Vehicular flasher unit having selectable flasher schemes illuminated with pulse width modulated signals

Abstract

In one illustrative example, a vehicular flasher unit has control circuitry; memory which is accessible by the control circuitry and having a plurality of pulse width modulation (PWM) flasher scheme data sets stored therein which correspond to a plurality of flasher schemes for vehicle flasher lights of a vehicle; a flasher scheme selection input to the control circuitry; a flasher enable input to the control circuitry which enables a flasher scheme in the vehicular flasher lights; and a light illumination output from the control circuitry which controls illumination of the vehicle flasher lights. The control circuitry is operative to select a set of PWM flasher scheme data from the plurality of PWM flasher scheme data sets stored in the memory in accordance with a flasher scheme selection input signal identified at the flasher scheme selection input; monitor the flasher enable input to identify a flasher enable signal; and produce, at the light illumination output in response to identifying a flasher enable signal at the flasher enable input, a pulse width modulated signal in accordance with the selected set of PWM flashing scheme data for illuminating a flasher scheme in the vehicle flasher lights. Preferably, the set of PWM flasher scheme data is a set of PWM heartbeat scheme data corresponding to a heartbeat flashing scheme in the vehicle flasher lights. Several safety and convenience features are further provided in the vehicular flasher unit.