Automotive light-emitting devices

Abstract

The present invention refers to an automotive lighting device (10) comprising a main board (1) having a driver (2) and a main connector (3) connected to an edge portion (11) of the main board (1), the main connector (3) having at least four electrical inputs (31) and four electrical outputs (32), each electrical input (31) configured to receive power and control signals and electrically connected to an electrical track of the main board (1), and each electrical output (32) electrically connected to an electrical track of the main board (1). The device (10) further comprises secondary boards (4, 6) containing light sources (9) commanded by the driver (2). The device (10) further comprises secondary connectors (5, 7) connected to the edge portions of the corresponding secondary boards, each secondary connector having at least four inputs (51, 71) and four outputs (52), each input being connected by wire to one output (32, 52) of the preceding connector (3, 5).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive lighting devices, and more particularly to systems and devices for transmitting electrical signals between different parts.

Summary of the Invention

[0002] Prior Art A light module for a motor vehicle is a complex device involving multiple technologies in a very small space. It includes optical components, light components such as light-emitting diodes, LEDs, etc., an electronic circuit for driving the light source, a mechanical support, and elements for dissipating humidity and heat. Assembling such a module is a complex task that requires a high degree of attention and precision. This is especially the case regarding the electrical interconnection of the various electrical components and / or printed circuits involved in such a light module. For example, a control circuit for power supply to the light source must be connected via a connector to a printed circuit board including the light source to which power will be supplied. The operator usually performs these connections without direct visual inspection of the connector and the corresponding socket - the work has to be done blindly because other components are already assembled in the limited space in the module.

[0003] There are various ways to reduce the amount of wire harnesses present in these devices. However, it is not easy to provide the same function with a smaller amount of cables because they are used for providing both power supply and control signals.

[0004] A specific example is the case where a printed circuit board includes a main driver and different printed circuit boards include light sources intended to be controlled by said driver. In this case, the printed circuit board of the driver has to be connected to each of the printed circuit boards including one of the light sources. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the number of pins or make splices in the harness.

[0005] Therefore, alternative solutions to this problem are being sought.

[0006] Purpose of the invention The invention provides a solution to this problem using an automotive lighting device. This automotive light-emitting device comprises the following: - A main board comprising a driver and an electrical track that starts at the edge portion of the main board and connects the edge portion to the driver; - A main connector connected to the edge portion of the main board, the main connector comprising at least four electrical inputs and four electrical outputs, each electrical input configured to receive power supply and control signals and electrically connected to an electrical track on the main board, and each electrical output electrically connected to an electrical track on the main board; - A first secondary substrate comprising at least one light source intended to be commanded by a driver of the main substrate, and an electrical track beginning at the edge portion of the first secondary substrate and connecting the edge portion to the light source; - A first secondary connector connected to the edge portion of a first secondary substrate, the first secondary connector comprising four inputs and four outputs, each input being connected by a wire to one output of the main connector; - A second secondary substrate comprising at least one light source intended to be controlled by a driver of the main substrate, and an electrical track beginning at the edge portion of the second secondary substrate and connecting the edge portion to the light source; - A second secondary connector connected to the edge portion of a second secondary circuit board, the second secondary connector comprising at least four inputs, each input being connected by a wire to one output of the first secondary connector.

[0007] In such automotive light-emitting devices, multiple circuit boards are used with multiple light sources, and all light sources are connected to the driver by a daisy-chain assembly. The connection between the driver and each light source is made through the interposition of other circuit boards.

[0008] A circuit board is an element that acts as a support for a circuit. A typical example of a circuit board is a printed circuit board.

[0009] In some specific embodiments, - The second secondary connector further comprises at least four output sections; - The lighting device further comprises a third secondary substrate and a third secondary connector; - The third secondary substrate comprises at least one light source intended to be controlled by the driver of the main substrate, and an electrical track that begins at the edge portion of the third secondary substrate and connects the edge portion to the light source; and - The third secondary connector is connected to the edge portion of the third secondary board, and the third secondary connector includes at least four inputs, each input being connected by a wire to one output of the second secondary connector.

[0010] This structure may be repeated multiple times so that the invention supports the connection of consecutive boards with connectors having input and output sections, the input section coming from the output section of the preceding connector, and the output section (except for the last connector which has no output section) is connected to the input section of the subsequent connector.

[0011] In some specific embodiments, one of the electrical tracks is configured to provide information regarding the electrical connection between a corresponding connector and a corresponding edge portion.

[0012] This track is a connection position assurance track that provides information about the electrical connection between the connector and the edge portion. There are several ways to perform this action. Such a connector typically has multiple contacts of a first length and a shorter verification contact, which reliably makes electrical contact with the corresponding terminal of the receptacle only when a certain depth of push-down of the plug into the receptacle is achieved.

[0013] In some specific embodiments, an electrical track configured to provide information regarding the electrical connection between a corresponding connector and a corresponding edge portion is located in an independent electrical circuit separate from the light source.

[0014] As a result, the connection location guarantee problem and the light emission function problem are separated.

[0015] In some specific embodiments, the independent electrical circuit comprises a first branch connecting an electric track configured to provide information about electrical connections to the driver, and a second branch having a resistor that connects the node of the first branch to ground.

[0016] This is a very interesting issue because drivers receive information regarding connection location assurance. Each driver may manage this information in its own appropriate way.

[0017] In some specific embodiments, the vehicle light-emitting device further comprises a heat sink, and a separate electrical circuit comprises a first branch connecting an electric track configured to provide information about electrical connections to the heat sink, and a second branch comprising a resistor connecting the node of the first branch to ground.

[0018] In this embodiment, the heat sink, which is a conductive part, has information regarding connection position assurance in its metal body. Measuring the impedance between this body and ground is sufficient to check whether the connector is properly connected.

[0019] In some specific embodiments, one of the electric trucks is configured to provide information regarding the diagnosis related to the state of the light source of the corresponding substrate.

[0020] The driver can use the information regarding the diagnosis in his own appropriate way.

[0021] In some specific embodiments, at least one input part and one output part of the connectors are arranged on the opposite side surface of the corresponding connector.

[0022] The connector is shaped like a parallelepiped. It has six surfaces, and these six surfaces are in pairs on the opposite sides. One first surface is used to receive the insertion of the edge of the substrate. Thus, there are four surfaces that are substantially perpendicular to this first surface. Due to the natural shape, two of these surfaces are larger than the other two. The input part and the output part are arranged on these larger surfaces.

[0023] In some specific embodiments, at least one of the connectors comprises first mechanical holding means, and the corresponding substrate comprises second mechanical holding means configured to cooperate with the first mechanical holding means to hold the connector.

[0024] In a specific embodiment, these mechanical holding means are arranged on a smaller surface perpendicular to the first surface, and the smaller surface is perpendicular to the first surface and receives the connection from the edge of the substrate. These are side surfaces, and the side surfaces usually have mechanical holding means for including the connection part and avoiding the disconnection between the connection part and the edge part of the substrate.

[0025] In some specific embodiments, the first mechanical holding means and the second mechanical holding means comprise an arm - protrusion pair, or a hook - latch pair, or a snap - fit connection.

[0026] In some specific embodiments, the light sources of the secondary substrates are configured to cooperate in providing various lighting functions or signal transmission functions.

[0027] This means that there are various lighting functions or signal transmission functions, and the light sources of the substrates cooperate in providing these lighting functions or signal transmission functions. This may be because each substrate is specialized in one of the lighting functions or signal transmission functions, or because there are multiple substrates specialized in one function and one or more other substrates specialized in one or more functions.

[0028] In some specific embodiments, the light sources of at least two secondary substrates are configured to cooperate in providing the same lighting function or signal transmission function.

[0029] In some specific embodiments, the connector is a card edge connector, and the light sources are solid-state light sources such as light-emitting diodes.

[0030] The term "solid-state" refers to light emitted by solid-state electroluminescence that converts electricity into light using semiconductors. Compared with incandescent lamps, solid-state lighting produces visible light while reducing heat generation and suppressing energy dissipation. The generally small mass of solid-state electronic lighting devices provides higher resistance to shock and vibration compared to fragile glass tubes / light bulbs and elongated filament wires. They also eliminate filament evaporation and may extend the life of lighting devices. Some examples of these types of lighting include semiconductor light-emitting diodes (LEDs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), or polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) as the light source, rather than electric filaments, plasmas, or gases.

[0031] In some specific embodiments, the automotive light-emitting device further comprises at least one optical element configured to receive light emitted by a light source and project it outside the light-emitting device.

[0032] An optical element is, as can be interpreted without further ado by those skilled in automotive lighting, an element having some optical properties for receiving a light beam and emitting it in a certain direction and / or shape. Reflectors, collimators, light guides, projection lenses, or combinations thereof are some examples of these optical elements that are useful for converting a light beam emitted by a light source into a light pattern acceptable for the selected function with respect to the lighting device. All of these optical elements define a focal point, which is the point at which the light emitted by the light source is most effectively transmitted by the optical element.

[0033] In some specific embodiments, the main connector is powered by a voltage value of 5V or 12V.

[0034] These are typical values ​​for automotive light-emitting devices.

[0035] In some specific embodiments, the wire includes a harness protection element.

[0036] In some specific embodiments, the light source is a light-emitting diode, and the first substrate is configured to provide a matrix beam function.

[0037] Unless otherwise specified, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) shall be interpreted in accordance with the conventions of the art. Furthermore, it should be understood that commonly used terms, unless explicitly defined herein, should also be interpreted in accordance with the conventions of the relevant art, and not in an idealized or overly formal sense.

[0038] In this regard, the term "equipped" and its derivatives (e.g., "equipped") should not be understood in an exclusive sense; that is, these terms should not be understood as excluding the possibility that what is described and defined may include further elements or steps, and therefore, the object of the present invention is to solve this problem and provide a signaling device that can be easily adapted to different light source components and can address changes in availability and differences in national regulations. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0039] List of drawings To complete the description and to provide a better understanding of the invention, a set of drawings is provided. These drawings form an integral part of the specification and illustrate embodiments of the invention; however, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but merely as examples of how the invention may be implemented. The drawings include the following: [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the connection assembly for the automotive light-emitting device according to the invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 illustrates a specific feature of this connection: one of the lines is dedicated to connector position assurance. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a first example of this subcircuit. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows the connections of all subcircuits according to an embodiment of the invention. [Figure 5] Another embodiment is shown in Figure 5. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an embodiment of the mechanical coupling between each connector 3 and the edge portion 11 of their respective printed circuit boards. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0040] The following reference numbers are used in these figures: 1 Main PCB 2 drivers 3 Main Connector 4. Primary secondary PCB 5. First secondary connector 6. Secondary PCB 7. Second secondary connector 8 Heatsink 9 LED 10 Headlamps 11. Edge portion of the main PCB 12. Third secondary PCB 13. Third secondary connector 14. Third secondary PCB edge portion 15 Input section of the third secondary connector 16 First retaining means 17 Electric Trucks 18 Second retaining means 20 CPA trucks 21. Branch 1 22 Second Branch 23 Resistors 27 Protrusions of electrical contacts on the PCB 100 automobiles

[0041] Explanation of the diagram The exemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail for a person skilled in the art to implement and carry out the systems and processes described herein. It is important to understand that embodiments can be provided in many alternative forms and should not be construed as being limited to the examples described herein.

[0042] Accordingly, the embodiments are modifiable in various ways and can take on various alternative forms, although specific embodiments are shown in the drawings and described in detail below as examples. There is no intention to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed. Rather, all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives included in the appended claims should be included. Elements of the exemplary embodiments are, where necessary, consistently indicated by the same reference figures throughout the drawings and detailed description.

[0043] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the connection assembly for the automotive light-emitting device according to the invention.

[0044] The main printed circuit board 1 includes an electronic circuit. This electronic circuit begins at an edge portion 11 of the main printed circuit board 1 and connects to a driver 2, which is intended to manage the illumination and signaling functions of a light source located in a light-emitting device.

[0045] A main connector 3 is connected to the edge portion 11 of the main board 1. This main connector 3 supplies power and control signals from the vehicle's body control module to the main printed circuit board 1.

[0046] The main connector 3 comprises five electrical inputs 31 and five electrical outputs 32. The electrical inputs 31 are configured to transmit power supply and control signals to the main printed circuit board 1. To achieve this purpose, they are electrically connected to the electrical tracks of the main board 1 when the main connector 3 is plugged into the edge portion 11 of the main printed circuit board 1.

[0047] The electrical output unit 32 is also connected to the electrical track on the opposite side of the main printed circuit board 1.

[0048] Additionally, there are three secondary printed circuit boards 4, 6, and 12. In different embodiments, there may be more secondary printed circuit boards, as the invention is not limited to a specific number of them.

[0049] Each secondary printed circuit board 4, 6, and 12 includes an LED 9 and an electrical track connecting the corresponding edge portion 41, 61, and 14 of the secondary printed circuit board to the corresponding LED 9.

[0050] The LEDs 9 on each of the secondary printed circuit boards 4, 6, and 12 are intended to be controlled by the driver 2 on the main printed circuit board 1.

[0051] This control is achieved by daisy-chaining, as shown in Figure 1.

[0052] The main connector 3 is connected to the edge portion 11 of the main printed circuit board 1. Each electrical input section 31 is configured to receive power supply and control signals from the body control module and is electrically connected to the electrical track of the main printed circuit board 1. After supplying power to the circuit of the main printed circuit board 1, the electrical track on the opposite side is connected to the electrical output section 32 of the main connector 3.

[0053] The first secondary connector 5 is connected to the edge portion of the first secondary printed circuit board 4. The first secondary connector has five inputs 51, each input 51 connected by a wire to one output 32 of the main connector 3. After supplying power to the circuit of the first secondary printed circuit board 4, the electrical track on the opposite side is connected to the electrical output 52 of the first secondary connector 5.

[0054] The second secondary connector 7 is connected to the edge portion of the second secondary printed circuit board 6. The second secondary connector 7 has five inputs 71, each input 71 connected by a wire to one output 52 of the first secondary connector 5. After supplying power to the circuit of the second secondary printed circuit board 6, the electrical track on the other side is connected to the electrical output 72 of the second secondary connector 7.

[0055] The third secondary connector 13 is connected to the edge portion of the third secondary printed circuit board 12. The third secondary connector 13 has five inputs 15, each input 15 being connected by a wire to one output 72 of the second secondary connector 7.

[0056] Therefore, control and power are not transmitted from the main printed circuit board via separate harnesses, but rather pass through all printed circuit boards in a daisy-chain connection. This type of connection eliminates the need for large connectors, as it controls the entirety of three different printed circuit boards with five inputs and five outputs.

[0057] In some cases where the distance between different printed circuit boards is sufficiently long, the wires for the communication bus (e.g., CAN) are twisted together, while the remaining wires remain straight.

[0058] Figure 2 illustrates a specific feature of this connection: one of the lines is dedicated to connector position assurance. This figure shows an electrical track 17 on one edge portion 11 of the printed circuit board. As seen in this figure, each edge portion of the printed circuit board includes a connector position assurance track 20. The figure also shows the protrusions 27 of the electrical contacts of the connector. The connector position assurance track 20 is shorter than the remaining tracks 17, so it makes electrical contact with the corresponding electrical contacts of each connector only if the remaining electrical tracks have achieved this electrical contact with their respective electrical contacts.

[0059] This connection between the connector position assurance track 20 and its corresponding electrical contacts supplies power to a subcircuit independent of that of the light source.

[0060] Figure 3 shows a first example of this subcircuit. The components of this subcircuit do not actively participate in the lighting function performed by the LED. The main function of this subcircuit is to electrically cooperate with the contacts between the connector position assurance track 20 and its electrical contacts 28. The presence of current in this line of the circuit indicates a successful connection, showing that all electrical tracks are properly connected to the corresponding connections of the connector.

[0061] This subcircuit has a first branch 21 containing an electrical contact 28 and a second branch 22 containing a grounded resistor 23. When the circuit is closed (i.e., when the connector position assurance track is connected to the electrical contact 28), the first branch reads the resistance value.

[0062] Figure 4 shows the connections of all subcircuits according to an embodiment of the invention. In this case, the connector position guarantee lines are connected in parallel, and a single connection is provided to the control output of the driver 2, which can measure this equivalent resistance value.

[0063] Since each sub-circuit has its own resistance, the signal at the driver's control output provides information about the connection status of all printed circuit boards: when all connectors are properly connected, the control output recognizes all resistors as being in parallel. However, if one of them is not connected, the control output will see a different value depending on which resistor is not connected to the circuit. Therefore, all printed circuit boards are controlled by a single control output in the driver.

[0064] Another embodiment is shown in Figure 5. In this case, the subcircuits are the same, but instead of being connected to the driver's control output section, they are connected to the heatsink 8, which is a metallized part. Thus, the heatsink is connected to ground and provides information about the equivalent resistance of the connector position assurance track. This equivalent impedance is measured in a simple process to check whether all connectors are properly connected to their corresponding printed circuit boards. The results provide the information necessary to know whether all connectors are connected and, if any connector is faulty, which one is faulty.

[0065] Figure 6 shows an embodiment of the mechanical coupling between each connector 3 and the edge portion 11 of their respective printed circuit boards.

[0066] Connector 3 has a shape similar to a parallelepiped. It has six faces, which are arranged in pairs. One first face is used to receive the insertion of the edge 11 of the printed circuit board. Thus, there are four faces substantially perpendicular to this first face. The input and output sections are located on these larger faces.

[0067] The mechanical retaining means 16 is positioned on the side surface, which typically encompasses the connection portion and has mechanical retaining means 16 for preventing disconnection between the connection portion and the edge portion of the substrate.

[0068] In this case, the mechanical retaining means is in the form of a snap-fit ​​connection having a groove 18 at the edge portion 11, but any other suitable way to achieve this objective is within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. - A main board (1) comprising a driver (2) and an electric track that starts at the edge portion (11) of the main board and connects the edge portion (11) to the driver (2); - A main connector (3) connected to the edge portion (11) of the main board (1), wherein the main connector (3) comprises at least four electrical inputs (31) and four electrical outputs (32), each electrical input (31) configured to receive power supply and control signals and electrically connected to the electrical track of the main board (1), and each electrical output (32) electrically connected to the electrical track of the main board (1), the main connector (3) and; - A first secondary substrate (4) comprising at least one light source (9) intended to be commanded by the driver (2) of the main substrate (1), and an electrical track beginning at an edge portion (41) of the first secondary substrate (4) and connecting the edge portion (41) to the light source (9); - A first secondary connector (5) connected to the edge portion of the first secondary substrate, wherein the first secondary connector (5) comprises at least four input sections (51) and four output sections (52), each input section being connected by a wire to one output section (32) of the main connector (3); - A second secondary substrate (6) comprising at least one light source (9) intended to be commanded by the driver (2) of the main substrate (1), and an electrical track beginning at an edge portion (61) of the second secondary substrate (6) and connecting the edge portion (61) to the light source (9); - A second secondary connector (7) connected to the edge portion (61) of the second secondary substrate (6), wherein the second secondary connector (7) comprises at least four input sections (71), and each input section (71) is connected by a wire to one output section (52) of the first secondary connector (5), An automotive light-emitting device (10) equipped with the following:

2. - further comprising a third secondary substrate (12) and a third secondary connector (13); - The second secondary connector further comprises at least four output sections (72); - The third secondary substrate (12) comprises at least one light source (9) intended to be commanded by the driver of the main substrate, and an electrical track that begins at an edge portion (14) of the third secondary substrate (12) and connects the edge portion (14) to the light source (9); - The third secondary connector (13) is connected to the edge portion (14) of the third secondary substrate (12), and the third secondary connector (13) comprises at least four inputs (15), each input being connected by a wire to one output (72) of the second secondary connector. The automotive light-emitting device according to claim 1.

3. The automotive light-emitting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the electric tracks is configured to provide information regarding the electrical connection between a corresponding connector and a corresponding edge portion.

4. The automotive light-emitting device according to claim 3, wherein the electric track, configured to provide information regarding the electrical connection between the corresponding connector and the corresponding edge portion, is located in an independent electrical circuit separate from the light source.

5. The automotive light-emitting device according to claim 4, wherein the independent electrical circuit comprises a first branch (21) that connects the electric track configured to provide information about the electrical connection to the driver, and a second branch (22) having a resistor (23) that connects the node of the first branch (21) to ground.

6. The automotive light-emitting device according to claim 4, further comprising a heat sink (8), wherein the independent electrical circuit comprises a first branch (21) connecting the electric track configured to provide information regarding the electrical connection to the heat sink (8), and a second branch (22) having a resistor (23) connecting the node of the first branch to ground.

7. The automotive light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein one of the electric tracks is configured to provide information regarding the diagnosis of the state of the light source on the corresponding substrate.

8. The automotive light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the connectors, the input section and the output section, are arranged on the opposite side of the corresponding connector.

9. - At least one of the connectors is provided with a first mechanical retaining means (16), and the corresponding substrate is provided with a second mechanical retaining means (17) configured to cooperate with the first mechanical retaining means that holds the connector. - The first mechanical retaining means (16) and the second mechanical retaining means (18) are equipped with an arm-projection pair, a hook-latch pair, or a snap-fit ​​connection. The automotive light-emitting device according to claim 1.

10. The automotive light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the connector is a card edge connector and the light source is a solid-state light source.

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