Apparatus for controlling light distributions of head lamps

• US 5,896,085 A
• Filed: 09/06/1996
• Issued: 04/20/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Takashi, Mori, Takakazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIEU, JULIE BICHNGOC
• Application Number:
  US08/708,270
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 340/469, 340/468, 340/465, 362/61, 362/66, 362/274, 362/36, 362/37, 362/464, 362/465
• US Class Current: 340/469
• 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 2300/124 Steering speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/134 Yaw
• 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 41/698 Shaft-shaped screens rotating along its longitudinal axis

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a vehicle head lamp has a first calculating means for estimating a driver'"'"'s view position, a second calculating means for estimating a deviation angle formed by a running direction of the vehicle and a direction of the driver'"'"'s view position, control means for controlling the light distribution composed of beam orientation, beam spread and upper bright-dark limit, said control means further comprising control-lamp selecting means which selects a high-beam head lamp or a low-beam head lamp corresponding to the result of the first calculating means.

The first calculating means estimates a driver'"'"'s view position which is determined by the distance reached by the vehicle after an estimated time along a forward roadway, which accounts for the driver'"'"'s abilities.

The second calculating means provides the deviation angle formed between the running direction of the vehicle and the direction of the driver'"'"'s line of view.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle in which performance is changeable, comprising:

a sensor for detecting a vehicle operating condition;

a first calculating means for estimating a view position of a driver of said vehicle which is determined by a distance reached by said vehicle after a predetermined time along a forward roadway;

a second calculating means for estimating at least one of a deviation angle formed by a running direction of said vehicle and a direction of said driver'"'"'s view position, and an upper bright-dark limit of the head lamp;

a control means for controlling the light distribution composed of beam orientation/spread and upper bright-dark limit of said head lamp on a basis of a result of calculation by said first and second calculating means,

said control means including a control-lamp selecting means for automatically selecting a high-beam head lamp or a low-beam head lamp based on a result of the first calculating means.

3. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said second calculating means calculates said deviation angle formed between a running direction of a vehicle and a direction of driver'"'"'s view position of said vehicle, and said light distribution of the head lamp is calculated on a basis of said driver'"'"'s view position and said deviation angle.

4. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a differential GPS for detecting a forward roadway of said vehicle, and serving as a source of information representing a configuration of the forward roadway.

5. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said second calculating means calculates the deviation angle formed between said running direction of said vehicle and said direction of said driver'"'"'s view position of said vehicle, and said light distribution of the head lamp is calculated on a basis of said driver'"'"'s view position and said deviation angle based on a source of the information representing a configuration of the forward roadway served by differential GPS.

6. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said control-lamp selecting means selects the high-beam head lamp when the distance of said driver'"'"'s view position exceeds a predetermined value.

7. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said second calculating means further calculates said upper bright-dark limit of the head lamp on the basis of said driver'"'"'s view position, when said control-lamp selecting means selects the low-beam head lamp.

2. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to clam 1, further comprising:

an optic or image sensor for detecting a forward roadway of said vehicle, and serving as a source of information representing a configuration of the forward roadway.

8. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle in which performance is changeable, comprising:

a sensor for detecting a vehicle operating condition;

a first calculating means for estimating a view position of a driver of said vehicle which is determined by a distance reached by said vehicle after an estimated time along a forward roadway, said estimated time being determined in accordance with a driver'"'"'s abilities which is determined by the level of driving skillfulness;

a second calculating means for estimating at least one of a deviation angle formed by a running direction of said vehicle and a direction of said driver'"'"'s view position, and an upper bright-dark limit of the head lamp;

a control means for controlling the light distribution composed of beam orientation/spread and upper bright-dark limit of said head lamp on a basis of a result of a calculation by said first and second calculating means,

said control means including a control-lamp selecting means for automatically selecting a high-beam head lamp or a low-beam head lamp automatically based on a result of the first calculating means.

9. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising:

an optic or image sensor for detecting a forward roadway of said vehicle, and serving as a source of information representing a configuration of the forward roadway.

10. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 8, wherein said second calculating means calculates said deviation angle formed between a running direction of a vehicle and a direction of said driver'"'"'s view position of said vehicle, and said light distribution of the head lamp is calculated on a basis of said driver'"'"'s view position and said deviation angle.

11. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 8, wherein said control-lamp selecting means selects the high-beam head lamp when a distance of said driver'"'"'s view position exceeds a predetermined value.

12. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp according to claim 8, wherein said second calculating means further calculates said upper bright-dark limit of the head lamp on a basis of said driver'"'"'s view position when said control-lamp selecting means selects the low-beam head lamp.

13. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle in which performance is changeable, comprising:

a sensor for detecting a vehicle operating condition;

a first calculating means for estimating a view position of a driver of said vehicle which is determined by a distance reached by said vehicle after a predetermined time along a forward roadway;

a second calculating means for estimating a deviation angle formed by a running direction of said vehicle and a direction of said driver'"'"'s view position, and said deviation angle being modified within the driver'"'"'s field of vision based on a configuration of the forward roadway;

a control means for controlling the light distribution composed of beam orientation/spread and upper bright-dark limit of said head lamp on a basis of a result of a calculation by said first and second calculating means,

said control means including a control-lamp selecting means for automatically selecting a high-beam head lamp or a low-beam head lamp based on a result of the first calculating means.

14. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising:

an optic or image sensor for detecting a forward roadway of said vehicle, and serving as a source of information representing the configuration of the forward roadway.

15. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 13, wherein said second calculating means calculates said deviation angle formed between a running direction of a vehicle and a direction of said driver'"'"'s view position of said vehicle, and said light distribution of the head lamp is calculated on a basis of said driver'"'"'s view position and said deviation angle.

16. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 13, further comprising:

a differential GPS for detecting a forward roadway of said vehicle, and serving as a source of information representing the configuration of the forward roadway.

17. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 13, wherein said second calculating means calculates the deviation angle formed between said running direction of said vehicle and said direction of said driver'"'"'s view position of said vehicle, and said light distribution of the head lamp is calculated on a basis of said driver'"'"'s view position and said deviation angle based on a source of information representing the configuration of the forward roadway served by the differential GPS.

18. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 13, wherein said control-lamp selecting means selects the high-beam head lamp when a distance of said driver'"'"'s view position exceeds a predetermined value.

19. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle according to claim 13, wherein said driver'"'"'s field of vision is determined based on angles with respect to both outer lines lying within a plane of the road and a road azimuth angle from a driver'"'"'s site, served by a source of information representing the configuration of the forward roadway.

20. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle in which performance is changeable, comprising:

a sensor for detecting a vehicle operating condition;

a first calculating means for estimating a view position of a driver of said vehicle which is determined by a distance reached by said vehicle after a predetermined time along a forward roadway;

a second calculating means for estimating a deviation angle formed by a running direction of said vehicle and a direction of said driver'"'"'s view position, and said deviation angle being modified within the driver'"'"'s field of vision based on a configuration of the forward roadway;

a control means for controlling a light distribution of the high beam lamp composed of beam orientation and beam spread of said head lamp on a basis of a result of a calculation by said first and second calculating means, and for controlling a light distribution of the low beam lamp composed of beam orientation and beam spread of said head lamp on a basis of a predetermined value of estimating a driver'"'"'s view position.

21. An apparatus for controlling light distribution of a head lamp of a vehicle in which performance is changeable, comprising:

a sensor for detecting a vehicle operating condition;

a first calculating means for estimating a view position of a driver of said vehicle which is determined by a distance reached by said vehicle after an estimated time along a forward roadway, said estimated time being determined in accordance with a driver'"'"'s operating features;

a second calculating means for estimating at least one of a deviation angle formed by a running direction of said vehicle and a direction of said driver'"'"'s view position, and an upper bright-dark limit of the head lamp;

a control means for controlling the light distribution composed of beam orientation/spread and upper bright-dark limit of said head lamp on a basis of a result of a calculation by said first and second calculating means,

said control means including a control-lamp selecting means for automatically selecting a high-beam head lamp or a low-beam head lamp based on a result of the first calculating means.