Vehicular illumination device

• US 7,824,085 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2007
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Shea; Sandra L
• Assistant Examiner(s): DZIERZYNSKI, EVAN P
• Application Number:
  US12/000,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 362/465, 362/466
• 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 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• 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 2300/132 Pitch
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/324 Road inclination, e.g. uphill or downhill
• 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

Abstract

A vehicular illumination device includes a light distribution control unit, a determination unit and a control unit. The light distribution control unit performs an alteration control of a vehicular illumination unit so as to alter a light distribution with respect to an illumination object detected by a detection unit. When the illumination object ceases to be detected, the determination unit determines whether or not there is a need to maintain the alteration control in a current state. When it is determined that there is a need to maintain the alteration control in the current state, the control unit controls the light distribution control unit so as to maintain the alteration control in the current state.

Claims

1. A vehicular illumination device comprising:

a vehicular illumination unit whose light distribution is alterable;

a detection unit that detects an illumination object comprising at least one of other vehicles and pedestrians;

a light distribution control unit that performs an alteration control of the vehicular illumination unit such that light illuminated from the vehicular illumination unit to a region corresponding to the illumination object detected by the detection unit is non-illuminated or reduced;

a determination unit that, when the illumination object detected by the detection unit ceases to be detected, determines whether or not there is a need to maintain the alteration control by the light distribution control unit in a current state, and determines that there is a need to maintain the alteration control by the light distribution control unit in the current state when a vertical movement is detected by a vertical movement detection unit, which detects a vertical movement of the vehicle; and

a control unit that, when it is determined by the determination unit that there is a need to maintain the alteration control in the current state, controls the light distribution control unit so as to maintain the alteration control by the light distribution control unit in the current state.

2. The vehicular illumination device of claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that there is a need to maintain the alteration control by the light distribution control unit in the current state when the vertical movement which is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is detected by the vertical movement detection unit.

3. The vehicular illumination device of claim 2, wherein the vertical movement detection unit comprises a vehicle height detection sensor that detects a vehicle height of the vehicle.

4. The vehicular illumination device of claim 1, wherein the vertical movement detection unit comprises a vehicle height detection sensor that detects a vehicle height of the vehicle.