US 10,589,662 B2Granted

Adjusting system for a vehicle lighting apparatus, and method for operating such an adjusting system

AssigneeZKW Group GmbH

InventorMarkus Reinprecht

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An adjusting system for a lighting apparatus for vehicles is configured to emit light for forming a light distribution described by a parameter set. The adjusting system includes a light control unit and is configured to modify the light distribution. The parameter set describing the light distribution is stored in the light control unit, which and configured to control the lighting apparatus such that the lighting apparatus emits light for forming the light distribution in accordance with the parameter set into an area in front of the lighting apparatus. An operator control unit separate from both the lighting apparatus and the light control unit is configured to accept user inputs and to transmit the user inputs to the light control unit, which is configured to modify the parameter set in accordance with the user inputs to produce a further parameter set describing a further user-defined, preferably dynamic, light distribution.

Claims23

Dependent claims

An adjusting system for a lighting apparatus for vehicles, which lighting apparatus (1) is configured to emit light for forming at least one light distribution (3) described by a parameter set (2) into an area in front of the lighting apparatus (1), wherein the adjusting system is configured to modify the at least one light distribution (3) described by the parameter set (2), and wherein the adjusting system comprises:

a light control unit (4), in which the parameter set (2) describing the light distribution (3) is stored, the light control unit (4) being assigned to the lighting apparatus (1) and configured to control the lighting apparatus (1) in such a way that the lighting apparatus (1) emits light for forming the at least one light distribution (3) in accordance with the parameter set (2) into an area in front of the lighting apparatus (1);
and
an operator control unit (5) formed separately from the lighting apparatus (1) and from the light control unit (4), the operator control unit (5) being assigned to the light control unit (4) and configured to accept user inputs (6) and to transmit the user inputs (6) to the light control unit (4),
wherein the light control unit (4) is configured
to modify the parameter set (2) in accordance with the user inputs (6) to produce a further parameter set (8) describing at least one further user-defined light distribution (7), and
to adjust the lighting apparatus (1) in such a way that the lighting apparatus (1) emits light for forming the at least one further light distribution (7) in accordance with the further parameter set (8) into an area in front of the lighting apparatus (1),
wherein the operator control unit (5) is configured
to call up the parameter set (2) from the light control unit (4),
to modify the parameter set (2) in accordance with the user inputs (6) to form the further parameter set (8), and
to transmit the modified parameter set (8) to the light control unit (4), and
wherein the operator control unit (5) has a first part (5a) and a second part (5b), wherein the first part (5a) is formed as a portable terminal, and the second part (5b) is formed as a vehicle on-board computer.

8 more elements

A method for operating at least one adjusting system for a lighting apparatus for vehicles, which lighting apparatus is configured to emit light for forming at least one light distribution (3) described by a parameter set (2) into an area in front of the lighting apparatus (1), wherein the adjusting system is configured to modify the at least one light distribution (3) described by the parameter set (2), and wherein the adjusting system comprises a light control unit (4), in which the parameter set (2) describing the light distribution (3) is stored, and which is assigned to the lighting apparatus (1) and configured to control the lighting apparatus (1) in such a way that the lighting apparatus (1) emits light for forming the at least one light distribution (3) in accordance with the parameter set (2) into an area in front of the lighting apparatus (1), the method comprising:

i) accepting user inputs (6) by means of an operator control unit (5) formed separately from the lighting apparatus (1) and from the light control unit (4) and assigned to the light control unit (4),
ii) modifying the parameter set (2) in accordance with the user inputs (6) to produce a further parameter set (8) describing at least one further user-defined light distribution (7), and
iii) adjusting the lighting apparatus (1) in such a way that the lighting apparatus (1) emits light for forming the user-defined light distribution (7) in accordance with the modified parameter set (8) into an area in front of the lighting apparatus (1),
wherein:
the operator control unit has a first part (5a) and a second part (5b), wherein the first part (5a) is formed as a portable terminal and the second part (5b) is formed as a vehicle on-board computer,
an application program (12) is run on the operator control unit (5), and
step ii) is performed as follows:
calling up the parameter set (2) from the light control unit (4) by means of the operator control unit (5),
modifying the parameter set (2) in accordance with the user inputs (6) to form the further parameter set (8) by means of the application program (12), and
transmitting the modified parameter set (8) to the light control unit (4) by means of the operator control unit (5).

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/746,627Filed 27 Jul 2016
Priority: AT 50691/201531 Jul 2015
Published: US 2018/0215309 A12 Aug 2018
Granted: 17 Mar 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

B60Q 1/1423
Dimming circuits: automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road…
B60Q 1/08
Adjustable, e.g. remotely-controlled from inside vehicle: automatically
B60Q 1/085
Automatically: due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers
B60Q 2300/05
Indexing codes for automatically adjustable headlamps or automatically dimmable headlamps: special features for controlling or switching of the…