming the street lighting between individual vehicles and / or other road users is neither necessary nor advisable. Instead, a permanent switch can be used to extend the life cycle by reducing the number of switching cycles. The influence of the day of the week, school holidays, or public holidays can also be identified in this way, allowing the adjustment of the street lighting to be modified or optimized.

[0040] It can be helpful if the at least one street lighting device comprising a Car2X module receives additional traffic-related information from an external data source, and the lighting of the street lighting devices in the group of street lighting devices is adjusted based on this additional information. Such information can include, for example, information about events and major occurrences that are expected to increase traffic flow, as well as events that influence traffic in the immediate vicinity in such a way that an adjustment in the control of the street lighting devices is advisable. Such major events or events can be, for example, large concerts, football matches, or similar events that involve large crowds traveling to the location.Information about events, as well as other events that could affect traffic, such as roadworks, accidents requiring increased emergency services, severe weather, and so on, can be provided by external data service providers. These are often online-based systems, as is the case with weather information services, for example. If such information about an event that could affect traffic is received, the street lighting can be adjusted, for example to guide traffic through light corridors or, within the limits of what is permitted, to use colors and / or pulsing of the light to highlight an area around the event location or just at the event location in order to get arriving visitors in the mood for the event. This could be done, for example, using the colors of the football club that is hosting the upcoming football match.

[0041] Adaptation can also be made to increase road user attention, guiding a large number of road users as coordinated and accident-free as possible. This can be achieved, for example, by creating an imperceptible flickering of the lighting, which nevertheless subconsciously increases the observer's attention.

[0042] This embodiment can also be used in particular in a method that influences street lighting of the type described above, but without taking into account non-networked road users and / or information from the environmental observation of approaching vehicles.

[0043] If it is desirable to influence the comfort of a vehicle driver or the perceived safety while driving, it may be advantageous if the illumination of the road lighting devices is adapted to the illumination of the at least one approaching vehicle and / or the geometry of the at least one approaching vehicle.

[0044] The light colour and / or the intensity of the light can be

[0045] The street lighting device must be adapted to the illumination of an approaching vehicle as it passes through its illumination area, in particular adjusted so that the vehicle occupants experience improved illumination of the route, preferably with no harsh changes between light and shadow and / or with particularly safety-relevant areas being particularly well illuminated. For this purpose, it may be necessary for the street lighting device to be equipped with matrix lighting, which enables the alignment and, optionally, focusing of the emitted light. Likewise, it is necessary for the approaching vehicle to transmit information about its own illumination (light color, intensity, orientation) to the at least one street lighting device having a Car2X module.

[0046] In the same way, the geometry of an approaching vehicle can be taken into account. The geometry should describe the type of vehicle as an SUV, a sports car, or a vehicle with a medium seat height. The seating position of a driver in a sports car is significantly lower than in an SUV. As a result, the illumination of a street lighting device can dazzle the driver of a vehicle with one vehicle geometry, while a driver of a vehicle with a different vehicle geometry is not dazzled. If the approaching vehicle transmits its vehicle type or even its exact geometry or at least the seat height of its driver to the networked street lighting device, the latter can avoid or at least reduce dazzling of the former driver by adjusting the light intensity and / or lighting orientation as the vehicle moves through its illumination area.

[0047] In addition to adapting the street lighting to the traffic situation at the location of the street lighting devices, the disclosed method can provide for the at least one street lighting device comprising a Car2X module to transmit the transmitted information to other vehicles equipped with a Car2X module and / or a street lighting device equipped with a Car2X module of another group of street lighting devices.

[0048] The information received by at least one street lighting device comprising a Car2X module is to be passed on to other connected road users. For example, information about particularly vulnerable road users, danger spots, traffic jams, and the like can be passed on to approaching vehicles, allowing their drivers to be informed early and adjust their driving style.

[0049] Alternatively or additionally, such information should be forwarded to other groups of street lighting fixtures, especially neighboring groups of street lighting fixtures. This is particularly useful when a non-networked road user and / or a non-networked object moves from the range of one group of street lighting fixtures to another, as the previously collected and evaluated information can then be reused.

[0050] The above-described method can preferably be implemented by a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute the method according to one of the preceding claims. The method according to the invention can therefore be implemented as part of a software program or an application on a computing unit or the like.

[0051] In order to implement the method according to the invention, certain technical requirements must of course be met. For example, the street lighting devices must be individually controllable and adjustable in their light color and / or light intensity. In some embodiments of the method, matrix lighting may be required, i.e., a street lighting device comprising several individually controllable light sources, thus enabling alignment and, optionally, focusing of the emitted light.

[0052] It is also important that the information described herein is provided by the vehicles in the context of connected driving so that at least one street lighting device equipped with a Car2X module receives the necessary input information.

[0053] It should be noted that almost all of the aforementioned embodiments can of course also be implemented independently of the detection of road users and / or objects without a Car2X module by means of the environmental monitoring of approaching vehicles, provided that their detection is not an essential feature of the respective embodiment.

[0054] The method according to the invention achieves the initially stated objective of adapting street lighting to non-connected road users and / or objects. This allows road users who cannot or do not want to participate in connected driving to also benefit from the advantages without requiring additional effort or additional equipment. Furthermore, the needs-based adaptation of street lighting saves energy and can reduce the carbon footprint. The various embodiments of the invention mentioned in this application can be advantageously combined with one another, unless otherwise stated in individual cases.

[0055] The invention is explained below in exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show:

[0056] Figure 1 shows a first exemplary application of the inventive

[0057] procedure, and

[0058] Figures 2, 3, 4 show further exemplary applications of the method according to the invention.

[0059] Figure 1 shows a section of a road on which a vehicle 18 equipped with a Car2X module is traveling. It continuously transmits status information that can be received and evaluated by other road users equipped with Car2X modules (not shown). Street lighting devices 12 are provided on both sides of the road 16, one of which (reference numeral 14) is equipped with a Car2X module. The street lamps on the left side of the road in the figure belong to a group 10.2 of street lighting devices, while those on the right belong to another group 10.1. Figure 1 is used to explain the situational control of the lighting in group 10.1. The street lighting devices in group 10.2 can be adapted in the same way.

[0060] As provided in the method according to the invention, the vehicle 18 uses its surroundings monitoring to detect environmental conditions and events in its immediate vicinity. This also includes the movement of a pedestrian 22, who is also a particularly vulnerable road user 24. The pedestrian's position, direction of movement, and speed can be determined through repeated detection as part of the surroundings monitoring.

[0061] All information is transmitted from the vehicle 18 to the street lighting device 14 equipped with a Car2X module. Based on this information, it can now be determined in which lighting areas 15 the pedestrian 22, 24 is located or through which lighting areas 15 he or she is moving and at what speed. Based on this, the lighting of these street lighting devices, highlighted here with 12.1, can be adjusted so that the lighting in the area around the pedestrian 22, 24 will be brighter than in the areas he or she has already passed or will pass later (marked with 12.2). Areas that are sufficiently far away from the pedestrian 22, 24 can be dimmed (marked with 12.3), provided no other road users are present there.This evaluation of the transmitted information and the resulting control of the street lighting devices 12, 14 is carried out by a computing device which is provided on the street lighting device 14 equipped with a Car2X module and is carried out in the form of a computer program.

[0062] Since the road 16 shown has no branches, the further direction of movement 28 and optionally also the speed of movement of the pedestrian 22, 24 can be estimated, so that the street lighting devices 12, 14 can predictively illuminate their path. This does not affect the adaptation of the street lighting to the networked vehicle 18, which can be determined and controlled simultaneously.

[0063] A second exemplary application of the method is shown in Figure 2. There, the group 10 of street lighting devices 12, 14 is selected differently, namely, the street lighting devices 12, 14 on both sides of the road belong to a group 10. A vehicle 18 with a Car2X module uses environmental monitoring to detect its surroundings, including the hazard location 30 where an accident has occurred. The vehicle 18 transmits this information via the Car2X module to the street lighting device 14 with the Car2X module. As a result, the street lighting devices 12.1, in whose illumination area 15 the hazard location 30 is located, are illuminated particularly brightly with red light to mark the hazard location. The neighboring

[0064] Street lighting devices 12.2 pulsate with bright light to warn approaching road users. Street lighting devices 12.3 are illuminated for vehicle 18 without taking hazard location 30 into account. Street lighting device 14 can also transmit information about hazard location 30 to a street lighting device with a Car2X module in a neighboring area (in the figure, for example, above hazard location 30), allowing street lighting adjustment there as well.

[0065] Instead of a hazard point 30 in the sense of an accident, a non-networked object 26 could also be standing or lying at this location, such as a vehicle parked in a double row or a lost load from a vehicle. Figures 3 and 4 are structured similarly to Figures 1 and 2, therefore only the differences are explained below. The assignment of reference symbols is based on the same principles as in the previous figures.

[0066] In Figure 3, vehicle 18 detects a vehicle 22 without a Car2X module that is stopped in front of it, indicating right and intending to enter street 16. This allows the probable direction of movement 28 of vehicle 22 to be easily determined, so that the street lighting devices 12.1 can be predictively switched on or brightened before the vehicle 22 completes its turning maneuver.

[0067] Figure 4 shows a street 16 with adjacent parking lanes, which also contain charging stations 32 for electric vehicles. All street lighting devices 12, 14 here belong to a group 10. Non-networked vehicles 26 and connected vehicles 20 are parked in the parking lane, some of which are also connected to a charging station 32 for charging. Charging vehicles 20 have sufficiently high energy resources and, using their environmental monitoring, record their surroundings and transmit this information to the street lighting device 14. Non-networked vehicles 26, non-networked road users 22, 24 in the form of motorcycles or scooters are recorded in the same way as vehicles 18. Even vehicles 20 that are not charging can record their surroundings at longer intervals and transmit this information to the street lighting device 14.As already explained with reference to Figure 1, it can be determined in which lighting areas 15 of the street lighting devices 12, 14 the unconnected road users 22, 24 move, so that their lighting can be adjusted, i.e. at least illuminated during the passage of these road users 22, 24 and then darkened if no other road user follows.

[0068] List of reference symbols

[0069] Group of street lighting devices

[0070] Street lighting equipment

[0071] Street lighting system with Car2X module

[0072] Lighting area

[0073] Road approaching vehicle with Car2X module stationary vehicle with Car2X module unconnected road user particularly vulnerable road user (VRU) unconnected object probable direction of movement

[0074] Danger zone

[0075] Charging station

Claims

A method for situational control of lighting along a road (16), in which at least one street lighting device (14) in a group (10) of street lighting devices (12, 14) along the road (16) receives information from at least one approaching vehicle (18) equipped with a Car2X module by means of a Car2X module, and on the basis of the transmitted information, the lighting of each of the street lighting devices (12, 14) in the group (10) of street lighting devices (12, 14) is adapted as required, characterized in that the at least one approaching vehicle (18) transmits information acquired by means of its surroundings observation to the at least one street lighting device (14) comprising a Car2X module, so that the lighting of each of the street lighting devices (12, 14) in the group (10) of street lighting devices (12,14) is to be adapted to road users (22) and / or objects (26) not equipped with Car2X modules. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that particularly vulnerable road users (24) are detected by means of the environmental observation of the at least one approaching vehicle (18), and the illumination of the street lighting devices (12, 14) in the group (10) of street lighting devices (12, 14) in whose illumination area (15) particularly vulnerable road users (24) are located or moving is adapted to the particularly vulnerable road users (24). Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that for adapting the illumination of the street lighting devices (12, 14) in the group (10) of street lighting devices (12,14) the probable direction of movement (28) and / or the probable speed of movement of a road user (22) and / or object (26) not equipped with a Car2X module is estimated. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that stationary road users (20) equipped with a Car2X module are estimated by means of their, Transmit information acquired by environmental monitoring to the at least one street lighting device (14) comprising a Car2X module. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the illumination of the street lighting devices (12, 14) is adjusted to reduce or avoid dazzling road users (18, 22, 24, 26), taking environmental information into account. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the illumination of the street lighting devices (12, 14) in the group (10) of street lighting devices (12, 14) is adjusted to mark a hazard location (30).Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one street lighting device (14) comprising a Car2X module forwards the transmitted information to an evaluation unit, which statistically evaluates the forwarded information in order to optimize the adaptation of the lighting of the street lighting devices (12, 14) in the group (10) of street lighting devices (12, 14) based on the evaluation. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one street lighting device (14) comprising a Car2X module receives further traffic-related information from an external data source, and the adaptation of the lighting of the street lighting devices (12, 14) in the group (10) of street lighting devices (12, 14) is adapted based on the further information.Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the illumination of the street lighting devices (12, 14) is adapted to the illumination of the at least one approaching vehicle (18) and / or the geometry of the at least one approaching vehicle (18). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one vehicle comprising a Car2X module. A street lighting device (14) transmits the transmitted information to other vehicles equipped with a Car2X module and / or a street lighting device equipped with a Car2X module transmits it to another group (10.2) of street lighting devices. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method according to one of the preceding claims.

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