Vehicle high-beam lamp control apparatus and method therefor

• US 10,682,947 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2016
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Kim, BongJoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Kessie, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/766,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20180290585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• 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 1/1453 Hand actuated switches
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 11/00 Arrangement of monitoring devices for devices provided for in groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q9/00

Abstract

Disclosed are a vehicle high-beam lamp control apparatus and a method therefor. The vehicle high-beam lamp control apparatus comprises a passing switch (10) which, after having been turned on by means of a physical force from a user, is turned off while being restored; a high-beam switch (20) for turning the high-beam lamp (40) on and off; and a control unit (30) which switches on and off the high-beam lamp (40) in accordance with an on/off state of the passing switch (10) and the high-beam switch (20), and which switches off the high-beam lamp (40) if, after the passing switch (10) has been turned on, the passing switch (10) is not turned off such that a first set time is exceeded, and also switches off the high-beam lamp (40) if the passing switch (10) is turned on when the high-beam switch (20) is in the turned on state.

Claims

1. A vehicle high-beam lamp control apparatus comprising:

a passing switch configured to be turned off after having been turned on by means of a physical force from a user;

a high-beam switch configured to turn on and off a high-beam lamp; and

a control unit configured to switch on and off the high-beam lamp in accordance with an on/off state of the passing switch and the high-beam switch, and which is configured to switch off the high-beam lamp if, after the passing switch has been turned on, the passing switch is not turned off such that a first set time is exceeded, and to switch off the high-beam lamp if the passing switch is turned on when the high-beam switch is in the turned on state.

2. The vehicle high-beam lamp control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit further comprises an output unit configured to output an error state if the high-beam lamp has been switched off because the first set time was exceeded with the passing switch in the on state.

3. The vehicle high-beam lamp control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to switch off the high-beam lamp if the passing switch is turned on continuously for more than a second set time when the high-beam switch is in the turned on state.

8. The vehicle high-beam lamp control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to switch off the high-beam lamp if the passing switch is turned on continuously for more than a second set time when the high-beam switch is in the turned on state.

4. A vehicle high-beam lamp control method comprising:

at a control unit switching on a high-beam lamp upon sensing an on state of a passing switch;

following the switching on of the high-beam lamp, at the control unit judging whether a first set time has been exceeded;

if a result of the judging as to whether the first set time has been exceeded is that the first set time has been exceeded, at the control unit switching off the high-beam lamp; and

if the result of the judging as to whether the first set time has been exceeded is that the first set time has not been exceeded, at the control unit switching off the high-beam lamp upon sensing that the passing switch is in an off state.

5. The vehicle high-beam lamp control method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at the control unit switching off the high-beam lamp if the first set time has been exceeded further comprises at the control unit outputting a passing-switch error state.

6. A vehicle high-beam lamp control method comprising:

at a control unit switching on a high-beam lamp upon sensing an on state of a high-beam switch;

following the switching on of the high-beam lamp, at the control unit sensing an on state of a passing switch;

if the result of sensing the on state of the passing switch is that the passing switch is in the on state, at the control unit switching off the high-beam lamp; and

if the result of sensing the on state of the passing switch is that the passing switch is in an off state, at the control unit switching off the high-beam lamp upon sensing an off state of the high-beam switch.

7. The vehicle high-beam lamp control method as claimed in claim 6, wherein, at the control unit sensing the on state of the passing switch, the on state is sensed when the on state of the passing switch continues for more than a second set time.