Method for operating at least one direction indicator of a motor vehicle, and motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12496963-B2
Application number	US-202118548532-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2021
Priority date	Mar 3, 2021
Publication date	Dec 16, 2025
Grant date	Dec 16, 2025

Abstract

A method for operating at least one direction indicator of a motor vehicle, wherein, as of an actuation time, the direction indicator outputs a light signal comprising a periodic repetition of alternately successive on-phases and off-phases. A discrepancy of a starting phase angle of the light signal with respect to a predefined reference signal is determined at the actuation time and is compared with a predefined target phase angle assigned to the direction indicator. When there is a phase offset between the starting phase angle and the target phase angle—at least two of the on-phases and/or the off-phases of the light signal are extended or shortened by a different time difference value in each case after the actuation time such that the phase angle of the light signal with respect to the reference signal then corresponds to the predefined target phase angle, and/or—the light signal is started with a first off-phase ( 11 ) at the actuation time. The duration of the first off-phase corresponds to a time offset corresponding to the phase offset between the starting phase angle and the predefined target phase angle, with the result that an on-phase of the light signal following the first off-phase is at the target phase angle with respect to the reference signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method for operating a direction indicator of a motor vehicle, the method comprising:
outputting a light signal by the direction indicator, starting from an actuation time; producing a periodic repetition of alternating successive on-phases in which at least one illuminant of the direction indicator is illuminated, and off-phases, in which the at least one illuminant is switched off; determining, at the actuation time, a phase offset, the phase offset being a deviation of a starting phase angle of the light signal from a reference signal; comparing the deviation to a predefined target phase angle assigned to the direction indicator; and lengthening or shortening at least two on-phases and/or off-phases of a plurality of on-phases and/or off-phases of the light signal after the actuation time, by a different time difference value, in response to a presence of a phase offset between the starting phase angle and the predefined target phase angle so that thereafter a phase angle of the light signal is equal to the predefined target phase angle.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the lengthening or shortening further comprises:
lengthening or shortening the plurality of on-phases and/or off-phases of the light signal by the time difference value equal to a predetermined maximum time difference value; and lengthening or shortening an on-phase or off-phase following the plurality of on-phases and/or off-phases that are lengthened or shortened by the maximum time difference value, by an other time difference value equal to a residual time difference value, which is less than the predetermined maximum time difference value.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising decreasing an other time difference value with increasing temporal distance from the actuation time.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising decreasing an other time difference value between two successive lengthened or shortened on-phases and/or off-phases by a same amount.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the lengthening or shortening further comprises:
lengthening the at least two on-phases and/or the off-phases if a time offset corresponding to the phase offset of the light signal with respect to the reference signal is greater than half a period of the light signal; and shortening the at least two on-phases and/or the off-phases if the time offset corresponding to the phase offset of the light signal with respect to the reference signal is less than half the period of the light signal.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising deriving the reference signal cyclically or continuously, from at least one locally or globally receivable time signal.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising using a signal of a global navigation satellite system, a signal of a radio clock, a signal of an analog radio, a signal of a digital radio, a signal of a mobile radio network, a signal of a motor vehicle communication network, and/or an item of time information of a communication network as a time signal.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising using a clock signal predefined on the motor vehicle as the reference signal, if the time signal is not received.

9 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising using a Unix time as the time signal, a clock pulse of the light signal being predetermined by the reference signal beginning with an on-phase at a Unix epoch corresponding to the time Jan. 1, 1970, 0:00:00.00 according to standardized world time.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising setting a duration of actuation of the plurality of on-phases and the off-phases of the light signal with the target phase angle, in direction-indicating operation and/or hazard-indicating operation of the direction indicator as 400 ins.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
deriving the reference signal and/or the target phase angle from environment information detected by a sensor device of the motor vehicle,
wherein the environment information includes at least one actuated direction indicator of a further motor vehicle, and
wherein a frequency of a direction indicator of the further motor vehicle corresponds to a frequency of the direction indicator of the motor vehicle.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising assigning a first direction indicator assigned to a first direction of travel and assigning a second direction indicator assigned to a second direction of travel, wherein the first direction indicator and the second direction indicator use same target phase angle or different target phase angles for the first and second directions of travel and for displaying a warning signal.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining the reference signal and/or the target phase angle based on environment information from the motor vehicle and/or phase information transmitted from a further motor vehicle via a communication link.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising using a distance between the motor vehicle and a stop line as the environment information.

15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
cyclically or continuously comparing the phase angle of the light signal relative to the reference signal with the target phase angle for a duration of actuation of the direction indicator; and lengthening or shortening the phase angle by an other time difference value in response to a deviation of the phase angle from the target phase angle greater than a predetermined threshold value, so that thereafter the phase angle of the light signal corresponds to the reference signal of the predefined target phase angle.

16 . A motor vehicle comprising:
at least one direction indicator; and a control device configured to:
output a light signal by the at least one direction indicator, starting from an actuation time, wherein the at least one direction indicator is configured to:
produce a periodic repetition of alternating successive on-phases in which at least one illuminant of the at least one direction indicator is illuminated, and off-phases, in which the at least one illuminant is switched off;
determine, at the actuation time, a phase offset, the phase offset being a deviation of a starting phase angle of the light signal from a reference signal;
compare the deviation to a predefined target phase angle assigned to the at least one direction indicator; and
lengthen or shorten at least two on-phases and/or off-phases of a plurality of on-phases and/or off-phases of the light signal after the actuation time, by a different time difference value, in response to a presence of a phase offset between the starting phase angle and the predefined target phase angle so that thereafter the starting phase angle of the light signal is equal to the predefined target phase angle.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Armbruster Tilman
• Berlitz Stephan
• Reschke Johannes
• Debelec Marcel

Classifications

• B60Q11/007

  the lighting devices indicating change of drive direction · CPC title

• B60Q1/0023

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

• B60Q1/381 Primary

  with several light sources activated in sequence, e.g. to create a sweep effect · CPC title

• B60Q1/508

  specific to vehicles driving in fleets or convoys · CPC title

• B60Q1/46

  for giving flashing caution signals during drive, other than signalling change of direction, e.g. flashing the headlights {or hazard lights} · CPC title