Motor vehicle with linear interior lighting for navigation

• US 10,800,326 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2017
• Issued: 10/13/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Audi AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Kastner, Julia, Tontsch, Friedrich-Uwe, Berlitz, Stephan
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Jason
• Application Number:
  US16/073,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20190322212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/338 Light strips
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2500/30 Arrangements for illuminating different zones in the vehicle, e.g. front/rear, different seats
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/18 for varying the light intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/78 for generating luminous strips, e.g. for marking trim component edges
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2106/00 Interior vehicle lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3661 Guidance output on an external device, e.g. car radio

Abstract

A motor vehicle, comprising at least one linear lighting device for directly or indirectly lighting a vehicle interior. The at least one lighting device extends, at least in some sections, horizontally along at least one component of the motor vehicle. The motor vehicle additionally comprises a position-sensing unit for sensing ego information describing a position and an orientation of the motor vehicle. The at least one lighting device is divided horizontally into a plurality of lighting segments, each having a fixed emission profile. The motor vehicle has a control device, configured to: determine a direction of the destination in relation to the motor vehicle; select a sub-group of the plurality of lighting segments comprising at least one lighting segment to be activated; and activate the at least one lighting segment belonging to the sub-group according to lighting brightness or lighting color of the at least one lighting segment.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle, comprising:

at least one linear lighting device for directly or indirectly lighting an interior of the motor vehicle,

wherein the at least one linear lighting device comprises a horizontal extension, at least in a plurality of sections, along at least one component of the motor vehicle, and

wherein the at least one linear lighting device is divided horizontally into a plurality of lighting segments, each having a fixed emission profile and at least one lighting element;

a position-sensing unit for sensing ego information describing a position and an orientation of the motor vehicle;

a navigation device; and

a control device, configured to;

determine, from location information provided by the navigation device and describing at least one destination, and from the ego information, direction information describing a direction of the at least one destination in relation to the motor vehicle;

determine position information describing at least one seating position of a passenger within the motor vehicle, wherein the position information is determined using at least one camera within the motor vehicle;

select, in accordance with the direction information for the at least one destination, and the position information, a sub-group of the plurality of lighting segments comprising at least one lighting segment to be activated, wherein selecting the sub-group comprises selecting a lighting segment of the at least one lighting segment that lies on a ray from the determined seating position of the passenger in a direction of an azimuth angle of the at least one destination;

activate the at least one lighting segment belonging to the sub-group in accordance with a configuration specifying a lighting brightness or a lighting color of the at least one lighting segment; and

visualize the direction of the at least one destination using the lighting brightness or the lighting color of the activated at least one lighting segment.

2. The motor vehicle of claim 1,

wherein the control device is further configured to:

detect an operating mode of the navigation device;

visualize, in an active operating mode describing a current navigation, the direction of the at least one destination of the current navigation; and

visualize, in a passive operating mode, at least one database-provided destination from the navigation device,

wherein the at least one database-provided destination is selectable for the current navigation to be performed.

3. The motor vehicle of claim 1,

wherein the control device is further configured to:

select, according to distance information describing a distance of the motor vehicle from the at least one destination, a quantity of the at least one lighting element of the sub-group;

visualize the at least one destination using the quantity of the at least one lighting element; and

set the lighting color of the sub-group visualizing the at least one destination.

4. The motor vehicle of claim 1,

wherein the at least one component is a dashboard, a door, a body column, or a central console of the motor vehicle.

5. The motor vehicle of claim 1,

wherein the horizontal extension is between about 2 mm and about 100 mm for the each of the plurality of lighting segments.

6. A method, comprising:

lighting, directly or indirectly, by at least one linear lighting device, an interior of a motor vehicle, wherein the at least one linear lighting device comprises a horizontal extension, at least in a plurality of sections, along at least one component of the motor vehicle, and wherein the at least one linear lighting device is divided horizontally into a plurality of lighting segments, each having a fixed emission profile and at least one lighting element;

sensing, by a position-sensing unit, ego information describing a position and an orientation of the motor vehicle;

providing, by a navigation device, location information describing at least one destination; and

determining, by a control device, from the location information and the at least one destination, and from the ego information, direction information describing a direction of the at least one destination in relation to the motor vehicle;

determining, by the control device, position information describing at least one seating position of a passenger within the motor vehicle, wherein the position information is determined using at least one camera within the motor vehicle;

selecting, by the control device, in accordance with the direction information for the at least one destination and the position information, a sub-group of the plurality of lighting segments comprising at least one lighting segment to be activated;

activating, by the control device, the at least one lighting segment belonging to the sub-group in accordance with a configuration specifying a lighting brightness or a lighting color of the at least one lighting segment, wherein selecting the sub-group comprises selecting a lighting segment of the at least one lighting segment that lies on a ray from the determined seating position of the passenger in a direction of an azimuth angle of the at least one destination; and

visualizing, by the control device, the direction of the at least one destination using the lighting brightness or the lighting color of the activated at least one lighting segment.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

detecting, by the control device, an operating mode of the navigation device;

visualizing, by the control device, in an active operating mode describing a current navigation, the direction of the at least one destination of the current navigation; and

visualizing, by the control device, in a passive operating mode, at least one database-provided destination from the navigation device,

wherein the at least one database-provided destination is selectable for the current navigation to be performed.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

selecting, by the control device, according to distance information describing a distance of the motor vehicle from the at least one destination, a quantity of the at least one lighting element of the sub-group;

visualizing, by the control device, the at least one destination using the quantity of the at least one lighting element; and

setting, by the control device, the lighting color of the sub-group visualizing the at least one destination.

9. The method of claim 6,

wherein the at least one component is a dashboard, a door, a body column, or a central console of the motor vehicle.

10. The method of claim 6,

wherein the horizontal extension is between about 2 mm and about 100 mm for the each of the plurality of lighting segments.