Vehicle light control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10453346-B2
Application number	US-201715697649-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2017
Priority date	Sep 7, 2017
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

A system including a computer for a vehicle is programmed to identify the vehicle as a lead vehicle in a platoon of three or more vehicles, and to identify one of the vehicles in the platoon as a caboose vehicle. The computer is programmed to deactivate a rear light of the lead vehicle, and to instruct activation of a rear light of the caboose vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising a computer onboard a vehicle programmed to:
identify the vehicle as a lead vehicle in a platoon of three or more vehicles;
identify one of the vehicles in the platoon as a caboose vehicle;
deactivate a rear light of the lead vehicle;
provide a control instruction to activate a rear light of the caboose vehicle;
identify a plurality of middle vehicles; and
determine respective light control instructions for each of a plurality of middle vehicles based on a radius of a curvature of a road section from the lead vehicle to the caboose vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to:
identify a middle vehicle from the vehicles in the platoon; and
deactivate a head light and a tail light of the middle vehicle.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the computer is further programmed to deactivate a brake light and a turn signal of the middle vehicle.

4. The system of claim 2 , further comprising a computer of the middle vehicle programmed to:
receive an instruction from the lead vehicle;
identify one or more lights of the middle vehicle based on the received instruction; and
actuate the identified one or more lights of the middle vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to actuate a head light of the lead vehicle to turn off upon determining that the lead vehicle is stopped at an intersection and a dimming request is received from a second vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to transmit at least one of a number of the platoon of three or more vehicles and a distance between the lead vehicle and the caboose vehicle, to a second vehicle approaching the lead vehicle in an opposite direction.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to deactivate a head light of the caboose vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to instruct activation of the rear light of the caboose vehicle by actuating at least one of a turn signal and a brake light of the caboose vehicle based on data received from the lead vehicle.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer is further programmed to:
identify a plurality of middle vehicles; and
determine respective light control instructions for each of the plurality of middle vehicles based on a curvature of a road section from the lead vehicle to the caboose vehicle.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the computer is further programmed to determine the respective light instruction for each of the plurality of middle vehicles based on a distance of the respective middle vehicle to at least one of a next front vehicle and a next rear vehicle in the same lane.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the vehicles of the platoon are in a first lane and a second vehicle is in a second lane, and the computer is further programmed to determine the light control instruction for each of the middle vehicles based on a distance of the respective middle vehicle to the second vehicle.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Neubecker Cynthia M
• Datta Gupta Somak
• Ignaczak Brad Alan
• Mitra Pramita
• Rao Jayanthi
• Macneille Perry Robinson

Classifications

• B60Q2300/336

  Crossings · CPC title

• B60Q2300/47

  Direct command from other road users, i.e. the command for switching or changing the beam is sent by other vehicles or road devices · CPC title

• B60Q1/34

  for indicating change of drive direction (B60Q1/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60Q1/44

  for indicating braking action {or preparation for braking, e.g. by detection of the foot approaching the brake pedal} · CPC title

• B60Q2300/41

  preceding vehicle · CPC title