US 12,358,418 B2
Method for operating a lighting device of a motor vehicle, lighting device and motor vehicle
Werner Thomas, Oberwöhr (DE); Marc Maier, Collenberg (DE); Christoph Häussinger, Eichstätt (DE); Michael Horn, Ingolstadt (DE); Daniel Ehrlichauf, Neuburg/Donan (DE); Stephan Heider, Wettstetten (DE); and Alexander Becker, Gungolding (DE)
Assigned to AUDI AG, Ingolstadt (DE)
Appl. No. 18/002,697
Filed by AUDI AG, Ingolstadt (DE)
PCT Filed May 27, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/064131
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 26, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/259583, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 30, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2020 116 740.7 (DE), filed on Jun. 25, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2024/0017664 A1, Jan. 18, 2024
Int. Cl. B60Q 1/26 (2006.01)
CPC B60Q 1/26 (2013.01) [B60Q 2400/30 (2013.01); B60Q 2400/40 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for operating a lighting device for a motor vehicle, wherein the lighting device has an exterior lamp and a control device, wherein the exterior lamp has an illuminating area having at least two segments, the at least two segments being independently controllable, and wherein the at least two segments each comprises a light source, the method comprising:
running, in a dynamic operating mode of the control device, a dynamic group of segments, using a pseudo-randomized or randomized manner, temporally variable lighting operation of the dynamic group of the segments, the dynamic group of the segments comprising a plurality of segments,
wherein the dynamic operating mode includes a temporal sequence of control schemes, and
wherein, for each segment of the dynamic group, each control scheme describes whether and/or at what brightness each respective segment is to be operated;
controlling, by the control device, in the dynamic operating mode, the segments of the dynamic group in successive time steps, wherein a switching interval is a multiple of a time step;
determining the control schemes assigned to each time step of the temporal sequence according to a boundary condition, the boundary condition relating to an appearance of the exterior lamp and/or the boundary condition limiting the determination of the control schemes, wherein the determining the control schemes comprises:
selecting, for each switching interval, in the pseudo-randomized or randomized manner, a first subgroup of the segments of the dynamic group having inactive segments to be operated statically during the switching interval, and
selecting, for each switching interval, in the pseudo-randomized or randomized manner, a second subgroup of the segments of the dynamic group having active segments to be operated in a temporally variable manner during the switching interval; and
changing, in each switching interval for each time step, brightness exclusively for the active segments,
wherein the boundary condition includes maintaining of a fixed total brightness value of all luminously operated segments over the temporal sequence, whereby brightness increases and brightness decreases cancel each other out over the successive time steps of the switching interval.