Vehicular lamp incorporating millimeter radar
A vehicular lamp 1 including a lamp unit 13 provided inside a lamp chamber 7 so that the optical axis direction of lamp unit 13 is adjustable with the use of a tilting movement adjustment mechanism 15 . The lamp chamber 7 is formed by a lamp body 3 and a transparent front cover 5 attached to the front opening of the lamp body 3 , while the lamp unit 13 is formed by a reflector 9 and a light source 11 . A millimeter wave radar device 25 is installed in the vehicular lamp, and it is composed of a controlling unit 25 B and an antenna unit 25 A that are provided separately from each other so that the controlling unit is attached to the lamp body and the antenna unit is attached to the lamp unit.
1. A vehicular lamp comprising
a lamp chamber formed by a lamp body having a front opening and a transparent front cover attached to the front opening of the lamp body, and
a lamp unit provided in the lamp chamber so that an optical axis direction of the lamp unit is adjustable with use of a tilting movement adjustment mechanism; wherein
the lamp chamber is provided therein with a millimeter wave radar device that emits a millimeter wave signal and detects at least a separation distance and a relative velocity with respect to an object based on a reflection wave signal from the object that has reflected the emitted millimeter wave signal;
the millimeter wave radar device is comprise of an antenna unit and a controlling unit that are provided separately from each other, the antenna unit transmitting the millimeter wave signal and receiving the reflection wave signal resulting from the emitted millimeter wave signal, and the controlling unit controlling operations to transmit and receive the millimeter wave signal performed by the antenna unit so as to detect, based on the reflection wave signal received by the antenna unit, at least the separation distance and the relative velocity with respect to the object that has reflected the millimeter wave signal; and
the controlling unit of the millimeter wave radar device is attached to the lamp body, and the antenna unit is attached to the lamp unit.
2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the antenna unit is provided in an area that is visible from a front cover side.
3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 2 , wherein said area is a reflective surface of a reflector of the lamp unit.
4. The vehicular lamp according to claim 2 , wherein
the lamp unit is a projector type lamp unit in which a reflection beam from the reflector is radiated toward front of the vehicular lamp through a projection lens provided in front of the reflector, and
said area is one of a front surface and a rear surface of the projection lens.
5. The vehicular lamp according to claim 2 , wherein said area is a surface of a member that is provided on an outside periphery of the reflector.