Vehicle headlamp

• US 6,637,914 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2002
• Issued: 10/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Naganawa, Masahito
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAYNE, SHARON E
• Application Number:
  US10/128,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20020159268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 362/460, 362/464, 362/465, 362/518, 362/538, 362/42, 362/43, 362/531, 362/287, 362/508
• US Class Current: 362/465
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/10 due to vehicle inclination, e.g. due to load distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/134 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/136 Roll
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/55 Attachment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/657 by moving light sources

Abstract

When the vehicle body rolls to the oncoming lane, a light source bulb is turned to a direction opposite to a rolling direction to keep the posture of the light source bulb in an erect state. Accordingly, a horizontal cut-off line CL1 of a low-beam light distribution pattern P is prevented from slanting downward to the oncoming lane side. A horizontal cut-off line forming area 20a1 of a reflector 20 is formed with a plurality of reflection elements 20s1a and 20s1b and the like. Those elements are formed extending from the upper end to the lower end and slanting, at an angle of 5°, downward to the optical axis Ax1 with respect to the vertical direction. As a result, when the vehicle body rolls to the oncoming lane side, the reflection elements 20s1a and 20s1b and the like are substantially orthogonal to a light-dark borderline L1 formed by an inner shade 18c of the light source bulb, to thereby sharpen the horizontal cut-off line.

Claims

1. A vehicle headlamp configured to effect a low-beam irradiation in a light distribution pattern in which a horizontal cut-off line is disposed on the oncoming lane side in the front direction of a lighting device, said headlamp comprising:

a light source bulb including a light source disposed coaxially with an optical axis extending substantially in the back/forth direction, and a shade member which covers said light source over a predetermined angular range;

a reflector for reflecting the light from said light source to the front;

a translucent cover provided in front of said reflector; and

a bulb driving mechanism is provided, and when said headlamp tilts in the horizontal direction, said bulb driving mechanism rotates said light source bulb about said optical axis in an opposite direction to said tilting direction of said headlamp,

wherein a horizontal cut-off line forming area for controlling a light distribution for forming said horizontal cut-off line is provided on said reflector or said translucent cover, at least a part of said horizontal cut-off line forming area is formed with a plurality of reflection elements or lens elements, and said reflection elements or said lens elements slant toward said optical axis by an angle of 3°

to 10°

from the upper end to the lower end with respect to the vertical direction.

2. A vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, wherein

an oblique cut-off line forming area for forming an oblique cut-off line slanting upward at angle of 15° from the front direction of the lighting device to its own lane in said light distribution pattern is provided on said reflector or said translucent cover, and

at least a part of said oblique cut-off line is formed a plurality of reflection elements or lens elements, and those elements extend from the upper end to the lower end and slanting, at an angle of 18°

to 25°

, downward to the optical axis.

3. A vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, wherein said bulb driving mechanism rotates said light source bulb by a quantity of rotation defined by a tilting angle of said headlamp.

4. A vehicle headlamp according to claim 2, wherein said bulb driving mechanism rotates said light source bulb by a quantity of rotation defined by a tilting angle of said headlamp.