Autonomous vehicle with automatic window shade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10059175-B2
Application number	US-201414208203-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2014
Priority date	Mar 13, 2014
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle includes at least one autonomous driving sensor and an autonomous mode controller configured to receive signals generated by the autonomous driving sensor. The autonomous mode controller controls at least one vehicle subsystem based at least in part on the signals received. Furthermore, the autonomous mode controller is configured to shade at least one vehicle window when the vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle system comprising:
at least one autonomous driving sensor;
an autonomous mode controller configured to receive signals generated by the autonomous driving sensor and control at least one vehicle subsystem based at least in part on the signals received;
wherein the autonomous mode controller is programmed to selectively shade at least one vehicle window when the vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode and in accordance with an ambient light signal;
a light sensor programmed to output the ambient light signal representing an amount of ambient light outside a vehicle,
wherein the autonomous mode controller is programmed to:
compare the amount of ambient light to a predetermined threshold,
determine a direction of the ambient light, and
select at least one vehicle window to shade based at least in part on the direction of the ambient light and the amount of ambient light exceeding the predetermined threshold.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein the autonomous mode controller is configured to at least one of lower and raise a shade when the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode and raise the shade prior to operating in a non-autonomous mode.

3. The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein shading the at least one vehicle window includes covering at least one of a vehicle windshield and a rear window with a shade.

4. The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein shading the at least one vehicle window includes covering at least one of a driver-side window and a passenger-side window.

5. The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein shading the at least one vehicle window includes selectively tinting the at least one vehicle window.

6. The vehicle system of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface device configured to receive a user input, and wherein the shading of the at least one vehicle window is controlled in accordance with the user input and wherein the autonomous mode controller is programmed to give priority to the user input over the ambient light signal.

7. A vehicle system comprising:
an autonomous mode controller programmed to control at least one vehicle subsystem while operating in an autonomous mode and programmed to receive an ambient light signal output by a light sensor, the ambient light signal representing an amount of ambient light outside a vehicle and a direction of the ambient light relative to the vehicle;
wherein the autonomous mode controller is programmed to selectively shade at least one window when the vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode based at least in part on the ambient light signal by:
comparing the amount of ambient light to a predetermined threshold,
determining the direction of the ambient light, and

selecting at least one window to shade based at least in part on the direction of the ambient light and the amount of ambient light exceeding the predetermined threshold.

8. The vehicle system of claim 7 , wherein the autonomous mode controller is configured to at least one of lower and raise a shade when the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode and raise the shade prior to operating in a non-autonomous mode.

9. The vehicle system of claim 7 , wherein selectively shading the at least one window includes covering at least one of a vehicle windshield and a rear window.

10. The vehicle system of claim 7 , wherein selectively shading the at least one window includes covering at least one of a driver-side window and a passenger-side window.

11. The vehicle system of claim 7 , wherein selectively shading the at least one window includes selectively tinting the at least one window.

12. The vehicle system of claim 7 , further comprising a user interface device configured to receive a user input, and wherein shading the at least one window is controlled in accordance with the user input, and wherein the autonomous mode controller is programmed to give priority to the user input over the ambient light signal.

13. A method comprising:
determining whether a vehicle is operating in an autonomous mode;
receiving an ambient light signal representing an amount of ambient light outside the vehicle;
comparing the amount of ambient light to a predetermined threshold; and
selectively shading a vehicle window based on determining that the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode and the amount of ambient light outside the vehicle exceeding the predetermined threshold, wherein selectively shading the vehicle window includes determining the direction of the ambient light and selecting at least one window to shade based at least in part on the direction of the ambient light and the amount of ambient light exceeding the predetermined threshold.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising unshading the window based on at least one of whether the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode and the amount of ambient light outside the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein selectively shading the vehicle window includes lowering a shade when the vehicle is operating in the autonomous mode; and
the method further comprising raising the shade prior to the vehicle operating in a non-autonomous mode.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the shade is configured to cover at least one of a vehicle windshield, at least one driver-side window, at least one passenger-side window, and a rear window.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving a user input;
wherein selectively shading the window is based at least in part on the user input received despite the amount of ambient light outside the vehicle represented by the ambient light signal.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein selectively shading the at least one window includes selectively tinting the at least one window.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Cuddihy Mark A
• Pilutti Thomas Edward
• Rao Manoharprasad K
• Waldis Andrew
• Trombley Roger Arnold
• Rupp Matthew Y
• Yopp Wilford Trent

Classifications

• B60J3/04 Primary

  adjustable in transparency · CPC title

• B60J1/2016

  Control means for actuating the roller blind, e.g. using electronic control · CPC title