US2904672A

US2904672A - Fog light convertor for headlights

Info

Publication number: US2904672A
Application number: US577279A
Authority: US
Inventors: Carl M Fischer
Original assignee: ALBERT C MIGEOT
Current assignee: ALBERT C MIGEOT
Priority date: 1956-04-10
Filing date: 1956-04-10
Publication date: 1959-09-15
Anticipated expiration: 1976-09-15

Description

Sept. 15, 1959 c. M. FISCHER FOG LIGHT CONVERTOR FOR HEADLIGHTS Filed April 10, 1956 INVENTOR CARI. M. FISCHER ATTORNEY I United States Patent i 2,904,672 FOG LIGHT CONVERTOR FOR HEADLIGHTS Carl M. Fischer, Seat Pleasant, Md., assignor of one-half to Albert C. Migeot, Colmar Manor, Md.

Application April 10, 1956, Serial No. 577,279 1 Claim. (Cl. 240-4615) This invention relates to a device converting the headlights of automobiles into fog lights, and it particularly relates to such a device for use in sealed beam headlights.

The ordinary type of sealed beam headlight used today comprises a device providing a white-light beam. This white light, however, has low effect in fog and smog. Therefore, when a person wishes to increase the efflciency of his headlights in fog, it is necessary for him to either obtain special types of'anti-fog lights or to laboriously place special adaptors over the headlights each time it is necessary to drive through fog.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide an anti-fog apparatus on conventional sealed beam headlights which can be made operative or inoperative by a mere touch of the handwithin the automobile.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for converting conventional headlights to fog lights without any laborious temporary attaching and detaching of adaptors or the like.

I Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for converting conventional headlights for fog lights wherein the headlights normally provide as good white-light beams as other headlights but which can, almost instantaneously, be converted to fog lights by this device.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide an improved fog light converting device, of the character described, that is easily and economically produced, which is sturdy in construction, and which is highly eflicient in operation.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a side view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of a device embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the complete mechanism embodying the present invention, this mechanism being illustrated as connected to both headlights of an automobile, and shown in combination with the actuating means therefor.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the fluid dispensing means used in the apparatus of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front view of a mechanism similar to Fig. 2 but showing a fluid dispensing means individually provided for each headlight.

Referring now in greater detail to the drawing wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, there is shown a sealed beam headlight 10 comprising a housing 12, lens 14 and electrical plug 16. The housing 12 and lens 14 are each provided with corresponding peripheral flanges, as at 18 and 20, and are connected to each other by a bonding agent or other means at the area of these flanges.

The above structure is all generally conventional.

ice

However, the present invention consists in providing a clear film or sheet 22 over the face of the lens 14. This film or sheet is preferably made of one of the various plastic materials, but may also be made of glass. It is positioned in such a manner that it is spaced from the lens 14 a distance of about .015 inch at its periphery and at its center it is spaced about .008 inch from the lens. This spacing of the sheet 22 from the lens 14 not only provides a chamber or pocket 24 therebetween but the variation of the thickness of this chamber as between the center and the periphery permits a modification and slight refraction of the light rays emanating from the headlight, thus providing a concavo-convex or diverging meniscus lens of colored fluid.

The sheet 22 is connected to the headlight by means of a peripheral flange 26 on the sheet, which is similar in size and shape to the flange 20 and abuts in face-to-face relationship against the flange 20 of the lens, and which is held against the flange 20 by means of the conventional rim 28 which holds it in tightly sealed position.

At the lower end of the chamber 24 there is provided an inlet 30 from which extends a tube 32. The tube 32 extends into a sealed flexible plastic container 34 through a sealing cap 36. In this container 34 is provided a quantity of liquid colored yellow or amber. This liquid may take various forms; however, it should preferably either be itself or, at least contain therein an antifreeze such as ethylene, glycol, or alcohol. This is to prevent freezing of the liquid with its consequent expansion and cracking of the lens.

At the upper end of the chamber 24 is provided an outlet 38 from which extends a tube 40. The other end of the tube 40 is connected to the underside of a sealed flexible expansion overflow reservoir 42 which may, if desired, he transparent or translucent and mounted on the instrument board of the vehicle to also act as telltale or indicator.

In operation, the film or sheet 22, being completely transparent, ordinarily permits the white light rays to travel therethrough. However, when it is desired to convert it to a fog light, the liquid is pumped from the container 34 into the chamber 24. The liquid is per-' mitted to flow until it fills the chamber and flows out the top into the reservoir 42. When it appears within the reservoir, the operator knows that the chamber is entirely full.

Although any pump means may be used to deliver the container is released, the liquid will 'all flow back thereinto. Of course, it is necessary to maintain the proper sealing of the fluid system in order to keep it substantially air tight.

The same source of liquid may be used for both headlights or it may, if desired, be'so arranged that each head light is served by a separate source of supply. In Fig. .2

is provided a mechanism using a single source wherein the two

headlights

44 and 46, each constructed with a chamber forming film, as shown in Fig. l. The two

headlights

44 and 46 are provided with supply tubes, as at 48 and 50, which are both connected to a manifold 52. The manifold 52 leads into resilient container 54 held on a support 56 by means of an upright post 5'7 having a clamp 58.

Tubes

60 and 62 lead from the upper portions of

headlights

44 and 46 respectively, and are connected to a manifold 64. The manifold 64 is, in turn, connected to an overflow reservoir 66, which,

if desired, may be transparent or translucent and be mounted on the vehicle instrument board, not shown to act as a telltale or indicator.

In order to pump the liquid into the headlight chambers, there is provided a lever 68 pivoted to the support 56 by a hinge element 70. An upstanding bracket 72 is positioned on the support 56, and from an overhanging ifl'ange portion 74 of the upper end of the bracket 72 extends a coil spring 76. The other end of the spring 76 is connected to the center of the lever 68, as at 78. At the opposite surface of the lever 63, at the center thereof, is connected one end of a cable 88. This cable extends through a sleeve 82, fitted through the support 56, and is connected at its opposite end to an operating handle 84 adjacent the driver.

This handle 84 is provided with ratchet teeth 36 and is slidable relative to a ratchet-supporting bracket 88. A ratchet 90 depends from the bracket 88. This mechanism operates similarly to a hand brake wherein when the handle is pulled back, the ratchet 90 engages with the teeth 86 to keep the handle in its rearward position. In this position, the lever 68 is pivoted downward into the dotted-outline position shown in Fig. 2, wherein it acts to squeeze the container 54 between the upright portion 57 of the clamp structure and itself. This forces thecolored liquid from thecontainer through the manifold 52 into the respective chambers of the headlights and into the overflow reservoir 66. The headlights are now converted to fog lights. When it is desired to use white light again, the handle 84 is rotated on its axis to disengage the teeth 86 from the ratchet 98. The spring 76 then immediately acts to pull back the lever 68 into its full-line position, as shown, and at the same time, acts to pull back the cable 80.

The cable 80 is provided with a stop 92 in the form oftan adjustable nut. This stop limits the amount of depression of the lever 68 into the squeezing position by abutting against the upper end of the sleeve 82. By limiting thedepression of the lever 68, the possibility of pumping so much liquid as to exceed the capacity of the overflow reservoir is prevented. The amount ofliquid pumped from the container is re ulated by adjusting the nut 92 relative to the lever 68.

In Fig. 4 is shown a mechanism wherein a separate source of liquid is provided for each headlight. In this form of the invention, the headlight 94 is connected at its top to an overflow reservoir 96 through a tube 98. At its bottom, it is connected, through a tube 100, to a re silient container 102 supported on a support 104 by a clamp 106 fixed to a post 108. A lever 110 is biased upwardly, around its pivot 112 by a spring 114 connected to a bracket 116. The lever 110 is also connected, at its center, to one end of a cable 118 extending through a sleeve in the support and having an adjustable nut 120 to act as a limit stop. The cable 118 is connected to a Y-coupling member 122. The Y-member 122 is also connected by a cable 123 to a similar mechanism including a lever 124, biased by spring 126 connected to bracket 128, and bearing against container 130 supported by clamp 132 on post 134. A tube 136 leads to a chamher in headlight 138 and a reservoir 140 is connected to headlight 138 by tube 142. The Y-member 122 is connected by a cable to an operating handle mechanism similar to that shown in Fig. 2. The operation of this device is obvious without further explanation.

Although this invention has been described in con- 4 siderable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

A system for controllably and temporarily converting a pair of spaced apart headlights into colored fog lights comprising the combination of an outwardly convexed lens for each of the pair of the headlights, a curved inwardly concaved transparent plastic sheet spaced forwardly from each said lens and forming a divergent compound meniscus lens, a beaded circumferential edge on each said sheet extending rearwardly therefrom and of a circumference substantially equal to the circumference of the curved transparent lens, the curvature of each said sheet being slightly flatter than the curvature of each said lens, means for firmly securing said beaded edge of said plastic sheet to the circumferential edge of the lens to provide a chamber between said lens and said plastic sheet on each headlight, having its width gradually increasing from its central portion toward its circumferential edge, a colored fluid source, a fluid source connection to each said chamber through each said plastic sheet at its bottom adjacent said beaded edge thereof, controllable means for feeding colored fluid from said fluid source through said source connection to each said cham' her and back to said fluid source, said fluid source comprising a flexible plastic container for said colored fluid, a manifold connecting said fluid container to each said source connection, a bracket on which said fluid container is mounted, said controllable means comprising a simple lever pivoted at one end to said bracket and having its other end rounded and arranged to contact a side of said flexible container, an upstanding bracket arm on said bracket, spring means extending between said upstanding bracket arm and the upper side of said pivoted lever yieldably supporting said pivoted lever with said rounded end adjacent a side of said fluid container, a cable member extending through said bracket and connected at one end to the bottom side of said pivoted lever and connected at its other end to a control handle available to the vehicle driver for pulling said pivoted lever downwardly against said fluid container against the action of said spring to temporarily force fluid from said container through said manifold-simultaneously to each said chamber while said cable is maintained in pulled position, and a reservoir connection to each said chamber connected at one end to each said chamber through said sheet at the point adjacent its beaded edge diametrically opposite said fluid-source connection thereto of said lens,

and a manifold connecting both said reservoir connections to a common overflow reservoir.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,193,942 Starkweather'et al Aug. 8, 1916 1,569,973 Goettert Jan. 19, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS 535,360 France Jan. 24, .1922 608,867 France Apr. 30, 1926 304,558 Great Britain Jan. 24, 1929 684,039 France Mar. 11, 1930 1,089,385 France Sept. 29, 1954