Vehicle lamp controller, vehicle lamp system, and vehicle lamp control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-RE49776-E
Application number	US-201615265286-A
Country	US
Kind code	E1
Filing date	Sep 14, 2016
Priority date	Oct 26, 2010
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

A vehicle lamp controller, a vehicle lamp system, and a vehicle lamp control method are provided. The vehicle lamp system includes an acceleration sensor, a vehicle lamp, and the vehicle controller. The controller includes a receiver configured to receive an acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor, a control unit configured to derive a vehicle longitudinal direction acceleration and a vehicle vertical direction acceleration from the acceleration information, and to generate a control signal for instructing an adjustment of an optical axis of the vehicle lamp, based on a variation in a ratio between a temporal change amount of the vehicle longitudinal direction acceleration and a temporal change amount of the vehicle vertical direction acceleration during at least one of an acceleration and a deceleration of a vehicle, and a transmitter configured to transmit the control signal to an optical axis adjusting portion of the vehicle lamp.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle lamp controller comprising:
a receiver configured to receive an acceleration information detected by an acceleration sensor;
a control unit configured to derive a vehicle longitudinal direction acceleration and a vehicle vertical direction acceleration from the acceleration information, and to generate a control signal for instructing an adjustment of an optical axis of a vehicle lamp, based on a variation in a ratio between a temporal change amount of the vehicle longitudinal direction acceleration and a temporal change amount of the vehicle vertical direction acceleration during at least one of an acceleration and a deceleration of a vehicle; and
a transmitter configured to transmit the control signal to an optical axis adjusting portion of the vehicle lamp.

2. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit plots points corresponding to values detected by the acceleration sensor, over a time during at least one of the acceleration and the deceleration of the vehicle, on a coordinate system having a first axis representing the vehicle longitudinal direction acceleration and a second axis representing the vehicle vertical direction acceleration, and defines a slope of a straight line or a vector obtained from at least two of the points as the ratio.

3. The controller according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit defines, as the ratio, the slope of the straight line or the vector obtained from the values detected by the acceleration sensor, the values including include values detected by the acceleration sensor while the acceleration of the vehicle is within a given range and values detected by the acceleration sensor while the deceleration of the vehicle is within a given range.

4. The controller according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit obtains straight line or the vector is a linear approximation with respect to the points, and the control unit defines the slope of the linear approximation as the ratio.

5. The controller according claim 1 , further comprising a memory,
wherein the control unit obtains acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor comprises a summed angle including a first angle and a second angle from the acceleration information, the summed angle being an inclination angle of the vehicle with respect to a horizontal plane, the first angle being an inclination angle of a road surface with respect to the horizontal plane, and the second angle being an inclination angle of the vehicle with respect to the road surface, and
wherein a reference value of the first angle and a reference value of the second angle are stored in the memory,
wherein, when the summed angle varies while the vehicle is stopped, the control unit generates the control signal for instructing the adjustment of the optical axis of the vehicle lamp using the second angle, that is obtained from the summed angle and the reference value of the first angle, and stores the second angle in the memory as the reference value of the second angle,
wherein, when the summed angle varies while the vehicle is moving, the control unit does not generate the control signal for instructing the adjustment of the optical axis of the vehicle lamp or generates a control signal for maintaining a position of the optical axis, and when the vehicle stops, the control unit stores the first angle, that is obtained from the summed angle and the reference value of the second angle, in the memory as the reference value of the first angle, and
wherein, when the ratio varies, the control unit corrects the position of the optical axis of the vehicle lamp based on the variation in the ratio.

6. The controller according to claim 5 , wherein the control unit calculates a difference between the reference value of the second angle and the second angle derived from the ratio, and corrects the reference value of the second angle such that the difference is reduced.

7. The controller according to claim 6 , wherein, when the difference exceeds a threshold value, the control unit corrects the reference value of the second angle by a correction value that is smaller than the threshold value.

8. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit obtains an inclination angle of the vehicle with respect to a road surface from the ratio and a reference value of the ratio, that is the reference value of the ratio obtained during at least one of the acceleration and the deceleration of the vehicle on a horizontal plane, and generates the control signal using the inclination angle of the vehicle with respect to the road surface.

9. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor comprises a summed angle including a first angle and a second angle from the acceleration information, the summed angle being an inclination angle of the vehicle with respect to a horizontal plane, the first angle being an inclination angle of a road surface with respect to the horizontal plane, and the second angle being an inclination angle of the vehicle with respect to the road surface.

10. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to obtain an inclination angle of the vehicle with respect to a road surface based on the variation in the ratio between the temporal change amount of the vehicle longitudinal direction acceleration and the temporal change amount of the vehicle vertical direction acceleration.

11. A vehicle lamp system comprising:
a vehicle lamp having an adjustable optical axis;
an acceleration sensor; and
a controller configured to control the vehicle lamp,
wherein the controller comprises:
a receiver configured to receive an acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor;
a control unit configured to derive a vehicle longitudinal direction acceleration and a vehicle vertical direction acceleration from the acceleration information, and to generate a control signal for instructing an adjustment of the optical axis of the vehicle lamp, based on a variation in a ratio between a temporal change amount of the vehicle longitudinal direction acceleration and a temporal change amount of the vehicle vertical direction acceleration during at least one of an acceleration and a deceleration of a vehicle; and
a transmitter configured to transmit the control signal to an optical axis adjusting portion of the vehicle lamp.

12. The vehicle lamp system according to claim 11 , wherein the acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor comprises a summed angle including a first angle and a second angle from the acceleration information, the summed angle being an inclination angle of the vehicle with respect to a horizontal plane, the first angle being an inclination angle of a road surface with respect to the horizontal plane, and the second angle being an inclination angle of the vehicle with respect to the road surface.

13. The vehicle lamp system according to claim 11 , wherein the control unit is configured to obtain an inclination angle of the vehicle with respect to a road surface based on the variation in the ratio between the temporal change amount of the vehicle longitudinal direction acceleration and the temporal change amount of the vehicle vertical direction acceleration.

14. A vehicle lamp control method comprising;
obtaining an acceleration information detected by an acceleration sensor;
deriving a vehicle longitudinal direction acceleration and a vehicle vertical direction acceleration from the acceleration information;
calculating a variation in a ratio between a temporal change amount of the vehicle long

Assignees

• Koito Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kasaba Yusuke
• Yamazaki Masashi
• Toda Atsushi

Classifications

• B60Q1/10 Primary

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

• B60W40/076

  Slope angle of the road · CPC title

• B60W40/11

  Pitch movement · CPC title

• B60Q2300/112

  Vehicle speed · CPC title

• B60Q2300/114

  Vehicle acceleration or deceleration · CPC title