Patent Publication Number: US-7914172-B2

Title: Light control system

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to vehicle lighting. More particularly, the invention is directed to a light control system for synchronizing multiple light outputs in a vehicle. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Lighting systems are currently being integrated with vehicle systems and components to provide a unique lighting appearance to the driver and passengers of the vehicle. Further, accent lighting can be installed on the exterior of the vehicle for personalized ascetics. With each lighting system having a separate source of light and associated light settings (on/off/intensity/color/etc. . . . ), there exists a need for a light control system and methods to control each of the lighting systems in the vehicle. 
     U.S. published application 20050111231, to Crodian et al., shows a customizable lighting system including control of brightness and timing parameters of a plurality of lights. However, the methods and system described in Crodian et al. rely on clock cycles and duty cycles to control the brightness of the lights in a sequential light pattern. 
     Currently, there are no methods to propagate light settings of a light emitting device to other light emitting devices in a single step for efficiency and an optimized Human Machine Interface (HMI). Depending on the architecture, illumination in the interior of a vehicle is accomplished through various methods. Some OEMs have a separate lighting control circuit contained within each device and others execute light control through the vehicle network. 
     It would be desirable to have a unified lighting system including a plurality of light emitting devices, wherein each light emitting device generates a color output in response to a plurality of light settings and a modification to the light settings of one light emitting device is automatically propagated to the other light emitting devices, thereby providing a substantially uniform color output of the lighting system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Concordant and consistent with the present invention, a unified lighting system including a plurality of light emitting devices, wherein each light emitting device generates a color output in response to a plurality of light settings and a modification to the light settings of one light emitting device is automatically propagated to the other light emitting devices, thereby providing a substantially uniform color output of the lighting system, has surprisingly been discovered. 
     In one embodiment, a unified lighting system comprises: a plurality of light emitting devices, wherein each of the light emitting devices generates a color output in response to a plurality of light settings; and a plurality of light control modules in communication with each other, wherein each of the light control modules is adapted to receive a control signal, adjust the light settings of at least one of the light emitting devices in response to the control signal, and propagate the control signal to others of the light control modules. 
     In another embodiment, a unified lighting system for a vehicle comprises: a plurality of light emitting devices adapted to emit a color output in response to a plurality of light settings; a plurality of light control modules in communication with each other, wherein each of the light control modules is adapted to receive a control signal, adjust the light setting of at least one of the light emitting devices in response to the control signal, and propagate the control signal to others of the light control modules; and a secondary input device adapted to interconnect with at least one of the light control modules for transmitting and receiving the control signal. 
     In a further embodiment, a unified lighting system for a vehicle comprises: a plurality of light emitting devices adapted to emit a color output in response to a plurality of light settings, wherein the light settings represent the mixing of emitted color light to generate the color output having a particular color appearance; a plurality of light control modules in communication with each other, wherein at least one of the light control modules receives a control signal, adjusts the light settings of an associated one of the light emitting devices in response to the control signal, and propagates the control signal to others of the light control modules for adjusting the light settings of others of the light emitting devices; a secondary input device adapted to interconnect with at least one of the light control modules for transmitting and receiving the control signal; and a user interface adapted to transmit the control signal to at least one of the light control modules. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawing which is a schematic block diagram of a unified lighting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
     The following detailed description and appended drawings describe and illustrate various embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. 
     Referring to the FIGURE, there is illustrated a unified lighting system  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The unified lighting system  10  includes a plurality of light control modules  12 , wherein each of the light control modules  12  is in communication with a light emitting device  14 . As shown, the unified lighting system  10  includes three light control modules  12 , each of the light control modules  12  in direct communication with a single light emitting device  14 . It is understood that any number of light control modules  12  may be included in the unified lighting system  10 , as desired. It is further understood that each light control module  12  may be in communication with any number of light emitting devices  14 , as desired. As a non-limiting example, the light control modules  12  may be integrated with any system, device, or component adapted to emit a color light. 
     In certain embodiments, a driver  15  is in electrical communication with at least one of the light emitting devices  14  and the light control module  12 , wherein the driver  15  controls the flow of an electric current to the at least one of the light emitting devices  14  in response to a plurality of light settings  16 . In other embodiments, the light control modules  12  control the light emitting devices  14  directly. 
     Each of the light control modules  12  is adapted to receive a control signal  17 , adjust the light settings  16  of the associated light emitting devices  14  in response to the control signal  17 , and propagate the control signal  17  to other light control modules  12 . It is understood that the light settings  16  of each of the light emitting devices  14  represent a color output  18  of the associated light emitting device  14 . Specifically, the light settings  16  control the mixing of emitted colors to generate the color output  18  having a particular color. However, the light settings  16  may control other characteristics of the color output  18  such as light intensity and an “on/off” setting, for example. As a non-limiting example, the light settings  16  may represent at least one of a magnitude of electric current transmitted to the associated light emitting device  14  and a magnitude of the voltage applied to the associated light emitting device  14 . In certain embodiments, the light settings  16  represent an intensity ratio of red light to green light to blue light in order to create the appearance of a variety of colors. It is understood that other color mixing may be used such as ratios of cyan, magenta and yellow, for example. Any of the light control modules  12  has the ability to initiate the propagation of the updated light settings  16  through the control signal  17 . It is understood that the updating of the light settings  16  of each of the light emitting devices  14  may be timed or untimed and changes to the color output may be linear or non-linear. 
     Each of the light control modules  12  is adapted to receive the control signal  17  by any communication means such as wireless communication, blue tooth, universal serial bus (USB), and Ethernet, for example. Other forms of communication may be used, as desired. As shown, the light control modules  12  are in communication with other light control modules  12  in the unified lighting system  10 . As a non-limiting example, the light control modules  12  may interconnect through wireless communication, blue tooth, Ethernet, or any other appropriate form of signal communication. As a further example, the light control modules  12  may interconnect through a vehicle network using a protocol such a Controller-area Network (CAN) or Media Oriented System Transport (MOST), for example. Other networks and protocols may be used, as desired. 
     In certain embodiments, each of the light control modules  12  is pre-programmed to communicate with other light control modules  12  in a pre-determined light-zone. The light-zone is defined as a number of the light control modules  12  that are each adapted to send and receive (i.e. propagate) the control signal  17  between each other in order to substantially unify the color output  18  of each of the associated light emitting devices  14  in the same light zone. It is understood that any number of light control modules  12  may be pre-programmed to intercommunicate with any other light control module  12  to form the light zones. It is further understood that a user has the ability to include or exclude any particular light control module  12  and light emitting device  14 , as desired. 
     In certain embodiments, at least one of the light control modules  12  is adapted to intercommunicate with a user interface  19  for transmitting and receiving the control signal  17 . Specifically, the user interface  19  receives a user-provided input  20  and transmits the control signal  17  to at least one of the light control modules  12  in response to the user-provided input  20 . It is understood that the user-provided input  20  may be used to define the light settings  16 , and thereby the color output  18 , of at least one of the light emitting devices  14 . The user interface  19  is also adapted to generate an interface color output  22  in response to at least one of the user-provided input  20  and the control signal  17  received from at least one of the light control modules  12 . As a non-limiting example, the user interface  19  may be a touch screen device adapted to receive the user-provided input  20 , emit the interface color output  22  in response to the user-provided input  20 , and transmit the control signal  17 . Other user interface devices and system may be used, as desired. 
     In the embodiment shown, at least one of the light control modules  12  is adapted to intercommunicate with a secondary input device  24 . The secondary input device  24  may be any device adapted to intercommunicate with at least one of the light control modules  12  for transmitting and receiving the control signal  17 . As shown, the secondary input device  24  is adapted to produce a secondary input device color output  26  based upon the light settings  28  of the secondary input device  24 . It is understood that the light settings  28  of the secondary input device  24  may be pre-programmed, as desired. It is further understood that the light settings  28  of the secondary input device  24  may be modified in response to the control signal  17  received from at least one of the light control modules  12 . In certain embodiments, the secondary input device  24  generates and transmits the control signal  17  to at least one of the light control modules  12 . As a non-limiting example, the control signal  17  generated and transmitted by the secondary input device  24  represents the light setting  28  of the secondary input device  24 . Accordingly, any of the light control modules  12  receiving the control signal  17  transmitted by the secondary input device  24 , modifies the light settings  16  of the associated light emitting devices  14  to have substantially the same color output  18  as the secondary input device color output  26 . It is understood that each of the light control modules  12  may be adapted to receive the control signal  17  from any secondary input device  24  and/or user interface  19 . Other interfaces and devices may be used, as desired. 
     In one embodiment, at least one of the light control modules  12  includes a processor  30  and a storage device  32 . The processor  30  is adapted to analyze the control signal  17  based upon an instruction set  34 . The instruction set  34 , which may be embodied within any computer readable medium, includes processor executable instructions for configuring the processor  30  to perform a variety of tasks. It is understood that the processor  30  may execute a variety functions such as controlling the modification and updating of the light settings  16  of the associated light emitting devices  14 , for example. The storage device  32  may be a single storage device or may be multiple storage devices. Portions of the storage device  32  may also be located on the processor  30 . Furthermore, the storage device  32  may be a solid state storage system, a magnetic storage system, an optical storage system or any other suitable storage system or device. It is understood that the storage device  32  is adapted to store the instruction set  34 . Other data and information may be stored in the storage device  32  such as pre-programmed light settings, user-defined light settings, and recently used light settings, for example. 
     The at least one light control module  12  may further include a programmable component  36 . The programmable component  36  is in communication with the processor  30 . It is understood that the programmable component  36  may be in communication with any other component of the unified lighting system  10  such as the user interface  19  and the storage device  32 , for example. In certain embodiments, the programmable component  36  is adapted to manage and control processing functions of the processor  30 . Specifically, the programmable component  36  is adapted to control the analysis of the control signal  17  and the modification of the light settings  16  of at least one of the light control modules  12 . The programmable component  36  provides a means for a user to actively manage the operation of the processor  30  and thereby control the resultant color output  18  of at least one of the light emitting devices  14 . It is understood that the programmable component  36  may be adapted to manage and control the user interface  19 . It is further understood that the programmable component  36  may be adapted to store data and information in the storage device  32  and retrieve data and information from the storage device  32 . 
     The light emitting devices  14  may be any device, component, or system capable of producing the color output  18  in response to the associated light settings  16  such as light emitting diodes and liquid crystal displays, for example. Other devices, components, and systems may be used, as desired. As a non-limiting example, at least one of the light emitting devices  14  may be an ambient lighting system for a vehicle adapted to generate varying levels of color light intensity to produce a range of visible colors. As another example, at least one of the light emitting devices  14  may be a backlit instrument panel adapted to emit a color display to a driver of the vehicle. It is understood that each of the light emitting devices  14  may have additional controls and features that are independent of the unified lighting system  10 . 
     In use, each of the light emitting devices  14  of the unified lighting system  10  generates the color output  18  in response to the associated light settings  16 . A modification to the light settings  16  of one light emitting device  14  is automatically propagated to the other light emitting devices  14 , thereby providing a substantially uniform color output  18  from each of the light emitting devices  14 . 
     In certain embodiments, the light settings  16  of at least one of the light emitting device  14  are modified by at least one of the light control modules  12  in response to the control signal  17 . Where the control signal  17  is received from the user interface  19 , the control signal  17  represents the light settings  16  and the resultant color output  18  as defined by a user-provided input  20 . For example, the user may directly program the color output  18  of at least one of the light emitting devices  14 . Specifically, at least one of the light control modules  12  receives the control signal  17  from the user interface  19 , updates the light settings  16  of the associated light emitting devices  14  in response to the control signal  17 , and propagates the control signal  17  representing the updated light settings  16  to each of the light control modules  12  in the same light zone. Likewise, each of the light control modules  12  in the same light zone receives the control signal  17  and modifies the light settings  16  of the associated light emitting devices  14  in response to the control signal  17 . Accordingly, each of the light emitting devices  14  in the particular light zone emits substantially the same color output  18  in response to the updated light settings  16 . As a non-limiting example, the user may adjust the light settings  16  of at least one of the light emitting devices  14  such that the at least one of the light emitting devices  14  generates the color output  18  having the appearance of the color “green”. As such, the user-defined light settings  16  are automatically propagated to all of the light control modules  12  in the same light zone through the control signal  17 , wherein each of the light emitting devices  14  in the same zone is adjusted in response to the light settings  16  to produce the color output  18  having substantially the same “green” appearance. 
     Where the control signal  17  is received from the secondary input device  24 , the control signal  17  represents data and information defining the light settings  28  of the secondary input device  24 . For example, the user may have a handheld electronic device including personalized light settings  28  representing a secondary input device color output  26  having the color cyan. Once the secondary input device  24  establishes communication with at least one of the light control modules  12 , the light settings  28  of the secondary input device  24  are automatically propagated to the at least one of the light control modules  12  in the form of the control signal  17 . Once the at least one of the light control modules  12  receives the control signal  17 , the at least one of the light control modules  12  updates the light settings  16  of the associated light emitting devices  14  and propagates the control signal  17 , representing the light settings  16 , to each of the light control modules  12  in the same light zone. Likewise, each of the light control modules  12  in the same light zone receives the control signal  17  and modifies the light settings  16  of the associated light emitting devices  14  in response to the control signal  17 . Accordingly, each of the light emitting devices  14  in the particular light zone emits a substantially uniform color output  18 , in this case, having the color appearance of cyan. It is understood that the secondary input device  24  may also be pre-programmed to receive the control signal  17  from at least one of the light control modules  12  and thereby adjust the color output  18  of the secondary input device  24  to substantially match the color output  18  of the associated light zone. 
     The unified lighting system  10  provides a unique control of the various light emitting devices  14  in a vehicle. A modification to the light settings  16  of any of the light emitting devices  14  is automatically propagated to the other light emitting devices  14  in the lighting system  10 , thereby providing a substantially uniform color output  18  of each of the light emitting devices  14 . 
     From the foregoing description, one ordinarily skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.