Selective zonal courtesy lamps for automotive vehicle

Details Selective zonal courtesy lamps for automotive vehicle Selective zonal courtesy lamps for automotive vehicle

1999-10-29

2001-01-30

Sember, Thomas M. (Department: 2875)

Illumination

Supported by vehicle structure

Automobile

C362S488000, C362S489000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06179453

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to interior lighting of an automotive vehicle and, more particularly to selective interior vehicle lighting.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Occupants sleeping within a vehicle, in particular young children, may be startled when a vehicle door is opened and the overhead courtesy lamps shine into their eyes. This is particularly true when it is dark outside and the occupant is sleeping. Prior technologies allowed a driver to disable all courtesy lamps in a vehicle interior with an instrument panel mounted switch, or to disable a single courtesy lamp with a lamp mounted switch. When all courtesy lamps are disabled, the interior of the vehicle is dark when the door is opened making it difficult for a person to collect belongings, to see clearly to exit, and to remove the sleeping occupant from the vehicle, for example, from a car seat. Further, disabling a courtesy lamp using a lamp mounted switch is difficult for the driver if the lamp is in the second or third row of the vehicle. Additionally, the cost of adding such switches to all overhead courtesy lamps is prohibitive on vehicles with multiple overhead lamps.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages by providing a lighting mode selection feature which allows the driver to disable all overhead courtesy lamps from a single instrument panel mounted switch so that when a door is opened, only the courtesy lamps under the instrument panel and/or on the doors or stepwells, are illuminated. This invention allows the driver to see clearly to collect belongings, exit, and remove occupants from the vehicle while preventing the occupant from being startled from the glare of overhead courtesy lamps.
The invention includes a selective zonal lighting system for an interior of an automotive vehicle having an upper group of lights mounted in the vehicle interior, a lower group of lights mounted in the vehicle interior, and a switch mounted in the vehicle interior. The switch is movable between a first position in which both the upper and lower groups of lights are illuminated, a second position in which only the lower group of lights are illuminated, and a third position in which neither the upper nor the lower group of lights is illuminated. The switch may have a fourth, variable position in which both the upper and lower groups are illuminated between a maximum intensity and a minimum intensity. Preferably, the lower group of lights are illuminated when the switch is in the second position only after a door ajar condition is sensed and the vehicle is moving below a predetermined velocity. Additionally, when the switch is in the fourth position, the upper and lower groups of lights are illuminated only when a door ajar condition is sensed and the vehicle is moving below a predetermined velocity.
An advantage of the present invention is that vehicle occupants may collect belongings and see clearly to exit the vehicle without disturbing other passengers, such as a sleeping child.
Another advantage of the present invention is that a vehicle driver may select illumination of only a lower group of lights from the driver seat without the necessity of individually disabling each courtesy lamp in an upper group of lights.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that use of a single, selective zonal switch eliminates the cost of placing a switch on each overhead courtesy lamp in order to disable it.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5130901 (1992-07-01), Priesemuth
patent: 5149187 (1992-09-01), Matsuno et al.
patent: 5226711 (1993-07-01), Matsuno et al.
patent: 5647657 (1997-07-01), Damasky et al.

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