Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Detektieren von Fahrzeugen bei Dunkelheit (Method and device for detecting vehicles in the dark)

Method for detecting vehicles in the dark, in which an image of a traffic area in the visible spectral range is extracted, areas are extracted from the image with a brightness exceeding a threshold, which classifies areas at least depending on their size For each area, a confidence value, which is a measure of the similarity of the area of the image to a vehicle light, is formed from the classification of the area and a physical quantity assigned to the area and is determined as a function of the confidence value whether an area is assigned to a vehicle light. The invention relates to a method both for controlling a headlamp of a vehicle, which uses this method for detecting vehicles in the dark, and also for controlling at least one headlight of a vehicle.