Vehicle light management device, associated vehicle and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12084094-B2
Application number	US-202117451458-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2021
Priority date	Oct 21, 2020
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

The invention relates to a light management device for a vehicle, in particular a railway vehicle, the vehicle comprising at least one car. The device comprises:at least one light source, the at least one light source emitting light radiation with at least one optical characteristic,at least one sensor selected from a sensor for measuring a passenger density aboard the vehicle, such as an axle load sensor, a vehicle position sensor, and/or a clock,a control unit connected to the at least one sensor, and to the at least one light source, the control unit being configured to control the at least one optical characteristic of the light radiation based on a measurement of the at least one sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light management device for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising at least one car extending mainly in a longitudinal direction and being divided into a plurality of lighting zones, the device comprising:
a plurality of sensors for measuring a density of passengers on board the vehicle suitable for calculating the density of passengers per each of the plurality of lighting zones,
a plurality of light sources grouped into at least two groups of light sources, each group being associated with a distinct respective lighting zone of the plurality of lighting zones and each light source of a same group of light sources emitting light radiation with the same optical characteristic,
a controller connected to each of the sensors for measuring the density of passengers, and to the light sources, the controller being configured to independently control the optical characteristic of the light radiation of the light sources of the same group of light sources based on the passenger density calculated for the corresponding lighting zone.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle comprises a plurality of axles, the plurality of sensors for measuring the density of passengers being formed by a plurality of axle load sensors respectively connected to the axles, each axle load sensor being configured to measure the load carried by the corresponding axle.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one optical characteristic of the light radiation is selected from: the wavelength of the light radiation, the luminous flux of the light radiation, the colour temperature of the light radiation.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle comprises at least one passenger compartment, the light sources being intended to illuminate the interior of the at least one passenger compartment.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a vehicle position sensor configured to detect that the vehicle has reached a predetermined position, the controller being configured to control the at least one optical characteristic of the radiation from the at least one light source so that said at least one light source emits light radiation whose at least one optical characteristic has a predetermined value associated with said position.

6. The vehicle comprising the at least one car, the at least one car comprising a plurality of axles, the vehicle further comprising the device according to claim 1 .

7. The vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein the vehicle is a railway vehicle.

8. A method for managing the light of a vehicle, which comprises the light management device according to claim 1 and the at least one car, the method comprising:
measuring the density of passengers aboard the vehicle per zone in the vehicle with the plurality of sensors for measuring the density of passengers,
controlling the optical characteristic of the light radiation of the light sources of the same group of light sources based on the density of passengers measured for the corresponding zone.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the vehicle is a railway vehicle.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a railway vehicle.

11. A light management device for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising at least one car extending mainly in a longitudinal direction, the device comprising:
a plurality of sensors for measuring a density of passengers on board the vehicle suitable for calculating the density of passengers per zone in the vehicle,
a plurality of light sources grouped into at least two groups of light sources, each group being associated with a respective zone of the vehicle and each light source of a same group of light sources emitting light radiation with the same optical characteristic,
a controller connected to each of the sensors for measuring the density of passengers, and to the light sources, the controller being configured to control the optical characteristic of the light radiation of the light sources of the same group of light sources based on the passenger density calculated for the corresponding zone,
wherein the device comprises at least a second sensor selected from a sensor of the position of the vehicle, and/or a clock, the controller being configured to monitor a first characteristic of the light radiation as a function of a measurement of the sensor for measuring the density of passengers on board the vehicle, and a second characteristic of the light radiation as a function of a measurement of the second sensor.

12. A light management device for a vehicle, the vehicle comprising at least one car extending mainly in a longitudinal direction, the device comprising:
a plurality of sensors for measuring a density of passengers on board the vehicle suitable for calculating the density of passengers per zone in the vehicle,
a plurality of light sources grouped into at least two groups of light sources, each group being associated with a respective zone of the vehicle and each light source of a same group of light sources emitting light radiation with the same optical characteristic,
a controller connected to each of the sensors for measuring the density of passengers, and to the light sources, the controller being configured to control the optical characteristic of the light radiation of the light sources of the same group of light sources based on the passenger density calculated for the corresponding zone,
wherein the device comprises a clock, the clock providing a parameter representative of time, the controller being configured to vary the value of the at least one optical characteristic of the radiation of the at least one light source as a function of said parameter according to a predetermined time variation curve of said value.

13. The device according to claim 12 , wherein the time variation curve is characteristic of a human circadian cycle or the variation curve is a sine curve characteristic of human respiration.

Assignees

• Alstom Transp Tech

Inventors

• Chiadini Luca
• Faurois Damien
• Scaramuzzino Jean-Pierre
• De-Colombel Bertrand
• Ethirajalu Gopi

Classifications

• B60Q3/43

  General lighting · CPC title

• B60Q3/47

  Circuits; Control arrangements · CPC title

• Y02B20/40

  Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection · CPC title

• B61D29/00 Primary

  Lighting · CPC title

• G01D21/02

  Measuring two or more variables by means not covered by a single other subclass · CPC title