Automatic corrector of headlight elevation during changes in the attitude of a vehicle

• US 5,331,251 A
• Filed: 05/14/1993
• Issued: 07/19/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo Vision (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: Marois, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Philogene, Haissa
• Application Number:
  US08/061,449
• Time in Patent Office: 431 Days
• Field of Search: 315/81, 315/82, 315/83, 362/61, 362/66, 362/418, 362/420, 307/10 R
• US Class Current: 315/82
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0023 the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/10 due to vehicle inclination, e.g. due to load distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/132 Pitch

Abstract

A device for automatically correcting the elevation angle of at least one vehicle headlight during changes in the attitude of said vehicle, the device being of the type comprising at least two lighting sensors integrated in the headlight and constrained to move therewith, the two sensors being disposed to detect the brightness of the road in the field of illumination of the headlight in two different directions at two predetermined angles relative to a reference direction of said headlight, an actuator suitable for varying the angle of inclination of the headlight relative to the vehicle, and processor means suitable for generating an actuator control signal as a function of the signals delivered by the sensors which are essentially proportional to the quantity of light that each of them receives. According to the invention, the processor means comprise gain servo-control means controlled by the signal provided by the first sensor, said gain servo-control means controlling the gain of a variable gain circuit receiving the signal from the second sensor, in such a manner that said gain increases with decreasing signal from the second sensor.

Claims

1. A device for automatically correcting the elevation angle of at least one vehicle headlight during changes in the attitude of said vehicle, the device being of the type comprising at least two lighting sensors integrated in the headlight and constrained to move therewith, the two sensors being disposed to detect the brightness of the road in the field of illumination of the headlight in two different directions at two predetermined angles relative to a reference direction of said headlight, an actuator suitable for varying the angle of inclination of the headlight relative to the vehicle, and processor means suitable for generating an actuator control signal as a function of the signals delivered by the sensors which are essentially proportional to the quantity of light that each of them receives, wherein the processor means comprise gain servo-control means controlled by the signal provided by the first sensor, said gain servo-control means controlling the gain of a variable gain circuit receiving the signal from the second sensor, in such a manner that said gain increases with decreasing signal from the second sensor.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the gain servo-control means comprise a first integrator circuit for integrating the signal provided by the first sensor, and comparator means for comparing the output voltage from the first integrator circuit with a reference voltage, wherein the circuit receiving the signal from the second sensor comprises a second integrator circuit, and wherein the output from said comparator means adjusts the integration time of the second integrator circuit.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the reference voltage is adjustable.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the reference voltage is capable of taking up different values associated with a plurality of pairs associating a headlight inclination angle with a value taken up by the output signal from the second integrator circuit when said headlight inclination angle is its real inclination angle.

5. A device according to claim 2, wherein each integrator circuit includes reset means controlled by a reset input terminal of the device.

6. A device according to claim 2, wherein the integration time of the second integrator circuit is adjusted by using the comparator means to control switch means provided between the second sensor and the second integrator circuit.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the processor means further include means responsive to the signal provided by the circuit which receives the signal from the second sensor to determine an absolute inclination angle of the headlight.

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein the processor means comprise means for causing the inclination angle of the headlight to scan, and means for determining the ratio between the slope of change in a signal provided by one of the sensors during said scanning and a value of said signal, together with means for deducing the angle of inclination of the headlight from said ratio.