Atmosphere lamp control system and method, vehicle and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides an atmosphere lamp control system and method, a vehicle and a storage medium. The system comprises an atmosphere lamp main control module, at least two area controllers and a plurality of atmosphere lamp actuators. Each atmosphere lamp actuator is connected with one area controller; one area controller is used for connecting at least one atmosphere lamp actuator; the at least two area controllers are connected with the atmosphere lamp main control module through a first bus; the plurality of atmosphere lamp actuators are used for controlling the corresponding atmosphere lamps to be controlled to work, and the plurality of atmosphere lamp actuators are respectively connected with the area controller through a second bus; the atmosphere lamp main control module is used for receiving the atmosphere lamp control instruction and sending the atmosphere lamp control instruction to the area controller corresponding to the atmosphere lamp to be controlled; and the area controller is used for controlling the atmosphere lamp actuator according to the atmosphere lamp control instruction. The situation that the lamp efficiency quality is reduced due to insufficient hardware resources can be reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of intelligent vehicles, in particular, to a control system and method for ambient light, a vehicle and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, the vehicle-mounted ambient light system generally adopts a centralized control architecture, that is, all ambient light units in the vehicle are simultaneously connected to the same controller. The centralized control ambient light system has the problem of excessive occupation of controller hardware resources. More than 40 ambient light units need more than 8 LIN buses to complete control (5 light strips per LIN bus is the limit number to ensure the light effect), which basically exceeds the number of all LIN channels of commonly used chips, resulting in the need for additional hardware and software design to meet the requirements of the ambient light system. Generally, the light effect quality is reduced to avoid hardware modification, such as reducing the smoothness of the light effect, fixing the light effect and not being flexible, and each LIN has more than 5 light strips, which has the probability of being observed by the human eye to delay or lose frames of the light effect, thereby reducing the user experience. SUMMARY

[0003] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a control system and method for ambient light, a vehicle and a storage medium, to reduce the situation of reducing the light effect quality due to insufficient hardware resources.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present application provides a control system for ambient light, comprising: an ambient light master control module, at least two regional controllers, and a plurality of ambient light actuators; each ambient light actuator is connected to a regional controller; one regional controller is used to connect at least one ambient light actuator; the at least two regional controllers are connected to the ambient light master control module through a first bus; the plurality of ambient light actuators are used to control the corresponding ambient light to be controlled to work, and the plurality of ambient light actuators are respectively connected to the regional controllers through a second bus; the ambient light master control module is used to receive an ambient light control instruction and send the ambient light control instruction to the regional controller corresponding to the ambient light to be controlled; and the regional controller is used to control the ambient light actuator according to the ambient light control instruction.

[0005] In the above scheme, the at least two regional controllers are used to control the ambient light actuators, which avoids the problem of excessive occupation of controller hardware resources under centralized control, can reduce the situation of reducing the light effect quality due to insufficient hardware resources, and guarantees the normal working effect of the ambient light.

[0006] As an optional way, the plurality of ambient light actuators are respectively connected to the nearest regional controller through the second bus.

[0007] In the above scheme, multiple ambient light actuators are connected to the nearest area controller via a second bus. This "proximity connection" layout design changes the wiring harness layout of all ambient light actuators being concentrated in a single controller, significantly shortening the total length of the wiring harness.

[0008] As an optional approach, the system further includes: at least one vehicle component controller; the vehicle component controller is connected to a region controller via a third bus, and the vehicle component controller is connected to at least one of the ambient light actuators via a second bus; each of the ambient light actuators is connected to one of the vehicle component controllers; the region controller is further configured to send the ambient light control command to the vehicle component controller corresponding to the ambient light to be controlled; the vehicle component controller is configured to control the ambient light actuator according to the ambient light control command.

[0009] In the above scheme, the control system utilizes the vehicle component controller, which connects multiple ambient light actuators to the vehicle component controller via a second bus, and the vehicle component controller connects to the area controller via a third bus. This further optimizes the proximity connection layout of the wiring harness, which can more effectively shorten the total length of the wiring harness, thereby reducing the cost and weight of the wiring harness and improving the overall vehicle range. At the same time, by using the vehicle component controller to control the ambient light actuators, the control pressure is further distributed, avoiding the problem of excessive occupation of controller hardware resources under centralized control, reducing the possibility of reduced lighting quality due to insufficient hardware resources, and ensuring the working effect of the ambient lights.

[0010] As an alternative, the vehicle component controller may include a door controller and / or a seat controller.

[0011] In the above solution, by specifically setting the vehicle component controller as the door controller and / or seat controller, the existing door and seat controllers of the vehicle can be used to connect and control the ambient light actuator. This can effectively shorten the wiring harness connection distance, reduce wiring harness complexity and cost. At the same time, by distributing the ambient light control tasks with the door controller and / or seat controller, control resources can be allocated more rationally, avoiding the problem of concentrated hardware resource occupation caused by centralized control, and ensuring the stability and reliability of ambient light control.

[0012] As an alternative, the ambient lighting control module is integrated into a central computing platform.

[0013] In the above solution, the control system integrates the ambient light main control module into the central computing platform in the form of software encapsulation. This makes full use of the hardware resources of the central computing platform, avoids the waste of resources caused by setting up the ambient light main control hardware separately, and reduces hardware costs.

[0014] Alternatively, the first bus can be used for Ethernet communication.

[0015] In the above scheme, the ambient lighting main control module and the area controller in the control system use Ethernet communication. Ethernet has efficient and stable data transmission capabilities, which can ensure that the ambient lighting control commands are transmitted quickly and reliably between the two, reduce delays and packet loss during command transmission, and ensure that the area controller receives and responds to control commands in a timely manner, thereby improving the response efficiency and stability of the entire ambient lighting control system.

[0016] Secondly, this application provides a method for controlling ambient lights, applied to the control system of ambient lights described in the first aspect, comprising: the ambient light main control module receiving an ambient light control instruction and sending the ambient light control instruction to the area controller corresponding to the ambient light to be controlled; the area controller adopting a trigger-type scheduling method, responding to the ambient light control instruction with the receipt of the instruction from the ambient light main control module as a trigger condition, so as to realize the control of the ambient light to be controlled.

[0017] In the above scheme, the ambient light main control module sends control commands to the area controller. The area controller responds to the commands by using a trigger-type scheduling method, which reduces the waiting time for the area controller to respond to control commands, reduces the delay of the control link, ensures the timely response and synchronous operation of the ambient lights to be controlled, and avoids lighting effect problems caused by delay.

[0018] As an optional approach, when the ambient lighting control system also includes a vehicle component controller, after receiving the instruction from the ambient lighting main control module as a trigger condition to respond to the ambient lighting control instruction, the method further includes: the area controller sending the ambient lighting control instruction to the vehicle component controller corresponding to the ambient lighting to be controlled; the vehicle component controller adopts a trigger-based scheduling method, responding to the ambient lighting control instruction as a trigger condition to achieve control of the ambient lighting to be controlled.

[0019] In the above scheme, when the control system includes a vehicle component controller, the area controller responds and sends instructions using a trigger-based scheduling method based on receiving instructions from the ambient lighting main control module, and the vehicle component controller responds using a trigger-based scheduling method based on receiving instructions from the area controller. This reduces the waiting time in the process of the ambient lighting main control module transmitting instructions to the area controller and the area controller transmitting instructions to the vehicle component controller, reduces the latency of the multi-level control link, ensures that the ambient lighting under control can still respond in a timely manner under multi-level control, guarantees the synchronization and stability of the lighting effect, and improves the efficiency of ambient lighting control.

[0020] As an alternative, the second bus is a LIN bus, and the third bus is a CAN bus.

[0021] In the above scheme, the second bus adopts the LIN bus and the third bus adopts the CAN bus. The LIN bus adapts to the connection requirements between the ambient light actuator and the vehicle component controller, while the CAN bus adapts to the connection requirements between the vehicle component controller and the area controller. The two buses correspond to different connection scenarios, which can ensure the stable transmission of ambient light control commands in different connection links. This provides an adapted and reliable transmission channel for command transmission between the area controller, the vehicle component controller, and the ambient light actuator, thereby ensuring the stability and effectiveness of ambient light control.

[0022] As an optional approach, the vehicle component controller employs a trigger-based scheduling method, responding to the ambient light control command based on receiving the instruction from the area controller. This includes: the vehicle component controller converting the received ambient light control command in CAN signal form into an ambient light control command in LIN signal form; and directly routing the ambient light control command in LIN signal form through the network layer.

[0023] In the above solution, the vehicle component controller converts the ambient light control commands in CAN signal form into LIN signal form and routes the LIN signal directly through the network layer. There is no need to parse the CAN signal through the application layer. With the trigger-type scheduling method, the processing links in the signal conversion and transmission process can be reduced, the delay of command transmission can be reduced, and the ambient light control commands can be quickly and accurately transmitted to the ambient light actuator. This ensures the timeliness and stability of ambient light control and improves control efficiency.

[0024] As an optional approach, the vehicle component controller converts the received ambient light control command in CAN signal form into ambient light control command in LIN signal form, including: extracting the valid data content from the ambient light control command in CAN signal form, mapping the valid data content to the valid data segment in LIN signal form, and encapsulating the valid data segment in LIN signal form to obtain the ambient light control command.

[0025] In the above scheme, the vehicle component controller extracts the valid data content of the CAN signal instruction, maps it to the valid data segment of the LIN signal, and encapsulates it to realize the conversion of CAN signal to LIN signal.

[0026] Thirdly, this application provides a vehicle including a control system for the ambient lighting described in the first aspect. Fourthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one executable instruction that, when executed on an ambient light control system / vehicle, causes the ambient light control system / vehicle to perform the operation of the ambient light control method described in the second aspect.

[0027] Other features and advantages of this application will be set forth in the following description and will be apparent in part from the description or may be learned by practicing embodiments of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0028] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0029] Figure 1 A vehicle ambient lighting system with a centralized control architecture is provided in the comparative embodiments of this application; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a first type of ambient light control system provided in this application embodiment; Figure 3 A flowchart of relation extraction calculation provided in this application embodiment; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the control chain of an ambient light control system provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling an ambient light according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The embodiments of the technical solution of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of this application and are therefore merely examples, and should not be used to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0031] It should be noted that all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains; the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit this application; the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in the specification, claims, and foregoing description of the drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0032] In the description of the embodiments of this application, technical terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number, specific order, or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly defined.

[0033] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

[0034] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 1 The comparative embodiment of this application provides a centralized control architecture for an in-vehicle ambient lighting system. It can be seen that all the ambient lighting wiring harnesses are connected to a single controller, placing an excessive burden on the controller's hardware. Furthermore, the centralized architecture results in long, costly, and heavy wiring harnesses. The increased harness length inevitably leads to increased vehicle weight, which in turn increases energy consumption during vehicle operation. The increased harness length also affects the timeliness of network communication between various electronic devices within the vehicle. The inventive concept for solving the aforementioned problem of insufficient hardware resources is to change the centralized control system into a distributed control system, and to connect several ambient lights to two or more existing controllers by utilizing the vehicle's existing area controller and other controllers.

[0035] Based on the above, the inventive concept for solving the problem of excessive wiring harness complexity in this application is as follows: In traditional centralized control, the wiring harnesses of all ambient lights need to be centralized from their installation locations throughout the vehicle (such as doors, seats, dashboard, etc.) to the same central controller, resulting in each wiring harness needing to extend a long distance (for example, the wiring harness of the door ambient light needs to run from the door to the center console where the central controller is located), resulting in an extremely large total length. If we try to connect the control wires of the ambient lights to several controllers nearby (such as connecting the door ambient light to controller 1 nearby, and the seat ambient light to controller 2 nearby), these controllers are already located nearby in their respective areas (controller 1 is near the door, controller 2 is near the seat), which greatly shortens the length of a single wiring harness. Then, several controllers are each connected to the same main controller through a single converging wiring harness, resulting in a bus harness length that is much lower than that of the centralized architecture.

[0036] Reference Figure 2 , Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a first type of ambient lighting control system provided in this application embodiment. The control system includes: an ambient lighting main control module, at least two area controllers, and multiple ambient lighting actuators; each ambient lighting actuator is connected to one area controller; one area controller is used to connect at least one ambient lighting actuator; at least two area controllers are connected to the ambient lighting main control module via a first bus; multiple ambient lighting actuators are used to control the operation of corresponding ambient lights to be controlled, and multiple ambient lighting actuators are respectively connected to the area controllers via a second bus; the ambient lighting main control module is used to receive ambient lighting control commands and send ambient lighting control commands to the area controllers corresponding to the ambient lights to be controlled; the area controllers are used to control the ambient lighting actuators according to the ambient lighting control commands.

[0037] The ambient lighting to be controlled includes interior ambient lighting, exterior ambient lighting, and dynamic ambient lighting. Interior ambient lighting is mainly installed on the center console, door panels, floor mats, etc., inside the vehicle. Exterior ambient lighting is installed on the exterior of the vehicle, such as the front, rear, and sides. Dynamic ambient lighting incorporates LED light strips installed on the ceiling inside the vehicle, and can change color and brightness according to the vehicle's driving status and music rhythm.

[0038] Ambient lighting control commands can be sent by the vehicle user through the vehicle's smart terminal, or they can be issued via a mobile application (APP). These commands can invoke in-vehicle lighting show services. When a user sends an ambient lighting control command via the mobile APP, the Telematics Service Provider (TSP) sends a monitoring request to the in-vehicle telematics block (T-BOX). Upon receiving the monitoring request, the vehicle sends a control command via the LIN bus (Local Interconnect Network) to control the ambient lighting, and finally sends the result back to the user's mobile APP.

[0039] As the core of receiving and distributing control commands, the ambient lighting main control module determines the corresponding area controller based on the location information of the ambient light to be controlled in the command after receiving the ambient lighting control command, and sends the ambient lighting control command to the area controller.

[0040] As an intermediate control node, the area controller, upon receiving the ambient lighting control command from the ambient lighting main control module, will control the connected ambient lighting actuators according to the command content. For example, if the ambient lighting control command is "turn on the ambient lighting of the left front door", and the ambient lighting actuator corresponding to the left front door ambient lighting is connected to area controller A, then area controller A, upon receiving the control command, will send a drive signal to the ambient lighting actuator to control it to turn on the ambient lighting of the left front door.

[0041] Multiple ambient light actuators are associated with corresponding ambient lights to be controlled, and are used to directly control the working state of the ambient lights, such as turning them on, off, adjusting color, and adjusting brightness. Each ambient light actuator establishes a connection with only one area controller, and one area controller can connect to at least one ambient light actuator.

[0042] It should be understood that at least two zone controllers can be directly or indirectly connected to the ambient lighting main control module via the first bus. Similarly, the ambient lighting actuators and zone controllers can be directly or indirectly connected via the second bus. An indirect connection means that other intermediate components exist between them, enabling the relay transmission of signals or commands. Specifically, the ambient lighting actuators and zone controllers being indirectly connected via the second bus means connected through the second bus, but it is not limited to a connection solely via the second bus. For example, the zone controller can be connected to the vehicle component controller via a third bus, while the vehicle component controller can be connected to the ambient lighting actuators via the second bus.

[0043] In the above solution, the ambient light actuator is controlled by at least two area controllers, which avoids the problem of excessive occupation of controller hardware resources under centralized control. This reduces the possibility of reduced lighting quality due to insufficient hardware resources and ensures the normal operation of the ambient light.

[0044] In some embodiments, multiple ambient light actuators are connected to the nearest area controller via a second bus.

[0045] Centralized control systems also suffer from excessive wiring complexity. This is because high-end vehicles have more than 40 ambient lighting strips, scattered across the dashboard, doors, seats, roof, carpets, and other areas. Having all these lighting strip wiring harnesses consolidated into a single controller requires each harness to extend a long distance, increasing wiring weight and cost, and reducing the vehicle's overall driving range.

[0046] To address the aforementioned technical issues, in this embodiment, multiple ambient light actuators are connected to the nearest area controller. These area controllers are already located in their respective areas, significantly shortening the length of a single wiring harness between the ambient light actuator and the area controller. The area controller is then connected to the ambient light main control module via a single consolidation wiring harness. This changes the traditional centralized control method where all ambient light units are connected to the same controller, effectively reducing the total length of the wiring harness, thereby lowering wiring harness costs and weight, and contributing to improved vehicle range.

[0047] Furthermore, in traditional centralized control systems, dozens of ambient lighting wiring harnesses need to be centralized to a single controller, resulting in the wiring harnesses having to be centrally routed throughout the vehicle, such as through holes between the doors and the body, and interfaces between the seats and the chassis. These holes require a large number of large-diameter harnesses, demanding high load-bearing capacity from the connectors, and are prone to problems like tangling and wear. In contrast, the ambient lighting wiring harnesses in this application's control system are first centralized to the nearest area controller, and then connected to the main ambient lighting control module via a few harnesses. This reduces the number of harnesses at each route point. For example, the holes between the doors and the body only require one harness to transmit data from the door controller to the area controller. Additionally, the diameter of the wires used for the seat and chassis interfaces is reduced, lowering the complexity of the wiring harness layout and the requirements for the connectors.

[0048] Understandably, based on the principle of "connecting to the nearest location", ambient lighting actuators can connect to the nearest area controller, but it is not excluded that individual ambient lighting controllers can also connect to other area controllers or controllers.

[0049] In the above scheme, multiple ambient light actuators are connected to the nearest area controller via a second bus. This "proximity connection" layout design changes the wiring harness layout of all ambient light actuators being concentrated in a single controller, significantly shortening the total length of the wiring harness.

[0050] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a second type of ambient lighting control system provided in this application embodiment. The control system further includes: at least one vehicle component controller; the vehicle component controller is connected to a zone controller via a third bus, and the vehicle component controller is connected to at least one ambient lighting actuator via a second bus; each ambient lighting actuator is connected to a vehicle component controller; the zone controller is also used to send ambient lighting control instructions to the vehicle component controller corresponding to the ambient lighting to be controlled; the vehicle component controller is used to control the ambient lighting actuator according to the ambient lighting control instructions.

[0051] In actual vehicle scenarios, some ambient lights (such as those near doors, seats, and windows) are close to the controllers of existing vehicle components (such as doors, seats, and windows). Therefore, this embodiment introduces at least one vehicle component controller based on the control system in the above embodiment, and optimizes the wiring harness layout and control link.

[0052] In this embodiment, each ambient light actuator is connected to a vehicle component controller, and a vehicle component controller can connect to at least one ambient light actuator. Multiple ambient light actuators establish connections with their corresponding vehicle component controllers via a second bus. The vehicle component controller is then connected to a zone controller via a third bus, for example, to the nearest zone controller. This hierarchical, proximity-based connection structure of "ambient light actuator - vehicle component controller - zone controller" can fully utilize the installation location advantages of the vehicle's existing component controllers, effectively shortening the wiring harness length. For example, an ambient light actuator near a door can be connected to the corresponding vehicle component controller via the second bus, and then that vehicle component controller can be connected to the adjacent zone controller via the third bus, improving the situation where the wiring harness detours across zones.

[0053] Those skilled in the art will understand that the second bus and the third bus can be selected according to actual communication needs to meet the communication needs between the ambient light actuator and the vehicle component controller, and between the vehicle component controller and the area controller. The number of vehicle component controllers can be flexibly set according to the original component distribution of the vehicle and the installation position of the ambient light. The number of ambient light actuators connected to each vehicle component controller can be adjusted according to the number of ambient lights near the component. All of these are within the protection scope of this application.

[0054] In the above scheme, the control system utilizes the vehicle component controller, which connects multiple ambient light actuators to the vehicle component controller via a second bus, and the vehicle component controller connects to the area controller via a third bus. This further optimizes the proximity connection layout of the wiring harness, which can more effectively shorten the total length of the wiring harness, thereby reducing the cost and weight of the wiring harness and improving the overall vehicle range. At the same time, by using the vehicle component controller to control the ambient light actuators, the control pressure is further distributed, avoiding the problem of excessive occupation of controller hardware resources under centralized control, reducing the possibility of reduced lighting quality due to insufficient hardware resources, and ensuring the working effect of the ambient lights.

[0055] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the control chain for an ambient light control system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 A positive integer n represents the number of corresponding components. The vehicle component controller includes the door controller and / or the seat controller.

[0056] In automotive settings, ambient lighting is often installed in close proximity to vehicle components such as doors and seats. For example, ambient lighting is typically placed on door trim panels, seat sides, and seat bottoms. Door and seat controllers are pre-existing functional controllers within the vehicle, eliminating the need for additional dedicated controllers and reducing system hardware costs. Door controllers control door locking, window operation, and related door trim components, and are usually integrated within the door itself. Seat controllers control seat adjustments, such as fore-and-aft sliding and backrest angle adjustment, and are typically located close to the seat. Based on these locational characteristics, using door and / or seat controllers as vehicle component controllers leverages their proximity advantage, reducing wiring complexity.

[0057] For ambient lighting near the doors (such as door trim panel ambient lighting), the corresponding ambient lighting actuator is connected to the door controller via a second bus. Since the door controller is integrated inside the door, the physical distance between the ambient lighting actuator and the door controller is extremely short, minimizing the wiring harness length between them. For ambient lighting near the seats (such as side ambient lighting and under-seat ambient lighting), the corresponding ambient lighting actuator is connected to the seat controller via a second bus. The seat controller is located close to the seat, similarly enabling a close connection between the ambient lighting actuator and the controller, reducing wiring harness redundancy. Simultaneously, the door controller and seat controller are connected to the nearest area controller via a third bus. For example, the left front door controller can be connected to the area controller responsible for the front left side of the vehicle, and the driver's seat controller can be connected to the area controller responsible for the driver's cabin area, forming a proximity connection link of "ambient lighting actuator - door controller / seat controller - area controller".

[0058] It should be noted that in practical applications, one or both of the door controller and seat controller can be selected depending on the specific arrangement of the ambient lighting: if ambient lighting is only arranged at the door positions, the vehicle component controller may only include the door controller; if ambient lighting is only arranged at the seat positions, it may only include the seat controller; if ambient lighting is arranged at both the door and seat positions, it may include both the door controller and the seat controller. All of the above embodiments fall within the protection scope of this application. It is understood that the door component controller is not limited to door controllers and seat controllers, but may also be other controllers such as dashboard controllers, roof controllers, steering wheel controllers, etc., and all types of controllers also fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0059] In the above solution, by specifically setting the vehicle component controller as the door controller and / or seat controller, the existing door and seat controllers of the vehicle can be used to connect and control the ambient light actuator. This can effectively shorten the wiring harness connection distance, reduce wiring harness complexity and cost. At the same time, by distributing the ambient light control tasks with the door controller and / or seat controller, control resources can be allocated more rationally, avoiding the problem of concentrated hardware resource occupation caused by centralized control, and ensuring the stability and reliability of ambient light control.

[0060] In some embodiments, the ambient lighting control module is integrated into the central computing platform.

[0061] In the above solution, the control system integrates the ambient light main control module into the central computing platform in the form of software encapsulation. This makes full use of the hardware resources of the central computing platform, avoids the waste of resources caused by setting up the ambient light main control hardware separately, and reduces hardware costs.

[0062] In some embodiments, the first bus is an Ethernet communication network.

[0063] In the above scheme, the ambient lighting main control module and the area controller in the control system use Ethernet communication. Ethernet has efficient and stable data transmission capabilities, which can ensure that the ambient lighting control commands are transmitted quickly and reliably between the two, reduce delays and packet loss during command transmission, and ensure that the area controller receives and responds to control commands in a timely manner, thereby improving the response efficiency and stability of the entire ambient lighting control system.

[0064] The ambient lighting control system provided in the above embodiments solves the wiring harness problem, but it leads to an increase in the control link. Each additional node in the link increases the delay of the control commands, ultimately causing the asynchrony of the ambient lights to be perceptible to the human eye. In a fixed lighting effect scenario, the link delay manifests as the earliest and latest lights turning on being out of sync; in a music-rhythm scenario, the link delay manifests as the timing of the ambient lights turning on being out of sync with the music beat. In engineering, a delay greater than 50ms is generally considered perceptible to the human eye (i.e., 20 frames / second). If the delay cannot be resolved, it is impossible to achieve near-end distributed control of the ambient lighting's regional architecture.

[0065] To address the latency issue, using a clock synchronization protocol in the communication link could resolve the latency problem for fixed lighting effects. However, the essence of a clock synchronization protocol is to adapt to the slowest actuator in the entire system, aligning the execution nodes of all actuators. Clock synchronization essentially delays the overall lighting time of the ambient lights, significantly increasing the latency between sound and light in music-driven scenes, rendering the music-driven scenes practically unusable. Therefore, an alternative solution is needed to simultaneously address the latency issues of both fixed lighting effects and music-driven scenes.

[0066] Therefore, this application provides the following ambient lighting control system and ambient lighting control method, which solves the problems of excessive wiring complexity and delay while ensuring the quality of lighting effects.

[0067] Reference Figure 5 , Figure 5 This application provides a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling ambient lighting according to an embodiment of the present application. The method is applied to the ambient lighting control system described above and includes: Step S10: The ambient light main control module receives the ambient light control command and sends the ambient light control command to the area controller corresponding to the ambient light to be controlled.

[0068] Step S20: The area controller adopts a trigger-based scheduling method, responding to the ambient light control command with the received command from the ambient light main control module as the trigger condition, so as to realize the control of the ambient light to be controlled.

[0069] As the intermediate execution node for ambient lighting control commands, the core of the area controller's response logic is trigger-based scheduling. This can be implemented in several ways: First, it can directly monitor specific events, such as the arrival of bus signals or changes in sensor status, via hardware pins. When an event occurs, an interrupt service routine (ISR) is immediately triggered, pausing the current task and executing the code associated with that event. Second, it can be triggered by software flag events. When a specific event occurs, such as a timer timeout or the completion of a communication frame reception, a corresponding flag is set, and the corresponding operation is performed when the flag is set. Third, it can employ a message queue mechanism. The system maintains a message queue, and when an event occurs, relevant data (such as command content and event type) is encapsulated into a message and placed in the queue. Tasks retrieve messages from the queue and execute corresponding operations in a blocking or non-blocking manner. Unlike traditional vehicle ambient lighting control systems that respond to control commands through periodic scheduling, where lower-level controllers in the control chain check for commands at fixed time intervals and wait for a fixed period regardless of whether a command is received, or where upper-level controllers periodically send control commands to lower-level controllers at fixed time intervals, the response of the area controller in this embodiment does not depend on a fixed period. Instead, it is triggered by the event of "receiving a command from the ambient lighting main control module." It does not need to wait for a fixed period and immediately starts the response process after receiving the command from the ambient lighting main control module, which can shorten the overall response time. For example, ideally, the delay can be reduced by 10ms for each ambient lighting actuator controlled.

[0070] In the above scheme, the ambient light main control module sends control commands to the area controller. The area controller responds to the commands by using a trigger-type scheduling method, which reduces the waiting time for the area controller to respond to control commands, reduces the delay of the control link, ensures the timely response and synchronous operation of the ambient lights to be controlled, and avoids lighting effect problems caused by delay.

[0071] In some embodiments, where the ambient lighting control system further includes a vehicle component controller, step S20 includes: Step S201: The area controller adopts a trigger-based scheduling method, responds to the ambient light control command by receiving the command from the ambient light main control module, and sends the ambient light control command to the vehicle component controller corresponding to the ambient light to be controlled.

[0072] Step S202: The vehicle component controller adopts a trigger-type scheduling method, responding to the ambient light control command with the receipt of the area controller command as the trigger condition, so as to realize the control of the ambient light to be controlled.

[0073] As a primary response node in the control chain, the area controller employs a trigger-based scheduling method, unlike traditional periodic scheduling. It initiates a response immediately upon receiving instructions from the ambient lighting master control module. Specifically, the area controller does not require a pre-set fixed instruction detection cycle during operation; instead, it monitors the communication link with the ambient lighting master control module in real time. When it receives an ambient lighting control instruction from the master control module, it immediately initiates the processing flow based on the receipt of that instruction, including sending the ambient lighting control instruction to the vehicle component controller, reducing latency by up to 20-100ms.

[0074] Similarly, the vehicle component controller, as a secondary response node in the control link, also adopts a trigger-based scheduling method. It monitors the third-bus communication with the area controller in real time. When it receives a control command from the area controller, it immediately initiates a response based on the receipt of the command, including driving the ambient light actuator. Likewise, this method can shorten the overall response time; ideally, it can reduce the delay by 10ms for each ambient light actuator controlled.

[0075] In the above scheme, when the control system includes a vehicle component controller, the area controller responds and sends instructions using a trigger-based scheduling method based on receiving instructions from the ambient lighting main control module, and the vehicle component controller responds using a trigger-based scheduling method based on receiving instructions from the area controller. This reduces the waiting time in the process of the ambient lighting main control module transmitting instructions to the area controller and the area controller transmitting instructions to the vehicle component controller, reduces the latency of the multi-level control link, ensures that the ambient lighting under control can still respond in a timely manner under multi-level control, guarantees the synchronization and stability of the lighting effect, and improves the efficiency of ambient lighting control.

[0076] The trigger-based scheduling method works in synergy with the multi-controller design of the control system. The vehicle component controller connects to the ambient light actuator via the second bus and to the area controller via the third bus, reducing wiring harness length and transmission loss. The two-level trigger-based scheduling can solve the latency problem of multi-level links in the distributed architecture, ultimately achieving the dual technical effects of reducing wiring harness complexity and latency while ensuring lighting quality.

[0077] In some embodiments, the first bus can be an Ethernet bus, the second bus can be a LIN bus, and the third bus can be a CAN bus.

[0078] Those skilled in the art will understand that the second bus can be a LIN bus, adapted for short-range communication between the ambient light actuator and the vehicle component controller, and the third bus can be a CAN bus, adapted for medium-range communication between the vehicle component controller and the area controller.

[0079] In the above scheme, the second bus adopts the LIN bus and the third bus adopts the CAN bus. The LIN bus adapts to the connection requirements between the ambient light actuator and the vehicle component controller, while the CAN bus adapts to the connection requirements between the vehicle component controller and the area controller. The two buses correspond to different connection scenarios, which can ensure the stable transmission of ambient light control commands in different connection links. This provides an adapted and reliable transmission channel for command transmission between the area controller, the vehicle component controller, and the ambient light actuator, thereby ensuring the stability and effectiveness of ambient light control.

[0080] In some embodiments, step S202 includes: Step 1) The vehicle component controller converts the received ambient light control commands in the form of CAN signals into ambient light control commands in the form of LIN signals.

[0081] Step 2) Directly route ambient light control commands in the form of LIN signals through the network layer.

[0082] The area controller and vehicle component controller transmit commands via a CAN bus, while the vehicle component controller and ambient lighting actuator transmit commands via a LIN bus. Therefore, the communication process requires converting CAN signals to LIN signals and then transmitting the converted LIN signals to the ambient lighting actuator. In traditional control logic, the step of parsing CAN signals to LIN signals needs to be completed at the application layer. In this embodiment, to reduce latency, the CAN signal to LIN signal conversion is performed in advance at the vehicle component controller. This eliminates the need for application layer processing, allowing the network layer to directly route the converted LIN signals. Ideally, this saves another 18ms of latency. Combined with trigger-based scheduling, the latency of the entire control link can be controlled within 50ms.

[0083] In the above solution, the vehicle component controller converts the ambient light control commands in CAN signal form into LIN signal form and routes the LIN signal directly through the network layer. There is no need to parse the CAN signal through the application layer. With the trigger-type scheduling method, the processing links in the signal conversion and transmission process can be reduced, the delay of command transmission can be reduced, and the ambient light control commands can be quickly and accurately transmitted to the ambient light actuator. This ensures the timeliness and stability of ambient light control and improves control efficiency.

[0084] In some embodiments, step 1) above includes: Extract the valid data content from the ambient light control command in CAN signal form, map the valid data content to the valid data segment in LIN signal form, and encapsulate the valid data segment in LIN signal form to obtain the ambient light control command.

[0085] The vehicle component controller parses the CAN signal frame, extracts the valid data segments, which contain the core information related to ambient lighting control, and removes redundant information such as frame headers and check bits from the CAN bus protocol itself. Then, the extracted valid data content is mapped to the valid data segments of the LIN signal according to preset rules. Since the system pre-standardizes the valid data formats of CAN and LIN signals, the mapping process does not require secondary parsing or conversion of the data content. It only needs to directly fill the valid CAN data into the data field of the LIN signal, and add the necessary frame identifiers and check bits according to the LIN bus protocol requirements to complete the LIN signal encapsulation and obtain the ambient lighting control commands.

[0086] In the above scheme, the vehicle component controller extracts the valid data content of the CAN signal instruction, maps it to the valid data segment of the LIN signal, and encapsulates it to realize the conversion of CAN signal to LIN signal.

[0087] This application also provides a vehicle including the ambient lighting control system described in the above embodiments. This application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one executable instruction. When the executable instruction is executed on the ambient lighting control system / vehicle, it causes the ambient lighting control system / vehicle to perform the methods provided in the above-described method embodiments.

[0088] The above are merely embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A control system for ambient lighting, characterized in that, include: The system includes an ambient lighting main control module, at least two area controllers, and multiple ambient lighting actuators; each ambient lighting actuator is connected to one of the area controllers. One of the area controllers is used to connect to at least one of the ambient light actuators; the at least two area controllers are connected to the ambient light main control module via a first bus; The plurality of ambient light actuators are used to control the operation of the corresponding ambient light to be controlled, and the plurality of ambient light actuators are respectively connected to the area controller via a second bus; The ambient light main control module is used to receive ambient light control commands and send the ambient light control commands to the area controller corresponding to the ambient light to be controlled. The area controller is used to control the ambient light actuator according to the ambient light control command.

2. The control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of ambient lighting actuators are connected to the nearest area controller via the second bus.

3. The control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: At least one vehicle component controller; the vehicle component controller is connected to a zone controller via a third bus, and the vehicle component controller is connected to at least one of the ambient light actuators via a second bus; each of the ambient light actuators is connected to one of the vehicle component controllers; The area controller is also used to send the ambient light control command to the vehicle component controller corresponding to the ambient light to be controlled. The vehicle component controller is used to control the ambient light actuator according to the ambient light control command.

4. The control system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The vehicle component controller includes a door controller and / or a seat controller.

5. The control system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ambient lighting control module is integrated into the central computing platform.

6. The control system according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The first bus is an Ethernet communication bus.

7. A method for controlling ambient lighting, characterized in that, A control system for the ambient lighting according to any one of claims 1-6, comprising: The ambient light main control module receives the ambient light control command and sends the ambient light control command to the area controller corresponding to the ambient light to be controlled. The area controller adopts a trigger-based scheduling method, responding to the ambient light control command by receiving the command from the ambient light main control module, so as to control the ambient light to be controlled.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, In the case where the ambient lighting control system also includes a vehicle component controller, after receiving an instruction from the ambient lighting main control module as a trigger condition in response to the ambient lighting control instruction, the method further includes: The area controller sends the ambient light control command to the vehicle component controller corresponding to the ambient light to be controlled. The vehicle component controller adopts a trigger-based scheduling method, responding to the ambient light control command with the receipt of the area controller command as a trigger condition, so as to control the ambient light to be controlled.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second bus is the LIN bus, and the third bus is the CAN bus.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The vehicle component controller employs a trigger-based scheduling method, responding to the ambient light control command based on receiving the instruction from the area controller, including: The vehicle component controller converts the received ambient light control commands in the form of CAN signals into ambient light control commands in the form of LIN signals. The ambient light control commands in the form of LIN signals are directly routed through the network layer.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The vehicle component controller converts the received ambient lighting control commands in CAN signal form into ambient lighting control commands in LIN signal form, including: Extract the valid data content from the ambient light control command in the form of CAN signal, map the valid data content to the valid data segment in the form of LIN signal, and encapsulate the valid data segment in the form of LIN signal to obtain the ambient light control command.

12. A vehicle, characterized in that, Including the control system for ambient lighting as described in any one of claims 1-6.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores at least one executable instruction, which, when executed on the ambient lighting control system / vehicle, causes the ambient lighting control system / vehicle to perform the operation of the ambient lighting control method as described in any one of claims 7-11.

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