Ambient lighting system with haptic feedback for automobiles

An ambient lighting system for automobiles adapted to illuminate at least a portion of a passenger compartment;

• said ambient lighting system, being adapted to emit light in colors and intensities as desired or run a light animation, and having a longitudinal extension that is greater, at least of an order of magnitude, than a width and a thickness of said ambient lighting system, and wherein the width and the thickness have comparable dimensions;
• said ambient lighting system comprising:
• at least one optical system comprising:
• a plurality of light sources adapted to emit light rays;
• a structural support on which said plurality of light sources are placed;
• at least one contact surface on which a user can act, and through which light rays emitted by said plurality of light sources can exit;
• and
• a plurality of light guide modules, interposed between the light sources and said contact surface, adapted to guide the light rays emitted by said light sources and being designed to isolate the light rays emitted by each light guide module in order to realize regions adapted to be illuminated and to present sharp contrast with other portions of the ambient lighting system;
• said ambient lighting system further comprising:
• a control unit adapted to control said plurality of light sources of said optical system;
• and
• at least one capacitive touch sensor, locally integrated in the ambient lighting system, electronically connected to said control unit, and adapted to detect touch of said contact surface by a user's body portion in at least one defined region;
• and
• an actuator system, configured to generate a haptic feedback at least when the user is touching said contact surface in said at least one defined region;
• wherein said actuator system is adapted to produce a vibration perceptible by the user's body portion when said user's body portion is touching said contact surface in said at least one defined region;
• and
• wherein said actuator system is electronically connected to said control unit, which is adapted to control said actuator system.