Motor vehicle lighting systems

Abstract

Lighting device for motor vehicles The invention relates to a lighting system for an automotive vehicle (1), comprising a first headlamp (111) capable of projecting a first light beam (21) and a second headlamp (121) capable of projecting a second light beam (22), the first light beam (21) being formed by at least one first focused beam and the second light beam (22) being formed by at least one second focused beam, the first and second focused beams being controlled by a control law, the control law being configured to generate an asymmetry between the angular displacement of the first focused beam (31) from a first outer end position (P1ext) to a first inner end position (P1int) and the angular displacement of the second focused beam (41) from a second outer end position (P2ext) to a second inner end position (P2int).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of automotive vehicle lighting, and more specifically to directional lighting capabilities for lighting inside corners. Summary of the Invention

[0002] Motor vehicles are equipped with headlamps to illuminate the road ahead of the vehicle at night or when light levels are reduced. These headlamps include one or more light-emitting modules that are controlled to produce two lighting modes: a first "high beam" mode and a second "low beam" mode. The "high beam" mode allows the road and shoulders ahead of the vehicle to be sufficiently illuminated with high light intensity when the road is straight. The "low beam" mode allows the road ahead of the vehicle to be illuminated with low light intensity but without dazzling other road users and providing good visibility. In traffic situations where the road is shared by several vehicles, the vehicles use the "low beam" mode to avoid dazzling other road users. When turning, especially around corners, the light beam projected in either lighting mode, especially the "low beam" mode, may not be able to sufficiently illuminate the inside edge of the corner to allow the driver of the vehicle to avoid potential dangers.

[0003] It is known that the light beam of the low beam is divided into a wide illumination zone with a cut-off and a more limited concentrated illumination zone, called the "kink" part, which forms a lower part of the beam below the horizon line, called the "flat" part and formed by the horizontal cut-off of this illumination zone, intended to widely illuminate the road scene so as not to dazzle other users of the road scene, and a concentrated illumination zone, which is located at least partially above this horizon line and is located laterally on either side of the central longitudinal axis of the vehicle when the vehicle is moving straight ahead. This concentrated illumination zone has in particular a cut-off edge that is substantially perpendicular to the horizontal cut-off of the "flat" part or inclined with respect to this horizontal cut-off, which laterally separates the "kink" part on the driver's side from vehicles that are likely to be traveling in a lane opposite to the direction in which the vehicle is traveling.

[0004] Furthermore, it is known that vehicle headlamps are configured such that they perform a directional lighting function, also known as "DBL" for "Dynamic Bending Light", by angularly shifting the emitted light beam depending on the steering wheel angle in order to ensure optimal illumination of the edges when changing the vehicle's trajectory. In particular, it is known that such a directional lighting function is performed mechanically by pivoting the entire module generating the low or high beam to the left or right depending on the direction of the corner.

[0005] Thus, when a vehicle equipped with directional lighting turns a corner, the entire light beam forming the low beam is likely to pivot towards the inside of the corner: the directionality of the lower portion of the beam, i.e. the beam with a wide cutoff forming the "flat" portion, towards the inside of the corner allows the edge forming the inside of the corner to be illuminated, while the directionality of the upper portion of the beam, i.e. the focused beam forming the "kink" portion, towards the inside of the corner allows the roadway to be effectively illuminated due to its curve at the corner.

[0006] If the light emitting module includes multiple light emitting sources that together contribute to the generation of beam portions that form pixels of the emitted light beam, a decision can be made to digitally perform a directional lighting function by activating or deactivating the light emitting sources to direct the light beam without pivoting the module, and a control law is configured to control the activation and deactivation of the light sources to change the range and angular direction of the light beam thus formed exiting the headlamp.

[0007] Since the aforementioned concentrated illumination zone or "kink" portion can be produced by a high definition light source, i.e., a light source with finer definition than that of the light source associated with the illumination zone with wide cutoff, the wide illumination zone with cutoff can be defined as a diffuse illumination zone. Throughout this disclosure, the terms "with wide cutoff" and "wide with cutoff" are used interchangeably.

[0008] Combining a digital directional light beam with a focused illumination zone generated by a high definition light source and limiting the angular range of this focused illumination zone to form a "kink" portion can cause discontinuities in the light beam for illuminating the road near the focused illumination zone when the light beam generated by the headlamp is angularly turned, particularly when cornering away from the driver, which can be disruptive to the driver.

[0009] The invention proposes to overcome these various constraints, in particular the discontinuity of the light beam, by means of a lighting system for a motor vehicle comprising a first headlamp intended to be mounted on a first side of the motor vehicle and capable of projecting a first light beam, and a second headlamp intended to be mounted on a second side of the motor vehicle and capable of projecting a second light beam, the first and second light beams being complementary to form a light beam for illuminating the road, the light beams being controlled by a control law, each headlamp comprising means for projecting a wide light beam with a cut-off and pixelated projection means for a concentrated beam, at least the pixelated projection means comprising a plurality of selectively operable light sources, the first light beam being projected by a first headlamp ... projected by a second headlamp and a second headlamp intended to be projected by a second headlamp and a second headlamp intended to be projected by a second headlamp and a second headlamp intended to be projected by a second headlamp and a second headlamp intended to be projected by a second headlamp, the first light beam being projected by a second headlamp and a second headlamp intended to be projected by a second headlamp, the first light beam being projected by a second headlamp and a second headlamp intended to be projected by a second headlamp, the first light beam being projected by a second headlamp and a second headlamp intended to be projected by a second headlamp, the first light beam being projected by a second headlamp and a second headlamp intended to be projected by a second headlamp is formed by a first focused beam having a first optical axis and a first wide light beam having a cut-off, and the second light beam is formed by a second focused beam having a second optical axis and a second wide light beam having a cut-off, at least the first focused beam is digitally controlled by a control law to pivot between a first outer end position and a first inner end position, and at least the second focused beam is digitally controlled by a control law to pivot between a second inner end position and a second outer end position, the control law being configured to create an asymmetry between, on the one hand, an angular displacement of the first focused beam from the first outer end position to the first inner end position relative to the first optical axis and, on the other hand, an angular displacement of the second focused beam from the second outer end position to the second inner end position relative to the second optical axis. According to the invention, the control law is configured to provide an asymmetry between the angular displacement of the first focused beam from a first outer end position to a first inner end position and the angular displacement of the second focused beam from a second outer end position to a second inner end position, relative to a central longitudinal axis of the light emitting system according to the invention.

[0010] The digital directional lighting function realized by the pixelated projection means in the motor vehicle headlamp is controlled by a control law implemented in the control unit of the vehicle, which makes it possible to control the orientation of the first and second focused beams by activating and deactivating light sources making it possible to generate these focused beams. According to the invention, the displacement of the first focused beam during a change in trajectory of the motor vehicle in a corner directed towards the second side, i.e. towards the driver, is controlled in such a way that the angular range of the digital turning of the first focused beam is different from the angular range for the displacement of the second focused beam during a change in trajectory of the motor vehicle in a corner directed towards the first side, i.e. towards the driver. This asymmetry prevents the first inner end position of the first pixelated light beam and the second outer end position of the second pixelated light beam from being too far apart from each other at a second position of the light beam when passing through a corner oriented toward the second side, so that the operator of the motor vehicle observes a substantially uninterrupted focused beam formed by the first and second focused beams during changes in direction and corresponding turns of the light beam.

[0011] These angular end positions specific to each of the pixelated light beams are defined relative to an optical axis specific to the headlamp configured to project said pixelated light beam. The optical axis is defined by a nominal orientation of the beam for illuminating a straight road, i.e. without any information regarding corners. In this nominal orientation, in particular, each headlamp is configured such that the corresponding optical axis is substantially parallel to a central longitudinal axis of the light-emitting system on both sides on which the two headlamps are arranged, said central longitudinal axis of the light-emitting system being in particular capable of coinciding with the central longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The optical axis is, for example, located near the light sources of the headlamp or near one of said light sources. In particular, it can be tangent at the center of the plurality of selectively actuable light sources.

[0012] The lighting system may have one or more of the following features, either alone or in combination.

[0013] The wide beam with cutoff has a substantially linear cutoff, particularly a horizontal cutoff, when each headlamp of the lighting system is in its normal operating position.

[0014] The horizontal cutoffs of the first wide beam and the second wide beam are aligned to collectively form a horizontal cutoff.

[0015] It should be noted that the wide beam with cut-off can be formed according to the invention by a diverging beam or a pixelated beam, but this wide beam with cut-off, if it is pixelated, has a low resolution, for example with a pixel size such that their angle of view is more than 5°. The need to modify the control law is more particularly useful for concentrated beams illuminating road scenes above the horizontal cut-off of a beam with wide cut-off, insofar as the associated pixelated projection means have a high resolution, with pixels having an angle of view of less than 2° or 3°, and thus the concentrated beam has a narrowed illumination field.

[0016] Each of the focused beams has a cut-off edge that is tiltable relative to a corresponding optical axis of the headlamp, the angular position of the focused beam being determined by the position of the cut-off edge relative to the corresponding optical axis.

[0017] Each of the focused beams has a cut-off edge which can be tilted relative to the cut-off of a corresponding wide beam with cut-off of the headlamp, and the angular position of the focused beam is determined by the position of this cut-off edge, in particular by the position of the intersection of this cut-off edge with the cut-off of the corresponding wide beam with cut-off relative to the corresponding optical axis.

[0018] Throughout this disclosure, where features are described for a cutoff edge that is angled relative to a corresponding optical axis of a headlamp, the same features may also apply to a cutoff edge that is angled relative to the cutoff of a corresponding cutoff-with-wide-beam headlamp, and vice versa.

[0019] Throughout this disclosure, when a feature is described with respect to the location of a cut-off edge, the same feature may also apply to the location of the intersection of this cut-off edge with the cut-off of the corresponding cut-off wide beam, and vice versa.

[0020] According to one feature of the invention, the asymmetry generated by the control law is brought about by a specific command intended for at least one of the means for projecting the first concentrated light beam and the means for projecting the second concentrated light beam. As explained below, the specific command can also include the interruption of the angular rotation performed by the control law by fixing the activation and deactivation of light sources associated with a digitally controlled headlamp, or the interruption of the lighting function performed by the corresponding headlamp by deactivating all light sources of the pixelated projection means of this headlamp. The specific command generated by the control law is used when a defined angular value of the concentrated light beam is reached.

[0021] According to another feature of the invention, the first focused beam has a first beam width defined between a first cut-off edge forming an edge of the first focused beam and the first end, and the second focused beam has a second beam width defined between a second cut-off edge forming an edge of the second focused beam and the second fixed end, the first and second beam widths varying depending on the number of light sources being activated, and the first and second beam widths varying independently of each other when the first and second focused beams move between the first and second positions of the light beam. The beam widths of the first and second focused beams are for example defined by the distances between the first cut-off edge and the first fixed end and the second cut-off edge and the second fixed end of the first and second focused beams when they are projected on a vertical plane 25 m from the vehicle.

[0022] According to one feature of the invention, the number of light sources of the pixelated projection means operated by a control law to generate each of the focused light beams varies depending on information related to the turning of the motor vehicle, which information about the turning can be obtained, for example, from the angular position of the steering wheel or the drift angle of the vehicle.

[0023] According to another feature of the invention, the control law is arranged to activate or deactivate light sources of at least one pixelated projection means, and the corresponding angular displacement of the focused beams is performed by gradually varying the activated and deactivated light sources. Thus, the orientation of the first and second focused beams is digitally controlled by the control law by activating and / or deactivating certain light sources.

[0024] According to one feature of the invention, the first focused beam has a first cut-off edge inclined with respect to the first optical axis and the second focused beam has a second cut-off edge inclined with respect to the second optical axis, and the control law is configured to control the light beams such that an intersection point of the first cut-off edge of the first focused beam with the cut-off of the first wide light beam moves from a first outer end position to a first inner end position, and such that an intersection point of the second cut-off edge of the second focused beam with the cut-off of the second wide light beam moves from a second inner end position to a second outer end position.

[0025] According to one feature of the invention, the first focused light beam has a first cutoff edge that is inclined relative to the cutoff of the first wide light beam having a cutoff, and the second focused light beam has a second cutoff edge that is inclined relative to the cutoff of the second wide light beam having a cutoff, and the control law is configured to control the light beams such that an intersection point of the first cutoff edge of the first focused light beam with the cutoff of the wide light beam with the first cutoff moves from a first outer end position to a first inner end position, and such that an intersection point of the second cutoff edge of the second focused light beam with the cutoff of the wide light beam with the second cutoff moves from a second inner end position to a second outer end position.

[0026] According to one aspect of the invention, the angular displacement between the first outer end position and the first optical axis is greater than the angular displacement between the second optical axis and the second outer end position which is greater than the angular displacement between the second inner end position and the second optical axis, and the angular displacement between the first inner end position and the first optical axis is substantially equal to the angular displacement between the second inner end position and the second optical axis.

[0027] According to one feature of the invention, the angular displacement between the first outer end position and the first optical axis is 15°, the angular displacement between the second outer end position and the second optical axis is 9°, the angular displacement between the second inner end position and the second optical axis is 6°, and the angular displacement between the first inner end position and the first optical axis is also 6°.

[0028] According to another feature of the invention, the control law is configured to control the light beams such that a first cut-off edge of the first concentrated light beam can move on either side of a central longitudinal axis of the lighting system extending at an equal distance from the two headlamps from a first outer end position offset by 15° from the first side to a first inner end position offset by 6° from the second side, and a second cut-off edge of the second concentrated light beam can move on either side of this central longitudinal axis of the lighting system from a second inner end position offset by 6° from the first side to a second outer end position offset by 9° from the second side of the motor vehicle. In this and further, the angle is measured relative to the position of the concentrated light beam and, for example, of the corresponding cut-off edge, relative to the respective optical axis specific to the headlamp associated with this concentrated light beam. Depending on whether the angle is on the first or second side of the motor vehicle, the indicated angle value of the side on which the angle is located is specified.

[0029] According to another feature of the invention, the angular displacement between the first outer end position and the first optical axis is greater than the angular displacement between the second outer end position and the second optical axis, greater than the angular displacement between the second inner end position and the second optical axis, and greater than the angular displacement between the first inner end position and the first optical axis, these last three angular displacements being substantially equal.

[0030] According to another feature of the invention, the angular displacement between the first outer end position and the first optical axis is 15°, the angular displacement between the second outer end position and the second optical axis, the angular displacement between the second inner end position and the second optical axis, and the angular displacement between the first inner end position and the first optical axis are all three 6°.

[0031] According to another feature of the invention, the control law of the light beam is configured to control the light beam such that a first cut-off edge of the first focused light beam can be moved from a first outer end position offset by 15° from the first side to a first inner end position offset by 6° from the second side on either side of a central longitudinal axis of the lighting system extending at equal distances from the two headlamps, and a second cut-off edge of the second focused light beam can be moved from a second inner end position offset by 6° from the first side to a second outer end position offset by 6° from the second side of the motor vehicle on either side of a central longitudinal axis of the lighting system.

[0032] According to another feature of the invention, the control law of the light beam interrupts, on the one hand, the angular rotation of the first concentrated beam when the first cut-off edge reaches a first inner end position on the second side, which is offset by 6° relative to the central longitudinal axis of the light-emitting system, and, on the other hand, interrupts the angular rotation of the second concentrated beam when the second cut-off edge reaches a second outer end position on the second side, which is offset by 9° or 6° relative to the central longitudinal axis of the light-emitting system.

[0033] According to one feature of the invention, the control law of the light beam interrupts, on the one hand, the displacement of the first focused beam when the first cut-off edge reaches a first inner end position shifted by a first determined value relative to the first optical axis, and, on the other hand, the displacement of the second focused beam when the second cut-off edge reaches a second outer end position shifted by a second determined value relative to the second optical axis, which second value is greater than or equal to 3° of the first value.

[0034] According to one feature of the invention, the control law of the light beam firstly interrupts the displacement of a first focused beam when a first cut-off edge reaches a first inner end position shifted by a first determined value, and secondly interrupts the displacement of a second focused beam when a second cut-off edge reaches a second outer end position shifted by a second determined value.

[0035] According to one feature of the invention, the control law of the light beam is configured to deactivate all light sources of the pixelated projection means of the first headlamp when a first cut-off edge of the first concentrated beam reaches a first inner end position.

[0036] According to another feature of the invention, the second concentrated light beam has a higher luminous intensity when the light source of the pixellated projection means of the first headlamp is deactivated, the luminous intensity of the second concentrated light beam increasing when the first cut-off edge reaches an angular value determined by the first inner end position of the first concentrated light beam and the light sources responsible for generating the first concentrated light beam are deactivated, whereby the overall luminous intensity of the light beam remains substantially constant and large fluctuations in luminous intensity do not disturb the driver.

[0037] According to another characteristic of the invention, the control law of the light beam is configured for a progressive deactivation of the light sources of the pixellated projection means of the first headlamp, the deactivation being initiated when the first cut-off edge of the first concentrated beam reaches a position offset by an angle R1 before the first inner end position and the deactivation being completed when the first cut-off edge of the first concentrated beam reaches the first inner end position. "Progressively deactivating" is understood here to mean that the luminous flux of each light source decreases according to a continuously decreasing function until it reaches a zero value.

[0038] According to one aspect of the invention, the continuously decreasing function is a function of the angle of the position of the first cutoff edge of the first focused beam.

[0039] According to another characteristic of the invention, the control law of the light beam is configured to progressively increase the luminous intensity of the second concentrated light beam when the light sources of the pixellated projection means of the first headlamp are progressively deactivated. Advantageously, the start of said increase is synchronized with the start of said deactivation. Advantageously, said increase is complete, i.e. it compensates for the deactivation such that the overall luminous intensity of the light beam remains substantially constant when the first cut-off edge of the first concentrated light beam reaches the first inner end position. "Progressively increasing" is understood here to mean that the luminous flux of each light source increases according to a continuously increasing function.

[0040] According to one aspect of the invention, the continuously increasing function is a function of the angle of the position of the second cut-off edge of the second focused beam.

[0041] According to one feature of the invention, the deactivation and the increase are such that the overall luminous intensity of the light beam remains substantially constant throughout the gradual evolution of the fluxes and / or luminous intensity of each of the first and second light beams.

[0042] The gradual deactivation and increase ensures a smooth transition when going from two concentrated beams to only one – a transition that is less noticeable and could be distracting to the driver.

[0043] According to one feature of the invention, the value of R1 is in the range of 2-4°. These values ​​have the advantage that they ensure that a sufficiently smooth transition is provided and minimize the time during which the luminous intensity of the second focused beam increases. Larger values ​​of R1 lead to increased heating of the light sources, which can adversely affect their correct operation and even lead to their destruction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0044] Further features, details and advantages of the invention will become more clearly apparent on the one hand from reading the following description and on the other hand from some embodiments thereof, given by way of non-limiting indication with reference to the attached schematic drawings in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an automobile vehicle equipped with a lighting system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically the light beams emitted by the two headlamps of the motor vehicle of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows a schematic of a light beam projected onto a vertical plane away from the vehicle, with a first cut-off edge of the beam emitted by a first headlamp being located near a first outer edge and a second cut-off edge of the beam emitted by a second headlamp being located near a second inner edge. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 graphically illustrates the angular displacement of the first and second cut-off edges according to one embodiment of a control law for controlling a lighting system according to the invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of a light beam projected onto a vertical plane with a first cutoff edge located near a first outer end and a second cutoff edge located near a second outer end, according to an embodiment of the control law of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 graphically illustrates the angular displacement of the first and second cutoff edges according to another embodiment of the control law. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of a light beam projected onto a vertical plane with a first cutoff edge located near a first inner end and a second cutoff edge located near a second outer end, in accordance with the embodiment of the control law of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 graphically illustrates the angular displacement of the first and second cutoff edges according to another embodiment of the control law. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 graphically illustrates the change in intensity of the first and second focused beams according to an embodiment of the control law of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0045] It should first be noted that, although the figures disclose the invention in detail for its implementation, these figures can obviously be used, where appropriate, to more clearly define the invention, and that these figures merely disclose embodiments of the invention.

[0046] The features, variants and various embodiments of the invention can be associated with each other in various combinations, provided that they are not mutually compatible or exclusive. It should be noted that it is also possible to envisage a variant of the invention that includes only selected features of the following description and separate from the other described features, where this selection of features is sufficient to provide a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the prior art.

[0047] In the figures, elements common to several figures use the same reference numbers.

[0048] Further, with reference to the figure, the longitudinal direction is depicted by axis L and corresponds to the direction of travel of the vehicle, the vertical direction is depicted by axis V and corresponds to a direction perpendicular to the ground on which the vehicle is traveling, and the lateral direction is depicted by axis T and corresponds to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal and vertical directions.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows an automobile vehicle 1 equipped with a lighting system according to the invention. The automobile vehicle 1 has a central longitudinal axis 100 running parallel to the main direction of the automobile vehicle 1 and separating the automobile vehicle 1 into a first side 11 and a second side 12 which are substantially equal. It should be noted that the first side 11 is systematically the side of the automobile vehicle 1 which corresponds to the side on which the driver of the automobile vehicle 1 is located. Thus, for an automobile vehicle with a steering wheel and a driver on the left side, the first side is the left hand side in the forward direction of the automobile vehicle. For an automobile vehicle with a steering wheel and a driver on the right side, the first side is the right hand side in the forward direction of the automobile vehicle. It should be noted that in the figures of the present application and in the detailed description below, the first side 11 of the automobile vehicle 1 is the left hand side in the forward direction of the automobile vehicle 1, but the description regarding this first side 11 applies mutatis mutandis regardless of whether it is the right hand side or the left hand side of the automobile vehicle 1.

[0050] The motor vehicle 1 is equipped with a lighting system according to the invention, comprising at least one first headlamp 111 arranged on the first side 11 and capable of emitting a first light beam 21, and a second headlamp 121 arranged on the second side 12 and capable of emitting a second light beam 22. The headlamp is arranged on either side of a central longitudinal axis of the lighting system, which may in particular coincide with the central longitudinal axis 100 of the motor vehicle. The first light beam 21 and the second light beam 22 are complementary to generate a light beam 2. This light beam 2 allows, for example, for the road on which the motor vehicle 1 is traveling to be illuminated, in particular at night, in order to ensure optimal driving conditions or to be visible to other drivers. Each of the first headlamp 111 and the second headlamp 121 comprises means for projecting a wide light beam with cut-off and pixelated projection means for a focused light beam, the combination of the wide light beam with cut-off and the focused light beam projected by the first headlamp 111 being responsible for generating the first light beam 21, and the combination of the wide light beam with cut-off and the focused light beam projected by the second headlamp 121 being responsible for generating the second light beam 22. More specifically, each light beam is formed by a wide light beam with cut-off, the wide light beam with cut-off being of a focused beam having a wide field projected directly on the road scene in front of the vehicle and having a horizontal cut-off, with a reduced field in the extension of the horizontal cut-off narrower than that of the field of the wide light beam with cut-off, so as to ensure in particular that the focused beam is highly detailed.

[0051] It should be noted that in an alternative embodiment, the wide light beam with cutoff can also be pixelated. The focused light beam differs in this case with a higher resolution than that of the wide light beam with cutoff and with a narrower illumination field of each pixel than that associated with the wide light beam with cutoff. As a non-limiting example, the illumination field of each pixel generating the wide light beam with cutoff can be on the order of 5° at the minimum, while the illumination field of the pixel generating the focused light beam is less than 3°.

[0052] The pixelated projection means is provided with a plurality of selectively actuatable light sources, each light source generating a light beam forming a focused light beam. It is understood that the focused light beam is formed by a plurality of light beams equal to the number of light sources generating the light beams, i.e. activated. The pixelated projection means comprises at least 20,000 light sources, this substantial number of light sources making it possible to project a pixelated light beam with very high resolution.

[0053] Each light source, in particular the light sources involved in generating the focused beams, can be activated or deactivated by a control law in order to generate or not generate one of the light rays. This control law allows the pixelated projection means to project angularly movable focused beams. In this way, the control law for managing the angular displacement of at least each of the focused beams makes it possible to provide a directional lighting function that allows the light beam 2 to be directed between a first position and a second position, for example according to information related to the turning of the motor vehicle 1 or also to the angle of the steering wheel. In this way, the directional lighting function is digitally executed via the control law, and the change in the orientation of the focused beams, brought about by the change in activation or deactivation of some of the light sources, is responsible for the generation of the corresponding focused beams.

[0054] Fig. 2 shows two pixelated projection means 3, 4, which are arranged in the first headlamp 111 and the second headlamp 121, respectively, when they are installed in the motor vehicle 1. These two pixelated projection means 3 and 4 generate a first focused light beam 31 and a second focused light beam 41, respectively, which in the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 are projected in a vertical plane 5-25 m from the vehicle, to show diagrammatically the light beam as it is projected on the road in front of a vehicle equipped with such pixelated projection means. The transversely extending line H shows a horizontal line below which a wide light beam with a cutoff is projected by a projection means (not shown here), which substantially corresponds to the horizontal cutoff of the light beam with the wide cutoff.

[0055] It should be noted that the central longitudinal axis 100 of the motor vehicle 1 is in this case depicted diagrammatically in the substantial center of the vertical plane 5, and that in the standard position of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 2, i.e. in the position where the directional lighting function is not implemented, the concentrated light beams are responsible for the generation of light beams that extend equally to the left and to the right of the central longitudinal axis 100. It should be noted that although the lighting system is adjusted so that the first and second light beams projected onto the road coincide infinitely, these beams have a lateral offset with respect to each other when they are projected onto a vertical plane 5 to 25 meters apart due to the lateral spacing of the vehicle's headlamps. In each representation shown in the figures and described below, the angular position of the light beams is relative to the optical axis of the corresponding headlamp.

[0056] Thus, a first focused light beam 31 generated by the pixelated projection means of a first headlamp extends on either side of a first optical axis 30 associated with this first headlamp. This first optical axis 30 is oriented in the propagation direction of the first focused light beam 31 and forms the central axis of the first focused light beam 31 when the vehicle is traveling in a straight line and the light beam has a nominal orientation. Similar to the first focused light beam 31, a second focused light beam 41 extends on either side of a second optical axis 40 associated with the second headlamp.

[0057] The first focused beam 31 extends laterally between an end forming the first cut-off edge 310 and a first fixed end 311, which in this case is set at 8° from the first optical axis of the second side 12, while the second focused beam extends laterally between an end forming the second cut-off edge 410 and a second fixed end 411, which in this case is set at 15° from the second optical axis of the second side 12. In this connection, the first focused beam has a first beam width defined between the first cut-off edge 310 and the first fixed end 311, while the second focused beam has a second beam width defined between the second cut-off edge 410 and the second fixed end 411.

[0058] The fixed ends 311, 411 are fixed relative to the optical axis corresponding to each headlamp, especially due to the fine implementation of pixelation, i.e. having a defined number of light sources over a given angular range, and as a result the width of these pixelated beams is likely to vary depending on the position of the cutoff relative to the corresponding fixed end.

[0059] These first and second cut-off edges 310 and 410 form edges of corresponding concentrated light beams directed towards the first side 11 of the vehicle at an inclination relative to the optical axis of the corresponding headlamp which helps to avoid dazzling road users moving in the opposite direction to the vehicle equipped with the headlamp according to the invention. Additionally or alternatively, the first and second cut-off edges 310 and 410 have an inclination relative to the cut-off of the corresponding wide light beam with cut-off.

[0060] The control law allows the direction of the first and second focused beams 31 and 41 to be modified by activating or deactivating the light sources to laterally displace these first and second cut-off edges 310 and 410. The control law thus allows the position of the first cut-off edge 310 to be modified between a first outer end position P1ext and a first inner end position P1int, and the position of the second cut-off edge 410 to be modified between a second inner end position P2int and a second outer end position P2ext. For each focused beam projected by a given pixelated projection means, the inner end position P1int, P2int of the cut-off of this focused beam must be understood as the end position directed towards the other pixelated projection means, i.e. towards the inside of the vehicle, while the outer end position P1ext, P2ext of the cut-off of this focused beam must be understood as the end position directed away from the other pixelated projection means, i.e. towards the outside of the vehicle. It should be noted that in the case of a vehicle shown in the figure with a steering wheel and a driver on the left side of the vehicle, the first inner end position P1int of the cut-off of the first focused beam is the right end position of the beam, and the first outer end position P1ext of this cut-off is the left end position of the beam, but this is reversed for a vehicle with a steering wheel and a driver on the left side of the vehicle.

[0061] 3 shows more specifically a light beam 2 projected on a vertical plane 5, which in this case has markings for determining the angular position of the first and second cut-off edges 310, 410 of the pixelated light beam projected on the vertical plane 5, relative to the optical axis of each of the headlamps intended to project these beams. The light beam 2, as it is projected on the vertical plane 5 in this case, has a first wide light beam 200 with cut-off and a second wide light beam 201 with cut-off, which form a wide part of the beam, commonly called the "flat" part, intended to illuminate the road scene directly adjacent to the vehicle so as to avoid dazzling other road users, and has a horizontal cut-off 203, this wide part of the beam is complemented by a narrower upper part, commonly called the "kink" part, which is formed by combining the first concentrated beam 31 and the second concentrated beam 41.

[0062] FIG. 3 shows a first position of the light beam when the vehicle turns a corner on the driver's side, which is obtained by a directional lighting function to illuminate the inside of the corner. This first position of the light beam is obtained by changing the angular position of the focused beams, in this case by keeping the wide light beam with cut-off fixed. To form the first position of the light beam, the two focused beams are digitally positioned via a control law at end positions that are directed towards the inside of the corner, in this case at a first outer end position P1ext for the first focused beam and at a second inner end position P2int for the second focused beam. The first cut-off edge 310 is located on the first side 11 near the first outer end P1ext with an angular orientation of 15° to the first optical axis. The second cut-off edge 410 is located on the first side 11 near the second inner end P2int with an orientation of 6° to the second optical axis. It is noted that if the angle of the first or second cut-off edge 310 and 410 relative to the corresponding optical axis is considered to be the angular interval between the ray forming the cut-off emitted by the corresponding pixelated projection means and a longitudinal direction parallel to the corresponding optical axis, it can be depicted in a diagram as a function of the central longitudinal axis 100 which forms the axis of symmetry of the lighting system when it is installed in a vehicle.

[0063] As described in detail herein, for a vehicle with a steering wheel and driver on the left side of the vehicle, the angular positions of the first outer end position P1ext of the first cut-off edge 310 and the second inner end position P2int of the second cut-off edge 410 are 15° and 6° respectively relative to the corresponding optical axis, and it should be noted that these remain unchanged in each of the various embodiments described below when the light beam has a first position directed towards the inside of the left corner of the vehicle.

[0064] FIG. 4 illustrates a control law according to a first embodiment, which controls the angular positions of the first and second cut-off edges 310 and 410 relative to the corresponding optical axes according to this first embodiment as a function of the angle of inclination of the steering wheel of the automobile vehicle 1.

[0065] The various angular positions of the first and second cut-off edges 310 and 410, respectively indicated by a cross and a triangle in Fig. 4, are determined according to the invention by a control law which guarantees an asymmetry of the displacement of the light beam between the two sides relative to the central axis of the lighting system according to the invention, i.e. the central longitudinal axis 100 of the vehicle when the lighting system is mounted on the vehicle. This asymmetry, brought about by the control law, is due to the fact that the angular displacement of the concentrated light beam is interrupted when the angle of the first cut-off edge 310 relative to the first optical axis 30 reaches a limit position of 6° on the second side 12 and when the angle of the second cut-off edge 410 relative to the second optical axis 40 reaches a limit position of 9° on the second side 12. It is thus seen that the light beam has, on the first side 11, a first position relative to the central longitudinal axis of the vehicle of the order of 15° defined by the first outer end position P1ext of the first cut-off edge 310 when the corner is on the driver's side, and that this light beam has, on the second side 11, a second position relative to the central longitudinal axis of the vehicle of the order of 9° defined by the second outer end position P2ext of the second cut-off edge 410 when the corner is on the passenger's side.

[0066] Fig. 5 shows diagrammatically the first and second concentrated light beams 31 and 41 projected on the vertical plane 5 in a second position of the light beam 2 when the vehicle negotiates a corner on the side opposite the driver according to a first embodiment of the control law as shown in Fig. 4. The interruption of the turning of the light beam generated by the control law and the concentrated light beams involved in its formation is such that, on the one hand, a first cut-off edge 310 of the first concentrated light beam is in a first inner end position P1ext offset by 6° with respect to the first optical axis 30, and, on the other hand, a second cut-off edge 410 of the second concentrated light beam is in a second outer end position P2ext offset by 9° with respect to the second optical axis 40, on the second side 12 of the motor vehicle 1.

[0067] Thus, in this first embodiment, as can be seen from FIG. 4, it can be seen that the first cut-off edge 310 is movable on either side of the central longitudinal axis from 15° at the first side 11 to 6° at the second side 12, and the second cut-off edge 410 is movable on either side of the central longitudinal axis from 6° at the first side 11 to 9° at the second side 12, the angular displacement of the first and second cut-off edges 310 and 410 varying according to changes in the trajectory of the automobile vehicle 1.

[0068] The angular displacement of the light beam is thus made asymmetric on both sides of the central longitudinal axis of the light emitting system or the central longitudinal axis of the vehicle by suitable control of the focused light beam, in particular by interrupting the pivoting of the focused light beam located on the side opposite the steering wheel and the driver. Both figures 4 and 5 show that in the second position of the light beam, the angular separation between the first and second cut-off edges, in this case 3°, is reduced compared to the angular separation between these two cut-offs in the first position of the light beam, in this case 6°.

[0069] Just to be sure, the first end 311 of the first pixelated light beam is fixed, in this case located at 8° from the first optical axis, on the second side, so that a dark area 35 is formed between the two focused beams, between the first end 311 of the first pixelated light beam and the second cut-off edge 410 of the second pixelated light beam.

[0070] In this way, the asymmetry created by the control law, in particular the interruption in the angular displacement of the focused beam, avoids disturbing the driver by providing a dark area 35 of reduced width of 1° between the first focused beam 31 and the second focused beam 41 during a turn towards the second side 12 of the motor vehicle 1.

[0071] Fig. 6 illustrates a control law according to a second embodiment, which differs from the previous description in that the turning of the focused beams is interrupted earlier than in the first embodiment, in particular in relation to the corner facing away from the driver, in order to further reduce and advantageously eliminate the dark areas between the focused beams. More specifically, the control law is such that the displacement of the first focused beam 31 is interrupted, as before, when the first cut-off edge 310 reaches its limit position of 6° at the second side 12, and the displacement of the second focused beam 41 is interrupted as soon as the angle of the second cut-off edge relative to the second optical axis reaches this same position of 6° at the second side 12. In this embodiment, the first inner end of the first focused beam 31 and the second outer end of the second focused beam 41 are substantially overlapping, the two focused beams overlapping locally over the 2° extension of the first focused beam. Thus, during large changes in trajectory towards the second side 12 of the automotive vehicle 1, the first focused beam 31 and the second focused beam 41 produce continuous focused beams without dark areas.

[0072] Fig. 7 shows diagrammatically the first and second concentrated light beams 31 and 41 projected on the vertical plane 5 in a second position of the light beam 2 when the vehicle turns a corner on the side opposite the driver according to the embodiment of Fig. 6. The interruption of the turning of the light beam and the concentrated light beams involved in its formation, generated by the control law, is such that, on the one hand, the first cut-off edge 310 is at a first inner end position P1ext at the second side 12 of the motor vehicle 1, which is at 6° relative to the first optical axis, and, on the other hand, the second cut-off edge 410 of the second concentrated light beam is at a second outer end position P2ext at the second side 12 of the motor vehicle 1, which is equal to the first outer end position P1ext, i.e. at 6° relative to the corresponding optical axis.

[0073] Thus, in this second embodiment, as can be seen from FIG. 6 , the first cut-off edge 310 is movable on either side of the central longitudinal axis from 15° at the first side 11 to 6° at the second side 12, and the second cut-off edge 410 is movable on either side of the central longitudinal axis from 6° at the first side 11 to 6° at the second side 12, the angular displacement of the first and second cut-off edges 310 and 410 varying with changes in the trajectory of the automobile vehicle 1.

[0074] Again, the angular displacement of the light beam is thus made asymmetric on both sides of the longitudinal axis by suitable control of the focused light beam, in particular by interrupting the pivoting of the focused light beam located on the side opposite the steering wheel and the driver. Both Figures 6 and 7 show that in the second position of the light beam, the angular separation between the first and second cut-off edges, in this case substantially zero, is reduced compared to the angular separation between these two cut-off edges in the first position of the light beam, in this case 6°.

[0075] Thus, the asymmetry created by the control law, in particular the interruption in the angular displacement of the focused beam, is avoided from disturbing the driver by providing continuous illumination between the first focused beam 31 and the second focused beam 41 during turning towards the second side 12 of the motor vehicle 1.

[0076] FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment which differs from the above in that one of the focused beams, i.e. the one facing away from the steering wheel and driver, continues to be angularly pivoted digitally via control laws and activation / deactivation of appropriate light sources as described thus far, while the other focused beam is turned off beyond a certain angular position.

[0077] More specifically, when the first cut-off edge 310 reaches an angular position equal to 6° at the second side 12, the control law deactivates all light sources of the first pixelated projection means 3 which generate the first focused light beam and the first cut-off edge 310, while the second cut-off edge 410 is digitally controlled by angular pivoting without interruption until it reaches 15° at the second side 12. This ensures that when the second cut-off edge, as referred to as the angular position of the first fixed end 311, exceeds the limit position of 8° at the second side 12, the first light beam is cut to avoid generating dark bands.

[0078] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 9, the luminous intensity of the second focused light beam 41 can be increased simultaneously with the deactivation of the light source forming the first focused light beam 31. When the light sources of the first and second pixelated light beams 31 and 41 are activated together, the first and second pixelated light beams 31 and 41 each have a luminous intensity of a first value I1. When the first cut-off edge 310 reaches its limit position on the second side 12, the light source of the pixelated projection means 3 of the first headlamp 111 is deactivated by the control law, so that the luminous intensity of the first focused light beam 31 is at zero value I0. Concomitantly, the luminous intensity of the second focused light beam 41 is practically doubled to a second value I2, so that the user of the motor vehicle 1 observes a continuous luminous intensity and has no hindrance in turning off the first focused light beam with respect to the displacement of the light beam 2.

[0079] The invention certainly achieves its stated objectives by proposing a lighting system comprising two pixelated projection modules capable of providing a digital directional lighting function in which the focused light beams form a continuum as they move between a first position and a second position of the light beam, as mentioned above. Variations not described here can also be implemented according to the invention, without departing from the context of the invention, provided that they include the dehumidification method according to the invention.

Claims

1. A lighting system for a motor vehicle (1) comprising a first headlamp (111) mounted on a first side (11) of the motor vehicle (1) and intended to project a first light beam (21) and a second headlamp (121) mounted on a second side (12) of the motor vehicle (1) and intended to project a second light beam (22), said first light beam and said second light beam (21, 22) being complementary to each other to form a light beam (2) for illuminating a road. The light beam (2) is controlled by a control law, each headlamp (111, 121) comprises a means for projecting a wide light beam with a cut-off and a pixellated projection means (3, 4) for a focused light beam, at least the pixellated projection means (3, 4) comprising a plurality of selectively operable light sources, the first light beam (21) being formed by a first focused light beam (31) having a first optical axis (30) and a first wide light beam (200) having a cut-off, the second light beam (22) being formed by a first focused light beam (31) having a first optical axis (30) and a first wide light beam (200) having a cut-off, the second light beam (22) being formed by a first focused light beam (31) having a first optical axis (30) and a second ... is formed by a second focused light beam (41) having a second optical axis (40) and a second wide light beam (201) having a cut-off, at least the first focused light beam (31) is digitally controlled by the control law to pivot between a first outer end position (P1ext) and a first inner end position (P1int) on either side of the first optical axis (30), and at least the second focused light beam (41) is digitally controlled by the control law to pivot between a second inner end position (P2int) and a second outer end position (P2ext) on either side of the second optical axis (40).

2. A light emitting system comprising: a light emitting device, the light emitting device being digitally controlled by a control law to pivot between a first outer end position (P1ext) to a first inner end position (P1int) relative to the first optical axis (30), the control law being configured to generate an asymmetry between, on the one hand, an angular displacement of the first focused beam (31) from the first outer end position (P1ext) to the first inner end position (P1int) relative to the first optical axis (30), and, on the other hand, an angular displacement of the second focused beam (41) from the second outer end position (P2ext) to the second inner end position (P2int) relative to the second optical axis (40).

2. 2. The lighting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of light sources of the pixelated projection means (3, 4) operated by the control law for generating each of the concentrated light beams (31, 41) varies depending on information regarding a turn of the motor vehicle (1).

3. 3. The lighting system according to claim 2, characterized in that the control law is configured to activate or deactivate at least one of the light sources of the pixelated projection means (3, 4), and the angular displacement of the corresponding concentrated light beam (31, 41) is performed by gradually alternating between activated and deactivated light sources.

4. 4. The light emitting system according to claim 1, wherein the first focused light beam (31) has a first cut-off edge (310) inclined with respect to the first optical axis (30) and the second focused light beam (41) has a second cut-off edge (410) inclined with respect to the second optical axis (40), and the control law is configured to control the light beam (2) in such a way that an intersection of the first cut-off edge (310) of the first focused light beam (31) with the cut-off of a first wide light beam (200) having said cut-off moves from the first outer end position (P1ext) to the first inner end position (P1int) and that an intersection of the second cut-off edge (410) of the second focused light beam (41) with the cut-off of a second wide light beam (201) having said cut-off moves from the second inner end position (P2int) to the second outer end position (P2ext).

5. 5. The lighting system of claim 4, wherein the angular displacement between the first outer end position (P1ext) and the first optical axis (30) is greater than the angular displacement between the second outer end position (P2ext) and the second optical axis (40) which is greater than the angular displacement between the second inner end position (P2int) and the second optical axis (40), and the angular displacement between the first inner end position (P1int) and the first optical axis (30) is substantially equal to the angular displacement between the second inner end position (P2int) and the second optical axis (40).

6. 6. The lighting system of claim 5, wherein the angular displacement between the first outer end position (P1ext) and the first optical axis (30) is greater than the angular displacement between the second outer end position (P2ext) and the second optical axis (40), greater than the angular displacement between the second inner end position (P2int) and the second optical axis (40), and greater than the angular displacement between the first inner end position (P1int) and the first optical axis (30), these last three angular displacements being substantially equal.

7. 7. A light emitting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the control law of the light beam (2) interrupts, on the one hand, the displacement of the first concentrated light beam (31) when the first cut-off edge (310) reaches the first inner end position (P1int) shifted by a first determined value relative to the first optical axis (30) and, on the other hand, interrupts the displacement of the second concentrated light beam (41) when the second cut-off edge (410) reaches the second outer end position (P2ext) shifted by a second determined value relative to the second optical axis (40), the second value being equal to or greater than 3° of the first value.

8. 8. A light emitting system according to claim 1, characterized in that the control law of the light beam (2) firstly interrupts the displacement of the first concentrated light beam (31) when the first cut-off edge (310) reaches the first inner end position (P1int) shifted by a first determined value, and secondly interrupts the displacement of the second concentrated light beam (41) when the second cut-off edge (410) reaches the second outer end position (P2ext) shifted by a second determined value.

9. 9. A lighting system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the control law of the light beam (2) is configured to deactivate all of the light sources of the pixelated projection means (3) of the first headlamp (111) when the first cut-off edge (310) of the first concentrated beam (31) reaches the first inner end (P1int).

10. When the light source of the pixelated projection means (3) of the first headlamp (111) is deactivated, the second concentrated light beam (41) has a higher luminous intensity (I ２ 10. The lighting system of claim 9, further comprising:

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