Vehicular lamp system for automotive vehicle

Abstract

In a vehicular lamp system for an automotive vehicle, a first reflector ( 11201 ) equipped with a light source, a second reflector ( 11202 ) enabled to deflect a reflection direction thereof toward a vehicular turn direction independently of the first reflector, and a driving section ( 2 ) that operatively performs a deflection drive for the first and second reflectors are provided. A controller ( 3 ) controls the driving section(s) on the basis of a vehicular velocity detected by a vehicular velocity detector ( 6 ) and a steering angle detected by a vehicular steering angle detector ( 5 ) in such a manner that the second reflector is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the detected steering angle when the detected vehicular velocity falls in an extremely low vehicular velocity range and that the first reflector is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the steering angle when the detected vehicular velocity falls in a high vehicular velocity range.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A vehicular lamp system, comprising: 
 a first reflector, disposed on a head of a vehicle, equipped with a light source, and enabled to be driven to deflect a reflection direction of a light beam from the light source toward a vehicular turn direction together with the light source;    a second reflector enabled to be driven to deflect the reflection direction thereof toward the vehicular turn direction independently of the first reflector;    a driving section that operatively performs a deflection drive for the first and second reflectors;    a vehicular velocity detector to detect a vehicular velocity of the vehicle;    a steering angle detector to detect a vehicular steering angle of the vehicle; and    a controller to determine whether the detected vehicular velocity falls in a predetermined middle velocity range and to control the driving section on the basis of the detected vehicular velocity and steering angle in such a manner that the second reflector is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the detected steering angle when determining that the detected vehicular velocity is lower by a predetermined low velocity range than the predetermined middle velocity range and that the first reflector is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the steering angle when determining that the detected vehicular velocity is higher than the predetermined middle vehicular velocity range.    
     
     
         2 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a pair of the first and second reflectors are equipped on predetermined lateral ends of the head of the vehicle.  
     
     
         3 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the controller controls the driving section in such a manner that only one of the second reflectors equipped on the predetermined lateral ends of the head of the vehicle which is placed at an inside of the vehicular turn direction with respect to a center of a circle of turn is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the detected steering angle when determining that the detected vehicular velocity is lower than the predetermined middle vehicular velocity range.  
     
     
         4 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the controller controls the driving section in such a manner that at least the first reflectors equipped on the predetermined lateral ends of the head of the vehicle are deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the detected steering angle when determining that the detected vehicular velocity is higher than the predetermined middle vehicular velocity range.  
     
     
         5 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the vehicular controller controls the driving section in such a manner that one of the first reflectors equipped on the predetermined lateral ends of the head of the vehicle which is placed at an inside of the vehicular turn direction with respect to a center of a circle of turn is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the detected steering direction when determining that the detected vehicular velocity falls in the predetermined middle vehicular velocity range.  
     
     
         6 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the controller controls the driving section in such a manner that one of the first reflectors equipped on the predetermined lateral ends of the head of the vehicle which is placed at an outside of the vehicular turn direction with respect to the center of the circle of turn is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the detected steering angle through a deflection drive variable smaller than that of the other of the first reflectors which is placed at the inside of the vehicular turn direction when determining that the detected vehicular velocity falls in the predetermined middle vehicular velocity range.  
     
     
         7 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the controller controls the driving section in such a manner that one of the first reflectors equipped on the predetermined lateral ends of the head of the vehicle which is placed at the outside of the vehicular turn direction is deflected after the other of the first reflectors which is placed at the inside of the vehicular turn direction has been deflected.  
     
     
         8 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the controller determines whether the detected vehicular velocity is lower than a constant vehicular velocity and controls the driving section in such a manner that one of the pair of the first and second reflectors equipped on the predetermined lateral ends of the head of the vehicle which is placed at an outside of the vehicular turn direction with respect to a center of a circle of turn is inhibited from being deflected when determining that the detected vehicular velocity is lower than the constant vehicular velocity.  
     
     
         9 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the controller comprises a setting section that sets the constant vehicular velocity to the predetermined low velocity range lower than the predetermined middle velocity range.  
     
     
         10 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a preset section that presets a maximum value of a deflection drive variable for at least one of the first and second reflectors according to predetermined velocity ranges including the predetermined low and middle velocity ranges, a transition range gradually modifying the maximum value of the deflection drive variable being provided between the respective velocity ranges.  
     
     
         11 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the controller controls the driving section in such a manner that only one of the pair of the first and second reflectors equipped on the predetermined lateral ends of the head of the vehicle which is placed at the inside of the vehicular turn direction is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the detected steering angle when determining that the detected vehicular velocity is lower than the predetermined middle velocity range and the controller controls the driving section in such a manner that one of the first reflectors equipped on the predetermined lateral ends of the head of the-vehicle which is placed at the inside of the vehicular turn direction is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the detected steering angle and in such a manner that the other of the first reflectors equipped on the predetermined lateral ends of the head of the vehicle which is placed at an outside of the vehicular turn direction with respect to a center of a circle of turn is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the detected steering angle through a deflection drive variable smaller than that of the other of the first reflectors which is placed at the inside of the vehicular turn direction when determining that the detected vehicular velocity falls in the predetermined middle velocity range.  
     
     
         12 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the controller comprises a preset section that presets a maximum value of the deflection drive variable according to vehicular velocity ranges including the predetermined middle vehicular velocity range, a transition range gradually modifying the maximum value of the deflection drive variable being provided between the respective vehicular velocity ranges.  
     
     
         13 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a deciding section that decides whether the detected steering angle is furthermore increased and a gain setting section that sets such a gain of a deflection drive variable through which one of the first and second reflectors is deflected according to the detected steering angle when the deciding section decides that the detected steering angle is furthermore increased as to be in excess of that of the deflection drive variable according to the detected steering angle when the deciding section decides that the detected steering angle is decreased.  
     
     
         14 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a gain setting section that sets such a gain of a deflection drive variable through which the first reflector is deflected according to the detected steering angle as to be in excess of that of the deflection drive variable through which the second reflector is deflected according to the detected steering angle.  
     
     
         15 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a spin state detector to detect a vehicular spin state and wherein the controller controls the driving section in such a manner that a deflection drive variable for at least the first reflector is zeroed upon a detection of the vehicular spin state by the spin state detector.  
     
     
         16 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the spin state detector-detects the vehicular spin state from a steering direction of the vehicle and a yawing rate of the vehicle.  
     
     
         17 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first reflector sets an optical axis of the light source.  
     
     
         18 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 17 , wherein the second reflector sets an radiation of a light beam to a surrounding area to the optical axis.  
     
     
         19 . A vehicular lamp system as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein a reflected light beam by the first reflector is set to be brighter than that by the second reflector.  
     
     
         20 . A vehicular lamp system, comprising: 
 at least a pair of rightward and leftward first reflectors, each of the first reflectors being disposed on ahead of a vehicle, being equipped with a light source, and being enabled to be driven to deflect a reflection direction of a light beam from the light source toward a vehicular turn direction together with the light source;    at least a pair of rightward and leftward second reflectors, each of the second reflectors being enabled to be driven to deflect the reflection direction thereof toward the vehicular turn direction independently of the pair of the rightward and leftward first reflectors;    a driving section that operatively performs a deflection drive for the pairs of the rightward and leftward first reflectors and second reflectors;    a vehicular velocity detector to detect a vehicular velocity of the vehicle;    a steering angle detector to detect a vehicular steering angle of the vehicle; and    a controller to determine whether the detected vehicular velocity falls in a predetermined middle velocity range and to control the driving section on the basis of the detected vehicular velocity and steering angle in such a manner that one of the pair of the rightward and leftward first reflectors which is placed on an inside of a vehicular turn direction with respect to a center of a circle of turn is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the detected steering angle when determining that the detected vehicular velocity falls in the predetermined middle velocity range.    
     
     
         21 . A vehicular light system, comprising: 
 first reflecting means, disposed on a head of a vehicle, equipped with a light source, and enabled to be driven to deflect a reflection direction of a light beam from the light source toward a vehicular turn direction together with the light source;    second reflecting means enabled to be driven to deflect the reflection direction thereof toward the vehicular turn direction independently of the first reflecting means;    driving means for operatively performing a deflection drive for the first and second reflecting means;    vehicular velocity detecting means for detecting a vehicular velocity of the vehicle;    steering angle detecting means for detecting a vehicular steering angle of the vehicle; and    controlling means for determining whether the detected vehicular velocity falls in a predetermined middle velocity range and for controlling the driving means on the basis of the detected vehicular velocity and steering angle in such a manner that the second reflector is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the detected steering angle when determining that the detected vehicular velocity is lower than the predetermined middle velocity range and in such a manner that the first reflector is deflected toward the vehicular turn direction according to the steering angle when determining that the detected vehicular velocity is higher than the predetermined middle velocity range.