Lighting device and lighting system for a motor vehicle and method for operating a lighting system for a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11259375-B2
Application number	US-201916400902-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2019
Priority date	Nov 7, 2016
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

A lighting apparatus for a motor vehicle includes a processing module configured to receive, process and send signals from a data bus of the motor vehicle, and a light-emitting diode (LED) unit configured to emit light of adjustable brightness and prescribed color locus. The LED unit has a microcontroller and a plurality of LEDs, where the microcontroller and the LEDs are surrounded by a package of the LED unit. The LED unit is further configured to communicate bidirectionally with the processing module so that a present status value of the LED unit, which status value is representative of a functionality of the LED unit, is ascertainable by the LED unit and the processing module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lighting apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a processing module configured to receive, process and send signals from an internal data bus;
a light-emitting diode (LED) unit configured to emit light of adjustable brightness and prescribed color locus, wherein the LED unit has a microcontroller and a plurality of LEDs,
wherein the microcontroller and the LEDs are surrounded by a package of the LED unit,
wherein the LED unit is further configured to communicate bidirectionally with the processing module via the microcontroller of the LED unit so that a present status value of the LED unit is receivable by the processing module from the microcontroller of the LED unit, which present status value is representative of a functionality of the LED unit; and
a plurality of LED units, wherein individual LED units of the plurality of LED units are actuated by a digital datastream in a form of a bitstream that is supplied to the individual LED units by the internal data bus of the lighting apparatus and wherein the internal data bus comprises a line for a clock and a line for the bitstream.

2. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , in which the present status value of the LED unit is ascertainable independently of an operating state of the LEDs.

3. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the LED unit is a multicolor LED unit and the LEDs are each single-color LEDs.

4. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the LED unit comprises an RGB LED unit and/or an RGBW LED unit.

5. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the LED unit comprises a light sensor configured to measure a present brightness value on the LED unit and to communicate bidirectionally with the processing module so that the present brightness value on the LED unit is ascertainable by the light sensor and the processing module.

6. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the LED unit comprises a light sensor configured to measure a present brightness value on the LED unit and to communicate bidirectionally with the processing module so that the present brightness value on the LED unit is ascertainable by the light sensor and the processing module.

7. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the LED unit comprises a temperature sensor configured to measure a present temperature value on the LED unit and to communicate bidirectionally with the processing module so that the present temperature value on the LED unit is ascertainable by the temperature sensor and the processing module.

8. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the LED unit comprises a temperature sensor configured to measure a present temperature value on the LED unit and to communicate bidirectionally with the processing module so that the present temperature value on the LED unit is ascertainable by the temperature sensor and the processing module.

9. A lighting system for a motor vehicle, comprising:
the motor vehicle, and
at least one lighting apparatus comprising:
a processing module configured to receive, process and send signals from an internal data bus,
a light-emitting diode (LED) unit configured to emit light of adjustable brightness and prescribed color locus, wherein the LED unit has a microcontroller and a plurality of LEDs,
wherein the microcontroller and the LEDs are surrounded by a package of the LED unit,
wherein the LED unit is further configured to communicate bidirectionally with the processing module via the microcontroller of the LED unit so that a present status value of the LED unit is receivable by the processing module from the microcontroller of the LED unit, which present status value is representative of a functionality of the LED unit; and
a plurality of LED units, wherein individual LED units of the plurality of LED units are actuated by a digital datastream in a form of a bitstream that is supplied to the individual LED units by the internal data bus of the lighting apparatus and wherein the internal data bus comprises a line for a clock and a line for the bitstream.

10. The lighting system as claimed in claim 9 , in which the lighting apparatus is arranged in the motor vehicle and is in the form of interior lighting.

11. The lighting system as claimed in claim 9 , in which the lighting apparatus is arranged on an outside of the motor vehicle and is in the form of exterior lighting.

12. A method for operating a lighting system for a motor vehicle, the lighting system comprising a lighting apparatus having a processing module configured to receive, process and send signals from an internal data bus, a light-emitting diode (LED) unit configured to emit light of adjustable brightness and prescribed color locus, wherein the LED unit has a microcontroller and a plurality of LEDs, wherein the microcontroller and the LEDs are surrounded by a package of the LED unit, and wherein the LED unit is further configured to communicate bidirectionally with the processing module via the microcontroller of the LED unit, and having a plurality of LED units, the method comprising:
receiving status signals of the LED unit from the microcontroller of the LED unit by the processing module, which status signals are representative of a functionality of the LED unit,
ascertaining a present status value of the LED unit by the processing module based on the received status signals of the LED unit,
controlling a function of the motor vehicle based on the ascertained status value of the LED unit, and
actuating individual LED units of the plurality of LED units by a digital datastream in a form of a bitstream that is supplied to the individual LED units by the internal data bus of the lighting apparatus, wherein the internal data bus comprises a line for a clock and a line for the bitstream.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein controlling the function of the motor vehicle based on the ascertained status value of the LED unit comprises outputting information based on the ascertained status value of the LED unit.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein controlling the function of the motor vehicle based on the ascertained status value of the LED unit comprises deactivating a function of the motor vehicle based on the ascertained status value of the LED unit.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein controlling the function of the motor vehicle based on the ascertained status value of the LED unit comprises deactivating a function of the motor vehicle based on the ascertained status value of the LED unit.

16. The lighting apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the present status value of the LED unit comprises data about a current/voltage characteristic of the LED unit or a number of operating hours of the LED unit.

17. The lighting system as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the present status value of the LED unit comprises data about a current/voltage characteristic of the LED unit or a number of operating hours of the LED unit.

18. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the present status value of the LED unit comprises data about a current/voltage characteristic of the LED unit or a number of operating hours of the LED unit and further comprising drawing a conclusion about a lifespan of the LED unit from the present status value.

Assignees

• Bayerische Motoren Werke Ag

Inventors

• Altinger Florian
• Bruegl Juergen
• Isele Robert

Classifications

• B60Q1/0023

  the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera · CPC title

• H05B47/18

  via data-bus transmission · CPC title

• H05B45/58

  involving end of life detection of LEDs · CPC title

• H05B45/22

  using optical feedback · CPC title

• H05B45/28

  using temperature feedback · CPC title