Automatic vehicle lighting control

• US 10,029,608 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2015
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Miller, Kenneth James
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Tung X
• Application Number:
  US14/845,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20170066368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 315 77, 315 80, 315 82
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0076 Switches therefor B60Q1/1446, B60Q1/343, B60Q1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/08 automatically
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1461 Multifunction switches for dimming headlights and controlling additional devices, e.g. for controlling direction indicating lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/20 Fog lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/22 for reverse drive

Abstract

A vehicle includes headlights, a headlight switch, and a controller. The headlight switch may have automatic and override positions, and include a biasing member configured to return the switch to the automatic position from the override position. The controller may be configured to, in response to a signal indicative of movement from the automatic position to the override position, illuminate the headlights until the vehicle is in a key-off state, and prior to the signal, illuminate the headlights based on ambient light conditions. Also, the controller may set a threshold based on a level of ambient light sensed at a time of the input indicative of headlight switch movement from the automatic position to the override position and illuminate the headlights until first occurrence of the ambient light exceeding the threshold or the vehicle being in the key-off state.

Claims

1. A lighting system for a vehicle comprising:

headlights; and

a controller configured to,

in response to input indicative of headlight control interface movement from an automatic position to an override position and back to the automatic position, illuminate the headlights until the vehicle is in a key-off state regardless of ambient light conditions, and

prior to the input, illuminate the headlights based on the ambient light conditions.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a headlight control interface configured to return to the automatic position from the override position in an absence of user input.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the override position of the headlight control interface includes at least a first override position and a second override position, and wherein the controller is further configured to,

in response to input indicative of headlight control interface movement from the automatic position to the first override position, set a threshold based on a level of ambient light sensed at a time of the input indicative of headlight control interface movement from the automatic position to the first override position and illuminate the headlights until first occurrence of the ambient light exceeding the threshold or the vehicle being in the key-off state, and

in response to input indicative of headlight control interface movement from the first override position to the second override position and back to the first override position, illuminate the headlights until the vehicle is in the key-off state.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to input indicative of headlight control interface movement from the automatic position to the override position, set a threshold based on a level of ambient light sensed at a time of the movement and illuminate the headlights until first occurrence of the ambient light exceeding the threshold or the vehicle being in the key-off state.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the headlight control interface is a rotary switch, and the controller is further configured to increase hysteresis associated with the threshold based on an increase in a degree of rotation of the rotary switch within the override position, and to illuminate the headlights until first occurrence of the ambient light exceeding the threshold by the hysteresis or the vehicle being in the key-off state.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein headlight control interface is a rotary switch.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the override position of the headlight control interface includes a range of intermediate positions within the override position.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to increase a level of illumination of the headlights based on an increase in a degree of rotation of the rotary switch within the override position, and to maintain the level of illumination until the vehicle is in the key-off state.

9. The system of claim 6 further including back-up lights and puddle lights, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to input indicative of headlight control interface movement from the automatic position to the override position and back to the automatic position while the vehicle is in an accessory-on state, illuminate the back-up lights and puddle lights until a predetermined time after the vehicle is in the key-off state.

10. The system of claim 2 further including fog lights, wherein the override position of the headlight control interface includes at least a first override position and a second override position, and wherein the controller is further configured to,

in response to input indicative of headlight control interface movement from the automatic position to the first override position and back to the automatic position, illuminate the headlights until the vehicle is in the key-off state, and

in response to input indicative of headlight control interface movement from the first override position to the second override position and back to the first override position, illuminate the fog lights until the vehicle is in the key-off state.

11. A vehicle comprising:

headlights;

a headlight switch having automatic and override positions, and including a biasing member configured to return the switch to the automatic position from the override position; and

a controller configured to, in response to a signal indicative of movement from the automatic position to the override position, illuminate the headlights until the vehicle is in a key-off state, and prior to the signal, illuminate the headlights based on ambient light conditions.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the headlight switch is a rotary switch.

13. The vehicle of claim 12 further including interior lights, wherein the controller is further configured to increase an intensity of the interior lights based on an increase in a degree of rotation of the rotary switch within the override position.

14. The vehicle of claim 11 further including fog lights, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to input indicative of headlight control interface movement from the override position to a 2nd override position and back to the override position, illuminate the fog lights until the vehicle is in the key-off state.

15. A vehicle comprising:

headlights; and

a controller configured to, in response to input indicative of headlight control interface movement from an automatic position to an override position and back to the automatic position, set a threshold based on ambient light incident upon the vehicle at a time of the movement, and illuminate the headlights until first occurrence of the ambient light exceeding the threshold or the vehicle being in a key-off state.

16. The vehicle of claim 15 further comprising a headlight control interface configured to return to the automatic position from the override position in an absence of user input, wherein the headlight control interface is a rotary switch and the override position of the headlight control interface includes a range of intermediate positions within the override position.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to increase hysteresis associated with the threshold based on an increase in a degree of rotation of the rotary switch within the override position, and to illuminate the headlights until first occurrence of the ambient light exceeding the threshold by the hysteresis or the vehicle being in the key-off state.

18. The vehicle of claim 16 further including interior lights, wherein the controller is further configured to, while the vehicle is in an accessory-on state, illuminate the interior lights and set a level of illumination of the interior lights based on a degree of rotation of the rotary switch within the override position until a predetermined time after the vehicle is in the key-off state.

19. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein the override position of the headlight control interface includes at least a first override position and a second override position.

20. The vehicle of claim 19 further including fog lights, wherein the controller is further programmed to,

in response to input indicative of headlight control interface movement from the automatic position to the first override position, illuminate the headlights illuminate until first occurrence of the ambient light exceeding the threshold or the vehicle being in a key-off state, and

in response to input indicative of headlight control interface movement from the first override position to the second override position and back to the first override position, illuminate the fog lights until first occurrence of the ambient light exceeding the threshold or the vehicle being in the key-off state.