Light apparatus control system for vehicle

• US 8,154,207 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2009
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sakaguchi, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): COOPER, JONATHAN G
• Application Number:
  US12/571,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20100079072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 315/77, 315/82, 315/83, 362/26, 362/27, 362/459, 362/465
• US Class Current: 315/77
• 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

Abstract

A control unit determines whether a vehicle has entered an area under a covering object that covers the upper side of the vehicle. In the case where the control unit determines that the vehicle has entered the area under the covering object, the control unit turns on light apparatus when both of a measurement of an upper light intensity, which is measured with an upper light intensity sensor, and a measurement of a front light intensity, which is measured with a front light intensity sensor, require turning on of the light apparatus.

Claims

1. A light apparatus control system for a vehicle, comprising:

a light apparatus that illuminates a space outside of the vehicle upon turning on thereof;

a drive means for driving the light apparatus to turn on or off the light apparatus;

a lighting control means for controlling the drive means to turn on or off the light apparatus based on a light intensity of ambient light applied from outside of the vehicle;

an upper light intensity sensing means for measuring an upper light intensity of the ambient light that is applied from an upper side of the vehicle;

a front light intensity sensing means for measuring a front light intensity of the ambient light that is applied from a front side of the vehicle; and

an entry determining means for determining whether the vehicle has entered an area under a covering object that covers the upper side of the vehicle, wherein in the case where the entry determining means determines that the vehicle has entered the area under the covering object, the lighting control means turns on the light apparatus by controlling the drive means when both of a measurement of the upper light intensity, which is measured with the upper light intensity sensing means, and a measurement of the front light intensity, which is measured with the front light intensity sensing means, require the turning on of the light apparatus.

2. The light apparatus control system according to claim 1, wherein in the case where the entry determining means determines that the vehicle has not entered the area under the covering object, the lighting control means turns on the light apparatus by controlling the drive means when the measurement of the upper light intensity indicates that the light apparatus needs to be turned on.

3. The light apparatus control system according to claim 2, wherein:

in the case where the entry determining means determines that the vehicle has entered the area under the covering object, the lighting control means turns on the light apparatus by controlling the drive means upon elapse of first delay time;

in the case where the entry determining means determines that the vehicle has not entered the area under the covering object, the lighting control means turns on the light apparatus by controlling the drive means upon elapse of second delay time; and

the first delay time is equal to or shorter than the second delay time.

4. The light apparatus control system according to claim 1, wherein in the case where the entry determining means determines that the vehicle has entered the area under the covering object, the lighting control means turns on the light apparatus by controlling the drive means when the measurement of the upper light intensity is smaller than a first upper light intensity threshold value while the measurement of the front light intensity is smaller than a front light intensity threshold value.

5. The light apparatus control system according to claim 4, wherein the front light intensity threshold value is set according to the light intensity of the ambient light outside of the vehicle.

6. The light apparatus control system according to claim 4, wherein the front light intensity threshold value is set according to a lighting state of the light apparatus.

7. The light apparatus control system according to claim 4, wherein:

in the case where the entry determining means determines that the vehicle has not entered the area under the covering object, the lighting control means turns on the light apparatus by controlling the drive means when the measurement of the upper light intensity is smaller than a second upper light intensity threshold value; and

the first upper light intensity threshold value is equal to or larger than the second upper light intensity threshold value.

8. The light apparatus control system according to claim 1, wherein the entry determining means determines that the vehicle has entered the area under the covering object when a difference, which is obtained by subtracting the current measurement of the upper light intensity from an upper light intensity reference value, is larger than an upper light intensity difference reference value.

9. The light apparatus control system according to claim 8, wherein the upper light intensity reference value is an average value of a plurality of measurements of the upper light intensity, which are measured during a past predetermined time period.

10. The light apparatus control system according to claim 8, wherein the upper light intensity difference reference value is set according to the upper light intensity reference value.

11. The light apparatus control system according to claim 1, wherein the entry determining means determines whether the vehicle has entered the area under the covering object based on at least one of the measurement of the upper light intensity, which is measured with the upper light intensity sensing means, and the measurement of the front light intensity, which is measured with the front light intensity sensing means.

12. A light apparatus control system for a vehicle, comprising:

a light apparatus that illuminates a space outside of the vehicle upon turning on thereof;

a drive device that drives the light apparatus to turn on or off the light apparatus;

a controller that controls the drive device to turn on or off the light apparatus;

an upper light intensity sensor that measures an upper light intensity of an ambient light, which is applied from an upper side of the vehicle; and

a front light intensity sensor that measures a front light intensity of the ambient light that is applied from a front side of the vehicle, wherein;

the controller determines whether the vehicle has entered an area under a covering object that covers the upper side of the vehicle based on at least one of a measurement of the upper light intensity, which is measured with the upper light intensity sensor, and a measurement of the front light intensity, which is measured with the front light intensity sensor;

the controller determines whether the light apparatus needs to be turned on based on both of the measurement of the upper light intensity, which is measured with the upper light intensity sensor, and the measurement of the front light intensity, which is measured with the front light intensity sensor, when the controller determines that the vehicle has entered the area under the covering object; and

the controller turns on the light apparatus by controlling the drive device when the controller determines that the light apparatus needs to be turned on.

13. The light apparatus control system according to claim 12, wherein in the case where the controller determines that the vehicle has not entered the area under the covering object, the controller turns on the light apparatus by controlling the drive device when the measurement of the upper light intensity indicates that the light apparatus needs to be turned on.

14. The light apparatus control system according to claim 13, wherein:

in the case where the controller determines that the vehicle has entered the area under the covering object, the controller turns on the light apparatus by controlling the drive device upon elapse of first delay time;

in the case where the controller determines that the vehicle has not entered the area under the covering object, the controller turns on the light apparatus by controlling the drive device upon elapse of second delay time; and

the first delay time is equal to or shorter than the second delay time.

15. The light apparatus control system according to claim 12, wherein in the case where the controller determines that the vehicle has entered the area under the covering object, the controller turns on the light apparatus by controlling the drive device when the measurement of the upper light intensity is smaller than a first upper light intensity threshold value while the measurement of the front light intensity is smaller than a front light intensity threshold value.

16. The light apparatus control system according to claim 15, wherein the front light intensity threshold value is set according to the light intensity of the ambient light outside of the vehicle.

17. The light apparatus control system according to claim 15, wherein the front light intensity threshold value is set according to a lighting state of the light apparatus.

18. The light apparatus control system according to claim 15, wherein:

in the case where the controller determines that the vehicle has not entered the area under the covering object, the controller turns on the light apparatus by controlling the drive device when the measurement of the upper light intensity is smaller than a second upper light intensity threshold value; and

the first upper light intensity threshold value is equal to or larger than the second upper light intensity threshold value.

19. The light apparatus control system according to claim 12, wherein the controller determines that the vehicle has entered the area under the covering object when a difference, which is obtained by subtracting the current measurement of the upper light intensity from an upper light intensity reference value, is larger than an upper light intensity difference reference value.

20. The light apparatus control system according to claim 19, wherein the upper light intensity reference value is an average value of a plurality of measurements of the upper light intensity, which are measured during a past predetermined time period.

21. The light apparatus control system according to claim 19, wherein the upper light intensity difference reference value is set according to the upper light intensity reference value.