Vehicle brake lighting
View Patent ↗A brake lamp module for a vehicle, wherein the module includes a housing, lamp device, sensor, and electronic control unit (ECU). The lamp device, sensor and ECU are carried by the housing. The ECU is configured based at least in part on data received from the sensor to provide a power signal that causes illumination of the lamp device. In at least some embodiments, this arrangement permits actuation of the brake lamp or other lamp device in response to detection of a hazard event, such as rapid deceleration of the vehicle. And, in at least some embodiments, this may be done independently of actuation of the brake pedal by the driver.
1. A brake lamp module for a vehicle, comprising:
a housing;
a lamp device mounted within the housing and having a lamp input for receiving operating power that illuminates the lamp device;
a first circuitry mounted within the housing and having a first diode, wherein the first circuitry is coupled between a brake pedal assembly and the lamp device and is arranged so that, in response to activation of a brake pedal, operating power is provided from the brake pedal assembly, through the first circuitry, to the lamp input;
a sensor in the form of an accelerometer mounted within the housing and having a sensor output that provides a hazard alert signal in the event of a hazard event;
an electronic control unit (ECU) mounted within the housing and having a sensor input coupled to the sensor output and a lamp driver circuit, wherein the first circuitry neither passes through the ECU nor is controlled by the ECU; and
a second circuitry mounted within the housing and having a second diode, wherein the second circuitry is coupled between the ECU and the lamp device and is arranged so that, in response to the hazard alert signal from the sensor, operating power is provided from the ECU, through the second circuitry, to the lamp input;
wherein the lamp device, at least part of the first circuitry, the sensor, the ECU, and the second circuitry are all packaged within the housing so as to constitute a single module that, in response to activation of a brake pedal, operates in a first mode and illuminates the lamp independent of a state of the sensor and that, in response to the hazard alert signal, operates in a second mode and illuminates the lamp independent of a state of the brake pedal assembly, wherein the first circuitry is configured such that when the ECU fails or becomes disconnected, the first circuitry will still allow operation of the lamp device mounted within the housing.
2. The brake lamp module of claim 1 , further comprising at least one additional sensor carried within the housing, wherein each additional sensor has a sensor output coupled to the at least one sensor input of the ECU, wherein, in response to receiving the hazard alert signal from the sensor or from the at least one additional sensor, the single module operates in the second mode and illuminates the lamp device independent of the state of the brake pedal assembly.
3. A method of illuminating a lamp device in a brake lamp module for a vehicle, comprising the steps of:
receiving sensor data at an electronic control unit (ECU) from a sensor; and
in response to receiving the sensor data, determining within the brake lamp module whether a collision event has occurred,
wherein, when the ECU determines no occurrence of the collision event, then actuating the lamp device without using the ECU so that a brake pedal actuation signal received from a brake pedal assembly in the vehicle may illuminate the lamp device on and off via operating power provided from the brake pedal assembly through a first circuitry coupled between the brake pedal assembly and the lamp device, wherein the first circuitry is separate from the ECU, and
wherein, when the ECU determines an occurrence of the collision event, then actuating the lamp device using the ECU via operating power provided from the ECU through a second circuitry coupled between the ECU and the lamp device, wherein the actuation illuminates the lamp device according to a predetermined flashing sequence,
wherein the lamp device, the ECU, at least a portion of the first circuitry, at least a portion of the second circuitry, and the sensor are all packaged within a housing so as to constitute a single module, and
wherein the first circuitry is configured such that when the ECU fails or becomes disconnected, the first circuitry will still allow operation of the lamp device packaged within the housing.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein actuating using the ECU is carried out using vehicle power coupled to the brake pedal assembly.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein actuating using the ECU includes varying the brightness of the lamp device according to a repeatable pattern.
6. The method of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined flashing sequence illuminates the lamp device for a predetermined period of time.
7. A brake lamp module for a vehicle, comprising:
a housing;
a stop lamp device carried by the housing which is electrically coupled to a vehicle brake pedal assembly;
a sensor carried by the housing; and
a control circuit that includes an electronic control unit (ECU) and that is carried by the housing being coupled to the stop lamp device and the sensor, the control circuit configured to execute instructions that include:
in a first mode, permitting electrical data to pass from the brake pedal assembly to the stop lamp device via a first uni-directional path to thereby illuminate the stop lamp on and off according to a brake actuation input, wherein the first uni-directional path does not pass through the ECU, wherein the ECU does not control the electrical data sent via the first uni-directional path; and
in a second mode:
controlling illumination of the stop lamp device via the ECU of the control circuit in response to receiving a hazard alert signal from a sensor output of the sensor at a sensor input the control circuit;
wherein, in response to receiving the hazard alert signal at the control circuit, transmitting electrical data from the control circuit to the stop lamp device via a second uni-directional path to actuate the stop lamp device according to a predetermined pattern,
wherein the first and second uni-directional paths are coupled at a node, wherein first portions of the first and second uni-directional paths are different from one another, wherein the first portion of the first uni-directional path has a different configuration than the first portion of the second uni-directional path, wherein second portions of the first and second uni-directional paths are the same as one another and extend between the node and the stop lamp device,
wherein the stop lamp device, the sensor, the control circuit, and the second portions of the first and second uni-directional paths are all packaged within the housing so as to constitute a single module.
8. The brake lamp module of claim 7 , wherein the housing comprises one of a vehicle tail-light housing, a vehicle center high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL) housing, or a side-view mirror housing.
9. The brake lamp module of claim 8 , wherein the housing is the CHMSL housing.
10. The brake lamp module of claim 7 , wherein the control circuit is configured to determine the collision event without receiving electrical input from the brake pedal assembly.
11. The brake lamp module of claim 7 , wherein the first uni-directional path and the second uni-directional path each include a diode to direct current flow from the brake pedal assembly to the stop lamp device and from the control circuit to the stop lamp device, respectively.