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`(21) Application number:
`(22) Filing date:
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`(43) Disclosure date:
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`(45) Publication date
` of the grant of the patent 5/3/2001
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`(19) FEDERAL REPUBLIC
`OF GERMANY
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`[Federal Eagle]
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`GERMAN
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`PATENT- AND
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` TRADE MARK OFFICE
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`Notice of opposition may be filed within 3 months of publication of the grant of the patent
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`(73) Patent holder:
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` DaimlerChrysler AG, 70567 Stuttgart, DE; Robert
` Bosch GmbH, 70469 Stuttgart, DE
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`(54) Lighting system for motor vehicle
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`(57) A lighting system for a motor vehicle (KFZ) for
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`generating cornering lighting (LB1, LB2, LB3) adapted to
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`the driving situation, characterized in that the lighting
`
`system comprises a plurality of illuminants (LM1, LM2,
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`LM3; LM) being arranged fixedly on a longitudinal half of a
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`vehicle for generating different cornering light beams (LB1,
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`LB2, LB3) and a control device (SE) which, depending on
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`the driving situation, switches the individual illuminants on
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`or off independently of one another.
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`(12) Patent Specification (51) Int. Cl.7:
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` B 60 Q 1/12
`(10) DE 199 23 187 C2
`
` F 21 S 8/10
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`199 23 187.7-31
`5/20/1999
`11/23/2000
`
`(72) Inventors:
`
` Heinz, Werner, 75233 Tiefenbronn, DE;
` Emmelmann, Silke, 72764 Reutlingen, DE
`
`(56) Documents considered for the assessment
` of patentability:
`
`
`
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`
`DE
`DE
`DE
`DE
`
`197 19 573 A1
`195 49 077 A1
` 43 41 234 A1
` 37 04 029 A1
`
`
`
`UNIFIED PATENTS EXHIBIT 1006
`Page 1 of 10
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`

`

`DE 199 23 187 C2
`
`2
`
`shifting the exit apertures of the light guide element
`relative to lens elements provided within the light
`distribution units a movement of the generated light
`beams may be achieved.
`With the aforementioned lighting apparatuses a not
`insignificant complexity
`in
`terms of design and
`manufacturing technology arises due to the movable
`arrangement of individual components. For the same
`reason, with lighting devices of this type, malfunctions
`occur relatively frequently during operation.
`of
`In
`another
`known
`lighting
`apparatus
`DE 196 34 754 A1 headlight subunits are provided in
`the front headlights whose lateral dispersion is larger
`than that of the low beams. Suitable sensor and control
`devices detect the path of the roadway in front of the
`vehicle or the steering angle of the vehicle and switch
`on the headlight subunit located on the inner steering
`side when turning. The sudden activation of one of the
`two headlight subunits may, however, startle the motor
`vehicle operator and thus impair his attention.
`Therefore the object arises to provide a lighting
`system of the type mentioned at the beginning, which
`on one hand requires little design and manufacturing
`effort and on the other hand does not adversely affect
`the motor vehicle operator’s attention.
`The invention attains this object by providing a
`lighting system with the features of claim 1.
`Accordingly, it is provided that the lighting system
`comprises a plurality of illuminants being arranged
`fixedly on a longitudinal half of a vehicle for
`generating different cornering light beams and a control
`device. Depending on the driving situation, the control
`device switches the individual illuminants on or off
`independently of one another, preferably successively
`in a particular sequence. Thus, with appropriate control
`by the control device, a cornering light can be
`generated which is adapted to the driving situation of
`the motor vehicle. The control may be carried out, for
`example, in such a way that the cornering light widens
`in a fan-like manner towards the turning direction. By
`“soft” activation of the individual illuminants, a change
`of the cornering light may be effected that appears
`continuous to the driver. Because the movement or the
`expansion of the cornering light is created by switching
`the illuminants on and off instead of moving them, the
`lighting system according to the invention does not
`require any movably arranged components at all.
`Accordingly,
`the
`complexity
`of
`design
`and
`manufacturing of the lighting system is low. The low
`beam light remains available to the driver in the usual
`way when turning, because the illuminants are provided
`in addition to the low beam headlights.
`In an embodiment according to claim 2, the control
`device may be supplied with data relating to steering
`wheel angle, velocity, and turn signal actuation. These
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`1
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`Specification
`
`
`
`The invention relates to a lighting system for a
`motor vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1.
`Numerous traffic accidents are due to the fact, that
`after dark, motor vehicle operators are able to view the
`direction of travel to take too late while turning. In
`these situations, the motor vehicle illumination towards
`a sideways direction is insufficient in particular due to
`the relatively strong collimation of the low beam light
`as mandated. Specifically, this puts pedestrians at risk,
`because they generally do not carry active light sources
`and are being illuminated by the panning light beam of
`the low beams only at a late stage. Due to insufficient
`lateral illumination, this is hazardous not only during
`the aforementioned turning maneuvers, but also during
`other rapid changes of direction, for example in tight
`bends. If reference is made to turning maneuvers
`below, these other changes of direction are also to be
`included in terms of content.
`DE 37 04 029 A1 discloses a lighting system for a
`motor vehicle for generating cornering lighting that is
`adapted to the driving situation, where illuminants are
`arranged fixedly on a longitudinal half of a vehicle for
`generating a cornering light beam that are switched on
`and off depending on the steering angle. Additional
`curve headlights are provided as illuminants that are
`arranged laterally next to the front headlights and are
`switched on or off depending on the steering angle.
`DE 197 19 573 A1 discloses a similar lighting
`system, where, depending on cornering, a respective
`fog light on the inside of the bend is switched on in
`addition to the front headlights. For this purpose, a yaw
`angle sensor is provided which detects corresponding
`cornering and outputs a signal to switch the respective
`fog light on or off.
`Various measures have been developed with the
`goal of better lateral illumination while turning. For
`example it is known to arrange the front headlights of
`the motor vehicle to be pivotable about a vertical axis
`and mechanically coupled to the steering apparatus of
`the motor vehicle. As a result of the coupling, the front
`headlights will always pivot in the direction of the
`steering wheel angle. The disadvantage in this case is
`that the illumination to the front is largely lost due to
`the lateral pivot of the low beams while turning.
`In the front headlight of DE 195 49 077 A1 only
`the upper half of the reflector is arranged such that it
`can pivot vertically and coupled to the steering
`apparatus. Therefore, in this case, illumination to the
`front is maintained at least partially while turning.
`of
`In
`another
`known
`lighting
`apparatus
`DE 43 41 234 A1 a central light generating unit is
`provided, the light of which is directed by a light guide
`element to one or more light distribution units. By
`
`UNIFIED PATENTS EXHIBIT 1006
`Page 2 of 10
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`

`

`DE 199 23 187 C2
`
`4
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`the exemplary embodiments
`to
`reference
`with
`illustrated in the figures. In these:
`Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a lighting
`system according to the invention,
`Fig. 2 is a top view of a motor vehicle front end
`including a plurality of cornering light beams generated
`by a lighting system according to the invention,
`Fig. 3 is a top view of a motor vehicle front end
`including additional housings for
`the
`illuminants
`according to the invention,
`Fig. 4 shows the lighting system of Fig. 1, where
`illuminants comprise a plurality of
`lighting
`the
`elements,
`Fig. 5 is a front headlight in the installed state
`including illuminants according to the invention in a
`perspective view, and
`Fig. 6 shows illuminants according to the invention
`in a perspective view, comprising a plurality of halogen
`headlights provided with screens.
`Fig. 1 depicts a control device SE which is
`connected via control leads SL1, SL2, and SL3,
`respectively, to illuminants LM1, LM2, and LM3
`arranged on a longitudinal half of a vehicle. For the
`sake of clarity, the illuminants to be provided on the
`other longitudinal vehicle half are not shown. The
`control device SE includes an interface via which
`external data may be provided. Possible data sources
`are a sensor measuring the steering wheel angle, a
`speedometer, or a turn signal, for example. The data
`provided by these sensors or devices may also be
`provided to the control device SE via central motor
`vehicle electronics. The control device SE may also be
`a part of such central motor vehicle electronics. The
`data provided represent the driving situation of the
`motor vehicle to the extent required for the control of
`the cornering light. According to a predetermined
`program or by means of a special analog or digital
`control circuit, the control device determines how the
`individual illuminants LM1, LM2, and LM3 are to be
`switched on or off to form the desired cornering light in
`the given driving situation.
`Fig. 2 shows a top view of a front end of a motor
`vehicle KFZ. The left and right front headlights LSW
`and RSW, respectively, are shown, in which the
`illuminants LM1, LM2, and LM3 of Fig. 1 are arranged
`in a manner not shown in detail. The dimensions of the
`low beam light beam LBA, which represents the base
`lighting of the motor vehicle, are shown for the left
`headlight. As illustrated by the angularly positioned
`front wheels, the motor vehicle KFZ is about to turn
`left. Preferably, the control device SE is implemented
`such that at the beginning of the turning operation the
`illuminants LM1 are turned on first. They generate a
`first cornering light beam LB1 which is as flush as
`possible with the low beam light beam LBA. If the
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`3
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`data are used to detect the driving situation during and
`just before turning. In addition, the control device of
`claim 3 may be supplied with data of a route detection
`means associated with the motor vehicle, which may
`be,
`for example, a video camera or a
`radar
`measurement system. By processing
`these data
`appropriately, the driving situation in regards to the
`path of the roadway may be detected even more
`accurately. Detecting the path of the roadway is
`particularly advantageous if the cornering light is to be
`used for lateral illumination when driving through tight
`turns. In this case, there is no signal from the turn
`signal which notifies of a change of direction of the
`motor vehicle. The detection of the path of the roadway
`may, according to claim 4, additionally or alternatively
`rely on a navigation system whose data may be
`provided to the control device.
`In an embodiment according to claim 5, the
`illuminants are accommodated in housings of existing
`front headlights such that no additional housings need
`to be provided. The front headlights then are to extend
`so far to the side surfaces of the motor vehicle such that
`the illuminants are able to illuminate the turning side
`sufficiently. A particularly good illumination to the side
`may be achieved by accommodating the illuminants in
`their own housings according to claim 6, which extend
`at least partially along the side surfaces of the motor
`vehicle.
`In a particularly advantageous embodiment
`according to claim 7, the illuminants each comprise a
`plurality of fixedly arranged lighting elements that may
`be switched on or off together. Because the light
`intensity to be generated is divided among a plurality of
`lighting elements, these can be made correspondingly
`smaller. This reduces the required installation depth of
`the illuminants. They can thus be installed much more
`easily in the housings of the front headlights or in their
`own housings. In addition, the use of a plurality of
`smaller lighting elements has the advantage that the
`failure of a single lighting element is hardly noticeable
`to the driver of the motor vehicle.
`According to claim 8, light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
`are particularly suitable as lighting elements because of
`their high luminous efficacy and long service life.
`According to claim 9, small halogen headlights may
`also be used as lighting elements. It may be useful to
`provide both
`light-emitting diodes and halogen
`headlights within an illuminant for reasons of light
`beam formation. According to claim 10, the lighting
`elements may be associated with optical beam-forming
`devices, e.g. lenses, reflectors or screens. The light
`beams generated by the illuminants may thus be formed
`much more precisely than is possible when using a
`single light source.
`The invention is explained in more detail below
`
`UNIFIED PATENTS EXHIBIT 1006
`Page 3 of 10
`
`

`

`DE 199 23 187 C2
`
`6
`
`LE21 to LE24, and the illuminants LM3 comprise the
`two lighting elements LE31 and LE32. The lighting
`elements are interconnected within the illuminants such
`that they may be turned on or off together by the
`control device SE via the corresponding control lead.
`The lighting elements may be, for example, light-
`emitting diodes (LEDs) or small halogen headlights.
`The use of light-emitting diodes has the advantage that
`these have high luminous efficacy and are particularly
`durable.
`Fig. 5 depicts a section of a front end of a motor
`vehicle where a front headlight RSW is arranged
`between a fender KF, a bumper SF, and an engine hood
`MH. Two lamps L1 and L2 are located within the
`housing of the headlight RSW and are provided for
`generating the low beam, high beam, and fog lights.
`Corresponding to their function, the two lamps L1 and
`L2 are aligned along the longitudinal vehicle axis. In
`addition, a plurality of lighting elements LE is arranged
`within the housing of the headlight RSW and is divided
`in terms of circuitry into a plurality of groups which
`may be turned on and off independently of one another.
`Each group represents an illuminant in the sense of the
`above discussions. In the exemplary embodiment
`shown, all lighting elements are aligned substantially
`towards the viewer. Associated with the lighting
`elements LE are different optical beam-forming
`devices, not visible in Fig. 5. These may be, for
`example, spherical, pulvinated or cylindrical lenses or
`Fresnel lenses. Also possible are reflectors whose shape
`may be parabolic, parelliptical, or in free-form shape
`specifically adapted to the desired shape of the light
`beam. Another way for beam-forming may additionally
`be achieved by means of screens. Employing
`differently shaped beam-forming devices enables that
`the groups of
`lighting elements each generate
`differently aligned light beams, even though the
`lighting elements are aligned essentially parallel to
`each other. If beam-forming devices are omitted, the
`groups of lighting elements must be aligned differently
`within the headlight housing RSW.
`Fig. 6 shows such a group of lighting elements
`LE1 to LE5 that together form an illuminant LM. Here,
`the lighting elements are embodied as small halogen
`headlights that each comprise a halogen illuminant
`body HK, a reflector REF, and a screen B disposed at
`the aperture of the reflector. Screens can be used to
`create sharp light-dark boundaries that are difficult to
`achieve with lenses or reflectors. Depending on the
`arrangement of the lighting elements, it may be
`advantageous to utilize screen strips or screen masks,
`which cover several or all of the lighting elements
`simultaneously,
`instead of
`the
`individual screens
`shown. The adjustment of the desired shape of a
`cornering light beams then requires fewer adjustment
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`steering continues further to the left, the control device
`SE turns on the illuminants LM2, which generate a
`second cornering light beam LB2 which is as flush as
`possible with the first cornering light beam LB1. The
`same applies accordingly to the illuminant LM3 as the
`steering continues to turn further (cornering light beam
`LB3). Because the velocity of the motor vehicle is
`comparatively low when turning or in tight bends, the
`range of the cornering light beams LB1, LB2, and LB3
`may be smaller than that of the low beam light beam
`LBA. This serves the purpose that in particular nearby
`objects can be recognized or seen more easily.
`Appropriate alignment of the individual cornering
`light beams and temporal control of the illuminants that
`generate them achieves that the cornering light formed
`by the cornering light beams expands in fan-like
`fashion originating from the low beam light beam into
`the direction of steering without accompanying
`attenuation of another light beam and in particular of
`the low beam light beam LBA. Of course, optimal
`adaptation of the light distribution to the driving
`situation, in particular to the position and velocity of
`the motor vehicle depending on the path of the bend
`requires a sufficiently precise determination of the
`driving situation. Here it may be useful, for example, to
`provide the signal of a rotary position sensor to the
`control device SE. Such a rotary position sensor is
`present in many motor vehicles anyway, such that no
`additional costs arise. Such a rotary position sensor
`may be additionally supported or even replaced by a
`video camera for detecting the path of the roadway
`which is arranged at the front end of the motor vehicle.
`In addition, data of a vehicle navigation system may be
`used for this purpose.
`The illuminants LM1, LM2, and LM3 are to be
`installed within the front end of the motor vehicle
`preferably such that the illuminated area extends
`laterally over an angle of about 70° relative to the
`longitudinal axis of the vehicle. If the front headlights
`do not extend at least in part along the side surfaces of
`the motor vehicle, it may be necessary to provide their
`own housings for the illuminants LM1, LM2, and LM3
`on both sides of the vehicle. Fig. 3 shows such an
`arrangement where housings LG and RG, which extend
`at least partially along the motor vehicle side surfaces,
`are provided adjacent to the front headlights LSW and
`RSW. These housings LG and RG each accommodate
`the illuminants LM1, LM2, and LM3.
`Fig. 4 shows a preferred exemplary embodiment of
`the invention, where the illuminants, LM1, LM2, and
`LM3 each comprise a plurality of fixedly arranged
`lighting elements which may be switched on or off
`together. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment the
`illuminants LM1 comprise lighting elements LE11 to
`LE16, the illuminants LM2 comprise lighting elements
`
`UNIFIED PATENTS EXHIBIT 1006
`Page 4 of 10
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`

`

`DE 199 23 187 C2
`
`8
`
`accommodated in their own housings (LG, RG)
`that extend at least partially along the motor
`vehicle side surfaces.
`7. The lighting system of any one of the preceding
`claims, characterized in that the illuminants (LM1,
`LM2, LM3; LM) each comprise a plurality of
`fixedly arranged lighting elements (LE11...LE16,
`LE21...LE24, LE31, LE32; LE1...LE5) that may be
`switched on or off together.
`8. The lighting system of claim 7, characterized in
`that at
`least one of
`the
`lighting elements
`(LE11...LE16, LE21...LE24, LE31, LE32;
`LE1...LE5) is embodied as a light-emitting diode.
`9. The lighting system of any one of claims 7 or 8,
`characterized in that at least one of the lighting
`elements is embodied as a halogen headlight (HK,
`REF).
`10. The lighting system of any one of claims 7 to
`9, characterized in that an optical beam-forming
`device (REF, B) is associated with at least one of
`the lighting elements.
`11. A headlight (RSW) for a motor vehicle for
`generating cornering
`lighting adapted
`to
`the
`driving
`situation, characterized
`in
`that
`the
`headlight (SW) comprises a plurality of fixedly
`arranged illuminants (LM1, LM2, LM3) that may
`be switched on or off independently of one
`another.
`
`
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`7
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`operations at the respective illuminant. If an electrical
`adjustment mechanism for the screen strips or screen
`masks is provided which may be actuated from within
`the vehicle, the driver may adapt the light-dark
`boundary to his needs even while using the motor
`vehicle.
`the exemplary
`that
`to be understood
`It
`is
`embodiments described are not to be regarded as
`limiting the general teachings of the invention. In
`particular, the number of illuminants and the number of
`light elements that form these may differ significantly,
`in particular upwards, from the values specified in the
`exemplary embodiments. Preferably, a plurality of
`illuminants according to the invention is arranged on
`both longitudinal vehicle halves as described, such that
`cornering light is available for cornering maneuvers to
`the
`left as well as
`to
`the right. If regulatory
`requirements only allow a cornering light on a specific
`turning side, for example to avoid blinding oncoming
`vehicles, the scope of the lighting system according to
`the invention may of course be limited to the permitted
`side.
`
`
`Claims
`
`1. A lighting system for a motor vehicle (KFZ) for
`generating cornering lighting (LB1, LB2, LB3)
`adapted to the driving situation, characterized in
`that the lighting system comprises a plurality of
`illuminants
`(LM1, LM2, LM3; LM) being
`arranged fixedly on a longitudinal half of a vehicle
`for generating different cornering light beams
`(LB1, LB2, LB3) and a control device (SE) which,
`depending on the driving situation, switches the
`individual illuminants on or off independently of
`one another.
`2. The lighting system of claim 1, characterized in
`that the control device (SE) may be supplied with
`data (DAT) relating to steering wheel angle,
`velocity and turn signal actuation.
`3. The lighting system of claim 2, characterized in
`that the control device (SE) may be supplied with
`data (DAT) of a route detection means associated
`with the motor vehicle, in particular a video
`camera.
`4. The lighting system of any one of the preceding
`claims, characterized in that the control device may
`be supplied with data (DAT) from a navigation
`system.
`5. The lighting system of any one of the preceding
`claims, characterized in that the illuminants are
`accommodated in housings of front headlights
`(LSW, RSW).
`6. The lighting system of any one of the preceding
`claims, characterized in that the illuminants are
`
`UNIFIED PATENTS EXHIBIT 1006
`Page 5 of 10
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`

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`DE 199 23 187 C2
`Number:
`B 60 Q 1/12
`
`Int. C .7:
`Date of pub cat on: May 3rd, 2001
`
`
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`DE 199 23 187 C2
`Number:
`B 60 Q 1/12
`
`Int. C .7:
`Date of pub cat on: May 3rd, 2001
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`DE 199 23 187 C2
`Number:
`B 60 Q 1/12
`
`Int. C .7:
`Date of pub cat on: May 3rd, 2001
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`DE 199 23 187 C2
`Number:
`B 60 Q 1/12
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`Int. C .7:
`Date of pub cat on: May 3rd, 2001
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`UNIFIED PATENTS EXHIBIT 1006
`Page 10 of 10
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