Abstract: A fluid bladder valve for a pneumatic vehicle seat adjustment device is disclosed. The valve comprises a first chamber configured to connect to a fluid source, a second chamber configured to connect to the fluid bladder, a third chamber configured to connect to an environment, a fourth chamber connected to the first chamber via a first fluid passage, connected to the second valve chamber via a second fluid passage, and connected to the third valve chamber via a third fluid passage; and an actuator comprising a blocking element disposed in the fourth chamber and an actuator element disposed in the third valve chamber and coupled to the blocking element and configured to move the blocking element between a first position wherein the first passage is opened and the third passage is closed, and a second position wherein the first passage is closed and the third passage is opened.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a traffic light phase for a motor vehicle, includes: an image sensor device (10), configured to capture an image of a traffic light and to provide the image as image data; a segmentation device (20) configured to define at least one partial region of the captured image and to assign it to at least one signal lamp of the traffic light; a scaling device (30), configured to determine a maximum color saturation and/or a maximum brightness in the at least one partial region; and a computer device (40) configured to determine a signal status of the traffic light based on the maximum color saturation and/or the maximum brightness.

Abstract: A device for calibrating a camera system of a vehicle is configured to calibrate the camera system during movement of the vehicle through a factory environment without specially arranged targets, by using a database including features of the factory environment and accompanying position information. The database can be updated with each calibration of a camera system. Relaying the database between such devices allows for successive improvement of the database.

Abstract: A radar system for detecting the surroundings of a motor vehicle, the radar system includes a plastic-based antenna having a front side facing a cover. The plastic-based antenna has a plurality of individual antennas for transmitting and/or receiving radar signals to detect objects and/or determining angles thereof. The front side between the individual antennas is configured to be at least partially not reflective on a surface thereof such that interference waves on the surface of the plastic-based antenna and/or reflections between the plastic-based antenna and the cover are suppressed or the negative effects thereof on the determination of angles are at least reduced.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a temperature control element for heating a sensor for detecting surroundings, having a three-dimensional plastic component, characterized in that at least one metallized structure is integrated into the plastic component or respectively provided therein, wherein the metallized structure is configured in such a manner that it assumes a heating function. A sensor arrangement for detecting surroundings is also disclosed, having a sensor for detecting surroundings as well as a temperature control element.

Abstract: A method removes brightening, which is caused by scattered light, from an image of an external environment of a vehicle captured by a vehicle camera arranged in or on the vehicle. A curve of a total intensity e.g. along a respective line within the image is determined, wherein the total intensity is caused by desired light and scattered light that reach the coverage area of the vehicle camera. An approximation function of a lower limit of the scattered light intensity is estimated. The estimated approximation function is subtracted from the determined curve of the total intensity to produce a modified image with reduced or corrected scattered light.

Abstract: A method and a driver assistance system recognize the intention of a pedestrian to move on the basis of a sequence of images of a camera. The method includes detecting a pedestrian in at least one camera image. The method also includes selecting a camera image that is current at the time t and selecting a predefined selection pattern of previous camera images of the image sequence. The method further includes extracting the image region in which the pedestrian was detected in the selected camera images of the image sequence. The method also includes classifying the movement profile of the detected pedestrian on the basis of the plurality of extracted image regions. The method outputs the class that describes the movement intention determined from the camera images of the image sequence.

Abstract: A camera system for a vehicle includes a camera and an image evaluating unit. The camera is arranged in an interior of the vehicle behind a windowpane of the vehicle so that the camera can record an image sequence with a plurality of external recordings of external surroundings of the vehicle through the windowpane. The image evaluating unit is adapted to detect static image components that are projected into the external recordings by reflections on the windowpane, and to extract the detected static image components from the external recordings.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for bundling two data channels via a point-to-point connection, is described herein. Sequences of data from a first data channel are transmitted via a first line and sequences of data from a second data channel are transmitted via a second line to a multiplexing apparatus. A data gap having a predefined size is arranged between two sequences of first data in each case. The data from the second data channel are transmitted to a buffer and, if the buffer has been filled with second data having a predefined size, are inserted into the data from the first data channel. A third data channel is formed at the output of the multiplexing apparatus using these first data and second data and is transmitted to a third line. The third data channel therefore has a bundling of sequences of first data and sequences of second data.

Abstract: A pneumatic solenoid valve, comprising an electromagnetic actuator and an air chamber with multiple air connections configured to be connected with the interposition of the air chamber via multiple switching positions of the magnetic actuator is disclosed. The actuator is configured to assume three different switching positions by energizing the actuator in a unipolar manner with three different current intensities and to move first and second sealing element via an actuation mechanism when switching between the switching positions. In a first position, a first sealing element closes a first air connection, and a second sealing element releases a second air connection. In a second switching position, the first sealing element closes the first air connection, and the second sealing element closes the second air connection. In a third switching position, the first sealing element releases the first air connection, and the second sealing element closes the second air connection.

Abstract: A method and a device are for detecting and validating objects from camera images, e.g. for driver assistance systems. The method involves: capturing a series of camera images, detecting a potential collision object in at least one image, determining corresponding features in two consecutive images in the image region of the detected potential collision object, associating the corresponding features with a plane, and validating the potential collision object when the associated plane corresponds to a back plane or a side plane.

Abstract: A method and a device are for identifying objects from camera images, e.g. for driver assistance systems. The method involves: capturing a series of camera images, determining corresponding features in two consecutive images, associating adjacent ones of the corresponding features with a plane in space to determine a plurality of such planes, and detecting objects while taking the determined planes into account.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for ascertaining object kinematics of a movable object include: a trajectory calculation filter for calculating an estimated movement direction of the object based on a predicted position of the object and based on a position of the object specified in radar measurement data of the object; and a calculation unit for calculating Cartesian speeds of the object depending on a measured radial object speed and a measured object angle, which are specified in the radar measurement data, and depending on the estimated movement direction of the object that is calculated in the trajectory calculation filter.

Abstract: An optical detection system for a vehicle having a detection region for recording a section of the surroundings. The optical detection system has an image receiver chip having a maximum number of pixels. During the recording of an image of the surroundings a number of pixels is active in a pixel region to be evaluated of the image receiver chip. The maximum number of pixels of the image receiver chip is greater than the number of pixels of the pixel region to be evaluated. The optical detection system detects a region lying behind the vehicle and is designed such that, if the tailgate is moved, the detection region remains substantially unchanged as a result of a change to the pixel region to be evaluated on the image receiver chip. A method for retaining a detection region of an optical detection system is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and a device for determining the position of a vehicle, said method comprising the steps: recording sensor data from the ground over which the vehicle travels; extracting ground characteristics of the ground over which the vehicle travels from the recorded sensor data or from occupancy grids which are calculated on the basis of the sensor data; determining the current position of the vehicle on the basis of the extracted ground characteristics using a characteristic map.

Abstract: A camera device (2) for detecting a surrounding region (7) of a vehicle includes an optronic unit (3) configured to capture an image sequence of the surrounding region. The optronic unit includes a wide-angle lens and a high-resolution image sensor. The optronic unit is configured to reduce the resolution in images in the image sequence, in particular by pixel binning, alternatingly differently and asymmetrically in successive images of the sequence.

Abstract: A method for autonomously operating a following vehicle in a vehicle train together with a vehicle driving ahead of the following vehicle with respect to a direction of travel includes acquiring first route information with a front-mounted sensor. The method also includes operating the following vehicle on the basis of first route information and acquiring second route information with a rear-mounted sensor. The method further includes transmitting the second route information to the following vehicle and, when a substitute criterion is present, operating the following vehicle on the basis of the second route information.

Abstract: A method for generating a vehicle environment view involves: capturing camera images with vehicle cameras on a vehicle body of a vehicle; and calculating of the vehicle environment view based on the camera images. In the vehicle environment view, a texture of a non-visible region of a ground surface located under the vehicle body and not visible to the vehicle cameras is calculated based on texture data of a visible region of the ground surface that is visible to vehicles cameras and surrounds the non-visible region.

Abstract: A lane change from a lane which is currently being travelled in by the motor vehicle to an adjacent lane is carried out autonomously if a recommendation to change the lane is output by a control device. The recommendation to change from a relatively fast lane to a slower lane is out-put by the control device if (1) a lane change is possible without putting at risk the motor vehicle and/or another vehicle travelling on the slower lane, (2) the motor vehicle is not being prevented from travelling at a predefined speed by another vehicle travelling ahead in the lane which is currently being travelled in, and (3) no other vehicle which is travelling at a higher speed than the speed of the motor vehicle is detected in the slower lane at a specific distance behind the motor vehicle.

Abstract: A method of generating a vehicle environment view for a vehicle, having has the following steps. Camera images are provided by vehicle cameras on the body of the vehicle. A vehicle environment view is calculated based on the camera images. A texture of a ground surface that is located below the vehicle body and is not visible to the cameras, is determined within the vehicle environment view by performing a local color prediction and a movement-compensated texture prediction.