Patent ID: 12210260

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. In the drawings, the depicted structural elements are not to scale and certain components are enlarged relative to the other components for purposes of emphasis and understanding.

As required, detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the disclosure that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to a detailed design; some schematics may be exaggerated or minimized to show function overview. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure.

For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the concepts as oriented inFIG.1. However, it is to be understood that the concepts may assume various alternative orientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

The present illustrated embodiments reside primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related to a vehicle lighting system and method of controlling a vehicle lighting system on a vehicle. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have been represented, where appropriate, by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Further, like numerals in the description and drawings represent like elements.

As used herein, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listed items, can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination; B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.

In this document, relational terms, such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like, are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

As used herein, the term “about” means that amounts, sizes, formulations, parameters, and other quantities and characteristics are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller, as desired, reflecting tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error and the like, and other factors known to those of skill in the art. When the term “about” is used in describing a value or an end-point of a range, the disclosure should be understood to include the specific value or end-point referred to. Whether or not a numerical value or end-point of a range in the specification recites “about,” the numerical value or end-point of a range is intended to include two embodiments: one modified by “about,” and one not modified by “about.” It will be further understood that the end-points of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other end-point, and independently of the other end-point.

The terms “substantial,” “substantially,” and variations thereof as used herein are intended to note that a described feature is equal or approximately equal to a value or description. For example, a “substantially planar” surface is intended to denote a surface that is planar or approximately planar. Moreover, “substantially” is intended to denote that two values are equal or approximately equal. In some embodiments, “substantially” may denote values within about 10% of each other, such as within about 5% of each other, or within about 2% of each other.

As used herein the terms “the,” “a,” or “an,” mean “at least one,” and should not be limited to “only one” unless explicitly indicated to the contrary. Thus, for example, reference to “a component” includes embodiments having two or more such components unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Referring toFIG.1, a passenger compartment14of a motor vehicle10is generally illustrated equipped with a vehicle lighting system20, according to one embodiment. The vehicle10may be a motor vehicle, for example, a wheeled motor vehicle which may include a car, a truck, a van, a bus, an SUV, etc. The passenger compartment14may be equipped with a seating arrangement having one or more seats12for seating vehicle occupants such as a driver of the motor vehicle and one or more passengers. It should be appreciated that the motor vehicle10may include any of a number of seats12, including a front row of seats having a driver's seat12A and a passenger seat12B, and various other passenger seats located at one or more locations throughout the passenger compartment14. The seating arrangement may include two or three seats, for example, within each row of seating and there may be multiple rows of seating within the passenger compartment14of the motor vehicle10. It should be appreciated that the seating area for each seat may be illuminated by a vehicle lighting system20for providing a dome light and reading light directed towards the corresponding seating area.

The vehicle lighting system20is shown located in the cabin interior defining the passenger compartment14above the seating arrangement and proximate to an underside of a roof16of the vehicle body, according to one example. More specifically, the vehicle lighting system20is shown located in an overhead console18that, in turn, is assembled to an underlying component of the roof, such as a headliner. As such, the overhead console18is located at an elevation generally above one or more of the vehicle seats12, and may be located centrally between the front row driver's seat12A and the passenger's seat12B. It should be appreciated that the vehicle lighting system20may be located elsewhere in the passenger compartment14such as on the underside of the roof16, in a mirror, or in a support pillar, for example. The vehicle lighting system20may be located at multiple locations in the vehicle10to provide lighting directed to one or more seats.

As shown inFIGS.1and2, the overhead console18may include various features including user control inputs such as pushbutton or proximity switches for controlling various features or functions on the motor vehicle10. The user control inputs may include manually actuatable inputs for controlling features, such as controlling lighting, moonroof and sunshade movement, and other functions. In addition, the overhead console18is equipped with a pair of vehicle lighting systems20that may provide both a reading light and a dome light for the driver's seat12A and the passenger's seat12B. In the example shown, the overhead console18has a pair of lighting systems20, with one lighting system on the driver side for illuminating the seating area of the driver's seat12A, and the other lighting system on the passenger side for illuminating the seating area for the passenger seat12B, each lighting system20having a single lamp for illuminating a reading light into a region proximate to the corresponding seat within a relatively narrow illumination beam and is selectively controllable to switch to illuminate a dome light with a wider illumination beam. It should be appreciated that the overhead console18may be equipped with other lighting systems20which may include a single lamp for providing both a reading light and a dome light proximate to each of the plurality of seats such as the seats in the front row seating including the driver and passenger seats12A and12B, and may have separate lights for lighting illumination for seats in rearward rows of seating.

Each vehicle lighting system20may include a light source which may include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) such as a single color LED or red-green-blue LEDs (RGB LEDs) that may generate light of various colors based on color mixing of red, blue and green LEDs. The vehicle lighting system20may generate as an output a reading light in an output beam directed to a region proximate to a location where the driver or one or more passengers may be seated in seats in the motor vehicle10. The vehicle lighting system20may be selectively activated to illuminate a narrow band light beam in a cone-shaped region to enable a passenger sitting in a seat to view reading material, such as books, maps, etc., when configured as a reading light, particularly when ambient lighting conditions in the passenger compartment14of the motor vehicle10are insufficient. The vehicle lighting system20may also be illuminated in a wide light beam to illuminate a broader cone-shaped region of the motor vehicle10when configured as a dome light.

The vehicle lighting system20further includes a dynamic optical lens in the form of a liquid lens24optically aligned with the light output of the light source to provide dynamic beam shaping to cause the optical power and therefore the focal length to shift which varies the size of the light output beam. The liquid lens24is electrically controlled to allow for the light output to be focused to illuminate in a narrow beam reading light or changed to defocus to a wider beam dome light. The reading light has a narrow cone-shaped light beam generally focused within a more limited narrow beam, and the dome light has a broader cone-shaped illumination beam. The liquid lens24includes a container having a reconfigurable optical membrane and fluid defining an actuator with a voice coil. The actuator with the voice coil may be electrically energized to cause the fluid to change the shape of the optical membrane, thereby defining the optical properties of the liquid lens as it moves between a first shape and a second shape to focus and defocus the light beam. In the first shape, the liquid lens projects light transmitted therethrough in a wider beam for the output dome light, and in a second shape transmits light therethrough in a narrower beam for the output reading light.

As illustrated inFIG.2, the overhead console18may include one or more user inputs, such as pushbutton switches22for activating each of the lighting systems20to turn the lamp on and off and further for selecting the operating mode such as one of the dome light mode and reading light mode. In the example shown, a user may actuate the pushbutton switch22located proximate to the vehicle lighting liquid lens24to turn the corresponding lighting system20on and may further actuate the pushbutton switch22to sequentially select the operating reading or dome light mode and to turn the vehicle lighting system20off. For example, a user may depress the pushbutton switch22once to turn on the vehicle lighting system20in a first mode such as a reading mode and may further depress the pushbutton switch22a second time to switch the mode to the dome light, for example. It should be appreciated that the vehicle lighting system20may otherwise include other types of user inputs such as an integrated user input built into the liquid lens24that allows the user to depress a housing of the liquid lens24to activate the vehicle lighting system20and to select the reading light mode and dome light mode by contacting or depressing the liquid lens24. It should be appreciated that the user input may include a mechanical pushbutton actuated switch or a proximity switch, such as a capacitive switch, for example.

Referring toFIGS.3and4, the vehicle lighting system20is illustrated with the liquid lens24controlled in a dome light mode inFIG.3and in a reading light mode inFIG.4. The vehicle lighting system20includes a light source26, such as one or more light emitting diodes. In one embodiment, the light source26has red, blue and green LEDs for generating colored light using color mixing of the LEDs. The light source26generates an output light beam28generally within a cone-shaped beam at an angle to which in turn is projected onto and through the liquid lens24. The liquid lens24is an optical lens that may be electrically controlled to change the shape of the optical membrane to change the focus of the light beam output as light from the light source26is projected through the liquid lens24. The liquid lens24generally includes a window30on the upper input side and a container32which includes two fluid mediums of differing indexes of refraction separated by an optical polymer membrane36. In the example shown, the container32contains a first fluid medium in the form of oil in a first chamber34of the container32and a second fluid medium in the form of water in a second chamber38of the container32. The first fluid medium, e.g., water, has a first index of refraction that is different from the second index of refractive of the second fluid medium, e.g., oil. The first chamber34is separated from the second chamber38via the optical polymer membrane36that is light transparent and bendable into different dome shapes due to the pressure of the two fluid mediums. The optical polymer membrane36may be a light transparent polymer.

The liquid lens24includes a first metal contact40which provides a first electrode insulated via an insulator44and a second metal contact42likewise insulated via insulator46. An electrical voltage Von may be applied by an electrical power source50such as a battery across the first and second metal contacts40and42to generate an electrostatic pressure48to change the shape of the optical polymer membrane36. As seen inFIG.3, when the electrical voltage is not applied, which is a first voltage of zero volts represented by Voff, the optical polymer membrane36assumes a first dome shape which projects the light illuminated therethrough in an output beam78which defines a relatively wide angle defocused beam of light to provide the dome light. The wide beam78may have an angle θ that is relatively large compared to a reading light. For example, the dome light may have an angle θ greater than 25°, whereas the reading light may have an angle θ less than 25°. It should be appreciated that the light beam28output from the light source26is redirected into the wide beam78when passing through the optical membrane36of the first shape shown inFIG.3to provide a wider field of illumination for the dome light.

Referring toFIG.4, the vehicle lighting system20is shown with an electrical voltage applied by the electrical power source50to provide a second voltage Von such as 0-60 volts across metal contacts40and42to generate electrostatic pressure to change the shape of the optical polymer membrane36to a second dome shape. According to one example, the voltage may be 0-20 volts for the dome light and 45-60 volts for the reading lamp. In the second dome shape, the optical polymer membrane36redirects the light beam output28from the light source26into a narrower focused light beam78having a beam of light illumination at an angle θ configured for a reading light. The reading light provides a more focused narrow beam of light, whereas the dome light provides a broader general defocused beam of lighting. It should be appreciated that the electrical voltage may be switched between Von and Voff in response to a user input to change the shape of the optical polymer membrane36to adjust the focus switch between the reading light and the dome light. It should be appreciated that the voltage applied to the liquid lens24may be a non-zero first voltage for the reading light and a second different non-zero voltage or zero voltage for the dome light.

Referring toFIG.5, one example of a controller60for the vehicle lighting system20is illustrated. The vehicle lighting system20includes the controller60such as a digital controller, such as a microprocessor62and memory64. It should be appreciated that other analog and/or digital control circuitry may be employed to control the shape of the liquid lens24to switch between the reading light and the dome light. The controller60receives inputs from the user switch22which may include a dome light input22A or a reading light input22B. Depending on the user input activated with the switch input, the controller60adjusts the voltage output applied to the liquid lens24between first and second voltages to change the shape of the optical polymer membrane to thereby change the light illumination beam to one of the reading light and the dome light, as requested by the input.

Accordingly, the vehicle lighting system20advantageously provides for a combination dome light and reading light in a motor vehicle10utilizing a light source and single lens configured as a liquid lens24. The liquid lens allows the optical system to overcome depth of field limitations by allowing the focus to be electronically adjusted without requiring other mechanical movement. The electrically focused tunable lens may function with a low operating voltage and may adjust the focus within a very short time period such as less than 100 milliseconds. The use of the liquid lens24advantageously provides for a simplified and efficient vehicle lighting system20in a motor vehicle10.

It is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of the present disclosure, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.