Plural Separate Sections With Complex Surfaces Patents (Class 362/518)
  • Patent number: 6000816
    Abstract: A head lamp in which the sub-lamp luminous intensity distribution pattern is designed to control light from a discharge bulb by a plurality of reflective surface elements constituting the reflective surface of a reflector even in such a state that the reflector has been subjected to aiming adjustment. A reflective surface element (22As1) which is positioned in the outermost side portion out of a plurality of reflective surface elements (22As) constituting the horizontal cut-line forming area (22A) of a reflector reflective surface (22) has a concave horizontal sectional shape and rays of the light reflected from the reflective surface element (22As1) are made to horizontally cross each other so as to form a luminous intensity distribution pattern (PA1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Serizawa, Naoki Uchida
  • Patent number: 5980067
    Abstract: An indicator light for a motor vehicle includes a lamp, a reflector, a cover lens, and a screen placed between the lamp and the cover lens so as to mask the lamp. The reflector has a set of deflecting panels or facets, adjacent to each other and arranged to generate a plurality of secondary light sources visible within a given field of observation.Each deflecting panel comprises a central zone having a contour, projected orthogonally on the optical axis, which is generally rectangular with horizontal and vertical sides and adapted to cover the whole field of illumination, together with at least one pair of peripheral zones with oblique sides, smoothly extending the central zone on two opposed sides of the central zone. The peripheral zones together also cover the whole field of illumination. Each deflecting panel reveals at least two virtual light sources within a given field of observation, when viewed from any angle within that field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventors: Pierre Albou, Jean-Claude Gasquet
  • Patent number: 5975731
    Abstract: A motor vehicle headlight comprises a reflector, a bulb, a glass, and a direct light mask provided in front of the bulb and mounted on the reflector by at least one generally vertical bracket. The reflector has a reflective surface capable of generating by itself a beam whose light is distributed widthwise in a homogeneous manner, between a zero inclination and a maximum inclination. The reflector has two lateral zones delimited by axial vertical limit-planes passing in the vicinity of the edges of the bracket or brackets, the reflective surfaces of which are such that the radiation changes progressively, from these limit-planes, between an essentially zero horizontal deviation and a divergent horizontal deviation, and a central zone situated between the said limit-planes and capable of directing a substantial part of the radiation away from the transition zones constituted by the edges of the bracket or brackets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventors: Denis Saladin, Eric Blusseau
  • Patent number: 5975723
    Abstract: A light for a vehicle has a reflector, a light source, a light-permeable disk covering a light outlet opening, the reflector having a central region which surrounds the light source and a lateral region, the central region of the reflector having a lateral opening through which a light emitted by the light source can reach the lateral reflector region, the lateral reflector region having at least in one zone a plurality of stepped reflection profiles, the lateral reflector region having an upper edge and a lower edge, at least one reflection segment arranged near one of the edges so that a light emitted from the light source impinges on the reflection segment through the opening of the central reflection region, the reflection segment having a greater extension than the reflection profile at least in a horizontal direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Hans Daumueller, Heinz Ruckwied, Ursula Bristle
  • Patent number: 5967647
    Abstract: The headlight has a light source (12) which is mounted in a main reflector (10) by which a convergent light beam is reflected, which passes through a lens (16). An additional reflector (22) is arranged surrounding the main reflector (10) between the main reflector (10) and the lens (16), by which light not captured by the main reflector (10) is reflected as an additional light beam with horizontal scattering. The light beam passing through the lens (16) forms a low beam, by which a predetermined low beam light distribution is provided with an upper light-dark boundary. The additional light beam produces an additional uniform light distribution, which overlaps the low-beam light distribution. The headlight illuminates a larger surface than the surface of the lens (16) because of the additional reflector (22) surrounding the main reflector (10) and the lens (16) so that it causes no glare or blinding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Heike Eichler
  • Patent number: 5951156
    Abstract: A motor vehicle headlamp has a light source, such as the filament of an incandescent lamp, of a kind which emits light freely around it, together with a reflector and a cover lens. The reflector is adapted so that, by reflection from the light source, it can produce, by itself, a light beam which is delimited by a cut-off defined by a horizontal half cut-off line and a raised cut-off line which is raised by a predetermined angle of cut-off elevation with respect to the horizontal.The reflector consists of two zones, which are separated by two transition half planes that pass close to the source, namely a first zone consisting of a surface for producing images of the light source offset on the side towards the horizontal half cut-off line and extending below, and close to, the latter, and a second zone consisting of a surface which produces images of the light source offset on the side towards the raised half cut-off line and extending below and close to the latter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Valeo Vision
    Inventors: Laurent Evrard, Denis Saladin
  • Patent number: 5944415
    Abstract: In a vehicle lamp, an upper wall and a lower wall are extended forwardly from the upper and lower edge of the main reflecting surface of a concave reflector in such a manner that the upper wall and the lower wall are substantially in parallel with the optical axis of the main reflecting surface, the upper wall has an inner surface in which a step surface is formed, and a mirror-finished flat surface is formed in the inner surface of the lower wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Kurita, Shinji Watanabe
  • Patent number: 5931575
    Abstract: A light emitting reference point is set for a light source attached to a reflecting mirror having an opening on one end thereof, and it is assumed that a point light source is set on the reference point. Then, a reference surface formed as a set of half lines extending from the reference point to an arbitrary point on a front end edge of a socket arranged so as to interrupt rays of light from the point light source. Then, a partial surface of the basic surface of a reflective surface around the socket is arranged so that the partial surface projects more frontward than the reference surface, and a curved form of the partial surface is arranged so that the rays of light emitted from the point reach everywhere on the surface. Then, a group of paraboloids of revolution formed by a number of paraboloids of revolution whose focal distances are different from one another, is prepared, and intersecting lines between the basic surface and the group of paraboloids of revolution are obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norimasa Yamamoto, Norihiro Nishitani, Yoshiaki Furuya
  • Patent number: 5931574
    Abstract: An automobile headlamp with a reflecting surface comprising a plurality of light distribution steps arranged on the surface. Out of the plurality of light distribution steps 12a constituting the reflecting surface 12, the light distribution steps 12aA, 12aB positioned at upper left and upper right corners with respect to an optical axis Ax of a reflector 10 are formed so that luminous fluxes of reflected light from upper areas A1, B1 thereof and luminous fluxes of reflected light from lower areas A2, B2 thereof can emit downward with broken lines interposed therebetween. As a result of this construction, even if headlamp parts forming accuracy requirements are not adequately met, undesired upward emitting of the luminous fluxes of reflected light from the upper areas A1, B1 is prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Naoki Uchida
  • Patent number: 5926329
    Abstract: A reflection mirror includes a main reflection portion including a region close to a main optical axis of the reflection mirror, and circumferential wall portions surrounding the main reflection portion. An inner surface of the circumferential wall portions of the reflection mirror is formed into an inclined surface with respect to the main optical axis of the reflection mirror, and such an inclined surface is made to be smoothly continuous to an inner surface of the main reflection portion to thereby form a fundamental surface of a reflection surface. Then, a group of paraboloids of revolution consisting of many paraboloids of revolution whose focal distances are different from one another is prepared. Then, intersecting lines between the fundamental subrace of the reflection surface and the group of paraboloids of revolution are obtained. Further, many reflection steps are formed on the main reflection portion and the circumferential wall portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norimasa Yamamoto, Masahiro Maeda, Takashi Sone
  • Patent number: 5876114
    Abstract: In the formation of a basic surface of a reflection surface of a reflection mirror for a vehicle lamp, when a reference curve is established on a horizontal surface containing the optical axis or on an inclined surface inclined with respect to the horizontal surface, a light source, the central axis of which extends along the optical axis, is arranged close to the reference point of the reference curve. Then the reference curve is composed when a hyperbolic portion having a focus on the optical axis and an elliptical portion also having a focus on the optical axis are repeatedly arranged in a direction separate from the optical axis, and an angle of the reflecting light, which has been emitted from the light source, with respect to the optical axis at a point on each curve portion of the reference curve, is determined in such a manner that the closer to the optical axis the curve portion is, the larger the angle is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1999
    Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Naohi Nino