Vehicle puddle lamp responsive to ground surface conditions
First Claim
1. A lighting system for the exterior of a vehicle, comprising:
- a housing;
a hazard sensor carried by the housing for detecting the presence of a plurality of hazards in a predetermined region on a ground surface adjacent to the vehicle;
a lamp assembly carried by the housing having a light source for projecting light onto at least a portion of the region; and
a controller coupled to the hazard sensor and the lamp assembly,wherein the controller is configured to;
receive an indication of a vehicle user ingress or a vehicle user egress;
receive an input from the hazard sensor;
determine a condition on the ground surface in the predetermined region adjacent the vehicle; and
actuate the lamp assembly based on receiving the indication of user ingress or egress and based on the determining step,wherein the determining step includes;
when none of the plurality of hazards exist in the predetermined region, then illuminating the predetermined region according to a first brightness or a first color or both; and
when one of the plurality of hazards exists in the predetermined region, then illuminating the predetermined region according to a second brightness or a second color or both.
10 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A lighting system for the exterior of a vehicle that includes a housing, a sensor, a lamp assembly, and a controller. The sensor is carried by the housing and detects the presence of a hazard in a predetermined region on the ground adjacent to the vehicle. The lamp assembly is carried by the housing and has a light source for projecting light onto at least a portion of the region. The controller is coupled to the sensor and the lamp assembly. The controller has a light activation input and, upon receipt of a light activation command at the input, it controls the lamp assembly to project light from the lamp assembly of a first color or other visible characteristic when no hazard is detected by the sensor and of a second color or other visible characteristic when the hazard is detected by the sensor.
46 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A lighting system for the exterior of a vehicle, comprising:
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a housing; a hazard sensor carried by the housing for detecting the presence of a plurality of hazards in a predetermined region on a ground surface adjacent to the vehicle; a lamp assembly carried by the housing having a light source for projecting light onto at least a portion of the region; and a controller coupled to the hazard sensor and the lamp assembly, wherein the controller is configured to; receive an indication of a vehicle user ingress or a vehicle user egress; receive an input from the hazard sensor; determine a condition on the ground surface in the predetermined region adjacent the vehicle; and actuate the lamp assembly based on receiving the indication of user ingress or egress and based on the determining step, wherein the determining step includes; when none of the plurality of hazards exist in the predetermined region, then illuminating the predetermined region according to a first brightness or a first color or both; and when one of the plurality of hazards exists in the predetermined region, then illuminating the predetermined region according to a second brightness or a second color or both. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A lighting system for the exterior of a vehicle, comprising:
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a housing; a hazard sensor carried by the housing for detecting the presence of a plurality of hazards a hazard in a predetermined region on a ground surface adjacent to the vehicle; and a lamp assembly carried by the housing having a light source for projecting light onto at least a portion of the region; and an electronics control unit (ECU) coupled to the hazard sensor and the lamp assembly, wherein the ECU is configured to; receive an indication of a vehicle user ingress or a vehicle user egress; receive an input from the hazard sensor; determine a condition on the ground surface in the predetermined region adjacent the vehicle; and actuate the lamp assembly based on receiving the indication of user ingress or egress and based on the determining step, wherein the determining step includes; when none of the plurality of hazards exist in the predetermined region, then illuminating the predetermined region according to a first brightness or a first color or both; and when one of the plurality of hazards exists in the predetermined region, then illuminating the predetermined region according to a second brightness or a second color or both.
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10. A method of lighting a region adjacent a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
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receiving an indication of a vehicle user ingress or a vehicle user egress; sensing for the presence of a hazard condition on a ground surface adjacent the vehicle using a hazard sensor carried by the vehicle; determining whether the hazard condition exists on the ground surface adjacent the vehicle; and illuminating the ground surface according to a first visible indication or a second visible indication, wherein the determining and illuminating steps include; when no hazard condition is determined to exist on the ground surface, then illuminating the predetermined region according to the first visible indication; and when at least one hazard condition is determined to exist on the ground surface, then illuminating the predetermined region according to the second visible indication. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification