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Inclination detector and onboard apparatus

  • US 10,001,361 B2
  • Filed: 08/01/2012
  • Issued: 06/19/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An inclination detector comprising:

  • an inclination computing device that calculates one of or both of a road surface gradient θ

    1 and a pitching angle θ

    2 from acceleration Gx in back and forth direction and from acceleration Gz in up and down direction of a vehicle and from real acceleration Gw in direction of travel of the vehicle, the road surface gradient being an inclination in back and forth direction of a road surface on which the vehicle is placed, and the pitching angle θ

    2 being an inclination in the back and forth direction of the vehicle with respect to the road surface; and

    a first communication interface that transmits, to an onboard apparatus including an optical axis adjuster installed in the vehicle, a value calculated by the inclination computing device, wherein the pitching angle θ

    2 as the calculated value is used for controlling an angle of light output by a light of the vehicle,wherein the inclination computing device is configured tocalculate the road surface gradient θ

    1 through an expression (1-2) which is derived from an expression (1-1) by linearly approximating sin

    1
    in the expression (1-1), where g is gravitational acceleration and γ

    is a predetermined coefficient,
    θ

    1=sin

    1
    {(−

    Gx2

    Gz
    2+Gw2+g2)/2Gwg}



    (1-1)
    θ

    1=γ

    (−

    Gx2

    Gz
    2+Gw2+g2)/2Gw g



    (1-2)calculate the pitching angle θ

    2 through an expression (2-2) which is derived from an expression (2-1) by linearly approximating tan

    1
    and sin

    1
    in the expression (2-1), where α and

    β

    are predetermined coefficients, and
    θ

    2=tan

    1
    (Gx/Gz)+sin

    1
    {(Gx2+Gz2+Gw2

    g
    2)/2Gw/sqrt(Gx2+Gz2)} 



    (2-1)
    θ

    2=α

    (Gx/Gz)+β

    {(Gx2+Gz2+Gw2

    g
    2)/2Gw/sqrt(Gx2+Gz2)} 



    (2-2)obtain in advance the coefficients α

    , β

    , and γ

    to be applied to the expressions (1-2) and (2-2).

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