Motor vehicle lighting system for emitting position-limited ground projections

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12139065-B2
Application number	US-202318225817-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2023
Priority date	Aug 1, 2022
Publication date	Nov 12, 2024
Grant date	Nov 12, 2024

Abstract

A motor vehicle lighting system (2) for emitting position-limited ground projections (B4a, B4c) for a motor vehicle (1) with a stepped height-adjustable chassis (3), wherein at least two pre-defined chassis height levels (S0, S1) are provided, namely a zero level (S0) and at least one higher operating level (S1), wherein the motor vehicle lighting system (2) includes at least two projection devices (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d), and a control unit (5) connected to each projection device (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d) for individually controlling each projection device (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A motor vehicle lighting system ( 2 ) for emitting position-limited ground projections (B 4 a , B 4 c ) for a motor vehicle ( 1 ) with a stepped height-adjustable chassis ( 3 ), wherein at least two pre-defined chassis height levels (S 0 , S 1 ) are provided, namely a zero level (S 0 ) and at least one higher operating level (S 1 ), the motor vehicle lighting system ( 2 ) comprising:
at least two projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ); and
a control unit ( 5 ) connected to each of the at least two projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) for individually controlling each projection device ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ),
wherein each projection device ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) is configured for assembly in or on a door sill ( 6 ) of a motor vehicle ( 1 ), wherein each projection device ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) is further configured to emit exactly one ground projection (B 4 a , B 4 c ) in an activated state assembled on the motor vehicle ( 1 ) starting from an immediate vicinity (α min ) of the motor vehicle ( 1 ) onto a laterally surrounding ground (B) up to a maximum flat limit angle (α max_a , α maxc ), wherein all projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) are attached to a common support ( 4 ′) and are arranged within a common plane (E) and respectively have an optical axis, wherein the optical axes of the projection devices are oriented parallel to one another, wherein each projection device ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) is a microlens projection module ( 4 ), wherein each microlens projection module ( 4 ) has
a light source ( 41 ),
an entrance optic ( 42 ), which has a total number of micro entrance optics ( 421 ), which are arranged in an array, wherein the entrance optic ( 42 ) is designed to receive light emitted by the light source ( 41 ), and
an exit optic ( 43 ), which has a total number of micro exit optics ( 431 ), which are arranged in an array,

wherein each micro entrance optic ( 421 ) is associated with exactly one micro exit optic ( 431 ), wherein the micro entrance optics ( 421 ) are designed in such a way and/or the micro entrance optics ( 421 ) and the micro exit optics ( 431 ) are arranged relative to each other in such a way that substantially all the light emanating from a micro entrance optic ( 421 ) only enters the associated micro exit optic ( 431 ), and wherein the light preformed by the micro entrance optics ( 421 ) can be projected by the micro exit optics ( 431 ) in the assembled state of the motor vehicle lighting system ( 2 ) into an area next to the motor vehicle ( 1 ) as said ground projection (B 4 a , B 4 c ), wherein at least one screen device ( 44 ) is arranged between the micro entrance optic ( 421 ) and the micro exit optic ( 431 ), wherein the beam angle of each projection device ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) is limited towards a horizontal plane (H) in the assembled state such that the beam is inclined downwards in relation to the horizontal plane (H),
wherein the control unit ( 5 ) has a communication interface ( 5 a ) for receiving and evaluating a chassis signal (S), wherein the chassis signal (S) contains information on the actual state of the chassis height level (S 0 , S 1 ),
wherein for each chassis height level (S 0 , S 1 ), the operation of at least one projection device ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) optimized for this purpose is provided, wherein a range limit (D_max) of the ground projection (B 4 a , B 4 c ) results for each projection device ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) optimized for a chassis height level (S 0 , S 1 ) on the basis of the height (h 4 c 0 , h 4 a 0 , h 4 c 1 , h 4 a 1 ) present in the respective chassis height level (S 0 , S 1 ) as well as the flat limit angle (α max_a , α maxc ) associated with the respective projection device ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ), and
wherein the optimization of the projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) is implemented in such a way that the projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) optimized for the respective chassis height levels (S 0 , S 1 ) have different flat limit angles (α max_a , α maxc ) such that the flat limit angles (α max_a , α maxc ) of the projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ), starting from that projection device ( 4 a ) that is optimized for the zero level (S 0 ), increase with increasing height of the chassis height levels (S 0 , S 1 ) associated with the projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) according to the height difference (Δh) from the zero level (S 0 ) such that at least one projection device ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) is provided for each chassis height level (S 0 , S 1 ), the range limit (D 0 , D 1 ) of which projection device during operation of the chassis height level (S 0 , S 1 ) for which the respective projection device ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) is optimized matches the range limit (D_max) of the projection device ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) for the zero level (S 0 ).

2. The motor vehicle lighting system ( 2 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the control of the projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) by the control unit ( 5 ) is configured such that the operation of those projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) that are optimized for a lower chassis height level (S 0 , S 1 ) than the present chassis height level (S 0 , S 1 ) determined on the basis of the chassis signal (S) is deactivated.

3. The motor vehicle lighting system ( 2 ) according to claim 2 , wherein the control of the projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) by the control unit ( 5 ) is configured such that those projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) that are optimized for operation with a higher chassis height level (S 1 ) than the determined present chassis height level (S 0 ) can still be activated.

4. The motor vehicle lighting system ( 2 ) according to claim 3 , wherein the control of the projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) by the control unit ( 5 ) is configured such that an animation can be projected as a result of a temporal sequence of activation of projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ), wherein the temporal sequence of activation also includes those projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) that are optimized for operation with a higher chassis height level (S 1 ) than the determined present chassis height level (S 0 ).

5. The motor vehicle lighting system ( 2 ) according to claim 2 , wherein the control of the projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) by the control unit ( 5 ) is configured such that the operation of all projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) that are not optimized for the determined present chassis height level (S 0 , S 1 ) is deactivated.

6. The motor vehicle lighting system ( 2 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) optimized for different chassis height levels (S 0 , S 1 ) differ by the intended spatial positioning on the motor vehicle ( 1 ) such that with optimization for decreasing height of the chassis height levels (S 0 , S 1 ), the height of the assembly position of the respective projection device ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) increases.

7. The motor vehicle lighting system ( 2 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the entrance optics ( 42 ) and the exit optics ( 43 ) of all projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) are identical in design, wherein the projection devices ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d ) optimized for the respective chassis height levels (S 0 , S 1 ) differ from

Assignees

• Zkw Group Gmbh

Inventors

• Zeuner Markus
• Urban Christian

Classifications

• B60Q2400/40

  Welcome lights, i.e. specific or existing exterior lamps to assist leaving or approaching the vehicle · CPC title

• B60Q1/2615

  mounted on the vehicle body, e.g. with magnets · CPC title

• B60Q1/2665

  on rear-view mirrors (lighting devices for vehicle interior on or for rear-view mirrors B60Q3/258) · CPC title

• F21W2103/60

  Projection of signs from lighting devices, e.g. symbols or information being projected onto the road · CPC title

• F21S41/663

  by switching light sources (by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162) · CPC title