System for Monitoring the Surroundings of a Motor Vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a system (1) for monitoring the surroundings of a motor vehicle (100), in particular an autonomous or semi-autonomous motor vehicle, wherein the system (1) includes at least one optical image capturing device (2) as well as further a lighting device (3, 4), wherein the optical image capturing device (2) is arranged for capturing an area of coverage (E1) of the surroundings, and wherein the area of coverage (E1) can be illuminated at least partially, preferably completely, by the lighting device (3, 4), and wherein the lighting device (3, 4) is arranged for generating a motor vehicle light distribution or part of a motor vehicle light distribution. The system (1) includes at least one optical additional image capturing device (5), which is arranged to capture a so-called additional area of coverage (E2), and wherein the system (1) further includes an additional lighting device (6), which is arranged to illuminate at least partially, preferably completely, the additional area of coverage (E2), also called the second area of coverage.

Claims

1. A system (1) for monitoring the surroundings of a motor vehicle (100), in particular an autonomous or semi-autonomous motor vehicle, the system (1) comprising: at least one optical image capturing device (2); and a lighting device (3, 4), wherein the at least one optical image capturing device (2) is arranged for capturing an area of coverage (E1) of the surroundings, and wherein the area of coverage (E1) can be illuminated at least partially, by the lighting device (3, 4), and wherein the lighting device (3, 4) is arranged for generating a motor vehicle light distribution or part of the motor vehicle light distribution, and characterised in that wherein the system (1) includes at least one optical additional image capturing device (5), which is arranged to capture a so-called additional area of coverage (E2), and wherein the system (1) further includes an additional lighting device (6), which is arranged to illuminate at least partially, the additional area of coverage (E2), also called second area of coverage.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the image capturing device (2) is oriented in a first direction of coverage (R1), and the additional image capturing device (5) is oriented in a second direction of coverage (R2), and wherein the first direction of coverage (R1) and the second direction of coverage (R2), in horizontal direction, are arranged at an angle α to each other, wherein α≠0.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the direction of coverage (R1) extends approximately in parallel to a motor vehicle longitudinal axis (L1) and the second direction of coverage (R2) extends, viewed in forward direction, away from the vehicle longitudinal axis (L1).

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device (3, 4) is part of a motor vehicle headlight (10).

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the image capturing device (2) includes one or more cameras, and/or wherein the additional image capturing device (5) includes one or more additional cameras.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device (3, 4) includes a dipped-beam light module (3) for generating a dipped-beam light distribution and/or a high-beam light module (4) for generating a high-beam light distribution or a combined module for generating a dipped-beam and high-beam light distribution.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first area of coverage (E1) and the second area of coverage (E2) do not overlap and do not touch each other, or overlap each other in sections, or touch each other at least in sections and optionally overlap each other in sections.

8. The system according to claim 1, which comprises a non-optical surroundings capturing device (7), wherein the surroundings capturing device (7) is arranged to capture a further, the so-called third area of coverage (E3), and wherein the surroundings capturing device (7) comprises a third direction of coverage (R3).

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the third area of coverage (E3) overlaps at least partially, respectively, with the first and/or the second, area of coverage (E1, E2), or the third area of coverage (E1, E2) does not overlap with any of the two areas of coverage.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the additional lighting device (6) is a lighting device for generating a motor vehicle light distribution or a part of a motor vehicle light distribution, or the additional lighting device (6) is a light source in the form of a lamp or an LED.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the additional lighting device (6), in particular the light source (6), is arranged for emitting light in the visible range or is designed for emitting light in the infrared range.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the additional lighting device (6) is arranged for generating a cornering light distribution.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein an illuminated area (A3) of the additional lighting device (6), the so-called additional illuminated area, lies below an HD-line or lies below and above as well as on the HD-line.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein the additional image capturing device (5) and the additional lighting device (6) are operated synchronously, such that the additional lighting device (6) emits light only in time windows, in which the additional image capturing device (5) captures images.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the additional image capturing device (5) is arranged for capturing visible light and/or for capturing IR radiation.

16. A motor vehicle headlight for a motor vehicle (100), in particular an autonomous or semi-autonomous motor vehicle, wherein the motor vehicle headlight (10) comprises a system (1) according to claim 1.

17. The motor vehicle headlight according to claim 16, wherein the optical image capturing device (2) is arranged in a lateral edge area of the headlight (10), and/or the optical additional image capturing device (5) is/are arranged in a second edge area of the headlight.

18. The motor vehicle headlight according to claim 16, wherein the headlight includes a cover pane, and wherein the optical image capturing device (2) is arranged in such a way that the first direction of coverage (R1) extends orthogonally to an area of the cover pane lying opposite to the image capturing device (2) and/or the optical additional image capturing device (5) is arranged in such a way that the second direction of coverage (R2) extends orthogonally to an area of the cover pane lying opposite to the optical additional image capturing device (5).

19. A motor vehicle comprising at least one motor vehicle headlight of claim 16, wherein at least the lighting device (3, 4) is part of the motor vehicle headlight (10) of the motor vehicle (100), and/or wherein at least the additional lighting device (6) is part of the motor vehicle headlight (10), which comprises the lighting device (3, 4).

20. The system (1) of claim 1, wherein the area of coverage (E1) can be illuminated completely by the lighting device (3, 4) and/or wherein the additional lighting device (6) is arranged to completely illuminate the additional area of coverage (E2).

21. The system according to claim 2, wherein the angle α lies between 45° and 65°.

22. The system according to claim 2, wherein the angle α is 55°.

23. The system according to claim 8, wherein the surroundings capturing device (7) includes RADAR and/or LIDAR.

24. The system according to claim 11, wherein the light source (6) is configured as a white light source.

Description

[0043] Furthermore at least the additional lighting device is preferably part of a motor vehicle headlight, in particular of that motor vehicle headlight, which includes the lighting device.

[0044] The invention will now be explained in more detail by way of the drawing, in which

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a left-hand motor vehicle headlight of a motor vehicle and

[0046] FIG. 2 shows a motor vehicle with two motor vehicle headlights.

[0047] FIG. 1 shows an inventive system 1, which is installed in a motor vehicle headlight 10 or forms such a motor vehicle headlight. The system 1 includes an optical image capturing device 2 in form of a camera 2 as well as a lighting device 3, 4. The lighting device in this example includes a dipped-beam light module 3 and a high-beam light module 4, which are arranged to generate dipped-beam/high-beam light distribution, by means of which the first illuminated areas A1, A2 (“main illuminated areas”) are illuminated, when the respective module is activated.

[0048] The camera 2 is arranged to capture an area of coverage E1 of the surroundings, so that it can generate images of the surroundings covered. The area of coverage E1 is illuminated at least partially, as depicted, or preferably completely by the dipped-beam light module 3 and/or the high-beam light module 4.

[0049] According to the invention the system 1 includes an optical additional image capturing device 5, preferably in form of an additional camera 5, which is arranged to capture an additional area of coverage E2. In addition the system 1 further includes an additional lighting device 6, with an additional illuminated area A3, which is arranged to illuminate at least partially, preferably completely, the additional area of coverage E2, also called second area of coverage E2.

[0050] This allows a lateral area of the system 1, in particular of the motor vehicle headlight 10 (or the motor vehicle 100, see FIG. 2) to be reliably captured by the additional image capturing unit also at night or in poor visibility conditions.

[0051] The additional lighting device 6 may be a lighting device for generating a motor vehicle light distribution or a part of a motor vehicle light distribution; in the embodiment shown the additional lighting device 6 is a light source, such as in form of a lamp or a LED.

[0052] Depending on the type of additional image capturing unit used the additional lighting device 6, in this example the light source 6, emits light in the visible range (e.g. white light source) or it emits light in the infrared range.

[0053] The depicted system 1 also includes a non-optical surroundings capturing device 7, wherein this surroundings capturing device 7 includes for example RADAR and/or LIDAR, and is arranged to capture a further area, the so-called third area of coverage E3.

[0054] As will be recognised in FIG. 1, the image capturing device 2 is oriented in a first direction of coverage R1, and the additional image capturing device 5 is oriented in a second direction of coverage R2. The first direction of coverage R1 and the second direction of coverage R2, viewed in horizontal direction are arranged at an angle α to each other, wherein α≠0. Preferably it is provided that the angle α lies between 45° and 65°, wherein preferably α=55°. This permits good coverage of a lateral area.

[0055] As will be recognised in FIG. 2, which shows a motor vehicle 100, in which the system 1 is installed as the left-hand motor vehicle headlight 10 (preferably a correspondingly mirrored system 1 is also installed as the right-hand headlight 10), the direction of coverage R1 can extend approximately parallel to a motor vehicle longitudinal axis L1 with the second direction of coverage R2 extending away from the motor vehicle longitudinal axis L1, viewed in forward direction.

[0056] The surroundings capturing device 7 comprises a third direction of coverage R3, wherein preferably the third area of coverage E3 respectively overlaps as least partially with the first and/or second, preferably with the first and the second area of coverage E1, E2.

[0057] The surroundings capturing device 7 preferably lies between the two cameras 2, 5. The third direction of coverage R3—viewed in horizontal direction—preferably occupies an angle unequal zero to the first direction of coverage R1, and extends in forward direction away from a vehicle longitudinal axis L1. The angle between the third direction of coverage R3 and the first direction of coverage R1 is for example smaller than or equal to the angle α between the first and the second direction of coverage R1, R2.

[0058] As depicted the optical image capturing device 2 is preferably arranged in a lateral edge area of the headlight 10, preferably in that edge area, which faces the inside of the vehicle, and the optical additional image capturing device 5 is arranged in a second edge area, the edge area of the headlight located on the outside of the vehicle.