Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha

Yasuhiko Kino

Takeshi Ikeda

Makoto Kosugi

Junichi Ooba

Takehiro Inoue

Makato Kosugi

A sub headlight unit for use in a vehicle that leans into turns includes a sub headlight light source that illuminates an area ahead and outward of the vehicle with respect to a width direction of the vehicle. The sub headlight light source is configured to, when the vehicle is in an upright state, produce an illumination range including an area above a horizontal plane. The sub headlight light source is turned on in accordance with a lean angle of the vehicle. At a time of parking or stopping or at a time of running straight ahead, the sub headlight light source is turned on or caused to flash with the amount of light per unit of time being reduced as compared with the amount of light per unit of time emitted when the sub headlight light source is turned on in accordance with the lean angle of the vehicle.

Sub headlight unit and sub headlight system for use in vehicle that leans into turns, and vehicle that leans into turns

A sub headlight unit for use in a vehicle that leans into turns includes a plurality of sub headlight light sources to illuminate, at one side with respect to a width direction of the vehicle, an area ahead and outward of the vehicle with respect to the width direction of the vehicle. The brightness of the sub headlight light source changes in accordance with a lean angle of the vehicle. When the lean angle of the vehicle reaches a reference value that is individually set for each of the sub headlight light sources, the sub headlight light source exhibits a predetermined brightness. The reference values are greater than 0&#xb0; and different from one another. The reference values are set to be values sequentially increasing at intervals from 0&#xb0; such that the interval is smaller as the reference value is greater.

A sub headlight unit for use in a vehicle that leans into turns includes a plurality of sub headlight light sources that illuminate, at one side with respect to a width direction of the vehicle, an area ahead and outward of the vehicle with respect to the width direction of the vehicle. The brightness of the sub headlight light source changes in accordance with a lean angle of the vehicle. When the lean angle of the vehicle reaches a reference value that is individually set for each of the sub headlight light sources, the sub headlight light source exhibits a predetermined brightness. As the reference value set for the sub headlight light source is greater, an outer edge of an illumination range of the sub headlight light source having a predetermined illuminance is located increasingly farther outward with respect to the width direction of the vehicle in a plan view.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Yasuhiko Kino