Vehicle headlight system comprising a master control apparatus and a slave control apparatus wherein the slave control apparatus is designed to execute an application software for the purpose of actuating a headlight system component

• US 10,870,385 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2018
• Issued: 12/22/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Original Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AG
• Inventors: Rack, Viktor, Werkstetter, Mario, Trumpp, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Alaeddini, Borna
• Application Number:
  US16/152,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20190031082A1
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/04 the devices being headlights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1407 General lighting circuits comprising dimming circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/05 Special features for controlling or switching of the light beam
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/52 in a parallel array of LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission

Abstract

A lighting device has a master control apparatus and at least one slave control apparatus connected to the master control apparatus via a bus system. The slave control apparatus is designed to execute application software for actuating a headlight system component. The master control apparatus is designed to upload the application software onto the slave control apparatus and/or to actuate and/or diagnose the slave control apparatus.

Claims

1. A lighting device of a vehicle, comprising:

a master control apparatus;

a slave control apparatus connected to the master control apparatus via a bus system; and

a headlight system component including a processor and a plurality of interfaces, the plurality of interfaces including supply interfaces for supplying voltage to the headlight system component, bus connections for communicating via the bus system, a plurality of sensor interfaces connected to sensors and a plurality of thermistor interfaces connected to thermistors;

wherein the slave control apparatus is designed to execute an application software for the purpose of actuating the headlight system component; and

wherein the master control apparatus is designed to;

install the application software on the slave control apparatus, and

at least one of actuate and diagnose the slave control apparatus.

2. The lighting device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a headlight housing, wherein the slave control apparatus and the headlight system component are arranged in the headlight housing and the master control apparatus is arranged outside the headlight housing.

3. The lighting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the slave control apparatus is designed to execute the application software for actuating an LED vehicle headlight.

4. The lighting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the slave control apparatus is designed to execute the application software for actuating a laser vehicle headlight.

5. The lighting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the slave control apparatus is designed to execute the application software for actuating a matrix vehicle headlight.

6. The lighting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the master control apparatus is a front headlight master control apparatus or a rear light master control apparatus.

7. The lighting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the master control apparatus is designed to overwrite a flash memory of a BIOS of the slave control apparatus with a firmware in order to install the application software on the slave control apparatus.

8. The lighting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the master control apparatus is designed to carry out an error diagnosis of the slave control apparatus.

9. The lighting device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a plurality of slave control apparatuses, wherein the master control apparatus is designed to:

install the application software on the plurality of slave control apparatuses in a parallel manner, and

at least one of actuate and diagnose the plurality of slave control apparatuses in a parallel manner.

10. The lighting device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the master control apparatus is designed to communicate with an external diagnostic apparatus.

11. The lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slave control apparatus is designed to execute the application software for actuating an LED vehicle headlight.

12. The lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slave control apparatus is designed to execute the application software for actuating a laser vehicle headlight.

13. The lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slave control apparatus is designed to execute any desired application software for actuating any desired headlight system component.

14. The lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slave control apparatus is designed to execute the application software for actuating a matrix vehicle headlight.

15. The lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the master control apparatus is a front headlight master control apparatus or a rear light master control apparatus.

16. The lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the master control apparatus is designed to overwrite a flash memory of a BIOS of the slave control apparatus with a firmware in order to install the application software on the slave control apparatus.

17. The lighting device as claimed in one claim 1, wherein the master control apparatus is designed to carry out an error diagnosis of the slave control apparatus.

18. The lighting device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of slave control apparatuses, wherein the master control apparatus is designed to:

install the application software on the plurality of slave control apparatuses in a parallel manner, and

at least one of actuate and diagnose the plurality of slave control apparatuses in a parallel manner.

19. The lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the master control apparatus is designed to communicate with an external diagnostic apparatus.