Front light arrangement system for illuminating the surroundings of a vehicle and illumination method
By grouping the light sources of the vehicle's headlights and selectively reducing their power according to operating conditions, the problem of damage caused by overheating of the headlights has been solved, achieving efficient and comfortable lighting effects.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 海拉有限双合股份公司
- Filing Date
- 2021-12-13
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-02
AI Technical Summary
In vehicle headlights, the temperature rise caused by the thermal coupling of multiple light sources can lead to damage. Existing technology cools the lights by reducing the light power of all light sources, but this affects the lighting quality.
By dividing the light source into multiple groups and using temperature sensors and control equipment to selectively reduce the power of specific groups according to the vehicle's operating conditions, the light source groups are selectively adjusted using the thermal coupling principle to cool the headlights and maintain high lighting quality.
It enables dynamic adjustment of light source power under different vehicle operating conditions to prevent headlights from overheating and being damaged, while maintaining high lighting quality and efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN116669991B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to a headlight arrangement system, lighting method, and vehicle for illuminating the surrounding environment of a vehicle. Background Technology
[0002] High-resolution headlights for vehicles include multiple light sources used to illuminate the vehicle's surroundings.
[0003] Due to the thermal coupling of the respective light sources in the headlights, prolonged operation of multiple light sources can cause the temperature inside the headlights to rise, which may lead to damage if necessary. Therefore, if the temperature inside the headlights exceeds a critical threshold, it is necessary to cool the headlights to prevent damage.
[0004] To cool headlights, a so-called "derating method" is known, for example, by EP 1 874 097 A1, in which the optical power of the entire light source of the headlight is reduced by reducing the current supply, thereby reducing the thermal power output by the light source proportionally to the optical power and at least not further heating the headlight.
[0005] The headlight's light power is typically reduced by lowering the light power of all light sources in the headlight. Summary of the Invention
[0006] In this context, the objective of the proposed invention is to enable the continuous operation of vehicle headlights with a lighting quality that provides comfort for the user.
[0007] This task is accomplished through a headlight arrangement system for illuminating the vehicle's surroundings.
[0008] Therefore, according to the first aspect of the invention, a headlight arrangement system for illuminating the surrounding environment of a vehicle is proposed. The headlight arrangement system includes at least one headlight, a temperature sensor, and a control device, wherein the at least one headlight includes multiple light sources.
[0009] Multiple light sources are divided into a first group and at least one second group.
[0010] Thermal coupling of multiple light sources.
[0011] The temperature sensor is configured to detect the temperature in the at least one headlight.
[0012] The control device is configured to determine the current temperature of the at least one headlight obtained by the temperature sensor, and, if the current temperature of the at least one headlight exceeds a preset temperature threshold, select either the first group or the at least one second group according to the vehicle's operating conditions to reduce power and reduce the power of the selected group.
[0013] In the context of the invention presented herein, the control device is understood as a computing unit, such as a processor, ASIC, or any other programmable circuit. A control device according to the invention may include interfaces to a headlight and a temperature sensor according to the invention, for exchanging communication signals, particularly control commands, with the headlight and / or temperature sensor.
[0014] In the context of the proposed invention, the vehicle's operating condition is understood as the state or operating mode of the vehicle itself and / or the state of the vehicle's surrounding environment, such as the type of lane, the brightness of the surrounding environment, or traffic circling the vehicle.
[0015] The proposed headlight arrangement system is based on the principle that, selectively and according to operating conditions, such as the current and / or future operating conditions of the vehicle, at least one group of light sources is selected from multiple groups of light sources for de-rating, i.e., reducing power, for example by reducing the current supplied to the selected group.
[0016] By selectively and in relation to the operating conditions choosing appropriate groups of light sources for derating, the other groups of light sources in the headlights provided according to the invention can be operated at high power and with correspondingly high heat generation. In other words, the selected groups of light sources serve as cooling for the entire headlight or as heat buffers, providing heat resources for the other groups of light sources in the headlights and thus preventing the headlights from overheating even when the other groups of light sources are operating at high power.
[0017] According to the present invention, a corresponding group of light sources is selected based on the operating conditions of the corresponding vehicle, and the power of the group is reduced. For this purpose, for example, the current settings of vehicle components (e.g., motors) and currently obtained measurements (e.g., the current speed or current position of the vehicle on a digital map) can be evaluated.
[0018] For example, it can be stipulated that, in the case of vehicles operating in an "autonomous convoy," where the vehicles are at least partially and automatically controlled within the convoy, a group of light sources configured for far-field lighting is selected to reduce their power. Thus, the power of the light source group configured for near-field lighting can be maintained at full power, allowing the corresponding sensors for automatically controlling the vehicles to operate under optimal conditions.
[0019] Furthermore, it can be stipulated that when the vehicle is in a "traffic jam" operating condition, such as being controlled at a speed below a preset speed threshold, a thermal window is automatically implemented, that is, a temperature reserve for heating is established for future operating conditions. This is achieved by reducing or maintaining a reduced power level for a group of light sources during traffic jams. This is particularly effective in reducing the power of light source groups configured for far-field lighting.
[0020] Alternatives, or additional to the current operating conditions, can be used to assess the expected future operating conditions of the corresponding vehicles in order to select the appropriate group of light sources, the power of which should be reduced.
[0021] Future operating conditions can be determined through planning, thereby enabling the proactive and optimized selection of appropriate light sources for the expected future operation of the vehicle. The power of the appropriate light sources should be reduced, for example, by selecting one set of light sources as the appropriate light sources, reducing the power of the appropriate light sources, and not using or only using a small amount of the appropriate light sources on the road to be traveled in the future, such as near-field lighting when driving on a highway.
[0022] It can be specified that the control device is configured to determine the vehicle's operating status by means of an association list, which associates the corresponding operating status with at least one sensor value from a list of sensor values: vehicle speed, ambient brightness, steering angle, and vehicle position.
[0023] For example, the operating conditions can be associated with various obtained measurements or settings, either stored in the memory of the control device or accessible through an interface to the memory, such as a cloud server. Accordingly, when using the association list, the vehicle's operating conditions can be inferred from the measurements obtained through the control device or the corresponding vehicle settings, and a set of light sources can be selected accordingly to reduce their power. Here, this set of light sources can be preset through another association list, which associates the corresponding operating conditions with the light sources in the corresponding group, which are then configured to reduce their power.
[0024] It can be specified that each association list can be editably stored in memory by the user, so that the user can preset the light source group to reduce power or exclude its power reduction according to the operation.
[0025] Furthermore, it can be specified that the control device is configured to manipulate the plurality of light sources such that these light sources produce an illumination area that becomes narrower and brighter as the speed increases and becomes wider and darker as the speed decreases.
[0026] In order to control the light source of the headlight according to the invention to produce a narrower and brighter illumination area, such a light source group arranged on the side edge of the headlight can selectively reduce its power and such a light source group connected to the light source group on the edge of the headlight can increase its power or at least keep it constant.
[0027] In order to control the light source of the headlight according to the present invention to produce a wider and darker illumination area, the power of such a light source group arranged on the upper edge and / or lower edge of the headlight can be selectively reduced.
[0028] Furthermore, it can be specified that the control device is configured to allow the power of the selected light source to increase only when the current temperature in the headlight is below a cornering temperature threshold, provided that the control device is notified that the steering angle is greater than a preset steering angle threshold.
[0029] A cornering temperature threshold can be used to maintain a hot window, which is a temperature range within which headlight heating can be achieved without damaging the headlights. Accordingly, the corresponding light source of the headlight can operate at high power within the hot window. For example, the hot window can be several seconds long to enable driving through corners with correspondingly high illumination power. In other words, the cornering temperature threshold specifies a temperature at which the headlights also have heat reserves or can be heated without damage.
[0030] Furthermore, it can be specified that the control device is configured to select the curve temperature threshold based on the time when the power of the selected group should be increased, and the control device is configured to determine the time when the power of the selected light source will be increased by means of the road segment of the next curve based on a digital map.
[0031] To enable the headlights to operate at high power, specifically high beam power, in cornering light mode for the duration of cornering, the cornering temperature threshold can be selected such that the corresponding heat window (in which the headlights can be heated) is large enough to cover the duration of cornering. Accordingly, the cornering temperature threshold can be dynamically selected based on the road segment or based on the duration of cornering according to a digital map.
[0032] In particular, the light sources of the corresponding group can be selectively reduced in power before driving through a curve in order to cool the corresponding headlights below the corresponding curve temperature threshold.
[0033] Furthermore, it can be specified that the control device is configured to determine the vehicle's operating status based on the terrain of the road segment the vehicle is currently traveling on, and to obtain the terrain of the road segment the vehicle is currently traveling on by means of a digital map and the current vehicle position.
[0034] Taking into account the terrain of the current road segment, such as road type, maximum permissible speed, curve radius, or other features of the road segment to be utilized, a corresponding group of light sources can be selected, with the power of the corresponding group of light sources reduced, so as to produce an illumination area that is subjectively unchanged or only minimally changed for the user. Accordingly, the light pattern produced by the corresponding headlights can be adapted to the current operating conditions of the vehicle, especially to the current road. For this purpose, for example, a preset standard catalog with control parameters, especially with a catalog of corresponding groups of light sources to be selected (with reduced power) for the corresponding road or road type, can be stored, for example, in a control device provided according to the invention or in a memory communicatively connected to the control device.
[0035] Furthermore, it can be specified that the control device is configured to predict the future operating conditions of the vehicle based on the terrain of the currently traveled road segment and select a reduction value for power reduction such that, when the reduction value is set, the temperature expected in the at least one headlight for the future operating conditions is lower than a preset prediction threshold for the future operating conditions, wherein the control device is configured to determine the expected temperature using a temperature model of the at least one headlight.
[0036] By using a temperature model of the headlights that mathematically describes their thermal behavior, a thermal window for future headlight operating points can be provided at the current point in time, for example, by reducing the power of a selected group of light sources to the future operating point. For this purpose, a predictive threshold can be determined, representing a temperature at which a sufficiently large thermal window or a sufficiently high reserve exists for heating the headlights to the future operating point.
[0037] If the current temperature of the corresponding headlight is higher than the corresponding predicted threshold, it can be stipulated that the function used to activate or increase the power of the corresponding light source for cornering is disabled.
[0038] Furthermore, the control device may be configured to predict the future operating conditions of the vehicle based on the terrain of the current driving segment, and to disable the function of increasing the power of the first group or the at least second group when the expected temperature of the at least one headlight for the future operating conditions, based on the current temperature of the at least one headlight, is higher than a preset temperature threshold for the future operating conditions. The control device is configured to determine the desired temperature using a temperature model of the at least one headlight.
[0039] To prevent the headlights from overheating and potentially damaging them, the function for increasing the power of the corresponding light source can be reversibly disabled based on the current and expected temperature. For example, when driving with additional high beams, the corresponding headlights may heat up to the point that additionally activating the turn signals could cause thermal damage. It can be specified that the control device according to the invention disables the function for activating the turn signals in this situation.
[0040] Furthermore, it can be specified that the first group and the at least one second group are arranged on a printed circuit board spaced apart in space, wherein the first group forms a first high-resolution light-emitting unit and the at least one second group forms at least one second high-resolution light-emitting unit.
[0041] High-resolution lighting units are typically arranged as a thermally coupled system of multiple chips, which include, for example, multiple individual light sources, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), particularly hundreds of individual LEDs arranged on a common printed circuit board or forming a so-called "chip". Accordingly, such chips are particularly well-suited for power reduction and for regulating the headlight temperature accordingly as a whole thermally coupled system. Here, a first set of light sources can be configured, for example, for illuminating the near zone and a second set of light sources can be configured for illuminating the far zone.
[0042] In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a lighting method for illuminating the surrounding environment of a vehicle using a possible design of the proposed headlight arrangement system. The lighting method includes a query step, a selection step, and a setting step. In the query step, the current temperature of at least one headlight in the headlight arrangement system, obtained by a temperature sensor of the headlight arrangement system, is queried. If the current temperature of the at least one headlight exceeds a preset threshold, the power of a first group or at least one second group of light sources in the at least one headlight is selectively reduced to lower the temperature in the at least one headlight. In the selection step, the first group or the at least one second group is selected based on the vehicle's operating conditions. In the setting step, a power reduction is set on the group selected in the selection step.
[0043] The proposed lighting method is particularly useful for operating the proposed headlight arrangement system. With the proposed lighting method, the headlights can dynamically and temporarily operate at a power exceeding the thermal load suitable for continuous operation, thereby producing particularly high light power, for example, when driving on curves.
[0044] In a third aspect, the present invention relates to a vehicle having a possible design of the proposed headlight arrangement system. Attached Figure Description
[0045] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown herein:
[0046] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing possible design schemes for the proposed headlight arrangement system is provided.
[0047] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing possible design schemes for the proposed lighting method is provided.
[0048] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing possible design schemes for the proposed vehicle is provided. Detailed Implementation
[0049] exist Figure 1 The diagram shows a headlight arrangement system 100. The headlight arrangement system 100 includes a headlight 101, a temperature sensor 103, and a control device 105, and is part of a vehicle not shown here.
[0050] The headlight 101 includes a plurality of light sources 107, which are divided into a first group 109 for front area illumination, a second group 111, a third group 113, a fourth group 115 for standard illumination, and a fifth group 117 for far area illumination.
[0051] Temperature sensor 103 is configured to detect the temperature in headlight 101. For this purpose, temperature sensor 103 may include, for example, a probe positioned in the interior space of headlight 101 or fully integrated into headlight 101 as shown here.
[0052] The light sources 107 of the first group 109, the second group 111, the third group 113, the fourth group 115, and the fifth group 117 are thermally coupled, such that a temperature change in one group causes a temperature change in the other groups. For this purpose, the light sources 107 of the first group 109, the second group 111, the third group 113, the fourth group 115, and the fifth group 117 can, for example, be arranged on a common heat-conducting element, such as a metal plate.
[0053] The control device 105 is configured to obtain the current temperature obtained by the temperature sensor 103 in the headlight 101, and if the current temperature in the headlight 101 exceeds a preset threshold, select the appropriate group from groups 109, 111, 113, 115, and 117 according to the vehicle's operating conditions, and the power of the appropriate group should be reduced.
[0054] In addition, the control device 105 is configured to selectively reduce the power of the selected group.
[0055] For example, the control device 105 can determine the vehicle's operating status based on the settings in the vehicle's control device, and select the first group 109 to reduce its power and correspondingly reduce the current supply to the first group 109 based on the operating status or the corresponding operating parameters currently set in the vehicle, so that the light power of the first group 109 is reduced, and thereby the temperature of the first group 109 is reduced, and ultimately the temperature of the entire headlight 101 is reduced.
[0056] Here, for example, when the vehicle's operating parameter "speed" is higher than a preset selection threshold such as 60 km / h, the first group 109 can be selected because the driver will not perceive the reduction in near-field lighting as a decrease in comfort when the speed is greater than 60 km / h.
[0057] Because the power of the first group 109 is reduced, the second group 111, the third group 113, the fourth group 115, and, if necessary, the fifth group 117 can operate at a constant power without heating the headlight 101 to the critical temperature range.
[0058] exist Figure 2 The diagram illustrates a lighting method 200. The lighting method 200 includes a query step 201, in which the current temperature in at least one headlight of the headlight arrangement system is obtained by a temperature sensor of the headlight arrangement system.
[0059] In addition, the lighting method 200 includes a selection step 203, in which, for a case where the current temperature in at least one headlight exceeds a preset threshold, a first group or at least a second group is selected to reduce power based on the vehicle's operating conditions.
[0060] In addition, the lighting method 200 includes a setting step 205, in which a reduced power is set on the group selected in the selection step (203).
[0061] In particular, the reduction value can be selected based on the current operating conditions of the vehicle, and the power currently set on a group is reduced by this reduction value.
[0062] exist Figure 3 The image shows vehicle 300. Vehicle 300 is equipped with [equipment / facilities / etc.]. Figure 1 A headlight arrangement system 100, which can be arranged according to... Figure 2 The lighting method 200 is in operation.
[0063] List of reference numerals
[0064] 100 Headlight Layout System
[0065] 101 headlamp
[0066] 103 Temperature Sensor
[0067] 105 Control Equipment
[0068] 107 light source
[0069] 109 First group of light sources
[0070] 111 Second group of light sources
[0071] 113 Third group of light sources
[0072] 115 Fourth group of light sources
[0073] 117 Fifth group of light sources
[0074] 200 lighting methods
[0075] 201 Query Steps
[0076] 203 Selection Steps
[0077] 205 Setup Steps
[0078] 300 vehicles
Claims
1. A headlight arrangement system (100) for illuminating the surrounding environment of a vehicle (300). in, The headlight arrangement system (100) includes: - At least one headlight (101). - Temperature sensor (103). - Control device (105) The at least one headlight (101) includes a plurality of light sources (107), wherein the plurality of light sources (107) are divided into a first group (109) and at least one second group (111, 113, 115, 117), wherein a temperature sensor (103) is configured to detect the temperature in the at least one headlight (101), wherein each of the plurality of light sources (107) is thermally coupled, and wherein a control device (105) is configured to: determine the current temperature in the at least one headlight (101) determined by the temperature sensor (103), and for the at least one headlight (101) If the current temperature in the headlights (101) exceeds a preset temperature threshold, the first group (109) or at least one second group (111, 113, 115, 117) is selected to reduce power based on the operating conditions of the vehicle (300), and the power of the selected group is reduced. The control device (105) is configured to determine the operating conditions of the vehicle (300) by means of an association list that associates the corresponding operating conditions with the steering angle. For cases where the control device (105) is notified of a steering angle greater than a preset steering angle threshold, the power of the selected group is allowed to increase only if the current temperature in the headlights (101) is less than a cornering temperature threshold.
2. The headlight arrangement system (100) according to claim 1. Its features are, The control device (105) is configured to determine the operating status of the vehicle (300) by means of an association list, which associates the corresponding operating status with at least one sensor value from a list of sensor values: vehicle speed, ambient light, and vehicle position.
3. The headlight arrangement system (100) according to claim 2. Its features are, The control device (105) is configured to manipulate the first group (109) and the at least one second group (111, 113, 115, 117) such that the first group and the at least one second group produce an illumination area that becomes narrower and brighter as the speed increases and wider and darker as the speed decreases.
4. The headlight arrangement system (100) according to claim 3. Its features are, The control device (105) is configured to select the bend temperature threshold based on the time at which the power of the selected group should be increased, and The control device (105) is configured to determine, based on a digital map, the time when the power of the selected group should be increased by taking advantage of the road segment of the next bend.
5. The headlight arrangement system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Its features are, The control device (105) is configured to determine the operating status of the vehicle (300) based on the terrain of the road segment currently being traveled by the vehicle (300), and to obtain the terrain of the currently traveled road segment by means of a digital map and the current vehicle position.
6. The headlight arrangement system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Its features are, The control device (105) is configured to predict the future operating conditions of the vehicle (300) based on the terrain of the currently traveled road segment and select a reduction value for the power of a selected group to be reduced, such that, when the reduction value is set, the temperature in the at least one headlight (101) that is expected for the future operating conditions is lower than a preset prediction threshold for the future operating conditions, wherein, The control device (105) is configured to determine the desired temperature using a temperature model of the at least one headlight (101).
7. The headlight arrangement system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Its features are, The control device (105) is configured to predict the future operation of the vehicle (300) based on the terrain of the current driving segment, and to disable the function of increasing the power of the first group (109) or the at least one second group (111, 113, 115, 117) when the temperature of the at least one headlight (101) expected for the future operation is higher than a preset temperature threshold for the future operation, based on the current temperature of the at least one headlight (101). The control device (105) is configured to determine the desired temperature using a temperature model of the at least one headlight (101).
8. The headlight arrangement system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Its features are, The first group (109) and the at least one second group (111, 113, 115, 117) are arranged on a printed circuit board spaced apart in space, wherein the first group (109) forms a first high-resolution light-emitting unit, and the at least one second group (111, 113, 115, 117) forms at least one second high-resolution light-emitting unit.
9. A lighting method (200) for illuminating the surrounding environment of a vehicle (300) by means of a headlight arrangement system (101) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The lighting method (200) includes: - Query step (201), in which the current temperature in at least one headlight (101) of the headlight arrangement system (100) is obtained by the temperature sensor (103) of the headlight arrangement system (100), and - Selection step (203), in which, for a situation where the current temperature in the at least one headlight (101) exceeds a preset threshold, the first group (109) or the at least one second group (111, 113, 115, 117) is selected to reduce power based on the operating conditions of the vehicle (300), and - Setting step (205), in which a reduced power is set for the group selected in the selection step (203).
10. A vehicle (300) having a headlight arrangement system (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.