Let the Apple Car rumors roll on. Apple has been granted a patent (number 10,940,790) for a “system and method for adjustable lighting based on occupant and object identification in a vehicle.”
In the patent data, the tech giant notes that conventional vehicle interior lights are static and typically vehicle occupants have to control the lights using a switch or a physical button. A conventional vehicle interior light may only illuminate a limited area while failing to illuminate large swaths of the interior of the vehicle. As an example, the vehicle occupant may be attempting to find an object dropped onto the floor of the vehicle at night.
When the occupant turns on a light mounted on the roof of the vehicle, the light may not be helpful because the occupant’s body may create a shadow or the light may not illuminate a correct location within the vehicle. Objects within the vehicle also may be difficult to view based on limited lighting options in the interior of the vehicle. Apple says that a vehicle with “conventional lighting would benefit from many improvements.” Obviously, it thinks it’s the company to tackle the job.
Here’s the summary of the invention: “A system includes a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including determining a current state of a vehicle, the current state determined based on information from sensors, receiving a lighting control signal based on the information received from the sensors, and activating an adjustable and controllable spotlight based on the lighting control signal.”
