CN115701391A - Method for controlling a sun shading system in a vehicle and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a sunshade system (110) in a vehicle (100), said sunshade system (110) having at least one sunshade for at least partially darkening a vehicle (100) interior space, the method comprising the steps of: acquiring the position of the face or eyes of the passenger; generating a light model around the vehicle, the light model including a light intensity distribution and a light irradiation angle distribution of an area around the vehicle, particularly, where a window of the vehicle is located; predicting whether a glare light is irradiated to the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time based on the position of the face or eyes of the occupant, the light model around the vehicle, and the vehicle information; adjusting the corresponding at least one sunshade according to whether glare light is shone on the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time. The disclosure also relates to a vehicle (100) having a control device implementing the method.

Description

Method for controlling a sun shading system in a vehicle and vehicle

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a sunshade system in a vehicle and a vehicle having a control device implementing the method, as well as a computer-readable storage medium and an electronic apparatus.

Background

It is well known that motor vehicles are typically equipped with sun visors to shield the eyes of the driver and front seat passengers from the sun's glare through the windshield or windows of the vehicle. Many motor vehicles include a visor that is pivotally mounted on a single stem and that can be manually pivoted on the stem between a stowed position adjacent the motor vehicle roof and one or more operating positions that cover the upper portion of the windshield or side window.

However, such manually operated sun visors may be distracting to the driver, as the driver must remove one hand from the steering wheel to maneuver the sun visor to the desired position. Moreover, this often occurs where the driver has been blinded by sun glare.

In addition, the conventional sun visor does not cover at least the entire area of the windshield between the a-pillar on the side of the vehicle and the mirror support in the center of the vehicle, leaving a gap at both ends, so that the glare of the sun may strike the eyes of the driver or passengers. Moreover, the conventional sun visor can shade only the driver and the front seat passenger without considering the adverse effect of the rear seat passenger on the glare of the sun.

Furthermore, conventional visors can only function when the passenger has been more or less disturbed. Therefore, there is a need to at least reduce or completely avoid such interference.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure is therefore directed to a method for controlling a sun shading system in a vehicle and a corresponding vehicle, which not only enables automatic shading of glare light, but also enables a disturbance of the vehicle occupant by the glare light to be reduced or even avoided before the vehicle occupant is disturbed by the glare light.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a sunshade system in a vehicle, said sunshade system having at least one sunshade device for at least partially darkening a vehicle interior space, may comprise the steps of:

acquiring the position of the face or eyes of the passenger;

generating a light model around the vehicle, the light model comprising a light intensity distribution and a light irradiation angle distribution around the vehicle, in particular in an area where a window of the vehicle is located;

predicting whether a glare light is irradiated to the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time based on the position of the face or eyes of the occupant, the light model around the vehicle, and the vehicle information;

adjusting the respective at least one sunshade means depending on whether a glare light is shone on the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time.

Thus, with the method of the present disclosure, not only is it possible to automatically block glare, but also to reduce or even avoid the disturbance of vehicle occupants by glare before they are disturbed by glare by predicting the light changes around the vehicle. In other words, with the methods of the present disclosure, measures may be taken to reduce or even avoid glare before the occupant is disturbed, and by prediction, glare does not appear in the face or eyes of the occupant.

Preferably, the sun shading means may comprise electrochromic windows, motorized sunshades and/or curtains. In particular a roller blind. The sunshade device can thus be realized in a simple manner.

Preferably, the sun shading device can be arranged on the front window, the rear window, the side window and/or the roof window of the vehicle, in particular on all windows of the vehicle. It is thus possible to shade the individual occupants or all occupants of the vehicle as desired.

Preferably, the light intensity around the vehicle can be obtained with an optical sensor in a sensor system in the vehicle. Preferably, the light irradiation angle around the vehicle may be obtained based on the relative position of the sun and the vehicle.

Preferably, the vehicle information may include a driving speed, a driving direction, a driving angle of the vehicle, and/or shadow information around the vehicle.

Preferably, when it is known that it is not a fine day based on the weather information, the sunshade is not activated.

Preferably, it is also possible to predict whether or not glaring light will be applied to the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time based on the information of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Preferably, the method may further comprise: a brightness distribution around the head of the occupant is generated, and it is also predicted from the brightness distribution whether or not glaring light is irradiated to the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time. It is thus possible to determine with double certainty whether the occupant will be disturbed by dazzling light after a predetermined time.

Preferably, the occupants may comprise front and/or rear passengers, in particular all passengers.

According to a second aspect of the disclosure, a vehicle is proposed, which may have a sunshade system having at least one sunshade for at least partially darkening a vehicle interior space, a sensor system, a navigation system, a head tracking system, and a control device for controlling the sunshade system in the vehicle, which control device is configured for carrying out the above-mentioned method.

In a third aspect of the disclosure, the disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the method according to the first aspect as described above.

In a fourth aspect of the disclosure, the disclosure provides an electronic device, which may comprise a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program is executed by the processor to implement the method according to the first aspect as described above.

The vehicle, the computer-readable storage medium, and the electronic device according to the present disclosure have the same advantages as the method according to the present disclosure, and thus, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, it is also conceivable within the scope of the present disclosure that the sun protection system or sun protection device may also be suitable for blocking glare light, for example caused by an oncoming vehicle.

Drawings

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure more comprehensible, embodiments accompanying the present disclosure are described in detail below.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic illustration of a vehicle according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary flow chart of a method for controlling a sunshade system in a vehicle according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary schematic view of the placement of the sunshade on a vehicle window;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of one example of a vehicle implementing a method for controlling a sunshade system in a vehicle according to the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

In the following description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. The invention can be implemented in a number of ways different from those described herein and similar generalizations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

Fig. 1 shows one example of a vehicle 100 according to the present disclosure. In the vehicle 100, a sunshade system 110, a sensor system 120, a navigation system 130, a head tracking system 140 and a control device 150 for controlling the sunshade system in the vehicle are provided.

The sunshade system 110 has at least one sunshade for at least partially darkening an interior space of the vehicle 100.

The sunshade may comprise an electrochromic window, for example made of electrochromic glass, whereby the incidence of light can be adjusted by applying a voltage. Additionally or alternatively, the sun protection device may comprise a window shade, in particular a roller blind, and/or a motorized sun visor, which may be arranged, in particular, over the entire surface of any one or more windows of the vehicle 100. The window covering, and in particular the roller blind and/or the motorized shade, may cover any one or more windows of the vehicle 100 as desired, and may cover a portion of the windows as desired.

The sunshade may be provided on a front window, a rear window, a side window, and/or a roof window of the vehicle 100. Preferably, the sunshade may be provided on all windows of the vehicle. Fig. 3 shows an example of a vehicle mounted with a sunshade. In this example, all windows of the vehicle are fitted with sunshades 111. In addition, although the roof window of the vehicle is not drawn in this example, the roof window may be provided with the sunshade 111.

The sensor system 120 may include at least one sensor, such as a light intensity sensor, a camera, and the like. By means of the sensor system 120, information about the vehicle itself and/or about the surroundings of the vehicle can be acquired, in particular the driving speed of the vehicle and shadow information about the surroundings of the vehicle, for example caused by surrounding buildings.

The navigation system 130 may be installed in an in-vehicle system, for example. Vehicle driving information, in particular the driving direction of the vehicle and/or the driving angle of the vehicle, can be obtained by the navigation system 130.

The head tracking system 140 may track head movements, preferably eye movements, of a vehicle occupant. For example, the position of the face or eyes of a vehicle occupant may be tracked by the head tracking system 140.

The control device 150 for controlling a sunshade system in a vehicle may be configured as a controller capable of receiving information and transforming the received information to generate an output. The controller may comprise any type of computing device, computing circuitry, or any type of processor or processing circuitry capable of executing a series of instructions stored in a memory. The controller may include multiple processors and/or multi-core Central Processing Units (CPUs) and/or Graphics Processors (GPUs) and may include any type of processor, such as a microprocessor, digital signal processor, microcontroller, or the like. The controller may also include a memory to store data and/or algorithms to execute a series of instructions. The control device 150 may be a separate control device or may be integrated in the control unit of the vehicle itself.

The control device 150 may constitute a method for implementing a sun shade system for a vehicle according to the present disclosure, which will be explained in detail below.

Additionally, the vehicle 100 may also include a communication unit 160. The vehicle communication unit 160 may be any network communication device capable of communicating with a network outside the vehicle based on a wireless communication technology. In particular, the vehicle communication unit 160 may perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of one example of a method for controlling a sunshade system in a vehicle according to the present disclosure.

In step S10, the position of the face or eyes of the occupant may be acquired, particularly using the head tracking system 140. The occupants may be front and/or rear passengers, in particular all occupants of the vehicle.

In step S20, a light model around the vehicle 100 may be generated, which includes a light intensity distribution and a light irradiation angle distribution around the vehicle 100, particularly in a region where a window of the vehicle is located. The light model in particular similarly enables a 360 degree animation in all directions.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the light intensity around the vehicle 100 may be obtained using a light intensity sensor, and the light irradiation angle around the vehicle 100 may be obtained based on the relative position of the sun and the vehicle.

In step S30, it may be predicted whether or not dazzling light is irradiated to the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time based on the position of the face or eyes of the occupant, the light model around the vehicle, and the vehicle information.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle information may include a driving speed, a driving direction, and/or a driving angle of the vehicle. Further, the vehicle information may further include shadow information around the vehicle. Shadows may be caused by, for example, buildings or trees, etc.

The predetermined time is preferably a time period sufficient for the sunshade means of the sunshade system 110 to function. For example, if the sunshade means of the sunshade system 110 is an electrochromic window, the predetermined time may be 2 to 10 seconds. If the shading means of the shading system 110 is a motorized shade and/or curtain, in particular a roller blind, the predetermined time may be 5 seconds to 30 seconds.

In step S40, the corresponding at least one sunshade may be adjusted according to whether glare light is irradiated to the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time.

The adjustment may include activating or deactivating at least one sun shade. Here, activation refers to enabling the sunshade to shade the passenger, thereby avoiding glare from interfering with the passenger. For example, for an electrochromic window, it can be adjusted to be semi-dark or fully dark in view of light intensity. For motorized visors and/or blinds, it can be adjusted to descend to different heights of the window, or even shade the entire window, taking into account the light irradiation angle.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of one example of a vehicle 100 implementing a method for controlling a sunshade system in a vehicle according to the present disclosure. The vehicle 100 travels along the road R. The vehicle 100 is currently at position a and after a predetermined time, the vehicle 100 will be at position B. At position a, the faces or eyes of the passengers in the front row of the vehicle are illuminated with glare, while the faces or eyes of the passengers in the rear row of the vehicle are not illuminated with glare, so that the sun visor of the front window of the vehicle 100 is activated to prevent the passengers in the front row of the vehicle from being disturbed by glare, but the sun visor of the side windows and the rear window of the vehicle are not activated. After a predetermined time, at position B, the face or eyes of the passenger in the front row of the vehicle are not illuminated by the glare light, and the face or eyes of the passenger in the rear row of the vehicle are illuminated by the glare light, so that the sunshade of the front window of the vehicle 100 is adjusted to be inactive, and the sunshades of the side and rear windows of the vehicle are adjusted to be active, to prevent the passenger in the rear row of the vehicle from being disturbed by the glare light.

In addition, the method for controlling a sunshade system in a vehicle according to the present disclosure may further include: a brightness distribution around the head of the occupant is generated and it is predicted from the brightness distribution whether or not glaring light is irradiated to the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time.

Additionally, in embodiments of the present disclosure, particularly before step S10, weather information may also be considered. And if the current weather is not fine, such as cloudy weather, rainy weather, snowy weather and the like, based on the weather information, the sun-shading device is not activated.

Additionally, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, it may also be predicted whether glare is applied to the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time based on information of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

By the method for controlling a sunshade system in a vehicle according to the present disclosure and the vehicle according to the present disclosure having a control device implementing the method, not only glare can be automatically blocked, but also glare to vehicle occupants can be reduced or even avoided before the vehicle occupants are disturbed. In addition, it is also noted that if the vehicle is not driven or when the vehicle is temporarily stopped, the sunshade device may be deactivated, whereby it is possible to facilitate the passenger to observe the condition outside the vehicle.

The expression "and/or" is used herein in the sense of including at least one of the components listed before and after the expression. Also, the expression "connected" is used in a sense that it includes a direct connection with another component or an indirect connection through another component. The singular forms herein also include the plural unless specifically mentioned in the context of a phrase. Also, as used herein, reference to "a component, step, operation, and element that" includes "or" comprises "means that at least one other component, step, operation, and element is present or added.

It should be understood that the term "vehicle" or "vehicular" or other similar terms as used herein generally includes motor vehicles, such as passenger vehicles including Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), buses, vans, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including various boats, ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g., fuel derived from sources other than petroleum). Here, the hybrid vehicle is a vehicle having two or more power sources, such as both gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.

The term "vehicle (on-board) system" as used herein means an integrated information system with wireless communication capability. These systems are sometimes referred to as in-vehicle information systems and are typically integrated with telematics services, entertainment systems, and/or navigation systems.

Any of the methods, programs, algorithms or code described herein may be converted to or expressed as a programming language or computer program. "programming language" and "computer program" are any language used to designate instructions to a computer, and include (but are not limited to) these languages and their derivatives: assembly language, basic, batch files, BCPL, C + +, delphi, fortran, java, javaScript, machine code, operating system command language, pascal, perl, PL1, scripting language, visual Basic, meta-languages that specify programs of their own, and first, second, third, fourth, and fifth generation computer languages. Also included are databases and other data schemas, as well as any other meta-language. For purposes of this definition, no distinction is made between languages that are interpreted, compiled, or languages that use both compilation and interpretation methods. For the purposes of this definition, no distinction is made between compiled and source versions of a program. Thus, reference to a program in a programming language that may exist in more than one state (such as a source state, a compiled state, an object state, or a linked state) is a reference to any and all such states. The definition also contains valid instructions and the intent of those instructions.

Any of the methods, programs, algorithms or code described herein may be embodied on one or more machine readable media or memories. The term "memory" may include a mechanism that provides (e.g., stores and/or transmits) information in a form readable by a machine, such as a processor, computer, or digital processing device. For example, the memory may include Read Only Memory (ROM), random Access Memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, or any other volatile or non-volatile storage device. The code or instructions contained thereon may be represented by carrier wave signals, infrared signals, digital signals, and other similar signals.

The features disclosed in the present document can be essential for the implementation of the embodiments in terms of different embodiments and can be implemented both individually and in any combination. The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown but comprises or extends to all technical equivalents that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (13)

1. Method for controlling a sunshade system (110) in a vehicle (100), said sunshade system (110) having at least one sunshade for at least partially darkening a vehicle (100) interior space, comprising the steps of:

acquiring the position of the face or eyes of the passenger;

generating a light model around the vehicle, the light model comprising a light intensity distribution and a light irradiation angle distribution around the vehicle, in particular in an area where a window of the vehicle is located;

predicting whether glare light is irradiated to the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time based on the position of the face or eyes of the occupant, the light model around the vehicle, and the vehicle information;

adjusting the respective at least one sunshade means depending on whether a glare light is shone on the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the sun shading means comprise electrochromic windows, motorized visors and/or curtains, in particular roller blinds, and/or are provided on the front, rear, side and/or roof windows of the vehicle.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the light intensity around the vehicle is found by means of an optical sensor in a sensor system in the vehicle.

4. The method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the light irradiation angle around the vehicle is obtained based on the relative position of the sun and the vehicle.

5. The method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the vehicle information comprises a driving speed, a driving direction, a driving angle of the vehicle and/or shadow information around the vehicle.

6. The method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the sun protection means are not activated when it is known that it is not a sunny day based on weather information.

7. The method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it is predicted whether glare will strike the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time, also based on information of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

8. The method according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the method further comprises:

a brightness distribution around the head of the occupant is generated, and it is also predicted from the brightness distribution whether or not glaring light is irradiated to the face or eyes of the occupant after a predetermined time.

9. The method of one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the occupants comprise front and/or rear passengers.

10. Vehicle (100) having a sun shading system (110), a sensor system (120), a navigation system (130), a head tracking system (140) and a control device (150) for controlling the sun shading system (110) in the vehicle (100), the sun shading system (110) having at least one sun shading device for at least partially darkening an interior space of the vehicle (100), characterized in that the control device is configured for carrying out the method according to one of claims 1 to 9.

11. Vehicle (100) according to claim 10, characterised in that the sunshade comprises an electrochromic window, a motorized visor and/or a curtain, in particular a roller blind, and/or is provided on a front, rear, side and/or roof window of the vehicle.

12. Computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, characterized in that the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the method according to any of claims 1 to 9.

13. Electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that the computer program is executed by the processor to implement the method according to any of claims 1 to 9.

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