Automotive lamp and method of controlling the same

• US 9,783,096 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SL Corporation
• Original Assignee: SL Corporation
• Inventors: Son, Youngho, Baek, Chang Woo
• Primary Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US15/375,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20170182931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 302 Days
• Field of Search: 315 82, 315 83, 315 77, 315307, 315312, 362277, 362509, 362512, 362514, 362543-545
• 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 1/143 combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/16 illuminating the way asymmetrically
• 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 2300/314 Ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/41 preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/42 oncoming vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/663 by switching light sources by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162

Abstract

An automotive lamp which reduces dazzle to the drivers of other vehicles by adjusting a light pattern of irradiated light and a method of adjusting the automotive lamp is provided. An automotive lamp includes a light irradiation device which forms first and second patterns at least partially overlapping each other by irradiating light and a control device configured to adjust light irradiation device to form a shadow area at a position of a second vehicle when the second vehicle exists in an area of a beam pattern in which the first and second patterns are synthesized with each other. The control device is configured to determine a size of the shadow area by referring to whether the second vehicle exists in a non-uniform overlap section, in which the first pattern and the second pattern overlap each other to a non-uniform degree in an irradiation section of the light.

Claims

1. An automotive lamp, comprising:

a light irradiation device configured to form a first pattern and a second pattern that at least partially overlap each other by irradiating light; and

a control device configured to adjust the light irradiation device to form a shadow area at a position of a second vehicle when the second vehicle exists in an area of a beam pattern in which the first pattern and the second pattern are synthesized with each other,

wherein the control device is configured to determine a size of the shadow area by referring to whether the second vehicle exists in a non-uniform overlap section, in which the first pattern and the second pattern overlap each other to a non-uniform degree, in an irradiation section of the light.

2. The automotive lamp of claim 1, wherein the light irradiation device includes,

a first light irradiator disposed on a front left side of a first vehicle having the light irradiation device to form the first pattern;

and

a second light irradiator disposed on a front right side of the first vehicle to form the second pattern,

wherein each of the first light irradiator and the second light irradiator include at least one light source.

3. The automotive lamp of claim 2, wherein a plurality of light sources included in each of the first light irradiator and the second light irradiator respectively are configured to form a plurality of partial beam patterns by irradiating light, and the beam pattern is formed by the synthesis of the partial beam patterns.

4. The automotive lamp of claim 3, wherein when the second vehicle exists in the non-uniform overlap section, the control device is configured to adjust the light irradiation device to prevent light from being irradiated from at least one of the light sources which corresponds to an overlap area between the first pattern and the second pattern.

5. The automotive lamp of claim 3, wherein when the second vehicle exists in the non-uniform overlap section, the control device is configured to adjust the light irradiation device to reduce the amount of light of at least one of the light sources which corresponds to the overlap area between the first pattern and the second pattern.

6. The automotive lamp of claim 1, wherein the shadow area includes,

a first shadow area which corresponds to a size of the second vehicle;

and

a second shadow area which extends from a boundary of the first shadow area by a preset size.

7. The automotive lamp of claim 6, wherein the control device is configured to determine the second shadow area to a greater size when the second vehicle exists in the non-uniform overlap section than when the second vehicle exists in a uniform overlap section, in which the first pattern and the second pattern overlap each other to a uniform degree, in the irradiation section of the light.

8. The automotive lamp of claim 1, wherein the second vehicle includes a preceding vehicle.

9. A method of controlling an automotive lamp, comprising:

forming, by a controller, a first pattern and a second pattern, which at least partially overlap each other, by irradiating light;

determining, by the controller, whether a second vehicle exists in an area of a beam pattern in which the first pattern and the second pattern are synthesized with each other; and

forming, by the controller, a shadow area at a position of the second vehicle by adjusting a light irradiation device based on the determination result,

wherein the forming of the shadow area includes setting a size of the shadow area by determining whether the second vehicle exists in a non-uniform overlap section, when the first pattern and the second pattern overlap each other to a non-uniform degree in an irradiation section of the light.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the light irradiation device which irradiates the light includes,

a first light irradiator disposed on a front left side of a first vehicle having the light irradiation device to form the first pattern;

and

a second light irradiator disposed on a front right side of the first vehicle to form the second pattern,

wherein each of the first light irradiator and the second light irradiator includes at least one light source.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein a plurality of light sources included in each of the first light irradiator and the second light irradiator respectively are configured to form a plurality of partial beam patterns by irradiating light, and

wherein the beam pattern is formed by the synthesis of the partial beam patterns.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the forming of the shadow area includes, when the second vehicle exists in the non-uniform overlap section, adjusting the light irradiation device to prevent irradiation from at least one of the light sources which corresponds to an overlap area between the first pattern and the second.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the forming of the shadow area includes, when the second vehicle exists in the non-uniform overlap section, adjusting the light irradiation device to reduce the amount of light of at least one of the light sources which corresponds to the overlap area between the first pattern and the second pattern.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the shadow area includes,

a first shadow area which corresponds to a size of the second vehicle;

and

a second shadow area which extends from a boundary of the first shadow area by a preset size.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the forming of the shadow area includes determining by the controller, the second shadow area to a larger size when the second vehicle exists in the non-uniform overlap section than when the second vehicle exists in a uniform overlap section, in which the first pattern and the second pattern overlap each other to a uniform degree, in the irradiation section of the light.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the second vehicle includes a preceding vehicle.