Information indicator for vehicle
First Claim
1. An information indicating device that provides visual information regarding a vehicle to an operator of the vehicle, comprising:
- an LED;
a light transmission structure disposed at a predetermined position outside a vehicle cabin within a line of sight of the vehicle operator while the vehicle operator is driving the vehicle for transmitting the light emitted from said LED to the vehicle operator during operation of the vehicle;
a detector that senses one or more conditions related to vehicle operation and generates a first predetermined signal in response to the sensed condition;
an LED controller operating said LED to transmit prescribed information to the vehicle operator in the form of one of a plurality of preset colors in response to said first predetermined signal when said first predetermined signal is greater that a predetermined threshold value and to emit a bluish light, responsive to the quantity of light in the environment in which the vehicle is operating, when said first predetermined signal is below said predetermined threshold value.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An information indicating device having an LED and a light transmitting structure is disposed within a line of sight of a vehicle operator so as to transmit light from the LED to the vehicle while the operator is driving the vehicle. A distance sensor measures a distance between a vehicle body and an object near it. An emission control circuit controls the LED based on an output of the distance sensor, thereby indicating predetermined information, such as a distance warning to the operator. An indicating portion is disposed on an end of a corner pole or a fender marker to receive light from the LED and transmit light to the vehicle operator without requiring the vehicle operator to substantially look away from the direction the vehicle is traveling or a mirror showing the driver the vehicle'"'"'s traveling direction.
267 Citations
45 Claims
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1. An information indicating device that provides visual information regarding a vehicle to an operator of the vehicle, comprising:
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an LED; a light transmission structure disposed at a predetermined position outside a vehicle cabin within a line of sight of the vehicle operator while the vehicle operator is driving the vehicle for transmitting the light emitted from said LED to the vehicle operator during operation of the vehicle; a detector that senses one or more conditions related to vehicle operation and generates a first predetermined signal in response to the sensed condition; an LED controller operating said LED to transmit prescribed information to the vehicle operator in the form of one of a plurality of preset colors in response to said first predetermined signal when said first predetermined signal is greater that a predetermined threshold value and to emit a bluish light, responsive to the quantity of light in the environment in which the vehicle is operating, when said first predetermined signal is below said predetermined threshold value.
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2. An information indicating device that provides visual information regarding a vehicle to an operator of the vehicle, comprising:
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a light-transmitting main body provided on a fender marker near a front end of at least one of a right and a left said of the vehicle; a plurality of LEDs of different colors disposed inside said main body; a detector for detecting a predetermined state of the vehicle and providing a first predetermined signal to an LED controller indicative of said predetermined state of the vehicle; said LED controller controlling operating said LEDs to illuminate at least a portion of said main body in one of a plurality of said preset colors wherein in response to said first predetermined signal received from said detector, said LEDs emit a bluish light, responsive to the quantity of light in the environment in which the vehicle is operating. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An information indicating device that provides visual information regarding a vehicle to an operator of the vehicle, comprising:
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a light-transmitting main body provided on a fender marker near a front end of at least one of a right and a left side of the vehicle; a plurality of LEDs of different colors disposed inside said main body; an LED controller for controlling said LEDs in combination to illuminate at least a portion of said main body in one of a plurality of preset colors of light; a device detecting a predetermined state of the vehicle and providing a first predetermined signal to said LED controller indicative of said predetermined state of the vehicle; wherein the LED controller operates said LEDs to illuminate at least a portion of said main body in one of said preset colors in response to said first predetermined signal received from said detector and to emit a reddish light responsive to a quantity of light in an environment in which the vehicle is operating is more than a predetermined value, while operating said LEDs to emit a bluish light responsive to the quantity of light in the environment in which the vehicle is operating is not more than said predetermined value.
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13. An information indicating device comprising:
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a main body attached at a position outside a vehicle cabin near a front end of at least one of a right and a left side of a vehicle; an LED housed within said main body; a distance sensor for measuring a distance between the vehicle and an object near the vehicle; an LED controller for controlling said LED based on an output of said distance sensor, wherein said LED emits a bluish light, responsive to the quantity of light in the environment in which the vehicle is operating, when the output from the said distance sensor is above a predetermined value. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. An information indicating device comprising:
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a main body attached at a position outside a vehicle cabin near a front end of at least one of a right and a left side of a vehicle; an LED housed within said main body; a distance sensor for measuring a distance between the vehicle and an object near the vehicle; an LED controller for controlling said LED based on an output of said distance sensor, wherein said distance sensor is housed substantially within said main body and measures a distance between the vehicle and the object at the side of the vehicle, and wherein said main body is one of a fender marker and a corner pole.
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18. An information indicating device comprising:
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a main body attached at a position outside a vehicle cabin near a front end of at least one of a right and a left side of a vehicle; an LED housed within said main body; a distance sensor for measuring a distance between the vehicle and an object near the vehicle; an LED controller for controlling said LED based on an output of said distance sensor, wherein said main body is one of a marker and a corner pole attached near a front end of the vehicle said distance sensor is disposed inside said one of said marker ad said corner pole; said LED is housed substantially within said one of said marker and said corner pole; said information indicating device further comprising an indicating portion disposed on said one of said marker and said corner pole to receive light emitted from said LED to transmit the light to the vehicle operator.
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19. An information indicating device comprising:
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a main body attached at a position outside a vehicle cabin near a front end of at least one of a right and a left side of a vehicle; an LED housed within said main body; a distance sensor for measuring a distance between the vehicle and an object near the vehicle; an LED controller for controlling said LED based on an output of said distance sensor, wherein said main body is one of a maker and a corner pole attached near a front end of the vehicle; said distance sensor is housed substantially within said one of said marker and said corner pole; said information indicating device further comprising an indicating portion disposed on said one of said marker and said corner pole and accommodating said LED to transmit light from said LED to the vehicle operator; a lead connecting said LED controller to said LED, said lead being capable of stretching and contracting in accordance with a change in length of said one of said marker and said corner pole.
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20. An information indicating device comprising:
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a distance sensor, disposed on a vehicle, for detecting an object near the vehicle and outputting a signal corresponding to a distance between the vehicle and the object; a warning indicator, disposed on a mirror attached to the vehicle, an LED having a lens configured to emit light only in a direction of a driver of the vehicle; an LED controller for controlling said LED based on an output of said distance sensor, wherein said LED is capable of emitting a plurality of colors of light, said LED controller changes the color of light of said LED according to the output of said distance sensor, and said LED emits a bluish light, responsive to the quantity of light in the environment in which the vehicle is operating, when the output of said distance sensor is above a predetermined value. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. An information indicating device comprising:
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a distance sensor, attached near a rear end of a vehicle, for measuring a distance between the vehicle and an object behind the vehicle; a warning indicator, disposed near the rear end of the vehicle, comprising an LED capable of emitting light toward an interior of the vehicle; an LED controller for controlling said LED based on an output of said distance sensor, wherein said LED is capable of emit a plurality of colors of light, said LED controller changes the color of light of said LED according to the output of said distance sensor, and said LED emits a bluish light, responsive to the quantity of light in the environment in which the vehicle is operating, when the output of said distance sensor is above a predetermined value. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. An information indicating device comprising:
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a distance sensor, attached near a rear end of a vehicle, for measuring a distance between the vehicle and an object behind the vehicle; a warning indicator, disposed near the rear end of the vehicle, having an LED capable of emitting light toward an interior of the vehicle, said warning indicator comprising; a warning emitter having a housing provided near a rear end of the vehicle and said LED disposed within said housing to emit a selected color of light upward, substantially parallel to a rear surface of the vehicle; a reflector positioned at an upper end of the rear surface of the vehicle and on an optical path of said light emitted from said LED to reflect said light toward the vehicle interior; an LED controller for controlling said LED based on an output of said distance sensor, wherein said reflector is a mirror attached in a space inside a back visor disposed on the upper end of the rear surface of the vehicle.
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37. An information indicating device that provides visual information regarding a vehicle to an operator of the vehicle, comprising:
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an LED; a light transmission structure disposed at a predetermined position outside a vehicle cabin within a line of sight of the vehicle operator to transmit light emitted from said LED to the vehicle operator; a detector that senses one or more conditions related to vehicle operation and generates a first predetermined signal in response to said one or more conditions; an LED controller operating said LED to transmit prescribed information to the vehicle operator in the form of one of a plurality of preset colors in response to said first predetermined signal when said first predetermined signal is greater that a predetermined threshold value and to emit another one of said plurality of preset colors, when said first predetermined signal is below said predetermined threshold value.
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38. An information indicating device that provides visual information regarding a vehicle to an operator of the vehicle, comprising:
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an LED; a light transmission structure disposed at a predetermined position outside a vehicle cabin within a line of sight of the vehicle operator to transmit light emitted from said LED to the vehicle operator; a detector that senses one or more conditions related to vehicle operation and generates a first predetermined signal in response to the sensed condition; an LED controller operating said LED to transmit prescribed information to the vehicle operator in the form of a bluish light in response to said first predetermined signal when said first predetermined signal is greater that a predetermined threshold value and to emit one of a plurality of preset colors, when said first predetermined signal is below said predetermined threshold value.
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39. An information indicating device that provides visual information regarding a vehicle to an operator of the vehicle, comprising:
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an LED; a light transmission structure disposed at a predetermined position outside a vehicle cabin within a line of sight of the vehicle operator to transmit light emitted from said LED to the vehicle operator; a detector that senses one or more conditions related to vehicle operation and generates a first predetermined signal in response to the sensed condition; an LED controller operating said LED to transmit prescribed information to the vehicle operator in the form of a colored light, responsive to the quantity of light in the environment in which the vehicle is operating, in response to said first predetermined signal when said first predetermined signal is greater that a predetermined threshold value and to emit a second colored light, responsive to the quantity of light in the environment in which the vehicle is operating, when said first predetermined signal is below said predetermined threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42)
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43. An information indicating device that provides visual information regarding a vehicle to an operator of the vehicle, comprising:
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an LED; a light transmission structure disposed at a predetermined position outside a vehicle cabin within a line of sight of the vehicle operator to transmit light emitted from said LED to the vehicle operator; a detector that senses one or more conditions related to vehicle operation and generates a first predetermined signal in response to the sensed condition; an LED controller operating said LED to transmit prescribed information to the vehicle operator in the form of one of a plurality of preset colors in response to said first predetermined signal when said first predetermined signal is greater that a predetermined threshold value and to flash one of said plurality of preset colors, when said first predetermined signal is below said predetermined threshold value.
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44. An information indicating device that provides visual information regarding a vehicle to an operator of the vehicle, comprising:
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an LED; a light tranmission structure disposed at a predetermined position outside a vehicle cabin within a line of sight of the vehicle operator to transmit light emitted from said LED to the vehicle operator; a detector that senses one or more conditions related to vehicle operation and generates a first predetermined signal in response to the sensed condition; an LED controller operating said LED to transmit prescribed information to the vehicle operator in the form of one of a plurality of preset colors in response to said first predetermined signal when said first predetermined signal is greater that a predetermined threshold value and to flash one of said plurality of preset colors, when said first predetermined signal is below said predetermined threshold value, to transition to another one of said plurality of preset colors following said flashing color.
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45. An information indicating device comprising:
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a distance sensor, disposed on a vehicle, for detecting an object near the vehicle and outputting a signal corresponding to a distance between the vehicle and the object; a warning indicator, disposed on an external mirror attached to the vehicle, an LED having a lens configured to emit light only in a direction of a driver of the vehicle; an LED controller controlling said LED based on an output of said distance sensor, wherein said LED is capable of emitting a plurality of colors of light, said LED controller changes the color of light of said LED according to the output of said distance sensor, and said LED emits a reddish light, responsive to the quantity of light in the environment in which the vehicle is operating, when the output of said distance sensor is above a predetermined value.
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Specification