Leveling device for vehicle headlamps

Abstract

A leveling apparatus of a vehicle headlamp includes a housing provided at a front side of a vehicle, a light source module provided in the housing to emit light, an inclination sensor provided in the housing to detect an inclination of a road, an inclination device to incline the light source module and the inclination sensor together, and a controller. The controller receives a signal detected by the inclination sensor and controls the inclination device to adjust a light emission angle of the light source module based on the inclination of the road. In addition, the inclination sensor operates until a sensing output of the inclination sensor reaches a normal range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a leveling device for a vehicle headlight that integrates a sensor for scanning the road surface and a light source module for emitting light. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, headlights project a beam of light towards the area in front of the vehicle, providing visibility at night by projecting the beam in the direction the vehicle is traveling. Because the headlights project a beam of light in front of the vehicle at night, the driver can obtain visual information about the area in front of the vehicle. Therefore, with forward visibility ensured at night, the driver can identify other vehicles and obstacles on the road, thus driving safely.

[0003] On the other hand, since headlights emit light beams to a fixed position relative to the ground, the light emission position of headlights is limited, making it difficult to ensure the amount of light based on road conditions.

[0004] Therefore, the headlights employ a leveling system for adjusting the light emission angle in the upward / downward direction.

[0005] The headlight leveling system uses mechanical sensors mounted on the vehicle's trailing arms to detect changes in the suspension and adjusts the headlight beam direction by deriving the vehicle's slope. However, the leveling system ignores tire pressure and height differences, leading to a decrease in the accuracy of the beam position.

[0006] Another example of a headlight leveling system utilizes an acceleration sensor located in the vehicle to adjust the headlight beam direction based on a prediction of the vehicle's posture in the direction of gravity. However, because the leveling system cannot recognize changes in vehicle slope based on whether it is uphill or downhill, there is a problem that it cannot control the headlight beam position.

[0007] The foregoing description of the background technology is intended only to help understand the background of this disclosure and is not intended to imply that this disclosure falls within the scope of prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This disclosure provides a leveling device for a vehicle headlight, integrating a sensor for scanning the road surface and a light source module for emitting light, and adjusting the light emission position according to the road slope measured by the sensor. Therefore, this disclosure simplifies the control for adjusting the light emission position and improves the accuracy and reliability of changes in the light emission position.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, a leveling device for a vehicle headlight includes: a housing disposed on the front side of the vehicle; a light source module disposed in the housing and configured to emit light; a tilt sensor disposed in the housing and configured to detect the slope of the road; a tilting device configured to tilt the light source module and the tilt sensor together; and a controller configured to receive a signal detected by the tilt sensor and control the tilting device based on the slope of the road to adjust the light emission angle of the light source module.

[0010] The tilting device may include: a base plate rotatably mounted on a pivot portion extending forward from the housing and configured to allow a light source module and a tilt sensor to be mounted on the base plate; and a rotating mechanism mounted in the housing, connected to the base plate, and configured to tilt the base plate depending on whether an operation is performed.

[0011] The tilt sensor can be mounted on the rotation center axis of the base plate and rotated coaxially with the base plate.

[0012] The light source module can be mounted on the base plate and positioned adjacent to the tilt sensor so as not to overlap with the sensing range of the tilt sensor.

[0013] The rotating mechanism may include: a drive unit, mounted in the housing and configured to generate power; and a moving unit, mounted on the base plate, connected to the drive unit, and configured to move in a forward / reverse direction by receiving power from the drive unit to tilt the base plate.

[0014] The drive unit can be configured as a rotary motor and has a circular power transmission unit, and the motion unit can be configured to make frictional contact with the power transmission unit and move the base plate by changing its length by receiving rotational force when the power transmission unit rotates.

[0015] The drive unit can be configured as a rotary motor and has a power transmission unit in a circular shape, and the moving unit can be connected to the power transmission unit by a belt and move the base plate by changing its length when the power transmission unit rotates.

[0016] The leveling device may further include an external lens mounted on the front surface of the housing, configured to transmit light emitted from the light source module and the tilt sensor, and having a distortion compensation section formed in a portion of the external lens.

[0017] The distortion compensation unit can be configured such that the angle at which the sensing light emitted from the tilt sensor enters the incident surface of the external lens is equal to the angle at which the sensing light leaves the exit surface of the external lens.

[0018] The distortion compensation unit can be formed on the outer lens's exit surface within a predetermined range in the upward / downward direction based on the distance the sensing light travels to the exit surface after refraction on the incident surface and the point where the sensing light enters the exit surface.

[0019] When the angle change detected by the tilt sensor is equal to or greater than the reference angle, the controller can identify whether the angle change is increasing or decreasing, and allow the tilting device to tilt according to the angle change.

[0020] The controller can control the tilting operation of the tilting device so that the angle change detected by the tilt sensor reaches the initial angle.

[0021] The vehicle headlight leveling device with the above structure integrates a tilt sensor for scanning the road surface and a light source module for emitting light, thereby simplifying the control for adjusting the light emission position and improving the accuracy and reliability of changes in the light emission position.

[0022] In other words, since the angle of the tilt sensor and the angle of the light source module are adjusted together by the motor, the leveling condition is simplified to the relationship between the optical module and the road surface.

[0023] Furthermore, during aiming operations via the motor-driven light source module, the tilt sensor's sensing direction aligns with the road surface, providing feedback on the road surface. Therefore, road surface identification and fault determination caused by persistent sensing errors can be performed without a separate structure.

[0024] Furthermore, during the aiming operation of the light source module, the actuator according to this disclosure only performs control to cause the tilt sensor to sense until the tilt sensor reaches its normal range, which simplifies control. Moreover, the rotating mechanism constituting the actuator is operated by friction or a belt, minimizing mechanical noise and reducing discomfort caused by noise.

[0025] Further areas of application will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended to illustrate this disclosure only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0026] In order to better understand this disclosure, various forms of the disclosure, given by way of example, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating a leveling device for a vehicle headlight according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the tilting device according to the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of the tilting device according to the present disclosure; and

[0030] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an external lens according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] The accompanying drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure in any way. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The following description is exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit this disclosure, its application, or its use. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts and features.

[0033] When a component, device, element, etc., of this disclosure is described as having a purpose or performing an operation or function, the component, device, or element shall be considered herein as being "configured" to satisfy that purpose or perform that operation or function.

[0034] Hereinafter, a vehicle headlight leveling device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating a leveling device for a vehicle headlight according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the tilting device according to the present disclosure; Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of the tilting device according to the present disclosure; Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an external lens according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle headlight leveling device includes: a housing 100 disposed at the front of the vehicle; a light source module 200 disposed within the housing 100 and configured to emit light; a tilt sensor 300 disposed within the housing 100 and configured to detect the road slope based on the condition of the road ahead; a tilting device 400 mounted within the housing 100; and a controller 500 configured to receive the signal detected by the tilt sensor 300 and adjust the light emission angle of the light source module 200 by controlling the tilting device 400 according to the road slope. The tilting device 400 is tiltably mounted within the housing 100, thus allowing tilting in the upward / downward direction of the housing 100. Furthermore, the light source module 200 and the tilt sensor 300 are mounted on the tilting device 400 such that the light source module 200 and the tilt sensor 300 tilt together.

[0037] The housing 100 is located on the front side of the vehicle and forms the headlights.

[0038] The housing 100 contains a light source module 200, a tilt sensor 300, a tilting device 400, and a controller 500. Thus, the various components are integrated and modularized to construct the headlight.

[0039] The light source module 200 may include a light source 210 configured to emit light, and a reflector 220 configured to reflect the light emitted from the light source 210 and propagate the light forward. In this case, the light source module 200 may further include a heat sink 230 for dissipating the heat generated when the light source 210 emits light.

[0040] The tilt sensor 300 can be a laser sensor and identifies road conditions by emitting a sensing beam forward. In other words, the tilt sensor 300 can be used to identify whether the road in front of the vehicle is uphill or downhill.

[0041] The light source module 200 and the tilt sensor 300 are mounted on a tilting device 400 within the housing 100, which is tiltable in the upward / downward direction. In other words, the light source module 200 and the tilt sensor 300 are mounted within the housing 100 via the tilting device 400. The light source module 200 and the tilt sensor 300 rotate together depending on whether the tilting device 400 performs a tilting operation, causing the light emission direction and the sensing area to change together.

[0042] Therefore, according to this disclosure, when the tilting device 400 is adjusted according to the road inclination detected by the tilt sensor 300, the light emission direction of the light emitted from the light source module 200 is also adjusted. This process can be performed by the controller 500 when it controls the tilting device 400 according to the signal detected by the tilt sensor 300.

[0043] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the tilting device 400 includes: a base plate 410 rotatably mounted on a pivot portion 110, the pivot portion 110 extending forward from the housing 100 and having a light source module 200 and a tilt sensor 300 mounted on the pivot portion; and a rotation mechanism 420 mounted in the housing 100, connected to the base plate 410, and configured to tilt the base plate 410 depending on whether an operation is performed.

[0044] As described above, the tilting device 400 includes a base plate 410 and a rotating mechanism 420. The base plate 410 extends downward so that the light source module 200, the tilt sensor 300, and the rotating mechanism 420 can be mounted on the base plate 410.

[0045] The base plate 410 is hinged to a pivot portion 110 extending forward from the housing 100 and can rotate in the upward / downward direction. As the rotation mechanism 420 rotates the base plate 410, the light emission position of the light source module 200 and the sensing direction of the tilt sensor 300 are adjusted.

[0046] In this configuration, the tilt sensor 300 is mounted on the rotation center axis P of the base plate 410 and rotates coaxially with the base plate 410.

[0047] As described above, the tilt sensor 300 is mounted on the rotation center axis P of the base plate 410, thus having the same rotation center axis P, so that the base plate 410 and the tilt sensor 300 rotate with the same rotation radius. When the distortion compensation unit 610 is applied to the external lens 600, the distortion compensation unit 610 can receive the change in the sensing area of ​​the tilt sensor 300 that occurs when the base plate 410 is tilted.

[0048] Furthermore, according to this disclosure, the tilting device 400 operates based on the road slope measured by the tilt sensor 300. Therefore, the tilt sensor 300 and the tilting device 400 rotate about the same axis, and the tilting device 400 is controlled solely based on information about the road conditions detected by the tilt sensor 300, thereby adjusting the light emission position of the light source module 200.

[0049] On the other hand, the light source module 200 is spaced apart from and mounted on the base plate 410 above or below the tilt sensor 300 so as not to overlap with the sensing range of the tilt sensor 300.

[0050] As described above, the light source module 200 is installed adjacent to the tilt sensor 300, so the light emission position of the light source module 200 can be adjusted when the sensing area of ​​the tilt sensor 300 changes as the tilting device 400 tilts.

[0051] Specifically, since the light source module 200 is mounted so as not to overlap with the sensing area of ​​the tilt sensor 300, the tilt sensor 300 can accurately detect the road condition. Furthermore, since the light source module 200 and the tilt sensor 300 rotate together, even if the tilting device 400 is tilted, the light source module 200 will not interfere with the sensing area of ​​the tilt sensor 300.

[0052] On the other hand, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the rotating mechanism 420 may include: a drive unit 421, mounted in the housing 100 and configured to generate power; and a moving unit 422, mounted on the base plate 410. The moving unit 422 is connected to the drive unit 421 and moves in a forward / backward direction by receiving power from the drive unit 421 to tilt the base plate 410.

[0053] That is, the rotating mechanism 420 includes a driving part 421 and a moving part 422. The driving part 421 generates power, and the moving part 422 receives power from the driving part 421 and tilts the base plate 410.

[0054] The drive unit 421 is installed in the housing 100 and generates power. The moving unit 422 is connected to the drive unit 421 and the base plate 410, and receives power from the drive unit 421 to tilt the base plate 410.

[0055] like Figure 2 As shown, in one embodiment of the rotating mechanism 420, the drive unit 421 is configured as a rotary motor and has a circular power transmission unit 421a. The moving unit 422 is configured to frictionally contact the power transmission unit 421a and change its length by receiving rotational force when the power transmission unit 421a rotates, so that the base plate 410 can move.

[0056] In one embodiment, the drive unit 421 is configured as a rotary motor and rotates the power transmission unit 421a, and the outer periphery of the power transmission unit 421a has a circular shape.

[0057] The moving part 422 may include a corresponding portion 422a that frictionally contacts the power transmission part 421a, and a rod portion 422b configured to move linearly when the corresponding portion 422a rotates. In one embodiment, the corresponding portion 422a of the moving part 422 has a circular shape and frictionally contacts the power transmission part 421a. When the rod portion 422b, threadedly connected to the corresponding portion 422a, moves linearly when the corresponding portion 422a rotates, the rod portion 422b can push and tilt the base plate 410.

[0058] Since the power transmission part 421a of the drive part 421 and the corresponding part 422a of the moving part 422 of the rotating mechanism 420 transmit power by friction, mechanical noise is reduced or minimized, and discomfort caused by noise when tilting the base plate 410 is minimized.

[0059] In another embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the drive unit 421 is configured as a rotary motor and has a power transmission unit 421a in a circular shape. The moving unit 422 is connected to the power transmission unit 421a via a belt 422c, and the base plate 410 moves as the length of the power transmission unit 421a changes during rotation.

[0060] That is, the drive unit 421 is configured as a rotary motor to rotate the power transmission unit 421a, and the outer periphery of the power transmission unit 421a has a circular shape.

[0061] The moving part 422 may include a corresponding portion 422a connected to the power transmission part 421a via a belt 422c and a rod portion 422b that moves linearly when the corresponding portion 422a rotates. In one embodiment, the corresponding portion 422a of the moving part 422 has a circular shape and is connected to the power transmission part 421a via a belt 422c. When the rod portion 422b, which is threaded to the corresponding portion 422a, moves linearly when the corresponding portion 422a rotates, the rod portion 422b can push and tilt the base plate 410.

[0062] Since the power transmission part 421a of the drive part 421 of the rotating mechanism 420 is connected to the corresponding part 422a of the moving part 422 via the belt 422c as described above, mechanical noise is reduced or minimized, and discomfort caused by noise when tilting the base plate 410 is minimized.

[0063] like Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the leveling device may further include an external lens 600, which is mounted on the front surface of the housing 100, configured to transmit light emitted from the light source module 200 and the tilt sensor 300, and has a distortion compensation section 610 formed in a portion of the space.

[0064] Lens 600 can be transparent to transmit light emitted from light source module 200 and sensing light emitted from tilt sensor 300. Specifically, distortion compensation unit 610 is formed in a portion of outer lens 600.

[0065] In this case, the distortion compensation section 610 can be formed by achieving differences in the thickness and shape of the outer lens 600 or by adding a separate lens to the outer lens 600. Furthermore, the distortion compensation section 610 is formed at the location where the sensing light emitted from the tilt sensor 300 enters. Therefore, even if the tilting device 400 is tilted, the angle at which the sensing light emitted from the tilt sensor 300 enters the outer lens 600 is equal to the angle at which the sensing light passes through the outer lens 600.

[0066] In detail, based on Snell's law, the angle at which the sensing light emitted from the tilt sensor 300 is refracted when it enters the incident surface 600a of the external lens 600 is derived. The distortion compensation unit 610 is formed on the exit surface 600b of the external lens 600 according to the distance the sensing light moves to the exit surface 600b after being refracted by the incident surface 600a and the point at which the sensing light enters the exit surface 600b.

[0067] In other words, such as Figure 4As shown, incident light A is set as the sensing light emitted from tilt sensor 300 and entering the incident surface 600a of external lens 600. In this case, the incident point B from incident light A entering the incident surface 600a of external lens 600 is used to calculate the angle of refracted light C based on Snell's law. Therefore, the exit point D of refracted light C entering the exit surface 600b of external lens 600 can be derived, as can the distance L of refracted light C.

[0068] Furthermore, the distortion compensation unit 610 is formed within a predetermined range in the upward / downward direction on the exit surface 600b of the outer lens 600 based on the distance the sensing light moves to the exit surface 600b after being refracted on the incident surface 600a and the point at which the sensing light enters the exit surface 600b.

[0069] In other words, the range of the external lens 600 in the upward / downward direction is expanded based on the distance that the sensing light emitted from the tilt sensor 300 travels to the exit surface 600b after being refracted on the incident surface 600a and the exit point of the sensing light entering the exit surface 600b, so that even if the sensing area of ​​the tilt sensor 300 is moved by the tilting device 400, the distortion compensation component 610 still covers the sensing area.

[0070] Therefore, according to this disclosure, even if the sensing light emitted from the tilt sensor 300 passes through the external lens 600, the sensing light is compensated by the distortion compensation unit 610. Therefore, even if the propagation direction of the sensing light is changed by the tilting device 400, the exit angle of the sensing light emitted from the tilt sensor 300 is equal to the exit angle of the sensing light passing through the external lens 600.

[0071] Therefore, the accuracy of identifying road conditions using the tilt sensor 300 is improved.

[0072] On the other hand, when the angle change detected by the tilt sensor 300 is equal to or greater than the reference angle, the controller 500 identifies whether the angle change is increasing or decreasing. When the identification result indicates that the angle change is increasing, the controller 500 allows the tilting device 400 to tilt upward. When the identification result indicates that the angle change is decreasing, the controller 500 allows the tilting device 400 to tilt downward.

[0073] In other words, when the angle change detected by the tilt sensor 300 is equal to or greater than the reference angle, the controller 500 can identify whether the vehicle is going uphill or downhill. The controller 500 can determine that the vehicle is going uphill when the angle change increases, and determine that the vehicle is going downhill when the angle change decreases.

[0074] Therefore, when the controller 500 determines that the vehicle is traveling uphill due to the increase in the amount of angle change, the tilting device 400 tilts upward and the light emission direction of the light source module 200 is adjusted upward, thereby ensuring forward visibility even on an uphill slope.

[0075] Furthermore, when the controller 500 determines that the vehicle is traveling downhill due to the decrease in the amount of angle change, the tilting device 400 tilts downward and the light emission direction of the light source module 200 is adjusted downward, thereby ensuring forward visibility even on a downhill slope.

[0076] On the other hand, the controller 500 controls the tilting device 400 so that when the tilting operation of the tilting device 400 is controlled, the angle change detected by the tilt sensor 300 reaches an initial angle. In this case, the initial angle can be determined according to the initial design of the angle between the light source module 200 and the tilt sensor 300.

[0077] In other words, when the angle change detected by the tilt sensor 300 is equal to or greater than the reference angle, the controller 500 controls and tilts the tilting device 400 so that the angle change detected by the tilt sensor 300 reaches the initial angle, thereby adjusting the light emission position of the light source module 200 through the tilting device 400, which can ensure the forward field of vision.

[0078] For example, when the angle change detected by the tilt sensor 300 increases and deviates from the reference angle, the controller 500 controls and tilts the tilting device 400 upward, so that the angle change of the tilt sensor 300 reaches the initial angle, and the light emission position of the light source module 200 is adjusted upward by the tilting device 400, which can ensure the forward visibility on the uphill slope.

[0079] According to the vehicle headlight leveling device with the above structure, the tilt sensor for scanning the road surface and the light source module for emitting light are integrated, which simplifies the control of adjusting the light emission position and improves the accuracy and reliability of changes in the light emission position.

[0080] Although specific embodiments of this disclosure have been described and illustrated, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and alterations can be made to this disclosure without departing from its technical spirit.

Claims

1. A leveling device for vehicle headlights, the leveling device comprising: The housing is located on the front side of the vehicle; A light source module is disposed in the housing and emits light; A tilt sensor is installed in the housing and detects the tilt of the road; A tilting device that tilts the light source module and the tilt sensor together; as well as Controller, the controller: The system receives signals detected by the tilt sensor and controls the tilting device based on the tilt of the road to adjust the light emission angle of the light source module. An external lens, mounted on the front surface of the housing, transmits light emitted from the light source module and sensing light emitted from the tilt sensor, and includes a distortion compensation section formed within a portion of the external lens. The distortion compensation unit is configured such that the angle at which the sensing light emitted from the tilt sensor enters the incident surface of the external lens is equal to the angle at which the sensing light leaves the exit surface of the external lens.

2. The leveling device according to claim 1, wherein the tilting device comprises: A base plate is rotatably mounted on a pivot portion extending forward from the housing; A rotating mechanism is installed in the housing and connected to the base plate. The light source module and the tilt sensor are installed on the base plate, and the rotating mechanism tilts the base plate.

3. The leveling device according to claim 2, wherein the tilt sensor is mounted on the rotation center axis of the base plate and rotates coaxially with the base plate.

4. The leveling device according to claim 2, wherein the light source module is mounted on the base plate and disposed adjacent to the tilt sensor so as not to overlap with the sensing range of the tilt sensor.

5. The leveling device according to claim 2, wherein the rotating mechanism comprises: The drive unit is installed in the housing and generates power; A moving part, mounted on the base plate and connected to the drive part, moves in a forward / backward direction by receiving power from the drive part to tilt the base plate.

6. The leveling device according to claim 5, wherein the driving unit is a rotary motor and has a power transmission unit in a circular shape, and The moving part is configured to make frictional contact with the power transmission part, and to move the base plate by changing its length by receiving rotational force when the power transmission part rotates.

7. The leveling device according to claim 5, wherein the driving unit is a rotary motor and has a power transmission unit in a circular shape, and The moving part is connected to the power transmission part by a belt, and moves the base plate by changing its length when the power transmission part rotates.

8. The leveling device according to claim 1, wherein the distortion compensation unit is formed within a predetermined range in the upward / downward direction on the exit surface of the outer lens based on the distance the sensing light travels to the exit surface after being refracted on the incident surface and the point at which the sensing light enters the exit surface.

9. The leveling device according to claim 1, wherein when the angle change detected by the tilt sensor is equal to or greater than a reference angle, the controller identifies whether the angle change is increasing or decreasing, and allows the tilting device to tilt based on the angle change.

10. The leveling device according to claim 9, wherein the controller controls the tilting operation of the tilting device so that the angle change detected by the tilt sensor reaches the initial angle.

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