Spacer lamp in passenger and/or goods traffic

• US 8,400,286 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Company KG (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Magna Steyr Fahrzeugtechnik AG & Company KG (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pusch, Gereon Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dorsey, Renee
• Application Number:
  US12/679,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20100308985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/535 to prevent rear-end collisions, e.g. by indicating safety distance at the rear of the vehicle

Abstract

A spacer lamp in passenger and/or goods traffic, with a light field which dispenses light according to an illuminating configuration, wherein the light field 6 has a first and a second light source, and a control unit is provided for controlling the illumination configuration of the light field, wherein the light field 6 has a first illuminating characteristic for the eye of an average adult as he approaches the light field until a predefined spacing depending on a configuration parameter is reached, and has a second illuminating characteristic different from the first one if the spacing falls short of the predefined spacing.

Claims

1. A distance lamp in passenger and/or goods traffic comprising a light field, which emits light in accordance with a luminous configuration, wherein the light field has a first and a second light source and provision is made of a control unit for controlling the luminous configuration of the light field, and the first and the second light sources are driven by the control unit and, by means of a control logic, the first and the second light sources are respectively assigned a temporally variable profile of light intensity thereof, wherein the light intensities of the first and of the second light sources are increased and decreased diametrically oppositely in each case at a predetermined time interval, and the luminous configuration of the light field is set with the aid of the control unit by control of the first and of the second light sources in a manner dependent on a first configuration parameter in such a way that the light field has an intensity which varies and has, for the eye of an average adult upon approaching the light field until reaching a predefined distance—

dependent on the first configuration parameter—

from the light field, a first luminous characteristic, which is characterized by a substantially constant light intensity, and, for the eye of an average adult, when the predefined distance from the light field is undershot, in accordance with a second luminous characteristic, the first light source is distinguished at least partly from the second light source and the alternately increasing and decreasing light intensity of the light sources of the light field is consciously perceptible, wherein the predefined distance is at least 0.5 meter from the light field.

2. The distance lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit has a frequency unit, by means of which it is possible to change the light intensity of the first and of the second light sources with a frequency in a range of between 0.1 Hz and 75 Hz.

3. The distance lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit has a frequency unit, by means of which it is possible to change the light intensity of the first and of the second light sources with a frequency in a range of between 0.1 Hz and 50 Hz.

4. The distance lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit has a frequency unit, by means of which it is possible to change the light intensity of the first and of the second light sources with a frequency in a range of between 0.5 Hz and 10 Hz.

5. The distance lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and/or second light source of the light field are/is formed at least in part by a number of light emitting diodes or a display.

6. The distance lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein the distance lamp is embodied as part of exterior lighting of a vehicle.

7. The distance lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein speed of a vehicle is provided as first configuration parameter.

8. The distance lamp as claimed in claim 7, wherein a predetermined limit speed of the vehicle is provided as an activation threshold and the light field has a substantially constant light intensity below the limit speed.

9. The distance lamp as claimed in claim 8, wherein provision is made of an activation unit for activating and/or deactivating the constant light intensity of the light field, and the activation unit has a hysteresis loop.

10. The distance lamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein provision is made of a first sensor connected to the control unit and the light field and serving for determining the first configuration parameter.

11. The distance lamp as claimed in claim 10, wherein provision is made of a second sensor for determining a second configuration parameter, wherein a roadway constitution and/or a vehicle constitution and/or a time of day and/or a location determining signal and/or an ambient brightness is mapped by means of the second configuration parameter, and the sensor for determining the second configuration parameter is connected to the control unit in such a way that the luminous configuration of the light field is changed in a manner dependent on the second configuration parameter.

12. The distance lamp as claimed in claim 11, wherein the light field having the first and the second light sources and, if appropriate, additional light sources has a number of activatable light sources and, by means of the control logic by means of a selected activation of light sources from the number of activatable light sources or by means of a local adjustment of individual active light sources, the distance between the active light sources in the light field is set and/or altered in a manner dependent on the first configuration parameter.

13. A method for controlling a distance lamp in passenger and/or goods traffic comprising a light field, which emits light in accordance with a luminous configuration, wherein the light field has at least a first light source and a second light source and provision is made of a control unit having a control logic for controlling the luminous configuration of the light field, and the first and the second light sources are driven by the control unit and the first and the second light sources are respectively assigned a temporally variable profile of light intensity thereof, wherein the light intensities of the first and of the second light sources are increased and decreased diametrically oppositely in each case at a predetermined time interval, and the luminous configuration of the light field is set with the aid of the control unit by control of the first and of the second light sources in a manner dependent on a first configuration parameter in such a way that the light field has an intensity which varies and has, for the eye of an average adult upon approaching the light field until reaching a predefined distance—

dependent on the first configuration parameter—

from the light field, a first luminous characteristic, which is characterized by a substantially constant light intensity, and, for the eye of an average adult, when the predefined distance from the light field is undershot, in accordance with a second luminous characteristic, the first light source is distinguished at least partly from the second light source and the alternately increasing and decreasing light intensity of the light sources of the light field is consciously perceptible, wherein the predefined distance is at least 0.5 meter from the light field.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the control unit has a frequency unit, which is used to change the light intensity of the first and of the second light sources with a frequency in a range of between 0.1 Hz and 75 Hz.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the control unit has a frequency unit, which is used to change the light intensity of the first and of the second light sources with a frequency in a range of between 0.1 Hz and 50 Hz.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the control unit has a frequency unit, which is used to change the light intensity of the first and of the second light sources with a frequency in a range of between 0.5 Hz and 10 Hz.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the distance lamp is used as part of exterior lighting of a vehicle.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the speed of the vehicle is recorded as first configuration parameter.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the recorded speed of the vehicle is compared with a limit speed, and, in the case where a speed recorded by the sensor is below the limit speed, a substantially constant light intensity is allocated to the light field, if appropriate by means of the interposition of a hysteresis loop.

20. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein provision is made of a first sensor connected to the control unit and the light field and serving for determining the first configuration parameter.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein provision is made of a second sensor for determining a further parameter, wherein the further parameter maps a roadway constitution and/or a vehicle constitution and/or a time of day and/or a location determining signal and/or an ambient brightness, and the control unit changes the luminous configuration of the light field in a manner dependent on the further parameter.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the light field having the first and the second light sources and, if appropriate, additional light sources has a number of activatable light sources and, by means of the control logic by means of a selected activation of light sources from the number of activatable light sources or by means of a local adjustment of individual active light sources, the distance between the active light sources in the light field is altered in a manner dependent on the first configuration parameter.