# US 2008/0185966 A1 · System for pre-indication of motor vehicle hid lamp feature

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- Number: US 2008/0185966 A1
- Document ID: US20080185966A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 11/551,279
- Filed: 2006-10-20
- Published: 2008-08-07
- Earliest claimed: 2006-10-20
- Assignees: International Truck Intellectual Property Company, LLC
- Inventors: Lance G. Kaczorowski
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20080185966A1

## CPC

- B60Q 11/005: {for lighting devices, e.g. indicating if lamps are burning or not}
- H05B 41/2925: {against abnormal lamp operating conditions}
- B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

Vehicle high intensity discharge lamps are available with three wire ballasts which emit a signal indicating proximate shutdown of the ballast and thus failure of the bulb energized by the ballast. The signal provides indication to a vehicle electrical controller which can be relayed to a remote facility which schedules replacement of the bulb.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle lamp system, comprising:
high intensity discharge lamps;
ballasts for energizing the high intensity discharge lamps and providing signals indicative of impending failure of the high intensity discharge lamps;
a programmable controller coupled to receive the signals indicative of impending failure of a high intensity discharge lamp;
a remote facility for management of a fleet including a vehicle on which the vehicle lamp system is installed;
means for notifying a remote controller of the impending failure; and
program means executed on the remote facility for selecting a repair location for replacement of the lamp.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A vehicle lamp system as described in claim 1, further comprising:
a selected trigger level for the signal indicative of impending lamp failure to give a predetermined number of hours until expected failure.

### Claim 3

A vehicle comprising:
high intensity discharge lamps with three wire ballasts which emit a signal indicating proximate shutdown of the ballast and thus failure of the lamp; and
means responsive to the signal for scheduling a time and location for replacement of the lamp.