Vehicle headlamp including control to reduce illuminance of additional light distribution pattern and method of controlling the same

• US 8,157,427 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2009
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Mochizuki, Kiyotaka, Tatara, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): CARIASO, ALAN B
• Application Number:
  US12/401,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20090231867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,133 Days
• Field of Search: 362464-466, 315/82
• US Class Current: 362/464
• 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 2300/054 Variable non-standard intensity, i.e. emission of various beam intensities different from standard intensities, e.g. continuous or stepped transitions of intensity
• 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 2300/122 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/322 Road curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/336 Crossings
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle headlamp is provided. The vehicle headlamp includes a light source which is configured to form an additional light distribution pattern which is formed above a cut-off line of a low-beam mode light distribution pattern; a vehicle detection device which is configured to detect a presence of a front running vehicle; a road position detection device which is configured to detect an existing area of a road ahead; and a control unit. The control unit acquires information from the vehicle detection device and the road position detection device and, when the existing area includes a non-detectable area which is outside of a detectable area of the vehicle detection device, controls the light source to reduce an illuminance of the additional light distribution pattern.

Claims

1. A vehicle headlamp comprising:

a light source which is configured to form a low-beam mode light distribution pattern and an additional light distribution pattern, which is formed above a cut-off line of the low-beam mode light distribution pattern;

a vehicle detection device which is configured to detect a presence of a front running vehicle;

a road position detection device which is configured to detect an existing area of a road ahead; and

a control unit which is configured to acquire information from the vehicle detection device and the road position detection device and, when the existing area includes a non-detectable area which is outside of a detectable area of the vehicle detection device, the control unit controls the light source to reduce an illuminance of the additional light distribution pattern.

2. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1,

wherein the light source is capable of increasing or decreasing an illuminance of a partial area of the additional light distribution pattern, and

wherein the control unit is also configured such that, when the existing area does not include the non-detectable area and the front running vehicle is included in the partial area, the control unit controls the light source such that the illuminance of the partial area is lower than that of areas other than the partial area.

3. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1,

wherein the road position detection device detects a shape of the road ahead,

wherein when the shape of the road ahead corresponds to a shape of a curved road or a shape of an intersection, the control unit determines that the existing area includes the non-detectable area.

4. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a low-beam mode lamp which generates the low-beam light distribution pattern, and an additional mode lamp which generates the additional light distribution pattern.

5. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a shade and a lamp comprising a low-beam mode lamp formed integrally with a high-beam mode lamp,

wherein the control unit controls the light source to reduce an illuminance of the additional light distribution pattern by controlling the shade.

6. A vehicle headlamp for a vehicle, the vehicle headlamp comprising:

a light source comprising a low-beam mode lamp which forms a low-beam mode light distribution pattern, and an additional mode lamp which is configured to form an additional light distribution pattern above a cut-off line of the low-beam mode light distribution pattern;

a vehicle detection device which is configured to detect a presence of another vehicle in a detectable area;

a road position detection device which is configured to detect a road area of a road in front of the vehicle; and

a control unit which is configured to acquire information from the vehicle detection device and the road position detection device;

to determine if the road area includes an area which is outside the detectable area of the vehicle detection device; and

if the road area includes the area which is outside of the detectable area of the vehicle detection device, to control the light source to reduce an illuminance of the additional light distribution pattern.

7. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 6, wherein the additional mode lamp comprises a plurality of separate light sources, each of the separate light sources generating an illuminance of a corresponding partial area of the additional light distribution pattern, and

wherein if the road area does not include the area which is outside of the detectable area and if the another vehicle is included in at least one of the partial areas, the control unit controls the light source to reduce the illuminance of the at least one partial area in which the another vehicle is included relative to the remaining partial areas.

8. The vehicle headlamp according to claim 6, further comprising:

a high-beam mode lamp which forms a high-beam distribution pattern.