Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems – Special application – Vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-02
2001-02-20
Vu, David (Department: 2821)
Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems
Special application
Vehicle
C315S150000, C315S157000, C307S010800
Reexamination Certificate
active
06191531
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for influencing a lighting installation.
2. State of the Art
The present type of lighting installation frequently appears in the state of the art and, in a vehicle, serves to turn on and turn off, e.g., the exterior lighting of a vehicle consisting of headlights and tail lights. Because of the risks that arise when operating a vehicle under conditions of poor visibility or in twilight without turning on the lights, it is frequently desirable for the low-beam headlights of a vehicle to be turned on automatically and without the assistance by the vehicle operator.
It already has been proposed for this purpose, in DE 37 37 396 A1 and DE 196 08 184 C2, to employ a sensor device that detects changes in the ambient light and that turns on or turns off a lighting installation as a function of such changes. In this connection, the knowledge is employed that daylight contains wavelengths of light that may be detected unequivocally and which are not present in darkness or in the ambient light, or even in the presence of street lighting. Consequently, an optical filtering device is used in both cases, which, however, always is required in addition to the sensor and which filters the wavelengths of daylight. This occurs either by means of a preceding filtering glass, which, according to DE 37 37 395 A1 is a specialty glass of the Schott company, Mainz, or, according to DE 196 08 184 C2, a UV filter permanently fixed to a brightness sensor or, simply slipped onto the latter or to the holder of same. Alternatively, a corresponding filtering layer may be applied directly to a brightness filter by means of vacuum evaporation, spray-painting or conventional painting. Consequently, each case requires an additional step and an additional filtering device.
As is well known, many vehicle operators have decreased perceptive ability in darkness, which is further decreased by dampness or moisture on the windshield. In this respect, it already has been proposed, in DE-A 41 34 432 and in DE 196 03 663 C1, to control a precipitation sensor as a function of ambient light. At the same time, either a stray light detection device was assigned to an optical precipitation sensor or the precipitation sensor itself was used as a brightness sensor by filtering the signals to detect and evaluate the share of ambient brightness.
SUMMARY
From such a point of departure, the underlying purpose of the present invention is to create a device which, in a simple and favorable manner, automatically provides for the low-beam headlights to be turned on.
Since the boundary between day and night generally lies in the green region of the visible light spectrum, the wavelengths present in daylight may filtered simply by connecting, e.g., a green LED, as a light-sensitive detector. The signals of the green LED then are simultaneously the control signals for the switchgear, where, for a corresponding adaptation of the loud resistor of the LED, preferably, a high-resistance resistor, a reaction occurs which is limited to a certain wavelength range of light, preferably green light.
The fact that wavelengths in the green light region are only present during the day may also be used to advantage in connection with a water sensor. A water sensor of this type is known, e.g., from DE-GM 93 09 837.5. The optoelectronic measuring arrangement proposed therein works with at least two measuring areas, the signals of which are guided back to zero at the receiving end with a time constant which is shorter than changes which occur as a result of moisture. Consequently, windshield wiper control can be actuated automatically on the basis of detected dynamic changes, such that actuation of the windshield wipers always takes place at the time that the motor vehicle operator would also manually actuate the windshield wipers.
It is preferable for the present device to operate with LEDs in the red region of visible light, or in an invisible infrared region, and thus, clearly separate from the green light region which is decisive in turning on the low-beam headlights. In this way, both sensors may be integrated in one housing without mutual hindrance. However, there is a simultaneous possibility of employing a day
ight recognition sensor also in order to influence control of the windshield wipers. In this respect, a precipitation sensor may be influenced as a function of light conditions; thus, e.g. a windshield wiper, in the presence of the two conditions “night” and “moisture” on the windshield, would wipe at a higher speed than it would during the day.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5614788 (1997-03-01), Mullins et al.
Seitter Robert P.
Valeo Auto-Electric Wischer und Motoren GmbH
Vu David
LandOfFree
Device for influencing a lighting installation as a function... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device for influencing a lighting installation as a function..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device for influencing a lighting installation as a function... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2597641