V2X Lighting for Autonomous Vehicle Communication
Modern traffic environments increasingly require vehicles to communicate their intentions and status beyond traditional turn signals and brake lights. Field measurements show that conventional lighting systems are visible for only 100-150 meters in optimal conditions, and their effectiveness drops significantly in adverse weather or when line of sight is blocked by larger vehicles—creating critical safety gaps in complex traffic scenarios.
The fundamental challenge lies in developing lighting systems that can simultaneously serve their primary safety function while enabling rich vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication without creating driver confusion or information overload.
This page brings together solutions from recent research—including adaptive matrix lighting systems, integrated fog lamp displays, dynamic pedestrian-aware illumination patterns, and autonomous vehicle status indicators. These and other approaches focus on enhancing traffic safety through improved visual communication while maintaining compatibility with existing infrastructure and driver expectations.
1. Integrated Vehicle Lighting System with Selective Activation for Dual Functional and Communication Signals
Ford Global Technologies, LLC, 2023
Integrated vehicle lighting that can simultaneously provide both functional lighting for vehicle operation and communication signals. The system has a single lamp assembly with multiple lights that can be selectively activated based on separate determinations for vehicle lighting needs and communication needs. This allows the vehicle to use the same lighting hardware for both purposes without needing separate dedicated lighting systems. The system can, for example, turn off some lights for functional lighting while activating others for communication signals or vice versa. This enables multimodal lighting functionality from a single lamp assembly.
2. Vehicle Body-Integrated External Light System for Driving Status Communication
HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD., 2023
Communicating a vehicle's driving status to pedestrians and surrounding vehicles using the vehicle body itself as a communication medium. The system detects if an object is approaching within a certain distance. When an object is nearby, it displays the vehicle's driving status, like braking or turning, through external lights on the vehicle body. This allows pedestrians and other drivers to see the vehicle's intended path and actions before they interact. It expands the communication range beyond just headlights and signals.
3. Wireless Traffic Signal Transmission System with Vehicle-Integrated Receiver for Non-Line-of-Sight Communication
SONG SHUHUA, 2021
A wireless system to transmit traffic light signals from a central control system to vehicles without relying on line-of-sight visibility. The traffic light control system has a wireless transmitter that sends the signal to a receiver in the vehicle's advanced driving assistance system (ADAS). The receiver decodes the signal and provides it to the ADAS for display. This allows vehicles to receive traffic light information even if physical obstructions block their view of the actual lights. The signals are synchronized and interpreted by the ADAS to provide real-time traffic guidance.
4. Communication-Based Automotive Lighting System with Integrated Traffic Signal Interaction and LED Control
CHANGXING COUNTY VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION CENTER SCHOOL, 2021
A communication-based automotive lighting system that uses onboard LEDs and a switch to intelligently change the vehicle's light signals based on traffic conditions. The system has a traffic light system with a microcontroller, LED driver, and switch. The vehicle system has a receiver, microcontroller, LED driver, and switch. The traffic light microcontroller sends signals to the vehicle's LEDs via the switch. The vehicle's microcontroller receives and processes the signals. This allows the vehicle's lights to change based on the traffic signals, reducing rear-end collisions by intelligently signaling other drivers.
5. Self-Driving Vehicle Communication System with Shape-Adaptive Ring-Shaped LED Headlight Displays
HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD., KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., 2021
Communication devices for self-driving cars to interact with pedestrians and other drivers. The device uses ring-shaped lights around the headlights that change shape to mimic eye contact when the car communicates. The lights have LEDs that can be selectively turned on to create different shapes. When the car is self-driving, the lights change based on the communication to indicate intentions. This provides clearer and more intuitive communication compared to just turning on all the lights. The lights can also be covered by a lens that darkens the non-lit areas to make the changing shapes more visible.
6. Vehicle-Road Lighting System with V2X Communication for Coordinated Lighting Control
PEUGEOT CITROEN AUTOMOBILES S A, PEUGEOT CITROEN AUTOMOBILES SA, 2021
A vehicle-road lighting system that uses V2X communication to improve lighting safety while preventing glare. The system involves vehicles communicating with smart roads. The roads receive vehicle info and generate lighting control and headlight suggestion based on driving conditions. The roads send lighting control to onboard modules and headlight suggestions to vehicles. The vehicles then adjust headlights accordingly. This allows coordinated, optimized lighting that prevents glare for oncoming vehicles and pedestrians. It also simplifies headlight design versus traditional adaptive systems.
7. Vehicle Optical Communication System with Light-Based Road Information Reception and Emission
BAONENG AUTOMOBILE RESEARCH INSTITUTE CO LTD, BAONENG GUANGZHOU AUTOMOBILE RES INST CO LTD, 2021
Vehicle communication system that allows vehicles to obtain road information using optical communication instead of onboard sensors. The system involves vehicles receiving visible light information from roadside lights and other vehicles' lights using a receiver. A processor identifies the light sources and obtains traffic condition info. The processor then controls the vehicle's own lights to emit specific visible light patterns based on the source and condition. This allows vehicles to communicate road info using stable external light sources instead of onboard sensors. The system can also receive modulated visible light information from roadside devices.
8. Vehicle Illumination System with Patterned Light Signals for Inter-Vehicle Communication
KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD., 2020
Vehicle illumination devices to indicate inter-vehicle communication between autonomous vehicles to improve safety when manual and automated vehicles coexist. The device has lights that can flash a pattern when one autonomous vehicle communicates with another. This visual cue alerts pedestrians and other vehicles that the communicating vehicles are coordinating and can help prevent collisions. The communication is initiated by a master vehicle, and other vehicles respond. The master vehicle flashes its lights to indicate communication.
9. Vehicle Lighting Control System with External Communication for Adaptive Headlight Adjustment
BEIJING HAINACHUAN AUTOMOTIVE PARTS CO LTD, 2020
Vehicle lighting control system that improves safety by intelligently adjusting the headlights based on external information received from other vehicles and infrastructure. The system uses communication with other vehicles and base stations to obtain information about nearby pedestrians, curves, ramps, intersections, etc. This information is used to generate optimized lighting instructions for the vehicle's headlights. The controller then sends the instructions to the headlight actuators to adjust the light shape, intensity, and aiming to provide appropriate illumination for different scenarios. This provides more accurate and effective lighting compared to just using the onboard camera for scene analysis.
10. Visible Light Communication System for Traffic Signal Data Transmission with Autonomous Vehicle Reception and Demodulation
KT CORP, KT Corporation, 2019
A system for transmitting/receiving traffic signal information using visible light communication (VLC) to improve autonomous vehicle operation. Smart traffic lights transmit traffic signal information like current, remaining time, and next signal using VLC. Cameras on autonomous vehicles detect the signals and demodulate them to restore the traffic info. This allows the vehicle to anticipate and prepare for upcoming signals, avoiding sudden stops and accelerations. The VLC signals are encoded and modulated using methods like OOK, VPPM, and CSK to prevent flicker and enable accurate decoding.
11. Visible Light Communication System for Traffic Lights with IoT Connectivity and Signal Modulation
Seoul National University of Science and Technology Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Five Tech, 2019
IoT-linked smart visible light communication system for traffic light peripherals that enables nearby devices like smartphones and cars to receive positioning and multimedia information from the traffic lights using visible light. The traffic lights emit a visible light signal containing position data and multimedia content. Devices within 0.1m-10m can receive it and extract the data to display on screens or send to vehicles. The lights use color changes, blinking, and brightness to selectively transmit. A visible light control module sets unique signals for each light.
12. Traffic Light with Photovoltaic Power and Adaptive Visible Light Communication System
UNIV STEFAN CEL MARE DIN SUCEAVA, Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava, 2018
Intelligent traffic light with self-powered wireless communication capability to transmit information to vehicles for improved road safety. The traffic light has a photovoltaic panel to generate power, a light sensor to detect sunlight intensity, and a wireless transmitter. The light uses visible light communications (VLC) in the visible spectrum for data transmission. The sensor monitors sunlight intensity. If it's high, the light reduces its VLC transmission speed to avoid interference. This maximizes robustness in sunny conditions. If sunlight is low, the light increases VLC speed for faster data transfer. This adaptive transmission speeds based on lighting conditions improves VLC reliability.
13. Highway Lighting System with Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication for Adaptive Illumination Control
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC, 2018
Intelligent highway lighting system that uses vehicle-to-vehicle communication to optimize lighting based on real-time traffic conditions. The system has lights along highways that can be turned on or off based on data received from nearby vehicles. If the data shows traffic exceeding a threshold, the lights are illuminated. This reduces unnecessary lighting when roads are empty. The lights can also be triggered by vehicles indicating they are within a certain radius, indicating an approaching vehicle. This provides targeted illumination where needed instead of constant lighting. The lights communicate with vehicles via vehicle-to-vehicle protocols to receive traffic data.
14. Autonomous Vehicle Visual Communication System with Dedicated Signal Lights
BAIDU USA LLC, 2018
Visual communication system for autonomous vehicles that allows them to visually communicate with other traffic entities like other AVs, cars, pedestrians, etc. The system uses additional dedicated lights on the vehicles to supplement standard lighting systems. The visual signals can provide additional information to supplement essential lights like brake lights or turn signals. The system can be used unidirectionally for notifications or bidirectionally as a protocol between AVs.
15. Streetlight-Based Visible Light Communication System for Vehicle Data Transfer
HELLA KGAA HUECK & CO, 2017
Communication system for data transfer between moving vehicles using existing streetlights. The streetlights have visible light communication (VLC) modules that can transmit and receive data using light waves. Vehicles also have VLC devices for bi-directional communication. By modulating the light emitted by the streetlights, data can be transmitted between the lights and vehicles. This leverages existing streetlight infrastructure to provide data connectivity for vehicles without needing dedicated vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems. The streetlights act as relays to transfer data between vehicles and external networks.
16. LED-Based Visible Light Communication System for Traffic Signal and Vehicle Interaction
Xi'an University of Arts and Science, XIAN UNIVERSITY, 2017
An LED-based system for communication between traffic signals and moving vehicles to improve safety and reduce congestion. The system uses visible light LEDs at traffic signals and vehicles to transmit information like traffic conditions, directions, and alerts. The LED signals can be decoded by cameras in the vehicles to provide real-time visual updates. This allows direct, reliable, and efficient communication between signals and vehicles using LED lights instead of traditional transmission methods.
17. Vehicle Communication System Utilizing Bidirectional LED Light Signal Transmission and Reception
LI QIUJUN, 2015
Communication system for vehicles using LED lights to transmit and receive information. The system involves equipping vehicles with LED headlights and tail lights that can send and receive signals. Fixed LEDs at intersections or toll stations can also communicate with the vehicles. This allows bidirectional data exchange between vehicles and infrastructure using visible light. The system enables functions like dynamic traffic info collection, distance monitoring, and toll station automation using LED light signals.
These cutting edge technologies have the ability to increase efficiency, safety, and coordination on the roads through real-time data interchange. A major advancement in automobile technology is the lighting systems for Vehicle-to-Car (V2X) communication.
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