Lighting device of a vehicle

• US 9,566,898 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2012
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Langkabel, Frank, Roeckl, Philipp, Schneider, Ingolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thuy Vinh
• Application Number:
  US13/671,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20130127341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• Field of Search: 315/77, 315/82
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/30 Indexing codes relating to the vehicle environment
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/40 Indexing codes relating to other road users or special conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/47 Direct command from other road users, i.e. the command for switching or changing the beam is sent by other vehicles or road devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/125 Coloured light
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/141 Light emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A lighting device of a vehicle is provided. The lighting device comprises a light fitting, which comprises a first and a second light source with different color locations. Furthermore, the lighting device has a first sensing module, which senses the actual value of the color location of the light fitting. In addition, the lighting device comprises a set value generator module which presets a set value for the color location of the light fitting, and a control module which reduces the difference between set value and actual value by means of an actuator module. Here, the set value of the color location of the light fitting is dependent on a driving situation of the vehicle or a personalized driving setting.

Claims

1. A lighting device of a vehicle, comprising:

a light fitting having a first and a second light source, wherein the first light source emits light having a first dominant color location and the second light source emits light having a second dominant color location that is different from the first dominant color location, the first dominant and second dominant color locations being in a spectrum of visible light;

a first sensing module that senses an actual value of a color location of the light fitting, wherein the actual value of the color location of the light fitting is the color location of light emitted by the light fitting;

a set value generator module that sets a set value for the color location of the light fitting, wherein the set value generator module interacts with a second sensing module which senses a driving situation based on navigation information of a navigation module, traffic routing information, car-to-car traffic information of a traffic information module, travelling speed information of a travelling speed module, or combinations thereof;

a control module in communication with the first sensing module and the set value generator module that reduces the difference between the set value and the actual value; and

an actuator module in communication with the control module that controls the light fitting, the actuator module providing the first sensing module with feedback via a feedback signal line for sensing the actual value,

wherein the set value of the color location of the light fitting is dependent on the driving situation of the vehicle or a personalized driving setting.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the personalized driving settings is set via a color location selector module by a vehicle driver as the set value, wherein the color location selector module limits the set value to a color location that is within a range defined by legal limits.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the actuator module includes a pulse width modulation module for vaying a supply current of the first and second light sources.

4. The lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the first light source comprises a first light-emitting diode with a dominant color location in a warm-yellow range and the second light source comprises a second light-emitting diode with a dominant color location in a cold-blue range, and wherein the first and second light-emitting diodes are configured to emit a variable light intensity to make possible a shifting of the common color location of a light emitted by the light fitting.

5. The lighting device according to claim 4, wherein the actuator module further comprises the pulse width modulation module that shifts a color location to a cold-blue color location of the light fitting to carry out a dimming of at least the first light-emitting diode with a dominant warm-yellow color location.

6. The lighting device according to claim 4, wherein the actuator module comprises a polarization filter module that includes at least two polarization filters which are rotatable against one another, wherein the polarization filter module is configured to rotate the at least two polarization filters to control the radiation intensity from about 100% to about zero dependent on a rotary angle difference between about 0°

and about 90°

, wherein a color location shift in the direction of a more short-wave, cold-blue color location occurs because of a diminishing of the more long-wave warm-yellow color component with increasing rotary angle difference.

7. The lighting device according to claim 3, wherein the pulse width modulation module is configured to cause the light fitting to emit a light having a cold-white dominant color location corresponding to the daylight by adjusting a pulse width modulated current provided to the first light source with the dominant color location in the warm-yellow range as well as to the second light source with the color location in the cold-blue range.

8. The lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising a color filter module having color filters.

9. The lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising a polarization filter module having polarization filters.

10. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second light sources comprises a plurality of monochromatic LED'"'"'s, the superimpositions of light emitted from which form a preset color location value.

11. A vehicle, comprising:

a lighting device as a headlamp, the lighting device including;

a light fitting having a first and second light source, wherein the first light source emits light having a first dominant color location and the second light source emits light having a second dominant color location that different from the first dominant color location, the first dominant and second dominant color locations being in a spectrum of visible light;

a first sensing module that senses an actual value of a color location of the light fitting, wherein the actual value of the color location of the light fitting is the color location of light emitted by the light fitting;

a set value generator module that sets a set value for the color location of the light fitting, wherein the set value generator module interacts with a second sensing module which senses a driving situation based on navigation information of a navigation module, traffic routing information, car-to-car traffic information of a traffic information module, travelling speed information of a travelling speed module, or combinations thereof; and

a control module in communication with the first sensing module and the set value generator module that reduces the difference between the set value and the actual value; and

an actuator module in communication with the control module that controls the light fitting, the actuator module providing the first sensing module with feedback via a feedback signal line for sensing the actual value,

wherein the set value of the color location of the light fitting is dependent on a driving situation of the vehicle or a personalized driving setting.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the vehicle further comprises a second sensing module that senses at least one parameter characterizing a current traffic situation based on navigation information, traffic routing information, car-to-car traffic information, distance information or travelling speed information.

13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the second sensing module comprises a module selected from the group comprising a navigation module, a traffic information module, a distance module, a travelling speed module and combinations thereof.

14. The vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the traffic information module comprises a camera with an evaluation unit and a car-to-car communication interface.

15. The vehicle according to claim 13, wherein the distance module comprises at least one lidar sensor, at least one radar sensor or at least one ultrasound sensor with evaluation unit.