Daimler Chrysler Ag

Daimler Ag

Mercedes-benz Aktiengesellschaft

Gerhard Kurz

Helmuth Eggers

Juergen Seekircher

Thomas Wohlgemuth

Hubert Bohner

Volker Oltmann

Bernd Woltermann

Reinhold Schoeb

Martin Moser

Stefan Hahn

Andy Yap

Harry Tr&ouml;ster

Thomas R&ouml;hrig-Gericke

Reinhold Sch&ouml;b

Joerg Moisel

Richard Zimmer

Reinhold Schneckenburger

Rainer Freitag

Helmut Gimmler

Armin Muller

Ingo Dudeck

Harry Troester

Harry Troster

Mathias Hartl

Volker Reinhold

Karl-Eugen Laubacher

Ralf Ackermann

Ulrich Nester

Reinhold Schob

Tobias Speidel

Thomas Roehrig-Gericke

Werner Ritter

Hans-Dieter Multhaupt

Armin M&uuml;ller

Wofgang Lauer

Thomas Rohrig-Gericke

Werner Huhn

Jörg Moisel

Jürgen Seekircher

Helmut Eggers

Roland Schweiger

Matthias Oberländer

Otto Löhlein

A device for controlling a driving light of a vehicle includes a headlight with a light source, a device for pivoting a produced light distribution and an optical element that provides adjustable light distribution. The optical element includes a light passage opening pivotable into an optical axis of the light source. A beam of the light distribution is limited or deflected such that a limited light field is produced in a pre-settable region in front of the vehicle, which light field has an external form of the light passage opening. Further light passage structures provide a 'high beam' or 'partial high beam' light pattern and thereafter the &#x201c;high beam&#x201d; light pattern by turning, pivoting and/or displacing the optical element in one direction, and another further light passage structure provides a &#x201c;motorway&#x201d; and thereafter a &#x201c;country road&#x201d; light pattern by turning, pivoting and/or displacing the optical element in an opposite direction.

Device for controlling a low beam of a vehicle

Future motor vehicles will require additional lighting means. Additional lighting means are required, above all, in conjunction with environmental sensors, especially sensors which are used in night vision systems. As a result of the generally increasing number of electric and electronic systems in motor vehicles, such systems must be easy to operate for the driver. The invention thus relates to a switching arrangement which enables a plurality of lighting systems to be ergonomically operated on one motor vehicle. Said switching arrangement comprises a single switch having a plurality of switching stages. In this way, all switching stages pertaining to different lighting systems are located in the same switching region, enabling the lighting systems to be operated in a simple and intuitive manner.

Switching arrangement for actuating lighting systems on a motor vehicle

A method for detecting surroundings by an automotive night vision system comprising several areas, including a detection area () in which surroundings related data is detected, an evaluation area within which the surroundings-related data detected by the night vision system is evaluated, and an area of representation in which information about the surroundings-related data detected therein is represented to the driver by an optical display unit. The area of representation is therefore restricted in the inventive method for detecting surroundings such that the area of representation comprises no more than the high beam area (). The driver is shown only the surroundings related data which he/she would see anyway when actuating the conventional high beam due to the fact that the area of representation is restricted.

Area of representation in an automotive night vision system

In a vehicle headlight system with a light source () and at least one reflector () for shaping the light emitted by the light source into a high beam and a low beam, and with a shield () adjustable via an actuating element () between a position in which the light from the light source () is blocked across a maximum cross section and an essentially transmissive position in which this light is substantially allowed to pass through, the actuating element () adapted for adjusting the shield () in a plurality of intermediate positions between the maximal blocking and the essentially transmissive position in which intermediate position the blocked cross section is less than the maximal cross section.

Vehicle headlight system with variable beam shape

The invention relates to an automobile infrared-night viewing device comprising an infrared camera used to receive image data representing the surroundings of the automobile. Said device also comprises an image processing unit which is connected to the infrared-camera and which processes the image data supplied by said camera in such am manner that a continuous image section from the supplied image data is selected and said selected data is retransmitted to a display. Said display then completely or almost completely reproduces the selected data, thereby renouncing any other further representations of the image data. Preferably, the selection of the image data is made according to the speed of the vehicle, the surroundings of the vehicle or the driver.

Automobile infrared night vision device

The invention concerns an automobile display unit, an automobile infrared night vision device and an automobile with such a display unit or, as the case may be, with such an infrared night vision device. The display includes an image processing unit which processes the image data supplied to it such that contiguous areas of maximal light intensity are recognized and these image data are adapted to the extent that they are at least partially replaced by image data with reduced light intensity values. These changed image data are supplied to the display, which reproduces these image data. This display unit makes possible a reduction or a prevention of blinding by brilliant light, which is particularly disturbing in a case of display of infrared night vision image information.

Automobile infrared night vision device and automobile display

An automatic brake and steering system and method for a vehicle contains a sensor unit for sensing vehicle state and characteristic variables, and ambient conditions. Furthermore, a control unit and actuator devices are provided for setting the vehicle brake system and/or the vehicle steering system. In order to be able to carry out automatic avoidance maneuvers with maximum safety, an avoidance route is determined if there is an obstacle in the path of the vehicle. Thereby, if there is a further obstacle on the avoidance route, the strategy for determining the avoidance route is applied once more. If it is not possible to find a collision-free avoidance route, that route on which the difference between the remaining braking distance and the remaining distance from the obstacle is smallest is selected.

Automatic brake and steering system and method for a vehicle

A method and apparatus for automatically setting the speed in a vehicle, with the distance and relative speed between the vehicle and an obstacle determined and used as the basis for the calculation of a braking torque and drive torque which are to be generated independently of the driver in order to approximate the vehicle actual speed to a calculated setpoint speed. The speed of the vehicle is adapted to the speed of the obstacle, in which respect a maximum permissible limiting speed must not be exceeded.

Method and device for automatic speed adjustment in a vehicle

Method and device for classifying the driving style of a driver in a motor vehicle

A steering system is provided for motor vehicles, in which, during the normal operation, the driver adjusts an actual steering angle value generator by way of a steering handle. A control and automatic control arrangement correspondingly operates the steered vehicle wheels by a motor-operated adjusting assembly. For an emergency, a forced coupling is provided between the steering handle and the steered vehicle wheels which switches on automatically. This forced coupling is constructed such that a centering mode can be switched on, during which, when the forced coupling is at least partially switched off, the manual steering wheel can be adjusted until a position is reached. Thereby, in the straight-ahead position of the steered vehicle wheels, the manual steering wheel takes up a defined normal position.

Steering system for motor vehicles

A steering system for vehicles can be operated in a normal mode, in which a steering handle actuated by the driver and steered vehicle wheels are connected to one another via a control system, and in an emergency mode, in which the steering handle and the steered vehicle wheels are positively coupled. To achieve a steering system which increases the operational reliability of the steering system by simple design measures, a steering-angle control unit for a steering-angle actuator actuates the steered vehicle wheels. The control unit contains a first steering-angle control system, and a manual-torque control unit for a manual-torque actuator actuates the steering handle for the purpose of simulating manual torques. The control unit also contains a first manual-torque control system, and the steering-angle control unit comprises a second manual-torque control system, which is connected redundantly with the first manual-torque control system of the manual-torque control unit. The manual-torque control unit comprises a second steering-angle control system which is connected redundantly with the first steering-angle control system of the steering-angle control unit.

Steering system for a vehicle

In a method for braking a motor vehicle at low speeds in order to avoid a collision with an obstacle in its immediate vicinity, the distance and the relative speed between the vehicle and the obstacle are determined by sensor and are based on the calculation of a necessary braking pressure or a deceleration. The brake pressure is generated at least partially independently of the driver. In order to minimize the reaction time in the case of slow approach to an obstacle in the case where the relative speed falls below a threshold value and the distance falls below a proximity limit, the braking torque is set to a smaller value than the engine torque. In the case where the distance falls below a stop limit, which is smaller than the proximity limit, the braking torque and the engine torque are adjusted in such a way that the braking torque exceeds the engine torque.

Method and appliance for braking a motor vehicle in the immediate vicinity of an obstacle

A process determines the torque transmitted by the gas forces to the crankshaft of an internal-combustion engine. The rotational speed data which is detected by determining the angular speed of a component fixedly connected with the crankshaft is analyzed, and the rotating moment is computed from the angular speed correlated with the rotational speed by way of the moment of inertia of the engine. In addition to the rotational moment of the engine, the torques of the oscillating masses, the torsional moments of the crankshaft and the static torques resulting from all slowly variable friction moments, effective moments and load moments are determined. From a balance of these individual torques, the torque resulting form the gas forces is determined. Subsequently, the work delivered by the individual cylinders per working cycle is determined from this torque. The thus determined operating parameters is used for the engine control and/or for the on-board diagnosis.

Process for determining gas-force transmitted torque to an

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Wendlingen, Germany

Gerhard Kurz