Apparatus and method for controlling headlight in vehicle and headlight lamp having multifunction structure

• US 7,157,856 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2003
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sang-Wook Chon, Young-Ill Chon
• Original Assignee: Sang-Wook Chon, Young-Ill Chon
• Inventors: Chon, Sang-Wook, Chon, Young-Ill
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, DAVID HUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/509,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20050141232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 315/82, 315/156, 315/159, 307/10.8
• US Class Current: 315/82
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1415 Dimming circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2900/40 Several lamps activated in sequence, e.g. sweep effect, progressive activation
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/32 Optical layout thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01K 9/08 to provide selectively different light effects, e.g. for automobile headlamp

Abstract

The present invention relates to a headlight lamp (110) having a multifunction structure in which a lighting angle of a headlight of a vehicle is automatically and manually controlled based on a running speed of a vehicle, a brightness of a headlight of an opponent vehicle and a surrounding brightness of a vehicle. The headlight lamp (110) includes a plurality of high angle headlight filaments (115), capable of lighting for providing a high angle beam to a vehicle, a plurality of low angle headlight filaments (111) capable of lighting for providing a low angle beam to the vehicle, low angle headlight reflection covers (112) provided in the low angle headlight filaments (111) respectively, for thereby allowing the light from the low angle headlight filaments (111) to have a low beam pattern angle, and external connection terminals.

Claims

1. In an apparatus for controlling a headlight for a vehicle having a headlight lamp of a multifunction structure having a plurality of high, middle and low angle and steering headlight filaments each capable of emitting light for providing high, middle and low angle and steering beams, an apparatus for controlling a headlight for a vehicle, comprising:

a light switch capable of providing an automatic mode to a vehicle driver, said automatic mode capable of automatically changing an on and off time of the headlight and a lighting angle of the headlight;

a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a running speed of a vehicle when an automatic mode is selected by the light switch and generating a vehicle speed signal corresponding to the detected vehicle speed;

an opponent vehicle headlight luminous intensity sensor for detecting a luminous intensity of the opponent vehicle headlight of the vehicle when the automatic mode is selected by the light switch and generating a luminous intensity signal corresponding to the detected opponent vehicle luminous intensity;

a vehicle surrounding luminous intensity sensor for detecting a surrounding luminous intensity of the vehicle when the automatic mode is selected by the light switch and generating a luminous intensity signal corresponding to the detected surrounding luminous intensity;

a controller for determining a lighting step of the headlight in accordance with a vehicle speed, opponent vehicle headlight luminous intensity signal and vehicle surrounding luminous intensity signal from the vehicle speed sensor, the opponent vehicle headlight luminous intensity sensor and the vehicle surrounding luminous intensity sensor and controlling an operation that a corresponding filament among the high, middle and low angle headlight filaments is turned on based on the determined lighting step;

a headlight relay unit for supplying a power to a corresponding selected filament based on the determined lighting step among the high, middle and low angle headlight filaments in accordance with a control of the controller; and

a power unit for supplying a power to each element of the vehicle.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said headlight lamp further comprises:

low angle headlight reflection covers provided in the low angle headlight filaments, respectively, for thereby allowing the light from the low angle headlight filaments to have a low beam pattern angle; and

external connection terminals corresponding to the high and low angle headlight filaments respectively.

3. The lamp of claim 2, further comprising:

middle angle headlight reflection covers provided in the middle angle headlight filaments, respectively, for thereby allowing the light from the middle headlight filaments to have a middle beam pattern angle; and

external connection terminals corresponding to the middle angle headlight filaments, respectively.

4. The lamp of claim 2, further comprising:

more than at least one said steering headlight filament providing a steering beam in one direction between left and right directions to the vehicle;

steering headlight reflection covers provided in the steering headlight filaments, respectively, for thereby allowing the light from the steering headlight filaments to have a steering beam pattern angle; and

external connection terminals corresponding to each of more than at least one steering headlight filament, respectively.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, said headlight lamp comprising:

a plurality of high angle headlight lamps each formed of a plurality of said high angle headlight filaments and external connection terminals corresponding to the high angle headlight filaments for thereby providing a high angle beam to the vehicle; and

a plurality of low angle headlight lamps each including a plurality of low angle headlight filaments, a plurality of low angle headlight reflection covers provided in the low angle headlight filaments, and a plurality of external connection terminals corresponding to the low angle headlight filaments, for thereby providing a low angle beam to the vehicle.

6. The lamp of claim 5, wherein said high angle headlight lamps each include:

more than at least one said steering headlight filament capable of emitting light for providing a steering beam to the vehicle;

steering headlight reflection covers provided in the steering headlight filaments for allowing the light from the steering headlight filaments to have a steering beam pattern angle; and

external connection terminals corresponding to the steering headlight filaments, respectively.

7. The lamp of claim 5, wherein said low angle headlight lamps each include:

more than at least one steering headlight filament capable of emitting light for providing a steering beam to the vehicle;

steering headlight reflection covers provided in the steering headlight filaments for allowing the light from the steering headlight filament to have a steering beam pattern angle; and

external connection terminals corresponding to the steering headlight filaments, respectively.

8. The lamp of claim 5, wherein said high angle headlight lamps each include:

more than at least one middle headlight filament capable of emitting light for providing a middle angle beam to the vehicle;

middle angle headlight reflection covers provided in the middle headlight filaments for allowing the light from the middle angle headlight filaments to have a middle angle beam pattern angle; and

external connection terminals corresponding to the middle steering headlight filaments, respectively.

9. The lamp of claim 5, wherein said low angle headlight lamps each include:

more than at least one middle angle headlight filament capable of emitting light for providing a middle angle beam to the vehicle;

middle angle headlight reflection covers provided in the middle headlight filaments for allowing the light from the middle angle headlight filaments to have a middle angle beam pattern angle; and

external connection terminals corresponding to the middle angle headlight filaments, respectively.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a steering sensor for detecting a steering state of the vehicle and generating a steering signal corresponding to the detected steering direction;

a controller for determining a steering direction of the vehicle based on a steering signal from the steering sensor and controlling an operation that the steering headlight filaments of a corresponding direction among the steering headlight filaments is turned on in accordance with the determined steering direction; and

a headlight relay unit for supplying a power to the steering headlight filaments of a corresponding direction determined in accordance with the steering signal among the steering headlight filaments.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a headlight passing switch for turning on a certain filament among the high, middle and low angle headlight filaments based on a driver'"'"'s operation when the manual mode of the light switch is selected and for lighting a beam having a corresponding angle to the vehicle.

12. In a method for controlling a headlight of a vehicle using headlight lamps each having a multifunction structure having high, middle, low and steering angle headlight filaments capable of emitting light for providing high, middle, low and steering beams, a method for controlling a headlight of a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

a step for performing a headlight automatic mode in such a manner that a vehicle driver adjusts a light switch;

a step for detecting a running speed of the vehicle by driving a vehicle speed sensor;

a step for determining a lighting step corresponding to the detected vehicle speed from a vehicle speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor;

a step for turning on a corresponding filament among the high, middle and low angle headlight filaments in accordance with the determined lighting step;

a step for detecting an opponent vehicle headlight luminous intensity of the vehicle by driving an opponent vehicle headlight luminous intensity sensor;

a step for determining a lighting step corresponding to the detected opponent vehicle headlight luminous intensity from a luminous intensity signal from the opponent vehicle headlight luminous intensity sensor;

a step for turning on a corresponding filament among the high, middle and low angle headlight filaments in accordance with the determined lighting step;

a step for detecting the surrounding luminous intensity of the vehicle by driving a vehicle surrounding luminous intensity sensor;

a step for determining a lighting step corresponding to the detected vehicle surrounding luminous intensity from a luminous intensity signal from the vehicle surrounding luminous intensity sensor; and

a step for turning on a corresponding filament among the high, middle, and low angle filament in accordance with the determined lighting step.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

a step for detecting a steering state of the vehicle by driving a steering sensor;

a step for determining a steering direction of the vehicle from a steering signal from the steering sensor; and

a step for turning on a corresponding filament corresponding to the steering direction among the steering headlight filaments in accordance with the determined lighting step.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

a step for judging whether a corresponding filament is disconnected among the high, middle and low angle headlight filaments in accordance with the determined lighting step in accordance with a vehicle speed signal, an opponent vehicle headlight luminous intensity signal and a vehicle surrounding luminous intensity signal from the vehicle speed sensor, an opponent vehicle headlight luminous intensity sensor and a vehicle surrounding luminous intensity sensor;

a step for substituting the disconnected filament with a previously designated filament when the corresponding filament is disconnected and turning on the filament; and

a step for adjusting the current lighting step and alarming a state that the corresponding filament is disconnected.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

a step for judging whether there is an input of the headlight passing switch by a vehicle driver;

a step for determining the lighting step corresponding to the inputted switch operation when there is an input of the headlight passing switch; and

a step for turning on a corresponding filament among the high, middle and low angle headlight filaments in accordance with the determined lighting step.