Patent ID: 7477976

Claim:
An automatic optical axis direction adjusting apparatus comprising: steering angle detecting means for detecting a steering angle of a steering wheel of a vehicle; vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed of the vehicle; road information detecting means for detecting forward road information supplied from a navigation system mounted on the vehicle; swivel control amount calculating means for calculating a swivel control amount to adjust an optical axis direction of a headlight of the vehicle as a function of both the steering angle and the vehicle speed; and advance control amount calculating means for calculating an advance swivel control amount to adjust the optical axis direction of the headlight of the vehicle as a function of both the vehicle speed and the forward road information, characterized by transitional control amount calculating means for calculating a transitional control amount to adjust the optical axis direction of the headlight by changing the advance swivel control amount in response to a time elapse from a detection of a steering angle change until the changed advance control amount reaches the swivel control amount, and swivel control means for swiveling the optical axis direction of the headlight to adjust the optical axis direction in right and left directions based upon the advance control amount before the steering angle change is detected, then based upon the transitional control amount until the transitional control amount reaches the swivel control amount after the steering angle change is detected, and finally based upon the swivel control amount after the transitional control amount reaches the swivel control amount.