US 11,865,966 B1
Illumination apparatus for a motor vehicle headlamp
Peter Hartmann, Schonbuhel (AT); Matthaus Artmann, Ybbs an der Donau (AT); and Martin Brandstetter, Ybbs an der Donau (AT)
Assigned to ZKW Group GmbH, Wieselburg (AT)
Appl. No. 18/031,699
Filed by ZKW Group GmbH, Wieselburg (AT)
PCT Filed Sep. 22, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/076029
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 13, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/083959, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 28, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 20202590 (EP), filed on Oct. 19, 2020.
Int. Cl. B60Q 1/14 (2006.01); B60Q 1/00 (2006.01); G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01S 17/88 (2006.01); F21Y 115/10 (2016.01); F21S 41/153 (2018.01)
CPC B60Q 1/143 (2013.01) [B60Q 1/0023 (2013.01); G01S 7/4816 (2013.01); G01S 7/4817 (2013.01); G01S 17/88 (2013.01); B60Q 2300/056 (2013.01); F21S 41/153 (2018.01); F21Y 2115/10 (2016.08)] 17 Claims
 
1. An illumination device (10) for a motor vehicle headlight for detection and targeted masking of a light-emitting object (20) present in front of the illumination device (10) in segmented light distribution, the illumination device (10) comprising:
a light generation unit (100), which comprises several light pixels (110), which are arranged in an array of light pixels in one or more rows and columns, wherein the light generation unit (100) is designed to emit segmented light distribution in a main emission direction in front of the illumination device (10);
a light sensor device (200) for detecting light of a light-emitting object (20) with a first light sensor (210), which first light sensor (210) has several first sensor pixels (211), which are arranged in a row, wherein the first sensor pixels (211) are designed to detect luminous flux from light incident on the first light sensor (210) in a wavelength range of 380 nm to 780 nm;
a control unit (300), which is connected to the light generation unit (100) and the light sensor device (200) and is designed to control the light generation unit (100) for generating the segmented light distribution,
wherein the light generation unit (100), the light sensor device (200) and the control unit (300) are arranged together on a base support (50), and together with the base support (50) form an assembly,
wherein the light pixels (110) of the array of light pixels are divided into a plurality of light pixel groups (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d), wherein one light pixel group (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d) can respectively produce a segment of the segmented light distribution in a light solid angle (LRa, LRb, LRc, LRd), wherein each light pixel group comprises at least one light pixel (110),
wherein one sensor pixel of the plurality of first sensor pixels (211) can respectively detect light in a detection solid angle (DRa, DRb, DRc, DRd) associated with the respective sensor pixel (211) and is respectively associated with a light pixel group (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d), wherein a different detection solid angle is associated with each sensor pixel of the plurality of first sensor pixels (211), wherein the detection solid angles (DRa, DRb, DRc, DRd) are substantially adjacent to one another and form an overall detection solid angle, in which light from the light-emitting object (20) can be detected, and wherein the light incident on each first sensor pixel (211) can be detected as a luminous flux value associated with the respective first sensor pixel (211),
wherein the detection solid angle (DRa, DRb, DRc, DRd) that can be detected by a first sensor pixel (211) is substantially identical to the light solid angle (LRa, LRb, LRc, LRd) of the respectively associated light pixel group (110a, 110b, 100c, 110d),
wherein the illumination device (10) has a laser beam generating device (400) for measuring the distance of the object (20) present in front of the illumination device (10), which laser beam generating device (400) is designed to emit at least one laser beam (410) in a wavelength range of 780 nm to 12 μm in front of the illumination device (10) and to change it in a horizontal orientation,
wherein the light sensor device (200) additionally comprises a second light sensor (220), which second light sensor (220) comprises a plurality of second sensor pixels (221), which are arranged in a row, wherein the second sensor pixels (221) are designed to detect luminous flux in the wavelength range of the laser beam (410) of the laser beam generating unit (400) from light incident on the second light sensor (220),
wherein the control unit (300) is designed to individually compare the luminous flux values detected by the respective first sensor pixels (211) with a respectively definable threshold and, if the threshold is exceeded, to reduce the luminous flux of the corresponding light pixel groups (110a, 110b, 110c, 110d),
wherein in the event that it is determined that the threshold has been exceeded in two detection solid angles (DRa, DRc) and it is determined that the threshold has not been exceeded in at least one detection solid angle (DRb) between these two detection solid angles (DRa, DRc), the control unit (300) is designed to derive a presumed object width, which corresponds to the number of first sensor pixels (211) made up of the two detection solid angles (DRa, DRc), at which the threshold has been exceeded, and the detection solid angles (DRc) lying between these two detection solid angles, and to compare it to an actual object width, which actual object width can be determined by means of a travel time measurement and/or triangulation measurement of the laser beam (410) reflecting on the object (20) by the second light sensor (220), and
wherein, if the presumed object width matches the actual object width, the control device (300) is designed to reduce the luminous flux of the corresponding light pixel groups (110a, 110b, 110c) associated with the first sensor pixels (211) of the presumed object width, despite failed exceeding of the threshold in the detection solid angles (DRb) between the detection solid angles (DRa, DRc) at which the threshold has been exceeded.