Stanley Electric Co., Ltd

Takuya Kushimoto

Teruo Koike

Yasushi Yatsuda

Ryotaro Owada

Takashi Futami

Takashi Ebisutani

Masafumi Ohno

Toshihiro Oikawa

Yutaka Ishiyama

Kouji Ohe

Yatsushi Yatsuda

Masahiro Hosaka

Ryutaro Ohwada

A vehicle headlight including a common light distribution unit and a variable light distribution unit and a headlight system including the headlight can form a common light distribution pattern and a variable light distribution pattern using the common and the variable light distribution units. The variable distribution unit can include a light source, a phosphor panel, a mirror reflecting/scanning light emitted from the light source onto the phosphor panel and a projector lens projecting the scanning light adjacent the common light distribution pattern. The headlight system can include a front sensor detecting a surrounding condition, and can control the common and the variable light distribution units to form an optimum light distribution pattern in accordance with surrounding conditions. Thus, the disclosed subject matter can provide a headlight system including a headlight that can form an optimum light distribution pattern in accordance with surrounding conditions and can have a simple structure.

Vehicle headlight

A light source apparatus for vehicle lamps and particularly vehicle headlights can include a plurality of LED elements can be mounted in a cavity located on a base surface or on a base. Each of the LED elements can be arranged in such a manner as to form an emission shape and a brightness distribution that is suited for a light distribution pattern, and especially a light distribution pattern for a vehicle headlight.

Light source and vehicle lamp

The disclosed subject matter relates to a sensor and apparatus for vehicle height and slant measurement which can include a light source, and two cameras with respective lenses. The light source can be configured to emit light towards a road, and both cameras can be configured to receive the image of the road that is illuminated by the light from the light source and to thereby create image data. The apparatus can include a control circuit that can geometrically measure a vehicle height in accordance with the image data. The sensor can also receive image data from different points and from two light sources, and the apparatus can detect a vehicular lean using the different vehicle heights. Thus, because the sensors of the disclosed subject matter do not necessarily include a moving part as in the conventional sensor, the sensors can be easily attached to a vehicle body and can also be used for a vehicular lean detection.

Sensor and apparatus for vehicle height measurement

Whereas incandescent light bulbs and other similar light sources known in the related art emit light in all directions, LED lamps can emit light in a single direction, and this is manifested in the problem of being unable to achieve light distribution characteristics satisfied by conventional headlamp designs. In accordance with an embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter, an LED lamp for a light source of a headlamp can include an LED chip in the vicinity of the focus of a projection means and a shielding member covering a portion of the LED chip in a formation allowing a light distribution characteristic suitable for a vehicle front-illumination light to be obtained when light from the LED chip is magnified and projected in an illumination direction by a projection lens or the like constituting the projection means. Accordingly, accurate light distribution characteristics can be obtained in a simple manner by projecting in the illumination direction using the projection lens.

LED lamp for light source

A vehicle lamp can include a plurality of light source modules each having an LED as a light source, and optical systems for distributing light from each of the light source modules frontward toward predetermined areas or predetermined patterns that are different from each other and which make up a light distribution pattern. Each of the optical systems can be optimized to emit light to a predetermined area, and each of the light source modules' LEDs can be optimally arranged for each of the corresponding optical systems.

Vehicle lamp

A light source apparatus for vehicle lamps and particularly vehicle headlights can include a plurality of LED elements mounted in a cavity located on a base surface or on a base. Each of the LED elements can be arranged in such a manner as to form an emission shape and a brightness distribution that is suited for a light distribution pattern, and especially a light distribution pattern for vehicle headlight.

Whereas incandescent light bulbs and other similar light sources known in the related art emit light in all directions, LED lamps can emit light in a single direction, and this is manifested in the problem of being unable to achieve light distribution characteristics satisfied by conventional headlamp designs. In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, an LED lamp for a light source of a headlamp can include an LED chip in the vicinity of the focus of a projection means and a shielding member covering a portion of the LED chip in a formation allowing a light distribution characteristic suitable for a vehicle front-illumination light to be obtained when light from the LED chip is magnified and projected in an illumination direction by a projection lens or the like constituting the projection means. Accordingly, accurate light distribution characteristics can be obtained in a simple manner by projecting in the illumination direction using the projection lens.

LED lamp for light source and method

A modular LED can include an LED chip, a base, and a lens. The lens preferably has a focus at a position spaced a certain distance behind the base to form a virtual light source image of the LED chip. Plural modular LEDs can be integrated into a lamp such that virtual light source images are superimposed. Thus, a light source module can serve as a single light source.

Light source module and lamp equipped with the same

Whereas incandescent light bulbs and other similar light sources known in the related art emit light in all directions, LED lamps can emit light in a single direction, and this is manifested in the problem of being unable to achieve light distribution characteristics satisfied by conventional headlamp designs. In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, an LED lamp for a light source of a headlamp can include an LED chipin the vicinity of the focus of a projection means and a shielding membercovering a portion of the LED chipin a formation allowing a light distribution characteristic suitable for a vehicle front-illumination light to be obtained when light from the LED chipis magnified and projected in an illumination direction by a projection lensor the like constituting the projection means. Accordingly, accurate light distribution characteristics can be obtained in a simple manner by projecting in the illumination direction using the projection lens

Led lamp for light source

Whereas incandescent light bulbs and other similar light sources known in the prior art emit light in all directions, LED lamps emit light in a single direction only, and this is manifested in the problem of being unable to achieve light distribution characteristics satisfied by conventional headlamp designs. The present invention realizes an LED lamp for a light source of a headlamp disposing an LED chipin the vicinity of the focus of a projection means and providing a shielding membercovering a portion of the LED chipin a formation allowing a light distribution characteristic suitable for a vehicle front-illumination light to be obtained when light from the LED chipis magnified and projected in an illumination direction by a projection lensor the like constituting the projection means; accordingly, accurate light distribution characteristics can be obtained in a simple manner by projecting in the illumination direction using the projection lens

LED lamp for light source of a headlamp

Light distribution characteristics are defined which define a correspondence relation between the position of a reflection point on a reference plane and the position of an image of a light source. In accordance with the light distribution characteristics, a path line in the reference plane is determined. A profile curve for each of a plurality of sampling points dispersibly distributed on the path line, is determined in accordance with the light distribution characteristics, the profile curve passing through the sampling point and corresponding to the topological shape of a reflecting surface to be determined. As the reflection point moves along the profile curve, the image of the light source moves in the direction crossing the reference plane in accordance with the light distribution characteristics. The topological shape of the reflecting surface is determined in accordance with the profile curve determined for each sampling point.

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Tokyo, Japan

Takuya Kushimoto