IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,454,539
Granted Patent B2
US 11,454,539 · App. 16/842,122 · Granted Sep 27, 2022

Vehicle lamp

Inventors: Fahin Syed Ahmed (Shizuoka, JP); Takao Muramatsu (Shizuoka, JP); Hitoshi Gotoh (Shizuoka, JP)
Assignee: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
G01J1/4257B60Q11/005G07C5/0808G05D1/0088
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,454,539
App. No.
16/842,122
Granted
Sep 27, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vehicle lamp includes: a first light source configured to irradiate visible light; a second light source configured to emit infrared light; a rotating reflector configured to be rotated while reflecting the visible light and the infrared light, and scan the visible light and the infrared light along a horizontal direction on a virtual vertical screen; a light receiving unit configured to receive the infrared light emitted from the second light source and reflected by a target object; and a controller configured to control an irradiation area of the visible light based on the infrared light received by the receiving unit. When determined that there is an abnormality in at least one of the second light source or the light receiving unit, the controller is configured to control the irradiation area based on the surrounding information of the vehicle obtained from outside the vehicle lamp.

Claims (11)

1. A vehicle lamp comprising:

a first light source configured to irradiate visible light to a surrounding of a vehicle;

a second light source configured to irradiate infrared light in order to obtain surrounding information of the vehicle;

a rotating reflector configured to be rotated while reflecting the visible light irradiated from the first light source and the infrared light irradiated from the second light source, and scan the visible light and the infrared light along a horizontal direction on a virtual vertical screen disposed at a predetermined distance from the vehicle;

a light receiver configured to receive the infrared light irradiated from the second light source and reflected by a target object in the surrounding of the vehicle; and

a controller configured to control an irradiation area of the visible light irradiated from the first light source based on the infrared light received by the light receiver,

wherein, when determined that there is an abnormality in at least one of the second light source and the light receiver, the controller is configured to control the irradiation area based on the surrounding information of the vehicle obtained from an outside of the vehicle lamp, and

when determined that there is an abnormality in the first light source, the controller stops irradiation of the visible light from the first light source and stops irradiation of the infrared light from the second light source.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 , wherein, when determined that there is an abnormality in at least one of the second light source and the light receiver, the controller controls the irradiation area such that a cut off line formed on the virtual vertical screen by the visible light becomes blurred.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 , wherein, when determined that there is an abnormality in at least one of the second light source and the light receiving unit, the controller is configured to notify abnormality information to a vehicle controller configured to control the entire vehicle.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2 , wherein, when determined that there is an abnormality in at least one of the second light source and the light receiving unit, the controller is configured to notify abnormality information to a vehicle controller configured to control the entire vehicle.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 7, 2020
From: AHMED, FAHIN SYED; MURAMATSU, TAKAO; GOTOH, HITOSHI
To: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 052332/0506 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2019-079173 · Apr 18, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200333182A1 · Oct 22, 2020