Patent ID: 7792621

Claim:
An apparatus for controlling a swivel angle of headlights mounted on a vehicle, wherein the swivel angle of the headlights is changeable in a lateral direction of the vehicle, the apparatus comprising: a driving mechanism that changes the swivel angle of the headlights in the lateral direction; means for acquiring a steering angle signal which corresponds to a steering angle of the vehicle; means for acquiring a vehicle velocity signal which corresponds to a vehicle velocity of the vehicle, means for judging whether or not a steering operation of the vehicle has been performed based on the steering angle signal; means for determining a target swivel angle of the headlights based on the steering angle acquired and the vehicle velocity acquired; means for controlling the swivel angle to the target swivel angle by driving the driving mechanism in response to a case where it is judged by the judging means that the steering operation has been performed; means for acquiring running road shape-related information related to a shape of the road on which the vehicle is running from the road on which the vehicle is running or an object on the road; means for determining a curvature direction of the road ahead based on the running road shape-related information; and means for prohibiting control of the swivel angle toward the target swivel angle in a case where a direction of the target swivel angle determined by the means for determining the target swivel angle is inconsistent with the curvature direction of the road ahead determined by the means for determining the curvature direction of the road ahead, even in a case where it is judged by the judging means that the steering operation has been performed.