System for pre-indication of motor vehicle HID lamp feature

• US 7,589,471 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Truck Intellectual Property Co. LLC (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: International Truck Intellectual Property Co. LLC (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Kaczorowski, Lance G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens; Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen; Jianzi
• Application Number:
  US11/551,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20080185966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 315/77, 315/82, 307/10.1, 307/10.8
• US Class Current: 315/77
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 11/005 for lighting devices, e.g. indicating if lamps are burning or not
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 41/2925 against abnormal lamp operating conditions

Abstract

Vehicle high intensity discharge lamps are available with three wire ballasts which emit a signal indicating proximate shutdown of the ballast and thus failure of the bulb energized by the ballast. The signal provides indication to a vehicle electrical controller which can be relayed to a remote facility which schedules replacement of the bulb.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp system, comprising:

high intensity discharge lamps installed on a vehicle;

ballasts installed on the vehicle for supplying energizing current to the high intensity discharge lamps;

programmable controller means installed on the vehicle coupled to receive indication of current drawn by each of the high intensity discharge lamps and responsive thereto for predicting an impending failure of a high intensity discharge lamp;

a remote facility for management of a fleet including a vehicle on which the high intensity discharge lamps are installed;

means for notifying the remote facility from the programmable controller of the impending failure; and

program means executed on the remote facility for selecting a repair location for replacement of the lamp based on vehicle location and itinerary and returning information identifying the selected repair location to the programmable controller for access by a vehicle operator.

2. A vehicle lamp system as described in claim 1, further comprising:

a selected trigger level for the signal indicative of impending lamp failure to give a predetermined number of hours until expected failure.