Lamp Outage Module Purpose?

[fof4]

I have a Ford Explorer that began having problems with the dim-headlights. I researched the issue, and accurately found that the problem was with the "Lamp Outage Module", which is a circuit-board in the middle-console. I replaced the board, and fixed the problem. However, from all my research, I have NOT been able to find WHAT IS THE PURPOSE of this module? Lots of information on how to fix the problem, but NOTHING as to WHAT this card does!!! Does anyone know? Reason I ask, is I found that I could short a couple of the leads together to also fix the problem, but decided NOT to do that because I wasn't sure what functionality I would be missing, if I did this. But in the end, putting in the card simply fixed my headlight problem, which is exactly what would have happened if I had shorted the #1 and #11 leads together. WHAT DOES THIS CARD DO? And please don't say it controls the dim headlights. We all know that could have been accomplished without having a circuit-board involved.