A vehicle illumination apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an emitting layer comprising a plurality of printed light sources and configured to conform to an outer surface of a panel. The apparatus further comprises a reflective layer disposed on an interior surface of the emitting layer and a surface layer configured to seal an outer surface of the apparatus. A controller is configured to selectively activate the light sources to reveal a symbol defined by the emitting layer.

A vehicle body structure includes a first surface, a closure panel, an interactive display panel and a controller. The first surface has a first edge extending along an exterior portion of a vehicle and a second edge opposite the first edge extending along an interior portion of the vehicle. The first surface at least partially defines a door opening. The closure panel is movably coupled for movement between an open position exposing the first surface and a closed position covering the first surface such that a closure panel surface overlays the first surface. The interactive display panel is disposed along the first surface and is covered by the closure panel with the closure panel in the closed position and is exposed with the closure panel in the open position. The controller is in communication with the interactive display to display user inputted data on the interactive display panel.

Disclosed is a power-generating backlit trim strip for a vehicle, comprising an oscillation system (3, 4; 3, 14), an induction unit (2), a sensor (17) and a control unit (8). The oscillation system (3, 4; 3, 14) includes a movably arranged gyrating mass (3), and the induction unit (2) is used for inductively converting kinetic energy of the gyrating mass (3) into electricity. The sensor (17) is used for determining a frequency of the vehicle vibrations, and the control unit (8) is used for adjusting the resonant frequency of the oscillation system (3, 4; 3, 14) to a determined frequency of the vehicle vibrations.

A vehicle lighting system is provided herein and includes light-producing assemblies, each coupled to a body portion of a vehicle. At least one light-sensing device is included for sensing ambient light levels. A controller is configured to selectively activate each of the light-producing assemblies at a variable intensity as a function of a sensed ambient light level and/or a determined direction of the ambient light.

The present invention relates to a daylight opening surround (3; 101) for a motor vehicle (1). The surround (3; 101) has a light transmitting element (15; 103) for transmitting light from a light source (19; 111). The present invention also relates to a light transmitting element (15; 103) for a surround (3; 101); a controller for a daylight opening surround (3; 101); and a motor vehicle (1).

A lighting system for a vehicle panel is provided herein. The lighting system includes an outer panel mated to an inner panel. An aperture is disposed in the outer panel. A light-producing assembly is arranged as a strip and includes a plurality of light sources. A photoluminescent structure is configured to luminesce in response to excitation by the plurality of light sources. A retention feature is coupled to the light-producing assembly and insertable through the aperture for disposing the light-producing assembly on the outer panel.

A vehicle light strip is provided herein. The vehicle light strip includes a housing member. A light assembly is disposed inside the housing member and has a light source and a photoluminescent structure that is configured to luminesce in response to light excitation by the light source. An optical element is configured to transmit a portion of luminescent light toward a front wall of the housing member and direct another portion of luminescent light toward at least one side wall of the housing member.

A lighted roll up door assembly may include a roll up door including interconnected slats movable along tracks, and a lighting element configured to be attached to an exterior side of the roll up door. The lighting element can be mounted so as to direct a substantial portion of the light output toward the roll up door and below a horizontal direction so as to light a portion of the door and an adjacent area below the door at least partially by reflection when the door is in a closed position and so as to light an area on an interior side of the roll up door when the door is in a opened position. The lighting element may be mounted to a fixed or movable member attached to a slat of the roll up door.

An illumination device for a motor vehicle includes a multi-aperture projection display having a lighting means for illuminating a plurality of image segments and an array of projection lenses, where each projection lens is assigned an image segment, from the plurality of image segments, that is projected into a projection plane by way of a corresponding one of the projection lens, such that a light distribution is produced from all of the projected image segments in the projection plane. The array of projection lenses comprises a plurality of subarrays, where a respective subarray contains the same projection lenses and the projection lenses of different subarrays differ from one another such that each subarray generates a surface area in the light distribution and a size and/or a position of the generated surface areas varies between the plurality of subarrays.

Techniques pertaining to vehicle occupancy indication and utilization thereof are described. A method may involve determining occupancy information regarding a number of occupants in a vehicle. The method may also involve indicating the occupancy information in either or both of a human-perceivable way and a machine-perceivable way.