Enhanced communication system for vehicle hazard lights

• US 9,481,331 B1
• Filed: 11/05/2015
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ESS-Help, Inc.
• Original Assignee: David Tucker
• Inventors: Tucker, Daniel Anthony, Cobb, John Zachariah, Kimberlin, Denver, Maurya, Devender Nath, Tucker, David M., Torkelson, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mortell, John
• Application Number:
  US14/933,881
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 340/471
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0076 Switches therefor B60Q1/1446, B60Q1/343, B60Q1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0082 mounted on the steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2607 comprising at least two indicating lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/38 using immovably-mounted light sources, e.g. fixed flashing lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/444 with indication of the braking strength or speed changes, e.g. by changing shape or intensity of the indication B60Q1/1407, B60Q1/442, B60Q1/447 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/445 controlled by inertial devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/448 specially adapted for vehicles with ABS
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/46 for giving flashing caution signals during drive, other than signalling change of direction, e.g. flashing the headlights or hazard lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/52 for indicating emergencies
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2900/10 Retrofit arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0231 Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P

Abstract

A system for implementing strobing of existing vehicle hazard lights including an interface to a vehicle wiring harness configured to receive input to an existing vehicle flasher module, and a strobing circuit that responds to an activation signal from the vehicle wiring harness that is indicative of a hazard flasher deployment event by producing an electrical output through the interface to the vehicle wiring harness that causes a strobing of existing vehicle hazard lamps.

Claims

1. A system for implementing strobing of existing vehicle hazard lights comprising:

an interface to a vehicle wiring harness configured to receive input to an existing vehicle flasher module; and

a strobing circuit that responds to an activation signal from the vehicle wiring harness that is indicative of a hazard flasher deployment event by producing an electrical output through the interface to the vehicle wiring harness that causes a strobing of existing vehicle hazard lamps;

wherein the strobing effect on each of the existing vehicle hazard lamps has a cycle that is perceptibly faster than a cycle of existing vehicle signal lights; and

wherein a user signals a hazard flasher deployment by an existing vehicle hazard flasher switch inside the vehicle; and

wherein the strobing circuit accepts the activation signal, which would otherwise be input to the existing vehicle flasher module to activate a non-strobing hazard flasher deployment of the existing vehicle hazard lamps; and

wherein the strobing circuit produces the electrical output to create a strobing effect of the existing vehicle hazard lamps in place of what would otherwise be output by the existing vehicle flasher module to the existing vehicle hazard lamps producing the non-strobing hazard flashing of the existing vehicle lamps.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the strobing circuit provides a plurality of different strobing effects via the wiring harness, the plurality of strobing effects being selected by subsequent activation signals indicative of subsequent hazard flasher deployment.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of strobing effects indicates a directional signal by strobing existing vehicle lamps on one of the left or right side of the vehicle before those of the other side.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface and the strobing circuit are an integrated component that replaces an existing vehicle flasher module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the strobing effect on each of the existing vehicle hazard lamps has a cycle of at least 4 Hertz.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the strobing circuit comprises a programmable microcontroller.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the strobing circuit further comprises an accelerometer and causes the strobing of existing vehicle hazard lamps in response to predetermined acceleration events being detected by the accelerometer.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the strobing circuit is interfaced to an existing vehicle safety system and causes the strobing of existing vehicle hazard lamps in response to a notification of a predetermined safety related event by the existing vehicle safety system.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the strobing circuit produces the electrical output through the interface to the vehicle wiring harness that causes the strobing of existing vehicle hazard lamps without additional controls apart from the interface to the vehicle wiring harness.

9. A vehicle safety device comprising:

a microcontroller;

an analog input block configured to accept inputs from a vehicle wiring harness indicative of deployment of a left signal, a right signal, and hazard flashers;

a body control module input block configured to accept inputs from a vehicle body control module indicative of a left signal, a right signal, and hazard flashers; and

an output signal block configured to drive at least a front left signal light, a front right signal light, a rear left signal light, and a rear right signal light;

wherein the microcontroller accepts input from either of the analog input block or the body control module input block to determine when hazard flashers have been deployed and, when hazard flashers are deployed, drives at least the front left signal light, the front right signal light, the rear left signal light, and the rear right signal light in a repeating flash pattern comprising a portion having a cycle rate that is perceptibly faster than a signal light cycle rate;

wherein the microcontroller, in response to determining when hazard flashers have been deployed, drives at least the front left signal light, the front right signal light, the rear left signal light, and the rear right signal light in the repeating flash pattern comprising the portion having the cycle rate that is perceptibly faster than the signal light cycle rate without any additional controls apart from the analog input block and the body control module input block; and

wherein the body control module input block accepts as input signals that would otherwise be output to existing vehicle lamps.

10. The vehicle safety device of claim 9, wherein the microcontroller drives at least the front left signal light, the front right signal light, the rear left signal light, and the rear right signal light in a plurality of strobing patterns.

11. The vehicle safety device of claim 9, wherein in of the plurality of strobing patterns is selected by a user using an existing vehicle hazard light switch.

12. The vehicle safety device of claim 9, wherein the microcontroller drives at least the front left signal light and left rear signal light in a repeating non-strobing pattern in response to input indicative of a left signal and drives at least the front right signal light and rear right signal light in the repeating non-strobing pattern in response to input indicative of input indicative of a right signal.

13. The vehicle safety device of claim 9, wherein the analog input block accepts input from an existing vehicle wiring harness.

14. The vehicle safety device of claim 9, wherein the analog input block is configured to interface with at least 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 pin flasher relay systems.

15. A vehicle lighting safety device comprising:

at least one hazard input communicatively coupled to a driver accessible hazard light switch inside the vehicle;

a microcontroller communicatively coupled to the at least one hazard input; and

an output communicatively coupled to the microcontroller and capable of driving a plurality of vehicle mounted light emitting diodes, at least some of which are selectively operative as turn signal lights based upon manipulation of a signal light stalk mounted to a vehicle steering column;

wherein the microcontroller operates both the plurality of light emitting diodes in a strobing manner in response to receiving a signal on the at least one hazard input;

wherein the microcontroller accepts input from the driver accessible hazard light switch that would otherwise control the existing, non-strobing hazard lights; and

wherein the output from the microcontroller replaces output to the plurality of vehicle mounted light emitting diodes that would have been correspondent to existing non-strobing hazard light activation.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the microcontroller comprises a body control module.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the microcontroller receives the hazard input via a body control module.