Scanning Vehicle Lamp Control to Prevent Flicker at Startup

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Solution Overview

Problem

Vehicle lamps with a scan method can experience flicker when the light source is turned on before the driving unit stabilizes, leading to discomfort for the driver and potential issues with the driving unit's lifetime due to premature shutdowns.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle lamp system that includes a light source, a driving unit, and a reflective body scanning a beam, with a controlling unit that ensures the driving unit operates for a duration even after a stop instruction is received, allowing the light source to stabilize before turning on, and maintaining operation while the second lamp unit is emitting a beam.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If the light source is turned on before the driving unit stabilizes, then the lighting can be activated immediately, but flicker occurs causing driver discomfort

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight source activation timingVSAvoiddriver comfort
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The driving unit is activated in advance before the light source is turned on, allowing it to stabilize its operation. This preliminary action ensures that when the light source is subsequently activated, the driving unit is already stable, preventing flicker and ensuring smooth lighting activation without driver discomfort.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Duration of action of stationary object

If the driving unit is stopped while the light source is off to extend lifetime, then the driving unit lifetime is extended, but waiting time increases causing driver discomfort

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedriving unit lifetimeVSAvoidwait time for stabilization
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of stationary objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The driving unit is activated in advance before the light source is turned on, allowing it to stabilize its operation. This preliminary action ensures that when the light source is subsequently activated, the driving unit is already stable, preventing flicker and ensuring smooth lighting activation without driver discomfort.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The driving unit maintains continuous operation even when the light source is off, avoiding repeated start-stop cycles. This continuous operation extends the driving unit's lifetime by preventing mechanical stress from frequent activations while ensuring immediate response when lighting is needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Speed

If the driving unit stops immediately upon receiving stop instruction, then the response is immediate, but the light source may not have stabilized causing flicker

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresponse speedVSAvoidlight stability
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The driving unit is activated in advance before the light source is turned on, allowing it to stabilize its operation. This preliminary action ensures that when the light source is subsequently activated, the driving unit is already stable, preventing flicker and ensuring smooth lighting activation without driver discomfort.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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

This solution extends the lifetime of the driving unit and reduces driver discomfort by ensuring stable operation and timely lighting activation, minimizing flicker and wait times.

Implementation Method 1

light from a light source is made incident on a reflective body that is driven by a driving unit to repeat a periodic motion. The reflective body reflects incident light at an angle corresponding to the position of the reflective body in the periodic motion and scans the space in front of the vehicle with the reflected light

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectReflection: Reflection

Data Source

PatentEP3696019B1Vehicle lamp
Publication Date: 2024.02.14 KOITO MFG CO LTD
  • EP3696019B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3696019B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3696019B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A vehicle lamp includes a first lamp unit that includes a light source, a driving unit, and a reflective body that is driven by the driving unit to repeat a periodic motion and thus scans an exit beam from the light source; and a controlling unit that controls the first lamp unit. The controlling unit instructs that the driving unit be driven until a first duration T1 has passed even in a case where the controlling unit has received an illumination instruction instructing the first lamp unit to emit a beam and then received a stop instruction instructing the first lamp unit to stop emitting a beam.