Transitional lighting system for vehicle interior

Abstract

A method for controlling the intensity of light within an interior passenger compartment in a motor vehicle to create perceived sensations of safety, comfort and personal accommodation in conjunction with specified, night time, driving-related occurrences. The natural human desire for safety is satisfied as a driver approaches a parked motor vehicle by illuminating the interior passenger compartment with a plurality of light sources () in response to having produced a safety approach signal. The natural human desire to be comfortable within a confined space is satisfied by the act of opening the door (), whereupon the interior illumination intensity is automatically lowered to a second intensity level. Once the transmission shift selector is moved out of its Park condition, the interior light intensity is automatically decreased to a third intensity level to provide the sensation of stress reduction and thus satisfy the natural human desire to be at peace. Intermittently during the third intensity level mode, the driver or other occupants may have a task driven desire to illuminate a localized region of the passenger compartment, which is accommodated by a spot light sub-assembly () creating a directional beam of light within the passenger compartment.