Abstract: A camera for identifying soiling on a protective screen, such as a vehicle windscreen, is focused on a scene through the protective screen and can be used to identify soiling and for other applications, e.g. to identify driving lanes and/or objects in the scene. Soiling is identified merely by evaluating successively recorded image frames, and artificial reference frames or reference objects are not required. A prerequisite is that the relative speed vrel between the camera and at least one recorded object in the scene is not equal to zero and its trajectory in the image is predicted. By comparing the relevant image frame sections, possible soiling on subregions of the protective screen is identified.

Abstract: A vehicle antenna unit for participation in vehicle-to-surroundings communication in accordance with the DSRC or ITS-G5 standard having an adhoc network antenna for sending and receiving in the region of 5.9 GHz, having a satellite antenna for receiving satellite locating signals and having driver elements, which are set up to send, bit by bit, and/or to receive data with the adhoc network antenna and the satellite antenna, and having a computation unit for conditioning the data. In order to allow the vehicle to participate in the vehicle-to-surroundings communication, the computation unit is set up to evaluate the satellite locating signals and for the purpose of independent participation by the vehicle antenna unit in the vehicle-to-surroundings communication.

Abstract: A method for the automatic light control for a motor vehicle with a camera sensor for monitoring the environment in front of the motor vehicle is presented. With the camera sensor, an image sequence of the motor vehicle environment in front of the motor vehicle is recorded. The lane of the own motor vehicle is estimated from the image data. At least one evaluation window along the lane is set in the image, so that preceding and oncoming motor vehicles are recorded. Points of light in the image sequence are pursued (tracked). On the basis of the image data, the lights of other motor vehicles are detected, and the front headlights are controlled in such a manner that the drivers of other motor vehicles are not blinded.

Abstract: A method for detecting front headlights and tail lights of a motor vehicle uses a color camera sensor that has a plurality of red pixels, i.e. image points which are only sensitive in the red spectral range, and a plurality of pixels of other colors. In a first evaluation stage, only the intensity of the red pixels in the image is analyzed in order to select relevant points of light in the image.

Abstract: A method for detecting road lane markings for a motor vehicle in motion with an image recording unit is presented. The image recording unit points to the road in front of the vehicle and in the recorded image data, brightness differences (contrasts) are analysed and/or edges are extracted. Road lane markings are detected by means of their periodic arrangement. For evaluation purposes, the measuring signal of the image recording unit is transformed into another coordinate system, and the auxiliary function thus obtained is tested for periodic structures.

Abstract: A method for detecting and categorizing points of light for a motor vehicle with a camera sensor directed towards the motor vehicle environment is presented. Here, at least one first category for passive, illumined reflectors and at least one second category for self-radiating, moving lights, in particular motor vehicle lights, is provided. For this purpose, the time progression of the intensity of a point of light is analysed. On the basis of the intensity fluctuation, points of light are categorized as motor vehicle lights or as reflectors.

Abstract: A method for regulating the velocity of a motor vehicle in a complex traffic situation is presented. The motor vehicle is equipped with a sensor system for recording the environment. In order to regulate the velocity, an at least partially covered object and/or at least one object on an adjacent lane is viewed.

Abstract: In a frequency-modulated radar system and method for detecting the surroundings, a compensation of interfering effects is achieved by varying one of the following values: a) a time spacing or temporal distance between the transmitted frequency ramps or the time gap between the frequency ramps, b) a time from the start of the respective transmitted frequency ramp to the beginning of the scanning of the received signal, c) a frequency at the start of the transmitted frequency ramp, and d) a sign of the slope of the transmitted frequency ramps.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for calibrating a camera-based system of a vehicle (F), having a pane (S), in particular of a camera-based driver assistance system. A type of the pane (S), in particular the tinting thereof, is detected by way of the camera-based system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for automatically detecting a driving maneuver of a motor vehicle (A), in particular an overtaking maneuver or an evasive maneuver, in which the surroundings of the vehicle are covered and an electronic image thereof is created, the electronic image is used for the detection of a traffic lane and/or of a road as well as of-objects (B, C) in the surroundings of the vehicle, longitudinal-dynamics and lateral-dynamics movement information ({dot over (?)}, ?y, ?H, ?FL, ?FR, ?RL, ?RR) of motor vehicle (A) is determined, and the position ({circumflex over (X)}) of motor vehicle (A) is odometrically estimated on the basis of the data (bLane, yLane, ?, c0) of lane detection and/or road detection and/or of the movement information ({dot over (?)}, ?y, ?H, ?FL, ?FR, ?RL, ?RR) of motor vehicle (A), wherein the invention provides that a) the following indicator quantities are formed from the estimated position data ({circumflex over (X)}) of motor vehicle (A): a value of the latera

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for operating a video-based driver assistance system in a vehicle (F), wherein, by using image data recorded by an imaging unit and processed by an image processing unit, a vehicle environment and/or at least one object (O) in the vehicle environment and/or status data are determined. In the determination of the vehicle environment, of the object (O) in the vehicle environment and/or of the status data, a pixel offset (P) present in the image data of consecutive images is determined and compensated for. Also disclosed is an apparatus for operating a video-based driver assistance system in a vehicle (F).

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical module having a semiconductor element (4) with a surface that is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation and with an objective lens (1) for the projection of electromagnetic radiation onto the sensitive surface of the semiconductor element (4), in particular for the use thereof in motor vehicles. An additional optical element (11) is arranged in a defined partial volume in the space between the objective lens (1) and the sensitive surface of the semiconductor element (4) so that, by the additional optical element (11), a first distance range (8) is imaged in a first region of the sensitive surface of the semiconductor element (4) and a second distance range (9) is imaged in a second region of the visual range where the additional optical element (11) is not located.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for distinguishing between approaching vehicle lights (VL) and retroreflectors (R) in the dark, which are recorded as light surfaces by an image recording device oriented towards the surroundings of a vehicle. The image recording device records at least one image of the vehicle surroundings. The image is evaluated by an image processing unit. Light surfaces present on the image are analyzed. A decision is then taken as to whether the light surface is a vehicle light (VL) or a retroreflector (R). Light surfaces whose optical interaction with other objects is shown in the image are identified as vehicle lights (VL).

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for determining relevant objects in the vicinity of a motor vehicle by an environmental detection sensor. A calculation of the probable trajectory of objects is thus not necessary. The only objects that are classified as relevant are those with a greater probability of a collision despite an average driver response such as evasive action and/or braking. The probability of a collision is determined in accordance with at least two values that are calculated from vehicle and environmental data. A first value describes future evasive action or evasive action that has already been initiated and a second value describes a deceleration operation. Each of the two or more values is delimited by a threshold value, which indicates the start of a critical range. The braking devices are activated if at least one of the determined values lies in the critical range.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an object detection device for analysing objects in the environment and/or scenes in the environment. The object detection device includes a data processing and/or evaluation device. In the data processing and/or evaluation device, image data (xt) is evaluated on the basis of a Conditional Random Field (CRF) model and the CRF model provides additional object nodes (otn) which take into account information from an object detector.

Abstract: A driver assistance system for avoiding collisions of a vehicle with pedestrians, the system including a camera sensor and/or a beam sensor. When an object moving at a given speed on a pedestrian crossing is detected, the object is detected as being a pedestrian with a probability that is sufficiently high to output a warning to the driver, reducing the likelihood of a potential collision.

Abstract: A method for exposure control for a camera system in a motor vehicle is provided. The camera system records a sequence of images of the surroundings of the vehicle using an optimal exposure time. The optimal exposure time is predetermined depending on the brightness of the surroundings or on the brightness of individual objects in the image. If the optimal exposure time is longer than a predetermined threshold value, at least one intermediate image is recorded using a short predetermined exposure time, i.e. an exposure time shorter than the optimal exposure time. At least two driver assistance functions are executed on the basis of the image data of the camera system. The image data recorded using the optimal exposure time is used for a first driver assistance system and the image data recorded using the short exposure time is used for a second driver assistance system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a driver assistance system for a motor vehicle, comprising a surroundings sensor and an evaluation unit for the surroundings sensor data, wherein the evaluation unit is provided with data from a positioning device and reduced data from a digital road map.

Abstract: The invention relates to a radar system for recording the environment of a motor vehicle, comprising: transmission means for emitting transmission signals using at least two transmission antennas; receiving means for receiving transmission signals reflected by objects using one or more receiver antennas; and signal processing means for processing the received signals, characterized in that it is equipped with transmitter and receiver antennas that are planar and are situated on a level surface, said transmitter and receiver antennas have at least approximately the same emission characteristic, wherein the emission characteristic of the transmitter antennas can be different to that of the receiver antennas, received signals are acquired from different combinations of the transmitter and receiver antennas, in the signal processing means, the angular position in a spatial direction R is estimated for objects from said received signals, using the fact that the received signals from an individual object have

Abstract: The invention relates to a radar system for recording the environment of a motor vehicle, comprising: transmission means for emitting transmission signals using several transmission antennas; receiving means for receiving transmission signals reflected by objects using several receiver antennas; and signal processing means for processing the received signals, characterized in that it is equipped with several transmitter and receiver antennas, each containing at least one individual transmitting or receiving element, referred to henceforth as an elemental emitter, which is located on the front or rear face of a level printed circuit board, it is equipped with at least one transmitter antenna and receiver antenna, each containing at least one elemental emitter located on the level printed circuit board, the antenna pattern of said antenna outside the radar sensor being tilted at a maximum angle of 45° to the perpendicular on the board, and it is equipped with at least one transmitter and receiver antenna, each