Automotive lamp control

• US 9,849,826 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2017
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joseph P. Zizzadoro
• Original Assignee: Joseph P. Zizzadoro
• Inventors: Zizzadoro, Joseph P.
• Primary Examiner(s): A, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US15/441,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20170246981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 305 Days
• Field of Search: 315 80
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/11 Instrument graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/11 Graphical user interfaces or menu aspects
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0076 Switches therefor B60Q1/1446, B60Q1/343, B60Q1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/02 the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1407 General lighting circuits comprising dimming circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/50 for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/40 Welcome lights, i.e. specific or existing exterior lamps to assist leaving or approaching the vehicle
• 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

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable media for automotive lamp illumination control are provided. One example apparatus includes a first communication port, a controller device, and a memory. The memory stores instructions that, when executed by the controller device, cause the controller device to detect a user input command entered by way of one or more user input devices, determine whether the user input command corresponds to an action among a plurality of predetermined actions including at least one of commencing an illumination pattern, terminating the illumination pattern, or switching the illumination pattern, and, in a case where it is determined that the user input command corresponds to the action among the plurality of predetermined actions, cause the action to be executed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for automotive lamp illumination control, the apparatus comprising:

a first communication port;

a controller device; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the controller device, cause the controller device to;

detect a user input command entered by way of one or more user input devices,

determine whether the user input command corresponds to an action among a plurality of predetermined actions including at least one of commencing an illumination pattern, terminating the illumination pattern, or switching the illumination pattern, and

in a case where it is determined that the user input command corresponds to the action among the plurality of predetermined actions, cause the action to be executed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the user input command includes detecting the user input command entered by way of a predetermined command or combination of commands entered by way of a user input device of a vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the user input device of the vehicle includes at least one of a steering wheel button, a dashboard button, a wireless key fob button, a button located on a door of the vehicle, a key ignition, or a voice-based user input device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user input command includes a single command or a combination of a plurality of commands.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory further stores a list of a plurality of user input commands, and wherein the determining whether the user input command corresponds to the action among the plurality of actions includes matching the user input command to one of the plurality of user input commands of the list.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in a case where it is determined that the user input command corresponds to commencing the illumination pattern, the controller device is configured to cause the commencing of the illumination pattern, wherein the commencing of the illumination pattern includes causing at least one automotive lamp of a plurality of automotive lamps of a vehicle to be illuminated in one or more predetermined patterns.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the memory further has stored thereon a lamp control table that includes information relating to at least one of the illumination pattern or the plurality of automotive lamps of the vehicle, and wherein the commencing of the illumination pattern includes:

performing a lookup, in the lamp control table, based on at least one of the illumination pattern or a sequence number, to determine at least one of which one of the plurality of automotive lamps of the vehicle is to be illuminated or which code of a plurality of codes corresponds to the determined one of the plurality of automotive lamps, and

transmitting an illumination pattern commencement message to a control module thereby causing the determined one of the plurality of automotive lamps to be illuminated.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the lamp control table includes lamp control information associated with a plurality of automotive lamps of a plurality of vehicles, and wherein the performing of the lookup in the lamp table is based at least in part on a vehicle identifier associated with one of the plurality of vehicles.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the illumination pattern commencement message includes a lamp code corresponding to the determined automotive lamp of the plurality of automotive lamps.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the memory further has stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller device to:

wait until a delay of a predetermined amount of time elapses, and

in response to the elapsing of the delay, transmit an illumination pattern termination message to a control module, thereby causing termination of the illumination of the determined automotive lamp of the plurality of automotive lamps.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the memory further has stored thereon:

an illumination pattern table including illumination pattern information describing the illumination pattern, wherein the illumination pattern information includes at least one of automotive lamp information or illumination timing information, and

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller device to;

determine whether illumination of the at least one automotive lamp is to be repeated based on the illumination pattern table;

in a case where it is determined that illumination of at least one automotive lamp is to be repeated,

cause illumination of the at least one automotive lamp to be repeated; and

in a case where it is determined that illumination of the at least one automotive lamp is not to be repeated;

perform a lookup, in the lamp control table, based on the illumination pattern table, to determine which automotive lamp of the plurality of automotive lamps of the vehicle is to be illuminated next.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory further has stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller device to:

periodically transmit a keepalive message to a control module at a predetermined refresh rate.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory further has stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller device to:

wait for entry of a user input command to be detected; and

in a case where a predetermined amount of time elapses without detecting entry of the user input command, enter a sleep mode.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the memory further has stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller device to:

detect entry of the user input command while in the sleep mode; and

exit the sleep mode in response to the detection of the entry of the user input command.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory further has stored thereon instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller device to:

detect a speed of a vehicle, and

disable commencement of an illumination pattern if the detected speed is greater than zero.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication protocol device configured to communicate messages by way of a communication path of the vehicle according to a predetermined communication protocol.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the communication path includes a controller area network (CAN) bus, and wherein the communication protocol device facilitates communication by way of the CAN bus.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first communication port is an on-board diagnostics port.

19. A method for automotive lamp illumination control, the method comprising:

detecting a user input command entered by way of one or more user input devices;

determining whether the user input command corresponds to an action among a plurality of predetermined actions including at least one of commencing an illumination pattern, terminating the illumination pattern, or switching the illumination pattern; and

in a case where it is determined that the user input command corresponds to the action among the plurality of predetermined actions, causing the action to be executed.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement a method for automotive lamp illumination control, the method comprising:

detecting a user input command entered by way of one or more user input devices;

determining whether the user input command corresponds to an action among a plurality of predetermined actions including at least one of commencing an illumination pattern, terminating the illumination pattern, or switching the illumination pattern; and

in a case where it is determined that the user input command corresponds to the action among the plurality of predetermined actions, causing the action to be executed.