Automotive lighting apparatus and relative control method

Abstract

An automotive lighting apparatus is provided that includes a rear body which is adapted to be fixed to the outside or to the inside of the vehicle; a front half-shell arranged to close the mouth of said rear body; and at least one lighting assembly which is located inside the rear body and is adapted to backlight, on command, a corresponding transparent or semi-transparent sector of the front half-shell; the lighting assembly including a radially emitting optical fibre of given length; an electrically-powered, collimated light source which is located in front of a proximal end of the optical fibre, and is adapted to direct, towards the same proximal end, a collimated light beam that enters and travels inside the optical fibre; at least one proximal photometric sensor which is arranged beside the collimated light source and/or the proximal end of the optical fibre so as to capture/detect the light reflected/scattered on entering into the optical fibre; at least one distal photometric sensor which is located in front of the distal end of the optical fibre, and is adapted to capture/detect the light exiting from the distal end of the optical fibre; and an electronic control unit which is adapted to command the collimated light source on the basis of the signals coming from said proximal and distal photometric sensors.