Vehicle capable of operating in self-driving mode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11465647-B2
Application number	US-202016935940-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2020
Priority date	Sep 27, 2019
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle capable of operating in a self-driving mode includes a self-driving indicator lamp and a controller. The self-driving indicator lamp can turn on so as to be visually recognized from an outside of the vehicle in the self-driving mode. The controller controls a lighting state of the self-driving indicator lamp. The self-driving indicator lamp includes a right indicator lamp and a left indicator lamp respectively disposed in right and left parts of the vehicle. Lighting states of the right indicator lamp and the left indicator lamp can be controlled independently. When the vehicle starts to move in the self-driving mode from a parked or stopped state, the lighting states of the right indicator lamp and the left indicator lamp which have turned off during when the vehicle has been parked or stopped, in a manner similar to each other so as to indicate a frontward or rearward starting direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle capable of operating in a self-driving mode, the vehicle comprising:
a self-driving indicator lamp that can turn on so as to be visually recognized from an outside of the vehicle in the self-driving mode; and
a controller configured to control a lighting state of the self-driving indicator lamp, wherein
the self-driving indicator lamp comprises a right indicator lamp and a left indicator lamp respectively disposed in a right part and a left part of the vehicle,
lighting states of the right indicator lamp and the left indicator lamp can be controlled independently, and
when the vehicle starts to move in the self-driving mode from a parked or stopped state, the controller changes the lighting states of the right indicator lamp and the left indicator lamp, which have turned off during when the vehicle has been parked or stopped, in a manner similar to each other so as to indicate a frontward or rearward starting direction.

2. The vehicle capable of operating in the self-driving mode according to claim 1 , wherein
the self-driving indicator lamp comprises a plurality of indicator lamps comprising the right indicator lamp and the left indicator lamp, and
the plurality of indicator lamps are provided along an outer peripheral surface of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle capable of operating in the self-driving mode according to claim 1 , wherein
each indicator lamp can be controlled to turn on for each of multiple lighting zones that are set in a vehicle width direction, and
each indicator lamp can be controlled to turn on and turn off in units of the lighting zones.

4. The vehicle capable of operating in the self-driving mode according to claim 2 , wherein
each indicator lamp can be controlled to turn on for each of multiple lighting zones that are set in a vehicle width direction, and
each indicator lamp can be controlled to turn on and turn off in units of the lighting zones.

5. The vehicle capable of operating in the self-driving mode according to claim 1 , wherein
the right indicator lamp comprises a front-right indicator lamp and a rear-right indicator lamp, and
the left indicator lamp comprises a front-left indicator lamp and a rear-left indicator lamp.

6. The vehicle capable of operating in the self-driving mode according to claim 2 , wherein
the right indicator lamp comprises a front-right indicator lamp and a rear-right indicator lamp, and
the left indicator lamp comprises a front-left indicator lamp and a rear-left indicator lamp.

7. The vehicle capable of operating in the self-driving mode according to claim 5 , wherein
when the vehicle starts frontward in the self-driving mode from the parked or stopped state, the controller
turns on the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp so as to change lighting states of the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp from both side surfaces of the vehicle toward a center of the vehicle, and
turns on the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp such that lighting states of the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp are identical to those when the vehicle is traveling in the self-driving mode, and

when the vehicle starts rearward in the self-driving mode from the parked or stopped state, the controller
turns on the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp so as to change the lighting states of the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp from both side surfaces of the vehicle toward the center of the vehicle, and
turns on the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp such that the lighting states of the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp are identical to those when the vehicle is traveling in the self-driving mode.

8. The vehicle capable of operating in the self-driving mode according to claim 6 , wherein
when the vehicle starts frontward in the self-driving mode from the parked or stopped state, the controller
turns on the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp so as to change lighting states of the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp from both side surfaces of the vehicle toward a center of the vehicle, and
turns on the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp such that lighting states of the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp are identical to those when the vehicle is traveling in the self-driving mode, and

when the vehicle starts rearward in the self-driving mode from the parked or stopped state, the controller
turns on the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp so as to change the lighting states of the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp from both side surfaces of the vehicle toward the center of the vehicle, and
turns on the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp such that the lighting states of the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp are identical to those when the vehicle is traveling in the self-driving mode.

9. The vehicle capable of operating in the self-driving mode according to claim 5 , wherein
when the vehicle starts frontward in the self-driving mode from the parked or stopped state, the controller
turns on the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp so as to change lighting states of the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp from both side surfaces of the vehicle toward a center of the vehicle, and
turns on the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp so as to change lighting states of the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp from the center of the vehicle toward both side surfaces of the vehicle, and

when the vehicle starts rearward in the self-driving mode from the parked or stopped state, the controller
turns on the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp so as to change the lighting states of the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp from both side surfaces of the vehicle toward the center of the vehicle, and
turns on the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp so as to change the lighting states of the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp from the center of the vehicle toward both side surfaces of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle capable of operating in the self-driving mode according to claim 6 , wherein
when the vehicle starts frontward in the self-driving mode from the parked or stopped state, the controller
turns on the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp so as to change lighting states of the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp from both side surfaces of the vehicle toward a center of the vehicle, and
turns on the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp so as to change lighting states of the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp from the center of the vehicle toward both side surfaces of the vehicle, and

when the vehicle starts rearward in the self-driving mode from the parked or stopped state, the controller
turns on the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp so as to change the lighting states of the rear-right indicator lamp and the rear-left indicator lamp from both side surfaces of the vehicle toward the center of the vehicle, and
turns on the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp so as to change the lighting states of the front-right indicator lamp and the front-left indicator lamp from the center of the vehicle toward both s

Assignees

• Subaru Corp

Inventors

• Aoki Shun
• Hayashida Takuya

Classifications

• B60Q1/507

  specific to autonomous vehicles · CPC title

• B60Q1/50 Primary

  for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking · CPC title

• B60Q1/32

  for indicating vehicle sides {, e.g. clearance lights} · CPC title

• B60Q1/22

  for reverse drive · CPC title

• B60Q2300/10

  Indexing codes relating to particular vehicle conditions · CPC title