Method and device for determining a headlight range alignment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9970752-B2
Application number	US-201415105942-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2014
Priority date	Dec 19, 2013
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A method for determining a headlight range alignment of at least one first headlight of a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle includes at least one optical sensor which is designed for detecting at least one part of a first illuminated area of the first headlight and generating a first image having the part of the first illuminated area. The method includes the following steps: reading in the first image from the optical sensor, selecting at least one first image area in the first image, whereby a cut-off line of the first headlight is intended to be imaged in the first image area, and determining the headlight range alignment as a function of the first image area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for determining a headlight range alignment of a first headlight and a second headlight of a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle including at least one optical sensor to detect at least one part of a first illuminated area of the first headlight and to generate a first image including the part of the first illuminated area, the method comprising:
reading in the first image from the at least one optical sensor;
selecting at least one first image area in the first image, wherein a cut-off line of the first headlight is intended to be imaged in the first image area;
determining the headlight range alignment as a function of the first image area;
orienting the first headlight as a function of the headlight range alignment and a setpoint orientation; and
determining if there is a misadjustment of the first headlight and the second headlight relative to one another based on the setpoint orientation as a function of a headlight range alignment of the second headlight.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting at least one of: i) at least one second image area in the first image, in which a part of the first illuminated area is intended to be imaged, and ii) at least one third image area, in which an area outside the illuminated area is intended to be imaged; and
determining the headlight range alignment as a function of the at least one of the second and the third image area.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , further comprising:
determining a reflectivity of a road surface as a function of at least one of the first, second, and third image areas; and
determining the headlight range alignment as a function of the reflectivity.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a topology of a road surface; and
determining the headlight range alignment as a function of the topology of the road surface.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting movements of the motor vehicle; and
determining the headlight range alignment as a function of the movements.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
determining characteristic values for a data series of the first image area; and
determining the headlight range alignment as a function of the characteristic values.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 , wherein image rows of the first image area are used as the data series.

8. The method as recited in claim 6 , wherein sums of the data series of the first image area are used as characteristic values for the data series.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
orienting the at least first headlight in a predefined basic orientation.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein a driver-side illuminated area is used as the first illuminated area.

11. A control and evaluation unit for determining a headlight range alignment of a first headlight and a second headlight of a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle including at least one optical sensor to detect at least one part of a first illuminated area of the first headlight and generating a first image having the part of the first illuminated area, the control and evaluation unit being configured to:
read in the first image from the at least one optical sensor;
determine at least a first image area in the first image, in which a cut-off line of the first headlight is intended to be imaged; and
determine the headlight range alignment as a function of the first image area;
orient the first headlight as a function of the headlight range alignment and a setpoint orientation; and
determine if there is a misadjustment of the first headlight and the second headlight relative to one another based on the setpoint orientation as a function of a headlight range alignment of the second headlight.

12. A non-transitory storage medium storing program code, which is executable by a processor, comprising:
a program code arrangement having program code for determining a headlight range alignment of a first headlight and a second headlight of a motor vehicle, the motor vehicle including at least one optical sensor to detect at least one part of a first illuminated area of the first headlight and to generate a first image including the part of the first illuminated area, by performing the following:
reading in the first image from the at least one optical sensor;
selecting at least one first image area in the first image, wherein a cut-off line of the first headlight is intended to be imaged in the first image area; and

determining the headlight range alignment as a function of the first image area;
orient the first headlight as a function of the headlight range alignment and a setpoint orientation; and
determine if there is a misadjustment of the first headlight and the second headlight relative to one another based on the setpoint orientation as a function of a headlight range alignment of the second headlight.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Foltin Johannes
• Geese Marc
• Stierlin Susanne

Classifications

• G01B11/272 Primary

  using photoelectric detection means · CPC title

• B60Q1/10 Primary

  due to vehicle inclination, e.g. due to load distribution · CPC title

• G01M11/065

  details about the image analysis · CPC title

• B60Q2300/32

  Road surface or travel path · CPC title

• G01J1/4257

  applied to monitoring the characteristics of a beam, e.g. laser beam, headlamp beam (monitoring arrangements for lasers in general H01S3/0014) · CPC title