Abstract: A lighting circuit for lighting a vehicular lamp including a plurality of light-emitting diodes, includes: a selection unit for selecting the number of light-emitting diodes to be connected in series in the vehicular lamp based on an instruction from the outside; a switching regulator for applying an output voltage based on a power-supply voltage output by an external DC power supply to the selected number of light-emitting diodes to be connected in series, so as to supply a supply current to the selected number of light-emitting diodes; and an output controlling unit for controlling the output voltage of the switching regulator based on the supply current.

Abstract: A lighting device unit which conducts illumination for forming an upward protrusion has a light source including a light emitting diode in which three light emitting chips are horizontally arranged, and a projection lens which projects an image of the light source toward the front of the lighting device as an inverted image. The inverted images of the light emitting chips of the light source formed respectively on a virtual vertical screen in front of the lighting device are horizontally shifted from one another. When a vehicle moves straight forward, the first light emitting chip is turned ON; when the vehicle turns leftward, the second light emitting chip is turned ON; and, when the vehicle turns rightward, the third light emitting chip is turned ON. The position where the upward protrusion is formed is horizontally moved to brightly illuminate the road surface in the traveling direction of the vehicle.

Abstract: A discharge lamp illumination circuit 1 has a DC-AC conversion circuit 3 which effects AC conversion and boosting upon receipt of a DC input, and a starter circuit 4 for supplying a start-up signal to a discharge lamp. Power output from the DC-AC conversion circuit 3 is controlled by control means 6, thereby controlling illumination of a discharge lamp 10. An AC transformer 7 constituting the DC-AC conversion circuit 3 is provided, and a primary circuit and a secondary circuit, both forming part of the AC transformer 7, are insulated from each other. The start-up signal boosted by the AC transformer 7 is superposed on the AC-converted output, and the resultant signal is supplied to the discharge lamp 10. Thus, the need for a starter transformer specifically designed for startup can be obviated.

Abstract: In a fly-back DC voltage conversion circuit, a transformer accumulates energy during the on-state of a switching element, and the accumulated energy is outputted from a secondary winding during the off-state of the switching element. The switching element is placed in the on-state when the accumulated energy is completely outputted from the secondary winding. A voltage applied to the switching element is differentiated by a capacitor to detect a discharge termination point at which the current of the transformer becomes zero to change a switching frequency of the switching element. The DC voltage conversion circuit can attain control in a current boundary state without significantly increasing cost.

Abstract: A vehicular headlamp used in au automobile, includes: a light source for generating light; a light transmitting member formed from material transmitting the light; a reflector, formed on at least a part of a surface of the light transmitting member, for reflecting the light incident via the light transmitting member from the light source, the reflector having an optical center near the light source; and a lens formed integrally with the light transmitting member for deflecting the light reflected by the reflector to direct the light to the outside of the vehicular headlamp.

Abstract: A lamp unit has a semiconductor light emitting chip 24a and a translucent member 22 which subjects light emitted from the chip 24a to be reflected by front surface 22a and then by rear surface 22b to exit from the front surface 22a. Chip 24a is arranged to face forward such that a lower end thereof crosses an optical axis Ax of the lamp unit 20 at right angles. The front surface 22a of the translucent member 22 is formed from a plane orthogonal to the optical axis Ax, and an optical axis region 22a1 of the front surface is subjected to mirror surface treatment. A rear surface 22b of the translucent member 22 is formed using a paraboloid of rotation whose focal point is a position having symmetry with an illumination center of the chip 24a. The rear surface is subjected to mirror surface treatment.

Abstract: A beam welding apparatus that welds the housing and transparent cover of a vehicular lighting device via beam welding includes: a cover fixing jig including a beam transmitting part, for pressing a transparent cover toward a housing while arranged on the transparent cover with the welding part of the transparent cover overlaid on the welding part of the housing; and a beam irradiating part for irradiating beams onto the welding part of the housing through the beam transmitting part and the transparent cover to excite and heat the welding part of the housing; characterized in that the beam transmitting part includes a shielding part for shielding unnecessary luminous flux among the beams irradiated toward the welding part of the housing from the beam irradiating part.

Abstract: A welding apparatus is provided with a lamp unit having a light source such as a halogen lamp and a multiple reflection surface. The light source applies incoherent electromagnetic waves that belong to a visible region and a near-infrared region in which a wavelength is 500 nm (nanometer) or more. The multiple reflection surface reflects and collects the light from the light source in the shape of a desired dot or line. The housing and the transparent cover are superimposed, and the light from the light source is collected by the multiple-reflection surface on the portion where the housing is superimposed on the transparent cover.

Abstract: A beam welding method in a vehicular lighting device where a transparent cover is mounted on a housing so as to cover its front face is characterized in that a transparent cover and a housing each includes a joining part. The method includes a step of integrating an elastic member with the joining part of the transparent cover, a step of bringing the elastic member into contact with the joining part of the housing, and a step of irradiating beams onto the joining part of the housing to weld the elastic member and the housing.

Abstract: In a headlamp apparatus comprising a sub-CPU integrally provided on a headlamp for controlling an optical axis direction changing operation and a main CPU for sending out to the sub-control circuit a control signal for changing the direction of the optical axis, the sub-CPU comprises a power-on resetting circuit of a simple configuration comprising a capacitor and a resistor. When the main CPU detects an abnormality in the sub-CPU, a power supply is temporarily cut off by a power supply control means, and the sub-CPU is reset by a power-on resetting circuit. An abnormality triggered by a runaway of the sub-CPU can be resolved so that the sub-CPU can be restored to a normal condition as quickly as possible.

Abstract: A vehicular lamp including a first lamp component having a first light source and a first reflector, and a second lamp component disposed behind the first lamp component and having a second light source and a second reflector, and front sides of the first and second lamp components being covered by an outer lens; and in this vehicular lamp, the first reflector having an overlapping area that covers the front of the second reflector so that the second reflector appears to be segmented in two or more portions; and light transmission holes through which light from the second lamp component passes being formed in the overlapping area of the first reflector.

Abstract: An irradiating direction control apparatus includes an identifier for determining a difference in a load state of the vehicle corresponding to a passenger or carrying capacity. In an initialization performed to eliminate influence of an installation error of a vehicle height detector, a storage device stores data indicative of the installation error, based on a difference between a reference vehicle height corresponding to a load state of the vehicle determined by the identifier, and an actual vehicle height. Then, an irradiation controller obtains the attitude of the vehicle from vehicle height data corrected by using data stored in the storage device for vehicle height detection data, and controls a direction of an optical axis of irradiation of a lighting unit. The reference vehicle height value is changed corresponding to the vehicle load state in initialization, thereby reducing a control error related to the correction of the optical axis of irradiation.

Abstract: A projecting direction control system for a vehicle headlamp comprises a wheel-speed detecting means for detecting left and right wheel speeds and a posture decision means for calculating centrifugal force from the left and right wheel speeds obtained by the wheel-speed detecting means, difference between the wheel speeds, and characteristic information of the vehicle including vehicle width and vehicle weight so as to apprehend a rolling condition. The rolling condition can be recognized accurately from the direction and strength of the centrifugal force by calculating the centrifugal force during turning motion.

Abstract: A light-emitting device in which a light-emitting element, such as an LED, and an electrostatic protection element for protecting the light-emitting element from electrostatic breakdown are connected in parallel. The light-emitting device is configured such that a connection wire member of the light-emitting element and a connection wire member of the electrostatic protection element are formed of the same material; and the connection wire member of the electrostatic protection element is smaller in diameter than the connection wire member of the light-emitting element. When the light-emitting element lapses into an open-circuit state, whereby an electric current which is originally intended to flow through the element unintentionally flows through the electrostatic protection element, the connection wire member is fused by an overcurrent. Consequently, occurrence of a failure of the electrostatic protection element in a short-circuit mode can be prevented.

Abstract: A vehicular lamp including a resin-made plain outer cover that covers the lamp body. The plain outer cover has an interior lens step (cylindrical step) formed in a region that faces a gap between an extension element (or a reflector) installed in the lamp body and the inner surface of a leg portion of the outer cover. The lens step optically reduces the gap between the leg portion and the extension element (or a reflector) and thus optically magnifies the leg portion of the outer cover, allowing the lamp to have a sense of stateliness and a sense of luxury seen in the lamp that uses a glass-made outer cover.

Abstract: A mercury-free arc tube for a discharge lamp unit including a closed glass bulb and a pair of electrode rods provided in the closed glass bulb so as to be opposite to each other. The closed glass bulb does not contain mercury as in the related art arc tubes, but contains main light emitting metal halide and starting rare gas enclosed in the closed glass bulb. In accordance with necessity, predetermined buffer metal halide in place of mercury may be enclosed to suppress the lowering of the tube voltage to some extent. In addition, the tube current I is increased to make the tube voltage high. The tube current I (unit: A) and the outer diameter d (unit: mm) of each electrode rod are set to have a relationship of 1.0?I/d?5.0. As a result, though such an increased tube current is used, the electrode temperature is kept in optimum temperature.

Abstract: A headlamp apparatus for a vehicle includes a left-right deflecting device for deflecting an optical axis of illumination of a projector lamp in a left-and-right direction in correspondence with a steering angle of a vehicle; a vertically deflecting device for deflecting the optical axis of illumination of the projector lamp 30 in a vertical direction; and a deflection controlling device for effecting the operation of setting the optical axis by the left-right deflecting device at a time when the optical axis of illumination is in a state of being oriented in a lower direction than the horizontal direction by the vertically deflecting device. The optical axis position of the projector lamp is oriented in a lower direction than the horizontal direction by the vertically deflecting device until the optical axis position is set to a reference angular position by the left-right deflecting device.

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.

Abstract: A vehicular lamp including, within a lamp chamber s defined by a lamp body 10 and an outer cover 20, an led 28 which is the light source, and a light guide 24 which guides light emitted from the led 28 by internal reflection so as to emit light at a plurality of locations. the light guide 24 is constructed of a coupling unit u1 that extends along the outer cover 20 and is made of a plurality of light guiding members 25, the surface of each light guiding member 25 formed in an elliptical surface 25a that has a pair of focal points f, are coupled in series while sharing the focal points with each other at coupling portions 26, and the focal points f at both end portions of the light guide 24 (coupling unit u1) are near the light-emitting portion 29 of the led 28.

Abstract: A projecting direction control system for a vehicle lighting device is provided with height detecting means for detecting variation in the height of a front-wheel or a rear-wheel axle portion, auxiliary detection means for accurately controlling the direction of an optical axis of projection light for a vehicle headlamp in response to vehicle load variation, and light projection control means for controlling the optical axis of light in response to variation in the vehicle posture according to the information obtained by the height detecting means and the auxiliary detection means. When the auxiliary detection means such as a seat sensor becomes in abnormal condition, the direction of the optical axis of light is controlled so as to be tilted downward from the direction of the optical axis of projection light with the auxiliary detection means remaining in a normal condition.