CONTROLLING DIMMING OF MIRRORS OR DISPLAYS USING DUAL-FUNCTION LIGHTING

• US 20170313250A1
• Filed: 04/29/2016
• Published: 11/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faraday & Future Inc.
• Original Assignee: Faraday & Future Inc.
• Inventors: FISCHER, Evan Roger
• Granted Patent: US 10,000,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0023 the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2603 Attenuation of the light according to ambient luminiosity, e.g. for braking or direction indicating lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/44 for indicating braking action or preparation for braking, e.g. by detection of the foot approaching the brake pedal
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/083 Anti-glare mirrors, e.g. "day-night" mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/088 using a cell of electrically changeable optical characteristic, e.g. liquid-crystal or electrochromic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2001/1223 with sensors or transducers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/16 using electric radiation detectors G01J1/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4204 with determination of ambient light solar light G01J2001/4266
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/446 Photodiode
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/448 Array [CCD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/75 by influencing optical camera components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle includes a first indicator light associated with a first function or a first state of the vehicle (e.g., a brake light), and circuitry coupled to the first indicator light. The circuitry is configured to cause the first indicator light to emit light when the vehicle is performing the first function or is operating in the first state, and detect an amount of light incident on the first indicator light. Thus, the indicator light can be used to detect incoming light to perform various vehicle functions (e.g., automatically dimming mirrors based on the incoming light) without the need for a dedicated light sensor.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

a first indicator light associated with a first function or a first state of the vehicle; and

circuitry coupled to the first indicator light, the circuitry configured to;

cause the first indicator light to emit light when the vehicle is performing the first function or is operating in the first state; and

detect an amount of light incident on the first indicator light.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first indicator light comprises an LED configured to generate a reverse current or a reverse voltage when light is incident upon the LED.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first indicator light comprises a brake light of the vehicle, and the circuitry is configured to cause the first indicator light to emit light when a brake system of the vehicle is activated.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first indicator light comprises a reverse light of the vehicle, and the circuitry is configured to cause the first indicator light to emit light when the vehicle is operated in a reverse drive mode.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a dimmable mirror; and

a processor configured to control an amount of dimming of the dimmable mirror based on the amount of light detected at the first indicator light.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a second indicator light associated with a second function or a second state of the vehicle,

wherein;

the circuitry is further coupled to the second indicator light, and the circuitry is further configured to;

cause the second indicator light to emit light when the vehicle is performing the second function or is operating in the second state; and

detect an amount of light incident on the second indicator light.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the first function is different from the second function, and the first state is different from the second state.

8. The vehicle of claim 6, further comprising:

a first dimmable mirror;

a second dimmable mirror; and

a processor configured to;

control an amount of dimming of the first dimmable mirror based on the amount of light detected at the first indicator light; and

independently of controlling the amount of dimming of the first dimmable mirror, control an amount of dimming of the second dimmable mirror based on the amount of light detected at the second indicator light.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the first dimmable mirror comprises a left side view mirror, the first indicator light is disposed on a left side of a rear of the vehicle, the second dimmable mirror comprises a right side view mirror, and the second indicator light is disposed on a right side of the rear of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle of claim 6, further comprising:

a dimmable mirror; and

a processor configured to;

control an amount of dimming of the dimmable mirror based on the amount of light detected at the first indicator light and the amount of light detected at the second indicator light.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the dimmable mirror comprises a rear view mirror.

12. The vehicle of claim 6, further comprising:

a dimmable mirror; and

a processor configured to;

in accordance with a determination that the vehicle is performing the first function or is operating in the first state;

cause the first indicator light to emit light; and

control an amount of dimming of the dimmable mirror based on the amount of light detected at the second indicator light; and

in accordance with a determination that the vehicle is performing the second function or is operating in the second state;

cause the second indicator light to emit light; and

control the amount of dimming of the dimmable mirror based on the amount of light detected at the first indicator light.

13. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein while the vehicle is performing the first function or is operating in the first state, emitting the light by the first indicator light and detecting the amount of light incident on the first indicator light are time-multiplexed by:

driving, using the circuitry, the first indicator light to emit the light during one or more indicator time periods; and

detecting, using the circuitry, the amount of light incident on the first indicator light during one or more detector time periods, the one or more detector time periods separated from the one or more indicator time periods by a predefined amount of time.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

determine whether a duty cycle of the light incident on the first indicator light is out of phase with the one or more detector time periods;

in accordance with a determination that the duty cycle of the light incident on the first indicator light is out of phase with the one or more detector time periods, adjust a phase or a period of the one or more detector time periods to substantially align with the duty cycle of the light incident on the first indicator light; and

in accordance with a determination that the duty cycle of the light incident on the first indicator light is not out of phase with the one or more detector time periods, forgo adjusting the phase or the period of the one or more detector time periods.

15. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a dimmable mirror; and

a processor configured to;

determine one or more characteristics of the light incident on the first indicator light, wherein a first amount of light is detected at the first indicator light;

in accordance with a determination that the one or more characteristics comprise a first characteristic, control an amount of dimming of the dimmable mirror based on the first amount of light detected at the first indicator light; and

in accordance with a determination that the one or more characteristics do not comprise the first characteristic, forgo controlling the amount of dimming of the dimmable mirror based on the first amount of light detected at the first indicator light.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein determining that the one or more characteristics comprise the first characteristic comprises determining that the light is generated by a headlight of another vehicle.

17. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein determining that the one or more characteristics do not comprise the first characteristic comprises determining that the light is sunlight or moonlight.

18. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising:

a camera coupled to a display configured to display one or more images captured by the camera; and

a processor configured to control an amount of dimming of the display and/or a characteristic of the camera based on the amount of light detected at the first indicator light.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

emitting light at a first indicator light, associated with a first function or a first state of a vehicle, in response to the vehicle performing the first function or operating in the first state; and

detecting an amount of light incident on the first indicator light.

20. A method comprising:

emitting light at a first indicator light, associated with a first function or a first state of a vehicle, in response to the vehicle performing the first function or operating in the first state; and

detecting an amount of light incident on the first indicator light.