Rivian has filed two patent functions for built-in lighting within the roof rails in its electrical pickup vans and SUVs.
The 2 functions present barely completely different variations of a lighting system that may be a part of the roof cross bars sometimes used to safe cargo. Accompanying drawings present pickup vans and SUVs resembling the present Rivian R1T and R1S, respectively.
Rivian roof rail lighting system patent picture (model one)
The primary software—printed by the US Patent and Trademark Workplace (USPTO) on Jan. 11, and filed on Sep. 12, 2022—have pretty standard trying cross bars with lights that may venture in entrance of, alongside, and behind the car. Cross bars would have a built-in electrical connection that permits the car’s battery pack to energy the lights.
These lights can be utilized for a wide range of functions, in line with Rivian. Lights on the again of the rearmost cross bar may function additional brake lights, and lights on the ends of entrance or rear cross bars might be used as flip indicators. Lights may be keyed to a car’s unlock sequence, just like the best way headlights and taillights quickly illuminate on some automobiles after they’re unlocked.
Rivian roof rail lighting system patent picture (model two)
The second software, which has the identical publication and submitting dates as the primary, exhibits a special configuration for the lights. Right here, they take the type of spotlights that particularly illuminate the world on the backside of an incline. Lights would activate robotically when the car reaches a sure downhill angle, serving to to supply higher visibility forward.
It is unclear if we’ll see both type of Rivian’s roof rail lighting system on a manufacturing car, however it would not be stunning to see a characteristic like this on a future replace of Rivian’s R1 fashions. The automaker additionally plans to unveil the extra reasonably priced R2 collection this yr, though manufacturing is not scheduled to begin till 2026.
