Method and device for controlling a motor-vehicle lighting system

• US 7,768,209 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2005
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH, Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH, Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Schmitt, Patrick, Schwab, Gabriel, Wolf, Frank, Kulinna, Hans-Juergen
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens; Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): A; Minh D
• Application Number:
  US11/665,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20080218084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,774 Days
• Field of Search: 315/77, 315/78, 315/80, 315/82
• US Class Current: 315/80
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/146 Abnormalities, e.g. fail-safe
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/03 with multiple-channel loop, i.e. redundant control systems

Abstract

The automated switching of a vehicle lighting system is to be made more reliable. To this end, it is provided that the entire data flow from the sensors to a lighting device, which receives the control signals from a transmission module, is implemented in dual-track fashion throughout. This provides the corresponding redundancy and increases the required reliability. It is provided, in particular, to transmit to the lighting device a control signal and a correspondingly negated signal, so that the lighting device is able to check whether the data processing and data transmission are free of faults.

Claims

1. A control device for a lighting device of a vehicle, comprising:

at least two sensor devices configured to record control information during output of a first sensor signal and a second sensor signal;

an evaluation device configured to generate a first control signal for the lighting device on the basis of the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal and a second control signal for the lighting device on the basis of the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal; and

a transmission device configured to transmit the first control signal to the lighting device and to transmit the second control signal to the lighting device as a control signal that is redundant with respect to the first control signal.

2. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising a test device configured to conduct a plausibility check of the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal and to generate a plausibility signal.

3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the evaluation device includes a link device configured to take into account the plausibility signal for generation of the first control signal and the second control signal.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control signals include binary signals.

5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the second control signal is negated relative to the first control signal.

6. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation device includes a functional module configured to generate a raw signal from the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal, the functional module including a first memory location configured to store the raw signal for generation of the first control signal and a second memory location configured to store the raw signal for generation of the second control signal.

7. The control device according to claim 1, wherein a data flow between the sensor device and the lighting device is provided in dual-track fashion throughout and the dual-track is provided throughout a data processing and a data transmission.

8. A method for controlling a lighting device of a vehicle, comprising:

recording control information while outputting a first sensor signal and a second sensor signal;

generating a first control signal for the lighting device on the basis of the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal;

generating a second control signal for the lighting device on the basis of the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal;

transmitting the first control signal to the lighting device; and

transmitting the second control signal to the lighting device as a control signal redundant with respect to the first control signal.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising performing a plausibility check of the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal while generating a plausibility signal.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the generating of the first control signal and the generating of the second control signal include taking into account the plausibility signal.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the control signals include binary signals.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the second control signal is negated relative to the first control signal.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

generating a raw signal from the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal according to a specified function;

storing the raw signal in a first memory location for generating the first control signal; and

storing the raw signal in a second memory location for generating the second control signal.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein a data flow between a sensor device and the lighting device is provided in dual-track fashion throughout and the dual-track is provided throughout a data processing and a data transmission.