US 6,981,787 B2
Electric control for automobile headlights
Heather Steiner Brown, Birmingham, Mich. (US)
Assigned to Visteon Global Technologies, Inc., Dearborn, Mich. (US)
Filed on Dec. 18, 2001, as Appl. No. 10/25,585.
Prior Publication US 2003/0112631 A1, Jun. 19, 2003
Int. Cl. B60Q 1/076 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 362—467 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle adaptive frontlighting system for changing the direction of the light emitted by a headlight system in a vehicle, the frontlighting system comprising:
a movable headlight;
an electronic control unit located proximate to the movable headlight and connectable to the moveable headlight;
a housing having a metallic sphere, wherein the housing is mounted on the electronic control unit, wherein the metallic sphere moves within the housing based on an acceleration by the vehicle; and
at least one sensor mounted to the housing and connectable to the electronic control unit, wherein the sensor measures the movement of the metallic sphere, thereby moving the movable headlight without an input measuring a steering wheel angle of the vehicle;
wherein the housing further comprises a viscous liquid surrounding the metallic sphere;
wherein the friction between the metallic sphere and the viscous liquid is low, such pressure exerted by the viscous fluid when the metallic sphere moves within the housing;
wherein the at least one sensor measures the pressure exerted by the viscous liquid.