HEADLIGHT APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20140084788A1
• Filed: 01/14/2013
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Jong Woon
• Granted Patent: US 9,333,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/79
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/14 having dimming means
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/052 Switching delay, i.e. the beam is not switched or changed instantaneously upon occurrence of a condition change
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/054 Variable non-standard intensity, i.e. emission of various beam intensities different from standard intensities, e.g. continuous or stepped transitions of intensity
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/141 Light emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/663 by switching light sources by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 31/50 specially adapted for ac
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/37 Converter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/105 in response to determined parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Disclosed are a headlight apparatus and a method of controlling the same. The headlight apparatus provided in a transportation includes a light source unit including at least one light source and emitting a light in a forward direction of the transportation, a light source driving unit supplying a driving current to the at least one light source included in the light source unit, and a control unit receiving information about a driving environment of the transportation and determining a driving condition of the light source unit by using the received information about the driving environment. The driving condition of the light source unit includes a driving current value corresponding to a brightness of the at least one light source included in the light source unit.

Claims

1. A headlight apparatus provided in a transportation, the headlight apparatus comprising:

a light source unit including at least one light source and emitting a light in a forward direction of the transportation;

a light source driving unit supplying a driving current to the at least one light source included in the light source unit; and

a control unit receiving information about a driving environment of the transportation and determining a driving condition of the light source unit by using the received information about the driving environment.

2. The headlight apparatus of claim 1, wherein the driving condition of the light source unit includes a driving current value corresponding to a brightness of the at least one light source included in the light source unit.

3. The headlight apparatus of claim 2, wherein the information about the driving environment of the transportation includes at least one of speed information corresponding to a driving speed of the transportation and illuminance information corresponding to an illuminance of the transportation, and

wherein the driving current value is changed in proportion to the driving speed, or changed in inverse proportion to the illuminance.

4. The headlight apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control unit gradually changes the brightness of the at least one light source by using at least one additional driving current value existing between a driving current value corresponding to a previous brightness and a driving current value corresponding to a present brightness, when changing the brightness of the at least one light source.

5. The headlight apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control unit gradually changes the brightness of the at least one light source by using the at least one additional driving current value when a difference value between the previous brightness and the present brightness exceeds a preset reference value.

6. The headlight apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control unit maintains supplying a driving current value corresponding to a previous brightness during a predetermined time when decreasing the brightness of the at least one light source.

7. The headlight apparatus of claim 3, wherein the light source unit includes a plurality of light sources, and the light sources are operated in any one of a first state corresponding to an on-state and a second state corresponding to an off-state.

8. The headlight apparatus of claim 7, wherein the driving condition of the light source unit further includes a number of the light sources to be operated in the first state among the plural light sources.

9. The headlight apparatus of claim 8, wherein the number of the light sources to be operated in the first state is increased or decreased in proportion to the driving speed or in inverse proportion to the illuminance.

10. The headlight apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control unit gradually decreases a brightness of the light source to be changed from the first state to the second state as the number of the light sources to be operated in the first state is decreased, and operates the light source in the second state as the brightness of the light source is gradually decreased.

11. A method of controlling a headlight apparatus including at least one light source, the method comprising:

receiving information about a driving environment of a transportation;

determining a driving condition of the light source unit by using the received information about the driving environment; and

operating the light source by using the determined driving condition,

wherein the determining of the driving condition of the light source includes determining a brightness of a light to be emitted from the light source.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving information about the driving environment of the transportation includes receiving at least one of speed information corresponding to a driving speed of the transportation and illuminance information corresponding to an illuminance of the transportation, and

wherein the brightness of the light to be emitted from the light source is changed in proportion to the driving speed, or changed in inverse proportion to the illuminance.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the operating of the light source by using the driving condition includes:

operating the light source in a first operation such that the light source represents a brightness existing between a present brightness of the light source, which is determined, and a previous brightness; and

gradually changing the brightness of the light source by operating the light source in a second operation such that the light source represents the present brightness of the light source which is determined.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the operating of the light source in the first operation is performed when a difference value between the present brightness of the light source, which is determined, and the previous brightness of the light source exceeds a preset reference value.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the driving condition of the light source, which is determined, is applied at a time point after a predetermined time elapses from a determination time point, and the driving condition of the light source, which is previously determined, is applied until the predetermined time elapses.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the headlight apparatus includes a plurality of light sources, and the light sources are operated in any one of a first state corresponding to an on-state and a second state corresponding to an off-state.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining of the driving condition of the light source unit further includes determining a number of the light sources to be operated in the first state among the plural light sources.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the number of the light sources to be operated in the first state is increased or decreased in proportion to the driving speed, or in inverse proportion to the illuminance.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining the light sources to be changed from the first state to the second state if the number of the light sources to be operated in the first state is decreased, and gradually decreasing the brightness of the determined light sources such that the determined light sources are operated in the second state.