Apparatus for automatically adjusting light axis of vehicle headlight

• US 20050195613A1
• Filed: 03/03/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Morishita, Masahiko
• Application Number:
  US11/070,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20050195613A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/507
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/12 due to steering position
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/122 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/20 Indexing codes relating to the driver or the passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/23 Driver's line of sight

Abstract

The apparatus for automatically adjusting a light axis of a headlight of a vehicle of the invention has a structure including a steered angle sensor detecting a steered angle of a steering wheel of the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor detecting a speed of the vehicle, a visual performance input device for inputting driver information concerning a visual performance of a driver of the vehicle to the apparatus, a control unit calculating a light-axis control value, and an actuator for swiveling the light axis of the headlight in accordance with the light-axis control value calculated by the control unit. The control unit calculates the light-axis control value on the basis of the steered angle of the steering wheel detected by the steered angle sensor, the speed of the vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor, and at least one physical quantity related to the driver information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for automatically adjusting a light axis of a headlight of a vehicle comprising:

a steered angle sensor detecting a steered angle of a steering wheel of said vehicle;

a vehicle speed sensor detecting a speed of said vehicle;

a visual performance input device for inputting driver information concerning a visual performance of a driver of said vehicle to said apparatus;

a control unit calculating a light-axis control value on the basis of said steered angle of said steering wheel detected by said steered angle sensor, said speed of said vehicle detected by said vehicle speed sensor, and at least one physical quantity related to said driver information; and

an actuator swiveling said light axis of said headlight in accordance with said light-axis control value calculated by said control unit.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said visual performance is a value related to at least one of an optical density, a transmissivity, a focus adjusting speed, and a pupil diameter of a lens in an eyeball.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said driver information is concerned with an age of said driver of said vehicle.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said physical quantity is one of a swivel response time representing a time elapsed between a moment at which said steering wheel is started to be turned and a moment at which said actuator starts to swivel said light axis of said headlight, a swivel angular speed representing a rotational speed of said headlight being swiveled, and a swivel deviation value representing a fluctuation level in a lateral direction of said headlight being swiveled.