Headlight for vehicle in accordance with projection principle

Details Headlight for vehicle in accordance with projection principle Headlight for vehicle in accordance with projection principle

1999-03-23

2001-02-27

O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)

Illumination

Supported by vehicle structure

Projection-type headlamp

C362S521000, C362S544000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06193400

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a headlight for vehicles operating in accordance with a projection principle.
Such a headlight is disclosed for example in the German patent document DE 32 18 703 81. The headlight has a reflector, a light source and a lens through which the light reflected by the reflector passes. Moreover, the headlight has a light-permeable element which at least partially surrounds the lens over its periphery and has optical profiles. The light emitted by the light source and not engaged by the reflector can pass through the element and can be collected. The element has prisms which form optical profiles and deviate the passing light. With this design of the element, when the light source is turned on, the illuminating surface of the headlight is increased relative to the surface of the lens, so that through the headlight no or an insignificant subjective screening is caused. The light quantity which is emitted by the light source and passed through the element is not sufficient in all conditions to provide a sufficient illumination of the element. With the turned-off light source, the element is dark and the headlight has an undesirable non-uniform appearance. In the headlights operating in accordance with the projection principle, the light emitted by it, has a sharply pronounced upper bright-dark limit which is advantageous for avoiding a blinding of the countertraffic. However, it has the disadvantage that the objects which are arranged high, such as for example traffic boards or information boards are not illuminated or at least not sufficiently illuminated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a headlight for a vehicle which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent herein after, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated in a headlight for a vehicle, in which the headlight has at least one additional light source for producing a limiting light which is arranged so that the light emitted by it at least partially passes through the element.
When the headlight is designed in accordance with the present invention, it has the advantage that by utilization of light emitted by the additional light source which serves for producing a limiting light, the illumination of the element is improved.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the optical profiles of the element are ring-shaped so as to form at least one Fresnel lens. In such a construction, the light emitted by the light source and the additional light source can be collected with a high efficiency.
In accordance with still a further feature of the present invention, at least a partially reflecting layer is arranged in a part of the beam path of the light passing through the element, and faces in a light outlet direction. With this construction, the headlight in the turned-on condition has a brilliant appearance.
In accordance with still a further feature of the present invention, further optical profiles are arranged at least in a part of the beam path of the light passing through the element, so that the light is deviated through the further optical profiles, reflected a region in front of the vehicle above the bright-dark limit of the reflector, and eliminate the light passing through the lens. With these features, a sufficient illumination above the bright-dark limit is provided.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4158222 (1979-06-01), Cook
patent: 4652979 (1987-03-01), Arima
patent: 4949226 (1990-08-01), Makita
patent: 5043856 (1991-08-01), Levin
patent: 5158350 (1992-10-01), Sato
patent: 5353204 (1994-10-01), Kawamura
patent: 5927848 (1999-07-01), Natsume
patent: 32 18 703 A1 (1983-11-01), None

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