Vehicle including video projector mounted to lift gate or roof

• US 10,394,112 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Johnson, Aaron Bradley, Helwig, Stephen Kenneth, Salter, Stuart C., Dellock, Paul Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Sultan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cruz, Magda
• Application Number:
  US15/491,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20180304820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/04 Attracting insects by using illumination or colours A01M1/08 and A01M1/145 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/223 by using electrocution
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 5/10 arranged at the vehicle rear B60J5/04 takes precedence ; bonnets or lids B62D25/10; tail gates for pick-up trucks B62D33/0273; counterbalancing E05F; springs, e.g. pneumatic F16F
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/00 Arrangements for holding or mounting articles, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/02 for radio sets, television sets, telephones, or the like; Arrangement of controls thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0021 Doors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0294 Apparatus with multi-functionalities, e.g. radio and telephone
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/16 Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags protective garments with automatically inflatable shock-absorbing means A41D13/018; connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/00 Projectors or projection-type viewers; Accessories therefor devices for changing pictures G03B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 29/00 Combinations of cameras, projectors or photographic printing apparatus with non-photographic non-optical apparatus, e.g. clocks or weapons; Cameras having the shape of other objects combinations with flash apparatus G03B15/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3141 Constructional details thereof details not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14

Abstract

A vehicle according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a liftgate rotatable between a closed position and an open position, and a video projector mounted to the liftgate. Further, the video projector is configured to project video in a direction away from the vehicle when the liftgate is in the open position. This disclosure also relates to a video projector operable in a video projection mode and a secondary mode, and further relates to a method.

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a liftgate rotatable between a closed position and an open position; and

a video projector mounted to the liftgate, wherein the video projector is configured to project video in a direction away from the vehicle when the liftgate is in the open position.

2. The vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein the video projector is operable in a video projection mode in which the video projector projects video and a secondary mode in which the video projector does not project video.

3. The vehicle as recited in claim 2, wherein, when in the secondary mode, the video projector projects a light in a direction away from the vehicle body.

4. The vehicle as recited in claim 3, wherein the light is one of (1) a substantially white light configured to illuminate a space adjacent the vehicle and (2) a substantially yellow light configured to attract insects.

5. The vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein the video projector includes a bezel assembly supporting a lens, and wherein the bezel assembly is moveable relative to the liftgate.

6. The vehicle as recited in claim 5, wherein, when the liftgate is in the closed position, the bezel assembly and lens project from the liftgate into a recess in a portion of the vehicle body.

7. The vehicle as recited in claim 6, wherein the bezel assembly includes electrically conductive material and completes an electrical connection with an electronic component mounted to the portion of the vehicle body.

8. The vehicle as recited in claim 6, wherein the portion of the vehicle body is a rear bumper.

9. The vehicle as recited in claim 7, wherein the bezel assembly includes a phosphor coating to attract insects to the bezel assembly.

10. The vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein the video projector is powered by a vehicle battery.

11. The vehicle as recited in claim 10, wherein the video projector is controllable by a controller of the vehicle, and wherein a mobile device of a user is in communication with the controller.

12. The vehicle as recited in claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to send an alert to the mobile device when the vehicle battery state of charge is below a threshold.

13. The vehicle as recited in claim 12, wherein the mobile device is a smartphone.

14. A vehicle, comprising:

a roof; and

a video projector mounted to the roof and configured to project video in a direction away from a vehicle body, wherein the video projector is operable in a video projection mode in which the video projector projects video and a secondary mode in which the video projector does not project video, wherein, when in the secondary mode, the video projector projects a light in a direction away from the vehicle body.

15. The vehicle as recited in claim 14, wherein the light is one of a reverse light and a brake light.

16. The vehicle as recited in claim 14, wherein the light is one of (1) a substantially white light configured to illuminate a space adjacent the vehicle and (2) a substantially yellow light configured to attract insects.

17. A method, comprising:

rotating a liftgate of a vehicle to an open position; and

projecting video from a video projector mounted to the liftgate in a direction away from the vehicle.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

operating the video projector in a secondary mode in which the video projector does not project video, and wherein, when in the secondary mode, the video projector projects one of (1) a substantially white light configured to illuminate a space adjacent the vehicle and (2) a substantially yellow light configured to attract insects.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

rotating the liftgate to a closed position; and

extending a bezel assembly and lens of the video projector from the liftgate into a recess in a rear bumper of the vehicle.