Hydraulically Or Pneumatically Actuated Patents (Class 362/468)
  • Patent number: 10457195
    Abstract: Adjustable lighting apparatus for use with vehicles are disclosed. A disclosed apparatus includes a vehicle lighting assembly. The vehicle lighting assembly includes a plurality of optical systems each configured to output respective light beams. The vehicle lighting assembly also includes a primary adjustment part movable along a first axis. The vehicle lighting assembly also includes a plurality of levers each operatively coupled to (a) the primary adjustment part and (b) a respective one of the optical systems. The vehicle lighting assembly also includes a plurality of lever pivot points corresponding to respective ones of the plurality of levers. Movement of the adjustment part along the first axis results in cooperative movement of the plurality of optical systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: VALEO NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Robert King
  • Patent number: 8814402
    Abstract: A control device (100) for controlling a vehicle lamp (210) provided in a vehicle is provided. The device includes: a receiver (102) configured to receive an acceleration signal representing an acceleration of the vehicle, from an acceleration sensor configured to detect the acceleration of the vehicle, wherein an inclination angle (?) of the vehicle with respect to a horizontal plane is calculated based on the acceleration signal; a controller (104) configured to: i) generate a first control signal instructing the vehicle lamp to adjust an optical axis of the vehicle lamp in response to a change of the acceleration signal, when the vehicle has already stopped; and ii) generate a second signal instructing the vehicle lamp to maintain the optical axis of the vehicle lamp, when the vehicle is traveling on a road surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yusuke Kasaba, Masashi Yamazaki, Atsushi Toda
  • Patent number: 8419209
    Abstract: A lamp support of the present invention comprises a keel as the main body, two arc-shaped extensions provided on two sides of the keel, inwardly protruding lips correspondingly provided on bottom edges of the arc-shaped extensions, and first and second slots provided on the ridge of the keel and arranged perpendicular to each other. The first and second slots can allow for the passage of screws so that the screws can be used to secure the entire lamp support to an assembly main body such as a ceiling or a wall; and the lips correspondingly fit into grooves on both sides of a lamp tube whereby the lamp tube is pushed into a predetermined position to secure the lamp tube to the assembly main body such as a ceiling or a wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Inventor: Mao-Kai Mai
  • Patent number: 8297810
    Abstract: A headlamp in an automobile, which is rotatable about a yaw axis when negotiating a bend, has a controller for controlling the rotary movement. In order to improve the illumination of a roadway lying in front of an automobile, the controller may take into account unstable driving situations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Horst Kettern-Kohler
  • Patent number: 8052309
    Abstract: The present invention concerns lighting systems and particularly active lighting systems which are capable of providing automated changing lighting effects. The lighting system comprises a light source (50), a deflector (10) positioned within the path of light emitted by the light source, and a reflector (20) wherein at least one of the reflector and defector is moveable relative to the other of the reflector and the defector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Inventor: Jacob Dyson
  • Patent number: 7914186
    Abstract: A lighting device for a vehicle includes a lamp unit serving to irradiate a light forward, and an actuator having a single output shaft for tilting the lamp unit vertically and transversely. The lamp unit is disposed in a lamp housing formed by a lamp body and a transparent cover for covering a front surface of the lamp body. The lamp unit includes a body coupling portion to be coupled to the lamp body and an actuator coupling portion to be coupled to the actuator. The lamp body includes a lamp unit coupling portion coupled to the body coupling portion and serving to support the lamp unit tiltably in vertical and transverse directions. The actuator is supported on the lamp body and includes an output shaft for tilting the lamp unit vertically and transversely in engagement with the actuator coupling portion of the lamp unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naohisa Tatara, Masahiro Kusagaya
  • Patent number: 7561064
    Abstract: A vehicle light control apparatus includes an illumination control unit for executing illumination control on the mode of illumination of a subject vehicle based on signal transmission of a vehicle ID signal unique to the subject vehicle and signal reception of the vehicle ID signal unique to the subject vehicle. The control unit identifies a vehicle having brightness exceeding a predetermined threshold from an image of other vehicles acquired through an image recognition MPU as a vehicle having an illumination adjustment failure, and returns the same vehicle identification signal transmitted from the other vehicle thus identified to vehicles other than the subject vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Atsushi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 7281827
    Abstract: A vehicle headlight apparatus includes a headlight and an actuator. The actuator horizontally changes a direction of an optical axis of the headlight. The vehicle headlight apparatus detects a rotational state of at least one predetermined wheel. The vehicle headlight apparatus determines whether a vehicle travels in a forward direction or a non-forward direction based on a detection result. A swivel operation, in which the actuator horizontally changes the direction of the optical axis of the headlight based on a steering operation of the vehicle, is performed when the vehicle headlight apparatus determines that the vehicle travels in the forward direction. The swivel operation is cancelled when the vehicle headlight apparatus determines that the vehicle travels in the non-forward direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignees: Denso Corporation, Kanto Auto Works, Ltd., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryu Mizuno, Hayato Nakano, Haruo Saitoh, Kazuhiko Nakashima
  • Patent number: 7204336
    Abstract: The invention relates to a motor vehicle headlight which comprises, on the one hand, an impact member displaceable between a position of use and a deployed position in which it may come into contact with an obstacle in the event of an impact of the latter with the headlight, and, on the other hand, a safety device able to cause the displacement of the impact member from its position of use to its deployed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventors: Philippe Arlon, Laurence Marechal, Pascal Harand, Francois Boumaza
  • Patent number: 7195378
    Abstract: In a vehicle lighting apparatus in which the irradiation direction of lamps provided at the left and right portions of an automobile can be deflected to the left and right directions in association with the steering operation of a steering apparatus, the deflection angles of the left and right lamps are changed in different manners in accordance with a vehicle speed, for example. For example, at the time of steering to the right, when a vehicle speed is a predetermined value or less, only the right lamp is subjected to the deflecting operation, while when a vehicle speed exceeds the predetermined value, both the right and left lamps are simultaneously subjected to the deflecting operation. The deflection angles of the left and right lamps are differentiated in accordance with the speed change of an automobile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyotaka Fukawa, Masao Okawa, Naohisa Tatara, Makoto Izawa, Takahisa Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7036963
    Abstract: A vehicle light apparatus comprises a controller 10 for changing a lighting range of a lamp L for illuminating a forward part of a vehicle corresponding to a steering angle of the vehicle and for controlling the lighting range of lighting means corresponding to a steering angular velocity of the vehicle. Alternatively, there is provided lighting range control means for changing a lighting range of lighting means for illuminating a forward part of the vehicle corresponding to a steering angle of the vehicle and for controlling the lighting range of the lighting means based on an operation of a turn signal lamp of the vehicle. It is possible to decide a running condition of the vehicle from the steering angular velocity or the operation state of the turning signal lamp and a vehicle speed, thereby rapidly controlling a change in the lighting direction or the lighting area of the lamp L in a running direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kiyotaka Fukawa
  • Patent number: 6981790
    Abstract: A shade is moved to a high-beam position by a driving force of a solenoid and held in that position. The shade is switched to a low-beam position by a spring force of a plate spring and held in that position. The solenoid is the pull-type solenoid. The shade is thin and therefore light in weight. As a result, low-cost and light-weight headlamp is obtained. Moreover, switching of the beams can be performed accurately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: Ichikoh Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Eiji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6848814
    Abstract: A headlamp in which a frame member 50 is supported on a lamp body 14 in a vertically swingable fashion, and a lighting device unit 20 is supported on said frame member 50 in a horizontally swingable fashion. A control unit 108 controls the circular movement of said frame member 50 and said lighting device unit 20 in accordance with vehicle running conditions. With such a construction, a beam emitted from said lighting device unit 20 may be vertically and horizontally varied in its direction in accordance with vehicle running conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeyuki Watanabe, Katsuhito Mochizuki, Takashi Hori
  • Patent number: 6663268
    Abstract: The invention provides an automatic automotive headlamp leveling device for providing a highly accurate optical axis correction by controlling the driving of an actuator without being affected by the mounting tolerance of a vehicle height sensor itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Toda, Hideaki Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20030086275
    Abstract: There is provided a vehicle with an inclement weather lighting system. The vehicle comprises a vehicle body having an inside and an outside defining a vehicle's rear. Positioned within the inside of the vehicle body is a safety light switch. Moreover, inclement weather lights, which are disposed on the vehicle's rear, is in electrical communication with the safety light switch. As such, when the safety light switch is activated, the inclement weather lights are operative to project at least one beam therefrom so as to alert ensuing vehicles during an inclement weather condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2001
    Publication date: May 8, 2003
    Inventor: Ronald H. Banco
  • Patent number: 6550944
    Abstract: A vehicle headlamp has a unit pivot control mechanism for laterally moving the luminous intensity distribution of a lamp unit by laterally pivoting the lamp unit according to the travel conditions of the vehicle, and a luminous intensity variable control mechanism for varying the luminous intensity distribution by moving a shade of the lamp unit according to the travel conditions of the vehicle. Beam emission can be carried out at emission angles with the luminous intensity distribution conforming to the travel conditions of the vehicle by properly combining beam emission control performed by the unit pivot control mechanism and the luminous intensity variable control mechanism. The result is improved visibility of a road surface ahead of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahiro Kusagaya
  • Patent number: 6220735
    Abstract: A head lamp for vehicle use is provided, which includes a intermediate tilting member tiltably supported by a lamp body at three points. One point acts as a tilting fulcrum, while the other two points are supported by an aiming adjusting member of an aiming adjusting mechanism, for changing positions of the intermediate tilting member with respect to the lamp body. The head lamp also includes a reflector which is tiltably supported by the intermediate tilting member at three support points, wherein two points are formed into tilting fulcrums, and the other point is supported via a leveling actuator of a leveling adjusting mechanism, for changing a position of the reflector with respect to the intermediate tilting member by an automatic operation or a remote operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masao Matubara
  • Patent number: 5938320
    Abstract: A mirror assembly has a housing that defines a cavity therein. A mirror is disposed within the cavity. The mirror transmits and reflects at least a portion of the light incident thereupon. A light guide has a first surface spaced a predetermined distance apart from the second surface. The light guide is placed within the mirror housing. A plurality of light sources are coupled to the light guide and direct light between the first and second surfaces. Light is reflected out of the light guide and transmitted through the mirror to provide an indicator function on the mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Harman Automotive, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert M. Crandall