US1246137A - Headlight-dimmer. - Google Patents

Description

P. MILLER.

HEADLIGHT DIMMER.

APPLICATION FILED MAYII. 19u.

Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

PAUL MILLER, or Buinenron'r, omo.

HEADLIGHl-DIMMER.

Speciiicaton of Letters Patent. Patented NOV, 13,. 1917," 1

Application led May 14, 1917. Serial 1i o. 168,377.

To all whom it may concern: h

Be it known that I, PAUL MILLER, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Bridgeport, county of Belmont,

5 and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Headlight- Diinmers, of' which the following is a speci fication. A

This invention relates broadly to lightcontrolling devices, and more particularly to an anti-glare attachment for headlights.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a comparatively inexpensive attachmeut for the headlights of automobiles and the like whereby the light may be readily cpntrolled either to permit the light to be projected forward in a .practically unobstructed manner for effecting full illumina'- tion of the roadway for a long distance in advance of the car, or to deflect downward the major portion of the light rays for eliminating the objectionable blinding glare, as when meeting another car or pedestrians in the roadway. L

In describing the invention in detail, reference is herein had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is avertical sectional view of an automobile lamp, illustrating the invention applied thereto and showing the vanes in their normal horizontally disposed position;

Fig. 2 is a similar' section of the removable front portion` or door, of the lamp with the vanes occupying inclined position;

Fig. 3 is a central horizontal section of the same;

Fig. 4, is a front elevation of the lamp as shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section showing the pivotal mounting of the Yanes; and-- Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section showing the pivotal connection of the shift bar with the vanos.

Referring to said drawings, in which like designating characters distinguish like parts throughout the several views- 1 indicates the body of a headlight which may be of any appropriate or ordinary form having a lamp Q mounted therein and having a glass face 8 mounted in the removable front portion or door 4 thereof.

Fitted within the rim of the removable front portion or door 4 adjacent to the rear face of the glass 3 is the peripheral flange 5 ofV a circular one-piece frame 6 which is preferably of hollow truncated-cone shape and has its walls disposed adjacent and sub-D stantially parallel to the forward edge pori tion of the walls of the lamp body l. y es; Disposed horizontally across the headlight is a plurality of straight flat metal blades or vanes 15 arranged in two series 7 and 8, said vanes being preferably spaced at equidistant intervals foi' a' purpose which will :j presently be explained. The vanes Aof the upper series 7 which extend fromtli'e top of the headlight to a point approximately midway of the latter, are of uniform width, while the vanes of the lower series 8 uni.- forinly decrease in width from the topmost to the lower-most thereof, as shown. In e practical structure the vanes should probably be spaced about one-fourth inch apart,

and the vanes of the upper series 7 would approximate one inch in width, while the vanes of the lower series 8 would regularly decrease from said width to the lowermost' vane which would approximate one-eighth inch in width'.

The vanes are separately pivoted upon the frame 6, each having a trunnion-like pin '9 lfixed or formed on each end thereof adjacent to its front edge and disposed in alinement therewith, said'pins being loosely lit-ft ted in or projecting through openings 10 85 provided therefor` in said frame, asis most clearly shown in Fig. 5.

Loosely fitted in vertically alined slots 11,vx provided in said vaines is an upright shift-"ivrod 1Q which occupies a position rearward 90 with respect to the pivot-pins 9. Each vane has a pin 13 crossing its slot 11 and passed loosely through ahole 14 provided therefor in said shift rod.r said pins 13 having their opposite ends rigidly mounted upon" the. V vane, as by soldering. The lower endof said shift-rod projects outward through ythe lower part of the headlight and maybe con-m nected to any suita`le mechanism" (nott. shown) whereby it 11i-ay be elevated or low- 100- cred and held in adjusted position.

It will be manifest from the foregoinmdescription that the vanes may be shifted rom a position wherein they lie horizontally to any desired inclined position, and vice versa, by vertically shiftingl the position of the shift-bar. When disposed in horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, but little obstruction is presented by the -vanes to the passage of che rays of light-"emanating rom 110 the lamp 2, and, consequently, pramically maximum illumination of the roadv. ay to a long distance ahead of the car may be obtained. with the vanes in said position.

Vhen, however, it becomes desirable to so rear edge of the next adjacent vane there- ,i

above. In a mean inclined position, as the position shown in Fig, 2, a relatively7 small proportion of the rays are permitted to pass unobstructedly between the vanes of the series 7, and that only in a substantially horizontal direction.

Due to the relatively narrower width of the vanes in the lower series 8, a sharper inclinatlio'n of said vanos is obviously required to intercept a large proportion of the light rays, said vanes permitting a relatively large volume of light to pass therebetween both in a horizontal and in upward directions until Y a very sharp inclination is assumed. It will of course be understood, moreover, that less light will be intercepted at any inclination by those vanes having least width.

It will be manifest that sufiicient light for 85 a fair degree of road illumination will be permitted to pass unobstructedly between the vanes of the lower series 8 when the vanes occupy an eXtreme inclined position wherein practically all of the light rays passing through the upper half of the headlight have irst impinged upon and been delected in a downward direction by the vanes of the upper series. Further, it will be obvious that, unless inclined to an extent less than 450, practically all objectionable blindingdglare will be thereby efectually obliterate Various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to. What is claimed is /li A light-controlling device for headlights, comprising a frame for mounting adjacent to the headlight glass, a plurality of horizontally disposed blades having their maare?.

ends pivoted on said frame, said blades being spaced at a substantially uniform distance apart and being arranged in two series, one series having'the blades thereof of substantially uniform width and the second series having the blades thereof of different width from that of the blades of the first-a4 mentioned series, and'means connected to said blades whereby they may be swung to and from inclined positions.

2. A light-controlling device for. head-` 85 lights, comprising a frame for mounting adjacent to the headlight glass, a plurality of horizontally disposed blades having their ends pivoted on said frame, said blades being spaced at a. substantially uniform distance apart and being arranged in two Series, one series extending from the top of the headlight to an approximately midway point and having the blades thereof of substantially uniform width and the other series extendingl from said midway point to the bottom of the headlight and having the blades thereof gradually decreasing in width from the uppermost to the lowermost, and means for shifting said blades from a horizontal to inclined positions, and vice versa.

3. A light-controlling device for headlights, comprising a frame for mounting adjacent to the headlight glass, a plurality of horizontally disposed 'blades having their 86 ends pivoted on said frame, said blades being arranged in two Series, one series extending from the upper part of the headlight to an approximately midway point and having its blades of substantially uniform width, and the other series extending from said point to the lower part of the headlight and having its blades gradually decreased in width from the topmost to the lowermost thereof, and means connected to said blades whereby they may be shifted to and from inclined positions, the blades of the twoV series having a substantially uniform spacing with respect to each other so that when occupying inclined position the wider blades intercept and deflect light in larger volume than the narrower blades.

In testimony whereof, l afliX my signature in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

lPAUL MLLER.

Witnesses:

H. E. DUNLAP, 'l/V. F.

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