Patent Application
20100321945
The present invention generally relates to the automotive lighting, and more particularly relates to methods and systems for methods and apparatus for displaying symbols and other graphics external to an automobile.
Lighting systems play a number of roles in modern automobiles—e.g., providing needed illumination and convenience lighting at various points both external and external to the vehicle. For example, external lighting may be used to light the region of the ground adjacent to the doors to assist ingress and egress, or to light the external door handle pocket itself.
At the same time, it is generally advantageous to build brand consciousness in consumers in the form of badges, logos, graphics, and other indicia relating to an automotive brand or model.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved external lighting systems that can be used with associated branding for automobiles and other vehicles. Additional desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.
A lighting apparatus for an automobile generally includes a projection device coupled to the automobile (e.g., an external component, such as a door handle assembly) wherein the projection device is configured to project an image onto a display surface that is external to the automobile (e.g., the ground adjacent to a door of the automobile or a region near the door handle itself). The lighting apparatus is configured to activate in response to one or more events, such as proximity of a key fob, the unlocking of one or doors, or the like.
A more complete understanding of the present invention may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in conjunction with the following figures, wherein like reference numbers refer to similar elements throughout the figures.
The following discussion generally relates to an external graphical display system for an automobile. In that regard, the following detailed description is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. For the purposes of conciseness, conventional techniques and principles related to lighting systems, light-emitting diodes, automotive exteriors and the like need not be described in detail herein.
Referring to the exemplary automobile 100 illustrated in
The display surface may be any external surface. In one embodiment, the display surface is a region on the body of the automobile itself, e.g., a generally concave surface adjacent an outside handle assembly 104. In another embodiment, the display surface is a region on the ground 102 adjacent the automobile, for example, adjacent to a side door of the automobile, thereby functioning as a “puddle light.”
Image 112 may include any combination of graphics, alphanumeric test, etc. In various embodiments, for example, image 112 consists of automotive brand indicia (e.g., “Cadillac”), model indicia (e.g., “STS”), and/or any desired branding or badging indicia.
Referring again to
Referring to
Light emitting diode 2, which may be any suitable LED type or color (RGB, etc.) is configured to emit light toward the display surface along an optical path. Optical component 5 is placed between the light emitting diode and the display surface.
The various components 1, 2, 3, and 4 are aligned axially within a clamshell housing structure, which may monolithic or assembled from multiple subcomponents. As illustrated in
Housing pieces 10 and 11 are used to hold focusing lens 4, which is located in one half of the housing, and are attached using for example two screws 12 and 13. LED 1 may be mounted to a heat sink (e.g., an aluminum heat sink), a PCB 14, or any other substrate. ). In one embodiment, the spacing between the axially-aligned components are adjustable to accommodate the geometry of the automobile and display focal distance.
The resulting component 200 is shown in
While the illustrated embodiment depicts an LED device, the present invention is not so limited. Any type of projection device now known or later developed may be used.
A selectively actuated power source 202 is suitably coupled to led 1 (e.g., via wires, metal traces, or the like) to activate projection device 200. Power source 202 may be any suitable DC power source, e.g., a battery or the like, and might be accompanied by a variety of additional passive and active components. Power source 202 preferably communicates with logic within one or more GPUs and/or relays located within the automobile, and is able to vary the intensity of light generated by LED 1 (e.g., to provide a smooth on/off behavior).
In accordance with one aspect, power source 202 is configured to activate projection device 200 when a particular event occurs. For example, the projection may be activated when one or more doors of the automobile are unlocked, when an RFID tag or other proximity device is located within a predetermined distance from the automobile, or when activated manually by a human being.
While at least one example embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the example embodiment or embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. For example, while a standard automobile is illustrated, the present invention may be used in connection with trucks, motorcycles, RVs, or any other vehicle. The foregoing detailed description provides those skilled in the art with a convenient and edifying road map for implementing the described embodiment or embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the invention and the legal equivalents thereof.
