Patent Publication Number: US-2005134447-A1

Title: Automobile indicator

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to indicator lights of automobile, and particular to an automobile indicator comprising a number of light-emitting elements dynamically showing turning/moving status of an automobile.  
      2. The Related Art  
      Among all transportation vehicles, automobiles are the one that is most commonly used in daily living for general consumers. Due to the high speed of automobile moving along for example a high way, driving safety is one of the major concerns to both the general consumers and the automobile industry. Indicator lights that are mounted on both left and right sides of front and rear portions of an automobile help the drivers of following cars to identify the action that the driver of the automobile is going to take thereby effectively eliminating the risk of traffic accidents. For example, when a leading car is going to switch from the current lane of a high way to for example the lane of the left hand side, the drivers of the cars that follow the leading car and that are currently moving along the left hand side lane must be informed in advance for driving safety purposes. The left indicator light of the leading car is turned on for flashing, generally with light of orange or yellow color, to warn the drivers of the following cars and the cars currently at the left hand side lane. However, absent-minded drivers or lazy drivers may not switch on the indicator light, which brings the risk that deceleration and leftward movement of the leading car is not held attention from the following cars and the left lane cars and as a consequence, the following cars or the left lane cars may collide the leading car under this circumstance.  
      Automatic indictors that are automatically turned on to indicate the turning or lane-switching of a leading car is available, of which an example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,019, which discloses an automatic turn signal and safety device illustrated in  FIG. 1  of the attached drawings. The device comprises six left lamps L 1 -L 6  arranged at the left side of an automobile and six right lamps R 1 -R 6  arranged at the right side of the automobile. Both the left lamps L 1 -L 6  and the right lamps R 1 -R 6  are grouped in three sets. A disc  10  is sleeved around a steering column  20  of the automobile. Three left disc electrodes  14 ,  15  and  16  and three right disc electrodes  17 ,  18  and  19 , all being circumferentially-extending arcs having different angular lengths, are formed on the disc  10  and engageable by three wiper electrodes  11 ,  12  and  13  respectively. When the automobile is moving straightforward and takes no turning action, the wiper electrodes  11 ,  12  and  13  are located in a neutral area of the disc  10 , as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
      The left disc electrodes  14 ,  15  and  16  are electrically connected to three sets of lamps (L 1 , L 2 ), (L 3 , L 4 ) and (L 5 , L 6 ) via wires W 1 , W 2  and W 3 , respectively, while the right disc electrodes  17 ,  18  and  19  are electrically connected to three sets of lamps (R 1 , R 2 ), (R 3 , R 4 ) and (R 5 , R 6 ) via wires W 4 , W 5 and W 6 , respectively. When the car is made a slight right turn by slightly rotating the steering wheel, it is only the first wiper electrode  11  engages the first right disc electrode  17  and consequently, an electric current flows from the first right disc electrode  17  to the wire W 4 , lighting the right lamps R 5  and R 6 . If the car is made further turn by further rotating the steering wheel to an intermediate level, both the first and second wiper electrodes  11 ,  12  engage the corresponding right disc electrodes  17 ,  18  and consequently, two sets of the lamps (R 5 , R 6 ) and (R 3 , R 4 ) are lighted. Likewise, an even larger turning angle caused by a large angle rotation of the steering wheel lights on all six right lamps R 1 -R 6 .  
      The same operation is applicable to the left turning signals. When the car is made a slight left turn by slighting rotating the steering wheel, only the first wiper electrode  11  engages the first left disc electrode  14  thereby lighting on only the first set of left lamps L 1 , L 2 . Further rotating the steering wheel, which represents a large angle rotation of the car, the first and second wiper electrodes  11 ,  12  respectively engage the first and second left disc electrodes  14 ,  15  and lights the first two sets of the left lamps (L 1 , L 2 ) and (L 3 , L 4 ). An even larger rotation angle of the steering wheel causes all the wiper electrodes  11 ,  12 ,  13  to respectively engage the left disc electrodes  14 ,  15 ,  16 . All the left lamps (L 1 , L 2 ), (L 3 , L 4 ), (L 5 , L 6 ) are lighted.  
      Therefore, by flashing lamps of different numbers, a clear warning as to how a leading car is going to move is effectively conveyed to the drivers of following cars.  
      The conventional automatic indicator, although effective in timely conveying warnings of turning and/or lane switching to other drivers, has a complicated circuit with limited functionality. For example, since there are only three small-sized lamps on each side of the automobile, it does not effectively attract the attention of the drivers of the following cars. If the size of the lamps is properly enlarged, the large-sized lamps are adverse to the aesthetic appealing of the outside configuration and decoration.  
      In addition, the turning angle of the automobile is roughly divided into three ranges, respectively indicated by the three lamps. This may not be precise enough to actually show the intention of the driver in turning or switching lane. However, aesthetic problems occur again if more lamps are added to more precisely indicate the movement of the automobile, not to mention the additional cost and complication of the lamp control circuit caused by adding more lamps.  
      Further, when the speed of the car gets faster, a much more prominent turn signal is required to notify the drivers of the following cars. This, however, is not discussed in and overcome by the conventional automatic indicator.  
      Thus, it is desired to have an automatic automobile indicator that eliminates, or at least alleviates, the drawbacks of the conventional automobile indicator.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      An object of the present invention is to provide an automobile indicator that operates to automatically and precisely indicate the intention of a driver is making a turn or lane switch whereby driving safety is enhanced.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide an automobile indicator that is incorporated in an existing automobile accessory for automatically indicating turning and/or lane-switching operation.  
      A further object of the present invention is to provide an automobile indicator that automatically shows prominent warning of turning and/or lane-switching operation by adoption of various flashing effects to attract the attraction of other drivers thereby enhancing driving safety.  
      Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide an automobile indicator that display a warning regarding turning/lane-switching operation to both the driver of the automobile and other drivers to help the automobile driver to monitor the turning/lane-switching operation that is being carried out for driving safety.  
      To achieve the above objects, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided an automobile indicator adapted to be mounted to an automobile to automatically indicate a turning angle and direction of the automobile. The automobile indicator comprises a sensor that detects a rotation angle of a steering wheel of the automobile add a control device received a signal from the sensor and issuing a control signal to a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged in a desired configuration for lighting the light-emitting elements in dynamic and variable patterns. The indicator can be implemented by and incorporated in an existing automobile part, such as indicator light, brake light, head-up display, rearview mirror module and auxiliary brake light module. Alternatively, the indicator can be independently mounted to the automobile. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a conventional automatic indicator for automobile;  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an automobile indicator constructed in accordance a first embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3A  is a rear view of an automobile to which two turning indicators that implement the automobile indicator of the present invention are mounted;  
       FIG. 3B  shows all lamps of the automobile indicator are lighted at the same time;  
       FIG. 3C  shows only some of the lamps of the automobile indicator are lighted;  
       FIGS. 4A  to  4 D show different lighting modes for automobile turning at different angles;  
       FIGS. 5A-1 ,  5 A- 2  and  5 A- 3  show different lighting modes for automobile turning at different angles, wherein the automobile indicator of the present invention is embedded in a rearview mirror module;  
       FIGS. 5B-1 ,  5 B- 2  and  5 B- 3  show another example where the automobile indicator of the present invention is incorporated to a rearview mirror module;  
       FIGS. 5C and 5D  show further examples where the automobile indicator of the present invention is incorporated in a rearview mirror module;  
       FIG. 5E  shows an example where the automobile indicator of the present invention is incorporated in an interior rearview mirror module;  
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an automobile indicator light constructed in accordance a second embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 7A-1 ,  7 A- 2  and  7 A- 3  show an example where the automobile indicator of the present invention incorporated in an auxiliary brake light;  
       FIG. 7B-1 ,  7 B- 2  and  7 B- 3  show another example where the automobile indicator of the present invention incorporated in an auxiliary brake light;  
       FIG. 7C  shows a further example where the automobile indicator of the present invention incorporated in an auxiliary brake light;  
       FIG. 8  shows yet a further example where the automobile indicator of the present invention incorporated in an auxiliary brake light  
       FIG. 9  is a block diagram of an automobile indicator light constructed in accordance a third embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 10  shows an example where the automobile indicator of the present invention incorporated in a head-up display;  
       FIG. 11  is a block diagram of an automobile indicator light constructed in accordance a fourth embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 12A  shows an example of look-up table contained in a microprocessor of the automobile indicator of the present invention;  
       FIG. 12B  shows another example of look-up table contained in a microprocessor of the automobile indicator of the present invention;  
       FIG. 13  is a block diagram of an automobile indicator light constructed in accordance a fifth embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 14A  is a rear view of an automobile to which the automobile indicator of the present invention is mounted;  
       FIG. 14B-1 ,  14 B- 2  and  14 B- 3  show different lighting modes for automobile turning at different angles, wherein the automobile indicator of the present invention is mounted to a rear portion of the automobile;  
       FIG. 15A  shows an example of lighting pattern of lamps of the automobile indicator of the present invention;  
       FIG. 15B  shows another example of lighting pattern of lamps of the automobile indicator of the present invention;  
       FIG. 15C  shows a further example of lighting pattern of lamps of the automobile indicator of the present invention;  
       FIG. 15D  shows yet a further example of lighting pattern of lamps of the automobile indicator of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 16  shows a different arrangement of the lamps of the automobile indicator of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only and it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.  
      It is noted that the automobile turning indicator that is constructed to automatically indicate a turning direction and a turning angle of an automobile can be implemented by or incorporated into currently existent automobile lamps, such as conventional indicator lights, brake lights and even head-up displays according to one aspect of the present invention.  
      With reference to the drawings and in particular to  FIG. 2 , an automobile indicator constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a turning sensor  21  that is electrically connected to and in communication with a micro-processor  22  and a control unit  23 , which under the control of the microprocessor  22 , controls a number of lightening units known together as lamps  24 , which are named Lamp  1 , Lamp  2 , . . . , Lamp N in  FIG. 2 . The lamps  24  may comprises any kind of lighting cells, such as an incandescent lamp, a light emitting diode (LED) and an electro-luminescent (EL) cell. For simplification, they will be referred to as “lamp” hereinafter, but it is noted that the term “lamp” as used herein comprises any suitable lighting cell. An indicator light switch  25  is electrically and mechanically coupled to the control unit  23  for manually enabling/disabling the control unit  23 . These parts can be connected to each other by wires or cables, or alternatively, by means of a vehicular digital bus, such as a controller area network (CAN) or a vehicle area network (VAN) bus.  
      The sensor  21  is mounted to a steering wheel (not shown) of an automobile for detecting a rotation angle of the steering wheel, and generating an electrical signal, such as a digital, signal indicative of the turning direction and the turning angle of the automobile according to the rotation angle of the steering wheel. A commercial sensor, such as 9850 Gen II Series sensor or NCAPS® Thin Profile sensor commercially available from BEI Technologies Inc. (California, USA), can be used to achieve the above purpose.  
      By operating the indicator light switch  25 , a driven inputs a signal indicative of right/left turning to the control unit  23 . In response to the signal from the indicator light switch  25 , which is, for example, indicative of right turn, the control unit  23  issues a control signal to selectively light on each lamp  24  associated with the right side of the automobile to display a lighting pattern. For example, all the lamps  24  associated with the right side are turned on or alternatively, some lamps  24  are turned on, while the other are kept off.  
      An example is shown in  FIGS. 3A, 3B  and  3 C. In the example, an automobile (not labeled) comprises two turning indicators  31 ,  32  disposed at right and left rear corners of the automobile. Each turning indicator  31 ,  32  comprises a number (five in this case) of lamps arranged in a number of concentric circles, one surrounding the other, as shown in  FIGS. 3B and 3C . “Hatched” indicates illuminating lamps, while “blank” indicates non-illuminating lamps. The manual operation of the indicator light switch  25  may switch, either simultaneously or in sequence, on some ( FIG. 3C ) or all ( FIG. 3B ) of the lamps of the associated turning indicator  31 ,  32 .  
      On the other hand, in case the indicator light switch  25  is not actuated, when the steering wheel is rotated, the sensor  21  issues a signal to the microprocessor  22 , which in turn, based on program or software or instructions pre-loaded therein and in accordance with the turning direction and turning angle, issue commands, which determines the number and locations of the lamps to be lighted, to the control unit  23 . The control unit  23  then selectively lights on each lamp in accordance with the commands of the microprocessor  22 .  
      Also referring to  FIG. 4A-4D , an example of a lighting mode for the lamps of the automobile indicator  232  is shown. When the automobile is moving straightforward, no lamp is turned on, as shown in  FIGS. 4A . When the automobile makes a slight right turn, a small number of lamps, indicated by reference numeral  241  in  FIG. 4B , which comprises the two most centrally-located circles, is illuminated to wam other drivers. If the vehicle is making further right turn, two more circles, indicated by reference numeral  242  in  FIG. 4C , are lighted to indicate a right turn with a larger angle. When the automobile makes a sharp turn, all the lamps, indicated by reference numeral  243  in  FIG. 4D , are turned on to exhibit prominent warning effect. By this way, other drivers can timely note how and what direction the automobile is moving.  
      Besides the rear and front turning indicator lights, the automobile indicator of the present invention can be mounted to various positions on the automobile. For example, rearview mirror modules that are mounted to right and left sides of the automobile are one of the suitable places for the automobile indicator in accordance with the present invention. This is shown in  FIGS. 5A-1  to  5 A- 3 ,  5 B- 1  to  5 B- 3 ,  5 C and  5 D.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 5A-1  to  5 A- 3 , which shows a first example of mounting the automobile indicator of the present invention to a rearview mirror module  50 , the automobile indicator of the present invention comprises a number of lamps mounted inside the rearview mirror module  50  while visible through the mirror. The lamps are arranged in a pointing angle comprised of two legs and a straight tail horizontally extending from an end of one leg of the angle. When the automobile makes a small angle turn, such as a slight left turn, only a portion of the lamps, designated by reference numeral  244  in  FIG. 5A-1 , illuminate. If the automobile makes further left turn, a larger portion of the lamps indicated by reference numeral  245  in  FIGS. 5A-2 , illuminate to indicate a left turn with a large angle. If the automobile makes a sharp turn, all the lamps indicated by reference numeral  246  in  FIG. 5A-3 , are turned on to exhibit prominent warning effect.  
       FIGS. 5B-1  to  5 B- 3  show another example in which the automobile indicator of the present invention is incorporated with a rearview mirror module, designated with reference numeral  51 . Likewise, the automobile indicator of the present invention comprises a number of lamps  247  mounted in a line to a casing (not labeled) of the rearview mirror module  51  and facing a forwarding direction of the automobile. The lamps  247  that are arranged in a line are selectively illuminated in a portion-by-portion manner to show the angle of a turn. For example, the lamps  247  is lighted one after one to indicate the increasing angle of turning. No lamp  247  is lighted, as shown in FIG.  5 B- 1 , when the automobile is moving straightforward. A first portion of the lamps  247 , including two lamps  247  in this case, as shown in  FIG. 5B-2 , are lighted when the automobile make a small angle turning. When the automobile makes a sharp turn, all the lamps  247 are lighted as shown in  FIG. 5B-3 .  
       FIGS. 5C and 5D  shows a further example of incorporating the automobile indicator of the present invention to a rearview mirror module, which is designated with reference numeral  52  in the drawings. The turning indictor of the present invention comprises a number of lamps  248  mounted in a line along a lower edge of a casing of the rearview mirror module  52  whereby both the forward coming and the rearward-coming drivers can see the lamps  248 . Although the automobile indicator illustrated in  FIGS. 5C and 5D  comprises lamps  248  of a number greater than that of the automobile indicator illustrated in  FIG. 5B-1  to  5 B- 2 , they operate with the same principle and thus no further detail is needed.  
       FIG. 5E  shows a different example in which the automobile indicator of the present invention is incorporated in an interior rearview mirror module designated with reference numeral  53 . The automobile indicator comprises a number of lamps divided into left turning indicator  33  and right turning indicator  34 , each comprising a number of the lamps arranged in a line. When the automobile makes left turn, the lamps of the left turning indicator  33  are selectively lighted in a manner similar to that described with reference to  FIGS. 5A-1  to  5 A- 3  and when the automobile makes right turn, the lamps of the right turning indicator  34  are selectively lighted in a similar manner. In addition, since the lighting of the lamps can be seen by the driver of the automobile, the driver may confirm the correct turning/lane-switching operation that is being taken by watching at the illuminating lamps on the interior rearview mirror module  53 .  
      For an indication light is stipulated to be with a single color, such as orange or yellow color that is prevailing in the current automobile, the lamps can be of any kind of lighting cell that gives off the orange or yellow light, such as incandescent lamp, LED and LE cell. In case, lighting cells of bi-color or multiple-color are allowed, each lamp can be a bi-color or multiple-color lighting cell that gives off lights of at least two colors, such as orange light and another color of light. The control unit  23  (see  FIG. 2 ) thus controls some selected ones of the lamps  24  to illuminate orange light in a first pattern in a first condition and to gives off different color light in a second pattern in a second condition. Alternatively, the two color lights can be used in combination in different conditions. For example, when the indicator light switch  25  is actuated, the first color light, such as organ light, is radiated by some selected ones of the lamps  24  in a predetermined, constant pattern, otherwise, such as when a detection signal is issued by the sensor  21 , light of other color is radiated from the some of the lamps  24 . In other words, the automobile indicator of the present invention performs dual functions, one for direction indication and the other for displaying dynamically the operation of turning. In the former case, the automobile indicator is enabled in a constant pattern to show that the automobile is going to take a turn in response to the actuation of the indicator light switch  25 , while in the latter case, the automobile indicator may be enabled in a variable pattern to show that the vehicle is now turning and show the turning angle of the automobile as well.  
      It is to be noted that the automobile indicator of the present invention, when incorporated in a rearview mirror module, does not have to exhibit the function of direction indication that is controlled by the indicator light switch  25 . In other words, the control unit  23  does not need to connect to the indicator light switch  25  whereby the automobile indicator simply performs automatic display of the turning degree of the automobile or the rotation angle of the steering wheel.  
      The automobile indicator of the present invention can be incorporated in other automobile parts, such as a brake light, rather than the regular indicator light, to indicate the turning direction and angle of the automobile or selectively indicating other message to other drivers, such as deceleration of the automobile.  
      Referring to  FIG. 6 , which shows a second embodiment of the automobile indicator according to the present invention, the automobile indicator of the second embodiment is implemented as a brake light. In other words, the automobile indicator of the present invention performs two functions, one for brake indication and the other for dynamic turning indication. In the former case, the automobile indicator is enabled in a constant pattern to show that the vehicle is decelerated, while in the latter case, the automobile indicator is enabled in a variable pattern to show that the vehicle is turning, as well as turning angle thereof.  
      The automobile indicator, as shown in  FIG. 6 , comprises a turning sensor  61  electrically connected to a microprocessor  62  and a control unit  63  which, under the control of the microprocessor  62 , controls lighting on/off of a number of lamps Lamp  1 , Lamp  2 , . . . , Lamp N, collectively referenced  64 . A brake sensor  65  is electrically coupled to the control unit  63 . All these members can be connected by wires or cables or alternatively, by a vehicular digital bus, such as a controller area network (CAN) and a vehicle area network (VAN) bus. The sensor  61 , like the sensor  21 , can be a  9850  Gen II Series sensor or  
      an NCAPS® Thin Profile sensor, which is mounted to a steering wheel (not shown) of an automobile for detecting a rotation angle of the steering wheel, and issuing an electrical signal, such as a digital signal, indicative of the turning direction and the turning angle according to the rotation angle of the steering wheel.  
      When the control unit  63  receives a signal indicative of the brake operation from the brake sensor  65 , a control signal is generated and applied to select ones of the lamps  64  to form a constant pattern of lighting. For example, all the lamps  64  are turned on or only some specific lamps  64  are turned on. The schematic diagrams of  FIGS. 3A-3C  and  4 A- 4 D can be employed again here for illustrating the dual-functional automobile indicator of the present invention except that the lights serve as brake lights instead of indicator lights.  
      When the brake sensor  65  detects the actuation of a brake pedal, a brake sensor  65  signals the control unit  63  of the brake operation so that the constant pattern associated with the braking operation is shown for each of the turning indicators  31 ,  32 . The constant pattern can be exemplified as that shown in  FIGS. 3B and 3C . On the other hand, if the brake operation is not performed by the driver, but rotation of the steering wheel is detected by the sensor  61 , which indicates a turning-right operation of the automobile, the microprocessor  62 , based on program or software or instructions preloaded therein, determines how many and which ones of the lamps  64  at the right side to be lighted in response to a signal issued by the sensor  61 . Then, the control unit  63  lights on the lamps  64  of the right turning indicator  32  to show a desired pattern determined by and, preferably, dynamically changed in accordance with the microprocessor  62 . The pattern-changing process is described with reference to  FIG. 4  and thus no repeated description is needed here.  
      Generally, the brake light is stipulated to be red. Therefore, the automobile indicator according to this aspect of the present invention should be able to illuminate red light. In order to achieve this purpose, each single lamp of the automobile indicator of the present invention can be a filament lamp with red bulb or cover, a red light emitting diode (LED), an electro luminescence (EL) element, a fluorescent tube, and any other suitable lamp capable of illuminating red light. Alternatively, each lamp can be a bi-color or multi-color lamp, which selectively illuminates red light and another color of light. The control unit  63  ( FIG. 6 ) controls selected ones of the lamps  64  to illuminate red light, forming a predetermined pattern, when the brake sensor  65  detects a brake operation, and illuminate another color of light, such as orange or yellow light, to show the turning angle.  
      Also referring to  FIGS. 7A-1  to  7 A- 3 , in addition to primary brake light, most automobile, especially passenger cars, are equipped with auxiliary brake lights. One of the auxiliary brake lights  641  is arranged at a position close to a rear windshield  70  of an automobile, preferably inside the automobile.  
      Another examples of mounting an auxiliary brake light to an automobile are shown in  FIGS. 7B-1  to  7 B- 3  and  FIG. 7C , respectively, where the auxiliary brake light is arranged on a rear spoiler of an automobile. In  FIGS. 7B-1  to  7 B- 3 , an auxiliary brake light, designated with reference numeral  642 , is mounted on a rear wing  71  of an automobile. In  FIG. 7C , an auxiliary brake light is mounted on an up door spoiler  72 .  
      Referring back to  FIGS. 7A-1  to  7 A- 3 , when the control unit  63  receives a signal indicative of a brake operation detected by the brake sensor  65 , a control signal is issued to turn on all lamps  641  to illuminate red light, as shown in  FIG. 7A-1 . When the car is released from the braking operation, all lamps  641  return back to non-illumination status. The non-illumination state of the lamps  641  also indicates a straightforward movement of the car as shown in  FIG. 7A-2 . In case the car makes a left turn, selected ones of the lamps  641 , such as those located on the left half (or some of those located on the left half) of a linear array of the lamps  641 , illuminate for example orange light to show the turning angle of the car. This is shown in  FIG. 7A-3 . The examples illustrated in FIGS.  7 B 1 - 1  to  7 B- 3  and  7 C operate in the same manner as that of  FIGS. 7A-1  to  7 A- 3 .  
      An example of lighting pattern of the lamps includes lighting more lamps to indicate a larger angle turning as shown in  FIGS. 7B-1  to  7 B- 3 . In the example, the lamps are arranged in a linear array. In making a right turn, the lamps of the right half may sequentially lighted from the one located at the center of the linear array toward the leftmost one in a one by one manner or a two by two manner by shifting one lamp (in other words, one lamp is repeatedly lighted when shifting from first two lamps to next two lamps) or two lamps (in other words, no lamp is repeatedly lighted when shifting from the first two lamps to the next two lamps). This also applies to “left turning”, in which the lamps of the left half, rather than the right half, are sequentially lighted.  
      In the previous description, the lamps of the auxiliary braking light and the lamps of the automobile indicator of the present invention are integrated together. However, the lamps of the automobile indicator can be additionally provided and incorporated into the auxiliary brake light but separated from the lamps of the brake light. An example is shown in  FIG. 8 , wherein the lamps  643  of the automobile indicator are arranged in a linear array inside a casing of an auxiliary brake light below (or above) lamps of the auxiliary brake light  73 . This allows the brake light  73  and the automobile indicator of the present invention to be operated simultaneously.  
      With reference to  FIG. 9 , an automobile indicator in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention is shown, which incorporated with a head-up display that is generally projected on a front windscreen of an automobile. The third embodiment automobile indicator comprises a turning sensor  91  electrically connected to a microprocessor  92  and a control unit  93  that, under the control of the microprocessor  92 , controls lighting on/off of a plurality of light-emitting elements  94  or lamps. The control unit  93  is optionally coupled to an information input device  95 . The parts and components of the automobile indicator can be connected by wires or cables or alternatively, by means of a vehicular digital bus, such as a controller area network (CAN) and a vehicle area network (VAN) bus. The sensor  91 , like the sensor  21  discussed with reference to  FIG. 2 , can be a 9850 Gen II Series sensor or an NCAPS® Thin Profile sensor, which is mounted to a steering wheel (not shown) of the automobile for detecting a rotation angle of the steering wheel and, in response thereto, generating an electrical signal, such as a digital signal, indicative of the turning direction and the turning angle of the automobile according to the rotation angle of the steering wheel.  
      The light-emitting elements  94  constitute partly the head-up display, and vary with the kinds of head-up displays. For example, the light-emitting elements  94  can be fluorescent tubes when the head-up display is a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD). Alternatively, the head-up display can be for example a digital light processor (DLP) display, a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) display, a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFTLCD) and a transparent liquid crystal display (transparent LCD), and has corresponding light-emitting elements  94 . If the light-emitting elements  94  are additionally provided in the head-up display for specific use for showing the turning angle of the automobile, the control unit  93  does not have to communicate with the information input device  95 .  
      When the control unit  93  receives a signal from the sensor  91  to indicate a turning-right operation of the vehicle, the microprocessor  92  determines how many and what ones of the light-emitting elements  94  that are located on the right side of the automobile are to actuated for illumination in response to the signal in connection with the turning direction and turning angle. The control unit  93  controls the light-emitting elements  94  of the automobile indicator in any desired scheme to show a desired lighting pattern under the control of the microprocessor  92  in accordance with program or software or instructions preloaded in the microprocessor  92 .  
      For example, as shown in  FIG. 10 , figures of a turning angle, such as 60° are shown in addition to the lighting of selected ones of the light-emitting elements  94 . The lighting scheme of the lighting-emitting elements  94  is similar to those described previously and thus no repeated description is needed herein.  
      Alternatively, the light-emitting elements  94  can be parts of the existing light-emitting elements of the head-up display. Under this circumstance, it is preferred that the control unit  93  is further in communication with the information input device  95 . When there is information to be shown on the display, the control unit  93  controls the light-emitting elements  94  to cooperate with other light-emitting elements to show the information. When there is no information to be displayed, the light-emitting elements  94  are used to show the turning angle as described above.  
      According to another aspect of the present invention, the microprocessor determines how many and which ones of the lamps are to be lighted based on the turning direction and turning angle of the automobile and further taking the speed of the automobile into account. Different ranges of speed of the automobile are associated with different patterns of lighting the light-emitting element. Thus, the drivers of the following cars can be informed of the speed of the leading car that is taking a turning operation of lane-switching operation. Driving safety is thus further enhanced.  
      Also referring to  FIG. 11 , an automobile indicator in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown, comprising a turning sensor mounted to a steering wheel of an automobile for detection of rotation angle of the steering wheel and, in response thereto, issuing an electrical signal to a microprocessor  112  that comprises a look-up table  111  for the lighting pattern of a number of lamps Lamp  1 , Lamp  2 , . . . , Lamp N that are controlled by a control unit under the control of the microprocessor  112 . The loop-up table  111  comprises a number of lighting schemes, each of which associates the number and location of the lamps with the turning angle and the speed of the automobile, whereby the microprocessor  112  selectively light the lamps via the control unit based on the schemes of the look-up table  111 . By this way, the lamps are lighted in a first pattern when the automobile is moving at a first speed, and the lamps are lighted in a second pattern when the automobile is moving at a second speed. With the same turning direction and turning angle, if the first speed is for example higher than the second speed, then more lamps are lighted in the first pattern than in the second pattern. In case of different turning angle and turning direction, the lighting pattern may vary accordingly.  
       FIG. 12 A  shows an example of the look-up table  111 . The look-up table shown in  FIG. 12A  is very simple, only indicating the number of lamps to be lighted in association with particular turning angles and speeds. A description of the look-up table  111  illustrated in  FIG. 12A  will be given by considering the automobile indicator shown in  FIGS. 7A-1  to  7 A- 3 , which automobile indicator comprises a number of lamps  641  (twelve in this case) arranged in a linear array of the vehicle. Based on the look-up table, when an automobile is moving at a constant speed, for example 60 km/hr, the larger angle a turn is made, the greater number of lamps are lighted. For example, when the automobile is making a 5-degree right turn (+5°), two lamps at the right side are lighted. Under the same situation, a 15-degree right turn (+15°) causes three lamps at the right side to be lighted, while for a 60-degree right turn (+60°), five lamps are lighted. A straightforward movement (0°) of the automobile causes no lamp to be lighted, regardless the speed of the automobile.  
      In addition, in case of small angle right/left turn (+5°/−5°) under a motionless state, no lamp is turned on, while such a small angle right/left turn causes different numbers of the lamps to be lighted, in accordance with the automobile speed. This is because even a small angle turn will result in a significant effect if the automobile is moving at high speeds. For example, when the automobile speed is 20 km/hr, only one lamp at the right (or left) side is turned on to indicate the small angle right (or left) turn (+5° or −5°), while three lamps at the right side are turned on to prominently warn others when the speed of the automobile is as high as 90 km/hr.  
      Alternatively, the number of the lamps that are lighted can be maintained the same for different automobile speed, while the locations of the lamps that are lighted vary with the automobile speed. An example is shown in  FIG. 12B . In this example, two adjacent lamps  121  are lighted together as a group associated with a particular speed or range of speed and the location of the illuminating lamps shifts from the rightmost to leftmost. The higher the automobile speed is, the larger the shift of the location of the illuminating lamps is done toward the leftmost location  
      Further, if the luminance of the lamps can be varied, then, if desired, the luminance of the illuminating lamps  121 , rather than the location or the number, may vary with automobile speed to effectively indicate the automobile speed with the luminance of the lamps.  
      The above method for determining the number of illuminating lamps depending on both the turning angle and speed of an automobile is applicable to any of the embodiments described previously by providing proper look-up tables in the microprocessor. Basically, but not necessarily, the look-up tables are designed on the basis of the turning angles, automobile speeds and numbers of automobile indicator lamps.  
       FIG. 13  shows a further embodiment of the automobile indicator according to the present invention, wherein the automobile indicator is made as parts for additionally and independently mounting to an automobile, rather than forming partly an existing part of the automobile, such as a regular indicator light, a brake light and a head-up display. The automobile indicator comprises a turning sensor  131  electrically coupled to a microprocessor  132  and a control unit  133  that controls, under the control of the microprocessor  132  a number of lamps  134 . The connection between these parts is done with wires or cables. However, the connection can be also formed by means of a vehicular digital bus such as a controller area network (CAN) and a vehicle area network (VAN) bus.  
      The sensor  131  is mounted to a steering wheel (not shown) of an automobile for detecting a rotation angle of the steering wheel, and in response thereto, generating an electrical signal, such as a digital signal, indicative of the turning direction and the turning angle of the automobile according to the rotation angle of the steering wheel. A commercial sensor, such as a 9850 Gen II Series sensor or an NCAPS® Thin Profile sensor commercially available from BEI Technologies Inc. (California, USA), can be used to achieve the above purpose.  
      As an illustrative example, to make a right turn, the driver turns the steering wheel rightward. A signal is generated by the sensor  131 , indicating the right turning of the automobile. The microprocessor  132 , based on the program or software or instructions preloaded therein, determines how many and which ones of the lamps at the right side of the automobile to be lighted in response to the signal from the sensor  31  in connection with the turning direction, turning degree and preferably speed of the automobile. The control unit  133  variably turns on the lamps of the right turning indicator to show a desired pattern determined by the microprocessor  132 .  
      For example, as shown in  FIG. 14A , the lamps  134  are arranged on a body of an automobile below a rear lamp assembly  135  comprising an indicator light, a backup light and a brake light. Reference numerals  137  and  138  designate a trunk lid and a bumper of the automobile.  
       FIGS. 14B-1  to  14 B- 3  show another example of mounting the lamps (which are designated with reference numeral  136  in  FIGS. 14B-1  t-  14 B- 3 ) of the automobile indicator to the automobile body. The lamps  136  are arranged on the automobile body between a trunk lid  137  and a rear bumper  138 . If desired, the lamps  136  may consist of more than one color to distinguish different levels of turning so as to make the turning indication even prominent. For example, in case the lamps arranged in a linear array, the right half of lamps is in connection with right turn indication, and the left ⅔ portion  1361  of lamps of the right half illuminate orange light while the right ⅓ portion  1362  of lamps illuminate red light to inform other drivers of a sharp turn.  
      The lamps, of course, can be mounted to any other suitable positions as long as they can hold attraction from other drivers. For example, the lamps can also be arranged on the automobile body between a hood and a front bumper and/or arranged under the headlight.  
      As mentioned above, the lamps of the automobile indicator of the present invention may be constructed to emit lights of different colors for different functions. For example, the color of light emitted in response to the operation of an indicator light switch or a brake operation can be different from that emitted in response to the turning angle. In order to attract the attention of other drivers, the colors of the light emitted in response to different turning angles can be different as described above with reference to  FIGS. 14B-1  to  14 B- 3 . Alternatively, the colors of light may vary with turning angles. For example, when the lamps  139  are used to show the brake operation, as in Case I, the color of light is red. When the lamps  139  are use a small angle turning operation, the color is yellow as shown in Case II. When the lamps  139  are used to show a large angle turning operation, the color of light becomes red again, as in Case III.  
      In addition to color, the luminance of the light can also vary with the range of turning angle and/or speed of an automobile.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 15A-15D , in order to further attract attention from other drivers, a plurality of different lighting patterns/schemes can be sequentially display for a specific turning direction and a specific turning angle. For example, the lamps of any of the above-described embodiments can be made to sequentially twinkle. The transformation between the plurality of lighting patterns or the twinkling of the lamps follows a predetermined rule. For example, an automobile is traveling at a speed of 60 km/hr and is making a right turn at an angle of 60 degrees. According to the lookup table illustrated in  FIG. 12A , five lamps at the right side of the automobile are turned on. In this embodiment, the five lamps sequentially twinkle instead of continuous emission of light.  
      The twinkling rate is preferably made dependent upon the speed of the automobile and is in such a high rate whereby other drivers see the lamps running thereby attracting the attention of the other drivers. For example, the time interval t for changing patterns, that is difference between the time when a first pattern is being taken and the time when a next pattern is being taken, such as t=t 2 −t 1 =t 3 −t 2 =. . . =t 10 −t 9 , is 0.5 seconds for the automobile speed of 20 km/hr and the time interval t is reduced to 0.25 seconds for the automobile speed of 60 km/hr.  
      In the example of  FIG. 15A , the number of lamps that are twinkling is increased from one to two and then three and four in sequence. The cycle repeats. In the example of  FIG. 15B , two lamps as a pair are twinkling together and then the twinkling lamps shifts to next pair wherein the original pair and the next pair share one common lamp. The shifting of twinkling pairs moves from for example the leftmost position toward the rightmost position. The example of  FIG. 15C  is exactly an reverse operation of  FIG. 15A  wherein the number of the twinkling lamps is decremented from for example four to one and the cycle repeats.  FIG. 15D  shows a variation of  FIG. 15A , wherein after the number of twinkling lamps is increased to four, the number is decremented by one for each change of lighting pattern. The cycle including both number increasing and number decreasing repeats itself.  
      Although a linear arrangement of the lamps is exemplified in  FIGS. 15A-15D  for illustrating the twinkling action of the lamps, the twinkling principal may be applied to various lamp arrangements by those skilled in the art. For example, as shown in  FIG. 16 , the lamps are arranged in a swirl configuration. The lighting schemes illustrated in  FIGS. 15A-15D  can also be applied here. The numbers labeled inside the lamps indicate the illuminating sequence of the lamps.  
      The present invention provides various automobile indicators capable of automatically showing the turning angle of an automobile. The automobile indicator can be implemented in the existing vehicular lamps, or incorporated into an existing vehicular accessory, utilizing special flashing effects to make the turning indication prominent, allowing the driver himself to see the turning indication, and/or operating on the basis of the automobile speed. By the automobile indicator of the present invention, the movement of an automobile can be effectively monitored so as to enhance the driving safety.  
      While the invention has been described in terms of what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention need not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.