Control device of vehicle lamp device and vehicle lamp device system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9969321-B2
Application number	US-201615364506-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2016
Priority date	Dec 1, 2015
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A control device of a vehicle lamp device includes a reception unit and a control unit. The control unit includes a timing determination unit configured to determine a driving timing of an actuator configured to change a posture of the vehicle lamp device. The timing determination unit drives the actuator when an acquisition number of the output values of the acceleration sensor reaches a first number while a vehicle speed is less than a predetermined value, and drives the actuator when the acquisition number of the output values of the acceleration sensor reaches a second number smaller than the first number while the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device of a vehicle lamp device comprising:
a reception unit configured to receive a signal indicative of an output value of an acceleration sensor; and
a control unit configured to deduce an inclined angle of a vehicle or a change amount of the inclined angle by using the output value of the acceleration sensor to be obtained during vehicle traveling, the control unit configured to control an optical axis angle of the vehicle lamp device,
wherein the control unit includes a timing determination unit configured to determine a driving timing of an actuator configured to change a posture of the vehicle lamp device, and
wherein the timing determination unit drives the actuator when an acquisition number of the output values of the acceleration sensor reaches a first number while a vehicle speed is less than a predetermined value, and drives the actuator when the acquisition number of the output values of the acceleration sensor reaches a second number smaller than the first number while the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

2. The control device of a vehicle lamp device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the acceleration sensor capable of deducing accelerations of the vehicle in a front-rear direction of the vehicle and in an upper-lower direction of the vehicle,
wherein the control unit is configured to plot the output values of the acceleration sensor on coordinates in which the acceleration in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is set on a first axis and the acceleration in the upper-lower direction of the vehicle is set on a second axis, and to deduce the inclined angle or the change amount of the inclined angle from a gradient of a line to be obtained from plotted points.

3. The control device of a vehicle lamp device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the control device of a vehicle lamp device deduces a summed angle, which is an inclined angle of the vehicle relative to a horizontal surface, including a road surface angle, which is an inclined angle of a road surface relative to the horizontal surface, and a vehicle posture angle, which is an inclined angle of the vehicle relative to the road surface, from the output value of the acceleration sensor,
wherein the control unit is configured to hold a road surface angle reference value and a vehicle posture angle reference value, and to execute first control and second control,
wherein in the first control, the control unit deduces the summed angle by using the output value of the acceleration sensor, outputs an adjusting signal for instructing adjustment of the optical axis angle with respect to a change in the summed angle during vehicle stop, holds the vehicle posture angle, which is to be obtained by including the change amount of the summed angle in the vehicle posture angle reference value, as a new reference value, avoids generation or output of the adjusting signal or outputs a holding signal for holding the optical axis angle with respect to a change in the summed angle during the vehicle traveling, and holds the road surface angle, which is to be obtained by including the change amount of the summed angle in the road surface angle reference value, as a new reference value,
wherein in the second control, the control unit deduces the vehicle posture angle or the change amount of the vehicle posture angle from the gradient of the line, and outputs the adjusting signal by using the deduced vehicle posture angle or deduced change amount of the vehicle posture angle.

4. A vehicle lamp device system comprising:
the control device according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle lamp device has an adjustable optical axis.

5. A vehicle lamp device system comprising:
the control device according to claim 2 , wherein the vehicle lamp device has an adjustable optical axis.

6. A vehicle lamp device system comprising:
the control device according to claim 3 , wherein the vehicle lamp device has an adjustable optical axis.

Assignees

• Koito Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Watano Yuichi
• Nakamura Takahisa

Classifications

• B60Q1/10 Primary

  due to vehicle inclination, e.g. due to load distribution · CPC title

• B60Q2300/114

  Vehicle acceleration or deceleration · CPC title

• B60Q2300/132

  Pitch · CPC title

• B60Q2300/116

  Vehicle at a stop · CPC title

• B60W40/076

  Slope angle of the road · CPC title