Vehicle LED Control via Power Line Voltage Droplets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lighting control systems for vehicles lack efficient methods to dynamically control LED lighting devices in terms of color and intensity using power line instructions, particularly in systems with nominal voltages of 10-30 volts, without requiring separate control wires or unreliable wireless communication.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a controller to transmit power line instructions (PLIs) via a lighting power line, where the controller temporarily drops the voltage below a threshold to encode data bits, allowing LED lighting devices to detect and respond by changing color and intensity, and a user interface is provided to command these changes, enabling control of LED lighting devices on vehicles using a simple and reliable power line communication protocol.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate control wires are used for LED lighting control, then control reliability is improved, but system complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines power transmission and data communication into a single wiring harness by encoding control signals as voltage variations on the power line itself. The controller modulates the voltage on existing power wires to carry PLI data bits, eliminating the need for separate control wiring while maintaining reliable communication with LED devices throughout the vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The existing vehicle wiring harness is made multi-functional by enabling it to simultaneously carry both power delivery and control communication functions. The power lines serve dual purposes: providing electrical power to LED devices and transmitting encoded control instructions, thereby reducing overall system complexity without sacrificing control reliability.
2Ease of manufacture
If wireless communication is used for lighting control, then installation ease is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to interference and signal issues
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding wireless communication hardware, the patent merges control communication with the existing wired power distribution system. By encoding data in voltage variations on the power line, the system achieves reliable communication through the same infrastructure already present in the vehicle, avoiding wireless interference issues while maintaining installation simplicity.
3Use of energy by moving object
If voltage is continuously maintained at nominal level, then power delivery efficiency is improved, but data transmission capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The controller employs periodic voltage droplets or pulses superimposed on the nominal power line voltage to encode data bits. These periodic variations occur at specific intervals and durations that LED device voltage threshold detectors can recognize as binary signals, allowing data transmission while maintaining continuous power delivery at the nominal voltage level between droplets.
Solution Approach 2:
The system temporarily changes the voltage parameter of the power line from its nominal value to transmit data. By controlling the duration, depth, and timing of voltage droplets, the controller encodes information without permanently altering the power delivery characteristics. The voltage returns to nominal levels between data transmissions, preserving efficient power delivery while enabling communication.
4Measurement precision
If voltage threshold detection is used for data bits, then data detection precision is improved, but power line voltage stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The controller applies voltage droplets that exceed the detection threshold of LED devices only during data transmission periods. These temporary excursions go beyond normal operating voltage but are controlled in duration and frequency. Between droplets, the voltage remains stable at nominal levels, providing sufficient precision for detection while maintaining overall voltage stability for reliable power delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a lighting control system that transmits lighting control signals digitally over a conductor which also provides power to the lights being controlled. The lighting control system includes a controller which transmits the control signals and one or more receivers that are associate with lights or other loads, the receivers receiving the digital signals from the controller and causing the lights or other loads to perform the actions required by the control signals.