NL1009539C1 - Rear light assembly for road vehicle has only one filament lamp providing red rear light, brake light and reversing light, involves use of servo motor to rotate lamp within reflector and lens assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A lighting assembly is fitted to each side of the rear of the vehicle. The lamp (105) is fitted in a rotating fitting at the focal point of a reflector (106). The triple segment cap (101) has radial dividers between the outer brake light lens (104) and the central red rear light lens (102) and between the central segment and the inner white reversing light lens (103). The lamp is rotated by a servo motor to produce the required indication.

Description

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Servo-operated lighting system for cars

The invention relates to a multi-functional, microprocessor-controlled, lighting system for cars, characterized in that the said device uses one high-power halogen lamp on the vehicle side, which can fulfill multiple lighting and signaling functions and is provided for this purpose with a servo system to control the light output of the lamp and / or the associated reflector as desired, singly, paired or sequentially over several, mutually separated and preferably internally mirrored, segments of a common shade or, with an undivided shade, over a distinct fresnel divide the elements of the lens.

A further characteristic concerns the fact that the light output of said device 10 is variable in intensity as well as any pulse width and pulse speed, depending on the signaling function and prevailing conditions such as ambient light, following traffic and fog, whereby said conditions are determined by means of a system of sensors, including light sensors.

15 Several types of taillight have come into use in cars to ensure safety under different traffic conditions. In addition to the standard taillights, brake lights and direction indicators, additional brake lights, fog lamps, reversing lamps and the simultaneous use of direction indicators as hazard warning lights are part of a complex set of signaling functions. It will be clear that this is quite expensive, in particular due to the amount of switches, wiring, relays, luminaires, mounting costs, etc.

I note the multifunctional taillight proposed here is intended, alternatively or simultaneously, to be used as a taillight, fog lamp, brake lamp, fog brake lamp, reversing lamp and possibly a direction indicator and uses one halogen lamp of at least one vehicle side for at least the vehicle side 20 watts which is strongly dimmed in function of 25 conventional rear light. It will be clear that the color value swings strongly to red and the efficiency is lower than in full operation. However, the high red value is appropriate here, while a much longer service life can be expected against the low efficiency, which also serves safety.

The device uses a chopper and a linear or rotating servo system per vehicle side to distribute the light output of the said lamp and / or the associated reflector over several internally mirrored segments of a common hood 1 0 0 95 3 9 -2-

Thus, the light can emerge from the different segments with a different intensity, color and / or direction of radiation and / or radiation characteristic. The whole is controlled by a micro-processor.

Said micro-processor also supplies power to individual lamps 5, such as e.g. for number plate lighting to which individual relays or Mosfets can be controlled. A major advantage is now that the device can be powered by a single supply cable from the battery, whereby any (digital or not) control signals can be superimposed on the direct current or sent via a separate signal cable. In both cases this communication preferably takes place in full-duplex 10 mode, in order to enable feedback either from sensor information or from lamp or device conditions.

The microprocessor referred to uses, in addition to the servo control, pulse width modulation to adapt the light via the chopper to the different functions and is in turn preferably controlled by a central microprocessor that controls all 15 different units, including the still headlamp units to be described according to the present invention. The central microprocessor referred to is, in addition to the dashboard commands, controlled for various alarm situations by various sensors such as airbag sensors (collision), g-sensor (extremely fast delay), motion sensor (burglar alarm) and a water sensor. The messages from the sensors in question are converted into visual alarm signals. The water sensor, which is preferably located under the hood, generates a visual alarm if the vehicle gets into the water. Since it appears in practice that the electrical supply under water will continue to function for a long time, it is thus possible by means of strong pulses of light greatly increase the chance of being noticed quickly by passing traffic. Preferably, in this situation, the high light is also pulsed switched on in order to increase the attention value and simultaneously use the battery as economically as possible.

The facility has two new features for use in fog i.e. a self-adjusting fog lamp and a pulsating fog-brake light. Despite a complex of rear lights, it appears that mutual visibility is often problematic in fog, so that in particular.

30 rear-end collisions regularly prevented by unexpected braking. 1 winch avenges the nearly impossible compromise between optimal visibility and glare avoidance, with no separate fog provision for brake lights 1 0 09539 -3-

In traffic jams in particular, it is often a problem that a (freight) car in front obscures the view of its vehicle in front. Sudden braking further forward shows that it is hardly possible to anticipate because information is dependent on the immediate vehicle in front, which can fatally slow down the reaction speed. The taillight proposed here aims to solve this last problem, by providing a brightness adapted to the conditions in fog and by emitting very strong pulses of light in braking-in-fog, which remain clearly visible for following traffic, but a do not dazzle the immediate vehicle behind. To this end, the major part of the light is not emitted directly backwards, but preferably radiated downwards and sideways and / or straight upwards, so that in case of fog the device makes use of the reflective properties of the fog and / or the road surface in order to then not intermittently projecting a "flame". In this way it is better to anticipate in case of fog in traffic jams because possible rcm signals from several vehicles in front are immediately visible instead of having to be "passed on" per vehicle with all the associated delays.

15 Blinding drivers behind (forgotten) fog lamps is a common source of irritation. In the event of fog, therefore, both in impulse and continuous operation, the 'radiated power is adapted to environmental factors such as the amount of daylight and the presence of vehicles behind. If the fog lamp function is switched on, a niel rear-view sensor, compares (the lowest value of) the ambient light 20 with (the highest value of) the incident light from a rear-facing sensor, in order to determine whether a ( illuminated) vehicle approaching and the lighting to dim.

Their special feature of this sensor device concerns the ability to determine whether light irradiated from behind actually originates from car lamps. For this purpose, the rear-facing sensor looks for the possible presence of an "optical ripple", usually around 100 hertz, which is characteristic of AC-powered street lighting, neon advertising, etc. If an actual ripple is detected, the rear-irradiated light is detected as not considered to be from a vehicle and no dimming function is activated.

30 Short pulses of maximum intensity are now delivered under the following conditions: I) Brakes' driving in fog 2) Panick alarm lamps activated (manually or activated by airbag sensor or g-sensor or water sensor. 3) Burglar alarm (motion sensor) 1 0 09539 -4-

Fig. 1 shows the device with a three-segment hood. With this three-segment hood (101), the middle segment (red) (102) now preferably forms the conventional rear light with a dual function as a fog lamp. The reverse light (white) (103) is located on the inside of the vehicle, the brake light on the outside (red) (104).

The device here uses a lamp (105) rotatable by means of a servo motor. Said lamp is partly enclosed by a cooling reflector (106), said reflector being internally mirrored and blackened on the outside. The reflector has external cooling ribs and a resilient fit through which the lamp is clamped. Since the distinct segments of the cap (101) closely match the lamp, it now depends on the position of the lamp which segment is illuminated. Since the lamp can also (partly) illuminate two adjacent segments or illuminate several segments in sequence, with or without adjusted brightness, a large number of signaling functions can be observed simultaneously, even giving certain possible sequences new meaning. For example, a sequence across all segments on one vehicle side could have a direction indicator function.

Preferably, braking uses pulsed brake light, the pulses, again preferably, being related to vehicle deceleration information from the G-sensor.

The problem with high power halogen lamps is their relative reaction inertia due to their thick filament. This makes it difficult to use the lamp for fast impulses. Moreover, since the lamp glows for a relatively long time, these pulses are poorly defined. A solution can be found by turning the lamp within a "dead" segment by means of the servo in the leading and trailing edges of the pulse. Another solution involves flanking segment use, e.g. (fog) rear light and (fog) brake light. By alternatively distributing the light more or less over two lamp sectors in a rhythm and control regime which takes this reaction inertia into account, a constant and one pulsed light output for one segment can be realized for one segment. The pulse duration and pulse interval are now selected depending on the servo speed and the desired light output per segment. The segment to be continuously illuminated now "sees" the lamp constantly but with an opening angle which is inversely proportional to the light output, while the segment to be pulsed only "sees" the lamp periodically during the peak of the pulse.

1009539 -5-

It will be clear that at maximum power a halogen lamp has a considerable heat development which, given the mechanical structure of the system, could lead to problems when used over the long term. Therefore, in addition to the parameters mentioned in the previous paragraphs, the light output of said lamp is also subject to a temperature parameter, either via direct sensor information or via the software integration of electrical power and time.

Fig. 2 and 3 show two alternative embodiments of the servo device wherein in Fig 2 only the reflector is rotated while the lamp is stationary, while in Fig 3 the lamp and reflector are moved linearly by e.g. a timing belt. In principle, with 10 rotary systems according to Figs. 1 and 2, an extension of the number of segments is possible by means of a 360 degree rotatable system. Although this is “just around the corner”, this is often no problem in practice. The light can only leave the internally mirrored segment through the lens of which the profile or the fresnel configuration is largely the determining factor for the manner of radiation.

15 Of course, the device outlined here with some modification is also suitable for other purposes, in particular for use at traffic lights and for the headlights of cars, instead of the signaling functions will now focus on the various lighting requirements such as switching from main to dipped light, fog lighting, control sequence lighting, etc. The latter function is preferably used with a three-segment hood according to fig. 20 1,2 or 3 observed by the outer segment, the two inner segments are then resp. high and low beam. So here necessarily only one lamp follows the handlebars.

If the outer segments are irradiated on both sides (in part) simultaneously, a wide radiation beam pattern is created, which is especially suitable for very dense fog on winding roads. Preferably, a speed-dependent inward shift to the low beam scment is implemented by software, so that the width of the radiation decreases as the speed increases.

Fig. 4 and 5 show a solution for the adjustment problem which often arises with a strongly varying loading of the vehicle. The special feature of these configurations is the fact that the height adjustment of the light is permanently variable if desired and can be adapted to the load by means of an electronically adjustable offset. To this end, the angle of inclination of the vehicle is stored by means of an mclino-meler in a volatile memory as soon as the vehicle comes to a standstill. When starting off, the microprocessor immediately translates any angle variation with respect to the stored value into a permanent offset valid during the journey. By using these two moments as a calibration moment, it is prevented that at standstill interactions between the angle of inclination of the road and interim changing loading would lead to incorrect measurement results. During the ride, the aforementioned inclino meter can optionally generate a permanently variable correction signal for damping out road irregularities. The latter option is particularly suitable for off-road vehicles.

The lamp housing is not segmented here and the direction of radiation here is almost exclusively determined by the position of the lamp-plus reflector relative to the lamp glass. Fig. 4 shows the lamp glass of an embodiment of the lamp in which the light is directed by means of a fresnel configuration the largest (top) part forward and the bottom part (404) outwards. The progressively extending fresnel ribs above (401) and below (403) the neutral middle part (402), increasingly deflect the light vertically, either upwards or downwards, so that a relatively small vertical displacement or rotation of the lamp results in a strong angle adjustment. The reflector is relatively wide and flat for this purpose. Fig. 5 shows a side view of said headlamp.

10P9539

Claims (1)

Device according to the preceding claims, characterized in that one central power supply cable is used to supply the entire front or rear of said vehicle, while the command signals referred to in the preceding claim are either 2.5 superimposed on the direct current of said power supply , or be supplied via a separate signal cable, in both cases preferably in lull-duplex mode, in order to enable feedback either from sensor information or from lamp or device conditions. 6: Device according to previous claims, characterized in that the device also provides the power supply and commands for individual lamps, such as e.g. for number plate lighting, which does not directly correspond to the one 1 -1 amps syst e m m e 1 009539 -8- 7: Method for a device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the light output of said lamp can be distributed over two adjacent segments such that one segment becomes a constant and a second segment pulsates by taking into account the country characteristic, the desired intensity and the desired pulse speed, the control of the said chopper and the adjust the servo system in such a way that the opening angle to the constantly illuminated segment is in accordance with the extinguishing resp. starting characteristic of said lamp and inversely proportional to the light output, while the segment to be pulsed only "sees" the lamp periodically. Control method for a device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the maximum light output of said lamp, in addition to the parameters mentioned in the preceding claims, is also subject to a temperature parameter, or via direct sensor information. , or through the software integration of power and time, to prevent overheating and premature lamp failure. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the said system of sensors comprises a water sensor, preferably located under the hood, which generates a pulsating alarm signal for both the headlamps and the intended rear lamps in the situation that driving cars in the water. 10: Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said system of sensors comprises a G-sensor which modulates the pulse speed and / or intensity of said brake light at negative G-forces. Fog lamp / brake light system according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the light output of said lamp can be steplessly reduced in order to prevent dazzling of a possible rear vehicle. 12: Fog lamp / brake light according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said system generates a pulsating light signal during braking in fog, wherein, in order to prevent dazzling of following traffic, the said brake light (the majority of) the light radiated down and sideways and / or straight up. Sensor system for a fog lamp / brake light system according to previous claims, characterized in that by a non-rearward-facing sensor, the lowest value of the ambient light is compared with the highest value of the incident light of a rear-facing sensor, in order to determine whether a 1009539 -9- (illuminated) vehicle is approaching in which case the fog lamp referred to is dimmed, proportionally or not. 14: Sensor system for the purpose of a fog lamp / brake light system according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said rear-facing sensor looks at the possible presence of an "optical ripple", usually around 100 hertz, in order to determine whether Intended light whether or not to be regarded as coming from a vehicle 15: Headlamp according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the light can be divided into at least three different segments, each of which is a different fresnel / reflector configuration and thus emit the light either vertically at a different angle (high or dim light) or horizontally, the outer segment preferably having a lateral direction of emission 16: Headlamp with automatic height adjustment according to one or more of the foregoing claims characterized in that the hood of said headlamp is different from that described above on divided and the lamp plus reflector can be vertically adjusted by means of a servo motor, or moved by means of a servo-operated timing belt, so that the light can be emitted optionally via one or two of at least three different, vertically arranged segments of the lamp glass, the two outer segments of which have a progressively extending fresnel configuration and thus radiate the light vertically at a progressively varying angle either upwards or downwards, relative to a neutral middle segment. Method for automatic height adjustment of headlamps according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inclination of the vehicle is recorded in a non-volatile memory by means of an inclino meter as soon as the vehicle fate comes to a halt, after which the moment of driving away by the microprocessor any angular variation with respect to the stored value is translated into a correctic signal for the intended headlamps. Fog lamp according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the radiation width of said fog lamp decreases as the speed of the vehicle 30 increases, because the light can be distributed pro rata between the two segments of the floodlight and the dipped beam respectively. segmenl. 1009539