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US 11,740,094 B2Granted
Providing trip status in a vehicle
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsStuart C. Salter, Annette Lynn Huebner, Pietro Buttolo, Paul Kenneth Dellock, Kristin Ann Hellman
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Abstract
A computer having a processor and memory storing instructions executable by the processor. The computer is programmed to: determine a total trip parameter associated with a destination of an occupant of a vehicle; determine a progress parameter since an outset of an occupant trip; and control a light output of a status assembly, wherein the output represents the parameters.
Claims17
A computer, programmed to:
- determine a total trip parameter associated with a destination of an occupant of a vehicle;
- determine a progress parameter since an outset of an occupant trip;
- and
- control a light output of a status assembly, wherein the output represents the parameters in a non-alpha-numeric manner,
- wherein the parameters are a total trip time and a time since the outset or the parameters are a total trip distance and a distance since the outset,
- wherein the computer further is programmed to identify in which of a plurality of vehicle seats the occupant is located and, based on the identification, control a light color of at least a portion of the seat to a predetermined color, and
- wherein the predetermined color matches with a color of the light output on the status assembly.
4 more elements
A method, comprising:
- determining a total trip parameter associated with a destination of an occupant of a vehicle;
- determining a progress parameter since an outset of an occupant trip;
- controlling a light output of a status assembly, wherein the output represents the parameters in a non-alpha-numeric manner;
- and
- based on controlling the light output, actuating a luminous element in a vehicle seat in which the occupant is located causing the element to emit a predetermined color in the visible spectrum,
- wherein the controlled light output of the status assembly matches the predetermined color, and
- wherein the parameters are a total trip time and a time since the outset or the parameters are a total trip distance and a distance since the outset.
4 more elements
A computer, programmed to:
- determine a total trip parameter associated with a destination of an occupant of a vehicle;
- determine a progress parameter since an outset of an occupant trip;
- and
- control a light output of a status assembly, wherein the output represents the parameters,
- wherein the computer further is programmed to generate the light output by controlling an illumination of a plurality of light sources linearly-arranged between a first end and a second end, wherein the controlled illumination is based on repeatedly updating the progress parameter, and wherein a visual appearance of the controlled illumination appears as a light bar, wherein the computer further is programed to execute a smoothing algorithm to vary light intensity along a curve so that the controlled illumination from the plurality of light sources appears as a smoothly-extending bar.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.