Method and device for operating lighting modules of a vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (101) for operating a set of lighting modules (102) of a vehicle (100), wherein the individual lighting modules (102) of the set of lighting modules (102) are each arranged at different positions of the vehicle (100). The device (101) is designed to assign a corresponding set of lighting elements (202) from a master set (200) of lighting elements (202) to the set of lighting modules (102) depending on the positions of the individual lighting modules (102), wherein the individual lighting elements (202) of the master set (200) are each associated with a vehicle position and with a light signal. Furthermore, the device (101) is designed to operate the individual lighting modules (102) of the set of lighting modules (102) depending on the light signal of the lighting element (202) assigned to the respective lighting module (102) from the set of lighting elements (202).

Description

[0001] 24-2947

[0002] - 1 -

[0003] Method and device for operating lighting modules of a vehicle

[0004] The invention relates to a method and a corresponding device, each designed to operate the lighting modules of a (motor) vehicle, in particular to provide a light display in or on the vehicle.

[0005] A vehicle has a variety of different lighting modules, each of which can be individually controlled to emit light. The color and / or intensity of the light emitted by each module can be individually adjusted, for example, to create a specific ambient lighting effect inside the vehicle and / or a specific lighting display on the vehicle's exterior.

[0006] This document addresses the technical challenge of efficiently and reliably controlling the numerous lighting modules of a (motor) vehicle, in particular to flexibly provide lighting displays in and / or on the vehicle. 24-2947

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[0008] The problem is solved by each of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are described, inter alia, in the dependent claims. It should be noted that additional features of a claim dependent on an independent claim, without the features of the independent claim itself or only in combination with a subset of the features of the independent claim, can constitute a separate invention independent of the combination of all features of the independent claim, which can be made the subject of an independent claim, a divisional application, or a subsequent application. This applies equally to technical teachings described in the description, which can constitute an invention independent of the features of the independent claims.

[0009] According to one aspect, a device for operating a set of lighting modules of a (motor) vehicle is described, wherein the individual lighting modules of the set are each arranged at different positions within the vehicle. At least some of the lighting modules can be arranged in the vehicle's interior and / or exterior. Furthermore, the lighting modules can be arranged in different areas of the vehicle, e.g., at the front, on a side, at the rear, or on the roof. Each lighting module can comprise at least one light-emitting diode. Alternatively or additionally, each lighting module can be configured to change the color and / or intensity of the light emitted by the lighting module.

[0010] The device is configured to assign a corresponding number of light elements from a master set of light elements to the quantity of light modules, particularly depending on the positions of the individual light modules. Each light module can be assigned exactly one light element from the master set of light elements. 24-2947

[0011] - 3 -

[0012] The individual light elements of the master set can each be associated with a vehicle position (on a vehicle) and with a light signal. The light signal of a light element can indicate the color and / or intensity of the light element, particularly as a function of time. The light signals of the individual light elements of the master set of light elements can define a lighting design for vehicles, especially in the vehicle interior and / or exterior.

[0013] The vehicle positions of the individual light elements can be described by two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) coordinates (in a vehicle coordinate system). The master set of light elements can thus correspond to a 2D or 3D arrangement of light elements in a typical vehicle or a model vehicle. The light signals of the individual light elements can therefore describe a lighting design for the 2D or 3D arrangement of light elements in a typical vehicle or a model vehicle. By assigning a subset of the light elements from the master set to the vehicle's lighting modules, the lighting design can be applied to the specific vehicle.

[0014] The device can be configured to identify, for a lighting module located at a first position of the vehicle, a light element from the master set of light elements associated with a vehicle position corresponding to the first position of the vehicle and / or located as close as possible to the first position. Similarly, for each lighting module, the light element with the corresponding vehicle position and / or the nearest vehicle position can be determined in order to assign a light element from the master set to each individual lighting module.

[0015] Alternatively or additionally, the device can be configured to supply the corresponding number of light elements from the Master-24-2947 to the number of light modules.

[0016] - 4 -

[0017] A set of light elements can be assigned using an assignment function. This assignment function can be predefined for the vehicle. Furthermore, the assignment function can specify the assigned light element from the master set for each individual light module within the set. This allows for particularly efficient and reliable assignment.

[0018] The master set of light elements can comprise a first group of light elements for the vehicle interior and a second group of light elements for the vehicle exterior. The device can be configured to determine whether a light module is located in the vehicle interior or in the vehicle exterior. A light element from the first group can be assigned to the light module if it is located in the vehicle interior, and a light element from the second group can be assigned to it if it is located in the vehicle exterior.

[0019] Alternatively or additionally, the master set of light elements can comprise different subgroups of light elements for different areas of vehicles, wherein the different areas include, for example, the front, the rear, a side, in particular the driver's or passenger's side, and / or the roof (particularly in the vehicle interior or exterior). The device can be configured to determine in which area of ​​the vehicle a light module is located. A light element from the subgroup of the master set for the area in which the light module is located can then be assigned to the light module. 24-2947

[0020] - 5 -

[0021] This allows for a particularly flexible and precise assignment of light elements to lighting modules in order to transfer a lighting design to a specific vehicle.

[0022] Vehicles of N different models can have correspondingly N different quantities of light modules, with N>1, in particular N>2, or N>3. The different quantities of light modules can differ at least partially from one another, especially with regard to,

[0023] • the number of lighting modules;

[0024] • the positions of the individual lighting modules on a vehicle; and / or • the type and / or size of the individual lighting modules.

[0025] The N distinct sets of light modules can be represented by N distinct sets of light elements. The master set of light elements can correspond to the total set or the superset of the N distinct sets of light elements.

[0026] Thus, a single master set of lighting elements can be provided for several (especially N) different vehicle models in order to define a lighting design that can be transferred to the vehicles of different vehicle models in an efficient and precise manner.

[0027] The device is further configured to operate the individual lighting modules of the set of lighting modules depending on the light signal of the light element assigned to the respective lighting module from the set of light elements. A lighting module from the set of lighting modules can be operated in such a way, depending on the respective light signal, that the lighting module emits light with the color and / or intensity specified by the light signal. In this way, a specific lighting display can be provided in or on the vehicle in an efficient and reliable manner. 24-2947

[0028] - 6 -

[0029] According to another aspect, a (road) motor vehicle (in particular a passenger car or a truck or a bus or a motorcycle) is described that includes the device described in this document.

[0030] According to one aspect, a method for operating a set of lighting modules of a vehicle is described, wherein the individual lighting modules of the set are each arranged at different positions within the vehicle. The method comprises assigning (in particular, depending on the positions of the individual lighting modules from the set) a set of light elements from a master set of light elements to the corresponding set of lighting modules. The individual light elements of the master set can each be associated with a vehicle position (in or on a vehicle) and / or with a light signal. The method further comprises operating the individual lighting modules of the set of lighting modules depending on the light signal of the light element from the set of light elements assigned to the respective lighting module.

[0031] It should be noted that the aspects described in connection with the device, in particular the claims described in connection with the device, are also applicable to the method as corresponding process features.

[0032] Another aspect described is a software (SW) program. The SW program can be configured to run on a processor (e.g., on a vehicle's control unit) and thereby execute the procedure described in this document.

[0033] According to another aspect, a storage medium is described. The storage medium can include a software program that is configured to run on 24-2947.

[0034] - 7 -

[0035] to be executed on a processor, and thereby to perform the procedure described in this document.

[0036] It should be noted that the methods, devices, and systems described in this document can be used both alone and in combination with other methods, devices, and systems described in this document. Furthermore, any aspect of the methods, devices, and systems described in this document can be combined with one another in a variety of ways. In particular, the features of the claims can be combined with one another in a variety of ways. Features listed in parentheses are to be understood as optional features.

[0037] The invention will now be described in more detail using exemplary embodiments.

[0038] Figures 1a to 1c are exemplary lighting modules in and / or on a vehicle; Figure 2 is an exemplary master set of lighting elements; and

[0039] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of an exemplary procedure for operating the quantity of lighting modules of a vehicle.

[0040] As stated at the outset, this document deals with the efficient and reliable control of the number of lighting modules in a vehicle, in particular to provide flexible lighting effects on the vehicle. In this context, Figures 1a to 1c show different views of a (motor) vehicle 100, which has a plurality of lighting modules 102 at different positions on the vehicle 100. The individual lighting modules 102 can each be controlled by a (control) device 101 of the vehicle 100. The individual lighting modules 102 can be caused to emit light of a specific color and / or with a specific intensity. Each lighting module 102 can comprise one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs). 24-2947

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[0042] The vehicle 100 can have one or more lighting modules 102 in different sub-areas of the vehicle 100, e.g.

[0043] • at the front of the vehicle 100 (for example on the radiator and / or on the bumper, and / or in the area of ​​the daytime running lights);

[0044] • at the rear of the vehicle 100 (for example, at the bumper and / or the tailgate, and / or in the area of ​​the rear light);

[0045] • on the side of the vehicle 100 (e.g. on one or more doors, the door sill and / or the rearview mirror);

[0046] • in the interior of the vehicle 100 (e.g. on the dashboard, on the side doors, on the center console, in the footwell, in or on the individual vehicle seats, and / or on the roof).

[0047] The individual lighting modules 102 of the vehicle 100 can be controlled in a coordinated manner, e.g., to create a lighting display in the interior of the vehicle 100 and / or on the exterior of the vehicle 100, whereby the lighting display can be static or time-varying. To provide a lighting display, control signals can be defined for the individual lighting modules 102, wherein the control signal for a lighting module 102 defines one or more properties of the light emitted by the lighting module 102, possibly as a function of time. Examples of such properties are the color and / or the intensity (especially the brightness) of the emitted light.

[0048] A vehicle manufacturer typically produces several different vehicle models, which may have different quantities of light modules 102. It is therefore necessary to determine dedicated control data for each vehicle model to control the respective quantity of light modules 102, in order to provide a specific, uniform lighting display across all models. Determining dedicated control data for the different quantities of light modules 102 for different vehicle models is relatively complex.24-2947

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[0050] connected. In other words, transferring a lighting design to different vehicle models (and the corresponding different quantities of lighting modules 102) is typically associated with a relatively high level of effort.

[0051] Fig. 2 shows an exemplary master set 200 of light elements 202, which defines a lighting scheme for a vehicle 100. Each individual light element 202 can be assigned to a specific position, in particular a specific coordinate, on the vehicle 100. Furthermore, each individual light element 202 can define one or more properties of light that is to be emitted at the specific position, in particular at the specific coordinate, of the vehicle 100. The one or more properties, in particular the intensity and / or the color, of the light can change over time. The one or more properties of the light can be described by a light signal associated with the respective light element 202.

[0052] The master quantity 200 of light elements 202 can comprise a first group 210 of light elements 202 for the interior or vehicle interior and / or a second group 220 for the exterior or vehicle exterior of the vehicle 100. Furthermore, the individual groups 210 and 220 can each be subdivided into several subgroups 201 for different areas of the vehicle 100, e.g., for the front, for both sides, for the rear, and / or for the roof of the vehicle 100.

[0053] The master set of 200 light elements 202 can be used to define a lighting display for a vehicle 100. For this purpose, a light signal can be defined for each individual light element 202 of the master set 200, wherein the light signal has a specific color and / or a specific intensity that can change over time. 24-2947

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[0055] To transfer a lighting sequence specified by the master set 200 of light elements 202 to the specific set of light modules 102 of a vehicle 100 of a specific vehicle model, the control device 101 of the vehicle 100 can be configured to select a corresponding light element 202 from the master set 200 for each individual light module 102. A light module 102 of the vehicle 100 can be arranged at a specific position, in particular at a specific coordinate, of the vehicle 100. The light element 202 from the master set 200 can be identified that is associated with a position, in particular with a coordinate, that is arranged as close as possible to the specific location, in particular at the specific coordinate, of the light module 102 of the vehicle 100.

[0056] Thus, for each individual lighting module 102 of the vehicle 100, a corresponding light element 202 can be identified from the master set 200. The light signal specified for a light element 202 can then be used to control the corresponding lighting module 102 of the vehicle 100. In particular, the corresponding lighting module 102 can be controlled such that it emits light according to the light signal of the identified light element 202 (i.e., with the color and / or intensity of the light signal).

[0057] As already explained, different vehicle models have different quantities of light modules 102. For each quantity of light modules 102, a corresponding quantity of light elements 202 can be defined, whereby the light element 202 for a corresponding light module 102 is associated with the position, in particular with the coordinates, of the light module 102 in the respective vehicle 100. Thus, different quantities of light elements 202 can be defined for the different vehicle models. The master quantity 200 of light elements 24-2947

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[0059] 202 can correspond to the total quantity or the superset of the different quantities of light elements 202 for the different vehicle models. In this way, a uniform lighting design for vehicles can be efficiently defined using a single master quantity 200 of light elements 202, which can then be applied to the different quantities of light modules 102 of different vehicle models.

[0060] A Master Light Map (MLM), i.e., a master set of 200 light elements 202, is thus provided, enabling the implementation of (uniform) two-dimensional lighting displays on different vehicle groups and / or vehicle models. Within the MLM, i.e., the master set of 200 light elements 202, each individual light module 102 of a vehicle 100, located in the vehicle interior and / or exterior, is assigned unique coordinates and / or reference points (i.e., light elements 202) on the MLM. Therefore, a light animation can be defined using the MLM (in real time or predefined) and then transferred to the set of light modules 102 of a vehicle 100 via a predefined mapping to implement the light animation on the vehicle 100.

[0061] The MLM, i.e., the quantity 200 of light elements 202, can also be used to control the quantity of light modules 102 of a virtual vehicle model, e.g., during the development of a new vehicle model. This enables particularly efficient vehicle development.

[0062] Fig. 3 shows a flowchart of a (possibly computer-implemented) method 300 for operating a set of lighting modules 102 of a (motor) vehicle 100, wherein the individual lighting modules 102 of the set of lighting modules 102 are each arranged at different positions of the vehicle 100. The set of lighting modules 102 can, for example, comprise 10 or more, or 20 or more, or 50 or more different lighting modules 102. The lighting modules 102 can be partially in different 24-2947

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[0064] The device may be located in specific areas of the vehicle 100 (inside or outside the vehicle), e.g., at the front, on one side, at the rear, on the roof and / or at a suitable position for ground projection next to the vehicle 100. The method 300 can be carried out by a control device 101 of the vehicle 100.

[0065] Method 300 comprises assigning 301, in particular depending on the positions of the individual light modules 102 from the set of light modules 102, a set of light elements 202 from a master set 200 of light elements 202 to the corresponding set of light modules 102. In particular, each individual light module 102 can be assigned (possibly exactly) one light element 202 from the master set 200 of light elements 202. The number of light elements 202 in the set of light elements 202 can thus be equal to the number of light modules 102 in the set of light modules 102.

[0066] The individual light elements 202 of the master set 200 can each be associated with a vehicle position (in or on a vehicle) and with a light signal. The light elements 202 can be associated with vehicle positions in different parts of the vehicle (inside or outside), e.g., at the front, on a side, at the rear, and / or on the roof. A light element 202 can correspond to a virtual light source, wherein the light signal of the light element 202 describes one or more properties, in particular the color and / or the intensity, of the light emitted by the virtual light source. In particular, the light signal of a light element 202 can specify the color and / or the intensity of the light element 202 as a function of time.

[0067] The vehicle positions of the individual light elements 202 can be described by two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) coordinates. The master set 202 of light elements 202 can thus be a 2D or 3D24-2947

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[0069] The arrangement of light elements 202 in a typical vehicle or a model vehicle corresponds to this. The light signals of the individual light elements 202 can thus describe a lighting design for the 2D or 3D arrangement of light elements 202 in a typical vehicle or a model vehicle. Conversely, the 2D or 3D arrangement of light elements 202 can be superimposed with a light animation in order to determine the light signals for the individual light elements 202 that result in a lighting design for the typical vehicle or the model vehicle corresponding to the light animation.

[0070] The master set 200 of light elements 202 preferably corresponds to a total set or a superset of light elements 202 for vehicles of different vehicle models. In this way, uniform lighting displays can be efficiently implemented on vehicles of different vehicle models (using a single master set 202 of light elements 202).

[0071] Method 300 further comprises operating 302 the individual lighting modules 102 of the set of lighting modules 102 depending on the light signal of the light element 202 assigned to the respective lighting module 102 from the set of light elements 202. In particular, the individual lighting modules 102 can be caused to emit light that has the color and / or intensity of the light signal of the light element 202 assigned to the respective lighting module 102. In this way, a lighting design of the vehicle 100 can be achieved in an efficient and reliable manner.

[0072] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown. In particular, it should be noted that the description and the figures are intended only to illustrate the principle of the proposed methods, devices, and systems by way of example.

Claims

24-2947 - 14 - Claims 1) Device (101) for operating a set of light modules (102) of a vehicle (100); wherein the individual light modules (102) of the set of light modules (102) are each arranged at different positions of the vehicle (100); wherein the device (101) is configured, - to assign a corresponding quantity of light elements (202) from a master set (200) of light elements (202) to the set of light modules (102) depending on the positions of the individual light modules (102); wherein the individual light elements (202) of the master set (200) are each associated with a vehicle position and with a light signal; and - to operate the individual light modules (102) of the set of light modules (102) depending on the light signal of the light element (202) assigned to the respective light module (102) from the set of light elements (202). 2) Device (101) according to claim 1, wherein - the light signal of a light element (202) indicates a color and / or an intensity of the light element (202), in particular as a function of time; and - the device (101) is configured to operate a light module (102) from the set of light modules (102) in such a way as to depend on a light signal, such that the light module (102) emits light with the color and / or intensity specified by the light signal. 3) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the light signals of the individual light elements (202) of the master quantity (200) of light elements (202) create a light staging of vehicles,24-2947 - 15 - especially in the vehicle interior and / or the vehicle exterior of vehicles. 4) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - vehicles of N different vehicle models N different quantities of light modules (102), with N>1; - the different quantities of light modules (102) differ at least partially, in particular with respect to, - a number of light modules (102); -Positions of the individual lighting modules (102) on a vehicle; and / or - a type and / or size of the individual light modules (102); - the N different sets of light modules (102) are represented by N different sets of light elements (202); and - the master set (200) of light elements (202) corresponds to the total set or superset of the N different sets of light elements (202). 5) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device (101) is configured to identify, for a light module (102) from the set of light modules (102) arranged at a first position of the vehicle (100), a light element (202) from the master set (200) of light elements (202) that is associated with a vehicle position corresponding to the first position of the vehicle (100) and / or that is arranged as close as possible to the first position of the vehicle (100). 6) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein 24-2947 - 16 - - the device (101) is configured to assign the corresponding quantity of light elements (202) from the master quantity (200) of light elements (202) to the quantity of light modules (102) using an assignment function; and - the assignment function was defined in advance for the vehicle (100) and specifies for the individual light modules (102) of the set of light modules (102) the respective assigned light element (202) from the master set (200). 7) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - the master quantity (200) of light elements (202) comprises a first group (210) of light elements (202) for the vehicle interior and a second group (220) of light elements (202) for the vehicle exterior of vehicles; and - the device (101) is set up - to determine whether a lighting module (102) is located in the vehicle interior or in the vehicle exterior of the vehicle (100); and - to assign a light element (202) from the first group (210) to the light module (102) if the light module (102) is located in the vehicle interior of the vehicle (100), and to assign a light element (202) from the second group (210) to the light module (102) if the light module (102) is located in the vehicle exterior of the vehicle (100). 8) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - the master quantity (200) of light elements (202) comprises different subgroups (201) of light elements (202) for different sub-areas of vehicles;24-2947 - 17 - - the different sections include a front, a rear, a side, in particular a driver's or passenger's side, and / or a roof of vehicles; and - the device (101) is set up - to determine in which part of the vehicle (100) a lighting module (102) is located; and - to assign a light element (202) from the subgroup (201) to the light module (102) for the sub-area in which the light module (102) is located. 9) Device (101) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein - a light module (102) comprises at least one light-emitting diode; and / or - each light module (102) is configured to change the color and / or intensity of light emitted by the light module (102). 10) Method (300) for operating a set of lighting modules (102) of a vehicle (100); wherein the individual lighting modules (102) of the set of lighting modules (102) are each arranged at different positions of the vehicle (100); wherein the method (300) comprises, - Assigning (301), depending on the positions of the individual light modules (102) from the set of light modules (102), a set of light elements (202) from a master set (200) of light elements (202) to the corresponding set of light modules (102); wherein the individual light elements (202) of the master set (200) are each associated with a vehicle position and with a light signal; and - Operation (302) of the individual lighting modules (102) of the quantity of lighting modules (102) depending on the light signal of the dem24-2947 - 18 - respective lighting module (102) assigned light element (202) from the set of light elements (202).

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