HEADLIGHT CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20090248251A1
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: SUGIMOTO, Toshio
• Application Number:
  US12/409,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248251A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/42
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/122 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/32 Road surface or travel path
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/332 on city roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/336 Crossings

Abstract

A light control device is provided in which an operation is executed to acquire a detected result representing an own vehicle approaching an intersection (S140: YES), and an operation is executed to allow the orientation of the light axis of the headlight oriented in a turning-side to be moved to the turning direction (S230), Then, during a phase in which the orientation of the light axis of the headlight oriented in the turning-side is moved to the turning-side, if a steering angle takes a value equivalent to the turning behavior (S270; YES), an orientation of the headlight, placed on a side opposite to the turning-side, is moved to the turning-side (S280). This allows the orientation of the light axis of the headlight to be placed so as to allow the vehicle to maintain favorable visibility on a front area of the vehicle before the beginning of the turning behavior.

Claims

1. A light control device installed on a vehicle and having a function to control orientations of light axes of headlights mounted on left and right areas of the vehicle in front thereof, the light control device comprising:

intersection detecting means for detecting if an own vehicle approaches an intersection of a road to provide a detected result;

intersection detected-result acquiring means for acquiring the result from the intersection detecting means;

steering angle detecting means for detecting a steering angle of the own vehicle to provide a detected result;

steering angle acquiring means for acquiring the result from the steering angle detecting means;

turning-behavior detecting means for detecting an indication of the own vehicle making a turn and a turning direction of the own vehicle regardless of the steering angle;

turning-behavior indication acquiring means for acquiring the result from the turning-behavior detecting means;

first swiveling means operative to allow an orientation of a turning-side headlight axis to be moved to the turning direction in response to the result of the intersection detected-result acquiring means, representing that the own vehicle approaches the intersection, and the result of turning-behavior indication acquiring means representing the indication of the own vehicle making the turn; and

second swiveling means operative to allow an orientation of an opposite-to-turning-side headlight axis to be moved to the turning direction when the result, delivered from the steering angle acquiring means, reaches a steering angle indicating turning behavior during operation of the first swiveling means.

2. The light control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

second swivel canceling means for canceling an operation of the second swiveling means and moving the orientation of the opposite-to-turning-side headlight axis to a predetermined reference position on a side opposite to the turning direction during the operation of the second swiveling means when the steering angle of the own vehicle, represented by the result acquired by the steering angle acquiring means, is changed to a direction opposite to the turning direction.

3. The light control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

first swivel canceling means for canceling an operation of the first swiveling means and moving the orientation of the turning-side headlight axis to a predetermined reference position on a side opposite to the turning direction after the second swiveling means is operated when the steering angle, represented by the result acquired by the steering angle acquiring means, reaches a steering angle nonequivalent to the turning behavior.

4. The light control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

intersection entrance detecting means for detecting the own vehicle entering into a given area of the intersection where the own vehicle runs only when making a turn at the intersection for thereby providing a detected result;

intersection entrance acquiring means for acquiring the result from the intersection entrance detecting means; and

light axis raising means for causing the orientations of the light axes of the headlights to move upward when detecting the occurrence of the own vehicle entering into the given area in response to the result delivered from the intersection entrance detecting means.

5. The light control device according to claim 1, wherein.

the intersection is located at a crossroad and divided into four regions with two linear lines passing through centers of roads connected to the crossroad;

and

wherein the intersection entrance acquiring means detects the own vehicle entering into a front region, acting as the given region, of the four regions.