Pitch angle calculation device and optical axis adjusting device for vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10099603-B2
Application number	US-201515304811-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2015
Priority date	Apr 18, 2014
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A pitch angle calculation device includes a first acceleration acquisition unit that acquires an acceleration Gx in a longitudinal axis (x) direction of a vehicle; a second acceleration acquisition unit that acquires an acceleration Gy in a vertical axis (y) direction of a vehicle; a third acceleration acquisition unit that acquires an acceleration α in an advancement direction of a vehicle; and a pitch angle calculation unit that calculates a pitch angle β formed between the longitudinal axis direction and the vertical axis direction by using the acceleration Gx, the acceleration Gy and the acceleration α.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pitch angle calculation device comprising:
a first acceleration acquisition unit that acquires an acceleration Gx in a longitudinal axis (x)-direction of a vehicle;
a second acceleration acquisition unit that acquires an acceleration Gy in a vertical axis (y)-direction of the vehicle;
a third acceleration acquisition unit that acquires an acceleration α in an advancement direction of the vehicle;
a pitch angle calculation unit that calculates a pitch angle β formed between the longitudinal axis direction and the advancement direction of the vehicle by using the acceleration Gx, the acceleration Gy and the acceleration α;
a first angle calculation unit that calculates an angle γ formed between the vertical axis direction and a vertical direction by using the acceleration Gx, the acceleration Gy and the acceleration α;
a second angle calculation unit that calculates a road surface inclination angle δ by using the pitch angle β and the angle γ;
a third angle calculation unit that calculates an angle ε formed between the longitudinal axis direction and a horizontal plane by using the acceleration Gx and the acceleration Gy;
a specific-state pitch angle calculation device unit that calculates a static component β s which is the pitch angle β of the vehicle in a stopped state or in a constant-speed travelling state by using the road surface inclination angle δ and the angle ε;
a dynamic component calculation unit that calculates a dynamic component β d of the pitch angle β, the dynamic component being varied with time due to acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle; and
a static component calculation unit that calculates the static component by subtracting the dynamic component β d from the pitch angle β.

2. The pitch angle calculation device according to claim 1 , wherein
the device calculates and stores the road surface inclination angle δ by using the first angle calculation unit and the second angle calculation unit, when the vehicle is in a decelerating state; and
the device calculates the static component β s by using the specific-state pitch angle calculation unit on the basis of the angle ε and the road surface inclination angle δ stored during the deceleration, when the vehicle is in a stopped state after the deceleration.

3. The pitch angle calculation device according to claim 1 , wherein the dynamic component calculation unit calculates the dynamic component β d by substituting the acceleration α into a function which defines a relationship between the acceleration α and the dynamic component β d .

4. The pitch angle calculation device according to claim 1 , wherein the device includes an optical axis direction adjusting unit that adjusts an optical axis of a headlamp of the vehicle on the basis of the pitch angle β.

5. An optical axis adjusting comprising:
a pitch angle calculation device including:
a first acceleration acquisition unit that acquires an acceleration Gx in a longitudinal axis (x)-direction of a vehicle;
a second acceleration acquisition unit that acquires an acceleration Gy in a vertical axis (y)-direction of the vehicle;
a third acceleration acquisition unit that acquires an acceleration α in an advancement direction of the vehicle;
a pitch angle calculation unit that calculates a pitch angle β formed between the longitudinal axis direction and the advancement direction of the vehicle by using the acceleration Gx, the acceleration Gy and the acceleration α;
a first angle calculation unit that calculates an angle γ formed between the vertical axis direction and a vertical direction by using the acceleration Gx, the acceleration Gy and the acceleration α;
a second angle calculation unit that calculates a road surface inclination angle δ by using the pitch angle β and the angle γ;
a third angle calculation unit that calculates an angle ε formed between the longitudinal axis direction and a horizontal plane by using the acceleration Gx and the acceleration Gy; and
a specific-state pitch angle calculation device unit that calculates a static component β s which is the pitch angle β of the vehicle in a stopped state or in a constant-speed travelling state by using the road surface inclination angle δ and the angle ε;
an optical axis adjusting unit that adjusts an optical axis direction of a headlamp of the vehicle on the basis of the pitch angle β calculated by the pitch angle calculation device,
a dynamic component calculation unit that calculates a dynamic component β d of the pitch angle β, the dynamic component being varied with time due to acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle; and
a static component calculation unit that calculates the static component by subtracting the dynamic component β d from the pitch angle β.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Mizuno Ryu

Classifications

• G07C5/00

  Registering or indicating the working of vehicles · CPC title

• G01C9/02

  Details · CPC title

• B60Q2300/112

  Vehicle speed · CPC title

• B60Q1/115 Primary

  by electric means {(details of the electric drive components, e.g. motors, shafts, ball joints B60Q1/076)} · CPC title

• B60W40/11

  Pitch movement · CPC title