Vehicle lighting device

• US 7,510,310 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Komatsu, Motohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): TON, ANABEL
• Application Number:
  US11/641,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20070147055A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 362464-466, 362/514
• 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 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 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/45 Special conditions, e.g. pedestrians, road signs or potential dangers
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/151 arranged in one or more lines
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/683 by moving screens

Abstract

A vehicle lighting device includes a light source unit for emitting light for forming a high beam light distribution pattern by projecting forward light from the light source unit. The high beam light distribution pattern has at least two illumination patterns which illuminate areas which are different from each other. A control unit is provided for controlling the at least two illumination patterns to be turned on and off selectively.

Claims

1. A vehicle lighting device comprising:

at least two light source units for emitting light, whereby light emitted from the light source units is made to travel forward to form a high beam light distribution pattern; and

a detector for detecting an object which lies in front of the subject vehicle,

wherein the high beam light distribution pattern has at least two illumination patterns which illuminate areas which are different from each other,

wherein one of the at least two illumination patterns is illuminated by one of the at least two light source units and another of the at least two illumination patterns is illuminated by another of the at least two light source units,

wherein a control unit is provided for controlling the at least two illumination patterns to be selectively turned on and off by selectively turning on and off at least one of the at least two light source units,

wherein the control unit controls the at least two illumination patterns to be selectively turned on and off according to a detection result of the detector.

2. The vehicle lighting device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least two illumination patterns include a leftward illumination pattern which is projected toward a left front of the vehicle lighting device and a rightward illumination pattern which is projected toward a right front of the vehicle lighting device, and

wherein the control unit controls the leftward illumination pattern and the rightward illumination pattern to be selectively turned on and off according to a detection result of the detector.

3. The vehicle lighting device as set forth in claim 2, wherein in the event that the detector detects an oncoming vehicle which is situated obliquely forward of the subject vehicle as the object, the control unit turns off either of the leftward illumination pattern and the rightward illumination pattern.

4. A vehicle lighting device comprising:

a light source unit for emitting light, whereby light emitted from the light source unit is made to travel forward to form a high beam light distribution pattern; and

a detector for detecting an object which lies in front of the subject vehicle,

wherein the high beam light distribution pattern has at least two illumination patterns which illuminate areas which are different from each other,

wherein a control unit is provided for controlling the at least two illumination patterns to be selectively turned on and off,

wherein the control unit controls the at least two illumination patterns to be selectively turned on and off according to a detection result of the detector,

wherein the light source unit comprises a primary light emitting element for emitting light which is projected toward the left of the vehicle so as to form the leftward illumination pattern and a secondary light emitting element for emitting light which is projected toward the right of the vehicle so as to form the rightward illumination pattern.

9. The vehicle lighting device as set forth in claim 4, wherein each of the light emitting elements of the light source unit comprises an LED for emitting light and an optical system for projecting a light emitting surface configuration of the LED so as to project forward an illumination pattern corresponding to the light emitting surface configuration.

5. A vehicle lighting device comprising:

a light source unit for emitting light, whereby light emitted from the light source unit is made to travel forward to form a high beam light distribution pattern; and

a detector for detecting an object which lies in front of the subject vehicle,

wherein the high beam light distribution pattern has at least two illumination patterns which illuminate areas which are different from each other,

wherein a control unit is provided for controlling the at least two illumination patterns to be selectively turned on and off,

wherein the control unit controls the at least two illumination patterns to be selectively turned on and off according to a detection result of the detector,

wherein the at least two illumination patterns comprise a leftward illumination pattern which is projected toward a left front of the vehicle lighting device, a rightward illumination pattern which is projected toward a right front of the vehicle lighting device, and a central illumination pattern which is projected between the leftward illumination pattern and the rightward illumination pattern, and wherein

the control unit controls the leftward illumination pattern, the rightward illumination pattern, and the central illumination pattern to be selectively turned on and off.

6. The vehicle lighting device as set forth in claim 5, wherein in the event that the detector detects an oncoming vehicle which is situated obliquely forward of the subject vehicle as the object, the control unit turns off either of the leftward illumination pattern and the rightward illumination pattern.

7. The vehicle lighting device as set forth in claim 5, wherein in the event that the detector detects a preceding vehicle which is situated directly ahead of the subject vehicle as the object, the control unit turns off the central illumination pattern.

8. The vehicle lighting device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the light source unit comprises a primary light emitting element for emitting light which is projected toward the left of the vehicle so as to font'"'"' the leftward illumination pattern, a secondary light emitting element for emitting light which is projected toward the right of the vehicle so as to form the rightward illumination pattern, and a tertiary light emitting element for emitting light which is projected between the leftward illumination pattern and the rightward illumination pattern so as to form the central illumination pattern.

10. A control system for a vehicle, the control system comprising:

a vehicle lighting device configured to project light forward of the vehicle in a high beam light distribution pattern with at least two illumination patterns which illuminate areas which are different from each other;

a detector configured to detect an object forward of the vehicle; and

a control unit configured to selectively turn on and off at least one of the at least two illumination patterns in response to a detection result of said detector,

wherein one of the at least two illumination patterns is illuminated by one of at least two light source units and another of the at least two illumination patterns is illuminated by another of the at least two light source units,

wherein the control unit selectively turns on and off at least one of the at least two illumination patterns by selectively turning on and off at least one of the at least two light source units.

11. The control system of claim 10, further comprising:

an image analyzing unit configured to receive an image signal transmitted from the detector and calculate a position of the object detected by said detector, wherein said control unit receives an output signal indicative of the position of the object from said image analyzing unit.

12. The control system of claim 10, further comprising:

a radar that detects an obstacle lying ahead of the vehicle; and

a vehicle speed sensor that senses vehicle speed, wherein

said control unit is configured to selectively turn on and off the at least one of the at least two illumination patterns in response to an output of said radar and said vehicle speed sensor.

13. The control system of claim 10, wherein the detector is an IR camera.

14. The control system of claim 13, further comprising:

a determination unit, wherein the determination unit calculates a degree of certainty to which-the object is a pedestrian based on a value of brightness of an image captured by the detector.

15. A method for controlling a vehicle lighting device, the vehicle lighting device comprising at least two light source units for emitting light, whereby light emitted from the light source units is made to travel forward to form a high beam light distribution pattern, wherein the high beam light distribution pattern has at least two illumination patterns which illuminate areas which are different from each other, wherein one of the at least two illumination patterns is illuminated by one of at least two light source units and another of the at least two illumination patterns is illuminated by another of the at least two light source units, said method comprising:

controlling the at least two illumination patterns to be selectively turned on and off by selectively turning on and off at least one of the at least two light source units.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, further comprising:

detecting an object which lies in front of a vehicle on which the vehicle lighting device is mounted; and

controlling the at least two illumination patterns to be selectively turned on and off according to the detection.