An illumination apparatus that illuminates an illumination zone having a first direction and a second direction crossing the first direction is provided with a light source to emit a coherent light beam, and a diffraction optical device to diffract the coherent light beam incident from the light source. The diffraction optical device diffracts the incident coherent light beam so that a width of the illumination zone in the second direction gradually becomes wider along the first direction of the illumination zone from a nearer side to the diffraction optical device.

The present invention relates to an optical element (1), an optical module and a vehicle. The optical element (1) comprises: a light incident section (10) for receiving light directly from a light source; a light exit section (30) having a focal plane (P); and a third section (20) that directs light from the light incident section (10) toward the light exit section (30) in a predetermined manner to generate a predetermined low beam distribution or high beam distribution, where the optical element (1) is implemented integrally.

A vehicle head lamp includes a spatial light modulator and a control device. The vehicle head lamp forms a desired light distribution pattern by radiating light forward via the spatial light modulator, a high luminous intensity region and a low luminous intensity region adjacent to an outer edge of the high luminous intensity region are formed in the desired light distribution pattern to be irradiated by controlling the spatial light modulator, the low luminous intensity region is configured such that the luminous intensity decreases gradationally from the outer edge of the high luminous intensity region toward an outside of the low luminous intensity region, and the control device controls the spatial light modulator so as to relatively change at least one of sizes, luminous intensities, and positions of the high luminous intensity region and the low luminous intensity region based on a traveling condition of a vehicle.

The method of the invention comprises: obtaining a sequence of at least two images, with different levels of illumination; extracting the region containing the sign in the image; calculating the luminance values of the signs; and obtaining the difference in luminance of the sign corresponding to the two levels of illumination. The value obtained is the luminance of the sign (11) corresponding to an illumination equal to the difference between the illuminations, or additional illumination. This result is based on the additive property of luminance, according to which the luminance of a sign is the sum of the luminance produced by each source of illumination. A basic illumination device (5), an additional illumination device (7), at least one camera for taking images, and image recording, positioning and synchronism systems are required to implement the method.

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for generating fiber delivered laser-induced dynamically controlled white light emission. The apparatus includes a laser diode unit for generating a laser electromagnetic radiation with a blue emission in a range from 395 nm to 490 nm that is delivered by an optical fiber. The apparatus further includes a dynamic phosphor unit configured to receive the laser exited from the optical fiber and controllably deflect a beam focused by a first optics sub-unit to a surface spot on a phosphor plate to produce a white light emission. Additionally, and the dynamic phosphor unit includes a second optics sub-unit configured to collect the white light emission and to project to a far field. Furthermore, the apparatus includes an electronics control unit comprising a laser diode driver and a MEMS driver for respectively control the laser diode unit and the dynamic phosphor unit in mutually synchronized manner.

An illumination device includes: a predetermined range illumination section capable of illuminating a predetermined range with illumination light emitted from a mobile object; and an eye direction detection section for detecting the direction of the eyes of a driver of the mobile object and/or the direction of the face of the driver. The predetermined range illumination section controls the distribution of the illumination light or the on/off of the illumination light based on the direction of the eyes of the driver and/or the direction of the face of the driver, detected by the eye direction detection section.

A vehicle lamp is provided, which is capable of changing the clearness of a contrast boundary line correspondingly to a traveling state or a traveling environment of a vehicle. The vehicle lamp is mounted in a vehicle and configured to form a prescribed light distribution pattern including a contrast boundary line, the vehicle lamp including: a sensor provided in the vehicle; and a clearness control unit configured to change clearness of the contrast boundary line correspondingly to a detection result of the sensor.

A driver assistance system for a motor vehicle, wherein the driver assistance system includes at least one vehicle camera for detecting the vehicle surroundings and a control device having an image data processing unit which is provided for evaluating the image data supplied by the vehicle camera in order to recognize objects along a road being driven on by the motor vehicle, wherein the control device controls at least one headlamp of the motor vehicle as a function of the recognized objects and the respective object priorities thereof in order to illuminate the vehicle surroundings.

Disclosed is an optical unit wherein a rotating reflector rotates about a rotation axis in one direction, while reflecting light emitted from a light source. The rotating reflector is provided with a reflecting surface such that the light reflected by the rotating reflector, while rotating, forms a desired light distribution pattern, said light having been emitted from the light source. The light source is composed of light emitting elements. The rotation axis is provided within a plane that includes an optical axis and the light source. The rotating reflector is provided with, on the periphery of the rotation axis, a blade that functions as the reflecting surface.

A control device may include a sensing unit configured to sense a topographical state of a road surface on which a vehicle is travelling. The control device may also include at least one processor configured to, based on the topographical state of the road surface being a first topographical state, control a head lamp of the vehicle to be in a first output state that outputs light to a first area ahead of the vehicle. The at least one processor may also be configured to, based on the topographical state of the road surface changing to a second topographical state different from the first topographical state, control the head lamp of the vehicle to change to a second output state that maintains the output of the light to the first area ahead of the vehicle.