Vehicular headlamp producing low beam having cut line controlled in accordance with condition of curved road

• US 5,707,129 A
• Filed: 10/13/1994
• Issued: 01/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Raab, Sara Sachie
• Application Number:
  US08/322,146
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 362/61, 362/66, 362/37, 362/283, 362/284, 362/70, 362/319, 362/802, 362/351, 362/276, 362/40
• US Class Current: 362/464
• 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 2300/122 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/322 Road curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/43 characterised by the shape thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/698 Shaft-shaped screens rotating along its longitudinal axis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 362/802 Position or condition responsive switch

Abstract

A headlamp for vehicular use including a rotatable shade composed of a right shade and a left shade and which constitutes a clear-cut line vertically moving adjusting device for vertically moving and adjusting a clear-cut line of a low beam produced by the headlamp, a curved road detecting device for detecting a condition of a curved road in front of the vehicle, and a main optical axis lateral direction tilting adjusting device. The rotatable shade is rotated by a predetermined amount in accordance with the information of a curved road detected by the steering sensor so that the clear-cut line is vertically moved and adjusted. Further, the reflector (and the bulb mounted thereon) is laterally slid by a predetermined amount so that the light distribution pattern and the "hot zone" are laterally moved and adjusted. Accordingly, the visibility, especially the visibility on the steering side, is improved when the vehicle travels on a curved road at either low or high speed.

Claims

1. A vehicular headlamp for a vehicle having more than two wheels and for producing a low beam, comprising:

curved road detecting means for detecting a condition of a curved road in front of a vehicle; and

clear-cut line vertically moving adjusting means for vertically moving and adjusting a clear-cut line of the low beam in accordance with information regarding said condition of said curved road detected by said curved road detecting means.

2. The vehicular headlamp of claim 1, further comprising a main optical axis laterally tilting adjusting means for laterally tilting a main optical axis of said low beam in accordance with said information regarding said condition of said curved road detected by said curved road detecting means.

3. The vehicular headlamp of claim 2, wherein said headlamp comprises a reflector, and said main optical axis laterally tilting adjusting means comprises a mechanism for laterally sliding said reflector with respect to said shade.

4. The vehicular headlamp of claim 3, wherein said main optical axis laterally tilting adjusting means comprises a pair of links supported by a frame through pins, a pair of first links suspending and supporting said reflector, second links for laterally oscillating said reflector, and an actuator for rotating said second link.

5. The vehicle headlamp of claim 1, further comprising a reflector having a first focus and a second focus, the filament of a light bulb being disposed at said first focus and wherein said clear-cut line vertically moving adjusting means comprises a shade disposed within a lamp housing at a position adjacent to said second focus.

6. The vehicular headlamp of claim 5, wherein said shade is rotatably supported by a horizontal support shaft.

7. The vehicular headlamp of claim 6, wherein said horizontal support shaft is eccentric with respect to an axial center of said shade.

8. The vehicular headlamp of claim 6, wherein said shade comprises a first cylindrical member and a second cylindrical member, diameters of said first and second cylindrical members being different from one another.

9. The vehicular headlamp of claim 8, wherein said first cylindrical member and said second cylindrical member are separately supported on said horizontal support shaft.

10. The vehicular headlamp of claim 8, wherein said first cylindrical member and said second cylindrical member are integrally formed.

11. The vehicular headlamp of claim 6, wherein said shade has an edge portion having the shape of an arc, said shade being slidable in a vertical direction.

12. The vehicular headlamp of claim 11, wherein said shade comprises a female screw member extending vertically, an actuator, and a worm attached to an output shaft of said actuator, said worm engaging said female screw member.

13. The vehicular headlamp of claim 1, wherein said curved road detecting means comprises a steering sensor.

14. The vehicular headlamp of claim 1, wherein the headlamp is a projection type headlamp.

15. The vehicular headlamp of claim 1, further comprising means for detecting the presence of a preceding vehicle and a vehicle traveling in an opposite direction, said clear-cut line vertically moving adjusting means being controlled by said vehicle detecting means.

16. The vehicular headlamp of claim 15, wherein said vehicle detecting means comprises a glare sensor.

17. The vehicular headlamp of claim 15, wherein said glare sensor comprises beam splitter means for transmitting a yellow light beam and reflecting a blue light beam, and a pair of CCDs respectively receiving said light beams split by said beam splitter, said CCDs respectively outputting an electrical signal proportional to an amount of received light.

18. The vehicular headlamp of claim 17, wherein said glare sensor further comprises an objective lens for converging a beam of light, and a pair of infrared ray filters disposed in front of respective ones of said CCDs for cutting a beam of external light.

19. A vehicular headlamp for a vehicle having more than two wheels comprising:

a reflector having a front opening, a first focus and second focus;

a light bulb mounted in said reflector at a position of said first focus of said reflector, said reflector forming a low beam from light produced by said light bulb;

an outer lens fixed over said front opening of said reflector;

clear cut line forming means disposed between said reflector and said outer lens at a position adjacent said second focus of said reflector;

means for detecting a condition of a curved road in front of a vehicle; and

means for vertically moving said clear cut line forming means in accordance with detection signals provided by said curved road detection means.

20. The vehicular headlamp of claim 19, further comprising means for laterally tilting a main optical axis of the low beam in accordance with said detection signals provided by said curved road detection means.

21. The vehicular headlamp of claim 20, wherein said main optical axis lateral tilting adjusting means comprises a mechanism for laterally sliding said reflector with respect to said shade.

22. The vehicular headlamp of claim 21, wherein said main optical axis lateral tilting adjusting means comprises a pair of links supported by a frame through pins, a pair of first links suspending and supporting the reflector, second links for laterally oscillating the reflector, and an actuator for rotating said second link.

23. The vehicular headlamp of claim 19, wherein said clear cut line forming means comprises shade means.

24. The vehicular headlamp of claim 23, wherein said shade means is rotatably supported by a horizontal support shaft.

25. The vehicular headlamp of claim 24, wherein said shade means comprises a first cylindrical member and a second cylindrical member, diameters of said first and second cylindrical members being different from one another.

26. The vehicular headlamp of claim 25, wherein said first cylindrical member and said second cylindrical member are separately supported on said horizontal support shaft.

27. The vehicular headlamp of claim 25, wherein said first cylindrical member and said second cylindrical member are integrally formed.

28. The vehicular headlamp of claim 23, wherein said horizontal support shaft is eccentric with respect to an axial center of said shade means.

29. The vehicular headlamp of claim 23, wherein said shade means has an edge portion having the form of an arc, said shade means being slidable in a vertical direction.

30. The vehicular headlamp of claim 29, wherein said shade means comprises a female screw member extending vertically, an actuator, and a worm attached to an output shaft of said actuator, said worm engaging with said female screw member.

31. The vehicular headlamp of claim 19, wherein said curved road detecting means comprises a steering sensor.

32. The vehicular headlamp of claim 19, wherein the headlamp is a projection type headlamp.

33. The vehicular headlamp of claim 19, further comprising means for detecting the presence of a preceding vehicle or a vehicle traveling in an opposite direction, said clear-cut line vertically moving adjusting means being controlled by a detection signal provided by said vehicle detecting means.

34. The vehicular headlamp of claim 33, wherein said vehicle detection means comprises a glare sensor.

35. The vehicular headlamp of claim 33, wherein said glare sensor comprises beam splitter means for transmitting a yellow light beam and reflecting a blue light beam, and a pair of CCDs receiving respective ones of said light beams split by said beam splitter, said CCDs respectively outputting an electrical signal proportional to an amount of received light.

36. The vehicular headlamp of claim 35, wherein said glare sensor further comprises an objective lens for converging a beam of light, and a pair of infrared ray filters disposed in front of respective ones of said CCDs for cutting a beam of external light.

37. A system for controlling a clear-cut line of a low beam emitted by a vehicular headlamp having a reflector, comprising:

clear cut line forming means;

means for vertically moving said clear cut line forming means;

curved road detecting means; and

means for controlling said clear cut line forming means and said vertically moving means in accordance with a detection signal provided by said curved road detecting means.

38. The clear-cut line controlling system of claim 37, further comprising:

means for detecting the presence of a preceding vehicle or a vehicle traveling in an opposite direction;

means for slidably moving said reflector;

means for detecting a position of said clear cut line forming means; and

means for detecting a position of said reflector.

39. The clear-cut line controlling system of claim 38, wherein said vehicle detection means comprises a glare sensor.

40. The clear-cut line controlling system of claim 38, wherein said controlling means controls said clear cut line forming means to move vertically in accordance with a detection signal provided by said curved road detection means and a detection signal provided by said vehicle detection means.

41. The clear-cut line controlling system of claim 37, wherein said clear cut line forming means comprises a shade disposed at a second focus of the reflector.

42. The clear-cut line controlling system of claim 37, wherein said curved road detecting means comprises a steering sensor for detecting a steering direction and angle of a steering wheel.