# US 12,215,836 B2 · Vehicular headlight

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- Number: US 12,215,836 B2
- Document ID: US12215836B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/267,296
- Filed: 2021-12-09
- Published: 2024-02-01
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2020-12-15
- Assignees: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kazuma Mochizuki; Atsushi Sugimoto; Tomoyuki Ohno; Takashi Terayama; Toshiyuki Tsuchiya; Atsushi Uesugi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12215836B2

## CPC

- B60Q 1/143: {combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers}
- F21S 41/663: by switching light sources (by switching incandescent light sources F21S41/162)
- B60Q 11/00: Arrangement of monitoring devices for devices provided for in groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q9/00
- F21S 41/143: the main emission direction of the LED being parallel to the optical axis of the illuminating device
- F21S 41/153: arranged in a matrix
- F21S 41/25: Projection lenses
- F21S 41/43: characterised by the shape thereof
- F21S 45/10: Protection of lighting devices (cooling of lighting devices F21S45/40; waterproofing of lighting devices F21S45/50)
- F21S 45/40: Cooling of lighting devices
- H05B 45/56: involving measures to prevent abnormal temperature of the LEDs
- B60Q 1/0023: {the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera}
- B60Q 2300/056: Special anti-blinding beams, e.g. a standard beam is chopped or moved in order not to blind
- F21S 41/16: Laser light sources
- F21W 2102/13: for high-beam region or low-beam region
- F21W 2102/145: wherein the light is emitted between two parallel vertical cutoff lines, e.g. selectively emitted rectangular-shaped high beam
- F21W 2102/20: Illuminance distribution within the emitted light
- H05B 45/44: with an active control inside an LED matrix
- H05B 47/155: Coordinated control of two or more light sources
- B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL
- F21W: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO USES OR APPLICATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS

## Abstract

A vehicular headlight (20) includes a first light source unit (41), a second light source unit (61), a temperature sensor (47), and a control unit (110). When the temperature derating is performed on the first light source unit (41) based on the temperature in a state where the light distribution pattern (910) of a low-beam is formed, the control unit (110) controls the power to be supplied to each of a plurality of light-emitting elements (43) so that the light amount of at least a part of the first light with which at least a region (911) of a first light distribution pattern (400) is irradiated decreases as compared with that before the temperature derating.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicular headlight comprising:
a first light source unit including a plurality of light-emitting elements, the plurality of light-emitting elements being arranged such that irradiation regions of first light emitted forward from the plurality of light-emitting elements are arranged in a matrix shape;
a second light source unit that emits second light; and
a control unit, wherein
a light distribution pattern of a low-beam is formed by a first light distribution pattern formed by at least a part of the first light and a second light distribution pattern formed by the second light,
the light distribution pattern of the low-beam includes a first region in which a part of the first light distribution pattern overlaps a part of the second light distribution pattern, and a second region in which another part of the first light distribution pattern does not overlap the second light distribution pattern and which is continuous with the first region and located above the first region,
the control unit performs low-beam temperature derating on the first light source unit based on the temperature of the first light source unit in a state where the light distribution pattern of the low-beam is formed by controlling a power to be supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements so that a light amount of at least a part of the first light with which at least the first region is irradiated in the first light distribution pattern decreases as compared with the light amount of the at least a part of the first light before the temperature derating, and the light amount of the at least the part of the first light with which the first region is irradiated decreases more than the light amount of the at least a part of the first light with which the second region is irradiated.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicular headlight according to claim 1, wherein
the control unit performs the low-beam temperature derating by controlling the power to be supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements so that the light amount of the at least a part of the first light with which the second region is irradiated is less than the light amount of the at least a part of the first light with which the first region is irradiated.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vehicular headlight according to claim 1, wherein
the control unit performs the low-beam temperature derating by controlling the power to be supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements such that the light amount in the first light distribution pattern decreases from an upper edge side of the first light distribution pattern included in the second region toward a lower edge side of the first light distribution pattern included in the first region.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The vehicular headlight according to claim 1, wherein
the control unit performs the low-beam temperature derating by controlling the power to be supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements so that the light amount in the first light distribution pattern decreases from a hot zone of the light distribution pattern of the low-beam toward a peripheral edge side of the first light distribution pattern.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The vehicular headlight according to claim 1, further comprising:
a third light source unit that emits third light, wherein
a light distribution pattern of a high-beam is formed by the first light distribution pattern, the second light distribution pattern, and a third light distribution pattern formed by the third light,
in the light distribution pattern of the high-beam, at least a part of the second region overlaps a part of the third light distribution pattern, and
wherein the control unit performs high-beam temperature derating in a state where the light distribution pattern of the high-beam is formed by controlling the power to be supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements such that a light amount of at least a part of the first light with which at least one of a third region overlapping the part of the third light distribution pattern in the second region and the first region is irradiated decreases as compared to the light amount of the at least a part of the first light before the temperature derating.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The vehicular headlight according to claim 5, wherein
the control unit performs the high-beam temperature derating by controlling the power to be supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements such that the light amount of the at least a part of the first light with which the first region is irradiated decreases more than the light amount of the at least a part of the first light with which the third region is irradiated.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The vehicular headlight according to claim 5, wherein
the control unit performs the low-beam temperature derating by controlling the power to be supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements such that the light amount of the at least a part of the first light with which the third region is irradiated decreases after the light amount of the at least a part of the first light with which the first region is irradiated.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The vehicular headlight according to claim 5, wherein
the control unit performs the low-beam temperature derating by controlling the power to be supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements such that the light amount in the first light distribution pattern decreases from an upper edge side of the first light distribution pattern included in the third region toward a lower edge side of the first light distribution pattern included in the first region.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The vehicular headlight according to claim 5, wherein
the control unit performs the low-beam temperature derating by controlling the power to be supplied to each of the plurality of light-emitting elements so that the light amount in the first light distribution pattern decreases from a hot zone of the light distribution pattern of the high-beam toward a peripheral edge side of the first light distribution pattern.