Lighting or indicating light unit for a vehicle and lighting or indicating system equipped with at least one such light unit

• US 6,982,648 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2002
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Cros, Christophe, Lacombe, Patrick, Dubrovin, Alexis
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blount, Eric
• Application Number:
  US10/253,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20030067220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,197 Days
• Field of Search: 340/641, 340/438, 340/441, 340/539.24, 340/642, 307/9.1, 307/10.8, 315/82, 315/77, 315/78, 361/173, 361/752, 701/36, 701/49
• US Class Current: 340/641
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 11/00 Arrangement of monitoring devices for devices provided for in groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/114 Vehicle acceleration or deceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/146 Abnormalities, e.g. fail-safe
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/32 Road surface or travel path
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0315 using multiplexing techniques multiplexing for transmission of signals G08C15/00; multiplexing for electrical communication in general H04J

Abstract

A light unit or indicating device for a vehicle (.e.g., a vehicle lighting unit, a vehicle indicating unit, reversing radars and other systems) has a shell, a light contained in the shell, and an electronics card mechanically associated with the shell. The electronics card is connected an electrical power supply and to a multiplexed bus of an on-board network. The card has a controller for the light that allows exchange of commands and information on status of the light unit over the multiplexed bus, and also has an internal bus connected to the controller and the light that allows exchange between them of commands generated by the controller and of the status information of the light unit. The unit may also have an ancillary component for implementing ancillary facilities such as light beam adaptation or automatic adjustment of the orientation of the light beam.

Claims

1. A light unit for a vehicle comprising a shell containing light means—

and an electronics card mechanically associated with the shell, wherein the electronics card comprises;

a supply connector to an electrical power supply device;

a standard connector being intended to be linked to a multiplexed bus of an on-board network of the vehicle;

control means for controlling the light means, said control means being connected to said supply connector and to said standard connector to allow commands and information on status of the light unit to be exchanged over the multiplexed bus; and

an internal bus connected to the control means and to the light means for exchange between them of commands generated by the control means and of the status information.

2. A light unit according to claim 1, wherein the control means comprises an integrated controller connected, within the light unit, to the multiplexed bus and to a plurality of electrical loads of the light unit that are subject to control of the control means.

3. A light unit according to claim 2, wherein the integrated controller is connected to a bus controller by a first harness and to a vehicle electrical supply device by a second harness, and in that the totality of the light functions can be controlled entirely by the same integrated controller, which includes means for activating only the light functions reserved to a platform level.

4. A light unit according to claim 2, further comprising a system for lighting on bends comprising an angular sensor adapted to sense an angular position of the light unit, and an orientation motor adapted to control orientation of the light unit,

wherein, when the light unit is in a fixed angular position, the angular sensor indicates to the integrated controller that the orientation motor is locked in an angular position, the integrated controller issuing at that moment an additional command to the orientation motor for setting the system for lighting to an anti-dazzle position, without the need for the reception of a command coming from outside the light unit.

5. A light unit according to claim 2, wherein the multiplex bus also exchanges diagnostic data, and a controller for the bus of the on-board network manages exchange of data linked to use of the integrated controller and diagnostic data.

6. A light unit according to claim 2, wherein the control of light is anticipated by using information available on the network, which produces an anticipated light control value, and/or a command for a function of the AFS or intelligent lighting type, and/or a command to change orientation of a light beam of the light unit.

7. A light unit according to claim 2, further comprising means for allowing a light performance and a technical signature of the light unit to be specified, depending on a style of the vehicle that a motor vehicle manufacture wants to design, a plurality of operating parameters of the light system being determined in registers read during at least one parameterization stage of a lighting control system so as to give a consistency of behavior between the various components of the vehicle, this consistency determining the desired character of the vehicle and/or of the manufacturer'"'"'s mark, the lighting control system including selection means which selects a class of light performance for the light unit as a function of the technical signature which is loaded when the vehicle is started.

8. A light unit according to claim 2, further comprising means for implementing the connection of the light unit to the multiplexed bus of the vehicle to ensure periodic communication between the light unit and the vehicle and the on-board computer continuously indicates status of a lighting system, the commands notified to the on-board computer and diagnostics are carried out automatically and appropriate measures adapted as a function of critical situations are taken to selectively put a component selected from the group of:

(i) a light unit, (ii) a lamp of the light unit, and (iii) ancillary facility means of the light unit in a downgraded operating mode.

9. A light unit according to claim 2, wherein the light means comprises at least one filament lamp, and the light unit further comprises:

a module for regulating supply of energy to the light unit, and

an electrical supply cable being connected to an output of the supply regulating module so as to reduce variations in a direct supply voltage within a range of variation that protects filaments of the light unit.

10. A light unit according to claim 2, wherein a general electrical energy supply system of the vehicle no longer receives significant surges in current demand from the light unit, and wherein the integrated controller of the light unit further comprises a module for sequencing switching on of a plurality of loads included in the light unit, to supply the loads according to a plurality of schemes to optimize smoothing of an inrush current.

11. A light unit according to claim 1, wherein the integrated controller further comprises at least one component selected from the group consisting of:

a module for managing the electrical supply, which is connected directly to said supply connector so as to perform regulation and sequencing of switching on of the electrical supply;

an output module, which is connected to the network via said standard connector on the multiplexed bus of the vehicle;

a module for driving electric motors, which are employed for the various functions;

a module for controlling the network, which exploits the information output from the bus via the connector;

a central unit, which communicates with memories and the various modules;

a switching module, which sets different loads to a supply voltage controlled by the switching module via an output port which is connected to a plurality of conductors allocated to the light unit, the said plurality of conductors being connected to all of a plurality of lamps of the light unit, which are subjected to controlled switching, connected to the various electronic power control circuits by a plurality of conductors, and connected by a plurality of conductors to all the lamps, which are controlled directly by the switching module;

an internal bus driver module, which features an access port to the internal bus for the exchange of the commands and status information for a plurality of various ancillary facilities and ancillary facility modules of a lighting control system, to a module for command and control of a ballast to an opto-electronic sensor, to an actuator, functions for adapting orientation of a light beam of the light unit to control the light beam on bends, and to an actuator for adapting a bottom of the light beam produced by the light unit in accordance with the AFS or intelligent lighting functionalities, and, if additional lamps are added to the light unit, the internal bus is also connected to a module for command and control of status, which manages functionalities at a front of the vehicle;

a module for processing status information of the light unit, which is connected to a plurality of sensors for determining status of the light unit.

12. A light system for a vehicle, comprising:

at least one light unit according to claim 1, each light unit comprising a controller, which is connected by a standard connector to the harness of the multiplexed bus of an on-board control and indicating network.

13. A light unit according to claim 6, wherein the information available on the network is selected from the group consisting of a speed of the vehicle, an acceleration of the vehicle, and navigation instructions, and combinations thereof.

14. A light unit according to claim 6, wherein the anticipated light control value is selected from the group consisting of switching on the light means, switching off the light means, increasing luminous flux produced by the light means;

and decreasing luminous flux produced by the light means.

15. A light unit according to claim 7, wherein the class of light performance for the light unit is selected from the group consisting of lighting range, speed of response of dynamic orientation of the light unit and combinations thereof.

16. A light unit according to claim 8, wherein the means for implementing the connection of the light unit to the multiplexed bus of the vehicle ensures introduction into the light unit of commands from the computer, and exchange of information on the status of the light unit.