Control device of integrated tail lamp and integrated tail lamp

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of vehicle lighting, and discloses a control device of an integrated tail lamp and the integrated tail lamp, the tail lamp comprises a brake lamp set, a position lamp set and a steering lamp set, and the device comprises a driving control module and an LED lighting control module; the brake lamp set, the position lamp set and the steering lamp set are all controlled by the drive control module and the LED lightening control module. The driving control module is configured to provide electric energy for the brake lamp set, the position lamp set and the steering lamp set based on the lighting signal and send a lighting signal to the LED lighting control module; the LED lightening control module comprises a multi-channel linear constant current chip, and the multi-channel linear constant current chip is configured to control the lightening modes of the brake lamp set, the position lamp set and the steering lamp set according to a time division multiplexing mode based on lightening signals. Therefore, through integrated design and time division multiplexing control, less hardware is allowed to be used for realizing a more complex lightening mode, and efficient and flexible intelligent control on the three tail lamp sets is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of vehicle lighting, and in particular to a control device for an integrated taillight and an integrated taillight. Background Art

[0002] The rear combination lights of a car are a group of important lighting and signaling devices at the rear of the vehicle, mainly including brake lights installed on both sides of the rear of the car, which light up red when the driver steps on the brake pedal to remind the rear vehicles to avoid rear-end collisions; rear turn lights that light up when the vehicle turns to alert other vehicles and pedestrians; and rear position lights that are mainly used to indicate the presence and width of the car, so that other vehicles can make judgments when meeting or overtaking. In the related technology, there are limitations in the driving mode and lighting form of the car's taillights, and it is necessary to further make the control method of the taillights more intelligent. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present application provides a control device for an integrated taillight and an integrated taillight, which can improve the intelligence of the taillight control method. The main technical solutions adopted in the present application include:

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a control device for an integrated taillight, wherein the taillight includes a brake light group, a position light group and a turn light group, and the device includes: a drive control module and an LED lighting control module; the brake light group, the position light group and the turn light group are all controlled by the drive control module and the LED lighting control module; the drive control module is configured to provide power to the brake light group, the position light group and the turn light group based on a lighting signal, and send a lighting signal to the LED lighting control module; the LED lighting control module includes a multi-channel linear constant current chip, and the multi-channel linear constant current chip is configured to control the lighting mode of the brake light group, the position light group and the turn light group in a time-sharing multiplexing manner based on the lighting signal.

[0005] In one of the embodiments, the control device also includes a power supply module; the power supply module is configured to provide power to the drive control module and the LED lighting control module when a lighting signal is received; the drive control module includes a DC-DC step-down unit, and the DC-DC step-down unit is configured to provide constant current and stable voltage to the brake light group, the position light group and the turn light group based on the lighting signal.

[0006] In one embodiment, the lighting signal includes a hard-wired signal for lighting any LED light group among the brake light group, the position light group and the turn light group; the drive control module includes a control chip, and the LED lighting control module also includes a function switching unit; the control chip is configured to send a conduction control signal to the function switching unit when receiving a hard-wired signal from any LED light group; the function switching unit is configured to connect any LED light group to the output end of the DC-DC buck unit based on the conduction control signal.

[0007] In one embodiment, the lighting signal includes a CAN signal sent by the vehicle controller; the control chip is also configured to send a conduction control signal to the function switching unit based on the hard-wire signal when the CAN signal and the hard-wire signal are received at the same time.

[0008] In one of the embodiments, the drive control module includes a signal input detection unit; the signal input detection unit is configured to send a hard-wire signal of any LED light group to the control chip when a hard-wire signal of any LED light group is detected.

[0009] In one of the embodiments, the signal input detection unit includes a first detection sub-unit corresponding to the brake light group, a second detection sub-unit corresponding to the turn light group, and a third detection sub-unit corresponding to the position light group; the first detection sub-unit is configured to detect the hard-wire signal of lighting the brake light group, and when the hard-wire signal of the brake light group is detected, the hard-wire signal of the brake light group is sent to the control chip; the second detection sub-unit is configured to detect the hard-wire signal of lighting the turn light group, and when the hard-wire signal of the turn light group is detected, the hard-wire signal of the turn light group is sent to the control chip; the third detection sub-unit is configured to detect the hard-wire signal of lighting the position light group, and when the hard-wire signal of the position light group is detected, the hard-wire signal of the position light group is sent to the control chip.

[0010] In one embodiment, the function switching unit includes a first switching subunit connected to the brake light group, a second switching subunit connected to the turn light group, and a third switching subunit connected to the position light group; the control chip is configured to send a conduction control signal to the target switching subunit corresponding to any LED light group in the first switching subunit, the second switching subunit and the third switching subunit when receiving a hard-line signal from any LED light group; the target switching subunit is configured to connect any LED light group to the output end of the DC-DC buck unit based on the conduction control signal.

[0011] In one embodiment, the lighting signal includes a CAN signal sent by a vehicle controller; the drive control module includes a control chip, an internal CAN transceiver and an external CAN transceiver; the external CAN transceiver is configured to send a CAN signal to the control chip when receiving the CAN signal; the control chip is configured to send a first lighting signal to the internal CAN transceiver based on the CAN signal; the internal CAN transceiver is configured to send the first lighting signal to the multi-channel linear constant current chip.

[0012] In one embodiment, the lighting signal includes a hard-wire signal for lighting any LED light group among the brake light group, the position light group and the turn light group; the drive control module includes a control chip and an internal CAN transceiver; the control chip is configured to send a second lighting signal to the internal CAN transceiver based on the hard-wire signal; the internal CAN transceiver is configured to send the second lighting signal to the multi-channel linear constant current chip.

[0013] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an integrated taillight, and the integrated taillight control method implements the content of any of the control devices mentioned above.

[0014] In the above embodiment, an integrated control device for taillights is designed based on the taillight control system, and the taillights include a brake light group, a position light group and a turn signal group. The device includes a drive control module and an LED lighting control module, and the brake light group, the position light group and the turn signal group are collaboratively controlled through the above modules. The drive control module is configured to provide power to the brake light group, the position light group and the turn signal group based on the lighting signal, and send a lighting signal to the LED lighting control module; the LED lighting control module includes a multi-channel linear constant current chip, and the multi-channel linear constant current chip is configured to control the lighting mode of the brake light group, the position light group and the turn signal group in a time-sharing multiplexing manner based on the lighting signal. So far, through integrated design and time-sharing multiplexing control, it is allowed to use less hardware to achieve more complex lighting modes, and realize efficient and flexible intelligent control of the three taillight groups. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0016] Figure 1a A structural block diagram of a taillight driving in a related art according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 1bis a structural block diagram of a taillight driving in a related art according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 1c is a structural block diagram of a control device for an integrated taillight according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2a is a structural block diagram of an integrated taillight control device according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2b is a circuit schematic diagram of a power module according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 2c is a circuit schematic diagram of a DC-DC buck unit according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 3a is a structural block diagram of an integrated taillight control device according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 3b is a circuit schematic diagram of a function switching unit according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 4a is a structural block diagram of an integrated taillight control device according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 4b is a circuit schematic diagram of a signal input detection unit according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 5a is a structural block diagram of an integrated taillight control device according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5b is a circuit schematic diagram of an external CAN transceiver according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 5c 4 is a circuit schematic diagram of an internal CAN transceiver according to another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0030] The rear combination lights of a car are a group of important lighting and signaling equipment at the rear of the vehicle, mainly including brake lights installed on both sides of the rear of the car, which light up when the driver steps on the brake pedal, emit red light, and remind the vehicles behind to avoid rear-end collisions; rear turn lights that light up when the vehicle turns to alert other vehicles and pedestrians; and rear position lights that are mainly used to indicate the presence and width of the car, facilitating other vehicles to make judgments when meeting and overtaking.

[0031] In the related art, the rear combination lamp integrating the three functions of brake lamp, rear position lamp and rear turn lamp is mainly controlled and lit by hard wires, with a single lighting form, lacking a sense of technology and intelligence, and having a poor user experience. The existing brake lamp, rear position lamp and rear turn lamp are mainly driven by constant current drive composed of resistors or constant current drive composed of triodes, such as Figure 1a and Figure 1b This driving mode has a single lighting pattern and cannot control the lighting of each group of LEDs or each LED individually, and cannot realize functions such as rhythmic lighting and dynamic welcoming.

[0032] Specifically, this hard-wired taillight control method has the following limitations:

[0033] 1. The control and opening and closing of the lamps are completed only through hard wires, and the welcoming function of unlocking and locking cannot be realized. The lighting effect is single and boring, lacking the dynamic effect of the ecology. Users cannot get a rich and colorful experience and fun, and cannot define and realize the lighting form of the lights when the vehicle is stationary according to their own preferences;

[0034] 2. The current LED taillight driver has a low integration level and cannot support the integration of multiple communication interfaces and rich diagnostic functions, so it is impossible to achieve a variety of lighting effects;

[0035] 3. The brightness of the taillights cannot be controlled, and it is impossible to achieve a lighting mode from dark to bright.

[0036] Based on this, according to an embodiment of the present application, an embodiment of a control device for an integrated taillight is provided, wherein the taillight includes a brake light group 102, a position light group 104, and a turn light group 106. Figure 1c As shown, the integrated taillight control device 100 includes a driving control module 108 and an LED lighting control module 110 .

[0037] The drive control module 108 may be an important module that integrates multiple functions and can process and output corresponding control signals based on received signals to drive the integrated taillight control device to work normally. Specifically, the input end of the drive control module can be connected to the output end of the vehicle controller, and the output end of the drive control module is suitable for connecting to the LED lighting control module. The drive control module is used to receive different lighting signals sent by the vehicle controller, process and analyze these lighting signals, and output control signals to the LED lighting control module through the control chip in the drive control module to drive it to perform subsequent lighting operations.

[0038] The LED lighting control module 110 may be a relevant component module in the integrated taillight control device for specific lighting operations. Specifically, the input end of the LED lighting control module is connected to the output end of the drive control module, and the output end of the LED lighting control module is respectively connected to the brake light group, the position light group and the turn signal group of the integrated taillight. The LED lighting control module receives a control signal from the drive control module 108, which includes a lighting signal indicating when and how to light up each LED light group, and further analyzes and processes the lighting signal to control different LED light groups in the taillight and achieve various lighting forms and lighting effects.

[0039] The driving control module 108 is configured to provide power to the brake light group 102, the position light group 104 and the turn light group 106 based on the lighting signal, and send the lighting signal to the LED lighting control module 110. The LED lighting control module 110 includes a multi-channel linear constant current chip 112, which is configured to control the lighting mode of the brake light group 102, the position light group 104 and the turn light group 106 in a time-division multiplexing manner based on the lighting signal.

[0040] Among them, the lighting signal can be a signal used to indicate that the vehicle taillights need to perform a specific lighting function. Specifically, the lighting signal can be a signal sent by the vehicle controller and input to the drive control module to indicate the action that the taillight control device needs to perform.

[0041] The lighting signal may be a specific instruction for directly controlling the lighting of LEDs or other lighting elements. It contains detailed information such as when each LED light group lights up, at what brightness, and for how long the lighting lasts. Specifically, the lighting signal may be a specific control instruction signal generated by the drive control module through signal processing and conversion based on the lighting signal, which is input into the LED lighting control module and instructs each LED light group to perform corresponding operations according to the specific lighting instruction.

[0042] The multi-channel linear constant current chip 112 can be an electronic device for providing a stable current output on multiple channels. Exemplarily, the multi-channel linear constant current chip 112 can use a constant current chip model MPQ7225-0014, which is a 16-channel linear constant current LED driver. The rated current of each channel is up to 200mA, and 16 ICs are cascaded together to form a 256-channel solution, which uses 12-bit pulse width modulation (PWM) dimming and 6-bit analog dimming registers per channel, so that each channel can be controlled separately.

[0043] Specifically, the input end of the multi-channel linear constant current chip is suitable for receiving the lighting signal issued by the drive control module. At this time, each channel in the multi-channel linear constant current chip will be analyzed and processed accordingly based on the lighting signal. The output of each channel in the multi-channel linear constant current chip is connected to the positive pole of each LED lamp in the LED lamp group, and the signal control based on the analysis and processing is used to light up each LED in each LED lamp group according to the pre-set lighting order and method. It can be understood that each channel in the multi-channel linear constant current chip may include a PWM dimming pin for receiving the PWM signal issued by the drive control module and adjusting the duty cycle of the PWM signal based on the lighting signal, thereby controlling the brightness and lighting time of the LED. At the same time, the multi-channel linear constant current chip also includes a channel selection pin, which can be used to select the currently controlled channel, that is, it is allowed to control multiple channels in a time-division multiplexing manner based on the lighting signal, using fewer control pins, so as to achieve different lighting modes for each lamp group. Among them, the lighting mode can be a term describing how the LED or lighting system is lit and controlled, and can include the lighting sequence, brightness, color and flashing mode of the LED lamp.

[0044] It should be understood that since the brake light group 102, the position light group 104 and the turn light group 106 are all controlled by the drive control module 108 and the LED lighting control module 110, the multi-channel linear constant current chip will control the lighting mode of each light group in a time-division multiplexing manner based on the lighting signal.

[0045] Specifically, when the brake light group, position light group and turn signal group need to be lit at the same time, the drive control module analyzes and processes the received lighting signal, thereby sending a lighting signal to the multi-channel linear constant current chip. After the multi-channel linear constant current chip receives these signals, based on the instructions contained therein, the control logic inside the chip will parse the signal, identify the LED channels that need to be lit, and the lighting timing and brightness level required for each channel, thereby accurately controlling the lighting time and brightness of each LED light group.

[0046] For example, by using the visual persistence effect of the human eye, the drive control module outputs a control signal based on the lighting signal to arrange the lighting time of each light group, and the multi-channel linear constant current chip uses time-division multiplexing technology to enable the same channel to control the LED particles in different LED light groups at different times, so that the brake light group remains lit for most of the time, but is briefly extinguished in a very short moment (less than 10 milliseconds), and the position light group is turned on at this extreme moment. Because this moment is too short, the rapid switching at this moment is far below the visual resolution of the human eye, so to the observer, the brake light group and the position light group appear to be lit at the same time. At the same time, considering the lighting characteristics of the turn signal group that is intermittently lit (such as 400 milliseconds on and 400 milliseconds off), the control signal can be used to control the brake light group to be fully lit during the period when the turn signal group is off, and the position light group is lit during the turn signal lighting cycle using the moment when it is briefly extinguished. Therefore, the lighting of the brake light group and the position light group will not interfere with the flashing mode of the turn signal group, while also ensuring that the regulatory requirements and visual prompt functions of all light groups are met.

[0047] In the above embodiment, an integrated control device for taillights is designed based on the taillight control system, and the taillights include a brake light group, a position light group and a turn signal group. The device includes a drive control module and an LED lighting control module, and the brake light group, the position light group and the turn signal group are collaboratively controlled by the above modules. The drive control module is configured to provide power to the brake light group, the position light group and the turn signal group based on the lighting signal, and send a lighting signal to the LED lighting control module; the LED lighting control module includes a multi-channel linear constant current chip, and the multi-channel linear constant current chip is configured to control the lighting mode of the brake light group, the position light group and the turn signal group in a time-sharing multiplexing manner based on the lighting signal. So far, through integrated design and time-sharing multiplexing control, it is allowed to use less hardware to achieve more complex lighting modes, and realize efficient and flexible intelligent control of the three taillight groups.

[0048] In some embodiments, see Figure 2a The control device 100 further includes a power module 202, which is configured to provide power to the driving control module 108 and the LED lighting control module 110 when a lighting signal is received.

[0049] The power module 114 may be a circuit module for converting a power supply at one voltage level to another voltage level to meet the needs of a specific device. It should be understood that in actual applications, when a vehicle is driving on the road, it is not always necessary to light up the taillights. Therefore, when the control device of the integrated taillight does not receive a lighting signal, the control device is in a sleep and standby mode. At this time, there is no power input, and each module of the control device is in a non-working state. Therefore, when the taillight needs to be lit, the control device of the integrated taillight receives a lighting signal, triggering the start-up of the power module and the control device.

[0050] Specifically, when receiving the lighting signal, the input end of the power module 114 is suitable for connecting to the power system of the vehicle, and is used to obtain 12V power input from the power system of the vehicle, and convert the high voltage of the vehicle power supply into a low voltage output to power various parts of the taillight control device. Figure 2b The power module 114 may include two units, a 5V power unit 201 and a 3.3V power unit 203, both of which may be circuit modules for providing stable power input for different circuit modules of the control device.

[0051] Specifically, after the 12V power supply of the whole vehicle is input to the 5V power supply unit 201, it will first pass through the reverse diode D8 for anti-reverse connection protection, and then enter the VIN end of the low-voltage difference linear regulator U3 after filtering through the filter capacitors C37, C38 and C39, providing high voltage for the 5V conversion chip to power it and drive it to convert the voltage, stably convert the input 12V voltage into a 5V output, and further filter it through capacitors C40, C41 and C42, and finally supply the 5V output voltage to the 3.3V power supply unit 203 to provide power input for it. Optionally, since the selected multi-channel linear constant current chip is a constant current chip with a model number of MPQ7225-0014, and its working power supply is 5V, the 5V power supply unit 201 can also input the output 5V voltage to the multi-channel linear constant current chip to power it and drive it to be in normal working state.

[0052] Similarly, for the 3.3V power supply unit 203, the 5V power supply output by the 5V power supply unit 201 can be used as the input of the 3.3V power supply unit 203. After the 5V power supply is input to the 3.3V power supply unit 203, it is firstly protected by the diodes FB3 and FB4 for reverse voltage protection, and then preliminarily filtered by the filter capacitors C47 and C48. Further, the filtered power supply will enter the VIN pin of the low-dropout linear regulator U4, stably convert the input 5V voltage into a 3.3V output, and finally output the converted 3.3V voltage to various parts of the taillight control device for power supply.

[0053] The driving control module 108 includes a DC-DC buck unit 204 configured to provide a constant current and a stable voltage to the brake lamp group 102 , the position lamp group 104 , and the turn lamp group 106 based on the lighting signal.

[0054] Among them, the DC-DC buck unit 204 can also be a power conversion module for converting a higher DC voltage into a lower DC voltage implemented by switching power supply technology. It can be understood that in order to reduce the problem of excessive power consumption and heat of multi-channel linear chips caused by excessive voltage drop in multi-channel linear constant current chips, a DC-DC buck unit can be used to provide a constant current and a stable voltage for the LED load of each lamp group. Specifically, the DC-DC buck unit can provide a suitable voltage input for the LED load of each lamp group according to the number of load LEDs. That is, the output voltage of the DC-DC buck unit is 0.5-1V higher than the total voltage after the LED loads are connected in series, and the DC-DC buck unit can automatically adjust the voltage according to the number of LEDs, so as to adapt to different vehicle models and the load LEDs of each lamp group. For example, please refer to Figure 2c , the DC-DC buck unit 204 also includes an input protection unit 205, an input enable unit 207, an input filter unit 209 and an output filter unit 211. Among them, the input protection unit 205, the input enable unit 207 and the input filter unit 209 are connected through the P-channel MOS tube Q15. The MOS tube Q15 can be regarded as a switch, which is used to control whether the power supply BAT_POWER is connected to the subsequent circuit. Specifically, the input protection unit 205 is suitable for connecting to the source of Q15, and the input enable unit 207 is suitable for connecting to the gate of Q15. The source of Q15 is connected to the input filter unit 209. When the gate of the P-channel MOS tube Q15 receives a sufficiently high voltage signal, Q15 is turned on, and at this time, the current is allowed to flow from the input protection unit 205 to the subsequent circuit, that is, to the input filter unit 209.

[0055] Please continue to refer to Figure 2c, when receiving the lighting signal, one end of the DC-DC buck unit 204 is suitable for connecting to the power system of the whole vehicle to obtain 12V power input from the power system of the whole vehicle. The 12V power input first passes through the TVS1 in the input protection unit 205 for surge and electrostatic absorption, and then enters the anti-reverse diode D1 in the input protection unit 205 for anti-reverse protection. Then it is filtered by capacitors C15 and C16 and connected to the MOS tube Q15. At the same time, the drive control module 108 will also send a high-level signal to the ALL_on pin of the input enable unit 207 of the DC-DC buck unit 204 based on the lighting signal, so that the N-channel MOS tube Q19 is turned on, and then Q15 is turned on, thereby turning on the power supply of the DC-DC buck unit. Further, the 12V power input is filtered by the π-type input filter unit 209 formed by the capacitors C17, C27, C28, C29, C30 and the inductor L1 in the DC-DC buck unit to filter out the high-frequency noise in its input power supply. After being filtered again by bypass capacitors CC62, CC63, CC64 and CC65, it is input to the DC-DC buck converter U1. The DC-DC buck converter U1 automatically adjusts the output voltage and current based on the LED load of each lamp group. Finally, the converted voltage is passed through the output filter unit 211 to reduce the ripple and noise of the output voltage again and reaches the output terminal VLED3, thereby providing constant current and stable voltage for the brake lamp group 102, the position lamp group 104 and the turn lamp group 106.

[0056] In the above implementation, the power module is designed to convert the 12V power supply provided by the vehicle into the 5V and 3.3V voltages required by the taillight control device, ensuring that each module inside the device can obtain a stable power supply. The DC-DC step-down unit takes into account the adaptability of different vehicle models and LED light groups, and automatically adjusts the output voltage and current according to the actual load of the LED light group, which has good adaptability. At the same time, a protection unit is designed to prevent possible power problems such as power surges, static electricity, and reverse connection, and protect the circuit from damage. In addition, multiple filtering is added to effectively filter out high-frequency noise and ripple in the power supply, further improving the stability and reliability of the power supply.

[0057] In some embodiments, the lighting signal includes a hard-wire signal for lighting any one LED light group among the brake light group, the position light group, and the turn light group.

[0058] Among them, the hard-wire signal can refer to an electrical signal directly transmitted through a physical wire, which directly controls or instructs the action of a device by transmitting a control instruction. For example, when the driver steps on the brake pedal, the brake light switch is triggered and generates a lighting signal, which can be used as a hard-wire signal to control the lighting of the brake light group.

[0059] Please refer to Figure 3aThe driving control module includes a control chip 302 , and the LED lighting control module also includes a function switching unit 304 .

[0060] The control chip may be an integrated circuit chip for processing input signals and generating control instructions. The control chip 302 is configured to send a conduction control signal to the function switching unit 304 when receiving a hard-wire signal from any LED light group. Specifically, the hard-wire signal from the vehicle controller is suitable for inputting the control chip 302. After receiving the hard-wire signal, the control chip 302 generates a conduction control signal and sends it to the function switching unit 304. The conduction control signal may be a control signal for instructing the function switching unit to activate a specific LED light group.

[0061] The function switching unit 304 may be a circuit module for switching the power supply connection of different LED light groups according to the control signal. Specifically, the function switching unit 304 is configured to connect any LED light group to the output end of the DC-DC buck unit 204 based on the conduction control signal. For example, please refer to Figure 3b The function switching unit 304 includes an N-channel MOS transistor Q1 and a P-channel MOS transistor Q2 which can be regarded as switches. Among them, Q1 and Q2 constitute a cascade control circuit, that is, the input of Q1 is suitable for connecting to the signal end of the DC-DC buck unit output, the output of Q1 is suitable for connecting to the positive electrode of the LED lamp group, the gate of Q1 is connected to the output of Q2 through the resistor R47, and the conduction control signal sent by the control chip is input to the gate of Q2 and controls the conduction of Q2, and whether Q2 is turned on or not controls whether Q1 is turned on or not. Specifically, when the control chip receives the lighting signal of any LED lamp group, it will generate a corresponding conduction control signal to the MCU_L1 pin. This conduction control signal can be a high-level signal to control Q2 to turn on, so that Q1 is turned on, and finally the output end VLED3 of the DC-DC buck unit is connected to the positive electrode of each LED load in the LED lamp group, providing a constant current and a stable voltage for the LED lamp group.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the cascade control circuit composed of the N-channel MOS transistor Q1 and the P-channel MOS transistor Q2 in the function switching unit 304 provides an effective way to control the power connection of the LED light group. This design allows the conduction state of Q1 to be indirectly controlled by controlling the conduction of Q2, thereby controlling the lighting of the LED light group. At the same time, it allows different LED light groups to be flexibly switched according to the conduction control signals of different light groups issued by the control chip, expanding and adapting to the configuration and lighting requirements of different vehicles. In addition, when there is no lighting signal, the function switching unit disconnects the LED light group from the power supply, thereby reducing energy consumption and improving the overall energy efficiency of the system.

[0063] In some implementations, the lighting signal includes a CAN signal sent by a vehicle controller.

[0064] The CAN signal may refer to a digital control signal sent through the controller area network of the vehicle controller. For example, the CAN signal may refer to a control signal including a dynamic welcome and music rhythm lighting signal sent by the vehicle computer, key unlocking, APP or key.

[0065] The control chip is also configured to send a conduction control signal to the function switching unit based on the hard-line signal when the CAN signal and the hard-line signal are received simultaneously.

[0066] Specifically, the control chip is configured to receive two types of lighting signals: hard-wire signals and CAN signals. It is understandable that because hard-wire signals are usually related to the basic safety functions of the vehicle, these signals are directly related to the driver's operation and therefore require an immediate response. For example, when the driver steps on the brake pedal, the hard-wire signal of the brake light will be triggered, and the control chip will immediately process this signal and generate a conduction control signal to send to the function switching unit to light up the brake light group. However, CAN signals may be used for more complex control logic, such as dynamic lighting effects or coordinated control with other vehicle systems. Therefore, the two signals can exist at the same time, but in the event of a signal conflict, the control device of the integrated taillight is designed to respond to the hard-wire signal first. For example, when the control chip receives a CAN signal and a hard-wire signal at the same time, it will prioritize the hard-wire signal according to the preset priority rules. This shows that even if the CAN signal also indicates that a certain LED light group needs to be lit, if a hard-wire signal exists at the same time, the control device of the integrated taillight will first execute the instruction of the hard-wire signal.

[0067] In the above embodiment, both CAN signals and hard-wire signals can be used to send lighting signals to the integrated taillight control device to drive each LED light group to work, providing design flexibility and scalability to adapt to different control requirements and vehicle configurations. At the same time, by giving priority to hard-wire signals, it is ensured that the lighting system directly related to vehicle safety (such as brake lights) can respond quickly, thereby improving driving safety.

[0068] In some embodiments, see Figure 4b ,The driving control module 108 includes a signal input detection unit 402.

[0069] Among them, the signal input detection unit 402 can be a circuit module for monitoring and detecting hard-wired signals from different parts of the vehicle. The signal input detection unit is configured to send the hard-wired signal of any LED light group to the control chip when the hard-wired signal of any LED light group is detected. Specifically, the signal input detection unit continuously monitors whether a hard-wired signal is connected. Once a hard-wired signal of a certain LED light group is detected, the signal input detection unit will further identify the signal and send it to the control chip. After receiving the hard-wired signal, the control chip will generate corresponding control instructions according to a preset program and further control the entire device to light up the corresponding LED light group. For example, please refer to Figure 4b ,When the vehicle controller sends a lighting signal for any LED light group, the hard-wired signal is input to the signal input detection unit through the PL pin. The D67 diode first protects the signal from reverse connection to ensure that only the correct voltage polarity can pass. The signal is then filtered through the C5 capacitor to remove possible high-frequency noise. Further, the R1 and R2 resistors divide the signal and adjust the voltage to a level suitable for the base of the transistor. The adjusted signal is input to the base of the Q12 transistor, so that the transistor Q12 is turned on, so that the collector of the transistor Q12 (connected to the PL_IN pin) is connected to the ground. At this time, the PL_IN signal input to the control chip is converted from a high level to a low level, and finally the lighting signal of the LED light group is input to the control chip to further drive each LED light group to light up.

[0070] In the above-mentioned embodiment, a method for driving the control device of the integrated taillight to realize the lighting operation when a hard-wired signal input is provided, thereby ensuring that any LED light group can be accurately lit when receiving the correct control signal. At the same time, by adding filtering and voltage division designs in the signal input detection unit, the stability and reliability of the input signal are ensured.

[0071] In some embodiments, the signal input detection unit includes a first detection subunit corresponding to the brake light group, a second detection subunit corresponding to the turn light group, and a third detection subunit corresponding to the position light group.

[0072] The first detection subunit is configured to detect the hard-wire signal of lighting the brake light group, and when the hard-wire signal of the brake light group is detected, the hard-wire signal of the brake light group is sent to the control chip; the second detection subunit is configured to detect the hard-wire signal of lighting the turn light group, and when the hard-wire signal of the turn light group is detected, the hard-wire signal of the turn light group is sent to the control chip; the third detection subunit is configured to detect the hard-wire signal of lighting the position light group, and when the hard-wire signal of the position light group is detected, the hard-wire signal of the position light group is sent to the control chip.

[0073] Among them, the first detection subunit, the second detection subunit and the third detection subunit can all refer to circuit modules used to monitor and transmit lighting requests for specific light groups. Specifically, the first detection subunit is used to monitor the hard-wired signal of the brake light group from the brake pedal switch or related sensors; the second detection subunit is used to monitor the hard-wired signal of the turn signal group triggered by the steering rod or direction sensor; the third detection subunit detects the hard-wired signal of the position light group related to the vehicle's ignition switch or automatic light control. Furthermore, once a detection subunit detects a corresponding hard-wired signal, it will correspondingly transmit this signal containing the relevant LED light group that needs to be lit to the control chip to drive the corresponding LED light group to perform a lighting operation.

[0074] In the above embodiment, through such modular and clearly divided design, the signal input detection unit can ensure that the control device of the integrated taillight responds to various operation signals in a timely and accurate manner, thereby improving the safety and interactive capabilities of the vehicle. The specialized detection function of each subunit contributes to the overall efficiency and reliability of the system, and also facilitates fault diagnosis and maintenance.

[0075] In some embodiments, the function switching unit includes a first switching subunit connected to the brake light group, a second switching subunit connected to the turn light group, and a third switching subunit connected to the position light group.

[0076] Among them, the first switching subunit, the second switching subunit and the third switching subunit can all refer to circuit modules for switching the connection between different LED light groups and the output power supply of the DC-DC buck unit according to the instructions of the control chip. Specifically, the first switching subunit can be used to control and switch the power supply connected to the brake light group, and will determine whether to connect the brake light group to the output end of the DC-DC buck unit according to the control signal; the second switching subunit can be used to control and switch the power supply connected to the turn signal group, and determine whether to connect the turn signal group to the output end of the DC-DC buck unit by responding to the control signal; the third switching subunit can be used to control and switch the power supply connection with the position light group. The connection between the position light group and the output end of the DC-DC buck unit will be switched according to the received control signal.

[0077] The control chip is configured to send a conduction control signal to the corresponding target switching subunit of any LED light group in the first switching subunit, the second switching subunit and the third switching subunit when receiving a hard-line signal of any LED light group.

[0078] Similarly, the target switching subunit may refer to a specific switching subunit (first, second or third) to be activated according to the control signal. Exemplarily, when a hard-wire signal input of the brake light group is received, the control chip will send a conduction control signal to the first switching subunit. At this time, the first switching subunit is the target switching subunit in this case. Specifically, the target switching subunit is configured to connect any LED light group to the output end of the DC-DC buck unit based on the conduction control signal. That is, when the control chip receives a hard-wire signal input from a certain detection subunit in the signal input detection unit, it will generate a corresponding conduction control signal according to the received hard-wire signal, and the conduction control signal is sent to the target switching subunit and instructs the target switching subunit to perform corresponding operation processing. Further, after receiving the conduction control signal, the target switching subunit connects the corresponding LED light group to the output end of the DC-DC buck unit, and the DC-DC buck unit ensures that a constant current and a stable voltage are provided to the LED light group to light up the corresponding LED light group.

[0079] In the above embodiment, each LED light group corresponds to a detection subunit and a switching subunit, which form a relatively independent module to ensure that the circuits will not fail due to cross-wiring. At the same time, it ensures that the system can quickly respond to various control signals and achieve precise lighting control. In addition, through integrated control logic, a single control chip can be used to manage the lighting status of all light groups, rather than using independent control circuits for each light group. This not only reduces the number of control chips required, but also reduces the redundancy of components. Using a single DC-DC buck unit to provide power to all light groups can more effectively manage and distribute power, ensure the stability and efficiency of the power supply, and also facilitate monitoring and control of the energy consumption of the entire system.

[0080] In some embodiments, see Figure 5a The lighting signal includes a CAN signal sent by the vehicle controller; the drive control module 108 includes a control chip 302, an internal CAN transceiver 502 and an external CAN transceiver 504. The control chip is configured to send a first lighting signal to the internal CAN transceiver based on the CAN signal.

[0081] Wherein, both the internal CAN transceiver 502 and the external CAN transceiver 504 can be circuit function modules for receiving and sending CAN signals, but the sources and destinations of the CAN signals processed by them are different. Specifically, the external CAN transceiver is configured to send the CAN signal to the control chip when receiving the CAN signal. For example, please refer to Figure 5b, the CAN transceiver U15 can use the CAN transceiver model SIT1043Q, and the loop can also include TVS1 and TVS2 for circuit protection. FB7 and FB8 can also be added at the power input end to protect the circuit. Specifically, the input end of the external CAN transceiver is connected to the CAN bus of the vehicle, which is used to process the lighting signal on the vehicle CAN bus, and send the lighting signal to the control chip in the drive control module to activate the taillight control device to enter the working state. The internal CAN transceiver is configured to send the first lighting signal to the multi-channel linear constant current chip. The first lighting signal can be a lighting signal generated by the control chip after the lighting signal processed by the external CAN transceiver is input into the control chip. Please refer to Figure 5c The internal CAN transceiver is a functional module integrated inside the drive control module. It is responsible for receiving and sending control CAN signals sent by the control chip to control the specific different modules in the taillight control device to work together, and finally realize the lighting operation of any LED light group.

[0082] Exemplarily, the internal CAN transceiver U24 can also use a CAN transceiver of model SIT1043Q, and FB6 and FB9 can also be added at the power input end for the protection circuit. Specifically, when the external CAN transceiver in the taillight control device receives the CAN signal sent by the vehicle controller, it will send a lighting signal to the drive control module and the power module accordingly. When the power module receives the lighting signal, it provides power to the drive control module and the LED lighting control module, and at the same time supplies power to the DC-DC buck unit to generate a stable voltage and current output that can drive the brake light group, position light group or turn signal group. When the drive control module receives the lighting signal, it will input the lighting signal into the control chip for processing and analysis, and further send a conduction control signal to at least one function switching subunit corresponding to each LED light group based on the lighting signal to ensure that the corresponding LED light group is connected to the output end of the DC-DC buck unit and the corresponding LED light group is powered. At the same time, the control chip will send a first lighting signal to the internal CAN transceiver to the multi-channel linear constant current chip based on the lighting signal, so as to drive the multi-channel linear constant current chip to control the lighting mode of the brake light group, position light group and turn light group in a time-sharing multiplexing manner.

[0083] In the above embodiment, by distinguishing between the internal CAN transceiver and the external CAN transceiver, the design of the taillight control device is more modular, and the responsibilities of each component in the device are more clearly defined. This helps to simplify the design and debugging process, and also facilitates fault diagnosis and maintenance. At the same time, when the taillight control device receives the lighting signal sent by the vehicle controller, the external CAN transceiver specifically processes the signal from the vehicle CAN bus, ensuring the accurate reception and transmission of the signal. The internal CAN transceiver is dedicated to ensuring the reliable transmission of the control signal within the system, reducing the risk of signal interference and errors.

[0084] In some embodiments, the lighting signal includes a hard-wire signal for lighting any LED light group in the brake light group, the position light group, and the turn signal group. The drive control module includes a control chip and an internal CAN transceiver. The control chip is configured to send a second lighting signal to the internal CAN transceiver based on the hard-wire signal. The internal CAN transceiver is configured to send the second lighting signal to the multi-channel linear constant current chip.

[0085] The second lighting signal can be a lighting signal generated by the control chip after the hard-wire signal is input to the control chip. Similarly, the internal CAN transceiver is a functional module integrated inside the drive control module, which is responsible for receiving and sending control CAN signals sent by the control chip to control the specific different modules in the taillight control device to work together, and finally realize the lighting operation of any LED light group.

[0086] Exemplarily, when any detection subunit detects a hard-wire signal corresponding to any LED light group being triggered, the signal containing the LED light group to be lit will be transmitted to the control chip, and the lighting signal will be sent to the power module. Similarly, when the power module receives the lighting signal, it provides power to the drive control module and the LED lighting control module, and supplies power to the DC-DC buck unit to generate a stable voltage and current output capable of driving the brake light group, the position light group or the turn light group. When the control chip receives the lighting signal, it will process and analyze the lighting signal, and further send a conduction control signal to at least one function switching subunit corresponding to each LED light group based on the lighting signal to ensure that the corresponding LED light group is connected to the output end of the DC-DC buck unit, and the corresponding LED light group is powered. At the same time, the control chip will send a second lighting signal to the internal CAN transceiver based on the lighting signal to the multi-channel linear constant current chip to drive the multi-channel linear constant current chip to control the lighting mode of the brake light group, the position light group and the turn light group in a time-division multiplexing manner.

[0087] In the above implementation, unlike receiving the CAN signal sent by the vehicle body controller, the signal is directly transmitted from the signal input detection unit to the control chip based on a hard-wire signal, without the need for complex communication protocol analysis, thus providing a simplified control method. At the same time, hard-wire signal transmission is usually faster than the software-based CAN communication protocol, so a faster light response can be achieved, which is particularly important for safety-related light control.

[0088] It should be understood that the control device of the integrated taillight in this embodiment is presented in the form of a functional unit, where the unit refers to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) circuit, a processor and memory that executes one or more software or fixed programs, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. Each module in the above-mentioned integrated taillight control device can be implemented in whole or in part through software, hardware and a combination thereof. The above-mentioned modules can be embedded in or independent of the processor in the computer device in the form of hardware, or can be stored in the memory of the computer device in the form of software, so that the processor can call and execute the operations corresponding to the above-mentioned modules.

[0089] This embodiment also provides an integrated taillight, and the integrated taillight control method implements the content of any of the above control devices. For the specific definition of the integrated taillight, please refer to the definition of the integrated taillight control device above, which will not be repeated here.

[0090] For the convenience of description, the above device is described in various units according to their functions. Of course, when implementing the present application, the functions of each unit can be implemented in the same or multiple software and / or hardware.

[0091] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0092] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0093] It should also be noted that the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, commodity or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, commodity or device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, commodity or device including the elements.

[0094] Each embodiment in this specification is described in a progressive manner, and the same or similar parts between the embodiments can be referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. Since it is basically similar to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the partial description of the method embodiment.

[0095] The above is only an embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

[0096] Although the embodiments of the present application are described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, and such modifications and variations are all within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A control device for an integrated taillight, characterized in that: The taillights include a brake light group, a position light group and a turn light group, and the control device includes a drive control module and an LED lighting control module, and the brake light group, the position light group and the turn light group are all controlled by the drive control module and the LED lighting control module; The drive control module is configured to provide electric energy to the brake light group, the position light group and the turn light group based on the lighting signal, and send a lighting signal to the LED lighting control module; The LED lighting control module includes a multi-channel linear constant current chip, which is configured to control the lighting modes of the brake light group, the position light group and the turn light group in a time-division multiplexing manner based on the lighting signal.

2. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control device further comprises a power supply module; the power supply module is configured to provide power to the drive control module and the LED lighting control module when receiving the lighting signal; The driving control module includes a DC-DC buck unit, which is configured to provide a constant current and a stable voltage to the brake light group, the position light group, and the turn light group based on the lighting signal.

3. The control device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lighting signal includes a hard-wired signal for lighting any LED light group among the brake light group, the position light group and the turn light group; the drive control module includes a control chip, and the LED lighting control module also includes a function switching unit; The control chip is configured to send a conduction control signal to the function switching unit when receiving a hard-line signal from any LED light group; The function switching unit is configured to connect any one of the LED lamp groups to the output end of the DC-DC buck unit based on the conduction control signal.

4. The control device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lighting signal includes a CAN signal sent by the vehicle controller; The control chip is further configured to send the conduction control signal to the function switching unit based on the hard-line signal when the CAN signal and the hard-line signal are received simultaneously.

5. The control device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The drive control module includes a signal input detection unit; The signal input detection unit is configured to send the hard-wire signal of any LED light group to the control chip when the hard-wire signal of any LED light group is detected.

6. The control device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The signal input detection unit includes a first detection subunit corresponding to the brake light group, a second detection subunit corresponding to the turn light group, and a third detection subunit corresponding to the position light group; The first detection subunit is configured to detect a hard-line signal for lighting the brake light group, and send the hard-line signal of the brake light group to the control chip when the hard-line signal of the brake light group is detected; The second detection subunit is configured to detect a hard-wire signal for lighting the turn signal group, and send the hard-wire signal of the turn signal group to the control chip when the hard-wire signal of the turn signal group is detected; The third detection subunit is configured to detect a hard-wire signal for lighting the position light group, and send the hard-wire signal of the position light group to the control chip when the hard-wire signal of the position light group is detected.

7. The control device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The function switching unit includes a first switching subunit connected to the brake light group, a second switching subunit connected to the turn light group, and a third switching subunit connected to the position light group; The control chip is configured to send the conduction control signal to the target switching subunit correspondingly connected to the first switching subunit, the second switching subunit and the third switching subunit of the any LED light group when receiving the hard-line signal of the any LED light group; The target switching subunit is configured to connect any one of the LED lamp groups to the output end of the DC-DC buck unit based on the conduction control signal.

8. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lighting signal includes a CAN signal sent by the vehicle controller; the drive control module includes a control chip, an internal CAN transceiver and an external CAN transceiver; The external CAN transceiver is configured to send the CAN signal to the control chip when receiving the CAN signal; The control chip is configured to send a first lighting signal to the internal CAN transceiver based on the CAN signal; The internal CAN transceiver is configured to send the first lighting signal to the multi-channel linear constant current chip.

9. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lighting signal includes a hard-wired signal for lighting any LED light group among the brake light group, the position light group and the turn light group; the drive control module includes a control chip and an internal CAN transceiver; The control chip is configured to send a second lighting signal to the internal CAN transceiver based on the hard-wire signal; The internal CAN transceiver is configured to send the second lighting signal to the multi-channel linear constant current chip.

10. An integrated taillight, characterized in that: A control device comprising any one of claims 1 to 9.

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