ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 23 -- United States Patent no. 12,365,493, issued on July 22, was assigned to PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Co. LTD. (Osaka, Japan).

"Lighting device and lighting system" was invented by Hikaru Maeda (Osaka, Japan).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A lighting device includes: a communication unit that communicates with a vehicle which drives autonomously; a diagnostic unit that performs, via the communication unit, diagnosis as to whether the vehicle is being hacked; and a light emitter that emits illumination light onto at least one of the vehicle, a road on which the vehicle travels, or a parking space in which the vehicle parks."

The patent was filed on Nov....