# US 9,517,722 B2 · Vehicle interior illumination device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,517,722 B2 - Document ID: US9517722B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/442,750 - Filed: 2013-11-22 - Published: 2015-10-22 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-13 - Assignees: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Mitsuhito Ito; Tooru Furukawa; Masahiro Utsugi; Ryuji Kondou; Kiyoshi Ochiai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9517722B2 ## CPC - B60Q 3/217: Doors, e.g. door sills; Steps - B60Q 3/74: for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps (general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43) - B60Q 3/80: Circuits; Control arrangements (for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47) - H05B 47/105: in response to determined parameters - H05B 47/155: Coordinated control of two or more light sources - 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 A vehicle interior device includes a first illumination unit configured to illuminate a first region of a passenger compartment of a vehicle, a second illumination unit configured to illuminate a second region in a rear part of the vehicle more rearward than the first region and being disposed in the upper part of the passenger compartment, a third illumination unit configured to illuminate a third region in a low part of the vehicle lower than the first region and being disposed in the front part of the passenger compartment, a fourth illumination unit configured to illuminate a fourth region in the rear part and in the low part, and a controller programmed to differentiate at least one of an intensity of the first illumination unit relative to the fourth illumination unit and an intensity of the second illumination unit relative to the third illumination intensity unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle interior illumination device, comprising: a first illumination unit configured to illuminate a first region in a front part and an upper part of a passenger compartment of a vehicle; a second illumination unit configured to illuminate a second region in a rear part of the vehicle more rearward than the first region and being disposed in the upper part of the passenger compartment; a third illumination unit configured to illuminate a third region in a low part of the vehicle lower than the first region and being disposed in the front part of the passenger compartment; a fourth illumination unit configured to illuminate a fourth region in the rear part and in the low part; and an illumination controller programmed to differentiate, while the vehicle is running, at least one of an illumination intensity of the first illumination unit relative to an illumination intensity of the fourth illumination unit and an illumination intensity of the second illumination unit relative to an illumination intensity of the third illumination intensity unit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the illumination controller includes a timing adjusting unit configured to adjust the control timing of each illumination unit to perform an intensity change of each of the first, second, third and fourth illumination units in synchronization. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed claim 2, wherein the illumination controller is programmed, while the vehicle is running, to set the illumination intensity of the first illumination unit lower than the illumination intensity of the fourth illumination unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the illumination controller is programmed, while the vehicle is running, to set the illumination intensity of the second illumination unit lower than the illumination intensity of the third illumination unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first illumination unit and the third illumination unit are arranged so as to be separated from the second illumination unit and the fourth illumination in accordance with a viewing field of a driver seated in the passenger compartment and viewing in a forward direction. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first illumination unit and the second illumination unit are arranged so as to be separated from the third illumination unit and the fourth illumination in accordance with a viewing field of a driver seated in the passenger compartment and viewing in a forward direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed claim 1, wherein the illumination controller is programmed, while the vehicle is running, to set the illumination intensity of the first illumination unit lower than the illumination intensity of the fourth illumination unit. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the illumination controller is programmed, while the vehicle is running, to set the illumination intensity of the second illumination unit lower than the illumination intensity of the third illumination unit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first illumination unit and the third illumination unit are arranged so as to be separated from the second illumination unit and the fourth illumination in accordance with a viewing field of a driver seated in the passenger compartment and viewing in a forward direction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first illumination unit and the second illumination unit are arranged so as to be separated from the third illumination unit and the fourth illumination in accordance with a viewing field of a driver seated in the passenger compartment and viewing in a forward direction. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the illumination controller is programmed, while the vehicle is running, to set the illumination intensity of the second illumination unit lower than the illumination intensity of the third illumination unit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first illumination unit and the third illumination unit are arranged so as to be separated from the second illumination unit and the fourth illumination in accordance with a viewing field of a driver seated in the passenger compartment and viewing in a forward direction. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first illumination unit and the second illumination unit are arranged so as to be separated from the third illumination unit and the fourth illumination in accordance with a viewing field of a driver seated in the passenger compartment and viewing in a forward direction. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first illumination unit and the third illumination unit are arranged so as to be separated from the second illumination unit and the fourth illumination in accordance with a viewing field of a driver seated in the passenger compartment and viewing in a forward direction. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first illumination unit and the second illumination unit are arranged so as to be separated from the third illumination unit and the fourth illumination in accordance with a viewing field of a driver seated in the passenger compartment and viewing in a forward direction. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The vehicle interior illumination device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first illumination unit and the second illumination unit are arranged so as to be separated from the third illumination unit and the fourth illumination in accordance with a viewing field of a driver seated in the passenger compartment and viewing in a forward direction.