Light unit for vehicle

• US 6,343,869 B1
• Filed: 12/17/1997
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Sember, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US08/991,985
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 362/466, 362/464, 362/276, 362/802, 362/37, 362/351, 362/359, 362/319, 362/324, 362/277, 362/282, 362/284, 362/322, 315/81, 315/77, 315/82
• US Class Current: 362/37
• 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 1/12 due to steering position
• 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 1/18 being additional front lights bracket mounted headlights B60Q1/0483
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2200/38 Automatic calibration of motor-driven means for adjusting headlamps, i.e. when switching on the headlamps, not during mounting at factories
• 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 2300/114 Vehicle acceleration or deceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/116 Vehicle at a stop
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/122 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/128 Steering dead zone
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/132 Pitch
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/134 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/142 Turn signal actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/21 Manual control
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/312 Adverse weather
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/322 Road curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/324 Road inclination, e.g. uphill or downhill
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/332 on city roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/333 : on suburban or country roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/334 : on motorways
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/335 : Number or size of road lanes
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/336 : Crossings
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/337 : Tunnels or bridges
• 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

A light unit 1 for a vehicle has a driving-environment detecting device 2 for detecting information (the shape of the road, the position of the vehicle, whether or not oncoming and preceding vehicle exist, the traffic volume density and ambient luminous intensity) indicating a driving environment provided by a path through which a vehicle is driven. A mode determining device 3 determines a driving mode which is included in driving modes classified in accordance with combinations of information detected by the driving-environment detecting device 2 and which is dynamically changed when the driving environment is changed during driving of the vehicle. In accordance with an instruction signal supplied from the mode determining device 3 to an illumination control device 4 and corresponding to the driving mode, illumination which is performed by the light unit 5 is controlled.

Claims

1. A light unit for a vehicle, comprising:

driving-environment detecting means for detecting information indicating a driving environment provided by a path on which said vehicle is driven;

mode determining means for determining a driving mode which is included among driving modes that represent combinations of information detectable by said driving-environment detecting means and which dynamically changes when said driving environment changes;

illumination control means for controlling illumination which is performed by said light unit in accordance with an instruction signal supplied by said mode determining means and corresponding to said driving mode; and

vehicle-moving-direction predicting means for predicting a vehicle moving direction intended by a driver in accordance with at least one of an operation signal issued from said driver of said vehicle and detected information indicating a driving state of said vehicle;

wherein said vehicle-moving-direction predicting means predicts the vehicle moving direction in accordance with a detection signal obtained by means for detecting an amount of operation of at least one of a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal.

2. A light unit for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein one of said driving-environment detecting means and said vehicle-moving-direction predicting means has vehicle driving-state detecting means for detecting a vehicle driving state including at least one of speed and acceleration of said vehicle.

3. A light unit for a vehicle comprising:

driving-environment detecting means for detecting information indicating a driving environment provided by a path on which said vehicle is driven;

mode determining means for determining a driving mode which is included among driving modes that represent combinations of information detectable by said driving-environment detecting means and which dynamically changes when said driving environment changes; and

illumination control means for controlling illumination which is performed by said light unit in accordance with an instruction signal supplied by said mode determining means and corresponding to said driving mode;

wherein, when said mode determining means determines that said driving mode is a mode in which said vehicle is being driven on a road in front of which a junction is formed, said illumination control means gradually increases the quantity of light for illumination which is emitted from side light units attached to side portions of said vehicle as said vehicle approaches said junction.

4. A light unit for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein said driving-environment detecting means has vehicle driving-state detecting means for detecting a vehicle driving state including at least one of speed and acceleration of said vehicle.

5. A light unit for a vehicle comprising:

driving-environment detecting means for detecting information indicating a driving environment provided by a path on which said vehicle is driven;

mode determining means for determining a driving mode which is included among driving modes that represent combinations of information detectable by said driving-environment detecting means and which dynamically changes when said driving environment changes; and

illumination control means for controlling illumination which is performed by said light unit in accordance with an instruction signal supplied by said mode determining means and corresponding to said driving mode;

wherein, when said mode determining means determines that said driving mode is a mode in which said vehicle is being driven on a road in front of which a tunnel is formed, said illumination control means automatically turns said light unit on before an entrance of said tunnel.

6. A light unit for a vehicle comprising:

driving-environment detecting means for detecting information indicating a driving environment provided by a path on which said vehicle is driven;

mode determining means for determining a driving mode which is included among driving modes that represent combinations of information detectable by said driving-environment detecting means and which dynamically chances when said driving environment changes; and

illumination control means for controlling illumination which is performed by said light unit in accordance with an instruction signal supplied by said mode determining means and corresponding to said driving mode;

wherein, when said mode determining means determines that said vehicle is being driven on a road in front of which one of a tunnel having intermittent openings and a plurality of tunnels are formed, a driving time required for said vehicle to pass through a length of said intermittent openings of said tunnel and a distance between adjacent tunnels is predicted, and

when said driving time is included in a predetermined range, said illumination control means maintains a state where said light unit is turned on.

7. A light unit for a vehicle comprising:

driving-environment detecting means for detecting information indicating a driving environment provided by a path on which said vehicle is driven;

mode determining means for determining a driving mode which is included among driving modes that represent combinations of information detectable by said driving-environment detecting means and which dynamically changes when said driving environment changes; and

illumination control means for controlling illumination which is performed by said light unit in accordance with an instruction signal supplied by said mode determining means and corresponding to said driving mode;

wherein said mode determining means determines whether said vehicle is being driven on a road having a structure on said road for antiglare, and said illumination control means changes a height of a cut line of a low beam distribution of said light unit in accordance with a result of said determination.

8. A light unit for a vehicle comprising:

driving-environment detecting means for detecting information indicating a driving environment provided by a path on which said vehicle is driven;

mode determining means for determining a driving mode which is included among driving modes that represent combinations of information detectable by said driving-environment detecting means and which dynamically changes when said driving environment changes; and

illumination control means for controlling illumination which is performed by said light unit in accordance with an instruction signal supplied by said mode determining means and corresponding to said driving mode;

wherein, when said mode determining means determines that said driving mode is a mode in which one of a traffic volume and a traffic density exceeds a predetermined range, said illumination control means one of fixes a height of a cut line of a low beam distribution of said light unit and controls said cut line in such a manner that said height does not exceed an upper limit.

9. A light unit for a vehicle comprising:

driving-environment detecting means for detecting information indicating a driving environment provided by a path on which said vehicle is driven;

mode determining means for determining a driving mode which is included among driving modes that represent combinations of information detectable by said driving-environment detecting means and which dynamically changes when said driving environment changes; and

illumination control means for controlling illumination which is performed by said light unit in accordance with an instruction signal supplied by said mode determining means and corresponding to said driving mode;

wherein, when said mode determining means determines that said driving mode is a mode in which said vehicle is being driven on a road in an urban area having one of a large traffic volume and a high traffic density exceeding a predetermined range, said illumination control means enlarges an irradiating range of said light unit to an oncoming vehicle lane.