DESCRIPTION

The field of application of the present invention relates to safety aid systems which can be provided to vehicles circulating in road and motorway networks. In particular, the lighting devices that report the behavior of a vehicle during its travel, or which serve to increase the visibility of the vehicle itself even when it is stopped, are very important.

Among these devices there are, the so-called "stop lights", or the " emergency lights ", which are correlated to a very frequent type of accident: the "collision" from rear, and which are devices supplied to all vehicles approved for circulation.

With reference to the use of "emergency lights", the driver of an automobile typically turns them on manually, making his car showier, in order to reduce the risk of being bumped when he is slowed down, or even stopped, due to traffic jams.

FR 2 957 865 A1 ['Dispositif pour leurrer un reseau multiplexe d’un automobile vehicule" - Giraud F. et al.] teaches to provide for the automatic ignition of such "emergency lights" in particular circumstances, and gets this operation by connecting said "emergency lights" to an alternative circuit with respect to that of the vehicle.

FR 2 957 865 A1 focuses in particular on preparing the circuitry to which to connect the vehicle power supply, so that the alarms provided on the dashboard, and in general the vehicle light control system, do not detect circuit anomalies for the fact that these "emergency lights" are connected to an alternative circuit, which is not part of the circuitry supplied to the vehicle in question. This problem arises because the solution taught in FR 2 957 865 A1 does not provide for the replacement of the bulbs associated with said "emergency lights", and therefore one must take care of managing the problems that may arise from the alteration of the control circuitry of such lights.

The present invention constitutes a significant improvement of the solution taught in the Italian patent application n. 102016000088302 (hereinafter: "Demozzi-1"). The system disclosed in "Demozzi-1" allows to equip a vehicle with a system capable of offering a rear warning, for the benefit of the vehicles that follow it, similar to that normally offered by "stop lights" or by the so-called " emergency lights”. This warning has the particularity of not starting from the precise moment in which the driver of the vehicle begins the braking maneuver (or other operations subject to its reaction times, such as the activation of the "emergency lights"), but from an earlier moment, corresponding to the first moment in which occur those conditions that would justify the start of a braking, or a noticeable slowdown, and therefore the need to warn those who follow. In fact, it should be always taken into account that even an expert driver, having his own reaction times, will start braking (or other operation) late, compared to the instant in which occur the conditions for which such braking (or other operation) is appropriate.

The technical problem solved in "Demozzi-1" involves the installation of some devices in the vehicles. However, this installation cannot be easily generalized, and each vehicle requires an installation designed "ad hoc" on a case by case basis. Therefore, the solution taught in "Demozzi-1" has some disadvantages that create difficulties to its wider diffusion.

The solution taught in the present invention overcomes the main disadvantages present in "Demozzi-1". It consists of equipping a vehicle with an innovative lighting device that can replace the bulbs normally supplied with vehicles, used in their standard lighting. The prerogative of this lighting device is that its lighting is not determined only by the power supplied by the lamp holder where it is mounted. In general, therefore, the ignition of such a device may occur as a function of context conditions detectable with appropriate sensors installed on the vehicle or, still more generally, through reports coming from external infrastructures (which must therefore be receivable by the vehicle), and not purely as a direct consequence of the a behavior (or a command) of the driver.

Therefore, the solution is based on the conception of an innovative lighting device that includes or integrates some essential features, such as: an auxiliary power supply and appropriate interfaces for command and / or connection with a control unit that processes various types of information, as, for example, information coming from sensor systems.

A lighting device according to the teachings of the present invention, in addition to overcoming the main disadvantages that are present in the invention "Demozzi-1 ", makes even more flexible the overall system of which it is a part, allowing its application in a wider variety of cases. However, as will be deepened in the following of this description, the implementation of such a lighting device poses a series of new technical problems (not addressed in "Demozzi-1 ") which can be solved by following the teachings of the present invention.

The braking warning system indicated in“Demozzi-1” uses a control unit designed to process, in real time, data detected by other subsystems present in said vehicle, and to generate IT commands. In addition to this control unit, the system also includes a front distance sensor, capable of dynamically detecting the distance between said vehicle and the nearest obstacle in front of it, and a rear luminous device whose ignition can be controlled by said control unit.

This braking warning system is essentially characterized by the fact that said control unit evaluates in real time, depending also on the data received from the front distance sensor, the opportunity to generate an ignition command to be transmitted to the rear luminous device, through suitable communication means which are also part of said braking warning system.

Among all the devices that must be installed in a vehicle to equip it with a system according to the teachings of "Demozzi-1", the rear light device has some criticalities that limit the spread of the overall system. Indeed:

• this rear light device must have a certain size, in order to be clearly visible from a vehicle which follows;

• having to be clearly visible, it has an impact on the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle on which it is installed;

• aesthetic impact management would require designing specific rear light devices for each vehicle model, so as to be able to insert these devices in harmony with the shape of the rear of each model;

• in any case, since it cannot be generalized, the installation is complex and, therefore, expensive.

Ultimately, an additional rear light device, to be installed externally on vehicles, appears as a difficult object to offer on the market. It would definitely be preferable to be able to use the existing rear lights in the vehicles.

This last option is technically, and theoretically, very simple, but it would require to be able to interact with the logic for the control of the lights of each vehicle. Unfortunately, this interaction cannot be based on standardized interfaces; in general, vehicle control units do not have open interfaces suitable for integrating external systems to the vehicle. Therefore, the introduction of a system according to the teachings of "Demozzi-1", which can make use of the existing lights, should necessarily be managed in agreement with the vehicle manufacturer. It is therefore an operation that cannot be proposed "after-market" (i.e. on the circulating vehicle fleet).

Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to indicate a solution which allows to use the ordinary lighting of each vehicle to manage an additional light signal, in addition to those foreseen at the time of the first registration of a vehicle. The essential technical problem therefore consists in managing the switching of a lamp independently from the power provided by the lamp holder on which it is inserted.

A further object of the present invention is to indicate a solution that can be implemented on vehicles in circulation, without having to involve the manufacturer of each vehicle.

These two main objectives can be reached by means of a lighting device that can be applied like a normal light bulb on a lamp holder of the rear lights of a vehicle; and this lighting device is characterized in that, in addition to being switched on according to the presence, or not, of power supply on the lamp holder in which it is applied, it integrates a further switch, suitable to connect an auxiliary battery, also associated with such lighting device; and this further switch is operable by an on/off command, which can be imparted remotely using transmission means adapted to transmit said on/off command to said further switch.

The main advantage of the present invention consists in the fact that a lighting device (which in all respects can replace a normal bulb for a car light) according to the teachings of the present invention satisfies both the main requirements for which it was conceived. Moreover, this invention also has further advantages, which will become more evident from the following description, from some examples of practical embodiments which illustrate further details, from the attached claims which form an integral part of the present description, and from the attached figures in which:

Figure 1 shows a vehicle equipped with a braking warning system according to the teachings of "Demozzi-1";

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of a lighting device according to the invention. Figures 3a and 3b show an exemplary embodiment according to the invention of a coupling system between the lighting device and the lamp holder.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment in which it is evident that the lighting device according to the invention is susceptible of considerable integration possibilities.

Figure 1 shows an implementation of the braking warning system according to the teachings disclosed in "Demozzi-1", installed (in "after-market" mode) in a generic vehicle, indicated with the number 100.

In this case, the data which is processed to determine whether or not to switch on the braking warning consists on the instantaneous detection, carried out in real time, of the distance of the vehicle 100 with a potential obstacle which is in front of it (for example another vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle 100 ). The number 110, in Figure 1 , indicates the variable distance of the nearest potential obstacle which is in front of the vehicle, the number 210 indicates the distance sensor system able to detect said distance 110 in real time; the number 230 indicates the rear lighting device; while number 220 indicates the communication means, represented with a small antenna, to indicate the case of wireless techniques, which are usable to facilitate the installation since they do not require cable routing operations (which usually introduce difficulties of installation).

All these peripheral devices (distance sensors 210, rear light device 230 and communication means 220) are controlled by a control unit indicated with the number 200, which must generally be located inside the vehicle 100. It may be a unit permanently installed inside the vehicle, or it can also be a removable or portable device implemented, for example, in the form of a smartphone application.

The distance sensor system can be made with technologies that allow it to be miniaturized, and therefore lends itself to being installed also in the "after-market" (i.e. in vehicles already in circulation). The same also applies to the communication means 220, which can be made with various technologies and for the control unit 200 which, as mentioned, can be positioned with considerable flexibility inside the vehicle.

More critical is the installation of the rear lighting device 230 which, to be clearly evident, must be suitably positioned and must have adequate dimensions.

The criticality of installation of said rear lighting device 230 is one of the factors hindering the diffusion of the braking warning system according to the teachings of "Demozzi-1".

Figure 2 schematically illustrates how the present invention works. Number 120 indicates a lamp holder of a rear light of the vehicle 100. It should be noted that any rear light can be chosen and, in theory, all the lights can also be chosen together, thus being able to generate a particularly evident signal.

Number 300 indicates the lighting device according to the invention, which appears as a normal light bulb suitable for being applied on the lamp holder 120. From an external point of view, and, above all, in terms of dimensions, said lighting device 300 is substantially similar to a normal light bulb, and therefore does not require any adaptation to the car headlights. The main feature which differentiates said lighting device from a normal light bulb concerns the connection for the coupling of said lighting device 300 with the lamp holder 120. Said attachment is indicated in Figure 2 with the number 310 and is highlighted enclosed within a dotted line.

In fact, said connection 310 has two pairs of contacts through which the power can be supplied.

• A first pair of contacts is the one that ensures the electrical connection with the lamp holder when the lighting device 300 (i.e. the bulb) is completely inserted: the light bulb therefore lights up when the lamp holder is powered by the systems already present in the vehicle 100.

• A second pair of contacts, from the circuital point of view, allows a second power source to be connected in parallel: this second pair of contacts is also accessible when the lighting device 300 is completely inserted.

Said second pair of contacts is shown in Figure 2 inside a dotted line, and it is indicated with the number 330.

Typically, said second pair of contacts 330 comprises a wiring which allows the physical connection points to be carried where it is more convenient to install the remaining parts of the lighting device 300 according to the invention.

In fact, in general, it is advisable not to occupy the space inside a vehicle headlight with other elements besides the bulb.

In particular, said lighting device 300 must comprise a remote-controlled switch, in order to be able to control the ignition of the bulb independently of the power supplied by the vehicle through the lamp holder 120.

In Figure 2, this switch is indicated with the number 320, and it is also highlighted enclosed within a dotted line. Said switch 320, as already mentioned, is controlled by commands transmitted by a control unit 200.

When said switch 320 is closed, the lighting device 300 is supplied by an auxiliary battery, indicated in Figure 2 with the number 250, and the bulb lights up regardless of the presence or absence of power on the contacts of the lamp holder 120.

In Figure 2 there is also drawn a dashed straight line indicated with the number 150. This line separates the elements which must be inside the headlight of the vehicle 100, and those which may be located outside the headlight: typically, in the most convenient position for installation.

Then, just one light bulb must be inside the headlight, as well as a wiring for extracting contacts 330, whose space occupation is however negligible; as already pointed out several times, this light bulb is substantially the same as those that are normally installed in vehicle headlights. This wiring therefore makes it possible to connect an auxiliary power source to the lighting device 300.

The switch 320 (which normally also includes a simple circuit which allows it to be controlled), although also potentially very small, may be eventually placed outside the headlight, as well as the auxiliary battery 250 and the control unit 200.

It should be noted that the wiring coming out of the headlight can have a variable length, and can reach any point of the vehicle where it is considered more convenient to install the switch 320, the auxiliary battery 250, and the control unit 200. In general, it can be convenient positioning the control unit 200 near the switch 320, so as to facilitate the connection for the transmission of commands (avoiding the use of long wiring or wireless transmissions, at least for such connection).

In summary, the heart of the invention consists in preparing a new type of bulb for vehicle headlights characterized by a new plug system.

Figures 3a and 3b show, by way of example, how it is possible to carry out such new plug systems.

The way in which electrical contact between the bulb and the lamp holder is ensured is substantially analogous for all types of connections. The part of the light bulb which is coupled with the lamp holder comprises two zones consisting of conductive material separated by an insulating material. These two areas of conductive material, when the bulb is fixed in the lamp holder, are in electrical contact with two points of the lamp holder which have a voltage difference. Normally, and mainly for safety reasons, when the bulb is fixed in the lamp holder, these two areas of conductive material are not both accessible.

In Figure 3a, a classic light bulb according to the known art is shown. Reference is made to a bulb with a screw connection, this is for simplicity of representation but, as already mentioned, the concepts presented are of general validity.

With the number 311 is indicated a small metal cap placed at the bottom of the attachment of a light bulb. This cap represents one of the two points of contact and is indicated with the number 311. Around and above the contact 311 there is a material with excellent insulating properties indicated with the number 312. Above the insulation 312 there is the screw that performs the function of coupling of the bulb on the lamp holder (with this type of attachment the bulb is screwed onto the lamp holder). The screw, on the bulb attachment, is made of metallic material, is indicated with the number 313, and constitutes the second point of contact, which obviously is electrically isolated from the contact 311.

When powered, the lamp holder has a voltage difference between two points which come into contact with the contact 311 and the contact 313 of the attachment of the bulb. Furthermore, when the bulb is inserted in the lamp holder, it is impossible to supply the bulb itself from the outside, except through the lamp holder itself. In particular, the contact 311 , at the bottom of the attachment is not accessible.

Figure 3b shows how the screw connection of a bulb can be modified to support the teachings of the present invention.

As can also be seen from the figure, the bulb is very similar to that shown in Figure 3a, so that it is coupled to the same lamp holders.

The contacts 311 and 313 separated from the insulator 312 are as in the known case of Figure 3a. In the case of Figure 3a, only the contact 313 is accessible (or can be made easily accessible with the help of a conductor wire), while the contact 311 is not accessible. The modification proposed in Figure 3b provides, above the contact 313, a further thin zone of insulation, indicated with the number 332, and, still above, a thin band of conductive material, isolated from the contact 313. This further band of conductor is indicated with the number 331 , and it is electrically connected to the contact 311 , through a conductor that can pass inside the body of the screw. In this way, the band of conductive material 331 is in all respects an electrical contact equivalent to the contact 311.

The position of the contact 331 is accessible and therefore, by connecting two conductor wires to the contact 313 and to the contact 331 respectively, it is possible to obtain, in a comfortable position, a pair of contacts indicated with the number 330 (and highlighted once again inside a dotted line) suitable to feed the light bulb, regardless of the power supplied on the lamp holder.

The contacts 313 and 331 are both in a position with good accessibility even when the bulb is inserted in the lamp holder. To avoid possible short circuits, it is possible to cover the contact 331 with a material which is in turn insulating. In fact, the contact can be achieved with a conducting wire that penetrates this insulating layer. The important thing is to have a pair of contacts suitable for power supply, which can be applied in an area even outside the vehicle headlights, in which there may be excessive space constraints, and this further power supply can be connected in parallel to the power supplied by the lamp holder.

It is clear that the physical variants with which it is possible to obtain a pair of contacts 330 are numerous and non-exhaustive in a circumscribed list: in general, the lighting devices for vehicles according to the teachings of the present invention is susceptible of many variants. These variants must be considered a different implementation of the same invention, without thereby altering the principles and inventive nature that inspired the invention itself.

Many of these variants may depend on future technological developments: in fact, a progressive increase in the availability of iper-miniaturized elements, more efficient in terms of energy consumption, can be expected; think, for example, of LED bulbs, which are already quite common on various models of cars, which allow you to generate a remarkable brightness with decidedly contained consumption.

Therefore, it will presumably be possible to make attacks for light bulb that integrate increasingly complex components. In fact, the various components that characterize the lighting device for vehicles according to the invention can be realized in a very distributed manner (as in the embodiments on which the present description has focused above), as well as they could be very integrated in the bulb itself.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention in which the space inside the attachment of a light bulb is used to house various components.

In Figure 4, the numbers 311 and 313 indicate two contact points (or zones) designed for applying the power supply to the bulb. As explained above, said contact points 311 and 313 are located on the lamp attachment so that it can be powered when mounted on the lamp holder. In the embodiment proposed in Figure 4, some elements are housed inside the lamp attachment: a battery indicated with the number 250, an electric switch indicated with the number 321 (which also performs the functions of the switch 320 of the diagram presented with the aid of Figure 2), a battery charger indicated with the number 322. As usual, all these elements are controlled by a control unit indicated with the number 200.

It can be observed that the battery 250, the electrical switch 321 and the battery charger 322 can be miniaturized, and housed inside the attachment of a light bulb, so that this light bulb maintains the dimensions of a normal light bulb and can be applied on the lamp holders standard that are found in the rear lights of a vehicle, without having to make adjustments to the vehicle.

Although miniaturized and integrated into the body of the lamp, all these elements make it possible to implement a circuit, which from the electrical point of view is the same as that presented in Figure 2.

Depending on the state of the electrical switch 321 , which is controlled by the control unit 200, the circuit shown in Figure 4 can have different operating modes.

If there is no power supply to the lamp holder, the electrical switch 321 can insert or exclude the battery 250, so as to feed the lighting device. Therefore, said lighting device is turned on or not according to information processed also by the control unit 200, which are generally different from the information that determines the powering of the lamp holder. Thus obtaining an alternative possibility of lighting in the lighting device: an additional possibility compared to the mechanisms already provided in the vehicle for turning on the light taken into consideration.

If the lamp holder is powered, the light bulb is obviously on and the battery does not need to be inserted. In such cases, however, the power supplied by the vehicle through the lamp holder can also be used to recharge the battery 250.

For this purpose, the embodiment of Figure 4 envisages the presence of a battery charger 322 which, through the electric switch 321 , can be powered by the lamp holder (which, remember, is powered) and connected to the battery 250 to charge it. Both the battery charger and the electrical switch, in the proposed example, are always controlled by the control unit 200.

The example of Figure 4 shows an embodiment in which, in the face of a greater engineering complexity (because a fairly pushed miniaturization is required) the installation is further simplified since the bulb is installed like the bulbs normally supplied to the vehicle. The only additional element to be positioned in the vehicle is the control unit, which among all the elements shown in Figure 2, is the one that has the least installation criticality. The only wiring coming out of the headlight, in this case, is the line to transmit the control commands to the electrical switch 321 and to the charger 322.

With reference to the energy requirement, it can be observed that the powering of the lighting device through the lamp holder should be far prevalent, compared to alternative ignitions through the battery 250; consequently, the available recharge time, being much greater than the discharge time, should be largely enough to keep the battery 250 charged. Moreover, it is also observed that the LED lighting technology is rapidly spreading, and being a very low consumption technology, the energy theme becomes less problematic; for this reason also, small batteries can be provided and, generally, it is possible to pursue a miniaturization of the system as a whole.

What qualifies the invention is the fact that the lighting device disclosed in the present invention has an attachment, which can be coupled to the normal lamp holders present in the vehicle headlights, but it also has a pair of contacts which allow an independent powering, alternative to that provided by the vehicle through the lamp holder contacts.

In the preferred implementation, said alternative powering is an auxiliary battery, however it is observed that the inventive concept is based only on the fact that a powering, alternative to that supplied by the lamp holder is possible; therefore, in theory, the battery is not the only possibility. For example, if the considered vehicle offered an auxiliary power socket, available for general applications, this power supply could certainly be exploited.

The main application that inspired the invention provides that this lighting device is controlled by a control unit that generates commands according to data detected by sensors, also installed on the same vehicle, as taught by the teachings disclosed in the Italian patent application n. 102016000088302 (in "Demozzi-1"). However, this control unit can operate with absolute generality, and could generate commands also based on information transmitted to the vehicle from the outside, and not generated in the vehicle itself.

This observation places the present invention in a very broad evolutionary scenario, which is represented by the developments of the so-called ITS (Intelligent Transport System) platform. In this broader context, numerous variations and additions can therefore be conceived. These can offer further advantages with respect to those already mentioned, and can be implemented by the man skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as emerges from the present description and the attached claims.

Moreover, the invention lends itself to incorporating and supporting further evolutionary efforts capable of improving the performance of the system described. Such developments, if not included in the present description, may be the subject of further patent applications associated with the present invention.