Abstract
A headlamp for a vehicle, having: an LED unit for providing a headlamp beam and a control unit for controlling the LED unit. To this end, provision is made according to the invention that the LED unit has a coding resistance that is designed to identify the headlamp as a left headlamp or as a right headlamp.
Claims
1. A headlamp for a vehicle, the headlamp comprising: an LED unit to provide a headlamp beam; a control unit to control the LED unit, wherein the LED unit has a coding resistance that is designed to identify the headlamp as a left headlamp or as a right headlamp.
2. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the coding resistance is designed as a combined coding resistance that is designed to identify at least one light class for at least one lighting function of the LED unit and to identify the headlamp as a left headlamp or as a right headlamp.
3. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the coding resistance is designed as a supplementary coding resistance in addition to at least one coding resistance of the LED unit, and wherein the coding resistance of the LED unit is designed to identify at least one light class for at least one lighting function of the LED unit.
4. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the control unit has a circuit or a separate electronic component for reading in the coding resistances that is designed such that at least one light class for at least one lighting function of the LED unit is identified, and the headlamp is identified as a left headlamp or as a right headlamp on the basis of the coding resistances.
5. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the LED unit and the coding resistance are arranged on a printed circuit board.
6. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the LED unit is designed to provide a first lighting function, in particular as a turn signal LED unit, and/or to provide a second lighting function, in particular as a daytime running light LED unit.
7. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the coding resistance is designed to identify the headlamp as a left headlamp or as a right headlamp and/or to identify at least one light class for at least one lighting function and/or the at least one lighting function of the LED unit.
8. The headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the control unit has a first controller and a second controller, wherein the coding resistance is designed to identify the headlamp as a left headlamp or as a right headlamp and/or to identify a first mounting position of the first controller or a second mounting position of the second controller.
9. A headlamp arrangement for a vehicle, the headlamp arrangement comprising: a first headlamp according to claim 1, which is designed as a left headlamp; and a second headlamp according to claim 1, which is designed as a right headlamp, wherein the coding resistance of the left headlamp is designed differently from the coding resistance of the right headlamp.
10. The headlamp arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the LED unit of the left headlamp and the LED unit of the right headlamp are different or are designed with mirror-image symmetry.
11. The headlamp arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the control unit of the left headlamp and the control unit of the right headlamp are programmed identically.
12. A vehicle comprising a headlamp arrangement according to claim 1.
Description
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary representation of a headlamp arrangement from the conventional art,
[0025] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary representation of a headlamp arrangement according to an exemplary embodiment,
[0026] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary coding resistances within the meaning of the invention,
[0027] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary representation of a headlamp arrangement according to an exemplary embodiment, and
[0028] FIG. 5 shows exemplary coding resistances within the meaning of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary headlamp arrangement 100* from the conventional art, which has a left headlamp L* and a right headlamp R*. The headlamps 10* must be controlled differently depending on the position of the headlamps 10* on the left or on the right on the vehicle 101. The respective controllers 12* of the headlamps 10* in this case must distinguish which headlamp 10* they must control. This is important especially for the headlamps 10* that do not receive direct control signals at the turn indicators, but instead communicate with the vehicle-side control unit through a bus signal.
[0030] As FIG. 1 shows, provision is made in the case of the known headlamp arrangement 100* that the controllers 12* of the headlamps 10* are connected to the cable harness KB, BUS by different lines GND/VBAT in order to identify the headlamp 10* to the respective controller 12* as a left headlamp L* or as a right headlamp R*.
[0031] FIGS. 2 and 4 each show a headlamp arrangement 100 for a vehicle 101, in particular a motor vehicle, within the meaning of the invention, which can have two headlamps 10, namely a left headlamp L and a right headlamp R. Each headlamp 10 includes at least one LED unit 11 for providing a headlamp beam.
[0032] FIGS. 2 and 4 show two LED units 11 for each headlamp 10, for instance. An LED unit 11 can be designed in this case as, e.g., a turn signal LED unit and/or a daytime running light LED unit, and, if applicable, another LED unit 11 can serve to provide a high beam and/or low beam. It is fundamentally possible that each headlamp 10 can include one, two, or more LED units 11, wherein different functions can be provided within individual LED units 11 in order to provide a desired appearance and/or functionality at the headlamp arrangement 100 for a vehicle 101.
[0033] Every headlamp 10 within the scope of a headlamp arrangement 100 according to FIGS. 2 and 4 includes one control unit 12 each for controlling the LED unit(s) 11.
[0034] According to the invention, and as FIGS. 2 and 4 show, the LED unit 11 has a coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R (what is meant here is an electronic component with a certain electrical resistance). The coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R is designed to identify the headlamp 10 as a left headlamp L or as a right headlamp R to the control unit 12.
[0035] According to the invention, and as FIGS. 2 and 4 indicate, such a coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R that designates the headlamp 10 as a left headlamp L or as a right headlamp R is provided on an LED printed circuit board.
[0036] According to FIG. 2, the coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R can be used as an already existing coding resistance CODE1, CODE2 on an LED printed circuit board whose electrical resistance is customized (see FIG. 3) in order to uniquely identify the headlamp 10 as a left headlamp L or a right headlamp R and also in order to designate the light class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 for at least one lighting function of the LEDs within the LED unit 11.
[0037] According to FIG. 4, a separate coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R can be provided that is intended only to identify the headlamp 10 as a left headlamp L or as a right headlamp R.
[0038] As can be discerned on the basis of FIGS. 2 and 4, with the aid of the invention the customary line GND/VBAT of FIG. 1 from the cable harness KB, BUS to the control unit 12 can be dispensed with. As a result, the interconnection of the LED unit 11 and the control unit 12 as a whole can be simplified. A connector pin on the cable harness KB, BUS side can thus be eliminated. A control input on the control unit 12 side can thus be eliminated. Space on the printed circuit board (PCB) of the control unit 12 can therefore also be saved. Furthermore, the problems relating to quiescent current in the switched-off state of the headlamp 10 can be overcome as a result. In addition, a special circuit for detecting whether a GND line or VBAT line is routed to the control unit 12 from the cable harness BUS is eliminated with the aid of the invention.
[0039] FIG. 2 shows the inventive coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R as a combined coding resistance that is designed to identify a light class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or the efficiency for at least one lighting function of the LED unit 11 (see FIG. 3). In addition, the combined coding resistance is designed to identify the headlamp 10 as a left headlamp L or as a right headlamp R.
[0040] FIG. 4 shows the inventive coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R as a supplementary coding resistance in addition to a coding resistance CODE1, CODE2 of the LED unit 11. The coding resistance CODE1, CODE2 of the LED unit 11 in this case is designed to identify the light class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 for at least one lighting function of the LED unit 11.
[0041] Within the scope of the invention, it is fundamentally possible in connection with FIG. 2 or FIG. 4 that one, two, or more lighting functions can be provided with the aid of one LED unit 11. In this case, the coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R can advantageously also be used for coding multiple, for example three, pieces of information: right/left relating to the headlamp 10, a corresponding light class of a first lighting function and/or a corresponding light class of a second lighting function and therefore also of the lighting function of the respective LED units 11. For example, a printed circuit board can have with [sic; “with” should be omitted] orange LEDs for the turn indicator and white LEDs for the daytime running light, which can have different light classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. A corresponding light class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 must be coded for the LEDs of both lighting functions.
[0042] It is furthermore possible that the control unit 12 can have two controllers. The coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R can advantageously be designed in this case to identify the headlamp 10 as a left headlamp L or as a right headlamp R and/or to identify a first mounting position of a first controller or a second mounting position of a second controller. As a result, a right/left detection of the headlamps 10 as well as a mounting position detection of the controllers can be performed. In this case, too, the inventive coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R can be used for coding multiple, for example three or four, pieces of information: right/left relating to the headlamp 10, a first or a second mounting position of the controllers, a corresponding light class of at least one lighting function of the LED unit 11 and therefore also the lighting function of the LED unit 11.
[0043] FIGS. 3 and 5 schematically show, using exemplary numerical examples, how the control unit 12 can detect the light class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 for at least one lighting function of the LED unit 11 depending on the value of the electrical resistance at the coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R, whether the headlamp 10, and thus the control unit 12, is mounted on the left or on the right on the vehicle 101 [sic; should perhaps read something like: “ . . . how the control unit 12 can detect the light class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 for at least one lighting function of the LED unit 11, and can detect whether the headlamp 10, and thus the control unit 12, is mounted on the left or on the right on the vehicle 101, depending on the value of the electrical resistance at the coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R”]. The light classes 1 to 5 are shown merely by way of example. It is also possible for only three or, if necessary, even more than five light classes to exist.
[0044] Within the scope of the invention, the LED unit(s) and the coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R can be arranged on a shared printed circuit board.
[0045] The LED unit 11, which has the coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R within the meaning of the invention, can be designed as a turn signal LED unit and/or the daytime running light LED unit [sic; should probably say “a daytime running light LED unit”]. The turn signal LED units and/or the daytime running light LED units generally are designed differently, for example with mirror-image contours, so that the turn signal LED units and/or a daytime running light LED units [sic; should say “the daytime running light LED units”] can advantageously serve to identify the headlamp 10 as a left headlamp L or as a right headlamp R with the aid of a coding resistance.
[0046] As FIGS. 2 and 4 indicate, the invention according to the first aspect provides the headlamp 10 having the coding resistance CODE_L, CODE_R within the meaning of the invention, according to the second aspect provides the headlamp arrangement 100 having two corresponding headlamps 10, and according to the third aspect provides a vehicle 101 having a corresponding headlamp arrangement 100.
[0047] The above description of the figures describes the present invention solely within the framework of examples. Individual features of the embodiments can of course be combined freely with one another, insofar as is technically appropriate, without departing from the scope of the invention.
[0048] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.
