Head lamp apparatus for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10337683-B2
Application number	US-201715813366-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2017
Priority date	May 23, 2017
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

A head lamp apparatus may control a supply of power to a laser diode based on a quantity of white light outputted to an outside environment in the head lamp apparatus using the laser diode as a light source, and controls a power supply using only a quantity of pure white light excluding noise light when the supply of power to the laser diode is controlled, thus maximally preventing blue laser beams, which are harmful to human bodies, from being exposed to the outside environment, and allowing an operation of a head lamp to be precisely controlled.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A head lamp apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
a first photodiode configured for detecting a quantity of outputted white light when a blue laser beam generated from a laser-light-source module is outputted through a fluorescent substance to output the white light, and then converting a quantity of the outputted white light into a value of first electrical energy;
a second photodiode configured for detecting a quantity of noise light excluding the quantity of the white light outputted through the fluorescent substance, and then converting the quantity of the noise light into a value of second electrical energy;
a controller configured for controlling a supply of power to the laser-light-source module using the value of the first electrical energy and the value of the second electrical energy;
a housing accommodating the laser-light-source module, the fluorescent substance, and the first photodiode therein; and
a reflector reflecting the white light, outputted from the fluorescent substance to a front of the vehicle,
wherein the first photodiode is fixedly disposed at a top portion of the housing to face an inner surface of the reflector.

2. The head lamp apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when the controller determines that the value of the second electrical energy is zero, the controller is configured to control the supply of power to the laser-light-source module by comparing the value of the first electrical energy with a reference value.

3. The head lamp apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, unless the value of the first electrical energy is disposed in the reference value, the controller is configured to interrupt power which is inputted into the laser-light-source module.

4. The head lamp apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when the controller determines that the value of the second electrical energy is a value exceeding zero, the controller is configured to control the supply of power to the laser-light-source module by comparing a value, obtained by subtracting the value of the second electrical energy from the value of the first electrical energy, with the reference value.

5. The head lamp apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein, unless the value obtained by subtracting the value of the second electrical energy from the value of the first electrical energy is disposed in the reference value, the controller is configured to interrupt power which is inputted into the laser-light-source module.

6. The head lamp apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second photodiode is disposed on the housing.

7. The head lamp apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the first photodiode is fixedly disposed at a location to receive the white light, while being located on a light path which the white light is outputted.

8. The head lamp apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the second photodiode is fixedly disposed at a location to not receive the white light, while being located at positions except the light path along which the white light is outputted.

9. The head lamp apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the second photodiode is fixedly disposed at a front surface of the housing that does not face the reflector.

10. The head lamp apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the laser-light-source module is aligned to face the inner surface of the reflector.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp
• Sl Corp

Inventors

• Ahn Byoung Suk
• Shin Jik Soo
• Lee Ki Hong
• Lim Jung Wook
• Lim Keun Sig
• Kim Hyo Kyoung
• Yang Seung Mok
• Yoon Sung Wook

Classifications

• B60Q2300/42

  oncoming vehicle · CPC title

• F21S41/30

  characterised by reflectors · CPC title

• B60Q2300/056

  Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind · CPC title

• B60Q1/076

  by electrical means {including means to transmit the movements, e.g. shafts or joints} · CPC title

• F21V14/04

  by movement of reflectors {(in vehicle head lamps F21S41/675)} · CPC title