US1430380A - Dirigible headlight for motor vehicles - Google Patents

Description

R. D. lNNIS.

DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5,1921.

TMSQSHOI Patented epfi. 26, 11922.

Patented Sept. 26, 1922.

ROBERT DONALD INNIS,

OF MAR IQN, INDIANA.

DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES,

Application filed July 5, 1921. Serial No. 482,343.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT DONALD INNIs, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Marion, county of Grant, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dirigible Headlights for Motor Vehicles, of which the following is a full and clear specification.

The object of this invention is to simplify and improve that type of headlight-shifting devices operated by fluid-pressure, and the invention consists of certain novel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings- 1 Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 represent views of the preferred form of my apparatus applied to the steering-wheel of a well-known type of vehicle.

In the drawing, I have illustrated but one set of devices. at one side of the vehicle, but it will be understood that these devices are duplicated on the opposite side. In this construction, 5 designates the headlight-casing which is rigidly mounted upon an upright tube 6, which tube is rotatably supported at its lower end upon the upper end of an upright cylinder 7 aflixed, desirably, to the adjacent vehicle spring. The manner of attaching and supporting the tube 6 to the cylinder 7 may be greatly varied; in the present instance I have shown the tube 6 provided with an annular flange 8 which is confined between two sets of roller-bearings 9, which bearings are held to the flange 8 by means of a pair of telescoping caps 10 and 11 bolted to the head of the cylinder 7.

In the tube 6 is adapted to reciprocate a head 12 provided 'with lug 13 engaging a spiral groove 14 formed in the interior of tube 6. The head 12 is attached to a pair of piston-rods 15 which work through suitable stuffing-boxes in the head of cylinder 7 and are connected to a solid, i. e. valveless, piston 16 working in said cylinder 7.

Supported on the front axle 17 is another cylinder 18 similar in diameter to cylinder 7, and the respective ends of the cylinder 18 are connected by tubes 19 and 20 to the respective ends of the aforesaid cylinder 7. In the cylinder 18 works a solid, i. e. valveless. piston 21 connected to a piston-rod 22 working through one head of the cylinder 18 and connected to the adjacent arm 23 of the usual steering-knuckle.

The operation of my device will be ap parent from the foregoing. Oscillations of the steering-knuckle 23 will be communicated to the power-piston 21, and, by rea-- son of the liquid (preferably a heavy hydrocarbon) confined in the cylinders and the tubes, the movements of piston 21 will be duplicated in piston 16 and thus shift the cylinder-head 12 up and down Within the tube 6. The movements of the head 12 (this head being held against rotation by the use of the two piston-rods 15) will cause the tube 6, carrying with it the headlight, to rotate back and forth. It will thus be seen that the parts described may be so arranged as to cause the headlight to closely and promptly follow the movements of the steering-wheels and thus keep the rays from the headlight directed on the roadway ahead, irrespective of lateral curvature thereof.

It is desirable that the piston-rod 22 shall be connected to the knuckle-arm 23 by an adjustable clamp24 so that binding in the operation of the device will be avoided; this binding of the parts will be further avoided by mounting {the power-cylinder 18 so as to have a pivotal action on the pivot 25 carried by the axle. It will be observed also that the displacement of the single piston-rod 22 in the power-cylinder must equal the displacement of the two'piston-rods 15 in the cylinder 7, so that a given movement of the power-piston will always cause an exactly similar movement of the fluid-actuated piston 16.

It will beunderstood that the device will be operative with the two'cylinders 7 and 18 similar in cubical area or the cylinders may be of different cubical capacities so long as they are )roportionate for instance,

the power cylin er 18 may have twice the 1 capacity as the actuator cylinder 7, it being simply essential that the screw-thread groove 14 shall. have the pitch necessary to, give the headlight the necessary angular movement with a given stroke of the actuatorhead 12; also the actuator cylinder 7 may be twice as large as the lower, power cylinder, the movement of the piston- 16 being thereby reduced by half, it being of course necessary in this instance to decrease the pitch of thethread, making it more oblique.

For the purpose of assuring ease of movement of the actuator-head in cylinder 6, I avoid compressing the air in the upper end of this cylinder 6 by providing an airvent 6.

The nature and scope of the invention having been thus indicated and its preferred embodiment having been specifically described, what is claimed as new is:

1. In an apparatus of the class set forth, a rotatable headlight, a fluid-actuated means rotating the headlight, and a power-actuated means for actuating the aforesaid means from the steering gear of the vehicle, said power-actuated means embodying a cylinder pivotally mounted on the vehicle, a piston and piston-rod therefor, and means for adjustably attaching the piston-rod to the steering knuckle.

2. In an apparatus of the class set forth, a fluid power device connected to the knuckle of the steering mechanism of the vehicle embodying a cylinder pivotally mounted on the vehicle and a piston Working therein, and a headlight-turning mechanism embodying a cylinder and a piston therein, the two cylinders having their respective ends connected together by a pair of flexible conduits.

3. In an apparatus of the class set forth, a rotatable headlight andn eans for actuating it from an adjacent part of the steering mechanism oi the vehicle embodying an upright tube and a spiral groove in its interior, an actuating head engaging said asoseo groove, and means for moving said head up and down.

4. in an apparatus of the class set forth, a rotatable headlight and means for actuating it from an adjacent part of the steering mechanism of the vehicle embodying an upright tube and a spiral groove in,,its interior, an actuating head engaging said groove, and means for moving said head up and down embodying a fluid-actuated piston, and a fluid power piston actuated from the steering-knuckle of the vehicle.

5. In an apparatus of the class set forth, a power cylinder and a. solid piston therein, the latter. being connected to the steering mechanism of the vehicle, a fluid-actuated piston working in a cylinder, means connecting this piston with a turnable headlight, and two tubes connecting the respective ends of the power cylinder with the respective ends of the actuating cylinder.

6. In an apparatus of the class set forth, an upright cylinder, a piston working therein having a piston-rod extending out through the top end or the cylinder, a rotatable tube mounted upon the top end of the cylinder and carrying a headlight at its upper end, means whereby reciprocation of said piston will rotate said tube, and fluid power means actuated by the steering mechanism of the vehicle for reciprocating said piston,

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature,

ROBERT DQNLALD LNNIS.

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