Controlling dimming of mirrors or displays using dual-function lighting

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10000157-B2
Application number	US-201615143322-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2016
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle includes a first indicator light associated with a first function or a first state of the vehicle (e.g., a brake light), and circuitry coupled to the first indicator light. The circuitry is configured to cause the first indicator light to emit light when the vehicle is performing the first function or is operating in the first state, and detect an amount of light incident on the first indicator light. Thus, the indicator light can be used to detect incoming light to perform various vehicle functions (e.g., automatically dimming mirrors based on the incoming light) without the need for a dedicated light sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a first indicator light associated with a first function or a first state of the vehicle; and
circuitry coupled to the first indicator light, the circuitry configured to:
cause the first indicator light to emit light when the vehicle is performing the first function or is operating in the first state; and
detect an amount of light incident on the first indicator light.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the first indicator light comprises an LED configured to generate a reverse current or a reverse voltage when light is incident upon the LED.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the first indicator light comprises a brake light of the vehicle, and the circuitry is configured to cause the first indicator light to emit light when a brake system of the vehicle is activated.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the first indicator light comprises a reverse light of the vehicle, and the circuitry is configured to cause the first indicator light to emit light when the vehicle is operated in a reverse drive mode.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a dimmable mirror; and
a processor configured to control an amount of dimming of the dimmable mirror based on the amount of light detected at the first indicator light.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second indicator light associated with a second function or a second state of the vehicle,
wherein:
the circuitry is further coupled to the second indicator light, and the circuitry is further configured to:
cause the second indicator light to emit light when the vehicle is performing the second function or is operating in the second state; and
detect an amount of light incident on the second indicator light.

7. The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the first function is different from the second function, and the first state is different from the second state.

8. The vehicle of claim 6 , further comprising:
a first dimmable mirror;
a second dimmable mirror; and
a processor configured to:
control an amount of dimming of the first dimmable mirror based on the amount of light detected at the first indicator light; and
independently of controlling the amount of dimming of the first dimmable mirror, control an amount of dimming of the second dimmable mirror based on the amount of light detected at the second indicator light.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the first dimmable mirror comprises a left side view mirror, the first indicator light is disposed on a left side of a rear of the vehicle, the second dimmable mirror comprises a right side view mirror, and the second indicator light is disposed on a right side of the rear of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle of claim 6 , further comprising:
a dimmable mirror; and
a processor configured to:
control an amount of dimming of the dimmable mirror based on the amount of light detected at the first indicator light and the amount of light detected at the second indicator light.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the dimmable mirror comprises a rear view mirror.

12. The vehicle of claim 6 , further comprising:
a dimmable mirror; and
a processor configured to:
in accordance with a determination that the vehicle is performing the first function or is operating in the first state:
cause the first indicator light to emit light; and
control an amount of dimming of the dimmable mirror based on the amount of light detected at the second indicator light; and

in accordance with a determination that the vehicle is performing the second function or is operating in the second state:
cause the second indicator light to emit light; and
control the amount of dimming of the dimmable mirror based on the amount of light detected at the first indicator light.

13. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein while the vehicle is performing the first function or is operating in the first state, emitting the light by the first indicator light and detecting the amount of light incident on the first indicator light are time-multiplexed by:
driving, using the circuitry, the first indicator light to emit the light during one or more indicator time periods; and
detecting, using the circuitry, the amount of light incident on the first indicator light during one or more detector time periods, the one or more detector time periods separated from the one or more indicator time periods by a predefined amount of time.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to:
determine whether a duty cycle of the light incident on the first indicator light is out of phase with the one or more detector time periods;
in accordance with a determination that the duty cycle of the light incident on the first indicator light is out of phase with the one or more detector time periods, adjust a phase or a period of the one or more detector time periods to substantially align with the duty cycle of the light incident on the first indicator light; and
in accordance with a determination that the duty cycle of the light incident on the first indicator light is not out of phase with the one or more detector time periods, forgo adjusting the phase or the period of the one or more detector time periods.

15. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a dimmable mirror; and
a processor configured to:
determine one or more characteristics of the light incident on the first indicator light, wherein a first amount of light is detected at the first indicator light;
in accordance with a determination that the one or more characteristics comprise a first characteristic, control an amount of dimming of the dimmable mirror based on the first amount of light detected at the first indicator light; and
in accordance with a determination that the one or more characteristics do not comprise the first characteristic, forgo controlling the amount of dimming of the dimmable mirror based on the first amount of light detected at the first indicator light.

16. The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein determining that the one or more characteristics comprise the first characteristic comprises determining that the light is generated by a headlight of another vehicle.

17. The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein determining that the one or more characteristics do not comprise the first characteristic comprises determining that the light is sunlight or moonlight.

18. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a camera coupled to a display configured to display one or more images captured by the camera; and
a processor configured to control an amount of dimming of the display and/or a characteristic of the camera based on the amount of light detected at the first indicator light.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:
emitting light at a first indicator light, associated with a first function or a first state of a vehicle, in response to the vehicle performing the first function or operating in the first state; and
detecting an amount of light incident on the first indicator light.

20. A method comprising:
emitting light at a first indicator light, associated with a first function or a first state of a vehicle, in response to the vehicle performing the first function or operating in the first state; and
detecting an amount of light incident on the first indicator light.

Assignees

• Faraday&Future Inc

Inventors

• Fischer Evan Roger

Classifications

• H04N23/70

  Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene · CPC title

• H04N23/75

  by influencing optical camera components · CPC title

• B60R1/00

  Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles · CPC title

• B60R2001/1223

  with sensors or transducers · CPC title

• G01J2001/446

  Photodiode · CPC title