Pedestrian marking systems

• US 9,771,021 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2016
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• 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): Garcia, Santiago
• Application Number:
  US15/145,254
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 340465
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/18 being additional front lights bracket mounted headlights B60Q1/0483
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/22 for reverse drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/381 with several light sources activated in sequence, e.g. to create a sweep effect
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/45 Special conditions, e.g. pedestrians, road signs or potential dangers

Abstract

Pedestrian marking systems, vehicles containing the same, and methods of providing pedestrian marking lighting are disclosed. A system includes a light emitting module having light emitting diodes, a sensor module, and a master controller. The master controller is includes a storage medium with instructions that direct the master controller to receive data from the sensor module, where the data provides an indication of a pedestrian located in the vicinity of the vehicle, determine location coordinates of the pedestrian, determine a direction of light based on the location coordinates such that the light is aimed at the pedestrian, 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, determine that the vehicle is turning in a direction towards the pedestrian, and provide a notification to the pedestrian that the vehicle is turning.

Claims

1. A pedestrian marking system in a vehicle, the pedestrian marking 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 containing machine-readable instructions that direct the master controller to;

receive data from the sensor module, wherein the data provides an indication of a pedestrian located in the vicinity of the vehicle,

determine location coordinates of the pedestrian with respect to the vehicle,

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

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 first direction, the collective beam comprising a deluminated zone that corresponds to an area projected onto the pedestrian that is aimed at a face of the pedestrian,

determine that the vehicle is turning in a direction towards the pedestrian, and

provide a notification to the pedestrian that the vehicle is turning.

2. The pedestrian marking system of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable instructions further direct the master controller to:

determine second location coordinates of the pedestrian with respect to the vehicle when the pedestrian moves with respect to the vehicle to an area outside of the direction of the light;

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

3. The pedestrian marking system of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable instructions further direct the master controller to:

determine that the pedestrian has moved outside the vicinity of the vehicle; and

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

4. The pedestrian marking system of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable instructions further direct the master controller to:

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

5. The pedestrian marking 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.

6. The pedestrian marking system of claim 1, further comprising one or more turn signal indicators, wherein the master controller provides the notification via the one or more turn signal indicators.

7. The pedestrian marking system of claim 1, wherein the light emitting module further comprises an LED controller for selectively activating the plurality of light emitting diodes.

8. The pedestrian marking system of claim 1, wherein the sensor module comprises an imaging device that images an area adjacent to the vehicle.

9. A method of providing pedestrian marking lighting on a vehicle, the method comprising:

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

determining, by the master controller, location coordinates of the pedestrian with respect to the vehicle;

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

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 first direction, the collective beam comprising a deluminated zone that corresponds to an area projected onto the pedestrian that is aimed at a face of the pedestrian;

determining, by the master controller, that the vehicle is turning in a direction towards the pedestrian; and

providing, by the master controller, a notification to the pedestrian that the vehicle is turning.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the master controller, second location coordinates of the pedestrian with respect to the vehicle when the pedestrian moves with respect to the vehicle to an area outside of the direction of the 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 pedestrian; 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.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the master controller, that the pedestrian has moved outside the vicinity of the pedestrian marking system; and

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

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

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

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the location coordinates of the pedestrian comprises receiving data from the sensor module and mapping the location of the pedestrian to coordinate axes based on the data.

14. The method of claim 9, 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 direction of an individual beam emitted from each of the plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the direction is different for each individual beam;

determining a first portion of the plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the first portion comprises ones 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.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein determining that the vehicle is turning comprises at least one of receiving turn data from a vehicle navigation system, sensing one or more mechanical movements that indicate a turn, and receiving lane departure signals from a lane departure system.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein providing the notification to the pedestrian comprises directing the light emitting module to emit a turn indicator light.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein providing the notification to the pedestrian comprises directing one or more turn signal indicators to actuate.

18. A vehicle comprising:

a pedestrian marking 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 and to produce a turn indicator 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 pedestrian located in the vicinity of the vehicle,

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

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

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,

determine that the vehicle is making a turn in a direction towards the pedestrian,

direct the light emitting module to emit the turn indicator light in the direction of the turn, and

when the pedestrian moves with respect to the vehicle to an area outside of the direction of the light;

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

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

19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the collective beam comprises a deluminated zone that corresponds to an area projected onto the pedestrian that is aimed at a face of the pedestrian.