Vehicle Interior Lighting Bus Control for Fewer Wires
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle interior lighting systems require multiple wires for each lighting load, leading to increased size and space consumption, and high data communication demands for controlling multiple lamp units.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle interior lighting system utilizing LIN or CAN communication with a host ECU that transmits a single effect production instruction signal over a bus cable to multiple lamp units, each equipped with a control IC to manage light emission, reducing the number of wires and communication volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If one signal line is used for each lighting load to connect multiple lighting loads to the control unit, then each lighting load can be controlled independently, but the system becomes heavy and large in size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple independent signal lines into a single bus cable that carries communication signals to multiple lamp units. Instead of having separate wires for each lighting load, the system uses a shared communication bus where the host ECU transmits effect production instruction signals that are received by multiple lamp units, each with its own control IC. This consolidation dramatically reduces the number of wires and overall system weight while maintaining independent control capability through digital communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical/electrical wiring system with a digital communication system. Instead of using separate physical signal lines for each lighting load control, the system uses digital bus communication where instruction signals are transmitted once over the bus cable and processed by control ICs in each lamp unit. This substitution reduces physical wire quantity and system complexity while enabling independent control through software-based signal processing.
2Ease of operation
If one signal line is used for each lighting load to connect multiple lighting loads to the control unit, then each lighting load can be controlled independently, but the system becomes large and takes up space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple independent signal lines into a single bus cable that carries communication signals to multiple lamp units. Instead of having separate wires for each lighting load, the system uses a shared communication bus where the host ECU transmits effect production instruction signals that are received by multiple lamp units, each with its own control IC. This consolidation dramatically reduces the number of wires and overall system weight while maintaining independent control capability through digital communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical/electrical wiring system with a digital communication system. Instead of using separate physical signal lines for each lighting load control, the system uses digital bus communication where instruction signals are transmitted once over the bus cable and processed by control ICs in each lamp unit. This substitution reduces physical wire quantity and system complexity while enabling independent control through software-based signal processing.
3Ease of operation
If traditional wiring with separate signal lines is used for each lighting load, then control is straightforward, but the amount of data in instruction signals increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary control information from complete instruction sets and transmits minimal data over the bus cable. The host ECU transmits effect production instruction signals that contain only the essential parameters needed to produce lighting effects, while each lamp unit's control IC locally generates or expands the full control data. This extraction approach reduces communication data volume while maintaining control simplicity through standardized effect protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service by enabling each lamp unit's control IC to autonomously process received instruction signals and generate appropriate output control without requiring detailed individual control data from the host ECU. The control ICs in each lamp unit independently interpret the effect production instruction signals and manage their own light-emitting elements, reducing the communication burden on the host ECU while maintaining full control functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle interior lighting system that performs LIN communication or CAN communication, the vehicle interior lighting system including plural lamp units connected by one or two bus cables, and a host ECU that transmits an effect production instruction signal to the plural lamp units through the bus cable or cables, the effect production instruction signal instructing a content of an effect produced by a light emission operation of the plural lamp units. Each of the plural lamp units includes a light-emitting element and a control IC that controls output of the light-emitting element according to the content of the effect production instruction signal. The effect production instruction signal is transmitted once to each of the plural lamp units per effect production instruction, regardless of duration of effect.