Vehicle status indicator lamp

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10569702-B2
Application number	US-201815864443-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2018
Priority date	Jan 8, 2018
Publication date	Feb 25, 2020
Grant date	Feb 25, 2020

Abstract

A lighting system for an autonomous vehicle includes one or more optical fiber panels or optical signaling system positioned about a perimeter of the autonomous vehicle; and processing circuitry configured to activate the one or more optical fiber panels or the optical signaling system in a predetermined illumination in response to a status of the autonomous vehicle, wherein the status includes one or more of a time of day, a number of passengers occupied within the autonomous vehicle, and an alert status during operation of the autonomous vehicle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lighting system for an autonomous vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of lamps positioned along a perimeter of the autonomous vehicle;
a plurality of optical fiber panels positioned along the perimeter of the autonomous vehicle and bundled together along the perimeter of the autonomous vehicle, at least one of the optical fiber panels extending around at least a part of a periphery of one of the plurality of lamps; and
a processing circuitry configured to activate the optical fiber panels in a predetermined illumination in response to a status of the autonomous vehicle,
wherein the status includes one or more of a time of day, a number of passengers occupied within the autonomous vehicle, and an alert status during operation of the autonomous vehicle,
wherein the alert status includes a malfunction status of the autonomous vehicle,
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to transmit an electrical signal representative of the status to one or more surrounding autonomous vehicles,
wherein the optical fiber panels are configured to illuminate in a plurality of colors, a plurality of streaming rates, and a plurality of geometries,
wherein at least one optical fiber panel is dedicated for a predetermined status, and
wherein said at least one optical fiber panel is configured to be activated according to a priority of statuses.

2. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the status is determined via sensor data and status data received from the autonomous vehicle.

3. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the lamps include head lamps, tail lamps, brake lamps, or signal lamps.

4. The lighting system of claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber panels are configured to be flush with the perimeter of the autonomous vehicle.

5. A status indication controller for an autonomous vehicle, comprising:
one or more alert databases;
an alert engine configured to receive data from one or more sensors of the autonomous vehicle and an alert message that is determined using data from the one or more alert databases;
a status engine configured to receive data from the one or more sensors of the autonomous vehicle and determine a status message;
a transmitting engine configured to transmit the alert message that is determined and the status message that is determined to the autonomous vehicle; and
a processing circuitry interconnecting the one or more alert databases, the alert engine, the status engine, and the transmitting engine, which is configured to activate optical fiber panel circuitry of a status indicator of the autonomous vehicle to generate streaming illumination,
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to transmit a respective electrical signal representative of the determined alert message and the determined status message to one or more surrounding autonomous vehicles, and
wherein said respective electrical signal is transmitted within a radius range that is increased as a speed of the autonomous vehicle is increased.

6. The status indication controller of claim 5 , wherein each of the one or more alert databases has one or more illumination categories of alert notifications.

7. The status indication controller of claim 5 , wherein the status message that is determined includes one of a time of day, a number of passengers occupied within the autonomous vehicle, and a manual operation.

8. The status indication controller of claim 5 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to activate the optical fiber panel circuitry of the status indicator to provide an illumination format for one or more of color, streaming, and geometry.

9. The status indication controller of claim 5 , wherein, as the speed of the autonomous vehicle is increased, said respective electrical signal is transmitted to larger distances in forward and backward directions and to short distances in sideways directions.

10. A lighting system for an autonomous vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of lamps positioned along the perimeter of the autonomous vehicle;
a plurality of optical fiber panels positioned along the perimeter of the autonomous vehicle and bundled together along the perimeter of the autonomous vehicle, at least one of the optical fiber panels extending around at least a part of a periphery of one of the plurality of lamps; and
a processing circuitry configured to activate the optical fiber panels in a predetermined illumination in response to a status of the autonomous vehicle,
wherein the status includes one or more of a time of day, a number of passengers occupied within the autonomous vehicle, and an alert status during operation of the autonomous vehicle,
wherein the status is determined via sensor data and status data received from the autonomous vehicle,
wherein the alert status includes a malfunction status of the autonomous vehicle,
wherein the optical fiber panels are configured to be flush with the perimeter of the autonomous vehicle,
wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to transmit an electrical signal representative of the status to one or more surrounding autonomous vehicles,
wherein the predetermined illumination includes one or more of a color, a geometry, or a pattern of illumination,
wherein the optical fiber panels are configured to illuminate in a plurality of colors, a plurality of streaming rates, and a plurality of geometries,
wherein at least one optical fiber panel is dedicated for a predetermined status,
wherein said at least one optical fiber panel is configured to be activated according to a priority of statuses, and
wherein the lamps include head lamps, tail lamps, brake lamps, or signal lamps.

Assignees

• Valeo North America Inc

Inventors

• Baker Patton Davis
• Warner Gavin
• Orisich John

Classifications

• B60Q1/52

  for indicating emergencies · CPC title

• B60Q2400/10

  Electro- or photo- luminescent surfaces, e.g. signalling by way of electroluminescent strips or panels · CPC title

• B60Q2400/20

  Multi-color single source or LED matrix, e.g. yellow blinker and red brake lamp generated by single lamp · CPC title

• G07C5/0825

  using optical means · CPC title

• G05D1/0088

  characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours (using knowledge based models G06N5/00) · CPC title