Illumination – Vehicle steering mechanism or element moves pivoted lamp or... – Tie rod element controlled
Patent
1990-09-18
1991-07-02
Husar, Stephen F.
Illumination
Vehicle steering mechanism or element moves pivoted lamp or...
Tie rod element controlled
362280, 362293, B60Q 104
Patent
active
050290509
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a dippable vehicle headlamp, particularly a car headlamp, which is constructed to emit ultraviolet light and visible light.
The interest in the use of ultraviolet light for illuminating the forward surroundings of a vehicle has increased in recent years. Ultraviolet light fluoresces a number of materials conventionally used. It is found in this regard that such materials are present in sufficient numbers to enable objects to be discerned from considerable distances when ultraviolet light is used.
The effect is particularly noticeable when a comparison is made between the case where normal white light is used for a dipped or low beam and ultraviolet light is used for a full or far beam. In this case, solely ultraviolet light is present in the light lobe which forms the difference between the full beam and the dipped beam. Naturally, this ultraviolet light will not dazzle the driver of an oncoming vehicle. As before mentioned, despite the fact that this light is not visible the number of fluorescing objects in front of the vehicle is sufficient to enable the driver of a vehicle fitted with headlamps which emit ultraviolet light to discern objects in the path of the vehicle much more easily than is otherwise the case.
The Swedish Patent Specification No. . . . , (Swedish Patent Application No. 8704118-2) (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,628) teaches a vehicle headlamp where the light source is operative to emit both visible and ultraviolet light and where the headlamp is constructed to emit light in accordance with both a full beam lobe and a dipped beam lobe. A vehicle which is fitted with headlamps of this construction must therefore also be fitted with headlamps which are able to emit visible light in the full beam mode of the headlamps. This double array of headlamps may be highly preferable in the case of many vehicles, inter alia because various types of light sources can then be used in the different headlamps.
There have recently been developed light sources which emit both visible and ultraviolet light at suitable densities and which can be used advantageously in a headlamp such as to provide adequate vehicle lighting where the aforersaid double array of headlamps is not necessary.
The problem in this case, however, is that it is not possible to switch quickly between full and dipped beams, since the light sources used to emit ultraviolet light are of the discharge kind. Such light sources incorporate a certain unacceptable ignition time. When only one reflector is provided, it is necessary to use two light sources which are located in mutually different positions relative to the reflector, in order to be able to switch between full and dipped beams.
The present invention solves the problem of being able to switch rapidly between full and dipped beams when using light sources which emit visible and ultraviolet light.
The present invention thus relates to a dippable vehicle headlamp, particularly a car headlamp, which is operative to emit both ultraviolet light and visible light and which includes a light source constructed to emit both visible and ultraviolet light, a reflector and a filter, where the reflector and the light source are intended to emit a light lobe which corresponds approximately to a dipped beam lobe and a full beam lobe and where the filter is operative to filter away visible light but transmit ultraviolet light. The invention is characterised in that the filter can be moved from a first position in which it is remote from the transmission path of said light lobe to a second position in which it is located in the beam path of at least that part of the light lobe which is constituted by the difference between the full beam lobe and the dipped beam lobe, wherewith when the filter is in said second position only ultraviolet light is transmitted in that part of the beam lobe that constitutes said difference, whereas both visible light and ultraviolet light is transmitted in that part of the light lobe which corresponds to the dipped beam lobe.
The invention wil
REFERENCES:
patent: 2343518 (1944-03-01), Baker
patent: 4766526 (1988-08-01), Morimoto et al.
patent: 4951178 (1990-08-01), Shirai et al.
patent: 4970628 (1990-11-01), Bergkvist
Svenska Dagbladet, vol. 105, Jan. 1989 (Stockholm), Dag Bjerke: "Bilstralkastare provas med ljus som varken syns eller blandar", see p. 6.
Dag Bjerke: "Bilstralkastare provas med ljus som varken syns eller blandar".
Husar Stephen F.
Labino Patent AB
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