Aiming adjustment method for vehicle headlamp, aiming adjustment mechanism for vehicle headlamp and vehicle headlamp

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11370351-B2
Application number	US-201816189552-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2018
Priority date	Nov 14, 2017
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

There is provided an aiming adjustment method for a vehicle headlamp which performs aiming adjustment based on a reference point on a light-dark boundary of a light distribution pattern, the method includes setting, as the reference point, an intersection between a vertical light-dark boundary of a part of multi-divided light distribution patterns which are to be synthesized to form a high-beam light distribution pattern and a horizontal light-dark boundary of a low-beam light distribution pattern.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aiming adjustment method for a vehicle headlamp which performs aiming adjustment based on a reference point on a light-dark boundary of a light distribution pattern, the method comprising:
setting, as the reference point, an intersection between a vertical light-dark boundary of a part of multi-divided light distribution patterns which are to be synthesized to form a high-beam light distribution pattern and a horizontal light-dark boundary of a low-beam light distribution pattern; and
tilting one or more headlamp units of the vehicle headlamp by rotating a plurality of screws that fix the one or more headlamp units to a support member of the vehicle headlamp, such that the reference point coincides with a predetermined position to which an elbow point of the high-beam light distribution pattern is to appear.

2. An aiming adjustment mechanism for a vehicle headlamp that comprises a high-beam headlamp unit which is configured to illuminate a high-beam light distribution pattern by synthesizing multi-divided light distribution patterns, and a low-beam headlamp unit which is configured to illuminate a low-beam light distribution pattern, the aiming adjustment mechanism comprising:
a plurality of screws that rotatably fix at least one of the high-beam headlamp unit and the low-beam headlamp unit to a support member of the vehicle headlamp; and
a control unit that is electrically connected to the high-beam headlamp unit and the low-beam headlamp unit,
wherein, when the control unit is in a lighting mode for aiming adjustment, the control unit:
causes the high-beam headlamp unit to illuminate a part of the multi-divided light distribution patterns and causes the low-beam headlamp unit to illuminate the low-beam light distribution pattern, so as to form an intersection between a vertical light-dark boundary of the multi-divided light distribution pattern and a horizontal light-dark boundary of the low-beam light distribution pattern, and
tilts the high-beam headlamp unit and the low-beam headlamp unit by rotating the screws, such that the intersection coincides with a predetermined position to which an elbow point of the high-beam light distribution pattern is to appear.

3. A vehicle headlamp comprising:
an aiming adjustment mechanism;
a support member;
a high-beam headlamp unit which is configured to illuminate a high-beam light distribution pattern by synthesizing multi-divided light distribution patterns; and
a low-beam headlamp unit which is configured to illuminate a low-beam light distribution pattern,
wherein the aiming adjustment mechanism comprises:
a plurality of screws that rotatably fix at least one of the high-beam headlamp unit and the low-beam headlamp unit to the support member; and
a control unit that is electrically connected to the high-beam headlamp unit and the low-beam headlamp unit, and

wherein, when the control unit is in a lighting mode for aiming adjustment, the control unit:
causes the high-beam headlamp unit to illuminate a part of the multi-divided light distribution patterns and causes the low-beam headlamp unit to illuminate the low-beam light distribution pattern, so as to form an intersection between a vertical light-dark boundary of the multi-divided light distribution pattern and a horizontal light-dark boundary of the low-beam light distribution pattern, and
tilts the high-beam headlamp unit and the low-beam headlamp unit by rotating the screws, such that the intersection coincides with a predetermined position to which an elbow point of the high-beam light distribution pattern is to appear.

4. The aiming adjustment method of claim 1 , wherein setting the intersection between the vertical light-dark boundary of the high-beam light distribution pattern and the horizontal light-dark boundary of the low-beam light distribution pattern comprises illuminating the low-beam light distribution pattern and selectively illuminating one or more of the multi-divided light distribution patterns which are synthesized to form the high-beam light distribution pattern in order to create the intersection.

5. The aiming adjustment method of claim 1 , wherein setting the intersection between the vertical light-dark boundary of the high-beam light distribution pattern and the horizontal light-dark boundary of the low-beam light distribution pattern comprises independently adjusting the high-beam light distribution pattern and the low-beam light distribution pattern in both horizontal and vertical directions in order to create the intersection.

6. The aiming adjustment method of claim 1 , wherein setting the intersection between the vertical light-dark boundary of the high-beam light distribution pattern and the horizontal light-dark boundary of the low-beam light distribution pattern comprises both of: illuminating the low-beam light distribution pattern and selectively illuminating one or more of the multi-divided light distribution patterns which are synthesized to form the high-beam light distribution pattern, and independently adjusting the high-beam light distribution pattern and the low-beam light distribution pattern in both horizontal and vertical directions in order to create the intersection.

7. The aiming adjustment method of claim 1 , further comprising: selectively deactivating one or more of the multi-divided light distribution patterns which are synthesized to form the high-beam light distribution pattern in order to prevent generation of glare to an oncoming vehicle.

8. The aiming adjustment mechanism of claim 2 , wherein forming the intersection between the vertical light-dark boundary of the high-beam light distribution pattern and the horizontal light-dark boundary of the low-beam light distribution pattern comprises illuminating the low-beam light distribution pattern and selectively illuminating one or more of the multi-divided light distribution patterns which are synthesized to form the high-beam light distribution pattern in order to create the intersection.

9. The aiming adjustment mechanism of claim 2 , wherein forming the intersection between the vertical light-dark boundary of the high-beam light distribution pattern and the horizontal light-dark boundary of the low-beam light distribution pattern comprises independently adjusting the high-beam light distribution pattern and the low-beam light distribution pattern in both horizontal and vertical directions in order to create the intersection.

10. The aiming adjustment mechanism of claim 2 , wherein forming the intersection between the vertical light-dark boundary of the high-beam light distribution pattern and the horizontal light-dark boundary of the low-beam light distribution pattern comprises both of: illuminating the low-beam light distribution pattern and selectively illuminating one or more of the multi-divided light distribution patterns which are synthesized to form the high-beam light distribution pattern, and independently adjusting the high-beam light distribution pattern and the low-beam light distribution pattern in both horizontal and vertical directions in order to create the intersection.

11. The aiming adjustment mechanism of claim 2 , wherein the control unit selectively deactivates one or more of the multi-divided light distribution patterns which are synthesized to form the high-beam light distribution pattern in order to prevent generation of glare to an oncoming vehicle.

12. The vehicle headlamp of claim 3 , wherein forming the intersection between the vertical light-dark boundary of the high-beam light distribution pattern and the horizontal light-dark boundary of the low-beam light distribution pattern comprises illuminating the l

Assignees

• Koito Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sugimoto Atsushi

Classifications

• B60Q2300/42

  oncoming vehicle · CPC title

• B60Q2300/41

  preceding vehicle · CPC title

• F21S41/153

  arranged in a matrix · CPC title

• B60Q1/0686

  using a position indicator mounted on the headlight and permanently attached thereto · CPC title

• F21Y2115/10

  Light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title