Control method and control system for controlling high beam of vehicle
Technical Field
The invention relates to the technical field of vehicles, in particular to a control method and a control system for controlling a high beam of a vehicle.
Background
The high beam is one of the important functions on modern automobiles, and compared with the dipped headlight, the light of the high beam is emitted in parallel, the light is concentrated, the brightness is higher, higher and farther objects can be illuminated, and the high beam has great help for improving the sight of a driver at night. However, the high beam also causes glare and dazzling to oncoming or leading vehicles, which causes driving risks. At present, the phenomenon of abusing the high beam is quite serious, and the use of the high beam at wrong time or place can not improve the driving safety but increase the occurrence probability of dangerous accidents. Therefore, it is necessary to appropriately control the use of the high beam. Corresponding methods and devices for automatically controlling a high beam already exist in the prior art.
For example, chinese utility model patent CN206812876U discloses an intelligent control system for high beam of automobile. This car high beam intelligent control system judges whether the vehicle place environment of traveling need open the high beam through light sensor, judges whether the vehicle high beam is in the state of opening through current sensor to carry out the information interaction through wireless transceiver and vehicle external device and obtain the information whether need close the high beam, if need not open the high beam, then can control vehicle high beam self-closing or switch, reduce the misuse rate of utilization of high beam.
However, there are many factors affecting the use of the high beam, and the existing automatic control system cannot comprehensively consider various factors and completely realize automatic control of the high beam to meet the requirements of laws and regulations.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a method and a control system for controlling a high beam of a vehicle, which can overcome the above technical problems in the prior art.
Disclosure of Invention
The invention provides a control method and a control system for controlling a high beam of a vehicle, which aim to solve one or more technical problems in the prior art. In the control method and the control system for controlling the high beam of the vehicle according to the invention, various constraint conditions under the current driving environment of the vehicle can be comprehensively considered and all the constraint conditions can be comprehensively evaluated, and the high beam is intelligently controlled to be turned on or off based on the evaluation result.
One aspect of the present invention relates to a control method for controlling a high beam of a vehicle, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
s1: acquiring the illumination intensity of the current vehicle in the environment;
wherein the following steps are performed when the acquired illumination intensity is below a predetermined illumination intensity threshold:
s2, acquiring the position of the current vehicle; judging whether the position of the current vehicle belongs to an area allowing the use of a high beam;
s3, acquiring the distance between the current vehicle and the front vehicle or the oncoming vehicle; judging whether the distance is larger than a preset distance threshold value;
if the current vehicle is located in an area where the use of high beam is permitted and the distance between the current vehicle and the preceding vehicle or the oncoming vehicle is greater than the predetermined distance threshold, step S4 is performed: making the high beam in an activated state;
otherwise, step S5 is executed to deactivate the high beam.
It is noted here that the steps S2, S3 may be performed sequentially or in parallel, i.e. the steps S2, S3 are performed in parallel. Alternatively, step S3 may be executed first, and then step S2 may be executed. That is, the step number herein is merely a step number and should not be construed as a strict order of execution of the steps.
In the concept of the present invention, whether a high beam should be used or not is judged by comprehensively considering the ambient lighting conditions, the location of the vehicle, and the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle or the oncoming vehicle, so that the high beam is reasonably and appropriately used without affecting or endangering the safety of other traffic participants.
According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the area allowing the use of high beam is set as a non-urban road in the form of a closed expressway, an open national road, or a provincial road. Since urban roads are usually populated with traffic participants and often lit in good conditions, the use of high beam lamps is neither necessary nor inevitably jeopardizes the safety of other traffic participants. Therefore, by considering the position where the vehicle is located, the case where the high beam is illegally used in an inappropriate area is reliably excluded.
Advantageously, the distance threshold is set to at least 150 meters. The distance threshold can be set by the vehicle manufacturer or by the user according to the relevant legislation. For example, the road traffic safety law in China stipulates that the high beam cannot be used within 150 meters of an oncoming vehicle when meeting. Thus, by appropriately setting the distance threshold, the relevant regulations of each country or region are flexibly matched.
It is advantageous to additionally acquire whether the road on which the current vehicle is located has a center separation facility, and if so, the distance from the oncoming vehicle is not considered in step S3. If there is an isolation facility in the center of the road, the high beam does not affect the traveling safety of the oncoming vehicle, and therefore, there is no need to consider the constraints associated with the oncoming vehicle. The acquisition of the central isolation facility may be detected by an object sensor on the vehicle or may be obtained from a server or a navigation map via a wireless network in conjunction with the current vehicle location.
Advantageously, the speed and/or steering state of the current vehicle is additionally captured, and the high beam is kept deactivated if the vehicle speed is below a certain speed threshold or a steering signal is detected. The speed threshold is for example 30 km/h, 40 km/h or 50 km/h. Typically, when driving at low speeds, either in bad weather conditions or in heavy traffic, the turn-off lights should be disabled. In addition, traffic laws stipulate that high beam lights cannot be used when turning.
Advantageously, the visibility in the environment in which the vehicle is currently driving is additionally acquired, and the high beam is deactivated when the visibility is below a predetermined visibility threshold, for example below 200 meters. Visibility can be detected by a sensor provided in the vehicle, such as a weather sensor, an image sensor, or the like. Or from internet queries over a wireless network in conjunction with vehicle location.
Advantageously, the current time is additionally obtained, the high beam being kept deactivated when the time is between a predetermined period of time, such as between 6 and 18 o' clock. Generally, the lighting condition is better in daytime, and a high beam lamp does not need to be turned on. Here, by acquiring the current time, the high beam can be reliably controlled even in the case where the illumination intensity sensor for detecting the ambient illumination condition is malfunctioning or inaccurate.
Advantageously, after step S5, the status of the high beam, the vehicle location and the current time period are uploaded to a server outside the vehicle. The server can thus obtain a large amount of high beam usage data for a particular road over a particular period of time, and can thus provide recommendations for high beam usage to other vehicles not equipped with the method and system based on this data.
Advantageously, taking into account additionally the position of the oncoming vehicle, only the high beam on the side close to the oncoming vehicle is kept deactivated when the oncoming vehicle is at a distance from the current vehicle that is less than a predetermined distance threshold. For example, when an oncoming vehicle is detected on the left side and the distance is short, only the high beam on the left side is turned off, while the high beam on the right side remains on. The lighting requirements of the current vehicle and the safety requirements of other traffic participants are thus optimally balanced.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a control system for controlling a high beam of a vehicle, comprising a central control unit, a light sensor, a positioning device and a distance sensor, wherein the light sensor, the positioning device and the distance sensor are in signal connection with the central control unit, the control system for controlling a high beam of a vehicle further comprising a right headlight controller and a left headlight controller, which are in signal connection with the central control unit and are used for driving the respective headlights, the central control signal being designed for implementing one of the embodiments of the method according to the invention. The distance sensor can be, for example, a radar, lidar or a camera.
Here, the various modifications described for the control method for controlling the vehicle high beam, and the advantageous technical effects thereof, are also applicable to the control system for controlling the vehicle high beam. Here, the description is omitted.
Drawings
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention are given by the following description of a preferred embodiment with the aid of the drawings.
The figures show:
fig. 1 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a control method for controlling a high beam of a vehicle according to the present invention;
fig. 2 is a flowchart of another embodiment of a control method for controlling a high beam of a vehicle according to the present invention;
fig. 3 is a modular architecture diagram of a control system for controlling a high beam of a vehicle according to the present invention.
Detailed Description
The following detailed description of embodiments of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. It is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the possible embodiments of the invention, but the invention is not limited thereto.
Fig. 1 shows a flow chart of an embodiment of a control method according to the invention for controlling a high beam of a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the method includes steps S1-S5. First, the method is started in step S1, and the lighting condition of the environment in which the current vehicle is located is detected. If the illumination intensity is below a predetermined illumination intensity threshold, e.g., 0.2lx, the following step S2 is continued. If the illumination intensity is greater than the predetermined threshold, the process goes directly to step S5, i.e., the high beam is kept deactivated. That is, if the high beam was previously turned on, the high beam is turned off here; if the high beam was previously switched off, it is here kept switched off. In step S2, the location where the vehicle is currently located is determined by means of an on-board location device of the vehicle, such as a GPS location system, in conjunction with the navigation device. It is then determined whether the vehicle is currently located in an area where the use of high beam is permitted, such as a non-urban road, particularly a closed highway or an open national or provincial road. If the current area belongs to the area allowing the use of high beam, the step S3 is executed, otherwise, the process goes to step S5 directly. In step S3, the distance between the present vehicle and the preceding vehicle or the oncoming vehicle is determined by the vehicle-mounted distance sensor. The distance sensor may be any of various sensors known in the art, such as a radar, a lidar, or a camera. It is then determined whether the distance is greater than a predetermined threshold, such as 150 meters. If so, execution continues with step S4. Otherwise, it jumps to step S5.
Fig. 2 shows a flow chart of a further embodiment of a control method according to the invention for controlling a high beam of a vehicle. As shown in fig. 2, wherein steps S2, S3 are performed in parallel. First, the method is started in step S1, and the lighting condition of the environment in which the current vehicle is located is detected. If the illumination intensity is below a predetermined illumination intensity threshold, e.g. 0.2lx, the following steps S2, S3 are continued. If the illumination intensity is greater than the predetermined threshold, the process directly proceeds to step S5. Acquiring the position where the current vehicle is located in step S2; and acquiring the distance between the current vehicle and the preceding vehicle or the oncoming vehicle in step S3. Judging whether the position of the current vehicle belongs to an area allowing the use of a high beam and judging whether the distance is greater than a preset distance threshold; if the current vehicle is located in an area where the use of high beam is permitted and the distance between the current vehicle and the preceding vehicle or the oncoming vehicle is greater than the predetermined distance threshold, step S4 is performed: making the high beam in an activated state; otherwise, step S5 is executed to deactivate the high beam.
Although not shown, other execution sequences are also contemplated, such as executing step S3 first and then executing step S2. It is also contemplated that additional arrangements may be added to additionally account for other factors of influence. For example, it is additionally acquired whether there is a center separation facility on the road on which the current vehicle is located, and if so, the distance from the oncoming vehicle is not considered in step S3. For example, in the added step, the speed and/or steering state of the current vehicle is additionally acquired, and if the vehicle speed is below a certain speed threshold or a steering signal is detected, the high beam is kept deactivated. It is also possible to additionally acquire the visibility under the environment where the current vehicle is running in the added step, and to make the high beam in the deactivated state when the visibility is lower than a predetermined visibility threshold. Alternatively, it is advantageous to additionally consider the position of the oncoming vehicle, and to keep only the high-beam light on the side close to the oncoming vehicle deactivated when the oncoming vehicle is less than the predetermined distance threshold from the current vehicle.
Fig. 3 is an architecture diagram of an advantageous embodiment of a control system for implementing the method according to the invention. As shown in fig. 3, the control system comprises a central controller 1, which central controller 1 is signal connected via a bus, e.g. a CAN bus, to a left headlight controller 10 and to a right headlight controller 4. The left headlight controller 10 is used to control the operation of the first high beam 9 and the first low beam 11 on the left side of the vehicle. And the right front lamp controller 4 is used to control the operation of the second high beam 5 and the second low beam 6 on the right side of the vehicle. In addition, various sensors, such as a light sensor 3, a positioning device 7 and a distance sensor 8, are coupled to the bus via the gateway 2 and in turn in signal connection with the central controller 1. Obviously, signals of other sensors, such as a rain sensor, a humidity sensor, a camera, a speed sensor, a steering sensor and the like, can also be accessed through the bus.
Generally speaking, the control method and the control system can comprehensively consider various constraint conditions under the current driving environment of the vehicle, comprehensively evaluate the constraint conditions, and intelligently control the on or off of the high beam based on the evaluation result.
It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments adopted to illustrate the design of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and substance of the invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of the invention.