Vehicular cornering lamp system

• US 5,479,323 A
• Filed: 11/15/1993
• Issued: 12/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Shibata, Hiroki, Serizawa, Tomoaki, Unno, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raab, Sara Sachie
• Application Number:
  US08/151,799
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 362/66, 362/71, 362/72, 362/276, 362/420, 315/82, 364/424.05
• US Class Current: 362/466
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/122 with electrical actuating means details of the electric drive components, e.g. motors, shafts, ball joints B60Q1/076
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/18 being additional front lights bracket mounted headlights B60Q1/0483
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/134 Yaw

Abstract

A vehicular cornering lamp system which can be adapted to all types and models of vehicles without having to change the correspondence of the illuminating angle with specific characteristics of the vehicle. The angular velocity of the vehicle is detected when the vehicle is traveling on a curve by an angular velocity sensor. Pulses from a distance sensor are counted to detect the vehicle'"'"'s velocity. Angular velocity data and vehicle velocity data are latched by respective latch circuits. The reciprocal of the turning radius is calculated directly by dividing the angular velocity data by the vehicle velocity data in a divider. There is carried out an arithmetic operation of calculating the reciprocal of the turning radius after calculating the turning radius by dividing the vehicle velocity data by the angular velocity data. The illuminating angle can be approximated as a simple inverse function with respect to the turning radius. The target position of the illuminating angle is calculated as an inverse function with respect to the turning radius so that the illuminating angle of headlamp is controlled so as to be coincident with the target position.

Claims

1. A vehicular cornering lamp system for varying the illuminating angle of a lighting means of a vehicle on which said lamp system is mounted and which is traveling on a curve, comprising:

angular velocity detection means for detecting an angular velocity of said vehicle when said vehicle is traveling on a curve;

a distance sensor for producing pulses at travel intervals of said vehicle of a predetermined distance;

vehicle velocity detection means for detecting a velocity of said vehicle on the basis of said pulses generated by said distance sensor;

turning radius calculation means for calculating a turning radius of said vehicle by dividing said vehicle velocity detected by said vehicle velocity detection means by said angular velocity detected by said angular velocity detection means;

target position calculation means for calculating a target position of said illuminating angle of said lighting means on the basis of said turning radius calculated by said turning radius calculation means; and

illuminating angle control means for controlling said illuminating angle of said lighting means to be coincident with said target position calculated by said target position calculation means.

2. A vehicular cornering lamp system for varying the illuminating angle of a lighting means of a vehicle on which said lamp system is mounted and which is traveling on a curve, comprising:

acceleration detection means for detecting a lateral acceleration of said vehicle when said vehicle is traveling on a curve;

vehicle velocity detection means for detecting a velocity of said vehicle;

calculation means for calculating a turning radius by dividing the square of said vehicle velocity by said lateral acceleration and calculating a target position of said illuminating angle of said lighting means on the basis of said turning radius; and

illuminating angle control means for controlling said illuminating angle of said lighting means to be coincident with said target position calculated by said calculation means.

3. The vehicular cornering lamp system of claim 2, wherein said illuminating angle control means comprises a motor for controlling said illuminating angle and a differential amplifier for calculating a difference between an actual position of said illuminating angle and the target position calculated by said calculation means and for controlling said motor in accordance with said difference.

4. The vehicular cornering lamp system of claim 3, wherein said illuminating angle control means further comprises an illuminating angle sensor for detecting the actual position of said illuminating angle of said lighting means.

5. The vehicular cornering lamp system of claim 4, wherein said illuminating angle control means controls said illuminating angle of said lighting means so that the actual position detected by said illuminating angle sensor becomes coincident with said target position calculated by said calculation means.

6. The vehicular cornering lamp system of claim 2, wherein said calculation means comprises an A/D converter for converting said lateral acceleration into a digital signal, a counter for outputting said vehicle velocity as counted velocity data, a multiplier for squaring the counted velocity data, a divider for dividing the digital signal by the output from said multiplier, a D/A converter for converting the output from said divider into an analog Signal, and an operation amplifier for outputting said target position by inverting and amplifying said analog signal.

7. The vehicular cornering lamp system of claim 6, further comprising a first latch coupled between said A/D converter and said divider, and a second latch coupled between said counter and said multiplier, for latching, respectively, the digital signal and the counted velocity data.

8. The vehicular cornering lamp system of claim 2, wherein an arithmetic unit housing at least said calculation means and said illuminating angle control means is unitarily formed with said acceleration detection means.

9. A vehicular cornering lamp system for varying the illuminating angle of a lighting means of a vehicle on which said lamp system is mounted and which is traveling on a curve, comprising:

angular velocity detection means for detecting a lateral acceleration of said vehicle when said vehicle is traveling on a curve;

a distance sensor for producing pulses at travel intervals of said vehicle of a predetermined distance;

vehicle velocity detection means for detecting a velocity of said vehicle on the basis of said pulses generated by said distance sensor;

turning radius calculation means for calculating a turning radius of said vehicle by dividing the square of said vehicle velocity detected by said vehicle velocity detecting means by said lateral acceleration detected by said acceleration detection means;

target position calculation means for calculating a target position of said illuminating angle of said lighting means on the basis of said turning radius calculated by said turning radius calculation means; and

illuminating angle control means for controlling said illuminating angle of said lighting means to be coincident with said target position calculated by said target position calculation means.

10. A vehicular cornering lamp system for varying the illuminating angle of a lighting means of a vehicle on which said lamp system is mounted and which is traveling on a curve, comprising:

angular velocity detection means for detecting an angular velocity of said vehicle when said vehicle is traveling on a curve;

vehicle velocity detection means for detecting a velocity of said vehicle;

calculating means for calculating a turning radius by dividing said vehicle velocity by said angular velocity and calculating a target position of said illuminating angle of said lighting means on the basis of said turning radius; and

illuminating angle control means for controlling said illuminating angle of said lighting means to be coincident with said target position calculated by said calculating means.

11. The vehicular cornering lamp system of claim 10

wherein said calculating means comprises

an A/D converter for converting said angular velocity into a digital signal, a counter for outputting said vehicle velocity as counted velocity data, a divider for dividing the digital signal by said counted velocity data, a D/A converter for converting the output from said divider into an analog signal, and an operation amplifier for outputting said target position by inverting and amplifying said analog signal.

12. The vehicular cornering lamp system of claim 11, further comprising a first latch coupled between said A/D converter and said divider, and a second latch coupled between said counter and said divider, for latching, respectively, the digital signal and the counted velocity data prior to being input into said divider.

13. The vehicular cornering lamp system of claim 10, wherein said illuminating angle control means comprises a motor for controlling said illuminating angle and a differential amplifier for calculating a difference between an actual position of said illuminating angle and the target position calculated by said calculating means and for controlling said motor in accordance with said difference.

14. The vehicular cornering lamp system of claim 13, wherein said illuminating angle control means further comprises an illuminating angle sensor for detecting the actual position of said illuminating angle of said lighting means.

15. The vehicular cornering lamp system of claim 14, wherein said illuminating angle control means controls said illuminating angle of said lighting means so that the actual position detected by said illuminating angle sensor becomes coincident with said target position calculated by said calculating means.

16. The vehicular cornering lamp system of claim 10, wherein an arithmetic unit housing at least said calculating means and said illuminating angle control means is unitarily formed with said angular velocity detection means.