Adjustable Source (e.g., Bulb Filament) Patents (Class 362/508)
  • Patent number: 7033051
    Abstract: An infrared ray irradiation apparatus for a night vision system which is operated easily and selectively in a visible and infrared ray irradiation mode and an infrared ray irradiation mode, and irradiates infrared rays emitted from a lamp toward an area in front of a car by means of one transmission step (by a tube) and one reflection step (by a reflector), thus irradiating the infrared rays without deterioration in brightness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Jang-Don Choi
  • Patent number: 7027238
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for regulating the brightness of a light source (2), configured as an incandescent lamp, in the illumination beam path (8) of a microscope (1), the brightness of the light source (2) being modifiable by increasing or reducing the electrical power delivered to the light source (2), are characterized in that a red shift, associated with the reduction in the delivered electrical power, of the spectrum of the light emitted by the light source (2) in the illumination beam path (8) is compensated for by way of a variable optical filter (16) that brings about a blue shift of the spectrum. A color-neutral regulation of the brightness of the illuminating light is thereby achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: Leica Microsystems Wetzlar GmbH
    Inventor: Albrecht Weiss
  • Patent number: 6866407
    Abstract: Vehicle headlight including a light emitting unit for emitting a light, an operating member joined with the light emitting unit, the operating member fitted with a magnet, a coil in the vicinity of the operating member for generating a magnetic field, and a housing for holding the operating member and the coil therein, thereby permitting selective lighting of a high beam for regular running at night or a low beam required in crossing an opposite vehicle by using a single light emitting unit and a simple structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignees: CPIKOREA Ltd., Tae.Kyu Park
    Inventor: Tae Kyu Park
  • Patent number: 6824302
    Abstract: Due to an effect of a solenoid of a moving mechanism, when a valve and a shutter are positioned at a first position, a light source is positioned at a first light source position and a shutter is in a state of closing a window. A lighting luminous flux from a light source is reflected by a reflector so as to be irradiated as a first light distribution pattern. Thus, a part of the lighting luminous flux is introduced to the reflector from the open window. Therefore, it is possible to effectively utilize the lighting luminous flux emitted from one valve in correspondence to a light distribution pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2004
    Assignee: Ichikoh Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunio Akizuki, Yasumitsu Nakabayashi
  • Publication number: 20040114387
    Abstract: Vehicle headlight including a light emitting unit for emitting a light, an operating member joined with the light emitting unit, the operating member fitted with a magnet, a coil in the vicinity of the operating member for generating a magnetic field, and a housing for holding the operating member and the coil therein, thereby permitting selective lighting of a high beam for regular running at night or a low beam required in crossing an opposite vehicle by using a single light emitting unit and a simple structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2003
    Publication date: June 17, 2004
    Inventor: Tae Kyu Park
  • Patent number: 6709130
    Abstract: The invention relates to a double-filament halogen incandescent lamp for a motor vehicle headlamp. In order to reduce the light shading effects caused by the filament holder, at least one of the power supply wires (8) is provided with a section (8a) that projects out of the common plane of the power supply wires (7, 8, 9) and is guided past the main filament (5), this section (8a) being shaped such that light beams that are emitted by the main filament (5) perpendicular to its filament axis are not obstructed by the power supply wire (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Pätent-Treuhand-Gesellschaft fuer elektrische Gluehlampen mbH
    Inventors: Gerhard Behr, Peter Helbig, Christian Seichter
  • Publication number: 20040047152
    Abstract: A portable illuminator includes a transmission element with a resilient core received inside the transmission element so that the transmission element is able to be bent to any shape, a connector securely formed on a first distal end of the transmission element and having a connection portion formed with the connector for connection to a power source, and an illuminating unit formed on a second distal end of the transmission element and having therein a housing with a light emitting diode received in a compartment defined in the housing. The connection of the connection portion of the connector to the power source is able to provide electricity to the illuminating unit so that with the resilience of the transmission element, the light emitting diode is able to light an area required.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2002
    Publication date: March 11, 2004
    Inventors: Kuo-Jung Hung, Wei-Yuan Ho
  • Publication number: 20030218884
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a vehicle headlight equipped with a gas-discharge lamp, which is designed such that a high beam mode or a low beam mode is selectively operated by controlling a position of the gas-discharge lamp using a magnetic force, thus making the interior construction of the headlight compact, in addition to the prevention of frequent malfunction of the headlight. The headlight is provided with a lamp control means controlling a position of a bobbin in a housing to selectively operate the low beam mode or the high beam mode. The lamp control means includes a return spring provided in the housing to elastically bias the bobbin forward. A magnet assembly is installed in a rear portion of the housing in such a way as to be adjacent to a rear end of the bobbin. A solenoid is wound around a rear portion of the bobbin and cooperates with the magnet assembly to move the bobbin and a bulb rearward when electric power is applied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2002
    Publication date: November 27, 2003
    Inventor: Si Yung Kim
  • Publication number: 20030202360
    Abstract: A movable reflector with integrally molded bulb assembly retention features. The movable reflector comprises a bore at the center of the reflector for receiving a bulb assembly and retention features integrally molded on the rear side of the reflector to retain the bulb assembly. The movable reflector further comprises mold voids spaced around the bore adjacent to the retention features and extending through the movable reflector so that the structure of the retention features and the movable reflector may be molded in one injection molding step without additional tool movement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2002
    Publication date: October 30, 2003
    Applicant: Guide Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth L. Trimpe, Joseph C. Ballman
  • Patent number: 6637914
    Abstract: When the vehicle body rolls to the oncoming lane, a light source bulb is turned to a direction opposite to a rolling direction to keep the posture of the light source bulb in an erect state. Accordingly, a horizontal cut-off line CL1 of a low-beam light distribution pattern P is prevented from slanting downward to the oncoming lane side. A horizontal cut-off line forming area 20a1 of a reflector 20 is formed with a plurality of reflection elements 20s1a and 20s1b and the like. Those elements are formed extending from the upper end to the lower end and slanting, at an angle of 5°, downward to the optical axis Ax1 with respect to the vertical direction. As a result, when the vehicle body rolls to the oncoming lane side, the reflection elements 20s1a and 20s1b and the like are substantially orthogonal to a light-dark borderline L1 formed by an inner shade 18c of the light source bulb, to thereby sharpen the horizontal cut-off line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2003
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masahito Naganawa
  • Patent number: 6612727
    Abstract: A motor vehicle has left and right hand headlights, each with a reflector having a complex surface with a lamp fitted within the reflector. Each lamp has a dipped or passing beam filament and a main beam filament. The position of the main beam filament is defined by its angular position with respect to a position of origin vertically below the main axis of the lamp, on a circle centered on the main axis, the main beam filament being oriented positively in the trigonometric direction looking forward along the main axis. The angular position of each main beam filament is in the range between −90° and +90°, and is different for each headlight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventor: Régis Nouet
  • Patent number: 6585401
    Abstract: A sliding contact is formed by a first terminal 40 fixed to a side of a lamp base flange 2 and a second terminal 41 fixed to a side of a slider 7. Accordingly, it is possible to supply an electric current to a glass tube 9 without bending a harness 3. Therefore, a harness 3 is not deteriorated, and a resistance at a time of sliding the glass tube 9 is not increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Ichikoh Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunio Akizuki, Yasumitsu Nakabayashi
  • Patent number: 6558030
    Abstract: A motor vehicle headlight has a reflector with two focal regions, a light source in one of these focal regions producing a pool of reflected light in the other focal region, and a lens which converts the pool of light into a beam projected on the road. The headlight includes means for displacing the light source with respect to the reflector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventors: Eric Blusseau, Alexis Dubrovin, Benny Grigorescu, Laurent Jeannot
  • Publication number: 20030067787
    Abstract: A vehicle lamp including a light-emitting diode and a lighting circuit for the light-emitting diode, a lamp chamber defined by a lamp body and a lens that covers the front of the lamp body, an LED circuit board which is disposed in the lamp chamber and on which the light-emitting diode and the lighting circuit are provided, and a cord for connecting the LED circuit board to an electric power supply; and in addition a limiting resistor for limiting a supply current for the light-emitting diode being provided on a part of the cord that is located outside the lamp chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2002
    Publication date: April 10, 2003
    Applicant: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tomoaki Serizawa
  • Publication number: 20020159268
    Abstract: When the vehicle body rolls to the oncoming lane, a light source bulb is turned to a direction opposite to a rolling direction to keep the posture of the light source bulb in an erect state. Accordingly, a horizontal cut-off line CL1 of a low-beam light distribution pattern P is prevented from slanting downward to the oncoming lane side. A horizontal cut-off line forming area 20a1 of a reflector 20 is formed with a plurality of reflection elements 20s1a and 20s1b and the like. Those elements are formed extending from the upper end to the lower end and slanting, at an angle of 5°, downward to the optical axis Ax1 with respect to the vertical direction. As a result, when the vehicle body rolls to the oncoming lane side, the reflection elements 20s1a and 20s1b and the like are substantially orthogonal to a light-dark borderline L1 formed by an inner shade 18c of the light source bulb, to thereby sharpen the horizontal cut-off line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2002
    Publication date: October 31, 2002
    Applicant: KOITO MANUFACTURING CO., LTD
    Inventor: Masahito Naganawa
  • Publication number: 20020145880
    Abstract: A motor vehicle has left and right hand headlights, each with a reflector having a complex surface with a lamp fitted within the reflector. Each lamp has a dipped or passing beam filament and a main beam filament. The position of the main beam filament is defined by its angular position with respect to a position of origin vertically below the main axis of the lamp, on a circle centered on the main axis, the main beam filament being oriented positively in the trigonometric direction looking forward along the main axis. The angular position of each main beam filament is in the range between −90° and +90°, and is different for each headlight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2002
    Publication date: October 10, 2002
    Inventor: Regis Nouet
  • Patent number: 6416209
    Abstract: A vehicle puddle light assembly is provided in an opening formed in a body panel of a vehicle. A socket including a housing and at least one contact coupled to the housing is disposed within the opening and coupled to the body panel adjacent the opening. A lamp is coupled to the contact within the housing. A lens is coupled to the socket outboard of the lamp. The lens has an opaque upper portion and a transmissive lower portion having a plurality of facets formed therein for projecting light from the assembly and a predominantly downward and outboard direction. The housing includes a reflective upper portion for directing radiation from the lamp toward the transmissive portion of the lens and a reflective lower portion for directing radiation from the lamp toward a reflective surface of the lens formed inboard of the opaque upper portion. The radiation is then redirected toward the reflective upper portion of the housing and then toward the transmissive portion of the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler Corporation
    Inventor: Glenn W Abbott
  • Publication number: 20020024819
    Abstract: In first to third support wires (12, 13, 14) connected to a low beam filament L and a high beam filament H, which are arranged in the light source bulb 9, a bent portion 13a is formed by bending the second support wire 13 from a curved portion 13c towards the first support wire at an obtuse angle &thgr;2, and each rear lead Lb, Hb of the low beam filament L and the high beam filament H is connected to the bent portion 13a.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2001
    Publication date: February 28, 2002
    Applicant: ICHIKOH INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihito Inoue, Yasuhiro Okubo
  • Publication number: 20020001197
    Abstract: A motor vehicle headlight has a reflector with two focal regions, a light source in one of these focal regions producing a pool of reflected light in the other focal region, and a lens which converts the pool of light into a beam projected on the road. The headlight includes means for displacing the light source with respect to the reflector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2001
    Publication date: January 3, 2002
    Inventors: Eric Blusseau, Alexis Dubrovin, Benny Grigorescu, Laurent Jeannot
  • Patent number: 6325528
    Abstract: A motor vehicle headlight assembly switchable between low-beam and high-beam modes of operation includes a housing, a reflector component mounted in the housing for displacement relative thereto between a plurality of beam aiming positions, and a light source component mounted in the housing for movement relative to the reflector component between a low-beam position and a high-beam position. A motor is provided for displacing the reflector component between the plurality of beam aiming positions relative to the housing. To selectively move the light source component between, and for holding the light source component in at least one of, its low-beam and high-beam positions relative to the reflector component, use is being made of the motor and of an electromagnet operated in sequential cooperation with the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Erwin Wittmeier, Heinz Grimm
  • Patent number: 6247835
    Abstract: A vehicle headlight includes a driving unit capable of repeatedly switching the headlight's light distribution pattern between a by-passing mode and a traveling mode by moving an element committed to the formation of the light distribution patterns. The driving unit includes a first spring for biasing a positioning element in a by-passing mode, a meshing gear for moving the positioning element to a traveling mode position against the bias of the first spring, a motor which supplies power to drive the meshing gear, a second spring biased in an engaging direction of the meshing gear, a solenoid for releasing the engagement of the meshing gear with a second gear against the pulling power of the second spring. The disclosed headlight enables size reduction of the driving unit, and provides improved reliability if the motor malfunctions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Stanley Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hitoshi Taniuchi
  • Patent number: 6186651
    Abstract: A projector headlamp utilizing only a single HID bulb for projecting light in a forward direction generally along a horizontal axis selectably between low beam and high beam conditions while shifting the hot spot as required between these conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Edwin Mitchell Sayers, Balvantrai Patel, David Vozenilek, Jeyachandrabose Chinniah, Jose M. Cruz, Jeffrey Allen Erion, Jaroslav Purma, Milan Cejnek
  • Patent number: 6152584
    Abstract: The improved vehicle headlight has both leveling device and beam switching device which drives bulb displacing mechanism to displace light source bulb relative to reflector along its optical axis. In addition to driving the bulb displacing mechanism to displace the light source bulb relatively in a determined amount, actuator of the leveling device is driven to tilt the reflector through a determined angle, whereby a low beam is switched to a high beam and vice versa. Compared to the conventional system that performs beam switching by merely driving the bulb displacing mechanism, the vehicle headlight enables the same bulb displacing mechanism to displace the light source bulb through simple relative movements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2000
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Michio Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 6043614
    Abstract: A magnetic field controller has been developed, which allows magnetic deflection of the arc of an alternating current high intensity discharge (HID) lamp. The controller consists of a driving circuit and an electromagnet. The system delivers a fast switching magnetic field, which can follow the alternating current signal of an alternating current HID ballast. The method minimizes the electromagnet's inductance and uses fast reacting ferromagnetic materials (Ni--Zn ferrite). To achieve the required magnetic field, a current amplifier was developed to pick up the signal from the alternating current ballast and drive the electromagnet with up to two amperes. The alternating magnetically deflected HID lamp system allows the use of magnetic deflection for alternating current HID lamps. A vehicle headlamp system can achieve multiple beam functions (day light running, low beam and high beam) of a headlight system with only one alternating current lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Osram Sylvania Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Tessnow, Robert W. Flanagan, Jr., Donald F. Garrity, Jr.
  • Patent number: 5997162
    Abstract: The efficiency of a horizontally operated arc discharge lamp has been found to be substantially improved by the application of a transverse magnetic field. The magnetic field moves the arc downward, away from the upper wall of the lamp envelope. The magnetic field moves the arc so that the outer mantel that otherwise would make contact with side walls of the envelope stand away from the envelope wall. With the arc withdrawn from the wall, less energy is lost in heating the envelope, resulting in more energy be directed to the emission of light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Osram Sylvania Inc.
    Inventors: George J. English, Michael D. Tucker, Jean M. Evans, Harold L. Rothwell
  • Patent number: 5971574
    Abstract: An automobile headlight including a single movable light source which does not change the angle of its optical axis relative to the optical axis of the reflector. The light source is coupled to an apparatus capable of changing the position of the light source depending on the driving state of the automobile. The headlight has sufficient light distribution patterns for multiple driving conditions, such as when the automobile is traveling straight ahead, by-passing another vehicle, or carrying a heavy load, without changing the angle of the optical axis of the light source relative to the optical axis of the reflector. This allows the driver to maintain good visibility while prolonging the life of the headlight and reducing its overall size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Stanley Electric Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Hitoshi Taniuchi, Hiroshi Iwasaki, Takashi Futami
  • Patent number: 5911502
    Abstract: The present invention provides a a headlight operable as a running light of a vehicle and, in particular, as a headlight of the vehicle for selectively projecting a low and a high beam. The headlight includes a reflector having a light source disposed therein. A beam position adjusting device operates to move the light source between its low beam position and its high beam position. The beam position adjusting device includes an electric powered drive motor and a displaceable interconnecting element interconnecting the beam position adjusting device and the light source. The device also includes a motion translation element for translating the drive output of the drive motor to displacement of the displaceable interconnecting element, the beam position adjusting device being operable to dispose the light source in its high beam position. A return movement device automatically biases the light source to move to its low beam disposition when the drive motor is not powered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 15, 1999
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Ulrich Zillgitt, Stefan Hammerstingl, Werner Schulze, Thilo Wagner, Andreas Hammele, Elefterios Konto