Device for controlling the interior lighting of a motor vehicle

• US 10,464,478 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2018
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Fleurence, Thierry, Koniec, Aymeric
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Tung X
• Application Number:
  US16/123,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20190071010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 315 77, 315 82
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/74 for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/85 for manual control of the light, e.g. of colour, orientation or intensity
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/12 using optical feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/125 by using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A device for controlling the interior lighting of a motor vehicle comprises at least one lighting module capable of emitting a light beam in the passenger compartment, and means for detecting a plurality of gestures of an occupant of the vehicle forming a determined sequence triggering the control of the interior lighting module.

Claims

1. A device for controlling interior lighting of a motor vehicle, the device comprising:

at least one lighting device configured to emit a beam of light in a passenger compartment; and

a detector configured to

detect a plurality of gestures of an occupant of the vehicle in an active detection area of the passenger compartment, forming a determined sequence triggering control of the lighting device, the active detection area being defined by boxes in which presence of a part of a body of the occupant is identified, and

analyze movement of a succession of boxes corresponding to movement of the part of the body to determine data representing a gesture sequence.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

control circuitry, connected to the detector, wherein

the detector is configured to detect, capture, and record the gesture sequence of the occupant of the vehicle in the active detection area of the passenger compartment,

the control circuitry is configured to receive the data representing the recorded gesture sequence, compare the data representing the recorded gesture sequence with at least one reference gesture sequence, and determine whether threshold conditions for triggering a lighting function have been met, and

the control circuitry is configured to generate and transmit at least one instruction to activate and/or deactivate and/or vary light intensity and orientation of the beam emitted by the lighting device.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the gesture sequence is defined by its vertical and/or horizontal and/or diagonal orientation and its speed of performance.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the active detection area extends along the median axis of the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein the active detection area extends along the median axis of the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the detector includes a sensor and/or at least one camera.

7. The device according to claim 2, wherein the detector includes a sensor and/or at least one camera.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the detector includes a single camera.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein the detector includes a plurality of cameras.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the detector includes at least one infrared sensor and/or ultrasound sensor and/or radar sensor.

11. The device according to claim 7, wherein the detector includes at least one infrared sensor and/or ultrasound sensor and/or radar sensor.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the camera includes one or more still and/or motion cameras.

13. The device according to claim 7, wherein the camera includes one or more still and/or motion cameras.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the data representing the gesture sequence define one-dimensional, two-dimensional or three-dimensional geometric shapes and/or positions and/or movement paths.

15. The device according to claim 2, wherein the data representing the gesture sequence define one-dimensional, two-dimensional or three-dimensional geometric shapes and/or positions and/or movement paths.

16. A method for controlling lighting of a motor vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting a plurality of gestures of an occupant of the motor vehicle in an active detection area of a passenger compartment, forming a determined sequence triggering control of a lighting device, the lighting device being configured to emit a beam of light in the passenger compartment, the active detection area being defined by boxes in which presence of a part of a body of the occupant is identified; and

analyzing movement of a succession of boxes corresponding to movement of the part of the body to determine data representing a gesture sequence.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

detecting, capturing, and recording the gesture sequence of the occupant of the vehicle in the active detection area of the passenger compartment;

receiving the data representing the recorded gesture sequence, comparing the data representing the recorded gesture sequence with at least one reference gesture sequence, and determining whether threshold conditions for triggering a lighting function have been met; and

generating and transmitting at least one instruction to activate and/or deactivate and/or vary light intensity and orientation of the beam emitted by the lighting device.