Method of operating an illuminating device for a vehicle and an illuminating device for a vehicle

Abstract

A method is provided for operating an illuminating device for a vehicle that features means of influencing light or a plurality of light sources for the targeted generation of pixels of a light distribution. In the event of failure of at least one pixel of the light distribution caused by a defect in one section of the means of influencing light or by malfunction of one of the light sources, at least one non-defective section of the means of influencing light or at least one non-malfunctioning light source is actuated in order to correct the light distribution. The at least one non-defective section of the means of influencing light or at least one of the non-malfunctioning light sources is actuated in such a way that at least one pixel of the light distribution adjacent to the at least one malfunctioning pixel is reduced in its brightness.

Claims

1. A method for operating an illuminating device for a vehicle that features means of influencing light or a plurality of light sources for a targeted generation of pixels of a light distribution, the method comprising the steps of: detecting failure of at least one pixel of the light distribution caused by at least one of: a defect in one section of the means of influencing light or by malfunction of one of the plurality of light sources; actuating at least one non-defective section of the means of influencing light or at least one non-malfunctioning light source to correct the light distribution such that at least one pixel of the light distribution adjacent to the at least one malfunctioning pixel is reduced in its brightness; and wherein a plurality of non-defective sections of the means of influencing light or several of the non-malfunctioning light sources are actuated such that a plurality of pixels of the light distribution that are at different distances from the at least one malfunctioning pixel are reduced to different extents in their brightness, where at least one first pixel adjacent to the at least one malfunctioning pixel of the light distribution is reduced to a greater extent in its brightness than at least one second pixel further away from the at least one malfunctioning pixel of the light distribution.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one non-defective section of the means of influencing light or the at least one of the non-malfunctioning light sources is actuated in such a way that a plurality of pixels of the light distribution adjacent to the at least one malfunctioning pixel are reduced in their brightness.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one pixel adjacent to at least one malfunctioning pixel of the light distribution is reduced in its brightness such that the transition from the at least one malfunctioning pixel to the at least one adjacent pixel does not feature a hard gradient.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one pixel adjacent to the at least one malfunctioning pixel of the light distribution or pixels located in its vicinity are reduced in their brightness by 20% to 40%.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a new light distribution is calculated that takes into account a defect in one section of the means of influencing light or the malfunction of one of the light sources, where the means of influencing light or the light sources are actuated in accordance with the newly calculated light distribution.

6. An illuminating device for a vehicle, comprising means of influencing light or a plurality of light sources for targeted generation of pixels of a light distribution, and a control system for actuating the means of influencing light or the light sources, wherein the control systems: detect failure of at least one pixel of the light distribution caused by at least one of: a defect in one section of the means of influencing light or by malfunction of one of the plurality of light sources; and actuate at least one non-defective section of the means of influencing light or at least one non-malfunctioning light source to correct the light distribution such that at least one pixel of the light distribution adjacent to the at least one malfunctioning pixel is reduced in its brightness; and wherein the illuminating device comprises, in addition to the means of influencing light, at least one light source whose light hits the means of influencing light during operation of the illuminating device and is reflected or switched off or deflected by the means of influencing light in a targeted manner with regard to individual pixels or groups of pixels, where the light influenced in such a way by the means of influencing light at least partially exits the illuminating device.

7. The illuminating device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the means of influencing light is designed as a digital micromirror device or as an LCoS or LC display or that the means of influencing light comprises a digital micromirror device or an LCoS or an LC display.

8. The illuminating device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the light sources are designed as light emitting diodes or as laser diodes, where the light emitting diodes or laser diodes are arranged in a matrix.

9. The illuminating device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the illuminating device is a headlamp.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings, which illustrate the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention and wherein similar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout the views.

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of part of a light distribution with a dark area in which at least one pixel or several pixels have failed due to a defect in one section of the means of influencing light or due to the failure of one of the light sources.

(3) FIG. 2 is a depiction of the light distribution corresponding to FIG. 1 with inventive adjustment of the surroundings of the dark area in a horizontal orientation.

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic depiction of part of a further light distribution with a dark area in which at least one pixel or several pixels have failed due to a defect in one section of the means of influencing light or due to the failure of one of the light sources, and with horizontal adjustment of the surroundings of the dark area in a horizontal and a vertical orientation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(5) In the figures, identical and functionally identical parts have the same reference signs.

(6) In a first sample embodiment, the illuminating device is designed as a high resolution headlamp featuring a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in a matrix. In particular, the light emitting diodes may be integrated into a solid state LED array. The headlamp further comprises control systems that can calculate and create a light distribution by means of actuating the individual light emitting diodes in the corresponding manner.

(7) The failure of one the light emitting diodes results in a gap in the light distribution 1 that corresponds to failure of one pixel 2 or several pixels 2 in the light distribution 1. A corresponding gap with at least one malfunctioning pixel 2 is indicated in the light distribution 1 in FIG. 1. Prior to adjustment by means of the inventive method, the transition to the adjacent pixels 3 is very hard.

(8) The control systems can calculate a new light distribution 1 in response to the failure of one of the light emitting diodes that takes into account such failure of one of the light emitting diodes and in doing so specifically features a smooth as possible transition from the gap in the light distribution 1 to its surroundings. Corresponding to this newly calculated light distribution 1, the light emitting diodes are actuated by the control systems in such a way that the pixels 3 adjacent to the gap in the light distribution 1 are reduced in their brightness.

(9) FIG. 2 shows this merely for horizontally adjacent pixels 3. FIG. 3 shows this for horizontally and vertically adjacent pixels 3, 4. The reduced brightness of the pixels 3, 4 is indicated by a more or less dense dot matrix.

(10) In this context, the pixels 3, 4 immediately adjacent to the at least one malfunctioning pixel 2 of the light distribution 1 are reduced to a greater extent in their brightness than pixels 5, 6 a little further away from the at least one malfunctioning pixel 2 of the light distribution 1. This provides a smooth transition from the gap in the light distribution 1 to its surroundings. Corresponding gradients 7 of the brightness are indicated schematically in FIG. 3.

(11) In a second sample embodiment, the illuminating device is designed as a high resolution headlamp that features as an example a light source and means of influencing in the form of a light emitting diode or laser diode. The means of influencing can reflect or switch off or deflect the light emitted by the light source in a targeted manner with regard to individual pixels or groups of pixels. Specifically, the means of influencing can take the form of an LC display. As an alternative, a digital micromirror device can also be used, for example. The headlamp further comprises control systems that can calculate and create a light distribution 1 by means of actuating individual sections of the LC display in the corresponding manner.

(12) Ca

(13) The failure of one section of the LC display results in a gap in the light distribution 1 that corresponds to failure of one pixel 2 or several pixels 2 in the light distribution. The control systems can calculate a new light distribution 1 in response to the failure of one section of the LC display that takes into account such failure of a section of the LC display and in doing so specifically features a smooth as possible transition from the gap in the light distribution 1 to its surroundings. Corresponding to this newly calculated light distribution 1, the individual sections of the LC display are actuated by the control systems in such a way that the pixels 3, 4 adjacent to the gap in the light distribution are reduced in their brightness.

(14) Once again in this sample embodiment, the pixels 3, 4 immediately adjacent to the at least one malfunctioning pixel 2 of the light distribution 1 are reduced to a greater extent in their brightness than pixels 5, 6 a little further away from the at least one malfunctioning pixel 2 of the light distribution 1. This provides a smooth transition from the gap in the light distribution 1 to its surroundings.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(15) 1 Light distribution 2 Malfunctioning pixel 3 Pixel adjacent to the malfunctioning pixel in a horizontal orientation 4 Pixel adjacent to the malfunctioning pixel in a vertical direction 5 Pixel at a greater distance from the malfunctioning pixel in a horizontal orientation 6 Pixel at a greater distance from the malfunctioning pixel in a vertical orientation 7 Gradient of brightness