Lighting arrangement for a motor vehicle and motor vehicle

Abstract

Lighting arrangement (12) for a motor vehicle (10), wherein the lighting arrangement (12) has at least one first light (14) of a specific type and at least one first control unit (20a) external to the light, which is designed to control at least a part (14a) of the at least one first light (14) of the specific type to implement at least one specific lighting function, characterized in that the first control unit (20a) is designed exclusively to control at least a part (14a) of the at least one first light (14) of the specific type and the at least one first light (14) of the specific type is designed as a combined parking-brake-indicator-rear light (14), wherein the lighting arrangement (12) has a second light (16) designed as a parking-brake-indicator-rear light, wherein the first and second lights (14, 16) each have a first light part (14a,16a) for arrangement on a body of the motor vehicle (10) and each have a second lamp part (14b, 16b) for arrangement on a tailgate (18) of the motor vehicle (10), and wherein the first control unit (20a) is designed to control only the first lamp part (14a) of the first lamp (14), wherein the lighting arrangement (12) further comprises a second control unit (20b) which is designed to control only the first lamp part (16a) of the second lamp (16), and wherein the lighting arrangement (12) further comprises a third control unit (20c) which is designed to control only the two second lamp parts (14b, 16b) of the first and second lamps (14, 16).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a lighting arrangement for a motor vehicle, wherein the lighting arrangement comprises at least one first lamp of a specific type and a first control unit external to the lamp, which is designed to control at least a portion of the at least one first lamp of the specific type to implement at least one specific lighting function. Furthermore, the invention also includes a motor vehicle with such a lighting arrangement.

[0002] It is known from the prior art to use a control unit external to the lamp, i.e., one that is not integrated into the lamp housing, to control motor vehicle lights. For example, DE 101 37 338 A1 describes a control device for LED arrays that includes a DC-DC converter for converting the vehicle's on-board voltage into a constant LED operating voltage for controlling the LED arrays. The LED arrays can be used to provide various lighting functions, such as brake lights, rear fog lights, turn signals, or similar.

[0003] DE 10 2015 221 127 A1 describes a central control unit for controlling or regulating at least one headlight and at least one rear light, and in particular also other lights such as side lights, fog lights, etc. Furthermore, DE 10 2015 105 162 A1 also describes a central control unit that can be used for both front and rear lights.

[0004] A control unit external to the luminaire has the advantage over a control unit integrated into a luminaire that, for example, the luminaire design can be developed independently of the control unit. This creates more efficient and modular application options. The disadvantage of using a central control unit to control various lights distributed throughout the vehicle, however, is the required cabling, which in such a case requires very long cables from the central control unit to the individual lights, which causes problems with electromagnetic compatibility. This can lead to interference with other components caused by the lighting arrangement. Interference from other components can also be introduced into such a lighting arrangement. This, in turn, could lead to visible fluctuations in the brightness of the lights.To avoid this, if at all possible, complex shielding measures would be necessary.

[0005] DE 10 2004 003 578 A1 describes a lighting arrangement for a vehicle with a light source and a lens that is visible from the outside and arranged in the light emission direction of the light source. The light source is housed in a fixed vehicle part, and the lens that is visible from the outside is attached to a vehicle part that can be pivoted away from the light source.

[0006] DE 10 2011 119 231 A1 describes a motor vehicle lamp with a plurality of light-emitting diodes which are switched on one after the other and / or which are supplied with different electrical powers and are then adjusted to equalize their brightness by controlled adjustment of the powers.

[0007] WO 2016 / 114526 A1 describes a lamp control device with a lamp containing an LED module with a plurality of LED channels.

[0008] DE 11 2017 007 650 T5 describes a vehicle lighting system with a first luminous element provided on an outer surface of a vehicle body and a second luminous element provided on an outer surface of a trunk lid. A lighting control system includes a first controller that controls the switching on of the first luminous element and a second controller that controls the switching on of the second luminous element.

[0009] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a lighting arrangement for a motor vehicle and a motor vehicle which enables the most efficient control of a motor vehicle lamp.

[0010] This object is achieved by a lighting arrangement and a motor vehicle having the features according to the respective independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent patent claims.

[0011] A lighting arrangement according to the invention for a motor vehicle comprises at least one first lamp of a specific type and a first control unit external to the lamp, which is designed to control at least a portion of the at least one first lamp of the specific type to implement at least one specific lighting function. Furthermore, the first control unit is designed exclusively to control at least a portion of the at least one first lamp of the specific type, and the at least one first lamp of the specific type is designed as a combined parking-brake-indicator-rear light.The lighting arrangement comprises a second light designed as a parking-brake-indicator-rear light, wherein the first and second lights each have a first light part for arrangement on a body of the motor vehicle and each have a second light part for arrangement on a tailgate of the motor vehicle, and wherein the first control unit is designed to control only the first light part of the first light, wherein the lighting arrangement further comprises a second control unit which is designed to control only the first light part of the second light, and wherein the lighting arrangement further comprises a third control unit which is designed to control only the two second light parts of the first and second lights.

[0012] The fact that the first control unit is designed exclusively to control at least part of the at least one first light of the specific type, which represents a SBBR (parking brake indicator tail) light, is to be understood in such a way that the control unit can, under certain circumstances, also be designed to control multiple SBBR lights, but not any light other than an SBBR light, such as motor vehicle headlights, sidelights, fog lights, or the like. This enables the control unit to be structurally close to the SBBR light(s). This makes it possible to reduce the distance between the first control unit and the SBBR light to a minimum, which in turn has a very positive effect on electromagnetic compatibility, since cable connections between the first control unit and the first light can be kept particularly short. The invention has further advantages.Firstly, a combined SBBR (parking-brake-indicator-tail) light implements various lighting functions simultaneously in a single light unit, which can thus be arranged in extremely limited installation space. This, in turn, has the great advantage that the control unit for controlling at least part of this SBBR light can, on the one hand, be designed to control numerous different lighting functions, but on the other hand, can still be arranged extremely close to the light implementing the respective lighting functions, so that the SBBR light integrates all these functions into a single light. This makes it possible to reduce the distance between the first control unit and the SBBR light to a minimum, which in turn has a very positive effect on electromagnetic compatibility.A further major advantage of the invention is that the electronics for controlling the SBBR light do not have to be developed in a complex and expensive manner, as is the case with SBBR lights, where the electronics are integrated into the respective SBBR light itself. By using a control unit external to the light to control the SBBR light, or at least part of it, the invention can achieve particularly significant advantages in terms of reducing costs and development effort. Until now, both the hardware and software for SBBR lights had to be developed from scratch for each vehicle project. This is due to the fact that, in addition to the usual functions such as parking lights, brake lights, indicator lights and tail lights, additional functions are increasingly being integrated into the SBBR light, and the design of existing lighting functions is often changed.This flexibility with regard to the design of such a light and its lighting functions is provided by the use of LEDs as light sources, as is also the case with the at least one first SBBR light. For example, not only can a conventional flashing light be implemented in which all LEDs belonging to the flashing light are switched on and off simultaneously, but a continuous flashing light can also be implemented, for example, in which individual LEDs arranged spatially in series or on a line are switched on and off sequentially over time, or dimmed up and down. Such an SBBR light can also be used, for example, to provide optical feedback when the vehicle is switched on and off or when the doors are unlocked or locked. Such feedback functions can also be designed as desired in the lighting design.With an SBBR light, such as at least one of the first lights, any desired lighting animations can be implemented. Furthermore, it is common for lower-cost vehicles to be equipped with less complex lighting functions, while higher-priced vehicle classes are equipped with more or differently designed lighting functions. This is why the development and production of such SBBR lights is particularly complex, as they currently only have electronics integrated into the lights to control the individual lighting functions. This requires custom-made electronics depending on the design, shape, and lighting functions of the SBBR light.The use of a control unit external to the luminaire to control an SBBR luminaire, or at least part of it, therefore leads to a huge reduction in development costs, development time, and component costs, and enables modular use, in which the control unit is developed only once and can then be used modularly for the SBBR luminaires. It would also be conceivable to develop an initial control unit in a basic version and a high-end version, with which more different or differently configured lighting functions could be implemented. The at least one initial SBBR luminaire, which would then consist, for example, only of the luminaire housing and the printed circuit board or circuit board equipped with LEDs, can then be modified in any way in its design without having to develop a new control unit and integrate it into the luminaire.For example, if one SBBR luminaire has fewer LEDs than another, it's easy to use dummy LEDs in that luminaire. These dummy LEDs will then be controlled by the control unit in the same way as the other SBBR luminaire, but will not light up. This means there are no limits to the possible variations.

[0013] Furthermore, the lighting arrangement also includes a second light configured as a SBBR light. For example, the first light can be configured for placement on the left rear side of a motor vehicle, and the second light can be configured for placement on the right rear side of the motor vehicle.

[0014] It is particularly advantageous that several control units are used to control the first and second SBBR lights, i.e. at least one further control unit in addition to the first control unit, since this advantageously allows the structural proximity between the respective control units and the SBBR lights or light components to be further reduced and thus optimized.

[0015] According to the invention, the first and second lights each have a first light part for arrangement on a body of the motor vehicle and a second light part for arrangement on a tailgate of the motor vehicle. SBBR lights designed in this way enable particularly flexible use, in which one light part, here the second light part, can be arranged on a tailgate of the vehicle. If the tailgate of the vehicle is opened, this second light part of the respective SBBR light moves with the tailgate, while the respective first light parts remain stationary on the body. If, however, the tailgate is closed, the second light part rests positively on the first light part.

[0016] According to the invention, the first control unit is designed to control only the first luminaire part of the first luminaire, wherein the lighting arrangement further comprises a second control unit designed to control only the first luminaire part of the second luminaire, and wherein the lighting arrangement further comprises a third control unit designed to control only the two second luminaire parts of the first and second luminaires. This enables a particularly close arrangement of the respective control units to the luminaire parts of the first and second luminaires to be controlled.

[0017] It is particularly advantageous if the first control unit is arranged spatially separated from the second and third control units at a predetermined proximity to the first luminaire part of the first luminaire, wherein the second control unit is arranged spatially separated from the first and third control units at a predetermined proximity to the first luminaire part of the second luminaire, and wherein the third control unit is arranged at a predetermined proximity to the second luminaire parts of the first and second luminaires. For example, the first and second control units can each be arranged directly on the first luminaire parts of the respective first and second luminaires and, for example, directly behind the luminaires with respect to their main radiation direction. The distance between the first and second control units and the first luminaire parts of the first and second luminaires is thus minimal.The third control unit, however, can be arranged near the second light parts of the respective first and second light, for example in the tailgate itself or, if this is not possible for space-related reasons, for example in the trunk of the motor vehicle.

[0018] All these concepts advantageously enable particularly efficient and space-saving control of the respective SBBR luminaires.

[0019] Furthermore, the invention also relates to a motor vehicle with a lighting arrangement according to the invention or one of its embodiments.

[0020] The advantages described for the lighting arrangement according to the invention and its embodiments apply equally to the motor vehicle according to the invention.

[0021] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the motor vehicle has an on-board power supply control unit that is communicatively coupled to at least the first control unit, wherein the first control unit is configured to control at least a portion of the at least one first light depending on a signal received from the on-board power supply control unit. Accordingly, the first control unit can be coupled to a motor vehicle data bus via the on-board power supply control unit in order to receive control specifications therefrom, such as, for example, that the motor vehicle is currently braking or that a turn signal has been activated by the driver.In the event that the lighting arrangement also includes the second and / or third and / or fourth control unit, as described above, these control units are also preferably coupled to the on-board power supply control unit in order to control the corresponding SBBR lights or light components, as described, depending on a control signal received from the on-board power supply control unit. The on-board power supply control unit thus transmits a current operating state of the motor vehicle to the control unit(s) of the SBBR lights, wherein the control unit(s) actuate(s) the corresponding assigned light(s) or light components depending on the current operating state to implement the lighting function assigned to this operating state.

[0022] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below. Shown are: Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a motor vehicle with a lighting arrangement according to a first embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a motor vehicle with a lighting arrangement according to an example not belonging to the invention; Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a motor vehicle with a lighting arrangement according to an example not belonging to the invention; and Fig. 4 a schematic representation of a motor vehicle with a lighting arrangement according to an example not belonging to the invention.

[0023] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a plan view of a motor vehicle 10 with a lighting arrangement 12 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the invention. The lighting arrangement 12 comprises a first SBBR light 14 and a second SBBR light 16. Both SBBR lights 14, 16 are designed to provide at least a parking light, a brake light, a turn signal, and a tail light as predetermined lighting functions. Furthermore, other functions, such as the output of optical feedback when locking or unlocking the doors of the motor vehicle 10, can also be implemented with these SBBR lights 14, 16. The respective SBBR lights 14, 16 have a plurality of LEDs as lighting means. In this example, the first SBBR light 14 is arranged in the left rear area relative to a forward direction of travel V of the motor vehicle 10, and the second SBBR light is arranged correspondingly in a right rear area of ​​the motor vehicle 10.Furthermore, in this example, both SBBR lights 14, 16 are designed in two parts. This means that the first SBBR light 14 comprises a first light part 14a, which is arranged in the left rear area of ​​the motor vehicle 10 on the body of the motor vehicle 10, and a second light part 14b, which is also arranged in the left rear area of ​​the motor vehicle 10 on a tailgate 18 of the motor vehicle 10. Likewise, the second SBBR light 16 also comprises a first light part 16a, which is arranged in the right rear area of ​​the motor vehicle 10 on the body of the motor vehicle 10, and a second light part 16b, which is arranged in the right rear area of ​​the motor vehicle 10 on the tailgate 18.

[0024] To control these SBBR lights 14, 16 and implement the lighting functions described above, the lighting arrangement 12 has at least one control unit external to the light. In this example, the lighting arrangement 12 comprises three control units external to the light, namely a first control unit 20a, which is designed to control the first light part 14a of the first SBBR light 14, a second control unit 20b, which is designed to control the first light part 16a of the second SBBR light 16, and a third control unit 20c, which is designed to control the two second light parts 14b, 16b of the first and second SBBR lights 14, 16.

[0025] This arrangement has the significant advantage of enabling a modular control concept, which allows the SBBR lights 14, 16 to be designed and developed independently of their control units 20a, 20b, 20c. Modifications to the SBBR lights 14, 16 accordingly do not require any changes to the control units 20a, 20b, 20c. At the same time, the use of multiple control units 20a, 20b, 20c to control the SBBR lights 14, 16 or their light components 14a, 14b, 16a, 16b makes it possible to position the respective control units 20a, 20b, 20c particularly close to the respective light components 14a, 14b, 16a, 16b to be controlled.This spatial proximity between control unit 20a, 20b, 20c and luminaire 14, 16 reduces the electromagnetic influences of the environment on the lighting arrangement 12, which is particularly advantageous in the case of LED luminaires, since even small inputs, such as induced currents, have a visible effect on the lighting properties. A particularly efficient arrangement is when the first and second control units 20a, 20b are arranged directly behind the respective first light part 14a, 16a of the respective first and second SBBR lights 14, 16 and the third control unit 20c is arranged, for example, in a central position with respect to the second light parts 16a, 16b of the first and second SBBR lights 14, 16, such as in the tailgate 18 itself or in the trunk of the motor vehicle 10. These control units 20a, 20b, 20c are in turn connected to an on-board power supply control unit BCM, also called Body Control Module.Via this on-board power supply control unit (BCM), the individual lighting control units 20a, 20b, 20c can receive corresponding control signals from the vehicle bus. Such control signals can, for example, contain information about the current operating state of the motor vehicle, for example, that the motor vehicle is braking to activate the brake light integrated into the respective SBBR lights 14, 16, or information about the activation of a turn signal lever to activate the corresponding turn signal, also integrated into the respective SBBR lights 14, 16, and so on.

[0026] Furthermore, the respective control units 20a, 20b, 20c can each comprise a microcontroller with a processor for controlling the respective lights or light components 14a, 14b, 16a, 16b. The control electronics for the SBBR lights 14, 16 are thus completely outsourced from these lights 14, 16, i.e., no control electronics are located within the housings of the SBBR lights 14, 16. Furthermore, the respective control units 20a, 20b, 20c are designed to control the LEDs of the light components 14a, 14b, 16a, 16b assigned to them individually and independently of one another.

[0027] Fig. Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of a motor vehicle 10 with a lighting arrangement 12 according to an example not belonging to the invention. In particular, the lighting arrangement 12 as well as the motor vehicle 10 can be Fig. 1, except for the differences described below. In this example, the lighting arrangement 12 has not three, but four control units, namely a first control unit 20a for controlling the first light part 14a of the first SBBR light 14, a second control unit 20b for controlling the first light part 16a of the second SBBR light 16, a third control unit 20c for controlling the second light part 14b of the first SBBR light 14, and a fourth control unit 20d for controlling the second light part 16b of the second SBBR light 16. In this example, each individual light part 14a, 14b, 16a, 16b is controlled by a separate control unit 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d that is external to the light. Each of these control units 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d is in turn connected to the on-board power supply control unit BCM of the motor vehicle 10.By designing the control units 20c, 20d assigned to the lighting parts 14b, 16b arranged on the tailgate 18 as separate control units, it is advantageously possible to make these two control units 20c, 20d smaller and thereby to further optimize the spatial proximity of the lighting parts 14b, 16b to be controlled by them.

[0028] Fig. Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of a motor vehicle 10 with a lighting arrangement 12 according to a further example not belonging to the invention. In this example, the two SBBR lights 14, 16 are now one-piece and not, as in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2, in two parts. Furthermore, the lighting arrangement 12 in this example has only two control units 20a, 20b, of which the first control unit 20a is designed to control the first SBBR lamp 14 and the second control unit 20b is designed to control the second SBBR lamp 16. Alternatively, in this example, the respective SBBR lamps 14, 16 could also, as in Fig. 1 or Fig. 2, be designed in two parts, wherein the first control unit 20a would then be designed to control both the first luminaire part 14a and the second luminaire part 14b of the first SBBR luminaire 14 and the second control unit 20b would be designed to control the first luminaire part 16a and the second luminaire part 16b of the second SBBR luminaire 16. However, this embodiment with only two control units 20a, 20b is particularly advantageous when the SBBR lights 14, 16 are designed as a single piece, since this allows both a reduction in the number of control units and, in turn, a particularly close positioning of the respective control units 20a, 20b to the respective SBBR lights 14, 16 to be controlled. In this example, too, the control units 20a, 20b can be installed directly behind the respective SBBR lights 14, 16, i.e., in the forward direction of travel V, in front of the respective SBBR lights 14, 16. This, in turn, reduces the susceptibility to interference to a minimum.Furthermore, the motor vehicle 10, the lighting arrangement 12 and their components can be analogous to . Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 described.

[0029] Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of a plan view of a motor vehicle 10 with a lighting arrangement 12 according to an example not belonging to the invention. In this example, the lighting arrangement 12 comprises only a single control device 20a for controlling the SBBR lights 14, 16. These can again be designed in two parts, in particular again with a first light part 14a, 16a and a second light part 14b, 16b. Alternatively, in this example, the SBBR lights 14, 16 could also again be designed in one part, as in Fig.3. Otherwise, the components of the motor vehicle 10, in particular the on-board power supply control unit BCM, as well as the lighting arrangement 12 and its components, in particular the SBBR lights 14, 16, and the first control unit 20a, can be designed as described for the previous figures.

[0030] This variant with only one control unit 20a has the advantage that the costs for the control units can be reduced, since only a single control unit is required to control the two SBBR lights 14, 16. However, the other variants with multiple control units have the advantage that a significantly closer positioning of the respective control units to the SBBR lights 14, 16 and their light components 14a, 16a, 14b, 16b is possible.

[0031] Overall, the examples demonstrate how the invention can provide a lighting arrangement, in particular a rear light arrangement with two SBBR lights, which, by controlling these SBBR lights via control units external to the lights—that is, by relocating the electronic components and thus the intelligence from the SBBR lights to one or more corresponding control units—provides a significantly more modular application option for such control units, thereby enormously reducing development costs, development time, and component costs. At the same time, this makes it possible to minimize the distance between the control unit and the SBBR light(s), thereby simultaneously minimizing susceptibility to interference.Especially when using two or three, and especially four, control units to control the respective SBBR luminaires or their luminaire components, a particularly high degree of flexibility is possible with regard to the positioning of the control units, which allows the distances to the respective luminaire components and thus also the susceptibility to interference to be reduced even further. List of reference symbols 10 motor vehicle 12 Lighting arrangement 14 first SBBR lights (14, 16) 14a first luminaire part of the first SBBR luminaire (14, 16) 14b second luminaire part of the first SBBR luminaire (14, 16) 16 second SBBR light (14, 16) 16a first luminaire part of the second SBBR luminaire (14, 16) 16b second luminaire part of the second SBBR luminaire (14, 16) 18 tailgate 20a first control unit 20b second control unit 20c third control unit 20d fourth control unit BCM on-board power supply control unit V Forward direction

Claims

[1] Lighting arrangement (12) for a motor vehicle (10), wherein the lighting arrangement (12) has at least one first lamp (14) of a specific type and at least one lamp-external first control device (20a) which is designed to control at least a part (14a) of the at least one first lamp (14) of the specific type to implement at least one specific lighting function, characterized bythat the first control unit (20a) is designed exclusively for controlling at least one part (14a) of the at least one first light (14) of the specific type and the at least one first light (14) of the specific type is designed as a combined parking-brake-indicator-rear light (14), wherein the lighting arrangement (12) has a second light (16) designed as a parking-brake-indicator-rear light, wherein the first and second lights (14, 16) each have a first light part (14a, 16a) for arrangement on a body of the motor vehicle (10) and each have a second light part (14b, 16b) for arrangement on a tailgate (18) of the motor vehicle (10), and wherein the first control unit (20a) is designed to control only the first light part (14a) of the first light (14), wherein the lighting arrangement (12) further comprises a second control unit (20b) which is designed to control only the first lamp part (16a) of the second lamp (16),and wherein the lighting arrangement (12) further comprises a third control device (20c) which is designed to control only the two second lamp parts (14b, 16b) of the first and second lamps (14, 16). [2] Lighting arrangement (12) according to claim 1, wherein the first control device (20a) is arranged spatially separated from the second and third control devices (20b, 20c) in a predetermined proximity to the first lamp part (14a) of the first lamp (14), wherein the second control device (20b) is arranged spatially separated from the first and third control devices (20a, 20c) in a predetermined proximity to the first lamp part (16a) of the second lamp (16), and wherein the third control device (20c) is arranged in a predetermined proximity to the second lamp parts (14b, 16b) of the first and second lamps (14, 16). [3] Motor vehicle (10) with a lighting arrangement (12) according to one of the preceding claims. [4] Motor vehicle (10) according to claim 3, wherein the motor vehicle (10) has an on-board power supply control unit (BCM) which is communicatively coupled to at least the first control unit (20a), wherein the first control unit (20a) is designed to control the at least part of the at least one first lamp (14) in dependence on a signal received from the on-board power supply control unit (BCM).

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