PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11858413-B2
Application Number: US-202117459584-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Exterior lighting and warning system

Abstract:
A system may have system controls that are used in controlling the system. The system may have sensors that gather information on speed, orientation, and position. The sensors may also gather information on relative speed, information on risks of a collision, and other status information and operating environment information. Control circuitry may use light-based devices to display, information on speed, relative speed, status information, custom light information or other user-selected information, or other information on status and the operating environment.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicle, comprising
 a body having an interior and an exterior; 
 a sensor that detects a location of a person outside of the vehicle; 
 a light-based device that displays information on the exterior of the body; and 
 control circuitry that adjusts a location of the information on the exterior based on the location of the person outside of the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       2. The vehicle defined in  claim 1  wherein the body has a window and wherein the light-based device is located on the window. 
     
     
       3. The vehicle defined in  claim 1  wherein the body has an opaque portion and wherein the light-based device is located on the opaque portion. 
     
     
       4. The vehicle defined in  claim 1  wherein the light-based device comprises a display having a two-dimensional array of pixels. 
     
     
       5. The vehicle defined in  claim 1  wherein the information indicates whether a given vehicle function is operating autonomously. 
     
     
       6. The vehicle defined in  claim 1  wherein the information comprises text. 
     
     
       7. The vehicle defined in  claim 1  wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of: a camera, a radar-based sensor, a lidar-based sensor, and a proximity sensor. 
     
     
       8. The vehicle defined in  claim 1  wherein the information comprises moving content. 
     
     
       9. The vehicle defined in  claim 1  wherein the light-based device is indistinguishable from the body when the light-based device is turned off. 
     
     
       10. The vehicle defined in  claim 1  wherein the information includes upcoming vehicle navigation information. 
     
     
       11. A passenger vehicle, comprising:
 a body having an interior and an exterior; 
 a light-based device on the exterior of the body; and 
 control circuitry that uses the light-based device to display information on the exterior of the body indicating that at least one vehicle function is operating autonomously, wherein the body has an opaque portion and wherein the light-based device is located on the opaque portion. 
 
     
     
       12. The passenger vehicle defined in  claim 11  wherein the light-based device comprises a light source and a light modulator that is configured to hide the light source when not in use. 
     
     
       13. The passenger vehicle defined in  claim 11  wherein the light-based device comprises a display with a two-dimensional array of pixels. 
     
     
       14. The passenger vehicle defined in  claim 11  wherein the vehicle function is selected from the group consisting of: turning, accelerating, and stopping. 
     
     
       15. A passenger vehicle, comprising:
 a body having an interior and an exterior; 
 a light-based device on the exterior of the body; and 
 control circuitry that uses the light-based device to display information on the exterior of the body indicating that at least one vehicle function is operating autonomously, wherein the body has a window and wherein the light-based device is located on the window. 
 
     
     
       16. A vehicle, comprising:
 a body having an exterior; 
 a sensor that detects a person approaching the vehicle; 
 a display having a two-dimensional array of pixels; and 
 control circuitry that uses the display to display a message for the person on the exterior in response to detecting the person approaching the vehicle, wherein the message indicates whether a vehicle function is operating autonomously. 
 
     
     
       17. A vehicle, comprising:
 a body having an exterior; 
 a sensor that detects a person approaching the vehicle; 
 a display having a two-dimensional array of pixels; and 
 control circuitry that uses the display to display a message for the person on the exterior in response to detecting the person approaching the vehicle, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of: a camera, a radar-based sensor, and a lidar-based sensor. 
 
     
     
       18. A vehicle, comprising:
 a body having an exterior; 
 a sensor that detects a person approaching the vehicle; 
 a display having a two-dimensional array of pixels; and 
 control circuitry that uses the display to display a message for the person on the exterior in response to detecting the person approaching the vehicle, wherein the sensor tracks a location of the person approaching the vehicle and adjusts a location of the message on the exterior based on the location of the person. 
 
     
     
       19. The vehicle defined in  claim 16  wherein the display blends in with the body when the display is turned off.

Description:
This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 16/169,943, filed Oct. 24, 2018, which is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 15/221,376, filed Jul. 27, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,112,528, which claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 62/198,045, filed Jul. 28, 2015, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This relates generally to systems that generate warnings, and, more particularly, warnings such as brake light warnings for vehicles. 
     Vehicles such as automobiles have brake lights. When a driver brakes to slow a vehicle, the brake lights are activated. The brake lights are mounted on the rear of the vehicle, so the driver a following vehicle can be informed about the braking status of the vehicle. Some vehicles have brake lights that flash under hard braking to warn following vehicles. 
     Although existing systems for informing following vehicles of braking status can be satisfactory in normal driving conditions, it would be desirable to provide additional brake status information and additional warnings in many situations. It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved brake lighting and warning systems. 
     SUMMARY 
     A vehicle may have vehicle controls that are used in steering, braking, and accelerating the vehicle. The vehicle may have sensors that gather information on speed, orientation, position, and other vehicle operating status information. The sensors may also gather information on relative speed between the vehicle and a following vehicle, information on when there is a risk of a collision between the vehicle and an external object, road conditions, and other environmental conditions. 
     A vehicle may have audio output devices to create audio output, light-based devices such as devices based on one or more light-emitting diodes to supply light output, and wireless circuitry to wirelessly transmit warnings and other messages. Light-based devices may use edge-lit or backlit light guides, organic light-emitting diode display panels, liquid crystal display panels, light modulators based on liquid crystals, and other circuitry for generating light output. The light output may include large areas of a single color, may include text, icons, or other visual content, may include moving content, may include light of multiple colors, and may include other patterns of light. 
     Light-based devices in a vehicle may be used to display braking information, information on vehicle speed, the relative speed between a vehicle and a following vehicle, autonomous driving mode status information, custom brake light information or other user-selected information, or other information on vehicle status and the operating environment of a vehicle. This information may also be provided using audio output devices, wireless circuitry that transmits warning messages, and other output devices in a vehicle. 
     Light-based devices may also display greetings and other information to a driver of a vehicle as the driver is approaching the vehicle from the outside and as the driver walks around the vehicle. Sensors may track the location of a user who is near to the vehicle and can adjust the light-based devices so that a greeting or other information is presented on a portion of the vehicle that can be viewed by the user. Good-by messages may be presented to a driver after the driver has parked the vehicle and is leaving the vicinity of the vehicle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a side view of a portion of an illustrative vehicle in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic diagram of an illustrative vehicle or other system in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  3    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative portion of a vehicle with a light-based device in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  4    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative light-based device having an adjustable mirror and an edge-lit light guide that serves as a light source in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  5    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative light-based device having an adjustable mirror and one or more adjustable light emitters on a substrate such as a transparent substrate in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative display having a controllable translucent layer that may be illuminated by a light projector in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative backlit light guide in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  8    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative light-based device with an array of light-emitting diodes mounted in reflectors in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  9    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative light-based device with an array of light-emitting diodes and diffuser films in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  10    is a rear view of an illustrative vehicle in a situation in which no braking is being applied to the vehicle in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  11    is a rear view of the illustrative vehicle of  FIG.  10    in a situation in which a low amount of braking is being applied to the vehicle in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  12    is a rear view of the illustrative vehicle of  FIG.  10    in a situation in which a moderate amount of braking is being applied to the vehicle of  FIG.  10    in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  13    is a rear view of an illustrative vehicle of  FIG.  10    in a situation in which a heavy amount of braking is being applied to the vehicle in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  14    is a diagram of an illustrative segmented light system of the type that may be used to display braking information or other information in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  15    is a diagram of an illustrative light system with bars of different heights in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  16    is a diagram of illustrative output from a light-based device including a gauge such as a speed gauge in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  17    is a diagram showing how a light such as a brake light or other light may have a stepwise-varying or continuously varying intensity in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  18    is a diagram of an illustrative light with continuously variable or step-wise varying output intensity in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  19    is a diagram illustrating how a vehicle light may flash to provide warning information in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  20    is a diagram of illustrative vehicle light output provided by a light-based device with areas that are adjusted independently in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  21    is a diagram of illustrative vehicle light output from a light-based device that displays information such as warning information in the form of icons, graphics, and/or alphanumeric characters (text) in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  22    is a diagram of illustrative vehicle light output from a light-based device that displays current vehicle speed in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  23    is a diagram of illustrative vehicle light output from a light-based device that displays the difference in speed between a vehicle and a following vehicle in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  24    is a diagram of different illustrative user-selectable vehicle light output patterns that may be associated with a customizable vehicle light in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  25    is a side view of an illustrative vehicle with exterior lighting in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  26    is a front view of an illustrative vehicle with exterior lighting in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG.  27    is a flow chart of illustrative steps involved in operating a vehicle and associated systems while producing light-based warnings and other output in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Systems such as vehicles and other systems may have exterior lighting. Lighting systems on the exterior of a vehicle may be used to provide information to occupants of other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, other road users, and others outside of a vehicle. The information that is provided may reflect vehicle status. Examples of vehicle status information that may be conveyed to include vehicle speed, vehicle braking status, whether a vehicle is being driven autonomously or manually, whether a vehicle is about to exit a highway at a particular exit or is about to make a turn onto a nearby road, the following distance and closing speed of a following vehicle, and information regarding potential hazards (e.g., whether a pedestrian is too close to a moving vehicle, etc.). The information that is provided using the exterior lighting systems may also include information on the operating environment of a vehicle such as road hazards, weather, traffic conditions, and collision risks. If desired, vehicle status information, operating environment information, and other information may be conveyed wirelessly to nearby vehicle occupants and pedestrians. This information may also be provided to others using audio output or types of output. 
     An illustrative vehicle of the type that may be provided with input-output devices for gathering information on vehicle status and the operating environment of a vehicle and for providing corresponding output to the occupants of nearby vehicles and others is shown in  FIG.  1   . As shown in  FIG.  1   , vehicle  10  may include a body such as body  12 . Body  12  may have body panels and other structures that are supported by chassis structures (e.g., body-on-frame chassis structures, unibody chassis structures, or other suitable chassis structures). Portions of body  12  may include doors. Interior components in vehicle  10  such as seating for a driver and other vehicle occupants may be mounted within body  12  and external components such as wheels  18  may be mounted to body  12  (e.g., seats and wheels  18  may be coupled to chassis structures in body  12 ). The structures that make up body  12  may include metal structures, structures formed from fiber-composite materials such as carbon-fiber materials and fiberglass, plastic, and other materials. 
     Windows  14  may be formed at the front and rear of vehicle  10  in openings in body  12  and may be formed within the doors or other portions of the body  12  of vehicle  10 . As shown in  FIG.  1   , for example, vehicle  10  may have a front window such as front window  14 F that faces the front of vehicle, rearward facing windows such as rear window  14 R, and side windows such as windows mounted within the doors of vehicle  10  (see, e.g., side windows  14 D). Windows  14  may be formed from glass (e.g., glass laminated with polymer layers), plastics such as polycarbonate, or other clear materials. 
     Vehicle  10  may include mirrors such as side mirrors  22 . Side mirrors  22  may be formed on the left and right sides of vehicle  10  and may include light-based output devices such as light-emitting diodes. Vehicle  10  may also be provided with lights on the rear of vehicle  10  such as rear lights  16  (e.g., turn signal lights, brake lights, tail lights, etc.). Rear lighting may also be provided on rear window  14 R and/or other portions of the rear of vehicle  10 . The rearward facing lighting of vehicle  10  may include center high mounted stop lamps (CHMSL) such as light  24 . Light  24  may emit light through rear window  14 R or may be mounted on other rear portions of vehicle  10 . Additional lights in vehicle  10  such as lights  20  may include headlights, turn signal lines, and fog lights. In general, lighting may be provided on any interior and/or exterior surface of vehicle  10  such as the roof of vehicle  10 , the rear window or other rear surfaces of vehicle  10 , the front window or other front surface of vehicle  10 , the doors or other side surface of vehicle  10 , protruding portions of vehicle  10  such as mirrors  22  or bumpers, or any other vehicle surface. The lighting for vehicle  10  (e.g., external lighting) may be provided using light-based devices (light sources) that have been mounted on the surface of vehicle  10  (e.g., on body  12 , inside a portion of body  12 , in body  12  in an arrangement where the exterior of the light-based devices is flush with the surface of body  12 , etc.) and/or using lighting in the interior of vehicle  10  such as lighting that that emits light through windows  14 . 
     A schematic diagram of illustrative circuitry that may be included in vehicle  10  is shown in  FIG.  2   . As shown in  FIG.  2   , vehicle  10  may include control circuitry  40 . Control circuitry  40  may include storage and processing circuitry for supporting the operation of vehicle  10 . The storage and processing circuitry may include storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. Processing circuitry in control circuitry  40  may be used to control lighting, audio devices such as speakers, wireless transmitters to transmit information to equipment external to vehicle  10 , and other devices operating in vehicle  10 . If desired, the processing circuitry in control circuitry  40  may drive vehicle  10  autonomously. The processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors, power management units, audio chips, application specific integrated circuits, electronic control units, etc. 
     Vehicle  10  may include input-output components such as input-output circuitry  42 . Input-output circuitry  42  allows vehicle  10  to gather data and allows vehicle  10  to supply output data for a driver of vehicle  10 , people outside of vehicle  10 , and/or external or internal systems. Input-output circuitry  42  may, for example, be use to provide audio and visual information to the driver and other occupants of vehicle  10 , to the drivers and other occupants of other vehicles such as external vehicle  10 ′ (e.g., a vehicle following vehicle  10  in the roadway or driving elsewhere in relation to vehicle  10 ), and to other road users and pedestrians outside of vehicle  10 . In some situations, the information supplied to the occupants of vehicle  10  and/or to people outside of vehicle  10  may serve as a warning. For example, brake light output may warn a driver of a following vehicle that vehicle  10  is slowing, a speed gauge or text (e.g., alphanumeric characters such as digits representing speed in mph or km/hr) may inform the driver of a following vehicle of the current speed of vehicle  10  or the relative speed between a vehicle and the following vehicle, and text or other output may inform people near to an autonomously driven vehicle that the vehicle is operating autonomously (e.g., output may inform people that vehicle  10  is autonomously turning, accelerating, stopping, etc.). In other situations, audio and visual information (e.g., visual information on the exterior of vehicle  10 , etc.) may be provided that serves as a greeting, a good-by message, an advertisement or other commercial message, reminders (e.g., “check tire pressure”), or a public service announcement. User-customized text messages, icons, audio clips, and other customized media output may be supplied using the audio and visual output capabilities of vehicle  10 . 
     Input-output circuitry  42  may include sensors  30  for gathering information on the operating environment of vehicle  10 . Sensors  30  may include light-based sensors, wireless sensors such as radar sensors, light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors, ultrasonic sensors, proximity sensors, range-finding sensors based on light, acoustics, radio-frequency signals, or other signals, ambient light sensors that measure that amount of light on the exterior of vehicle  10  and/or the interior of vehicle  10 , cameras (e.g., stereoscopic cameras or other camera systems that operate at visible wavelengths and/or infrared wavelengths and that include digital image sensors), strain gauges, parking sensors, cruise control sensors, accelerometers, touch sensors, magnetic sensors such as electronic compass sensors for determining vehicle orientation, temperature sensors, rain sensors and other moisture sensors, force sensors, pressure sensors (e.g., altimeters), parking brake sensors, trunk position sensors, tire pressure sensors, door position sensors, seatbelt sensors, speedometers, odometers, satellite navigation system sensors (e.g., Global Positioning System circuitry for determining vehicle location, speed, and heading), and other components for making measurements on the operating environment for vehicle  10 . If desired, sensors  30  may be used to detect the positions, headings, and speeds of objects that are external to vehicle  10  relative to vehicle  10 . For example, sensors  30  may detect how rapidly a following vehicle is closing in on the rear of vehicle  10  or may detect how rapidly a pedestrian is approaching vehicle  10  due to movement of vehicle  10  and/or movement of the pedestrian. Sensors  30  may also detect a risk of potential collisions with external objects such as when vehicle  10  is about to strike a road obstruction that has moved in front of vehicle  10  while vehicle  10  is moving at high speed. Sensors  30  may track the movement of the driver of vehicle  10  before the driver has entered vehicle  10  and/or after the driver has exited vehicle  10 . For example, sensors  30  may track movement of the driver as the driver walks around vehicle  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  2   , input-output circuitry  42  may include user input-output devices  46 . Devices  46  may be used to gather input from users (e.g., a driver or passenger of vehicle  10 ) and may be used in providing output to users of vehicle  10  and others. Devices  46  may include buttons, joysticks, steering wheels, shift levels and/or buttons, foot-actuated controllers (e.g., a throttle pedal, a brake pedal, a clutch pedal, etc.), turn signal levers, windshield wiper controls, and other stalk controls, steering wheel buttons and other steering wheel controls, touch pads, keypads, keyboards, motion sensors, microphones, cameras, and other devices for gathering user input. Input-output circuitry  42  may also include circuitry for generating audio output such as speakers, tone generators, and vibrators (see, e.g., audio output devices  36 ). 
     Light-based devices  32  may be used to generate visible output. Light-based devices  32  may include displays (e.g., light sources with arrays of individually controlled pixels such as liquid crystal displays, organic light-emitting diode displays, projector displays, etc.), status indicator lights, and gauges to display navigation system information, media system information, vehicle status information, and other information in the interior of vehicle  10 . Light-based devices  32  may include external lighting for providing light-based output outside of vehicle  10  (e.g., displays that emit light externally and/or other light sources that emit light in exterior areas of vehicle  10 ). In general, light-based devices  32  may include any suitable light sources that produce light in response to applied electrical signals such as lamps, light-emitting diodes, plasma display panel pixels, illuminated status indicators, displays, lasers, arrays of light sources, individual light sources, backlight units for displays, backlit or edge-lit light guides, light sources that emit one or more beams of light (e.g., a laser beam, light-emitting diode beam, or a beam associated with another collimated light source), light sources that emit light in a fixed pattern of one or more beams, light sources that emit light using raster scanning techniques, light sources that emit steerable beams (e.g., light sources with mirror arrays to steer light in a light projector system, light sources with one or more steerable mirrors, steerable lasers and light-emitting diodes, etc.), image projecting systems and other light projectors, light guide panels that contain light extraction features that cause the light guide panels to emit light in various patterns, and other electrically controlled light sources. 
     Light-based devices (light sources)  32  may, if desired, include light modulators. Light modulators in devices  32  may include mechanical and/or electrical modulators such as mechanical shutters, liquid crystal modulators (e.g., liquid crystal shutters having polarizers), adjustable mirrors or other modulators based on cholesteric liquid crystals, modulators that change between translucent and transparent modes (e.g., polymer-dispersed liquid crystal devices), or other structures that exhibit opaque (light scattering) and transparent modes, guest-host liquid crystal modulators, electrochromic modulators, light modulators based on electrically bleached and/or photo-bleached photochromic layers, and other light modulators. The light modulators may be used in modulating some or all of the light produced by a light source (e.g., by modulating light from one or more light-emitting diodes) and/or may be used to block stray light or otherwise adjust the appearance and performance of light sources and other devices in vehicle  10 . If desired, the light modulators may be used to adjust the appearance and performance of light sources to hide the light sources or alter the appearance of the light sources so that the light sources blend into the body of vehicle  10  (e.g., to generate a uniform appearance). 
     Light-based devices  32  may contain individually controlled areas. These areas may be relatively small areas that serve as pixels in an array of pixels for a display-type output device (e.g., a display integrated into a dash-mounted navigation and media system or an external portion of vehicle  10 ). Light-based devices  32  may also include components that include one or only a few larger individually controlled areas (e.g., one or more areas of about 1-100 cm 2 , 10-1000 cm 2 , 100-1,000,000 cm 2 , more than 1000 cm 2 , less than 500 cm 2 , etc.). For example, light-based devices  32  may contain light-producing devices that produce a single block of light over entire windows  14  in vehicle  10  or other large areas of vehicle  10 . Individually controlled areas may be used to display fixed icons or other shapes, adjustable (e.g., customizable) icons or other shapes, fixed text (e.g., “stopping” to indicate the vehicle  10  is stopping, “road hazard ahead” to indicate that dangerous road conditions are in the road ahead, “fog ahead” to indicate that there is fog in the road ahead, “22 mph” to indicate that vehicle  10  is travelling at 22 mph, “closing speed is 22 mph” to indicate that a vehicle following vehicle  10  is closing in on vehicle  10  at a relative speed of 22 mph, etc.), customizable text, time-varying text, scrolling text, blinking text, and/or output of other shapes. The light output produced by light-based devices  32  may have multiple adjustable attributes (e.g., color, shape, intensity, duration, location, etc.) and any set of one or more of these attributes may be used in conveying information to a viewer. 
     Wireless circuitry  48  may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and antennas for transmitting and receiving wireless signals. The signals may include, for example, short-range signals such as wireless local area network signals (WiFi® and Bluetooth® signals) and long-range signals (e.g., cellular telephone signals and other signals at frequencies of 700 MHz to 2700 MHz and/or other suitable frequencies). Wireless circuitry  48  may be used to communicate with nearby vehicles, sensors and beacons embedded along a roadway, satellites, cellular telephone networks, cellular telephones, wristwatches, and other wireless devices. The wireless devices with which wireless circuitry  48  communicates may be associated with a driver and passengers in vehicle  10 , passengers in other vehicles, pedestrians, other road users, or other people external to vehicle  10 . The wireless information that is transmitted and/or received by vehicle  10  using circuitry  48  may include warnings, vehicle occupant status information, vehicle status information for vehicle  10  or other vehicles such as vehicle  10 ′ (e.g., orientation, position, speed, acceleration/deceleration, brake status information such as information on whether or not brakes are currently being applied, throttle status, autonomous driving mode information, etc.), or information on the operating environment of vehicle  10 . Operating environment information for vehicle  10  may include traffic information, weather information, temperature information, road condition information (as measured by sensors in vehicles and/or external sensors), information on the location, speed, and heading of pedestrians, information on the position of nearby objects, information on the positions of exits on highways, road locations, and other map information, safety alerts, broadcast messages, vehicle-to-vehicle wireless data informing vehicle  10  of the current and future operations of nearby vehicles, etc. 
     Vehicle controls  34  may include control circuitry, actuators, and other systems for controlling vehicle operation. Vehicle controls  34  may include systems for steering, braking (manual brakes, emergency brakes, power-assisted brakes, drum brakes, disc brakes, regenerative brakes that use drive motors or other systems to recover energy and convert the kinetic energy of vehicle  10  into electrical energy stored in capacitors and/or batteries or that use other techniques for storing recovered energy, or other braking systems), accelerating (e.g., motors), shifting gears, adjusting interior and exterior lights, adjusting media system functions, controlling satellite navigation system operation, adjusting airbags, seatbelts, and other safety devices, controlling audio output, controlling electronic windows, door locks, the opening and closing of doors and hatches, windshield wipers, defrosters, and other climate controls, and systems for controlling and adjusting other operations during the operating of vehicle  10 . Vehicle controls  34  may be operated manually (e.g., based on input from input-devices  46 ) and/or may be operated autonomously (e.g., using commands from control circuitry  40  during operations in an autonomous driving mode or a safety override mode). 
     Using information from sensors  30 , user input from devices  46  and other input from devices  42 , and/or information received wirelessly from remote sources via wireless circuitry  48 , control circuitry  40  of vehicle  10  may take suitable actions. Actions that may be taken by vehicle  10  in response to information from sensors  30 , user input and other input, and/or wirelessly received information include transmitting wireless information (e.g., to electronic equipment such as equipment in vehicle  10 ′, personal electronic devices in vehicle  10 ′ or elsewhere, etc.), using vehicle controls  34  and other systems to autonomously drive or otherwise operate vehicle  10 , issuing alerts (e.g., warnings associated with braking, vehicle direction changes, vehicle speed, and other vehicle conditions), issuing warnings on road hazards, weather conditions, traffic, and other operating environment information, displaying greetings and good-by messages as a driver approaches vehicle  10  or leaves vehicle  10 , displaying advertisements and other commercial messages, and providing other output. Output may be supplied visually (e.g., by generating light-based output using light-based devices  32 ), may be supplied audibly (e.g., using audio output devices  36  to issue a tone, synthesized voice, prerecorded message, or other audible output), or may be supplied using other techniques. 
     Light-based devices  32  may be based on light-emitting diodes, or other sources of light. In some configurations, light-based devices  32  may be formed from light-emitting diodes or other light sources mounted adjacent to curved mirrors within clear plastic housings or other mounting structures (e.g., when forming headlights, etc.). If desired, light-based devices  32  may also have thin planar shapes (e.g., when light-based devices  32  are being mounted to windows  14  or over relatively large surface areas on body  12  of vehicle  10 ). For example, light-based devices  32  may include flexible or rigid light-emitting panels formed from edge-lit light guide films, organic light-emitting diode substrates, backlit liquid crystal displays, or other planar light sources. Light-based devices  32  (e.g., light-emitting panels or other light sources) may be opaque or transparent. Opaque structures associated with light-based devices  32  may be used on portions of vehicle  10  such as opaque portions of body  12  or on portions of windows  14  that can be obscured without interfering with the fields of view of the occupants of vehicle  10 . Transparent light-based devices  32  may be placed on transparent portions of vehicle  10  such as portions of windows  14 . When not emitting light, transparent devices will not block the views of the occupants of vehicle  10 . 
       FIGS.  3 - 9    are side views of illustrative light-based devices  32 . In the illustrative configuration of  FIG.  3   , light-based device  32  has one or more adjustable light regions  60 . Each region  60  may be individually controlled to adjust the intensity of emitted light  62  from that region. Each region  60  may contain a separate light source (e.g., a light-emitting diode formed from a semiconductor die, a thin-film light-emitting diode such as an organic light-emitting diode, an individually adjustable light-emitting region such as a backlit liquid crystal display region, or other light source region). Device  32  of  FIG.  3    may be opaque or transparent and may be mounted on a support structure that is opaque or transparent (see, e.g., support structure  64 ). Device  32  may, if desired, have a planar configuration. 
     Device  32  may include one or more transparent glass or polymer layers. For example, an array of organic light-emitting diodes may be formed on a clear polymer substrate. In configurations such as these, device  32  may be transparent. Device  32  may be mounted on a portion of vehicle  10  such as vehicle structure  64 . Structure  64  may be an opaque structure or a transparent structure. As an example, structure  64  may be a transparent structure such as a portion of windows  14 . In this type of arrangement, light  66  may pass through structure  64  and through device  32 , as shown in  FIG.  3   . This may allow a driver or other occupant of vehicle  10  to look out of vehicle  10  through device  32  (e.g., through a window on which device  32  is mounted and through device  32 ). Device  32  may be mounted on the inside or outside of a window, may be embedded within a window, may be mounted on an opaque body surface, or may be mounted elsewhere in vehicle  10 . 
     If desired, an adjustable light modulating structure such as an electrically controllable mirror or other light modulator may be included in device  32 . In the example of  FIG.  4   , light-emitting device  32  is an edge-lit light guide that has been covered with an electrically controllable mirror such as mirror  78 . Mirror  78  may receive control signals from control circuitry  40  on input  80 . When placed in a transparent state, an occupant of vehicle  10  may see through mirror  78 , device  32 , and structure  64  (i.e., in a configuration in which structure  64  is transparent). When placed in a reflective state, mirror  78  will reflect light that is emitted from device  32 . For example, mirror  78  may ensure that light from device  32  is directed outwardly through structure  64  (e.g., a window of vehicle  10 ) rather than being directed into the interior of vehicle  10 . If desired, mirror  78  may exhibit mirror-like reflections only in a narrow wavelength band so that mirror  78  remains transparent to most visible light in its reflective state. 
     Device  32  may contain one or more light-emitting diodes. Light-emitting diodes such as light-emitting diode  70  of  FIG.  4    may emit light  72  that is coupled into one or more of the edges of light guide panel  74 . Light guide panel  74  may be formed from clear plastic panel, a thin flexible sheet of plastic (e.g., a plastic film), a glass structure, a layer of other transparent material, portions of window  14 , or other suitable light guide that guides light  72  that has been emitted from light-emitting diode  70 . Light may be guided in panel  74  in accordance with the principal of total internal reflection. Light extraction features may be formed in light guide  74  that direct light  72  outwardly from light guide  74  as illustrated by extracted light  76 . The light extraction features formed from surface irregularities, microbubbles, particles embedded within light guide panel  74 , and/or other structures that direct light. The light extraction features may be patterned to form icons, text, large or small pixels, or light-emitting areas with other shapes. The area covered by the light extraction features may be small or may be large so that relatively large areas of light may be produced using a modest number of light-emitting diodes  70  (as an example). The operation of light-emitting diodes  70  may be controlled by control circuitry  40 . 
     When light-emitting diodes  70  are turned off, mirror  78  may be placed in its transparent state so that device  32  and mirror  78  do not block light. When light-emitting diodes  70  are turned on, mirror  78  may be placed in its reflective state to ensure that emitted light  76  from device  32  is only directed in desired directions (i.e., through structure  64  in the example of  FIG.  4   ). Mirror  78  may exhibit reflectance in a broad band (e.g., over all visible wavelengths) so that mirror  78  is essentially opaque in its mirror state or may exhibit reflectance in only a particular narrow region of the visible light spectrum so that mirror  78  remains transparent in its reflective state. For example, if emitted light  76  from device  32  is red (e.g., to form brake light illumination), mirror  78  may be configured to exhibit a mirror-like behavior only in a narrow portion of the visible spectrum that overlaps the red light wavelengths associated with light  76 . Mirror  78  may be a cholesteric liquid crystal modulator or other suitable electrically controllable mirror. If desired, light may be selectively blocked using a light modulator panel that transitions between transparent and non-reflective opaque states. The use of a mirror-like light modulator such as a cholesteric liquid crystal modulator that selectively reflects red light is merely illustrative. 
     If desired, light modulators (e.g., mirror  78  or other suitable electrically adjustable light modulators) may be used to selectively reflect or otherwise modulate the light that has been emitted from other types of light-based devices. In the example of  FIG.  5   , device  32  is a transparent organic light-emitting diode device or other transparent light source that emits light from one or more regions  60 . Each region  60  may, for example, include a respective light-emitting diode. Mirror  78  may be used to direct emitted light  62  through transparent vehicle structure  64  (e.g., a portion of windows  14 ) when device  32  is in use and may be placed in a transparent mode when it is desired to maximize light transmission through device  32  and mirror  78  when device  32  is not in use. 
       FIG.  6    is a side view of an illustrative light-based device that is based on a projector. As shown in  FIG.  6   , light-based device  32  may contain light projector  82 . Light projector  82  may emit light  84 . Light  84  may include one or more individually controllable areas. An electrically controllable light diffuser such as light diffuser  86  may be mounted in the path of light  84  (e.g., on a vehicle structure  64  such as a transparent vehicle structure). Diffuser  86  may be a polymer dispersed liquid crystal panel or other structure that can exhibit transparent and translucent states. Control circuitry  40  may issue control signals to panel  86  on path  88 . When placed in its transparent state, panel  86  and structure  64  may be transparent and will not block a vehicle occupant&#39;s view through structure  64  (e.g., through windows  14 ). Projector  82  may be off when panel  86  is transparent. When projector  82  is turned on, panel  86  may be placed in its translucent (light diffusing) state, which allows light  84  to be projected onto panel  86 . The light scattered from panel  86  may then be viewed by an occupant of a vehicle following vehicle  10  or other people outside of vehicle  10 . 
     Light-based devices and light modulator structures such as devices  32 ,  78 , and  86  of  FIGS.  3 ,  4 ,  5 , and  6    may be formed on interior surfaces of vehicle structure  64 , on exterior surfaces of vehicle structure  64 , may be embedded within a window or other vehicle structure  64  (e.g., a portion of body  12 ), or may be mounted in other suitable configurations. Light may be emitted in large areas (e.g., to form a single-area brake light), may be emitted in patterns (e.g., to form icons and/or text), may be emitted in pixel arrays (e.g., to produce customizable text, icons, and/or other types of customized and/or variable output), or may be emitted using any other suitable arrangements. The example of  FIGS.  3 ,  4 ,  5 , and  6    are merely illustrative. 
       FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative configuration for light-based device  32  based on a back-lit light guide. As shown in  FIG.  7   , device  32  may contain one or more light-emitting diodes  90  (e.g., an array of individually controllable light-emitting diodes or one or more light-emitting diodes  90  that are operated in unison). Light-emitting diodes  90  may be mounted on a support structure such as heat sink  92 . Back-lit light guide  94  (e.g., a light guide formed from molded transparent plastic or other suitable light guiding structures) may be used to distribute light from light-emitting diodes  90  to respective portions of diffuser layer  96  (e.g., without forming gaps between respective portions). When light-emitting diodes  90  are turned on, diffuse light  98  may be emitted from the exposed surface of light-diffusing film  96 . 
     In the illustrative example of  FIG.  8   , light-based device  32  has one or more light-emitting diodes  90  mounted within one or more respective mirrors  100  (e.g., curved mirrors) on heat sink  92 . Lenticular foil  102  may have downwardly facing reflective ridges that help homogenize light from light-emitting diodes  90 . During operation, device  32  may emit light  98  that has been produced by light-emitting diodes  90  and that has been directed outwardly through openings in foil  102  by mirror structures  100  and light homogenizing structures such as foil  102 . 
       FIG.  9    is a cross-sectional side view of light-based device  32  in an arrangement in which light  98  from light-emitting diodes on heat sink  92  is directed upwardly through one or more diffusing layers  96  by mirrors  100 . 
     Colors may be imparted to light-emitting diodes in regions  60 , light-emitting diodes  70 , light-emitting diodes in projector  82 , and/or light-emitting diodes  90  in devices  32  of the type shown in  FIGS.  7 ,  8 , and  9    using color filters, organic emissive material of desired colors, gratings, colored mirrors or diffusing layers, photoluminescent materials, or other suitable structures that impart emitted light from devices  32  with desired colors. 
     During operation of vehicle  10 , a driver may press a brake pedal or supply other input with devices  46 . Control circuitry  40  may detect this user input or other input from input-output circuitry  42  (e.g., sensor inputs, wireless signals associated with vehicle-to-vehicle communications, etc.). Control circuitry  40  may then process the received data from the user and/or other sources and can take suitable actions. As an example, control circuitry  40  may issue a wireless message, may create an audible alert or other audio output, and/or may emit light that is viewable by an occupant of vehicle  10  using devices  32 . 
     In some situations, control circuitry  40  may detect braking input or other input for which brake light output or other output on the rear of vehicle  10  is appropriate. Brake light output may be displayed using a single set of rear brake lights, may be displayed using a pair of rear-mounted brake lights on the left and right sides of vehicle  10  in combination with a higher brake light in the center of the rear of vehicle  10  (sometimes referred to as a center mounted high stop light), and/or may be displayed using one or more additional brake light regions (e.g., horizontal and/or vertical strips, portions of windows  14 , etc.). Brake light output may be displayed in an analog fashion, so that increases in braking input or other appropriate input results in correspondingly more brake light output and/or may be displayed in a stepwise fashion (e.g., so that predetermined amounts of brake light output are not provided until a brake pedal input or other input has exceeded a given threshold). If desired, brake light output may be accompanied by other forms of braking indicator output such as audio brake indicator output, wireless messages indicative of vehicle braking, or other braking indicator output from input-output circuitry  42 . The use of control circuitry  40  to produce brake light output in response to driver braking or other data is merely illustrative. 
     To enhance safety, it may be desirable to provide output from vehicle  10  (e.g., braking light output or other output) in multiple levels (e.g., in a stepwise output arrangement). When the need for a warning is lowest (e.g., when a driver is not applying brakes), the output from vehicle  10  may be lowest (e.g., no brake lights may be illuminated, no audio output may be generated, and/or no wireless alerts may be generated). When the need for a warning is highest (e.g., in an emergency situation in which a driver is braking hard to avoid an accident), vehicle  10  may supply output from vehicle  10  in an elevated fashion (e.g., by producing a relatively large amount of braking light output or by otherwise enhancing the ability of a driver of a following vehicle or others outside of vehicle  10  to detect the output). In intermediate situations (e.g., in non-emergency situations in which the driver of vehicle  10  is braking a moderate amount), corresponding intermediate level(s) of warning may be produced (e.g., braking light may be supplied by vehicle  10  at one or more intermediate levels). 
     Consider, as an example, the illustrative scenario of  FIGS.  10 ,  11 ,  12 , and  13   . In this example, vehicle  10  has brake lighting formed from light-based devices  32  in multiple different regions on the rear of vehicle  10  such as region  110 - 1  (e.g., a center mounted high stop light position), region  110 - 2  (a rear brake light position on body  12 ), region  110 - 3  (a horizontal strip running across some or all of the rear of body  12 ), and region  110 - 4  (some or all of the portion of rear window  14 R that is not covered by center mounted high stop light  110 - 1 ). These locations of these regions and/or the patterns of light emitted in these regions may be customized by a driver or other user of vehicle  10  by supplying control circuitry  40  with text, images, graphics, voice input, menu selections, or other user input via input-output devices  46 . For example, a user of vehicle  10  may select from a menu of pre-approved brake light patterns for the rear of vehicle  10  in region  110 - 3  and/or other regions. 
     Vehicle  10  of  FIGS.  10 ,  11 ,  12 , and  13    is shown in four different illustrative braking scenarios. In the scenario of  FIG.  10   , vehicle  10  is being driven normally and the driver of vehicle  10  is not pressing on the brake pedal of vehicle  10 . Because no brake light warning for following vehicles is needed in this situation, none of the brake light regions on the rear of vehicle  10  have been activated (i.e., the light-based devices  32  in regions  110 - 1 ,  110 - 2 ,  110 - 3 , and  110 - 4  of vehicle  10  of  FIG.  1    are all off). 
     In the scenario of  FIG.  11   , the driver of vehicle  10  is pressing lightly on the brake pedal of vehicle  10 . As a result, more of the brake light regions on the rear of vehicle  10  have been lit. In particular, light-based devices  32  in regions  110 - 2  and  110 - 1  have been activated, so that regions  110 - 1  and  110 - 2  are illuminated and are producing brake light for the vehicle following vehicle  10 . Brake light illumination may be red or other suitable color that complies with brake lighting regulations. 
     In the scenario of  FIG.  12   , the driver of vehicle  10  is braking more strongly than in the scenario of  FIG.  11   . In response to detecting this higher level of braking, control circuitry  40  illuminates more brake light regions such as horizontal strip region  110 - 3  of  FIG.  12   . 
     An emergency braking scenario is illustrated in  FIG.  13   . When control circuitry  40  detects heavy braking, control circuitry  40  can turn on all brake light regions on the rear of vehicle  10 . In the  FIG.  13    scenario, brake light region  110 - 4  has been illuminated in addition to previously illuminated brake light regions  110 - 1 ,  110 - 2 , and  110 - 3 . 
     The presence of increasing levels of brake light illumination on the rear of vehicle  10  helps accurately inform the drivers of following vehicles of the current braking status of vehicle  10 . Because information on a variety of different braking levels is conveyed, the likelihood that these drivers will overreact or underreact to changes in the braking status of vehicle  10  is reduced. 
     In the example of  FIGS.  10 ,  11 ,  12 , and  13   , one or more additional brake light areas were illuminated as progressively higher levels of braking were detected (e.g., as control circuitry  40  detected that the brake pedal in vehicle  10  was respectively pressed by less than a first threshold, by more than the first threshold, by more than a second threshold, and by more than a third threshold). If desired, the output of one or more of the light-based devices  32  associated with the brake light regions of vehicle  10  may be increased in a continuously variable (analog) manner (e.g., so that small changes up or down in the amount of applied brake pressure result in corresponding small changes up or down in the illumination of one or more brake light regions). Analog adjustments such as these may be used for one or the brake light regions on the rear of vehicle  10 , some of the brake light regions on the rear of vehicle  10 , or on all brake light regions. 
     In addition to or instead of varying brake light intensity in an analog and/or binary fashion, other brake light attributes may be varied by controlling light-based devices  32 . Examples of brake light attributes that may be varied include: brake light color, brake light duration (e.g., blinking period), the content of a brake light pattern (e.g., the presence or absence of ancillary warnings such as text warnings or icon warnings), the location and/or number of brake light regions that are illuminated within a predetermined region, the content of a text warning message or other text message, brake light illumination blinking patterns (e.g., the order in which multiple different brake light regions are illuminated in sequence), etc. Braking status may also be conveyed by sending wireless messages (e.g., to inform the occupants of nearby vehicles of braking status), and/or by issuing audible alerts. Wireless messages may be sent to other vehicles such as vehicle  10 ′ (e.g., a following vehicle) using vehicle-to-vehicle communications and/or may be conveyed to the cellular telephone, wristwatch, or other wireless device associated with pedestrians or others outside of vehicle  10 . 
       FIG.  14    shows illustrative brake light output that may be provided using a segmented brake light region. Brake light region  110 R includes multiple individually controllable subregions  110 R′. Regions  110 R′ may be illuminated in a pattern that is responsive to the amount of braking of vehicle  10  that is detected by control circuitry  40  (e.g., using a brake pedal sensor). If no braking is detected, light-based devices  32  in regions  110 R′ may be turned off. If hard braking is detected, all of regions  110 -R′ in region  110 R may be illuminated. In the scenario of  FIG.  14   , an intermediate level of braking has been detected, so two of regions  110 R′ (i.e., regions  112 ) have been illuminated. In the example of  FIG.  15   , regions  110 R′ have progressively increasing size, which helps visually convey the relative importance of each region when braking status information is being displayed. 
     In addition to displaying brake light information on the rear of vehicle  10 , it may be desirable to display associated information such as vehicle speed, the relative speed between a vehicle following vehicle  10  and vehicle  10  (sometimes referred to as a closing speed), or other information related to the status of vehicle  10 . If desired, vehicle speed or relative vehicle speed may be displayed textually. In the example of  FIG.  16   , vehicle light region  110  on the rear of vehicle  10  has the shape of a gauge (e.g., a speedometer). The speed of vehicle  10  or the relative speed between a following vehicle and vehicle  10  may be displayed by arm  116  of the gauge. Arrangements of the type shown in  FIGS.  14 ,  15 , and  16    may be used in displaying vehicle speed, closing speed, position information, and/or other information (e.g., information in addition to or instead of braking information). 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  17   , a vehicle lighting area (e.g., area  114 ) may be illuminated with progressively varying amounts of light (e.g., low light amount  114 A, moderate light amount  114 B, and large light amount  114 C). Light output and/or other output characteristics may be varied in a stepwise fashion and/or in an analog fashion. 
     The lighting regions on vehicle  10  associated with light-based devices  32  may have any suitable pattern.  FIG.  18    shows an illustrative solid pattern in which a single light-based device  32  has illuminated rectangular area  120 . The intensity of the illumination of area  120  may be adjusted to convey brake status information or other information. In the example of  FIG.  19   , lighting region  122  alternates (blinks) between an unilluminated state (state  122 A) and an illuminated state (state  122 B).  FIG.  20    shows an illustrative lighting region (region  124 ) that has multiple strip-shaped areas  124 - 1 ,  124 - 2 ,  124 - 3 ,  124 - 4 , and  124 - 5 . These areas may be illuminated in sequence as with segmented region  110 R of  FIG.  14   , may be turned on and off in different patterns, may use a chasing lights pattern, may flash at one or more different frequencies, may have one or more different colors and/or intensities, and/or may use other illumination schemes to convey information. The example of  FIG.  21    shows how a lighting region for vehicle  10  such as region  126  may include icons and/or text. Text (e.g., alphanumeric characters) may contain static text information (e.g., “stopping” to indicate that vehicle  10  is stopping) or may contain information that is continuously updated (e.g., “current speed is 22 mph”). Non-vehicular information may also be displayed (e.g., “tornadoes in area,” “fog ahead on roadway,” “traffic congestion in 1 mile,” etc.). Icons in region  126  may include warning symbols (e.g., warning triangles, icons that include warning information within triangular boundaries, etc.). Text, graphics, video, and/or other information in a lighting region on vehicle  10  may be used to display vehicle status information such as the current speed of vehicle  10  (see, e.g., region  128  of  FIG.  22   ) and/or the relative speed between vehicle  10  and a vehicle following vehicle  10  as determined by sensors  18  such as a lidar sensor, ultrasonic sensor, camera, speedometer, and/or other sensors that determine the speed of vehicle  10  and the relative speed of the following vehicle (see, e.g., region  130  of  FIG.  23   ). If desired, warning information and/or other information may be displayed as a function of vehicle closing speed (relative speed), vehicle heading information, vehicle position, weather, other vehicle status and operating environment information, etc. 
     Areas such as area  114  of  FIG.  17   , region  110 R of  FIG.  15   , a gauge-type indicator pattern such as brake light gauge  110 R of  FIG.  16   , regions such as regions  110 - 1 ,  110 - 2 ,  110 - 3 ,  110 - 4 , region  120  of  FIG.  18   , region  122  of  FIG.  19   , region  124  of  FIG.  20   , and regions  126 ,  128 , and  130  of  FIGS.  21 ,  22 , and  23   , and other regions illuminated by light-based devices  32  in vehicle  10  may be formed on the rear of vehicle  10 , on the sides of vehicle  10 , on the roof of vehicle  10 , on the front of vehicle  10 , on windows  14 , on body  12 , on wheels  18 , and/or on other portions of vehicle  10 . These areas may be provided with text, solid patterns of light, light with adjustable colors, light that is displayed with a particular timing (e.g., flashing, etc.), light that has a stepwise varying intensity, light that has a continuously varying intensity, or other light-based output to convey information to viewers of vehicle  10 . The light-based output may be accompanied by sound output (tones, synthesized and/or pre-recorded voice, etc.) and/or wirelessly conveyed information (e.g., messages to vehicles, portable electronic devices, and other recipients with wireless receivers). 
     Lighting regions may be used to convey information on braking status (e.g., whether or not brakes have been applied and, if so, how strongly they have been applied) or other vehicle status information (e.g., driving mode—autonomous or manual, vehicle speed, vehicle orientation, vehicle position, etc.), upcoming vehicle navigation information (e.g., whether vehicle  10  is about to exit the highway as determined by navigation system information in vehicle  10  or other data source), whether vehicle  10  has detected a pedestrian or other obstacle in its path and is about to stop, whether the control circuitry of vehicle  10  is predicting that vehicle  10  will potentially be struck by another vehicle or is subject to other collision risks, whether vehicle  10  is executing a stop, turn, acceleration-related maneuver, or other procedure, etc. 
     If desired, the lighting regions displayed on vehicle  10  may be customized by a driver or other user of vehicle  10 . For example, control circuitry  40  may use input-output circuitry  42  to present the driver or other user with a selectable on-screen menu option or other selectable option (e.g., a voice command option, an option presented on an accessory device such as a cellular telephone or wristwatch that is wirelessly linked to vehicle  10 , etc.) so that the user can select between different lighting schemes for a given lighting region. As an example, a user may be presented with an opportunity to select between the patterns of  FIG.  24    (e.g., a square pattern such as region  132 , a stop-sign shaped pattern such as region  134 , and flame-shaped pattern such as region  136 ). 
     Once chosen, a selected pattern may be presented by light-based device  32 . As an example, a pattern selected from the illustrative pattern choices of  FIG.  24    may be displayed in a region such as region  112 - 2  or other region on the rear of vehicle  10  to serve as customized brake lights. Users can supply control circuitry  40  with customized text, customized icons, images that serve as output, custom colors, or other suitable customized patterns. The available options from which users can choose may satisfy applicable regulations on vehicle lighting. If desired, satellite navigation system information, user-supplied geographic information, or other location information may be used by control circuitry  40  to determine the current regulatory environment in which vehicle  10  is operating. Control circuitry  40  may then switch to a compliant output light pattern (e.g., a default pattern or an appropriate user-selected pattern) in the event that a given user-selected pattern becomes non-compliant as a user travels between different jurisdictions. 
     If desired, vehicle exterior lighting may extend in a horizontal band around one or more sides of vehicle  10  or may otherwise be provided on the sides of vehicle  10 . As shown in  FIGS.  25  and  26   , for example, lighting region  140  may extend along the sides of body  12  and across the front of body  12  (and, if desired, along the rear of body  12  as illustrated by lighting region  110 - 3  of  FIG.  10   ). Lighting region  140  may contain light of varying intensity, flashing light, light of one or more colors, text, icons, or other information. As an example, lighting region  140  may display one type of information (color, text, icon, intensity, font, etc.) when vehicle  10  is being operated manually and may be display another type of information when vehicle  10  is being operated autonomously by control circuitry  40 . In this way, people in the vicinity of vehicle  10  may be informed when vehicle  10  is operating autonomously. 
     Text, icons, or other information in region  140  may convey warnings to pedestrians, following vehicles, and others outside of vehicle  10 . Examples of information that may be conveyed includes messages such as “stopping,” “driving autonomously,” “about to turn right,” “accelerating,” “slippery road,” “stay in crosswalk,” etc. Greetings and good-by messages may be displayed. For example, sensors  30  may detect when a driver of vehicle  10  is approaching vehicle  10  from the outside of vehicle  10  and can display a greeting on light-based devices. Sensors  30  can track the location of the driver or other user of vehicle  10  as the user walks around vehicle  10  and can adjust the location of the displayed information accordingly. Good-by messages may be displayed to a driver as the driver leaves the vicinity of vehicle  10 . Commercial information (e.g., advertisements), public service announcements, reminders, messages associated with incoming emails, voice mails, and text messages (e.g., “you have three new messages”), other notifications (e.g., “wiper fluid is low—fill up before you drive”), and other content may be displayed on the exterior of vehicle  10  using light-based devices  32 . Warnings and other information may be generated as a result of user input to vehicle input devices such as input to a brake pedal, accelerator, steering wheel, or other input device, may be generated based on sensor input (e.g., lidar, cameras, and other object-detection sensors), may be based on navigation system information (e.g., information that reveals where vehicle  10  is driving autonomously or is being driven under manual control), may be based on wirelessly received vehicle-to-vehicle communications, may be based on other wireless data, or may be based on other information about vehicle status and the operating environment of vehicle  10 . 
     Illustrative steps involved in operating vehicle  10  are shown in  FIG.  27   . At step  150 , control circuitry  40  may gather information from a driver or other user of vehicle  10  (e.g., user input through a user input interface associated with selection of a custom lighting scheme for exterior vehicle lighting such as brake lighting or other lighting), may gather information from sensors  18  (e.g., brake sensors, accelerator pedal sensors, steering wheel sensors, sensors associated with other vehicle control input devices that receive user input, sensors that measure the external environment around vehicle  10  such as lidar sensors, cameras, etc., and other sensors  18 ), and may gather information from wireless sources such as other vehicles  10 ′, remote portable equipment (cellular telephones, wristwatch devices, etc.), satellite navigation system satellites, wireless road infrastructure, and other data sources. 
     At step  152 , the sensor data and other data may be processed. For example, control circuitry  40  may determine how strongly a driver is applying a brake pedal, may determine how much a driver is accelerating, may determine the orientation, speed, and position of vehicle  10 , may determine the relative speed between vehicle  10  and a following vehicle (e.g., vehicle  10 ′) may determine the orientations, speeds, and locations of pedestrians and others outside of the body of vehicle  10 , cyclists, and other vehicles relative to vehicle  10 , may determine whether vehicle  10  is about to turn, whether there is risk that vehicle  10  will collide with an object (e.g., whether vehicle  10  is on a collision course with another vehicle), whether vehicle  10  has been switched into or out of autonomous mode, whether vehicle  10  is about to stop, may determine whether pedestrians or others outside of vehicle  10  are in the path of vehicle  10 , may track the location(s) of one or more people outside of vehicle  10  (e.g., a driver who is approaching vehicle  10  and or who is departing vehicle  10  after a drive) and may make other determinations on the current status of vehicle  10 , the predicted behavior of vehicle  10 , the movement and position of vehicle  10  relative to other vehicles and pedestrians, weather and road conditions, the movement of people in the vicinity of vehicle  10 , and other information on vehicle status and the operating environment for vehicle  10 . Information on incoming wireless messages and other status information may also be gathered. 
     At step  154 , the determinations of step  152  may be used by control circuitry  40  in generating warnings and other output (e.g., text and/or icons that serve as greetings, good-by messages, status information, notifications, reminders, advertisements, public service announcements, etc). The output may be supplied to the occupants of vehicle  10  and to the occupants of other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, people walking around vehicle  10  (whose locations can be tracked using sensors  30  such as cameras, radar, lidar, proximity sensors, etc.) and others outside of vehicle  10 . Output may be supplied wirelessly (e.g., in the form of messages to personal electronic devices associated with message recipients), may be supplied audibly (e.g., by issuing an alert using speakers in vehicle  10 ), and/or may be issued using light emitted from light-based devices  32 . Light-based devices  32  may emit light from the rear of vehicle  10  (e.g., light in one or more brake light regions) or may emit light from the roof, front, sides, or wheels of vehicle  10 ). The light that is emitted may be emitted in a stepwise fashion (e.g., with increasing numbers of light-emitting regions such as increasing numbers of brake light regions being added with increasing braking or other activity and/or with a stepwise increase in emitted light intensity or other output characteristics), may be emitted in an analog fashion (e.g., so that each variation in brake intensity or other change results in a corresponding variation in light-based output), and/or may involve other visual changes (changes in color, pattern, light duration, text content, icon content, etc.). Visible output from light-based devices  32  may be used to provide information on the status of the brakes of vehicle  10  and the operation of other vehicle controls, potential collision risks (e.g., collision risks related to differences in speed between vehicle  10  and other vehicles and/or distances between vehicle  10  and other vehicles, collision risks due to the projected path of vehicle  10  and the locations and trajectories of objects near to this projected path, etc.), information on the intended route of vehicle  10 , autonomous mode status information, greetings, advertisements, notifications, reminders, information about incoming message status, public service announcements, and other information produced during the processing operations of step  152 . As an example, when vehicle  10  detects that a person has arrived in the vicinity of vehicle  10 , text for a greeting message may be displayed on a portion of light-based devices  32  that is visible to the detected person. As indicated by line  156 , operations may loop back to step  150  after step  152  (i.e., data gathering, data processing, and output generation operations may be performed continuously). 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20210827
Publication Date: 20240102
Grant Date: 20240102
Priority Date: 20150728
Inventors: MAZUIR, Clarisse
ZHANG, Arthur Y.
GOLKO, ALBERT J.
VARGHESE, BIVIN J.
CHILD, CHRISTOPHER P.
PALMER, COLLIN J.
POTTER, DANIEL E.
STEFANOV-WAGNER, Thaddeus
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "B60Q1/444", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/0035", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/268", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/28", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/44", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/503", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/507", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/525", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/54", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/543", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/549", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q5/006", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60T7/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60T17/22", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G05D1/021", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q2900/50", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G3/00", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/444", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/444", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60T17/22", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/0035", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/268", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/44", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/503", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/525", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/54", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G3/00", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q2900/50", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/507", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/543", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/549", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/302", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G05D1/021", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/503", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/268", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/0035", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/525", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60T17/22", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/44", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G3/00", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/54", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/28", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q5/006", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60T7/12", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/507", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/543", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q1/549", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B60Q2900/50", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 63894761