Patent Application
20170113620
The present invention relates to an electronic circuit for an illumination device in a review device for a motor vehicle, a driver-assistance system comprising such a circuit, a rear-view device having such an electronic circuit, a method for producing such a circuit and a motor vehicle having such a rear-view device and/or having such an electronic circuit.
Driver-assistance systems perceive, and interpret, the environment of the vehicle on the basis of environment sensors such as radar, video, infra-red and ultrasound. They support the driver in numerous driving situations and thereby increase driver comfort and driver safety. Driver-assistance systems contribute to increasing safety by supporting the driver in critical situations in which fast and safe action is necessary. In dangerous situations in which vehicles are located in the blind spot, i.e. in the area around the vehicle which a driver cannot see, a blind-spot monitoring supports the driver by displaying potential dangers caused by vehicles being located in the blind spot of the vehicle. The space available in the vehicle for accommodating an electronic circuit for the blind-spot monitoring display is limited, in particular in the exterior mirror of the vehicle, predetermined by the construction. The size of the available space in the area of the blind-spot display is limited. As a result, the module cannot be mounted to any extent at all or only at a single position. A multicoloured display that requires a three-pin connection is defined as requested by the customer. This limits the number of plugs available on the market and increases the required space available for the display. Additionally, three copper wires have to be laid to the display, which requires weight and space for laying cables in the base of the mirror and an additional plug-in space on the mirror-car connection.
An electronic circuit for a vehicle light not according to the preamble are known from US 2011/0291582 A1, US 2005/0254251 A1, EP 2 444 283 A2, DE 10 2004 042 107 A1 and EP 1 304 260 A1.
Electronic circuits for illumination devices not according to the preamble are known from EP 2 375 866 A1, US 2012/0153847 A1, an WO 2005/084080 A2.
The invention provides a circuit which is as compact as possible for an illumination device.
The invention is based on the recognition that, due to a circuit design of the illumination device, it is possible to operate two circuits using only two connectors. This extends the current state of the art for monochromatic displays with all the advantages to a dichromatic display. This dichromatic display can be achieved by inverting the polarity of the two connectors. To do this, the inverse-polarity protection diodes and light-emitting diodes required per specification can be connected such that the first chromatic circle can be connected having the first connector as positive terminal (+) and the second connector as ground (−) and the second chromatic circle having the first connector as ground (−) and the second connector as positive terminal (+). It is therefore possible using the current implementation of a BSM (Blind Spot Monitoring) module having a colour without changing the outer dimensions with two colours. This means that two, instead of three, pins can be used for controlling dichromatic BSM modules having same size of required space and the same pin as controlling monochromatic BSM modules.
Hereinafter, an electronic circuit for an illumination device and a driver-assistance system comprising such a circuit and a production method for such a circuit is described.
The object is achieved by an electronic circuit for a blind-spot monitoring display having a circuit carrier, having at least one first light source mounted to the circuit carrier, having at least one second light source mounted to the circuit carrier and having at least one circuit connection mounted to the circuit carrier which circuit connection is coupled to at least one of the at least one first light source and to at least one of the at least one second light source, wherein the electronic circuit comprises at least one first circuit means functionally assigned to at least one first light source and at least one second circuit means functionally assigned to at least one second light source, through which, corresponding to a voltage applied to the circuit connection, the first light source and/or the second light source can be supplied with current. The voltage applied to said circuit connection comprises an on-board voltage of a vehicle. The advantage of this is that said circuit can be used in a motor vehicle in order to serve as a blind-spot monitoring display, for example.
Furthermore, during operation, the first light source and the second light source emit light having different wavelengths. The advantage of this is that, using the electronic circuit, two independent light sources, for example of different colours, can be controlled independently of one another.
The light sources, connectors and circuit means to the circuit carrier can be mounted on the circuit carrier, beneath the mounted or also both on and beneath the circuit carrier. The circuit carrier can be a PCB (printed circuit board), for example of a pancake design or a sandwich design. The electronic components mounted to the circuit carrier can be mounted in SMD (surface-mounted devices) design, with the result that a very compact circuit is produced.
According to an embodiment of the electronic circuit, the circuit connection comprises two separate connectors.
The advantage of this is that the circuit connection can be designed in a particularly space-saving manner, if only two connectors are necessary for controlling two different light sources instead of the three connectors conventional thus far. Because the circuit connection can be connected to a remote control device via a cable, every connector for connecting the cable takes up a certain amount of installation space. In the event of only two connectors instead of three connectors, approximately 33 per cent of the installation space for the circuit connection can be saved.
According to an embodiment of the electronic circuit, the first light source and the second light source comprise light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The circuit is thus economical in production and compact in design because LEDs do not occupy much space. Moreover, LEDs have very strong luminance and can be produced in different colours.
According to an embodiment of the electronic circuit, the circuit means comprise two diodes inversely switched to one another. The advantage of this is that based on a polarity of voltage applied to the diodes inversely switched to one another, the diodes inversely switched to one another can activate or block a current path. This means that the diodes are particularly suited to define two states of the electronic circuit, based on a sign of the voltage attached to the diodes.
According to an embodiment of the electronic circuit, the two diodes switched inversely to one another comprise a first inverse-polarity protection diode switched in series with the first light source and a second inverse-polarity protection diode switched in series with the second light source. The advantage of this is that the first inverse-polarity protection diode can effectively protect the first light source from voltage of an incorrect polarity being applied to the first light source, which can lead to a disruption or at least an impairment of the first light source. The same applies to the second inverse-polarity protection diode in respect of the second light source.
According to an embodiment of the electronic circuit, the two serial connections of first light source and first inverse-polarity protection diode and second light source and second inverse-polarity protection diode are switched parallel to one another. The advantage of the parallel connection is that the circuit can be divided into two parallel paths, wherein either the first path or the second path conducts current. This means that either the first light source or the second light source is activated.
According to an embodiment, the electronic circuit has a capacitance which is switched parallel to the two serial connections of first light source and first inverse-polarity protection diode and second light source and second inverse-polarity protection diode. The advantage of this is that the capacitance can store the charge state of the circuit, with the result that the circuit can also continue to be operated if voltage is no longer applied to the circuit connection, with the result that energy can be saved. The voltage thus needs to be applied to the circuit connection only briefly for example, the state of the circuit is preserved because of the capacitance. A capacitor can be used as capacitance or/and the capacitance of the line between circuit connection and electronic components of the circuit can be used as capacitance.
According to an embodiment, the electronic circuit has a connection cable which connects the two serial connections of first light source and first inverse-polarity protection diode and second light source and second inverse-polarity protection diode to the circuit connection. The advantage of such a connection cable is that it can be designed to be very compact and simultaneously can serve as capacitance.
According to an embodiment of the electronic circuit, the capacitance is formed from the connection cable. The advantage of this is that components can be saved, and the spatial requirement for the circuit is even less.
According to an embodiment of the electronic circuit, said electronic circuit comprises an electronic circuit of a blind-spot monitoring display, and/or of a route indicator, in particular of an indicator. For example, in a blind-spot monitoring display, a green light can be signalled to the driver indicating that there is no danger, while a red light can signal that there is a vehicle located in the blind spot. At the same time, the installation size required for said blind-spot monitoring display is reduced if, instead of the previously customary three connections, only two connections are necessary without impacting on the comfort of said driver. Alternatively, a previously monochromatic blind-spot display can be operated as a dichromatic blind-spot display means having the same installation size.
The object is furthermore achieved by a driver-assistance system, comprising: a control device; an electronic circuit according to the above-described aspect of the invention or an embodiment thereof; and connection means, which are designed to connect the electronic circuit to the control device, wherein the control device comprises control means which are designed, on the basis of a state of the control device, to supply to the circuit connection of the electronic circuit a voltage of a first polarity or a voltage of a second polarity.
The above-described electronic circuit can be used for the most varied applications in a driver-assistance system, for example for the blind-spot monitoring display as described above, but also for other applications. For example, the circuit can be used for an indicator in order to thus signal the intention of the driver soon he wanting to charge the lane to vehicles driving alongside or behind the driver who are located outside of the radiation angle of the front or rear indicator. The advantage of such a system is also that the control unit need not be installed together with the electronic circuit in the vehicle, but can be located at other positions, say, at any position in the vehicle where there is sufficient space. The electronic circuit can be mounted at positions suitable for the driver, such as in the exterior mirror, for example. Thus not the entire control apparatus need to be designed compact, but it is sufficient if merely the electronic circuit is designed compact.
According to an embodiment of the driver-assistance system, the state of the control device is based on a blind-spot monitoring. The advantage of this is that the control device can be used to control the electronic circuit, in order to thus realize a blind-spot monitoring system. The control device can also be reprogrammed or can be set into another state in which the electronic circuit can be used for another application. The advantage of this is that the driver-assistance system can be used flexibly for the most different applications, indeed those which are not foreseeable in the moment of integrating the driver-assistance system.
According to an embodiment of the driver-assistance system, the control device adopts a first state, when actuating an indicator, which state indicates an indicator situation and, when the indicator is switched off, adopts a second state which indicates a daytime running light situation. The advantage of this is that the driver-assistance system can carry out not only blind-spot monitoring but can also handle other situations flexibly, such as the distinction between indicating state and daytime running light state described here. The indicator can automatically switch off the daytime running light in the optical guide, and switch daytime running light back on again after indicating.
Additionally, the object is achieved by a rear-view device for a motor vehicle having at least one electronic circuit, in particular having at least one of the aforementioned features. The rear-view device can for example comprise an internal mirror or exterior mirror.
Furthermore, the object is achieved by a method for producing an electronic circuit for an illumination device, having the steps: providing a circuit carrier; mounting a first light source and a second light source to the circuit carrier; mounting a circuit connection to the circuit carrier; and mounting circuit means to the circuit carrier, in order to interconnect the first light source and the second light source and connect same to the circuit connection, wherein the circuit means switch the first light source and the second light source inversely to one another and in each case secure the same using an inverse-polarity protection diode.
A circuit for a blind-spot monitoring display can be produced particularly simply using such a method. The electronic circuit produced using this method is particularly compact and needs little installation space.
According to a further embodiment of the electronic circuit, the circuit carrier can be designed as a lead frame, i.e. as a metallic or non-metallic conduction carrier which is used for producing semiconductor chips. The leads guided out, i.e. connections of the lead frame, can form the circuit connection. The lead frame can be placed in a chip package, together with the mounted electronic components. The electronic circuit can thus be realized as a chip. With such a realization, in addition to the circuit for blind-spot monitoring, the chip can also have other functionalities or/and can control further light sources with only two connectors. For example, a chip can recognize a state not only using a polarity of the voltage at the circuit connection, but also for example recognize a phase and/or amplitude of the voltage at the circuit connection, in order thus to provide a compact monitoring unit which has a plurality of states for controlling diverse traffic situations.
In a further embodiment, first light source or first light-emitting diode and first inverse-polarity protection diode can be designed as an integrated component, for example as a light-emitting diode with integrated inverse-polarity protection. Similarly, second light source or second light-emitting diode and second inverse-polarity protection diode can be designed as an integrated component, for example as a light-emitting diode with integrated inverse-polarity protection.
Finally, the object is achieved by a motor vehicle having a rear-view device, in particular having at least one of the aforementioned features, having a driver-assistance system, in particular having at least one of the aforementioned features, and/or having an electronic circuit, in particular having at least one of the aforementioned features.
Various aspects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.
The electronic circuit 200 furthermore comprises circuit means in the form of an electrical line or connection cable 203 as well as a first diode 205, for example an inverse-polarity protection diode, and a second diode 206, for example an inverse-polarity protection diode, which, on the basis of a polarity of a voltage applied to the circuit connection 201, 202, serve to supply either the first light source 204 or the second light source 207 with current. This can be guaranteed by means of the inverse interconnection of two diodes 205, 206. If, for example, there is a positive voltage between first connector 201 and second connector 202, then current flows through the second diode 206 and the second light source 207 while no current flows through the first diode 205 and the first light source 204. In the case of reversed polarity of the voltage applied, on the other hand, current flows through the first diode 205 and the first light source 204, while no current flows through the second diode 206 and the second light source 207; the circuit is in the state represented in
The two light sources 204, 207 can be designed as diodes which have different colours.
The two diodes 205, 206 switched inversely to one another comprise a first inverse-polarity protection diode 205 switched in series with the first light source 204 and a second inverse-polarity protection diode 206 switched in series with the second light source 207, as can be seen from
Furthermore, the electronic circuit 200 can have a capacitance which is switched parallel to the two serial connections of first light source 204 and first inverse-polarity protection diode 205 and second light source 207 and second inverse-polarity protection diode 206. A capacitance of a capacitor component is not represented in
The voltage applied to the two connectors 201, 202 can be an on-board voltage of a motor vehicle. The electronic circuit can thus be used in the automotive field.
The circuit 300 comprises two circuit branches, each having a light-emitting diode (LED) 204, 207 and inverse-polarity protection diode 205, 206 arranged upstream. The inverse-polarity protection diode is intended to prevent voltage of reversed polarity from reaching respective LEDs 204, 207. Both circuit branches are switched parallel to one another at a circuit connection having a first connector 201 for connection to a voltage of a first polarity and a second connector 202 for connection to a voltage of a second polarity. Furthermore, the circuit 300 comprises a capacitor 308 which is switched parallel to both circuit branches likewise to the two connectors 201, 202.
In a first state of the circuit 300, the first polarity can be positive (+) and for example correspond to the positive terminal of a car battery and the second polarity can be negative (−) and for example correspond to the negative terminal or the ground of a car battery. In a second state of the circuit 300, the two terminals can be swapped, i.e. the first polarity can be negative (−) and for example correspond to the negative terminal or ground of a car battery and the second polarity can be positive (+) and for example correspond to the positive terminal of a car battery. The capacitor 308 can serve to store a charge state of the circuit 300. The circuit 300 can be produced on any circuit carrier, with the result that, for example, a circuit 200 can be produced as described in
The state of the control device 401 can be based not only on a blind-spot monitoring but can also comprise other driving situations. Thus the control device 401 can for example adopt a first state when actuating an indicator which indicates an indicator situation and when switching off the indicator adopts a second state which indicates a daylight driving situation.
The
The method can comprise a first step 501 in which a circuit carrier 210 is provided, for example one such as described above in respect of
A further aspect of the invention comprises a computer program product which can be loaded directly into the internal memory of a digital computer and comprises software code segments, with which the method steps 501, 502, 503 and 504 of the method described in
A further aspect of the invention comprises a computer program product which can be loaded directly into the internal memory of a digital computer and comprises software code segments with which a control of the electronic circuit 200, 300 as described in
It is clear that the features of the different embodiments described herein by way of example can be combined with one another, unless specifically stated otherwise. As represented in the descriptions and the drawings, individual elements which have been represented as being in connection need not be connected to one another directly; intermediate elements can be provided between the connected elements. Furthermore, it is clear that embodiments of the invention can be implemented in individual circuits, partially integrated circuits or fully-integrated circuits or programming means. The term “for example” is meant merely as an example and not as the best or optimum. Specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, thus it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that a large number of alternative and/or uniform implementations can be realized instead of the shown and described embodiments, without deviating from the concept of the present invention.
The principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiment. However, it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14167967.0 | May 2014 | EP | regional |
This application is the National Phase of International Application PCT/IB2015/053278 filed May 5, 2015 which designated the U.S. and that International Application was published on Nov. 19, 2015 as International Publication Number WO 2015/173692A1. PCT/IB2015/053278 claims priority to European Patent Application No. 14167967.0, filed May 12, 2014. Thus, the subject nonprovisional application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 14167967.0, filed May 12, 2014. The disclosures of both applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2015/053278 | 5/5/2015 | WO | 00 |
