Interior lighting of a motor vehicle

• US 10,322,670 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2018
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Mueller, Michael, Bauer, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Richardson, Jany
• Application Number:
  US15/946,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20180222383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2900/50 Arrangements to reconfigure features of lighting or signalling devices, or to choose from a list of pre-defined settings
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/62 using light guides
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/74 for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission

Abstract

A motor vehicle has a central light control device, a plurality of peripheral light control devices distributed within the vehicle, and a plurality of interior light modules, each of which has a plurality of light sources and is associated with a peripheral light control device.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a central lighting control device;

a plurality of peripheral lighting control devices distributed in the motor vehicle;

a plurality of interior light modules, each of which comprises a plurality of light sources, and each of which is assigned to a respective one of the plurality of peripheral lighting control devices;

a data bus, through which the central lighting control device and the plurality of peripheral lighting control devices are coupled to one another, wherein

the plurality of peripheral lighting control devices each comprise a data memory, in which lighting effect parameter sets are stored, to each of which a lighting effect identifier is assigned, and

the central lighting control device transmits lighting effect identifiers to at least one of the plurality of peripheral lighting control devices in order to initiate motor vehicle interior lighting effects.

2. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein

in the central lighting control device, different lighting effect identifiers or groups of lighting effect identifiers are assigned to different motor vehicle operating states, and

the central lighting control device is configured such that lighting effect identifiers or groups of lighting effect identifiers are transmitted to the at least one of the plurality of peripheral lighting control devices automatically, depending on a detected motor vehicle operating state.

3. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the central lighting control device is coupled to input devices for input of user preferences, wherein, in the central lighting control device, different lighting effect identifiers or groups of lighting effect identifiers are assigned to different user preferences, and

the central lighting control device is configured such that lighting effect identifiers or groups of lighting effect identifiers are transmitted to the at least one of the plurality of peripheral lighting control devices automatically, depending on a user preference that has been entered.

4. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the central lighting control device is coupled to input devices for input of user preferences, wherein, in the central lighting control device, different lighting effect identifiers or groups of lighting effect identifiers are assigned to different user preferences, and

the central lighting control device is configured such that lighting effect identifiers or groups of lighting effect identifiers are transmitted to the at least one of the plurality of peripheral lighting control devices automatically, depending on a user preference that has been entered.

5. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the activation of the light sources of a light module is defined through a lighting effect parameter set.

6. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1,

different lighting effect identifiers are assigned to the same lighting effect parameter sets in the respective data memories in different ones of the plurality of peripheral lighting control devices.

7. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the same lighting effect identifiers are assigned to the same lighting effect parameter sets in the respective data memories in different ones of the plurality of peripheral lighting control devices.

8. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parameter sets stored in the data memory of each of the plurality of peripheral lighting control devices comprises information about light color, light duration, light intensity, delay time, activation time point, deactivation time point and/or light intensity curve.

9. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein after receipt of the lighting effect identifiers transmitted by the central lighting control device, the at least one of the peripheral lighting control devices maps the received lighting effect identifiers onto an assigned lighting effect parameter set stored in the data memory of a respective one of the at least one of the peripheral lighting control devices.

10. The motor vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one of the peripheral lighting control devices activate at least one of the plurality of light sources of a respective one of the plurality of interior light modules to which the at least one of the peripheral lighting control devices are assigned based on the assigned lighting effect parameter set stored in the data memory at least one of the peripheral lighting control devices.