Low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10137821-B2
Application number	US-201815919413-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2018
Priority date	Mar 14, 2017
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit includes a case, a condenser lens, a high-color-temperature light emitting diode, a low-color-temperature light emitting diode, and a low-beam-color-temperature control unit. The high-color-temperature light emitting diode emits high-color-temperature light. The high-color-temperature light emitting diode provides illumination of a first illuminated area. The low-color-temperature light emitting diode provides illumination of a second illuminated area that overlaps the first illuminated area at least partly. The low-color-temperature light emitting diode emits low-color-temperature light having a lower color temperature than the high-color-temperature light. The low-beam-color-temperature control unit is capable of adjusting the color temperature of the low beam by adjusting the quantity of light emitted from the high-color-temperature light emitting diode and the quantity of light emitted from the low-color-temperature light emitting diode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit comprising:
a case;
a condenser lens including a low-beam output surface from which a low beam outgoes, a light receiving surface located behind the low-beam output surface with respect to a front-back direction of the case;
a high-color-temperature light emitting diode located inside the case, at a position nearer to a center line of the light receiving surface than to a right end and a left end of the light receiving surface with respect to a right-left direction of the case, the high-color-temperature light emitting diode configured to illuminate a first illuminated area with light passing through the light receiving surface and outgoing from the low-beam output surface, and the high-color-temperature light emitting diode including a high-color-temperature light emitting surface from which high-color-temperature light is emitted;
a low-color-temperature light emitting diode located inside the case, side by side with the high-color-temperature light emitting diode in the right-left direction of the case, at a position nearer to the center line of the light receiving surface than to the right end and the left end of the light receiving surface with respect to the right-left direction of the case, the low-color-temperature light emitting diode configured to illuminate a second illuminated area, which overlaps the first illuminated area at least partly, with light passing through the light receiving surface and outgoing from the low-beam output surface, and the low-color-temperature light emitting diode including a low-color-temperature light emitting surface from which low-color-temperature light is emitted; and
a low-beam-color-temperature control unit capable of adjusting a color temperature of the low beam by adjusting a quantity of light emitted from the high-color-temperature light emitting diode and a quantity of light emitted from the low-color-temperature light emitting diode.

2. The low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the high-color-temperature light emitting surface and the low-color-temperature light emitting surface are disposed symmetrically about the center line of the light receiving surface with respect to the right-left direction.

3. The low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the high-color-temperature light emitting diode is a white light emitting diode, and the low-color-temperature light emitting diode is a yellow light emitting diode.

4. The low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit according to claim 1 , wherein
after a light-quantity adjustment, the quantity of light emitted from the low-color-temperature light emitting diode is greater than the quantity of light emitted from the high-color-temperature light emitting diode.

5. The low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit according to claim 1 , wherein
after a light-quantity adjustment, a total of the quantity of light emitted from the high-color-temperature light emitting diode and the quantity of light emitted from the low-color-temperature light emitting diode is equal to a maximum quantity of light the high-color-temperature light emitting diode can emit during operation.

6. The low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit according to claim 1 , wherein
after a light-quantity adjustment, the quantity of light emitted from the high-color-temperature light emitting diode is equal to a maximum quantity of light the high-color-temperature light emitting diode can emit during operation, and the quantity of light emitted from the low-color-temperature light emitting diode is equal to a maximum quantity of light the low-color-temperature light emitting diode can emit during operation.

7. The low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit according to claim 1 , wherein
after a light-quantity adjustment, the quantity of light emitted from the high-color-temperature light emitting diode is equal to a maximum quantity of light the high-color-temperature light emitting diode can emit during operation, and the quantity of light emitted from the low-color-temperature light emitting diode is less than a maximum quantity of light the low-color-temperature light emitting diode can emit during operation.

8. The low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit according to claim 1 , wherein
after a light-quantity adjustment, the quantity of light emitted from the high-color-temperature light emitting diode is less than a maximum quantity of light the high-color-temperature light emitting diode can emit during operation, and the quantity of light emitted from the low-color-temperature light emitting diode is equal to a maximum quantity of light the low-color-temperature light emitting diode can emit during operation.

9. The low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit according to claim 1 , wherein
after a light-quantity adjustment, the quantity of light emitted from the high-color-temperature light emitting diode is less than a maximum quantity of light the high-color-temperature light emitting diode can emit during operation, and the quantity of light emitted from the low-color-temperature light emitting diode is less than a maximum quantity of light the low-color-temperature light emitting diode can emit during operation.

10. The low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the low-beam-color-temperature control unit adjusts the quantity of light emitted from the high-color-temperature light emitting diode and the quantity of light emitted from the low-color-temperature light emitting diode in response to a signal sent from a mobile terminal.

11. The low-beam-color-temperature-variable headlight unit according to claim 1 , wherein
an overlap area where the first illuminated area and the second illuminated area overlap each other is greater than a portion of the first illuminated area without overlapping the second illuminated area and greater than a portion of the second illuminated area without overlapping the first illuminated area.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Inoue Takehiro
• Kimura Yumi
• Hsu Fang-Yu

Classifications

• F21S41/19

  Attachment of light sources or lamp holders (achieving variable light distribution by movable light sources F21S41/657) · CPC title

• F21S41/295

  specially adapted to projection lenses · CPC title

• B60Q1/0041

  of several lamps in relation to each other · CPC title

• F21Y2113/10

  of different colours · CPC title

• F21W2107/17

  for motorcycles · CPC title