Laser Headlight Safety Shutdown with Auxiliary Lighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laser headlights pose a safety risk due to sudden loss of light, especially at high speeds, which can lead to safety hazards for bystanders and drivers, as they unexpectedly drive into darkness, and existing solutions do not adequately address the unique fault states of laser headlights.
Innovation Solution
A safety device and method that include an auxiliary headlight and a switching mechanism controlled by the headlight control to switch on the auxiliary headlight when the laser light source is switched off, utilizing sensors to monitor safety-critical conditions and ensure traffic and personal safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If laser light sources are used in headlights to increase luminance and reduce size, then lighting efficiency and compactness are improved, but safety risks arise from sudden light loss and direct laser beam exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by providing auxiliary headlights that are pre-positioned and can be immediately activated when the laser light source fails. The control unit is pre-programmed to detect failure conditions and switch to auxiliary lighting without delay, ensuring continuous illumination and preventing the sudden darkness that creates safety hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by implementing a monitoring arrangement that continuously checks for safety-critical conditions before they become dangerous. The system also provides auxiliary headlights as a backup buffer that cushions against the harmful effect of sudden light loss, ensuring that lighting failure does not immediately translate into a safety hazard.
2Reliability
If monitoring arrangements are added to detect safety-critical conditions, then safety control capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing the control unit to perform multiple functions: it controls the laser light source, monitors for safety-critical conditions, detects failures, and manages the auxiliary headlights. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining high safety control capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures continuous lighting by activating the auxiliary headlight when the laser light source is switched off, mitigating safety risks and maintaining road safety, even in faulty states, by using sensors to detect and respond to critical conditions such as misalignment, breakage, or unauthorized opening of the headlight unit.
Implementation Method 1
the laser beam is converted from, for example, blue light to white light by an intermediate converter, which may contain a phosphor
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 1a
Figure 2~3
AI summary
A device and a method for safety shutdown of the at least one laser light source (2) of at least one headlight (1) for a motor vehicle, the safety device having a vehicle-side subsystem and a headlight-side subsystem, wherein the two subsystems are connected to one another via an interface and are designed to exchange safety-relevant signals (sa1, sa2, sa3, SL, SP, SB, SC,SD), a monitoring arrangement (14) is designed to output control signals (sta, sts, stv) in the presence of safety-critical conditions, and a headlight controller (10) is designed to shut down the at least one laser light source (2), or keep it shut down, when such control signals (sta, sts, stv) are supplied.