Patent ID: 7810970
Filing Date: 2010-10-12
Classification: B60Q

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for controlling a swivel angle of light emitted ahead from a headlight mounted on a vehicle, based on a steering angle of a driver's steering wheel mounted on the vehicle, the apparatus comprising: means for acquiring the steering angle of the driver's steering wheel; means for determining whether or not the steering wheel is in a predetermined driver's operation state in which the steering wheel is returning from a steering angle existing in a saturated steering angle range given to the swivel angle toward a neutral steering angle range given to the swivel angle at an angular speed greater than a preset angular speed; means for calculating a first swivel angle based on a first type of swivel-angle control characteristic showing a monotonic change in the swivel angle when the steering angle changes between a first preset angle to a second preset angle, the first preset angle being a reference steering angle from which the swivel angle starts to increase as the steering angle increases, the second preset angle being a reference steering angle from which the swivel angle starts to be saturated when the steering angle increases; means for calculating a second swivel angle based on a second type of swivel-angle control characteristic showing a monotonic decrease in the swivel angle when the steering angle decreases from the steering angle existing in the saturated steering angle range to a third preset angle, when the determining means determines that the steering wheel is in the predetermined driver's operation state, the third preset angle being a reference steering angle at which the steering angle decreasing from the steering angle existing in the saturated steering range starts to become zero; means for comparing the first swivel angle and the second swivel angle as to whether or not the second swivel angle is smaller than the first swivel angle; means for deciding the second swivel angle as a swivel angle to be controlled, when the comparing means shows that the second swivel angle is smaller than the first swivel angle; and means for controlling the swivel angle of the light emitted ahead from the headlight mounted on the vehicle, based on the swivel angle decided by the deciding means.