Vehicle interior illumination device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9656603-B2
Application number	US-201615002519-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2016
Priority date	Jan 23, 2015
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle interior illumination device includes an illumination lamp that is provided in a vehicle interior and is configured to be turned on to illuminate the vehicle interior, a detector that detects a condition to have the illumination lamp to be turned on, and a controller that controls a lighting of the illumination lamp. When the condition is detected by the detector, the controller lights the illumination lamp with a first light amount and when the condition is not detected by the detector, the controller lights the illumination lamp with a second light amount smaller than the first light amount.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle interior illumination device, comprising:
an illumination lamp that is provided in a vehicle interior and is configured to be turned on to illuminate the vehicle interior;
a detector that detects a condition to have the illumination lamp to be turned on; and
a controller that controls a lighting of the illumination lamp,
wherein when the condition is detected by the detector, the controller lights the illumination lamp with a first light amount and when the condition is not detected by the detector, the controller lights the illumination lamp with a second light amount smaller than the first light amount,
wherein the illumination device further comprises an instruction portion that is configured to instruct a low illuminance mode for lighting the illumination lamp with the second light amount, and
wherein when the low illuminance mode is instructed by the instruction portion and the condition is not detected by the detector, the controller lights the illumination lamp with the second light amount.

2. The vehicle interior illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination lamp is provided in the vehicle interior on a side of a seat in a rear of a driver seat and is configured to be turned on to illuminate the side of the seat in the rear of the driver seat; and
wherein the vehicle interior on a side of the driver seat is a space not light-intercepted from the vehicle interior on the side of the seat in the rear of the driver seat.

3. The vehicle interior illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein the detector detects an operation for turning on the illumination lamp or an operation interlocking with the vehicle as the condition to have the illumination lamp to be turned on.

4. The vehicle interior illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein when the condition is detected by the detector while the illumination lamp is lit with the second light amount, the controller cancels the low illuminance mode and lights the illumination lamp with the first light amount, and thereafter, when the condition becomes undetected, the controller sets the low illuminance mode again and lights the illumination lamp with the second light amount.

5. The vehicle interior illumination device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller concurrently lights a plurality of interior illumination lamps with the second light amount.

6. The vehicle interior illumination device of claim 1 , wherein said first and second light amounts are greater than a zero light amount.

7. A vehicle interior illumination device comprising:
an illumination lamp that is provided in a vehicle interior and is configured to be turned on to illuminate the vehicle interior;
a detector that detects a condition to have the illumination lamp to be turned on; and
a lounge mode setting switch; and
a controller that controls lighting of the illumination lamp,
wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the lounge mode setting switch has been activated,
wherein when the condition is detected by the detector, the controller lights the illumination lamp with a first light amount,
wherein when the condition is not detected by the detector, and the lounge mode setting switch has been activated, the controller lights the illumination lamp with a second light amount smaller than the first light amount, and
wherein when the condition is not detected by the detector, and the lounge mode setting switch has not been activated, the controller turns off the illumination lamp.

Assignees

• Yazaki Corp
• Toyota Auto Body Co Ltd
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sugimoto Terumitsu
• Aono Hiroko
• Ohba Yasushi
• Imaeda Nobuyoshi
• Sunohara Makoto
• Kato Hisanori
• Kasai Masahiro

Classifications

• B60Q3/80 Primary

  Circuits; Control arrangements (for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47) · CPC title

• B60Q3/0293 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60Q3/76

  for spotlighting, e.g. reading lamps (spotlighting on or for specific fittings B60Q3/20; spotlighting in mass transit vehicles B60Q3/44) · CPC title