Vehicle indicating side marker lighting systems

• US 9,566,901 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2016
• Issued: 02/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Lindsay, Brian L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thuy Vinh
• Application Number:
  US15/145,094
• Time in Patent Office: 287 Days
• Field of Search: 362/506, 315/77, 307/10.1, 307/10.8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0023 the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0047 Signalling unit mounted on a headlamp unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/24 for lighting other areas than only the way ahead
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/32 for indicating vehicle sides , e.g. clearance lights
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2900/50 Arrangements to reconfigure features of lighting or signalling devices, or to choose from a list of pre-defined settings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Side marker lighting systems, methods of providing side marker lighting, and vehicles including the same are disclosed. A side marker lighting system includes a light emitting module having a plurality of light emitting diodes, a sensor module, and a master controller having instructions to receive data from the sensor module, where the data is indicative of a vehicle located in the vicinity of the side marker lighting system, determine that the vehicle is moving toward the system at an angle, determine location coordinates of the vehicle with respect to the system, determine a direction of light based on the location coordinates of the vehicle such that the direction of light is aimed at the vehicle, and direct the light emitting module to selectively activate the light emitting diodes such that the light emitting diodes produce a collective beam that corresponds to the first direction.

Claims

1. A side marker lighting system comprising:

a light emitting module comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes;

a sensor module; and

a master controller comprising a non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium storing one or more machine-readable instructions to;

receive data from the sensor module, wherein the data is indicative of a vehicle located in the vicinity of the side marker lighting system,

determine that the vehicle is moving toward the side marker lighting system at an angle,

determine location coordinates of the vehicle with respect to the side marker lighting system,

determine a direction of light based on the location coordinates of the vehicle such that the direction of light is aimed at the vehicle, and

direct the light emitting module to selectively activate the plurality of light emitting diodes such that the plurality of light emitting diodes produce a collective beam that corresponds to the direction of light.

2. The side marker lighting system of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium further stores one or more machine-readable instructions to:

determine second location coordinates of the vehicle with respect to the side marker lighting system when the vehicle moves with respect to the side marker lighting system to an area outside of the direction of light;

determine a second direction of light based on the second location coordinates such that the second direction of light is aimed at the vehicle; and

direct the light emitting module to selectively activate the plurality of light emitting diodes such that the plurality of light emitting diodes produce the collective beam that corresponds to the second direction of light.

3. The side marker lighting system of claim 1, the non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium further stores one or more machine-readable instructions to:

determine that the vehicle has moved outside the vicinity of the side marker lighting system; and

direct the light emitting module to deactivate the plurality of light emitting diodes.

4. The side marker lighting system of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium further stores one or more machine-readable instructions to:

activate the side marker lighting system based on at least one of a power on of a vehicle in which the side marker lighting system is installed, a detected ambient light level, and an activation of a headlight switch.

5. The side marker lighting system of claim 1, wherein the collective beam comprises a deluminated zone that corresponds to an area projected onto the vehicle that is aimed at a driver of the vehicle.

6. The side marker lighting system of claim 1, wherein the light emitting module comprises the plurality of light emitting diodes arranged on a curved surface positioned such that each of the plurality of light emitting diodes is particularly positioned according to a curvature of the curved surface.

7. The side marker lighting system of claim 1, wherein the side marker lighting system is one or more of a front side marker lighting system and a rear side marker lighting system.

8. The side marker lighting system of claim 1, wherein the light emitting module further comprises an LED controller for selectively activating the plurality of light emitting diodes.

9. The side marker lighting system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module comprises an imaging device that images an area adjacent to the side marker lighting system.

10. A method of providing side marker lighting, the method comprising:

receiving, by a master controller of a side marker lighting system, data from a sensor module, wherein the data is indicative of a vehicle located in the vicinity of the side marker lighting system;

determining, by the master controller, that the vehicle is moving toward the side marker lighting system at an angle;

determining, by the master controller, location coordinates of the vehicle with respect to the side marker lighting system;

determining, by the master controller, a direction of light based on the location coordinates of the vehicle such that the direction of light is aimed at the vehicle; and

directing, by the master controller, a light emitting module to selectively activate a plurality of light emitting diodes such that the plurality of light emitting diodes produce a collective beam that corresponds to the direction of light.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, by the master controller, second location coordinates of the vehicle with respect to the side marker lighting system when the vehicle moves with respect to the side marker lighting system to an area outside of the direction of light;

determining, by the master controller, a second direction of light based on the second location coordinates such that the second direction of light is aimed at the vehicle; and

directing, by the master controller, the light emitting module to selectively activate the plurality of light emitting diodes such that the plurality of light emitting diodes produce the collective beam that corresponds to the second direction of light.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining, by the master controller, that the vehicle has moved outside the vicinity of the side marker lighting system; and

directing, by the master controller, the light emitting module to deactivate the plurality of light emitting diodes.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

activating, by the master controller, the side marker lighting system based on at least one of a power on of a vehicle in which the side marker lighting system is installed, a detected ambient light level, and an activation of a headlight switch.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein directing the light emitting module to selectively activate the plurality of light emitting diodes such that the plurality of light emitting diodes produce a collective beam that corresponds to the direction of light comprises directing the light emitting module to selectively activate the plurality of light emitting diodes such that the plurality of light emitting diodes produce the collective beam comprising a deluminated zone that corresponds to an area projected onto the vehicle that is aimed at a driver of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the location coordinates of the vehicle comprises receiving data from the sensor module and mapping the location of the vehicle to coordinate axes based on the data.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein directing the light emitting module to selectively activate a plurality of light emitting diodes comprises:

determining, for each of the plurality of light emitting diodes, a second direction of an individual beam emitted from each of the plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the second direction is different for each individual beam;

determining a first portion of the plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the first portion comprises one of the plurality of light emitting diodes that emit an individual beam that corresponds to the direction of light; and

directing the light emitting module to activate only the first portion of the light emitting diodes to produce the collective beam.

17. A first vehicle comprising a side marker lighting system, the side marker lighting system comprising:

a light emitting module comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes and an LED controller for selectively activating one or more of the plurality of light emitting diodes in a pattern to produce a particularly aimed collective beam of light;

a sensor module; and

a master controller comprising a processing device and a non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium, the non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium comprising one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processing device to;

receive data from the sensor module, wherein the data is indicative of a second vehicle located in the vicinity of the first vehicle,

determine that the second vehicle is moving toward the first vehicle at an oblique angle,

determine first location coordinates of the second vehicle with respect to the first vehicle,

determine a first direction of light based on the first location coordinates of the second vehicle such that the first direction of light is aimed at the second vehicle,

direct the LED controller to selectively activate the plurality of light emitting diodes such that the plurality of light emitting diodes produce a collective beam that corresponds to the first direction of light, and

when the second vehicle moves with respect to the first vehicle to an area outside of the fist direction of light;

determine second location coordinates of the second vehicle with respect to the first vehicle,

determine a second direction of light based on the second location coordinates such that the second direction of light is aimed at the second vehicle, and

direct the light emitting module to selectively activate the plurality of light emitting diodes such that the plurality of light emitting diodes produce the collective beam that corresponds to the second direction of light.

18. The first vehicle of claim 17, wherein the non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium further comprises one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processing device to:

determine that the second vehicle has moved outside the vicinity of the first vehicle; and

direct the LED controller to deactivate the plurality of light emitting diodes.

19. The first vehicle of claim 17, wherein the non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium further comprises one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the processing device to:

activate the side marker lighting system based on at least one of a power on of the first vehicle, a detected ambient light level, and an activation of a headlight switch.

20. The first vehicle of claim 17, wherein the collective beam comprises a deluminated zone that corresponds to an area projected onto the second vehicle that is aimed at a driver of the second vehicle.