Vehicle puddle lamp responsive to ground surface conditions

摘要

A lighting system for the exterior of a vehicle that includes a housing, a sensor, a lamp assembly, and a controller. The sensor is carried by the housing and detects the presence of a hazard in a predetermined region on the ground adjacent to the vehicle. The lamp assembly is carried by the housing and has a light source for projecting light onto at least a portion of the region. The controller is coupled to the sensor and the lamp assembly. The controller has a light activation input and, upon receipt of a light activation command at the input, it controls the lamp assembly to project light from the lamp assembly of a first color or other visible characteristic when no hazard is detected by the sensor and of a second color or other visible characteristic when the hazard is detected by the sensor.

主权项

1. A lighting system for the exterior of a vehicle, comprising:
a housing; a hazard sensor carried by the housing for detecting the presence of a plurality of hazards in a predetermined region on a ground surface adjacent to the vehicle; a lamp assembly carried by the housing having a light source for projecting light onto at least a portion of the region; and a controller coupled to the hazard sensor and the lamp assembly, wherein the controller is configured to:
receive an indication of a vehicle user ingress or a vehicle user egress;receive an input from the hazard sensor;determine a condition on the ground surface in the predetermined region adjacent the vehicle; andactuate the lamp assembly based on receiving the indication of user ingress or egress and based on the determining step,wherein the determining step includes:
when none of the plurality of hazards exist in the predetermined region, then illuminating the predetermined region according to a first brightness or a first color or both; andwhen one of the plurality of hazards exists in the predetermined region, then illuminating the predetermined region according to a second brightness or a second color or both.