Automatic lighting device and method for controlling light

• US 7,639,149 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Katoh, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US11/786,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20070285019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 362/464, 362487-490, 362/253, 362/276, 362/317, 362/372, 362/4, 362/5, 362/8, 362 16- 18, 180/272, 340/937, 340/942, 340/933, 34099514-99517, 340/438, 340/573.1, 340/576, 340 581- 583, 340/426.24, 340/426.25
• US Class Current: 340/576
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/1423 Automatic dimming circuits, i.e. switching between high beam and low beam due to change of ambient light or light level in road traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/23 Driver's line of sight
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/45 Special conditions, e.g. pedestrians, road signs or potential dangers

Abstract

An automatic lighting device includes an illuminance detector for detecting an external illuminance around a vehicle, a light controller for turning on/off a vehicular light, a driver'"'"'s characteristics detector for acquiring information about driver'"'"'s physical characteristics, and a threshold setting element for setting the illuminance threshold in accordance with the driver'"'"'s physical characteristics. The controller turns on the light when the external illuminance is not more than the illuminance threshold.

Claims

1. An automatic lighting device comprising:

an illuminance detector for detecting an external illuminance around a vehicle;

a light controller for turning on/off a vehicular light to illuminate an outside of the vehicle, wherein the light controller turns on the vehicular light when the external illuminance is not more than an illuminance threshold;

a driver'"'"'s characteristics detector for acquiring information about a driver'"'"'s physical characteristics; and

a threshold setting element for setting the illuminance threshold in accordance with the driver'"'"'s physical characteristics.

2. The automatic lighting device according to claim 1, wherein

the driver'"'"'s characteristics detector includes an iris color detector for detecting a driver'"'"'s iris color, and

the threshold setting element sets the illuminance threshold in accordance with the iris color.

3. The automatic lighting device according to claim 2, wherein

the threshold setting element sets the illuminance threshold in such manner that the threshold is low when the iris color is light and the threshold is high when the iris color is dark.

4. The automatic lighting device according to claim 1, wherein

the driver'"'"'s characteristics detector includes an age information detector for acquiring a driver'"'"'s age information, and

the threshold setting element sets the illumination threshold in accordance with the driver'"'"'s age.

5. The automatic lighting device according to claim 1, wherein

the driver'"'"'s characteristics detector includes a camera that images at least a portion of the driver'"'"'s body and

the driver'"'"'s characteristics detector acquires the information about the driver'"'"'s physical characteristics in accordance with the image of the camera.

6. The automatic lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising

a threshold optimizing element that optimizes the illuminance threshold in accordance with the external illuminance when the driver turns on the vehicular lights by a manual operation.

7. The automatic lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising

a threshold setting operation element for setting the illuminance threshold by a driver'"'"'s manual operation.

8. A method for controlling a vehicular light to illuminate an outside of a vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting an external illuminance around a vehicle;

turning on the vehicular light when the external illuminance is not more than an illuminance threshold;

acquiring information about a driver'"'"'s physical characteristics; and

setting the illuminance threshold in accordance with the driver'"'"'s physical characteristics.

9. The method for controlling the vehicular light according to claim 8, wherein

the driver'"'"'s physical characteristics includes a driver'"'"'s iris color, and

the illuminance threshold is set in accordance with the driver'"'"'s iris color.

10. The method for controlling the vehicular light according to claim 9, wherein

the illuminance threshold is set in such a manner that the threshold is low when the iris color is light and the threshold is high when the iris color is dark.

11. The method for controlling the vehicular light according to claim 8, wherein

the driver'"'"'s physical characteristics includes a driver'"'"'s age, and

the illuminance threshold is set in accordance with the driver'"'"'s age.

12. The method for controlling the vehicular light according to claim 8, further comprising

imaging at least a portion of the driver'"'"'s body with a camera, and wherein

the information about the driver'"'"'s physical characteristics is acquired in accordance with the image of the camera.

13. The method for controlling the vehicular light according to claim 8, further comprising

optimizing the illuminance threshold in accordance with the external illuminance when the driver turns on the vehicular light by a manual operation.

14. The method for controlling the vehicular light according to claim 8, further comprising

setting the illuminance threshold by the driver'"'"'s manual operation.

15. An automatic lighting device comprising:

an illuminance detector for detecting an external illuminance around a vehicle;

a light controller for turning an exterior light of the vehicle on when the exterior illuminance is below a specified threshold;

a driver'"'"'s characteristic detector for acquiring information about a driver'"'"'s physical characteristic; and

a threshold setting element for setting the specified threshold based on the driver'"'"'s physical characteristic.

16. The automatic lighting device according to claim 15, wherein the driver'"'"'s characteristic is an iris color.

17. The automatic lighting device according to claim 15, wherein the driver'"'"'s characteristic is a driver'"'"'s age information.