# US 2013/0158960 A1 · Method and control unit for validating an illumination-range test value of a light cone of a vehicle headlight > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0158960 A1 - Document ID: US20130158960A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/698,866 - Filed: 2011-05-12 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2010-05-20 - Assignees: Robert Bosch GmbH - Inventors: Tobias Rentschler; Christian Renner - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130158960A1 ## CPC - B60Q 1/10: due to vehicle inclination, e.g. due to load distribution - G01M 11/065: {details about the image analysis} - G01M 11/068: {with part of the measurements done from inside the vehicle} - G06F 30/20: Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) - G06V 20/584: {of vehicle lights or traffic lights} - G06V 20/588: {Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road} - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract A method for validating an illumination-range test value of a light cone of at least one headlight of a vehicle. The method includes reading in a reflection intensity of a point on at least one road marking illuminated by the light cone; generating a reflection intensity model for the road marking, based on the obtained reflection intensity and a particular distance of the point from the vehicle, the reflection intensity model being designed to assign different reflection intensities to different positions on the road marking in front of the vehicle; determining an illumination-range plausibility value, at which, according to the reflection intensity model, a reflection intensity is reached, which corresponds to a reflection-intensity threshold value; and comparing the illumination-range plausibility value to the illumination-range test value, to validate the illumination-range test value, if the illumination-range plausibility value is inside a tolerance range around the illumination-range test value. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-9. (canceled) ### Claim 10 A method for validating an illumination-range test value of a light cone of at least one headlight of a vehicle, comprising: reading in a reflection intensity of a point on at least one road marking illuminated by the light cone; generating a reflection intensity model for the road marking based on a measured reflection intensity and a particular distance of a point from the vehicle, the reflection intensity model to assign different reflection intensities to different positions on the road marking in front of the vehicle; determining an illumination-range plausibility value, at which, according to the reflection intensity model, a reflection intensity is reached, which corresponds to a reflection-intensity threshold value; and comparing the illumination-range plausibility value to the illumination-range test value to validate the illumination-range test value, if the illumination-range plausibility value is inside a tolerance range around the illumination-range test value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the illumination-range test value is determined based on a detection of an object situated in the light cone. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method as recited in claim 10, wherein in the reading-in, the reflection intensity is measured at a point on the road marking at which the reflection intensity is at a maximum over all points on the road marking. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method as recited in claim 10, wherein in the reading-in, the reflection intensity is measured of a point, which is situated on a longest of a plurality of road markings illuminated by the light cone. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method as recited in claim 10, wherein in the determining, a reflection-intensity threshold value is used which is a function of a type of headlight used in the vehicle. ### Claim 15 A method for controlling a variable illumination range system of a vehicle, comprising: reading in a reflection intensity of a point on at least one road marking illuminated by a light cone of at least one headlight of the vehicle; generating a reflection intensity model for the road marking based on a measured reflection intensity and a particular distance of a point from the vehicle, the reflection intensity model to assign different reflection intensities to different positions on the road marking in front of the vehicle; determining an illumination-range plausibility value, at which, according to the reflection intensity model, a reflection intensity is reached, which corresponds to a reflection-intensity threshold value; comparing the illumination-range plausibility value to the illumination-range test value to validate the illumination-range test value, if the illumination-range plausibility value is inside a tolerance range around the illumination-range test value; and controlling the variable illumination range system based on the validated illumination-range test value. ### Claim 16 A device for validating an illumination-range test value of a light cone of at least one headlight of a vehicle, the device comprising: a unit to read in a reflection intensity of a point on at least one road marking illuminated by the light cone; a unit to generate a reflection intensity model for the road marking based on the measured reflection intensity and a particular distance of the point from the vehicle, the reflection intensity model to assign different reflection intensities to different positions on the road marking in front of the vehicle; a unit to determine an illumination-range plausibility value, at which, according to the reflection intensity model, a reflection intensity is reached which corresponds to a reflection-intensity threshold value; and a unit to compare the illumination-range plausibility value to the illumination-range test value, and to validate the illumination-range test value if the illumination-range plausibility value is inside a tolerance range around the illumination-range test value. ### Claim 17 A control unit to validate an illumination range test value of a light cone of at least one headlight of a vehicle, the control unit configured to read in a reflection intensity of a point on at least one road marking illuminated by the light cone, to generate a reflection intensity model for the road marking based on a measured reflection intensity and a particular distance of a point from the vehicle, the reflection intensity model to assign different reflection intensities to different positions on the road marking in front of the vehicle, to determine an illumination-range plausibility value, at which, according to the reflection intensity model, a reflection intensity is reached, which corresponds to a reflection-intensity threshold value, and to compare the illumination-range plausibility value to the illumination-range test value to validate the illumination-range test value, and if the illumination-range plausibility value is inside a tolerance range around the illumination-range test value. ### Claim 18 A computer readable medium storing program code to validate an illumination range test value of a light cone of at least one headlight of a vehicle, the program code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to perform the steps of: reading in a reflection intensity of a point on at least one road marking illuminated by the light cone; generating a reflection intensity model for the road marking based on a measured reflection intensity and a particular distance of a point from the vehicle, the reflection intensity model to assign different reflection intensities to different positions on the road marking in front of the vehicle; determining an illumination-range plausibility value, at which, according to the reflection intensity model, a reflection intensity is reached, which corresponds to a reflection-intensity threshold value; and comparing the illumination-range plausibility value to the illumination-range test value to validate the illumination-range test value, if the illumination-range plausibility value is inside a tolerance range around the illumination-range test value.