Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
  • B60Q1/02—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments
  • B60Q1/04—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights
  • B60Q1/14—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights having dimming means
  • B60Q1/1415—Dimming circuits
  • B60Q1/1423—Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
  • B60Q1/143—Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
  • F21S41/00—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps
  • F21S41/60—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by a variable light distribution
  • F21S41/65—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by a variable light distribution by acting on light sources
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q2300/00—Indexing codes for automatically adjustable headlamps or automatically dimmable headlamps
  • B60Q2300/05—Special features for controlling or switching of the light beam
  • B60Q2300/056—Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q2300/00—Indexing codes for automatically adjustable headlamps or automatically dimmable headlamps
  • B60Q2300/40—Indexing codes relating to other road users or special conditions
  • B60Q2300/41—Indexing codes relating to other road users or special conditions preceding vehicle
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Q2300/00—Indexing codes for automatically adjustable headlamps or automatically dimmable headlamps
  • B60Q2300/40—Indexing codes relating to other road users or special conditions
  • B60Q2300/42—Indexing codes relating to other road users or special conditions oncoming vehicle
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21W—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
  • F21W2102/00—Exterior vehicle lighting devices for illuminating purposes
  • F21W2102/10—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light
  • F21W2102/13—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region
  • F21W2102/135—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions
  • F21W2102/14—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions having vertical cut-off lines; specially adapted for adaptive high beams, i.e. wherein the beam is broader but avoids glaring other road users
  • F21W2102/145—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions having vertical cut-off lines; specially adapted for adaptive high beams, i.e. wherein the beam is broader but avoids glaring other road users wherein the light is emitted between two parallel vertical cutoff lines, e.g. selectively emitted rectangular-shaped high beam
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21W—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
  • F21W2102/00—Exterior vehicle lighting devices for illuminating purposes
  • F21W2102/10—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light
  • F21W2102/13—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region
  • F21W2102/135—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions
  • F21W2102/155—Arrangement or contour of the emitted light for high-beam region or low-beam region the light having cut-off lines, i.e. clear borderlines between emitted regions and dark regions having inclined and horizontal cutoff lines
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F21—LIGHTING
  • F21Y—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED
  • F21Y2115/00—Light-generating elements of semiconductor light sources
  • F21Y2115/10—Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Definitions

• the invention relates to the field of automotive lighting. More specifically, the invention relates to a method of controlling a lighting system of a motor vehicle for producing a non-glare pixelated road-type light beam.
• these lighting systems are capable of emitting a horizontally segmented road lighting beam and are provided with a control unit capable of turning on and / or off and / or modify the light intensity of each of the elementary light beams forming the segments of this beam. It is thus known to control this type of lighting system so as to extinguish a light segment, extending vertically over the entire lighting beam, centered at the level of the target object. Such lighting systems are thus able to illuminate the road more extensively than a low beam type lighting, without dazzling other users of this road.
• the invention relates to a method for controlling a lighting system of a host motor vehicle, the lighting system comprising a plurality of selectively controllable elementary light sources, each elementary light source being able to emit an elementary light beam the vertical angular opening of which is less than 1 °, the method comprising the following steps: a. Detection of a target object by a sensor system of the host vehicle; b. Determination of a vertical angle between a given point of the sensor system of the host vehicle and a detected point of the target object; vs.
• the step of detecting the target object comprises the detection of a light source of the target object, the given point being a point of said light source.
• the sensor system of the host vehicle comprises a camera and a computer arranged to implement one or more methods of processing the images acquired by said camera so as to detect a light source of the target object. It could, for example, be a front headlight or a rear light of a target motor vehicle.
• the method comprises an intermediate step of comparing the vertical angle with a lower threshold and an upper threshold, the performance of the step of determining the lower and upper angles being conditioned on the fact that the angle vertical is between the lower threshold and the upper threshold.
• the lower threshold may for example be an angle greater than -1 °, and in particular be equal to -0.7 °.
• the upper threshold may for example be an angle less than + 5 °, and in particular be equal to + 4.8 °.
• This comparison step originates from the fact that the adaptive road lighting functions can only be activated when the host vehicle is traveling at a sufficiently high speed.
• the step of determining said vertical angle is a step of determining a vertical angle between said given point of the sensor system of the host vehicle and said detected point of the target object at a given time, the method comprising a step of predicting a value of said vertical angle at a future instant with respect to the given instant.
• the given instant may for example correspond to the instant of detection of the target object by the sensor system, and the lower and upper angles can be determined from the value of said predicted vertical angle.
• This feature helps to compensate for the latency of the sensor and lighting systems of the motor vehicle. Indeed, between the given moment when the target object has been detected by the sensor system and the moment when the dark zone is generated in the light beam emitted by the lighting system, the target object can be be moved so that the dark area no longer borders it noticeably and it can thus be dazzled by the light beam. Predicting the value of the vertical angle at a future time thus makes it possible to position the upper and lower cuts of the dark area at the position of the target object at that future time.
• the prediction step may comprise a step of determining a vertical angular speed of the target object, the prediction of the value of the vertical angle at a future instant being carried out using of the vertical angular velocity of the target object.
• the vertical angular velocity can be determined by deriving the value of the vertical angle over time.
• the method comprises a step of determining the distance separating the host vehicle and the target object, the value of the lower angle being determined by means of said determined distance.
• the distance separating the host vehicle and the target object can be obtained by means of a process for processing the images acquired by the camera of the host vehicle, implemented by the computer of the sensor system.
• the value of the lower angle can be obtained by a transformation of the vertical angle by a change of reference mark centered on the sensor system of the host vehicle to a reference mark centered on the lighting system of the host vehicle.
• the value of the angle lower can be determined using the following equation: [Math.l]
• V inf is the lower angle
• a the value of the vertical angle
• D H c the distance between the host vehicle and the target object
• H cam the height of the sensor system of the host vehicle in relation to the road
• H HL the height of the lighting system of the host vehicle relative to the road
• D hood the distance separating the sensor system from the lighting system, such as for example the length of the hood of the host vehicle.
• the above equation makes it possible in particular to position the low cut-off of the dark zone substantially at the level of the detected point of the target object, such as a headlight or a rear light, of a target vehicle.
• the value of the lower angle can be obtained by transforming the vertical angle by said change of reference mark from which a predetermined margin is subtracted. In this way, it is possible to position the cut-off below said detected point, for example at the level of a sill of a target vehicle.
• the method comprises a step of determining the height of the target object, the value of the upper angle being determined by means of the value of the lower angle and of said determined height.
• the step of detecting the target object comprises classifying the type of the target object from a set of predetermined target object types, and the height of the target object is determined as a function of the type of the classified target object.
• the type of the object can be obtained by means of a method of recognizing the shape of the target object from the images acquired by the camera of the host vehicle, implemented by the computer of the sensor system.
• the set of predetermined target object types may include a pedestrian, bicycle, car, or truck, each type of predetermined target object being associated with a predetermined target object height.
• the height of the target object can be obtained by means of a process for processing the images acquired by the camera of the host vehicle, implemented by the calculator of the sensor system.
• the value of the upper angle can be determined by means of the following equation:
• V sup is the upper angle
• D H c the distance between the host vehicle and the target object
• H c the height of the target object
• H HL the height of the lighting system of the host vehicle relative to the road
• n w the value of the lower angle and D capo , the distance separating the sensor system from the lighting system, such as for example the length of the hood of the host vehicle.
• the step of controlling the elementary light sources of the lighting system of the host vehicle comprises the extinction of certain elementary light sources capable of each emitting an elementary light beam between the upper and lower cuts.
• the control step may include a step of selecting the elementary light sources. the emission cones of which are vertically at least partially included in the interval defined by the lower and upper angles.
• the elementary light source control step may include the extinction of certain elementary light sources each capable of emitting an elementary light beam between the upper and lower cuts and between side cuts bordering the target object.
• the subject of the invention is also a motor vehicle comprising a sensor system, a lighting system and a controller, the controller being arranged to implement the method according to one of the preceding claims.
• the lighting system comprises a plurality of elementary light sources selectively controllable, each elementary light source being able to emit an elementary light beam whose vertical angular opening is less than 1 °.
• all of the elementary light sources may be able to emit a pixelated light beam extending vertically in a range of -1 ° to + 5 ° around the horizon.
• the elementary light sources are arranged so that the vertical angular opening of the elementary light beams that they are able to emit is increasing towards the top of the pixelated light beam.
• the lighting system may include: a. a first plurality of selectively controllable elementary light sources, each capable of emitting an elementary light beam of which the vertical angular aperture is substantially 0.25 °, all of the sources of the first plurality of elementary light sources being capable of emitting a first pixelated light sub-beam extending vertically in a range of -1 ° to + 1 °; b.
• a second plurality of selectively controllable elementary light sources each capable of emitting an elementary light beam of which the vertical angular aperture is substantially 0.3 °, all of the sources of the second plurality of elementary light sources being able to emit a second pixelated light sub-beam extending vertically in a range of + 1 ° to + 2 °;
• a third plurality of selectively controllable elementary light sources each capable of emitting an elementary light beam of which the vertical angular aperture is substantially 0.35 °, all of the sources of the third plurality of elementary light sources being capable of emitting a third pixelated light sub-beam extending vertically in a range of + 2 ° to + 3 °;
• a fourth plurality of selectively controllable elementary light sources each capable of emitting an elementary light beam of which the vertical angular aperture is substantially 0.4 °, all of the sources of the fourth plurality of elementary light sources being capable of emitting a fourth pixelated light sub-beam extending vertically in a range of + 3 ° to + 5 °.
• the lighting system comprises a light module comprising a pixelated light source comprising a plurality of elementary emitters arranged in a matrix, each of the elementary emitters forming an elementary light source and being activatable selectively to emit an elementary light beam; and a projection optical element associated with said pixelated light source for projecting each of said elementary light beams onto the road.
• the pixelated light source comprises at least one matrix of electroluminescent elements (called a monolithic array), and in particular at least one matrix of monolithic electroluminescent elements, also called a monolithic matrix.
• the light module may comprise a light source formed for example of at least one light emitting diode emitting light and a matrix of optoelectronic elements, and for example a matrix of micro-mirrors (also known as the acronym DMD, for English Digital Micromirror Device) which directs the light rays coming from said at least one light source by reflection towards a projection optical element.
• a light source formed for example of at least one light emitting diode emitting light and a matrix of optoelectronic elements, and for example a matrix of micro-mirrors (also known as the acronym DMD, for English Digital Micromirror Device) which directs the light rays coming from said at least one light source by reflection towards a projection optical element.
• DMD Digital Micromirror Device
• FIG.2 shows a method according to one embodiment of the invention, implemented by the motor vehicle of [Fig. 1];
• FIG.3 shows a side view of a road scene during the implementation of the method of [Fig. 2] by the vehicle of [Fig. 1];
• FIG.4 shows a front view of a road scene during the implementation of the method of [Fig. 2] by the vehicle of [Fig. 1].
• the host motor vehicle 1 comprises a sensor system 2 comprising a camera 21, for example arranged at an interior rear-view mirror of the vehicle 1 so as to be able to acquire images of the road in front of the vehicle 1, and a computer 22 arranged for implement various methods of processing these images.
• the host vehicle 1 also comprises a lighting system 3 comprising a light module 31, for example arranged in a front headlight of the vehicle 1.
• the light module 31 comprises in particular a pixelated light source 32 associated with a lens 33.
• the pixelated light source 32 is a pixelated mono-lithic light-emitting diode, each of the light-emitting elements of which forms an elementary light source 32i, j which can be activated and selectively controlled by an integrated controller to emit light towards the lens 33, which thus projects on the road an elementary light beam HDi, j, the light intensity of which is controllable.
• Each elementary light beam HDi, j is projected by the lens into a given emission cone, defined by a given direction of emission and a given angular aperture.
• all of the elementary light beams HDi, j thus form a pixelated light beam HD having 500 pixels distributed over 25 columns and 20 lines, extending vertically over an angular vertical range of -1 ° to + 5 ° and each pixel of which is formed by one of these elementary light beams HDi, j.
• Each elementary light beam HD y emitted by one of the elementary light sources 33 ⁇ 4 j of the source 32 has a vertical opening of less than 1 °. More specifically, the elementary light sources 32 y of the source 32 are arranged so that the vertical angular opening of the elementary light beams H3 ⁇ 4 that they are able to emit is increasing towards the top of the pixelated light beam. In particular : at.
• Each of the elementary light sources whose emission cone belongs to the vertical angular range of -1 ° to + 1 ° is capable of emitting an elementary light beam whose vertical angular aperture is substantially 0.25 °; b.
• Each of the elementary light sources whose emission cone belongs to the vertical angular range of + 1 ° to + 2 ° is capable of emitting an elementary light beam whose vertical angular aperture is substantially 0.3 °; vs.
• Each of the elementary light sources whose emission cone belongs to the vertical angular range of + 2 ° to + 3 ° is capable of emitting an elementary light beam whose vertical angular aperture is substantially 0.35 °; d.
• Each of the elementary light sources whose emission cone belongs to the vertical angular range of + 3 ° to + 5 ° is capable of emitting an elementary light beam whose vertical angular aperture is appreciably 0.4 °.
• the light module 31 comprises a controller 34 arranged to control the integrated controller of the pixelated light source 32 so as to selectively control the switching on, the switching off and the modification of the light intensity of each of the elementary light beams HD j , as a function of instructions received from a controller 4 of the host vehicle 1, these instructions being in particular determined from the information supplied by the computer 22 of the sensor system 2 of the host vehicle.
• the camera 21 is located at a height H cam and the light module 31 is located at a height H hl , these heights being measured relative to the road on which the host vehicle is traveling 1. Furthermore, the camera 21 and the light module 31 are separated by a distance D cover .
• FIG.2 There is shown in [Fig.2] a control method of the lighting system 3 of the host vehicle 1 allowing the emission by the lighting system 3 of a light beam of non-dazzling road type for an object target 5, implemented by the controller 4, and using the sensor system 2. Side views have been shown in [Fig. 3] and from the front in [Fig. 4] of the road scene onto which this light beam is projected, during the implementation of this method. It should be noted that these [Fig. 3] and [Fig. 4] represent only partial views of this light beam.
• a first step El the sensor system 2 detects the presence of a target object 5, in this case a target vehicle 5, on the road.
• the computer 22 implements one or more methods of processing the images acquired by the camera 21 making it possible to detect light sources in these images, and thus detecting the presence of the rear lights 51 of the target vehicle 5.
• a second step E2 the computer 22 determines a vertical angle a between the camera 21 of the host vehicle 1 and the taillights 51 of the target vehicle 5 and the distance DH C separating the camera 21 of the host vehicle from the taillights 51 of the target vehicle 5.
• the computer 22 classifies the type of the target vehicle among a set of predetermined vehicle types and determines, from the type of the target vehicle 5 which has been selected, the height H c of the target vehicle 5.
• Each of these operations can be performed by one or more algorithms for processing the images acquired by the camera 21 and implemented by the computer 22. All of this information a, D H c and H c are transmitted by the computer 22 to controller 4.
• a step E3 the controller 4 compares the value of the vertical angle a with a lower threshold (3 ⁇ 4 Struktur, for example -0.7 °, and with a higher threshold a max , for example +4.8 °. If the angle a is not between and a max , the method stops, insofar as it is possible to deduce that the host 1 and target 5 vehicles are traveling on a road whose slope does not allow or does not require a non-glare road type function. In the case where the vertical angle a is between and a max , the process goes to the next step.
• the vertical angle a which has been determined by the computer 22 relates to the position of the target vehicle 5 at the instant t of the acquisition by the camera 21 of the image which made this determination possible.
• the various methods implemented by the computer 22 of the sensor system 2 as well as the steps of the method according to the invention which will be described later and which allow the generation of the non-glare high beam type by the system of lighting 3 require a given execution time DT, at the end of which the beam is actually emitted. During this time DT, the target vehicle 5 may have moved so that the value of the vertical angle a no longer corresponds to the actual position of the target vehicle 5 when the beam was emitted.
• the controller 4 predicts a value of a vertical angle a 'between the camera 21 of the host vehicle 1 and the taillights 51 of the target vehicle at a future instant t + D ⁇ with respect to the time t of the acquisition by the camera 21 of an image having made it possible to determine the vertical angle a in step E2. For these purposes, the controller 4 determines a vertical angular speed 0 ′ of the target vehicle, by deriving the values of the various values of the vertical angle a previously determined in steps E2.
• the predicted value a 'can thus be obtained by means of the following equation:
• a is the value of the vertical angle at time t determined during step E2
• a step E5 the controller 4 determines a lower angle V inf between the light module 31 and the rear lights 51 of the target vehicle 5.
• the controller 4 thus performs a transformation of the predicted vertical angle a 'by a change from a mark centered on the camera 21 of the sensor system 2 to a mark centered on the light module 31 of the lighting system 3 of the host vehicle, by means of the following equation:
• Vi nf is the lower angle, a 'the value of the vertical angle predicted in step E4, D H c the distance separating the host vehicle 1 and the target vehicle 5 determined in step E2, H c am the height of the sensor system 2 of the host vehicle 1 from the road, H HL the height of the lighting system 3 of the host vehicle 1 from the road and D cover the distance between the sensor system 2 and the system d lighting 3.
• the values H cam , H HL , and D cover are known in advance and stored in a memory of the controller 4.
• step E5 the controller 4 determines an upper angle V s up , from the value of the lower angle V inf previously obtained and the height of the target vehicle H c determined at l 'step E2, for example by means of the following equation:
• V sup is the upper angle
• D H c the distance separating the host vehicle 1 and the target vehicle 5 determined in step E2
• H c the height of the target vehicle determined in step E2
• H HL the height of the lighting system of the host vehicle relative to the road
• V inf the value of the lower angle and and D covers the distance separating the sensor system 2 from the lighting system 3.
• step E5 the controller 4 transmits the pair of lower V inf and upper V sup angles to the controller 34 of the light module 31.
• the controller 4 determines a pair of lateral angles respectively right V LD and left V LG from the positions of the rear lights 51 of the target vehicle 5 and also transmits this pair of angles to the controller 34.
• the controller 34 selects the elementary light sources 32 j of the light source 32 capable of emitting elementary light beams HD j whose emission cones are vertically at least partially between the lower angles and V sup and horizontally at least partially included between the right side angles V L D and left V L G ⁇
• the controller 34 thus controls the extinction of these selected elementary light sources 33 ⁇ 4 while controlling the ignition of the other elementary light sources.
• the light module 1 thus emits a pixelated HD light beam of the road type, in which is formed a dark zone Zc centered on the target vehicle 5 and defined vertically by lower and upper cuts each forming a vertical angle with the light module 1, of which the respective values are substantially n w and Vsup; and horizontally by right and left side cuts each forming a horizontal horizontal angle with the light module 1, the respective values of which are substantially VLD and VLG.
• the term “substantially” must be interpreted here with regard to the vertical and horizontal resolutions of the pixelized HD light beam.
• the invention cannot be limited to the embodiments specifically described in this document, and extends in particular to all equivalent means and to any technically operative combination of these means.
• a light module comprising a combination of a light source and a matrix of selectively activatable micro-mirrors.

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• 2019
  • 2019-12-16 FR FR1914490A patent/FR3104674B1/fr active Active
• 2020
  • 2020-12-04 WO PCT/EP2020/084762 patent/WO2021122071A1/fr unknown
  • 2020-12-04 CN CN202080087572.1A patent/CN114867639A/zh active Pending
  • 2020-12-04 US US17/790,548 patent/US20230042933A1/en active Pending
  • 2020-12-04 EP EP20816266.9A patent/EP4077046A1/de active Pending
  • 2020-12-04 JP JP2022536888A patent/JP7354450B2/ja active Active

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