Vehicle spotlight with tracking feature
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsJeffrey Paul Duncan, Doug H. Randlett, Paul Kenneth Dellock, Douglas Miller, Christopher Charles Hunt, Stuart C. Salter, Chad Hoover, Matthew Cramer Mullen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle lighting system is provided herein. A spotlight is coupled to a vehicle and is configured to project light in a target direction. A controller is configured to wirelessly send command signals to the spotlight. A user-input device is in communication with the controller and is provided on a steering wheel of the vehicle. The command signals are based on user-input and control at least one of an aim direction and a light activation of the spotlight.
Claims9
A vehicle lighting system comprising:
- a spotlight coupled to a vehicle and configured to selectively project a light beam, a search beam, and a laser beam in a target direction;
- a plurality of wireless communication transceivers configured to communicate with one or more portable remote devices external to the vehicle;
- and
- a controller configured to wirelessly send command signals to the spotlight based on input from the wireless communication transceivers to project the selected one of the light beam, the search beam and the laser beam in the target direction of the one or more portable remote devices, wherein the laser beam coincides with a beam axis of the search beam and highlights a center point of the search beam.
A vehicle lighting system comprising:
- a spotlight coupled to a vehicle and configured to project an invisible search beam in a target direction;
- a plurality of wireless communication transceivers configured to communicate with one or more portable remote devices external to the vehicle;
- and
- a controller in communication with the wireless communication transceivers and configured to wirelessly control the spotlight to track the one or more of portable remote devices with the projected invisible search beam, wherein the spotlight is further configured to project a visible laser beam that coincides with a beam axis of the search beam and highlights a centerpoint of the search beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.