Patent ID: 7477141

Claim:
An apparatus for providing sequence modulated control of an LED array in running tail lights, in a motor vehicle, wherein the motor vehicle includes a braking system and an engine that is wired to an ignition system through an ignition wire, wherein the motor vehicle travels with a vehicle speed and a vehicle acceleration when in operation, wherein the engine rotates with a rotational speed and a rotational acceleration when in operation, and wherein the ignition system controls the firing of the engine when in operation, the apparatus comprising: an LED interface circuit that is arranged to sequentially selectively activate each LED from the LED array, wherein a rate of activation is varied in response to a LED control signal; a motor vehicle monitoring circuit that is arranged to provide a sensor input signal responsive to changes in either an engine operating condition, a vehicle operating condition, or a combination of the engine operating condition and the vehicle operating condition, wherein the motor vehicle monitoring circuit is operated independent of the braking system; and a processor circuit that is arranged to provide the LED control signal responsive to changes in the sensor input signal, wherein the processor circuit is arranged such that the LED array is controlled according to a first sequence when the operating conditions associated with the engine correspond to a non-braking mode, and the LED array is controlled according to a second sequence when the operating conditions associated with the engine correspond to a braking mode, wherein the rate of activation associated with the first sequence is independently controllable with respect to the rate of activation associated with the second sequence, and wherein the rate of activation associated with the first sequence is continuously adjusted irrespective of vehicle motion.