Lamp for vehicle and controlling method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9789807-B2
Application number	US-201514805974-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2015
Priority date	Jul 24, 2014
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

A lamp includes a vehicle position sensing unit for sensing a position of a forward vehicle. The lamp includes a plurality of lamp units for changing beam patterns by opening or closing a portion of a shield having a plate shape, a shield actuating unit actuating the shield to open or close the portion of the shield and an optical axis adjustment unit for changing a direction of irradiation of light by adjusting an optical axis of at least one of the plurality of lamp units. In particular, a control unit forms a shadow zone by controlling at least one of the shield actuating unit and the optical axis adjustment unit according to the sensed position of the forward vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lamp for a vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle position sensing unit sensing a position of a forward vehicle;
a plurality of lamp units changing beam patterns by opening or closing a portion of a shield having a plate-shaped;
a shield actuating unit actuating the shield to open or close the portion of the shield;
an optical axis adjustment unit changing a direction of irradiation of light by adjusting an optical axis of at least one of the plurality of lamp units; and
a control unit forming a shadow zone by controlling at least one of the shield actuating unit and the optical axis adjustment unit according to the sensed position of the forward vehicle,
wherein the shield includes a fixed shield, fixedly installed, and a movable shield, actuated by the shield actuating unit to open or close the portion of the shield, and
wherein the shield actuating unit rotates the movable shield toward a front of the shield.

2. The lamp of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the shield extends from a center of a front of the shield to a rear of the shield.

3. The lamp of claim 1 , wherein the shield forms a low beam pattern in response to the portion of the shield being closed, and forms the low beam pattern and a beam pattern for a long-range visibility in response to the portion of the shield being opened.

4. The lamp of claim 3 , wherein the portion of the shield is asymmetrical with respect to a centerline of the shield wherein a portion of the beam pattern for a long-range visibility corresponding to a direction of an interior of the vehicle can be removed.

5. The lamp of claim 3 , wherein the control unit forms the shadow zone by controlling the optical axis adjustment unit with the portion of the shield opened in response to the forward vehicle being within a predetermined angle from a centerline of the vehicle, and by controlling the shield actuating unit with the portion of the shield opened in response to the forward vehicle being beyond the predetermined angle from the centerline of the vehicle.

6. The lamp of claim 1 , wherein the optical axis adjustment unit rotates at least one of the plurality of lamp units in a widthwise direction of the vehicle.

7. The lamp of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of lamp units forms a beam pattern for a long-range visibility in response to the portion of the shield thereof being opened, and the beam patterns respectively formed by the plurality of lamp units overlap one another at a center thereof.

8. The lamp of claim 1 , further comprising:
a traveling direction sensing unit sensing a traveling direction of the vehicle,
wherein the optical axis adjustment unit adjusts the direction of irradiation of light of at least one of the plurality of lamp units to the sensed traveling direction of the vehicle.

9. The lamp of claim 1 , wherein the control unit forms the shadow zone based on a forward vehicle at an outermost left or right side of the vehicle.

10. A lamp for a vehicle, comprising:
a plurality of light-emitting units disposed in different directions from an optical axis;
a lens disposed at the front of the plurality of light-emitting units and transmitting light therethrough; and
a shield including a fixed shield, which is fixedly installed in a predetermined area between the plurality of light-emitting units and the lens, and a movable shield, which selectively opens or closes an incised groove formed at the front of the fixed shield.

11. The lamp of claim 10 , wherein a cover is formed at an end of the movable shield to cover a gap between the movable shield and the fixed shield in response to the movable shield closing the incised groove of the fixed shield.

12. The lamp of claim 10 , wherein the movable shield closes part of the incised groove at a front end of the fixed shield, while leaving a portion of the incised groove in the form of a light transmission aperture.

13. The lamp of claim 12 , wherein in response to the movable shield closing the incised groove of the fixed shield, light passing through the light transmission groove forms a reinforcing beam pattern.

14. A controlling method of a lamp for a vehicle, comprising:
forming by a controller a low beam pattern and a beam pattern for a long-range visibility with the use of a plurality of lamp units, each of the plurality of lamp units including a shield having a portion to be opened or closed;
sensing by a controller a position of a forward vehicle; and
forming by a controller a shadow zone by closing the portion of the shield or changing a direction of irradiation of light of at least one of the plurality of lamp units according to the sensed position of the forward vehicle,
wherein the shield includes a fixed shield, fixedly installed, and a movable shield, actuated by a shield actuating unit to open or close the portion of the shield, and
wherein the shield actuating unit rotates the movable shield toward a front of the shield.

15. The controlling method of claim 14 , wherein the forming by the controller the beam pattern for a long-range visibility, comprises opening the portion of the shield.

16. The controlling method of claim 15 , wherein the forming by the controller the beam pattern for a long-range visibility, comprises removing part of the beam pattern for a long-range visibility with the use of the portion of the shield that is asymmetrical with respect to a centerline of the shield.

17. The controlling method of claim 14 , wherein the forming by the controller the shadow zone, comprises:
changing the direction of irradiation of light of at least one of the plurality of light-emitting units in response to the forward vehicle being within a predetermined angle from a centerline of the vehicle; and
closing the portion of the shield in response to the forward vehicle being beyond the predetermined angle from the centerline of the vehicle.

18. The controlling method of claim 14 , further comprising:
sensing by the controller a traveling direction of the vehicle,
wherein the forming the shadow zone, comprises:
changing the direction of irradiation of light of at least one of the plurality of light-emitting units to the sensed traveling direction of the vehicle; and
forming by the controller the shadow zone based on a forward vehicle on an outermost left or right side of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Sl Corp

Inventors

• Park Jong Ryoul
• Son Young Ho
• Ko Dong Jin
• Baek Chang Woo

Classifications

• F21S41/148

  the main emission direction of the LED being perpendicular to the optical axis · CPC title

• B60Q2300/42

  oncoming vehicle · CPC title

• H05B47/10

  Controlling the light source · 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