Abstract: A vehicle headlamp includes a lamp 110 having shade switching means 140 for providing a desired light distribution pattern by blocking a portion of light emitted from a light source. Light distribution pattern switching controlling means controls the shade switching means 140 in response to receipt of an instruction of switching a light distribution pattern of the lamp. Leveling means 130 controls deflection of an optical axis of the lamp in a vertical direction. The light distribution pattern switching controlling means controls the shade switching means 140 such that a cut line is formed by a height substantially the same as that of a cut line of high beam when an instruction of switching to a light distribution pattern of “remote optically recognizing beam” is received and controls the leveling means 130 such that the cut line is formed by a height of a cut line requested for “middle beam”.

Abstract: An automotive headlamp apparatus includes headlamp units placed in a vehicle and a control unit which controls the illumination of the headlamp units. The headlamp units form a lower beam distribution pattern and an upper beam distribution pattern, and is configured so that a partial region of the upper beam distribution pattern can be non-illuminated. When the entirety of vehicle existent area of a vehicle-in-front travelling in front of a driver's vehicle is contained within the partial region, the control unit controls the headlamp units in such a manner that the partial region is non-illuminated; when at least a part of the vehicle existent area is contained within a region of the upper beam distribution pattern which is other than the partial region, the control unit controls the headlamp units in such a manner that the upper beam distribution pattern is not formed.

Abstract: An optical axis regulating device of a lighting device for a vehicle, which serves to vertically and transversely tilt a lamp unit supported on one fulcrum in a lamp housing formed by a lamp body having a concave portion and a transparent cover for covering an opening portion of the lamp body, includes a case, a slider movable in a longitudinal direction with respect to the case, an output portion rotatably supported on the slider and coupled to the lamp unit, a vertical regulating device for moving the slider in a longitudinal direction, and a transverse regulating device for rotating the output portion.

Abstract: The vehicle headlamp is provided with a main lamp unit fixed and arranged inside a lamp chamber and sub-lamp units as an auxiliary lamp capable of changing and forming light distribution patterns by using semiconductor light emitting elements as light sources. The sub-lamp units are respectively equipped with a vertically changing mechanism for changing the illuminating direction in a vertical direction, a laterally changing mechanism for changing the illuminating direction in a lateral direction and a pattern changing mechanism for changing a light distribution pattern.

Abstract: A vehicle lamp is arranged to switch between a low beam and a high beam. The high beam illuminates a first illumination area, which lies ahead of and square to a center of a vehicle, and a second illumination area, which includes portions lying horizontally further leftwards and right wards and vertically further upwards than the first illumination area. When switching from the low beam to the high beam, the luminous intensity of the second illumination area is increased and thereafter the luminous intensity of the first illumination area is increased. When switching from the high beam to the low beam, the luminance intensity of the first illumination area is decreased and thereafter the luminance intensity of the second illumination area is decreased.

Abstract: A vehicle lamp system includes lamps RHL and LHL. The lamp system can switch at least to a low beam distribution and a motorway light distribution. A light distribution switching control portion CONT for switching the light distribution based on operational information of the vehicle switches to the low beam distribution when it is determined that the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined speed in the motorway light distribution and a predetermined light distribution switching condition is satisfied. If presence of an obstacle is confirmed so as to apply a deceleration, it is possible to prevent the obstacle from being undetected by switching to the low beam distribution. Thus, it is possible to reliably keep away from the obstacle, thereby ensuring stable operation.

Abstract: An optical axis regulating device of a lighting device for a vehicle, which serves to vertically and transversely tilt a lamp unit supported on one fulcrum in a lamp housing formed by a lamp body having a concave portion and a transparent cover for covering an opening portion of the lamp body, includes a case, a slider movable in a longitudinal direction with respect to the case, an output portion rotatably supported on the slider and coupled to the lamp unit, a vertical regulating device for moving the slider in a longitudinal direction, and a transverse regulating device for rotating the output portion.

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.

Abstract: A vehicular headlamp including a light amount control device that controls the amount of light from at least two of a plurality of light source units each having a light-emitting element as the light source. The light amount control device performs a contrasting control of the lamp to increase the amount of light from at least one of the light source units and decrease the amount of light from the other light source unit, thus enhancing the visibility by increasing the amount of light from one light source unit and enhancing the brightness in an area that the unit illuminates, and decreasing the amount of light from the other light source unit that illuminates an area where visibility is required less, lowering the power consumption.

Abstract: A vehicle headlamp includes a lamp 110 having shade switching means 140 for providing a desired light distribution pattern by blocking a portion of light emitted from a light source. Light distribution pattern switching controlling means controls the shade switching means 140 in response to receipt of an instruction of switching a light distribution pattern of the lamp. Leveling means 130 controls deflection of an optical axis of the lamp in a vertical direction. The light distribution pattern switching controlling means controls the shade switching means 140 such that a cut line is formed by a height substantially the same as that of a cut line of high beam when an instruction of switching to a light distribution pattern of “remote optically recognizing beam” is received and controls the leveling means 130 such that the cut line is formed by a height of a cut line requested for “middle beam”.

Abstract: A vehicle lighting system includes a plurality of lamps having their own inherent respective light distribution characteristics. The plurality of lamps includes a first lamp to irradiate an area excluding a nearest field area just in front of a vehicle, and a second lamp which irradiates only the nearest field area. The plurality of lamps are operable to be simultaneously or selectively lit, and are operable so that irradiation lights of the lamps are combined so as to obtain a particular light distribution characteristic in accordance with various driving conditions of a vehicle.

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.

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.