US1674507A - Antiglare screen for headlights - Google Patents

Description

June 19, 1928.

R. o. FERGUSON ANTIGLARE SCREEN 1 0R HEADLIGHTS Filed March 28, 1927 This invention has relation to headlights Patented June 19, 1928.

, UNITED STATES ROBERT 0. FERGUSON, F BRISTOL, rnnn'nssnn, risers-non. or ONE-HALF TO LoUIse.

sTEnoHI, or nnrs'roL, rnrmnssnn.

. 'ANTIGLARE .sonnnn' j son. 'Ii-IEA DLlGI-ITS.

Application filedlvitarclrz, Lear. 'i.-'eria1179,058.

for automobiles, locomotives, or other purposes, and is partlcularly concerned with 'dGVlCGS' for preventing the ob]ectionable I glarethrown out by such lights.

It'has been proposed heretofore to provide Various arrangements ofscreenswvhich are placed either in front of, or in some. relation to the light or its reflector in order that the beam of light will'be obscured in whole or in part so. as to prevent the objectionable glare, which frequently causes accidents because. of its blinding effect upon the driver of an approaching vehicle. The present invention is concerned with screens of-this character, but embodies certain im- V provements therein which produce superior results, in that the objectionable rays are obscured so that they are prevented from in uriously 'afi'ectmg the sight of an approaching motorist, and at the same time. the beam of light is pro ected upon the roadway in a: manner :to illuminatethe same even better than ifthe device was not'used.

With the above, and other important objects in view, the invention consists in the construction hereinafter more particularly described, the novel features-of-which will bepointedout in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferredembodiments of the 'in: vention: Y

Fig. 1 is a'vertical sectional view of a screen, the lamp to which'it-is applied being shown by brokenlines;

Fig.- 2 shows the same form-of screen in front elevation v Fig. 3 is a front view ota lamp witha slightly modified form of screen applied thereto; i

Figu is'a frontelevation of the screen" in Fig. 3 apart from the lamp," g

- Y ,with the axis, such, rays being partly reillustrated and; I

Fig' 5 isa vertical sectional view on the line"5y5, Fig. 4c;

Referrin first to Fig. 2,..the screen 1 is in the form of a sector or wedge, and comprisesthe inclined, converging sidesJQ, arouate top portiond, and slats 6 which are 'supported from the inclined sides Qby reduced neck portions I 8, the slats being angularly turned in parallelism so as to lncline downwardly and outwardly from the inside ofthe lamp. Below the parallel arc-shaped slats 6 is a circular slat 10, also connected v g I remorglare device in position. Preferably, but

not necessarily, the screen is positioned back of the. lens L of the lamp and, in front of the light 15., although it may be located infront of the lens, but this isnottas conven ient a method of assembly as wherethe screen is positioned back ofthe lens and inside of the lamp where it will be protect. ed from disarrangement.

VVlien located in the position shown it will be seen that the screen as an entirety is sector-shaped, being formed as a narrow wedge, and that the slats are turned angularly about their centers or axes 8. This arrangement resultsincutting. out'or screen ing the direct parallel rays from a sectorshaped portionof the .beamof light projected from the'reflector R, and this section obscures portion of the rays; which would be projected forwardly, and such rays are those that would produce the objectionable.

glare. The rays oflight which are reflected against the back of the slats'6 of the screen are. in" part returned to the reflector .R and in part reflected downwardly upon the road in front ofthe'light, the lowermost slat .10

being positioned directly in front'of the light 1.5, the direct rays of which latter are accordingly screened and are prevented from:

being projected forwardly ina line parallel fiected upwardly and backwardly, and partly downwardly and forwardly, as is the case with the rays of light projected against the inside of the slats 6.

The screening eiiect oft-his device has upon actual demonstrations thereof been.

of shadows upon the road is avoided and the fill (ill

This construction includes an upper curved rim 11 from which extend downwardly converging side portions 43, and a lower curved rim portion 42 having upwardly extending convergent sides 44. Are shaped slats 16 are suspended by narrow portions 16 be tween the convergent sides of the upper and lower portions of the screen, the slats 16 being all inclined downwardly, as shown in Fig. 5, and being bent from the axes 16 of the slats, so that said slats extend equally upon opposite sides of the plane of the screen as an entirety, as shown in Fig. 5. At the central portion of the screen a preferably circular slat 18 is supported from its axial portions 18, the slat being adapted for location immediately in front of the lamp,v the same as the slat 10, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Upper and lower tabs 13 project from the curved'eXtremities 41, 42, respectively, of the screen, and are adapted to be bent about the circular portion of the lamp for attaching the screen in position thereon. as in the construction first described. In this form of the device it will be noted that those rays of the beam of light which would be projected below the center of the light, and

would constitute an objectionable glare,

where the light was placed higher than the elevationof the headlights in an ordinary automobile, would be obscured. This form of the device is accordlngly particularly useful in connection with locomotive head lights, or other headlights which are placed high, and where a screening device like that shown in Fig. 2 would not be effective to obscure the lower rays, and prevent said rays from dazzling the sight of a person immediately in front of the light.

In both of the constructions illustrated, it is to be observed that an important feature of the invention consists in constructing the screen of a wedge shape, as a sector havin; a relatively short are, and at the same time providing slats which are curved on the arcs of circles concentric with the curvature of the reflector of the lamp. The proper amount of the beam is accordingly by such construction prevented from being proJected along lines parallel with the axis of the lamp, and at the same time the rays of light which are thus obscured are reflected downwardly upon the road in front of the lamp. and in such manner that such rays and those which are not cut out by the screen are combined to effectually illuminate the roadway in front of the motor vehicle to which thclamp is attached. The invention is accordingly useful in its perfect elimination of the glare of a headlight, and'may'be used with any kind of glass or other lens with perfect safety. Vhen used, it will be found that the device results in so deflecting and. diffusing the light as to improve the illumination of the roadway as com pared with the case where the ordinary lens is employed, it being well known that the lenses which are approved as being theoretically anti-gl.are, are in fact more or less bjectionable on this ground.

Any suitable or appropriate material may be used for the screen. such for example as sheet metal, celluloid, glass, or the like. I claim: v i. As an article of manufacture. a screen for l eadlights comprising a wedge-shaped frame of thin sheet opaque material, having sharply converging sides and an arcuate top,

the sides extending beyond the top to form attaching tabs and a leg extending from the polnt of convergance of sa1d sides to form a third supporting member, a plurality of concentrically curved, parallel spaced slats,

extending between said sides, and alight obscuring .disc located in frontof the'source of light so to obscure the direct rays therefrom, and entirely cover the light, the center of said disc being concentric with the curvature of said slats. said slats and disc being inclined from their upper edges downwardly and forwardly.

2. As an article of manufacture a screen for headlights, com )risin a wed 'e-sha Jed Q l I"? ROBERT o. FERGUSON.

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