Patent ID: 7415338

Claim:
An apparatus for controlling operation of auxiliary equipment of a vehicle by receiving an output of a surroundings detection sensor including an imaging device for detecting the surrounding of the vehicle and an output of a vehicle information sensor for detecting operation of the vehicle, wherein said surrounding detection sensor including the imaging device detects an oncoming vehicle and a preceding vehicle such that said surrounding detection sensor detects the oncoming vehicle at higher shutter speed with said imaging device and detects the preceding vehicle at lower shutter speed with said imaging device, a distance and direction to the oncoming vehicle are calculated according to the output of the surroundings detection sensor obtained by detecting the oncoming vehicle at the higher shutter speed with said imaging device, and a distance and direction the preceding vehicle are calculated according to the output of the surroundings detection sensor obtained by detecting the preceding vehicle at the lower shutter speed with said imaging device, so as to independently control light intensities and/or beam distances of right and left headlamps.