DE102020210495A1 - Method and device for controlling fog lights and a rear fog light of a vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for controlling a fog light function of a vehicle (20). Depending on information about the surroundings and/or driving information, it is determined whether the fog lights (10) and/or the rear fog light (14) should be switched on, switched off and/or adjusted in their respective intensity, and the implementation is worked towards. The fog lights (10) and/or the rear fog light (14) are always switched on, switched off and/or adjusted as early as necessary, so that the risk of dazzling other vehicles and poor visibility of one's own vehicle (10) is reduced, the range of vision optimized and at the same time the energy consumption is reduced to the bare essentials.

Description

The invention relates to a method and a device for controlling fog lights and a rear fog light of a vehicle in order to control the fog lights and/or the rear fog light as a function of environmental information.

The use of the fog light function, ie the fog lights and the rear fog light, has so far been mainly manual. The driver of a vehicle has to use the driving situation, in particular the light conditions, to assess in rain and/or fog whether visibility is so low that the fog light function should be switched on or off.

However, this perception is very subjective, so that the fog light function is activated too early or too late or not at all or is terminated. As a result, the safety of the driver and his vehicle occupants and that of other road users is endangered, for example by the glare of the fog lights if they are used too early, or the lack of sufficiently intensive lighting if the fog lights are used too late or late is not operated at all. Furthermore, if the rear fog light is activated incorrectly, it can also be confused with a brake light by the following traffic.

In some cases, the driver forgets to switch off the fog lights when visibility improves again. In this case, too, other road users can be dazzled, but it also leads to increased energy consumption, which can have a considerable effect on the range of the vehicle, especially in electrically operated vehicles.

The object of the invention is therefore to propose a solution as to how the fog light function can be adjusted as a function of the prevailing environmental conditions, but also of the conditions while driving. The object of the invention is achieved with a method according to claim 1 and a device according to claim 9. Further preferred refinements of the invention result from the remaining features mentioned in the dependent claims.

The method according to the invention for controlling fog lights and a rear fog light of a vehicle provides that the fog lights and/or a rear fog light are automatically switched on, off and/or adjusted in intensity based on environmental information and/or driving information. This provides an assistance function for the fog lights of a vehicle, comprising the fog lights and the rear fog light, by means of which the fog lights and/or the rear fog light are automatically adjusted depending on the conditions in the surroundings of a vehicle and/or the actual journey of the vehicle.

For this purpose, the environmental information and/or the driving information, which is helpful for assessing the need for the fog light, is evaluated and, based on the evaluation, it is determined whether the fog lights and/or the rear fog light should be switched on and/or off. The necessary control commands are then transmitted to the vehicle's own devices for switching the fog lights on and/or off.

This ensures that the fog lights and/or the rear fog light are not switched on or off earlier or later than is necessary. The road safety of all road users is increased because unnecessary dazzling of other road users and/or unnecessary energy consumption for operating the fog lights is avoided. At the same time, it is ensured that the vehicle can always be reliably detected in restricted visibility.

In addition, it may be necessary for the fog lights and/or the rear fog light to be adjusted in terms of their intensity, ie their brightness. This can be the case, for example, if the visibility conditions change during a journey, for example fog becomes denser or lighter, rain accompanies the fog, or blowing snow while driving affects the visibility conditions to different degrees. For this purpose, too, the information from the environment and/or relating to the journey is evaluated and the need for an adjustment is determined with regard to the intensity of the fog lights and/or the rear fog lights. For this purpose, control commands are transmitted to on-board devices for adjusting the intensity of the rear fog light and/or the fog lights, so that the adjustment takes place.

The advantage of the adjusted intensity, as with the automatic switching on and off of the fog light, is the reduced energy consumption, since the intensity of the fog lights and/or the rear fog light is adjusted to suit the situation. In addition, safety in traffic is increased because as much light as necessary is provided and the risk of being blinded is largely reduced.

Switching on and off as well as adjusting the intensity take place automatically, so that the driver of the vehicle does not have to take any action of his own. This relieves him of his driving tasks and allows him to concentrate on the surrounding traffic and the road.

Fog lights and rear fog lights can be controlled together but also separately from one another, that is to say switched on and off separately from one another and/or their intensity can be adjusted. For example, when driving on a wet road, spray can be whirled up behind the vehicle so that the vehicle can no longer be reliably recognized by vehicles behind. Then it is advantageous to switch on the rear fog light and, if necessary, to adjust its intensity. If it is not raining in the meantime or if fog is gathering, it may not be necessary to activate the fog lights at the same time. The separate control is based on the aforementioned collection and evaluation of environmental information and/or travel information, with this being done separately for the visibility conditions to the front and to the rear, ie with regard to the following traffic, in this embodiment of the method. For example, only the fog lights can be activated or the intensity of the fog lights can be adjusted differently than that of the rear fog light.

This means that the fog lights and the rear fog light can be switched on or off with a time delay, ie staggered, which results from the different visibility and driving conditions to the rear and front.

In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the environmental information includes weather data, an environmental brightness, the scattering of light on rain and/or snow and/or a visibility. According to this, information that describes the surroundings or the conditions in the surroundings of the vehicle should be used to switch the fog lights and/or the rear fog lights on and off and/or to adjust their intensity.

Such environmental information can represent weather data, ie information on whether it is sunny, raining, snowing and the like. This also includes wind direction and/or wind speed. This information can be recorded using the vehicle's own sensors, such as brightness and/or rain sensors, or it can be retrieved as a data set, for example from a weather data service provider, for example from the so-called cloud. This information can be used to determine whether there is a need to activate, deactivate, or adjust the intensity of all or part of the fog lights. Since such weather data is provided or can be recorded in real time, the fog light can be adjusted quickly.

The ambient brightness is not only determined by the weather, but also by the environment around the vehicle and can be determined, for example, by the geography, such as the location in a valley basin, by trees such as in an avenue, driving through a tunnel, narrow streets in... an urban area and the like. It therefore proves to be advantageous to generally detect the ambient brightness and to use it to determine the need to switch on, switch off and/or adjust the intensity of fog lights and/or rear fog lights. As already indicated, the vehicle's own sensors can be accessed, for example.

The scattering of light on rain and/or snow can also be relevant as a decision criterion. This scattering not only includes the ambient brightness, but also light that is emitted by the vehicle itself, for example by the headlights or the fog lights. The scattering of rain and/or snow can thus in particular form a control criterion in order to switch the fog lights on or off or to adjust their intensity. Of course, this can be transferred in a comparable way to the rear fog light.

Alternatively or additionally, the existing range of vision can be used to determine the need to switch on, switch off and/or adjust the intensity of fog lights and/or rear fog lights. This can be determined, among other things, by the vehicle's own cameras and sensors, by means of which the distance to other road users, objects and the like is usually also determined, for example ultrasound, LIDAR or RADAR. If the range of vision is limited because spray is thrown up by a wet road, this affects the range of the sensors or the camera, so that the need for the fog light function and its adjustment can be derived.

In a further preferred embodiment of the method, trip information includes navigation data, the speed of the vehicle, a steering angle of the vehicle, a distance to at least one other road user, a traffic density, a type of road and/or a behavior of other road users. As already explained, journey information is information that describes the journey of the vehicle itself and possibly in interaction with the surrounding traffic. Information about one's own journey can be transmitted, for example, by the vehicle's own control and monitoring system, but the vehicle's own sensors can also provide the necessary information. The position of the vehicle can thus be determined by means of a device for determining a position of the vehicle, such as a GPS receiver. In conjunction with route guidance, also known as vehicle navigation, it can be determined whether there is a need for fog lights and/or rear fog lights along the route to be driven. This can be done in particular in combination with available environmental information and in particular weather information.

The speed of the vehicle also plays an important role in the use and adjustment of the fog lights and/or the rear fog lights. This can also be taken from the vehicle's own monitoring or control based on position data. In particular, the adjustment of the intensity of the fog lights and/or the rear fog light can be designed as a function of speed, so that, for example, as the speed of the vehicle increases, the brightness of the fog lights and/or the rear fog light is also increased in order to increase your own range of vision but also your own visibility .

The steering angle of the vehicle can also be a criterion for controlling the fog light function: When turning, it can be advantageous if additional light is provided to give the vehicle driver a better overview of the turning situation or to increase the visibility of his vehicle. The fog lights and/or the rear fog lights can therefore be switched on depending on the steering angle of the vehicle. This can be determined, among other things, by means of a steering angle sensor.

Another criterion can be the distance between the vehicle and other road users. This not only aims to improve visibility and/or your own range of vision, but also to avoid dazzling other road users. So if the presence of other road users is detected while driving, the fog light function can be switched on or off completely or partially, or at least its intensity can be adjusted.

In order to determine the presence of other road users, the vehicle's own sensors or systems, such as ultrasound, LIDAR, RADAR or cameras, can be used, as already explained. So-called C2C communication or C2X communication (C2C—car to car, communication between vehicles, C2X communication between the vehicle and the environment, for example the infrastructure itself) is also possible. In this way, the traffic density and the behavior of other road users in the area surrounding the vehicle can also be determined and taken into account. The information in C2X communication can be made available, for example, at traffic lights, bridges, traffic signal gantries and the like.

In particular, the behavior of other road users can be transmitted and used to determine the need for the fog light function or its adjustment. It is determined, for example, from the navigation, monitoring and safety systems of the other vehicle, which it uses to determine its journey. The route that is likely to be traveled can be transmitted to the vehicle using the method according to the invention, for example via C2C communication, thus enabling an adjustment with regard to fog lights and/or rear fog lights.

Furthermore, the road type can be relevant for the control of the fog light function, ie whether the vehicle is moving on a freeway or a country road or in a city. Depending on the type of road, different speed profiles and/or route characteristics are to be expected, which can include, for example, the rounding of crests or depressions or curve radii. Knowing the type of road, the need for the fog light and its intensity can be estimated in advance.

As already explained, the steering angle can have an impact on the fog light function. As an alternative or in addition to an adjustment of the fog light function, it can also be provided that the fog light function supports a cornering light of a vehicle. Today, the light from the headlights is often directed in the direction of the planned turning maneuver in order to illuminate the road in the area into which you are driving. This can result in the area directly in front of the vehicle no longer being adequately illuminated. In this case they can Fog lights are switched on with a suitable intensity, that is, switched on and/or adjusted in intensity in order to achieve adequate illumination of the environment, preferably without dazzling other road users. The target area and the field of vision in front of the vehicle are then illuminated, which increases safety and visibility when turning.

A further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention provides that external communication takes place by switching on and/or switching off, adjusting the intensity and/or changing the size of the luminous surface of the fog lights and/or the rear fog light.

External communication should be understood to mean that information can be transmitted to a viewer or another road user by switching it on and/or off, adjusting the intensity of the fog lights and/or changing the size of the luminous surface of the rear fog light. This can be, for example, the display of an impending parking maneuver, in particular an impending automatic parking maneuver, or reversing. The fog lights and/or the rear fog light can display directional information (forward, backward, right, left), increasing speed, for example by means of increasing intensity, and/or the start or end of the maneuver. The latter can be signaled, for example, by the fog light function being switched on and off repeatedly, which an observer perceives as a pulsing. When reversing, when approaching an object and/or a person, for example, the illuminated area of the rear fog light can be increasingly enlarged in order to warn.

However, external communication also includes the formation of lighting scenarios, such as the so-called "coming home" or "leaving home" sequences, in which the vehicle illuminates the surroundings or switches its lighting on completely or partially when a driver approaches or leaves, so that the driver can see the vehicle and the way to and from it better. These scenarios can also be supplemented using the fog light function.

In addition to switching the fog light function on or off or adjusting the intensity, the size of the luminous surface of the fog lights and/or the rear fog light can also be changed. This can be done actively, for example, if the fog lights and/or the rear fog light are designed with an LED matrix, the size of the luminous surface being determined by switching individual LEDs on or off. Patterns can also be formed in the luminous area, such as lines, dots, arrows and the like. These patterns can also be moved over the luminous area. One way to passively influence the size of the luminous area is to use reflectors that are influenced to an extent and/or at an angle such that more or less light is emitted through the fog lamps and/or the rear fog lamp to the outside.

A dangerous situation can preferably be signaled by a pulsation, as has already been mentioned. Repeatedly switching the fog lights and/or rear fog lights on and off quickly will draw the attention of other road users and thus their increased caution when approaching the vehicle. An example of a dangerous situation is when the vehicle comes to a standstill at the end of a traffic jam and following vehicles are to be informed of this. The same applies to particularly heavy fog or blowing snow. It goes without saying that a discernible, clearly varying adjustment in intensity will have the same effect.

In a further embodiment of the method, the front headlights and/or the rear lights of the vehicle are to be supported by switching on and/or switching off and/or adjusting the intensity of the fog lights and/or the rear fog light. When a vehicle is driven in specific ways, for example in city traffic, when driving very slowly and/or when driving off-road, there may be an increased need for illumination around the vehicle. This can also vary as a function of speed and/or as a function of incline. For example, when driving off-road, ie when driving on rough terrain, the vehicle can overcome such a steep incline that the usual alignment of the vehicle's headlights and/or taillights does not provide suitable illumination of the vehicle's surroundings. As a result, there is a need for additional illumination of the surroundings. In these cases, it can therefore be desirable for this increased and/or changed demand to be covered by means of the fog lights and/or the rear fog light. Depending on the driving situation, for example recorded by an IMU (inertial measurement unit, English: inertial measurement unit), the fog lights and/or the rear fog light are then switched on to illuminate the headlights and/or the rear light of the vehicle or to increase its visibility.

In addition to the method according to the invention, a device for controlling a fog lamp and a rear fog lamp for carrying out the method according to the invention with a control device that interacts with the vehicle's own sensors and/or external data suppliers to collect environmental information and/or driving information is also claimed.

The device thus comprises a control device which executes the disclosed method and thereby accesses the environmental information and/or journey information recorded by the vehicle's own sensors and/or provided by external data suppliers. Data is therefore transmitted between the vehicle's own sensors and/or external data suppliers to the control device, which, based on the transmitted environmental information and/or driving information, determines the need to switch on, switch off and/or adjust the intensity of the fog lights and/or the Determined rear fog light and transmitted in the sequence suitable control commands to the vehicle's devices for switching on, off and / or adjusting the fog light. In this case, the control device can be any control device present in the vehicle which (also) carries out the method, or else a control device associated with the device.

External data suppliers include all sources of information that are outside the vehicle: these include other vehicles (C2C communication), the infrastructure (C2X communication) and data provision via mobile networks, especially from the cloud.

With regard to the vehicle's own sensor system, this preferably includes a camera, a reversing camera, a rain sensor, a speed measuring device, a visibility measuring device and/or a device for determining a position of the vehicle.

Each camera of a vehicle can be used to determine the desired or necessary information. The reversing camera is a rear-facing camera of the vehicle whose recorded information is used in particular to control the rear fog light.

A device for determining a position of the vehicle can be a GPS receiver, for example.

With the method according to the invention and the corresponding device, it is possible to control the fog light function of a vehicle depending on the situation and individually. This allows the fog lamp and/or the rear fog lamp to be switched on or off as required and their intensity can be adjusted. Since the control is based on environmental information and/or driving information, it is possible to avoid switching on or switching off unnecessarily or too early, but also too late. The risk of blinding other traffic is reduced and energy consumption can be reduced.

Unless stated otherwise in the individual case, the various embodiments of the invention mentioned in this application can advantageously be combined with one another.

• 1 eine schematische Draufsicht auf ein Fahrzeug und die möglichen Lichtkegel der fahrzeugeigenen Beleuchtungsvorrichtungen,
• 2 eine schematische Draufsicht auf ein Fahrzeug und mögliche Lichtkegel bei einem Abbiegevorgang,
• 3 eine Seitenansicht eines schematisch dargestellten Fahrzeugs und dessen Ausleuchtungsbereiche und
• 4 eine Vorderansicht eines Fahrzeugs mit einer schematischen Darstellung von Beleuchtungssituationen.

The invention is explained below in exemplary embodiments with reference to the associated drawings. Show it:

• 1 a schematic plan view of a vehicle and the possible light cones of the vehicle's own lighting devices,
• 2 a schematic top view of a vehicle and possible light cones during a turning maneuver,
• 3 a side view of a vehicle shown schematically and its illumination areas and
• 4 a front view of a vehicle with a schematic representation of lighting situations.

1 shows a schematic top view of a vehicle 20 and the possible light cones 12, 24 and 28 of the vehicle's own lighting devices. A light cone 28 can be generated by means of the tail light 26 . The front headlights 22 form a light cone 24 and the fog lights 10 a wider but shorter light cone 12 in comparison. This lighting around the vehicle, plus that of the rear fog light 14, is used for the method according to the invention.

Depending on the environment and/or driving conditions, the fog light function, which includes both the fog lights 10 and the rear fog light 14, may need to be turned on or off. It may also be advisable that the intensity of the light from the fog lights 10 and/or the intensity of the light from the rear fog light 14 is adjusted. This should be automatic table, ie without intervention by the driver of the vehicle 20, take place.

For this purpose, environmental information is recorded and evaluated. This is done by a control device to which data from the vehicle's own sensors are transmitted. This includes, among other things, the ambient brightness, visibility, the presence of fog, whether it is raining or snowing and the like. Further information relating to the environment can also be accessed via cloud-based systems, such as upcoming weather changes or wind speeds.

Alternatively or additionally, travel information is collected and transmitted to the control device. Here, too, the vehicle's own sensors can be used, as well as cloud-based data providers. There is also the possibility of data exchange between the vehicle 20 and other vehicles via so-called C2C communication and between the vehicle 20 and the infrastructure, also known as C2X communication. The trip information includes, among other things, the speed of the vehicle 20, a steering angle of the vehicle 20, a distance to surrounding vehicles and the traffic density.

If the environmental information and/or the journey information indicates that it would be useful or necessary to switch on the fog light function, the control device transmits the necessary control commands to the fog lights 10 and/or the rear fog light 14, which are then switched on. The fog lights 10 and the rear fog light 14 can be controlled separately from one another. This also applies to switching off and adjusting the respective intensity.

An example application can be omitted 2 detect. The vehicle 20 approaches an unlit intersection in the dark with the aim of turning right. The vehicle 20 has a cornering light 30. Based on the ambient brightness and the steering angle of the vehicle 20, the control device can recognize that it is advantageous or even necessary for the cornering light 30 to be assisted by the fog lights 10 in order to better illuminate the intersection area and increase the driver's view improve and increase the visibility of the vehicle 20. The fog lights 10 are then switched on and switched off after the turning process has ended, when the steering angle is reduced again.

In 3 a side view of a vehicle 20 is shown, in which the light cones 12 and 24 of the front headlights 22 and fog lights 10 and the light cone or the illumination area 16 of the rear fog light 14 are located. It is evident from this that the fog light function is suitable for illuminating additional areas around the vehicle 20 that cannot be reached by the front headlights 22 and possibly the tail light 26 . This proves to be advantageous in particular for special journeys, such as journeys in impassable terrain with a steep incline. When driving in this way it can happen that, due to the angle of inclination of the route, the lighting of the front headlights 22 and/or the tail light 26 is no longer directed towards the ground and this can no longer be recognized with sufficient accuracy by a driver. If this strong inclination of the vehicle 20 is now detected within the scope of the method according to the invention and/or by the device according to the invention, the rear fog light 14 and/or the fog lights 10 can be switched on in order to illuminate the terrain and thus the front headlights 22 and/or the tail light 26 of the vehicle 20 to support.

Likewise, the fog light function of the vehicle 20 can be used for external communication. If the vehicle is to be parked out using an automatic parking function, for example, the attention of other road users can be aroused by suitably activating the fog lights 10 and/or the rear fog light 14 so that they can react to the vehicle 20 maneuvering out of a parking space. In this case, for example, when reversing, a pulsing of the rear fog light 14 can be caused by alternating switching on and off. An enlargement of the luminous surface of the rear fog light 14 could also be initiated, which indicates that the vehicle standing behind is approaching. When driving forward, one of the fog lights 10 can be switched on, depending on the exit direction, in order to indicate the exit direction. this is in 4 illustrated by the lines marked a and b, where a stands for a parking space exit in the direction of the passenger and b for a parking space exit in the direction of the driver. Line c shows the use of fog lights 10 on both sides.

reference list

10

fog lights

12

Light cone of the fog lights, lighting area

14

rear fog light

16

Light cone of the rear fog lamp, lighting area

20

vehicle

22

headlights

24

Beam of light from the headlights

26

tail light

28

Light cone of the tail light

30

cornering light

Claims (10)

Method for controlling fog lights (10) and a rear fog light (14) of a vehicle (20), the fog lights (10) and/or a rear fog light (14) being automatically switched on, off and/or in their intensity is adjusted. procedure after claim 1 , characterized in that the fog lights (10) and/or the rear fog light (14) are switched on separately from one another, switched off and/or their intensity is adjusted. procedure after claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that environmental information includes weather data, an environmental brightness, the scattering of light from rain and/or snow and/or visibility. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that journey information navigation data, the speed of the vehicle (20), a steering angle of the vehicle (20), a distance to at least one other road user, traffic density, a road type and / or behavior of other road users include. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a cornering light (30) of the vehicle (20) is supported by switching on and/or adjusting the intensity of the fog lights (10). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that external communication takes place by switching on and/or switching off, adjusting the intensity and/or changing the size of the luminous surface of the fog lights (10) and/or the rear fog light (14). procedure after claim 6 , characterized in that by repeatedly switching the fog lights (10) and/or the rear fog light (14) on and off, a pulsation is caused in order to signal dangerous situations. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the front headlights (22) and/or the tail light ( 26) of the vehicle (20) is supported. Device for controlling a fog lamp (10) and a rear fog lamp (14) for carrying out a method according to one of the preceding claims, with a control device which interacts with the vehicle's own sensors and/or external data suppliers to collect environmental information and/or travel information. device after claim 9 , characterized in that the vehicle's own sensors include a camera, a reversing camera, a rain sensor, a speed measuring device, a visibility measuring device and/or a device for determining a position of the vehicle (20).

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