Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Condition responsive
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-05
2002-11-19
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Condition responsive
C362S043000, C362S276000, C362S465000, C362S466000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06481876
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lighting system, for vehicles, that specifies turning-on/off and that also specifies the quantity of light of a plurality of dimmer lamps with radiated ranges that are different from each other, wherein the dimmer lamps are provided at the front of a vehicle in its moving direction, and further wherein the lighting system changes the combination of radiated ranges of said lamps to realize light distribution control.
2. Related Art
There is known a lighting system adapted to enhance the safety of driving on a winding road at nighttime by detecting the steering angle of a vehicle and changing the direction of radiation of lamps according to the change in the steering angle.
3. Problems that the Invention is to Solve
However, said related art system only performs control by continuously changing the direction, of part of the radiation, according to the steering angle of a vehicle running on a winding road. Thus, it is difficult to provide sufficient illumination on road signs, pedestrians, the next vehicle ahead, oncoming cars, or obstacles.
Another related art, as the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 238576/2000, proposes a lamp apparatus (a lighting system for vehicles) that specifies turning-on and turning-off, and the quantity of light, of a plurality of dimmer lamps with radiated ranges which are different from each other, wherein the dimmer lamps are provided at the front of a vehicle in its moving direction, and further wherein the lamp apparatus changes the combination of radiated ranges of said lamps to realize light distribution control.
However, the lighting system according to the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 238576/2000 presented additional problems that a predetermined lamp, generally a lamp on the wheel steering side suddenly comes on during driving on a winding road, thus surprising pedestrians. Also, in such a system, the driver's view suddenly becomes clear in the direction where the vehicle is turning, thus perplexing the driver.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention, made in view of the problems of the above-described related art, aims at providing a lighting system for vehicles that controls the direction and range of radiation by changing the combination of radiated ranges by a plurality of lamps according to the steering angle of a vehicle, wherein the lighting system gradually controls the increase/decrease in the quantity of light in the radiated area by gradually increasing or decreasing the quantity of light of the lamps to turn them on or off.
Manner of Solving the Problems
In the present invention, in order to attain the above and other purposes, a lighting system for vehicles according to a first aspect of the invention includes:
a plurality of dimmer lamps provided at the front of the vehicle in its moving direction, the lamps being disposed on the vehicle so that the radiated range of each of the lamps is adjacent to that of another in one of right and left directions, wherein the quantity of radiation of each lamp is variable;
a steering sensor for detecting the steering angle of the vehicle; and
radiation control means for changing the combination of radiated ranges of the lamps to achieve light distribution ahead and sideways of a vehicle by specifying turning-on and turning-off of the plurality of lamps, and also by specifying the quantity of light of each lamp, according to the steering angle as detected by the steering sensor,
wherein the radiation control means is adapted to sequentially turn on lamps having respective predetermined radiated ranges ahead, and to the side, of a vehicle according to the steering angle as detected by the steering sensor, and
further wherein the radiation control means is adapted to increase and decrease the quantity of radiation of each lamp according to the steering angle.
Relative data on the lamps to turn on, and their quantity of radiation according to the wheel steering angle is preset as tabular data in the radiation means. When the wheel is turned, the radiation control means computes the control data corresponding to the steering angle data provided by the steering sensor and based on said relative data. The radiation control means, based on the computed control data, sequentially turns on lamps having respective predetermined radiated ranges ahead and to the side of a vehicle according to the wheel steering angle.
In this way, lamps having respective predetermined radiated ranges sequentially come on from ahead of a vehicle to the steering direction (the vehicle's turning direction) according to the wheel steering angle to illuminate the vehicle's turning direction. Since the quantity of radiation of the lamps that come on increases according to the steering angle, the brightness of the radiated range in the vehicle's turning direction gradually increases without suddenly increasing, thus preventing the driver from being perplexed.
In a second aspect of the invention, a lighting system for vehicles according to the first aspect of the invention is characterized in that said radiation control means is further adapted to turn on a first one of the plurality of lamps, and then turn on other ones of the plurality of dimmer lamps having adjacent radiated ranges while the first lamp is still on.
Since other lamps having adjacent radiated ranges turn on while the first lamp is on, the radiated range is seamlessly expanded.
In a third aspect of the invention, a lighting system for vehicles according to the first or second aspect of the invention is characterized in that said radiation control means is further adapted to turn on a first one of the plurality of dimmer lamps, and then to sequentially turn on other ones of the plurality of dimmer lamps whose radiated ranges are adjacent from right to left while controlling the quantity of radiation of the first lamp.
Since the quantity of the adjacent radiated ranges increases as the quantity of light in the radiated range of the first lamp increases, the radiated range corresponding to the area ahead of a vehicle in its moving direction is seamlessly expanded in either right or left directions while gradually increasing in brightness.
In a fourth aspect of the invention, a lighting system for vehicles according to either the first or second aspects of the invention is characterized in that said radiation control means is further adapted to turn on a first one of said plurality of dimmer lamps, and then to sequentially turn on other ones of said plurality of dimmer lamps whose radiated ranges are adjacent from right to left, about at the same time as the quantity of radiation of the first lamp is set to a maximum.
Since the quantity of light of other lamps whose radiated ranges are adjacent from right to left increases about at the same time as the quantity of radiation of the first lamp reaches the maximum, the radiated range corresponding to the area ahead of a vehicle in its moving direction is seamlessly expanded in either right or left directions while gradually increasing in brightness.
In a fifth aspect of the invention, a lighting system for vehicles according to any of the first through fourth aspects of the invention is characterized in that said radiation control means is further adapted to turn on each of the plurality of dimmer lamps at respective predetermined steering angles, to increase the quantity of radiation of each lamp as the steering angle increases, and to maintain, once the quantity of radiation of the lamp has reached a predetermined value, the quantity of radiation of the lamp at the predetermined value irrespective of an increase in the steering angle.
The more the wheel is turned (i.e., the greater the steering angle), the radiated range ahead of the steering direction becomes brighter and is maintained at a substantially constant quantity of radiation until the wheel is returned to a predetermined steering angle position. This makes it easier to detect pedestrians or obstacles.
In a sixth aspect of the invention, a li
Hayami Toshihisa
Uchida Hideki
Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
O'Shea Sandra
Ward John Anthony
LandOfFree
Lighting system for vehicles does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Lighting system for vehicles, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Lighting system for vehicles will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2988369