AUTOMATIC ILLUMINATING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MOTOR VEHICLES

• US 20090257238A1
• Filed: 11/05/2008
• Published: 10/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: WU, CHIA-YING
• Granted Patent: US 7,777,621 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/466
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/28 for indicating front of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/30 Daytime running lights [DRL], e.g. circuits or arrangements therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic illuminating apparatus for motor vehicles. The apparatus includes an illumination device for emitting light beams, comprising a first light emitting member for emitting light beams in daytime and a controlling device electrically connected with the illumination device. The controlling device includes a sensor for sensing whether the vehicle is in motion, a time recording module for recording current time, a memory for storing an illumination period of the first light emitting member, a processor for analyzing whether the current time is in the illumination period which is electrically connected with the time recording module, the memory and the processor, and a controlling module for controlling the first light emitting member emitting light beams based on an analyzed result from the processor.

Claims

1. An automatic illuminating apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising:

an illumination device for emitting light beams, comprising a first light emitting member for emitting light beams in daytime; and

a controlling device electrically coupled to the illumination device, the controlling device comprising;

a sensor capable of sensing whether the motor vehicle is in motion;

a time recording module capable of providing a time information;

a memory for storing an illumination period of the first light emitting member;

a controlling module capable of controlling the first light emitting member; and

a processor electrically coupled to the sensor, the time recording module, the memory and the controlling module, the processor being configured for analyzing whether the current time in the illumination period when the vehicle is in motion and transmitting an analyzed result to the controlling module such that the first light emitting member is turn on or turn off automatically.

2. The automatic illuminating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first light emitting member comprises of at least one light emitting diode.

3. The automatic illuminating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the illumination device further comprises a second light emitting member for emitting light beams at night, the second light emitting member is electrically connected in parallel with the first light emitting member.

4. The automatic illumination apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second light emitting member is selected from the group consisting of incandescence lamps, fluorescent lamps and halogen lamps.

5. The automatic illuminating apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the illumination device further comprises a light guide member, the light guide member includes a light incident surface, the first light emitting member and the second light emitting member is arranged adjacent to the light incident surface.

6. The automatic illuminating apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the light guide member further includes a bottom surface and a light output surface opposite to the bottom surface, the light incident surface is in connection with the bottom surface and the light output surface.

7. A method for illuminating automatically for a motor vehicle via an automatic illuminating apparatus which comprises a memory, a sensor, a time recording module, a processor and a controlling module, the method comprising:

storing an illumination period of a first light emitting member for emitting light beams in daytime in the memory;

judging whether the vehicle is in motion using the sensor;

if the vehicle is in motion, then reading the current time from the time recording module to the processor;

analyzing whether the current time is within the illumination period; and

if current time is within the illumination period, then controlling the first light emitting member to emit light beams, else turning off the first light emitting member, using the controlling module.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

providing a second light emitting member electrically connected in parallel with the first light emitting member for the automatic illuminating apparatus;

storing an illumination period of a second light emitting member for emitting light beams in night in the memory;

analyzing whether the current time is in the illumination period of the second light emitting member using the processor; and

controlling the second light emitting member to emit light beams using the controlling module based on an analyzed result from the data processing.