US1946379A - Vehicle light - Google Patents

Description

W. A. ZIESING VEHICLE LIGHT Feb. 1934.

Filed May 7, 1931 INVENTOI Q WILL/AM A Z/Es/Nq fifiai ORNEY Patented Feb. 6, 1934 yr STATE PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in lights, intended for mounting on vehicles, such as aircraft, watercraft, automobiles, and the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide reflector means and a reflector opening whereby two zones of reflected light rays may be made to emanate from a light.

Another object is to provide a second reflector opening for a third zone of direct light rays, both of said openings being separably covered by a lens, one of said lenses permitting free passage of a forward and downward zone of reflected light rays as well as similar passage of a downward and rearward zone of reflected light rays and the other of said lenses permitting partially restricted passage of a forward zone of direct light rays during removal of glare from said portion of rays.

A further object is to provide a light of compacted, streamlined form, the longitudinal axis of which may be mounted substantially parallel to the path of vehicle travel, thus minimizing resistance due to passage of the light housing through the atmosphere.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel arrangements of light parts which will be hereinafter more fully fllustrated and descri ed in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawing, in which numerals of like character designate similar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. l is an end View of the assembled light Fig. 2 is a side view of the assembled light;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic cross-section of the light showing the path of certain light rays emanating from the light source;

Fig. 4 a partial cross-section of the light showing a modified reflector;

Fig. 5 an end view of the assembled light moimted externally upon the wing of an airplane;

6 is a side View of the assembled light mounted externally upon the wing of an airplane; and

'7 is a side view of the assembled light mounted semi-internally on the wing of an airplanev In Figs. 1 through 3 of the drawing, 1 designates a housing of streamline shape, 2 a reflector of combined paraboloidal and ellipsoidal shape, 3 a light source and i a lens, forming one assembled arrangement of basic parts comprising a vehicle light.

In Fig. 4, reflector 2 has been replaced by the combination of a modified reflector 5 and a burnished inner surface 6 of streamlined housing 1, forming substantially the combined paraboloidal and ellipsoidal shape of reflector 2; streamline housing 1, reflector 5, light source 3 and lens 4 forming a second assembled arrangement of basic parts comprising a vehicle light.

In Figs. 1 through 4, 7 designates a second lens, 8 the wiring from an electric bulb and socket forming light source 3, 9 a grommet of suitable insulating material through which wiring 8 emerges, and 10 a body lug by means of which the assembled light is attached to a suitable bracket mounted upon the vehicle.

It is of prime importance that the shapes an the positions of the basic parts of the vehicle light be maintained in the forms and in the 10- cations described hereinaiter.

Reflector 2 substantially embodies the shape of a paraboloid in that portion adjacent to light source 3, so that rays traveling from light source 3 to reflector 2 will be reflected forward in paths substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the light source 3. As the rays from light source 3 strike reflector 2 further and further away from the longitudinal axis of light source 3, the shape of reflector 2 gradually merges into the shape of an ellipsoid so that rays reflected from those portions of reflector 2 will converge with the longitudinal axis of reflector 2. By cutting away reflector 2, as shown in Fig. 3,rays 11 through 1'7 emerge parallel to, rays 18 through 21 converge with and pass downward of, andv ray 22 emerges upward of, the longitudinal axis of light source 3. Streamlined housing 1', in conjunction with lens 4, which is substantially sim ilar in profile to the cutout in reflector 2, seal the interior of the assembled light against entrance of dust, water, or other foreign matter.

The structure of reflector 2 may be modified, if desired, in the manner indicated in Fig. 4, without materially altering the effectiveness of the reflecting surfaces of the assembled light. Modifled reflector 5 is shown cut away in the vicinity of the region in which reflector 2 changes from a paraboloidal to an ellipsoidal shape. The inner surface 6 or streamline housing 1 is finished in a manner similar to the inner surface of reflector 5 and since the ellipsoidal portion of the inner surfaces of both streamline housing 1 and reflector 2 are approximately of like contours, the combined inner surfaces of reflector 5 and surface 6 of streamline housing 1 substantially duplicate the inner surface of reflector 2.

In applying a vehicle light to aircraft, there are three circumstances which require special consideration. Great care is exercised in the dc:- sign of aircraft to reduce the drag of structural parts to a minimum. It is therefore essential that housings for lights be compact and of the best possible streamlined forms and that their longitudinal axes be substantially parallel to the flight paths of the aircraft. It is further essenitial that illumination be furnished not only ahead mentioned reference plane.

of an oncoming aircraft, but also immediately beneath the aircraft in order that the exact distance and nature of the land or water may be known. It is still further essential that no illumination from a vehicle light directly or indirectly envelope the propeller, engine cowling or other portions of an aircraft visible to the personnel operating the same, as such illumina- -tion introduces a serious blinding effect and thus greatly reduces essential vision of the land or water ahead or beneath the aircraft. While the cutout in reflector 2 makes possible illumination forward, downward and sideward, thereby substantially meeting the requirements outlined above, the downward and sideward illumination may be materially improved by placing the longitudinal axis of light source 2 at an acute angle to the left extremity of the longitudinal axis of streamline housing 1, as shown in Fig. 3.

In order to permit rays 17 and 22 to pass forward, as shown in Fig. 3, a small portion of streamline housing 1 is cut away immediately above the right extremity of the longitudinal axis. This cutout has the disadvantage of permitting direct ray 22 to pass forward and up ward into the region above the flight path of the aircraft. Any appreciable number of direct rays in this region would have a blinding effect to the personnel of two aircraft approaching each other in approximately the same flight path. To eliminate this objectionable feature, a semitranslucent lens 7 has been installed in the streamline housing 1 for the purpose of remov- 3 ing all glare from rays 17 and 22.

The position of the body lug 10, with reference to streamline housing 1 and lenses 4 and 7 may best be described by reference to Figs. 5 through '7. Considering first, illumination of land or water as viewed directly in line and at right angles to the flight path of an aircraft, the body lug 10 is so positioned that the paths of the unrestricted rays leaving the light pass downward and outward equidistantly to left and right of a reference plane passed through the longitudinal axis of the streamlined body 1 perpendicular to the surface of the land or water, as shown in Fig. 5, or that a predetermined majority of the light rays pass to the left or to the right of the above- As has been stated above, care must be exercised not to tilt lens 4 sufliciently to left or right of the above reference plane to cause the propeller, engine cowling or other portions of the aircraft visible to personnel operating the same to be directly or indirectly illuminated. Considering illumination of land or water, as viewed directly to one side of the flight path of an aircraft, the body lug 10 is so positioned that the longitudinal axis of the light body 1 is held substantially parallel to the flight path and that the paths of the unrestricted rays leaving the light pass downward and forward and the paths of the non-glare rays leaving the ght pas-s forward and slightly upward, as shown in Fig. 6. In the above two figures the assembled light is mounted entirely without the wing structure, The assembled light may be mounted partially within the nose structure of the wing of an airplane, if desired, as shown in Fig. 7.

The position of the grommet 9 with reference to the body lug 10 has for its principal object the minimizing of the length of wiring 8 which is exposed to atmosphere through which the light is passing.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle light, a streamline housing having its forward and downward portion cut away, a convex clear lens extending forwardly and upwardly over a major part of the out-away portion of said housing, a convex translucent lens extending upwardly over the remaining part of said cut-away portion of said housing, the said lenses in combination with the said housing forming a closed body of continuous streamline form, a reflector within said housing having its forward and downward portion cut away, the forward and upward portion of said reflector being of ellipsoidal shape and the rearward portion of said reflector being of paraboloidal shape, and a light source mounted in said reflector, said rearward portion of said reflector and said light source having a common longitudinal axis, the said common axis being disposed at an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of said housing in such a manner that light rays reflected from the said rearward portion of said reflector are directed forwardly and downwardly from said housing.

2. In a vehicle light, a streamline housing, a lens forming a streamline continuation of said housing, said lens comprising a clear portion disposed immediately below and a translucent portion disposed immediately above the longitudinal axis of said housing, a reflector disposed within said housing, said reflector having a paraboloidal portion and an ellipsoidal portion, and a source of light positioned relative to said reflector and so arranged with respect to said clear portion of said lens that substantially all of the reflected rays of light pass directly from said reflector through said clear portion of said lens.

3. In a vehicle light, a streamline housing, a lens forming a streamline continuation of said housing, said lens comprising a clear portion disposed immediately below and a translucent portion disposed immediately above the longitudinal axis of said housing, a reflector disposed within said housing, said reflector having a paraboloidal portion and an ellipsoidal portion, and a source of light positioned relative to said reflector and so arranged with respect to said translucent portion of said lens that substantially all of the direct rays of light above the longitudinal axis of said housing pass through said translucent portion of said lens.

4. In a vehicle light, a streamline housing, a lens forming a streamline continuation of said housing, said lens comprising a clear portion disposed immediately below and a translucent portion disposed immediately above the longitudinal axis of said housing, a reflector disposed within said housing, and a source of light positioned relative to said reflector and so arranged with respect to said lenses that substantially all of the reflected rays of light pass directly from said reflector through said clear portion of said lens, that substantially all of the direct rays of light below the longitudinal axis of said housing similarly pass through said clear portion of said lens,

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