Vehicle headlamp apparatus

• US 6,817,740 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2001
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Masuda, Takeshi, Sugiyama, Hidetada, Komatsu, Motohiro, Kobayashi, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Cariaso, Alan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsidulko, Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/006,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20020080618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 362/466, 362/464, 362/465, 362/276, 362/36, 362/37, 362/467, 362/71, 340/988
• US Class Current: 362/466
• 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 1/18 being additional front lights bracket mounted headlights B60Q1/0483
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/056 Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/112 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/114 Vehicle acceleration or deceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/122 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/134 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/21 Manual control
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/312 Adverse weather
• 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

Abstract

In a vehicle headlamp apparatus 1, there are provided a map information acquiring means 2 for acquiring positional information on one'"'"'s own vehicle on a map and the environmental information, and an environmental condition detection means 3 for detecting an environmental condition relating to a traveling road on which one'"'"'s own vehicle is driven according image information or the information acquired from a radar. The light distribution control means 4 of a lighting device 5 performs light distribution control over the headlamp according to more reliable one of both kinds of information adopted with the priority given thereto out of the information derived from the map information acquiring means 2 and the information detected by the environmental condition detection means 3 or according to the information complemented with both kinds of information described above.

Claims

1. A vehicle headlamp apparatus comprising:

map information acquiring means for acquiring positional information on a vehicle on a map and environmental information;

environmental condition detection means for detecting an environmental condition relating to a road on which the vehicle is traveling according to image information or information acquired from radar; and

light distribution control means for varying light distribution of a headlamp attached to a vehicle in accordance with variation in a travel condition of the vehicle and the environmental condition,

wherein said light distribution control means performs light distribution control for the headlamp according to one of information adopted information judged by the light distribution control means to be the more reliable as between information from said map information acquiring means and the information detected by said environmental condition detection means.

2. A vehicle headlamp apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a lane with respect to a road on which the vehicle is being driven is detected and the detected result is judged good or bad;

light distribution control over the headlamp is performed by switching the information detected by said environmental condition detection means and the information derived from said map information acquiring means according to the result thus judged.

3. A vehicle headlamp apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein when the result of lane detection is judged to be good, priority is given to the information detected by said environmental condition detection means.

4. A vehicle headlamp apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the first information acquired by said map information acquiring means is different from the second information acquired by said environmental condition detection means, the first information is modified according to the second information and the light distribution control over the headlamp is performed by using the modified information.

5. A vehicle headlamp apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising steering information acquiring for acquiring information to supply said light distribution control means.

6. A vehicle headlamp apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light distribution control means controls an optical axis of the head lamp in a vertical direction to vary the light distribution thereof.

7. A vehicle headlamp apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light distribution control means controls an infrared lamp that emits a near infrared ray.

8. A vehicle headlamp apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light distribution control means controls an optical axis of the head lamp in a lateral direction to vary the light distribution thereof.

9. A vehicle headlamp apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light distribution control means controls an optical axis of the head lamp to direct downward so as to illuminate an area ahead of the vehicle.

10. A vehicle headlamp apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light distribution control means controls to irradiate a lane mark near the vehicle.

11. A vehicle headlamp apparatus comprising:

map information acquiring means for acquiring positional information on a vehicle on a map and environmental information;

environmental condition detection means for detecting an environmental condition relating to a road on which the vehicle is traveling according to image information or information acquired from radar; and

light distribution control means for varying light distribution of a headlamp attached to a vehicle in accordance with variation in a travel condition of the vehicle and the environmental condition,

wherein said light distribution control means performs light distribution control for the headlamp according to information judged by the light distribution control means to be the more reliable as between information from said map information acquiring means and the information detected by said environmental condition detection means, and

wherein said environmental condition detection means comprises an imaging unit for forming an image ahead of the vehicle;

when detection capability of said imaging unit is low, light distribution control means performs light distribution control over the headlamp according to the information derived from said map information acquiring means.

12. A vehicle headlamp apparatus comprising:

map information acquiring means for acquiring positional information on a vehicle on a map and environmental information;

environmental condition detection means for detecting an environmental condition relating to a road on which the vehicle is traveling according to image information or information acquired from radar, wherein a lane with respect to a road on which the vehicle is being driven is detected and the detected result is judged good or bad, and wherein said environmental condition detection means comprises an imaging unit for forming an image ahead of the vehicle; and

light distribution control means for varying light distribution of a headlamp attached to a vehicle in accordance with variation in a travel condition of the vehicle and the environmental condition,

wherein said light distribution control means performs light distribution control for the headlamp according to information judged by the light distribution control means to be the more reliable as between information from said map information acquiring means and the information detected by said environmental condition detection means, and lift distribution control over the headlamp is performed by switching the information detected by said environmental condition detection means and the information derived from said map information acquiring means according to whether the detected result is judged good or bad, and when lane-mark detection capability of said imaging unit is low, the light distribution control means performs light distribution control over the headlamp according to the information derived from said map information acquiring means.

13. A vehicle headlamp apparatus comprising:

map information acquiring means for acquiring position information on a vehicle on a map and environmental information;

environmental condition detection means for detecting an environmental condition relation to a road on which the vehicle is traveling according to image information or information acquired from radar; and

light distribution control means for varying light distribution of a headlamp attached to a vehicle in accordance with variation in a travel condition of the vehicle and the environmental condition,

wherein said light distribution control means performs light distribution control for the headlamp according to information judged by the light distribution control means to be the more reliable as between information from said map information acquiring means and the information detected by said environmental condition detection means, and

wherein when worsening of weather is detected, said light distribution control means performs light distribution control for the headlamp according to the information derived from said map information acquiring means.