Vehicle light control device

• US 8,941,260 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2013
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omron Automotive Electronics Company Limited (Nidec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Omron Automotive Electronics Company Limited (Nidec Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Hiroyuki, Terayama, Takahito
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thuy Vinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kaiser, Syed M
• Application Number:
  US13/938,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20140015406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 307/10.1, 307/10.8, 315/77, 315/308
• US Class Current: 307/10.8
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0023 the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera
• 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 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/337 Tunnels or bridges

Abstract

A vehicle light control device mounted on a vehicle to control lighting of a light of the vehicle based on illuminance around the vehicle, has an infrared sensor that detects an infrared ray around the vehicle, an infrared illuminance detector that detects infrared illuminance from an output of the infrared sensor, a visible-light sensor that detects visible light around the vehicle, a visible-light illuminance detector that detects visible-light illuminance from an output of the visible-light sensor, a storage in which a first lighting threshold is stored, and a controller that controls the lighting of the light based on the infrared illuminance detected by the infrared illuminance detector, the visible-light illuminance detected by the visible-light illuminance detector, and the first lighting threshold stored in the storage.

Claims

1. A vehicle light control device mounted on a vehicle to control lighting of a light of the vehicle based on illuminance around the vehicle, comprising:

an infrared sensor that detects an infrared ray around the vehicle;

an infrared illuminance detector that detects infrared illuminance from an output of the infrared sensor;

a visible-light sensor that detects visible light around the vehicle;

a visible-light illuminance detector that detects visible-light illuminance from an output of the visible-light sensor;

a storage in which a first lighting threshold is stored; and

a controller that controls the lighting of the light based on the infrared illuminance detected by the infrared illuminance detector, the visible-light illuminance detected by the visible-light illuminance detector, and the first lighting threshold stored in the storage,

wherein the controller calculates a illuminance difference between the infrared illuminance detected by the infrared illuminance detector and the visible-light illuminance detected by the visible-light illuminance detector, and the controller turns on the light when the illuminance difference is less than or equal to the first lighting threshold.

2. The vehicle light control device according to claim 1,

wherein a second lighting threshold is stored in the storage in addition to the first lighting threshold, and

wherein the controller turns on the light, when the illuminance difference is less than or equal to the first lighting threshold, or when the infrared illuminance detected by the infrared illuminance detector is less than or equal to the second lighting threshold.

3. The vehicle light control device according to claim 1,

wherein a third lighting threshold is stored in the storage in addition to the first lighting threshold, and

wherein the controller turns on the light, when the illuminance difference is less than or equal to the first lighting threshold, or when the visible-light illuminance detected by the visible-light illuminance detector is less than or equal to the third lighting threshold.