Method for adjusting a vehicle mirror and/or a screen, and system for carrying out the method

Abstract

A method for adjusting at least one vehicle mirror and/or a screen includes capturing a head outline of a driver in relation to at least one vehicle geometry of the passenger compartment of the vehicle using a passenger-compartment camera of the vehicle. The position of the head of the driver is calculated using, at least in part, the captured head outline and calibration information with respect to the at least one vehicle geometry of the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The method also includes determining a target position of the at least one vehicle mirror and/or of the screen using, at least in part, the calculated head position. The method further includes activating an actuator of the at least one vehicle mirror and/or of the screen for the purpose of bringing about the determined target position of the vehicle mirror and/or of the screen.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting at least one vehicle mirror and/or a screen, said method including the following steps: a) capturing a head outline of a driver in relation to at least one vehicle geometry of the passenger compartment of the vehicle using a passenger-compartment camera of the vehicle, b) calculating a position of the head of the driver using, at least in part, the captured head outline and calibration information with respect to the at least one vehicle geometry of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, c) determining a target position of the at least one vehicle mirror and/or of the screen using, at least in part, the calculated head position, d) activating an actuator of the at least one vehicle mirror and/or of the screen for the purpose of bringing about the determined target position of the vehicle mirror and/or of the screen.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the head outline includes a plurality of detected edge portions, the method further comprising adapting of an elliptical shape to the captured head outline such that the elliptical shape adjoins the detected head portions.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein step a) further comprises capturing the head outline of the driver a plurality of times to generate a plurality of captured head outlines, and wherein step b) further comprises calculating the position of the head of the driver using, at least in part, a mean value of the plurality of captured head outlines of the driver.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein step c) further comprises using a previously established mean value corresponding to a head length (L) and a head width (B), as well as the adapted elliptical shape, for determining the target position of the vehicle mirror and/or of the screen.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step c) further comprises using a previously established mean value corresponding to a head length (L) and a head width (B) for determining the target position of the vehicle mirror and/or of the screen.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: capturing, in a calibration step, a spacing between the passenger-compartment camera and the at least one vehicle geometry using a sensor.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the sensor comprises an infrared sensor.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the at least one vehicle geometry comprises a portion of the A-pillar of the vehicle, and/or a portion of the B-pillar of the vehicle, and/or a portion of the C-pillar of the vehicle.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the calibration step is carried out once upon completion of the vehicle or before each adjustment of at least one vehicle mirror.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: manually measuring, in a calibration step, a spacing between the passenger-compartment camera and the at least one vehicle geometry; entering and storing the manually measured spacing in an arithmetic unit of the vehicle.

11. A method for adjusting at least one vehicle mirror and/or a screen, said method including the following steps: a) capturing a head outline of a driver in relation to at least one vehicle geometry of the passenger compartment of the vehicle using a passenger-compartment camera of the vehicle, wherein capturing the head outline of the driver includes capturing the head outline of the driver a plurality of times to generate a plurality of captured head outlines b) calculating a position of the head of the driver using, at least in part, the captured head outline and calibration information with respect to the at least one vehicle geometry of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, wherein calculating the position of the head of the driver includes using, at least in part, a mean value of the plurality of captured head outlines of the driver c) determining a target position of the at least one vehicle mirror and/or of the screen using, at least in part, the calculated head position, and d) activating an actuator of the at least one vehicle mirror and/or of the screen for the purpose of bringing about the determined target position of the vehicle mirror and/or of the screen.

12. A system for adjusting at least one vehicle mirror and/or a screen, comprising: at least one passenger-compartment camera configured to capture a head outline of a driver in relation to at least one vehicle geometry of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, at least one arithmetic unit, and at least one data connection to at least one actuator of a vehicle mirror and/or of a screen; wherein the at least one arithmetic unit is configured to: calculate a position of the head of the driver using, at least in part, the captured head outline and calibration information with respect to the at least one vehicle geometry of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, determine a target position of the at least one vehicle mirror and/or of the screen using, at least in part, the calculated head position, and cause activation of an actuator of the at least one vehicle mirror and/or of the screen for the purpose of bringing about the determined target position of the vehicle mirror and/or of the screen.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least one passenger-compartment camera comprises a 2D camera or a fisheye camera.

14. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the passenger-compartment camera has an angle of view of 100-220.

15. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the passenger-compartment camera has an angle of view of 110-160.

16. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least one passenger-compartment camera is arranged on a central axis of a vehicle.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one passenger-compartment camera is arranged in the region of a vehicle roof or windshield root.

18. The system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a memory in which a mean value as regards a head length and a head width and/or a value of the spacing of the passenger-compartment camera from at least one vehicle geometry of the passenger compartment of the vehicle has been stored, and wherein the at least one passenger-compartment camera is further configured to capture the head outline of the driver a plurality of times to generate a plurality of captured head outlines, and the at least one arithmetic unit is further configured to calculate the position of the head of the driver using, at least in part, a mean value of the plurality of captured head outlines of the driver.

19. The system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a distance sensor.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which contains instructions that cause at least one arithmetic unit to implement a method as claimed in claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a plan view of a vehicle;

(2) FIG. 2 shows a representation of a method step of the method according to the invention for adjusting at least one vehicle mirror and/or a screen; and

(3) FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a method according to the invention for adjusting at least one vehicle mirror and/or a screen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) In the following description, the same reference numerals will be used for identical parts and parts acting identically.

(5) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a plan view of a vehicle 10 which includes a system configured to carry out a method for adjusting at least one vehicle mirror and/or a screen.

(6) Accordingly, the side mirrors 20, which may also be designated as exterior mirrors, and also the interior mirror 25 can be adjusted by means of a method discussed further below. Moreover, it is possible that the screen 30 which is likewise represented can be adjusted with the aid of the method discussed further below.

(7) The system includes at least one passenger-compartment camera 40. The passenger-compartment camera 40 is also used for other applications in the vehicle. The passenger-compartment camera 40 is a 2D camera or a fisheye camera.

(8) Moreover, the system exhibits an arithmetic unit 50. The arithmetic unit 50 may, for instance, have been designed to be integrated into the on-board computer of the vehicle 10. A data connection (not represented) is provided between the arithmetic unit 50 and the actuators of the mirrors 20 and 25 and also to the screen 30.

(9) The arrangement of the A-pillar 81, of the B-pillar 82 and also of the C-pillar 83 has been represented schematically, at least for the left half of the vehicle. The pillars 81-83 are vehicle geometries that are invariable. The pillars 81-83 can be captured by means of the passenger-compartment camera 40.

(10) With the aid of the infrared sensor 60, the spacing between the passenger-compartment camera 40 and the invariable vehicle geometryfor instance, the spacing between the passenger-compartment camera 40 and the A-pillar 81 and/or the B-pillar 82 and/or the C-pillar 83can be captured. Such a capturing of the spacing is preferentially undertaken in a calibration step which is preferentially carried out once in vehicle-specific manner upon completion of the vehicle 10.

(11) It can be discerned that the passenger-compartment camera 40 is arranged on the central axis M of the vehicle 10. It is possible that the passenger-compartment camera 40 is arranged in the region of the vehicle roof or in the region of the windshield root.

(12) When the method is carried out, the capturing of a head outline 70 of the driver 100 is firstly undertaken. The head outline 70 is captured in a lateral representation of the head 65.

(13) When the head outline 70 of the driver 100 is captured, the capturing of the vehicle geometrythat is to say, in the case represented, of the A-pillar 81, of the B-pillar 82 and/or of the C-pillar 83is undertaken at the same time. Accordingly, the capturing of the head outline 70 is undertaken in relation to at least one of the aforementioned vehicle geometries 81, 82 and 83.

(14) The calculating of the position of the head 65 of the driver 100 follows with the aid of the captured head outline 70 and with the aid of the calibration information captured within the scope of the calibration step. Therefore the precise position of the head 65, inclusive of the depth data, can be calculated. An evaluation is undertaken of the two-dimensional image data of the passenger-compartment camera 40.

(15) In a step c) the determining is undertaken of a target position of the vehicle mirrors 20 and 25 and also of the screen 30. The determining of the target positions is undertaken with the aid of the calculated head position.

(16) Subsequently, the activating is undertaken of, in each instance, an actuator of the rear-view mirrors 20 and 25 and also of the screen 30. This serves for bringing about the determined target positions of the vehicle mirrors 20 and 25 and also of the screen 30.

(17) FIG. 2 shows how an elliptical shape 90 comes about in respect of the captured head outline 70. Accordingly, an ellipse 90 is placed around the head outline 70 in such a manner that the elliptical shape 90 adjoins as many detected edge portions 71 of the head outline 70 as possible.

(18) In step c) a previously established value as regards a head length L and a head width B is preferentially drawn upon for the purpose of determining the target position of the vehicle mirror 20, 25 and/or of the screen 30. This is undertaken, in particular, by taking the elliptical shape 90 into account.

(19) In FIG. 3, individual steps of the method for adjusting at least one vehicle mirror and/or a screen, to be carried out in succession, have been represented in simplified form.

(20) In a step 200 a calibration step is firstly undertaken, in which the spacing between the passenger-compartment camera 40 and at least one vehicle geometry 81, 82 and 83 is ascertained by means of the infrared sensor 60. In step 210 the respective value of the spacing between the passenger-compartment camera 40 and the vehicle geometry is saved in a memory.

(21) In step 220 the mean value as regards the head length L and the head width B is additionally saved in the memory. Steps 210 and 220 may also be carried out simultaneously or in reverse order.

(22) In step 230 the capturing is undertaken of the head outline 70 of the driver 100 in relation to the vehicle geometry 81, 82 and 83 of the passenger compartment 95 of the vehicle. The capturing is undertaken by means of the passenger-compartment camera 40.

(23) In step 240 the adapting of an elliptical shape 90 to the captured head outline 70 is undertaken (see FIG. 2).

(24) It is possible that the head outline 70 of the driver 100 is captured several times in step 230. Accordingly, in step 240 the adapting of an elliptical shape 90 to a mean value of the captured head outlines 70 would have to be undertaken.

(25) In step 250 the calculating of the position of the head 70 of the driver 100 is undertaken with the aid of the captured head outlines 70, in particular by taking the elliptical shape 90 into account. The calculation step 250 is undertaken additionally with the aid of the calibration data captured in step 200 and stored in step 210. The spacing of the head outline 70 of the positioned head 65 of the driver 100 from the passenger-compartment camera 40 can be ascertained with the aid of the calibration data.

(26) In step 260 the target positions of the vehicle mirrors 20, 25 and also of the screen 30 are determined. This can be undertaken, for instance, by means of reference data saved in a database. The reference data are selected on the basis of the calculated head position.

(27) In step 270 the activation of the actuators (not represented) of the vehicle mirrors 20 and 25 and also of the screen 30 is finally undertaken for the purpose of bringing about the previously determined target positions of the vehicle mirrors 20 and 25 and also of the screen 30.

(28) It will be appreciated that the above-describe embodiments are merely illustrative, and that those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own modifications and implementations that incorporate the principles of the present invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(29) 10 vehicle 20 side mirror 25 interior mirror 30 screen 40 passenger-compartment camera 50 arithmetic unit 60 infrared sensor 65 head 70 head outline 71 edge portion 81 A-pillar 82 B-pillar 83 C-pillar 90 elliptical shape 95 passenger compartment of the vehicle 100 driver B head width L head length M longitudinal axis 200-270 method steps