Abstract:
A headlight arrangement for a vehicle is provided, comprising a support frame fastened to the vehicle, a lamp turnably mounted on said support frame, said lamp having a beam radiation range, and a mechanism operative for automatically turning said lamp in dependence upon the direction in which the vehicle is steered to correspondingly adjust said beam radiation range.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Conventional automobile headlights are immovably secured to the front part of vehicle bodies. Their lamp bodies are also installed with their beam axes fixed in the straight forward direction of the vehicle so that the beam direction is always in alignment with the vehicle direction and there is no possibility of changing the beam direction independently of the vehicle direction. 
     Therefore, with these conventional headlights, even when the vehicle is steering along a curve, the beam is directed straight ahead. This means that when automobiles are steering along a sharp curve such as a hairpin curve or when they are steering along a curve at high speeds, the road ahead of the vehicle is left dark so there is a great danger of missteering and a consequent accident. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary object of the present invention is to provide headlights, especially automobile headlights, which adjust their beam direction to the direction of a vehicle&#39;s steering along a curved road. Another object of the present invention is to provide automobile headlights which direct their beam towards the direction of the vehicle&#39;s steering without delay so as to expedite the finding of obstacles on the road ahead. A further object of the present invention is to provide automobile headlights which swivel their body in order to change their beam direction through the utilization of centrifugal force, so that no manipulation is required on the part of the automobile driver. A still further object of the present invention is to provide automobile headlights which return their beam direction to the original direction straight ahead of the vehicle through utilization of centrifugal force working on the automobile so that no manipulation is required on the part of the automobile driver. Still another object of the present invention is to provide automobile headlights which are secured to the vehicle body and which have lamp members mounted with horizontal swiveling freedom so that the light beam can change its direction to the direction of the vehicle. 
     A particular feature of the headlights, according to the present invention, follows from their structure. The invented structure enables the beam direction to be changed towards the curve direction always before the vehicle body has completed turning along curves. 
     The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     Now, the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the headlight according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a vertial view of the same headlight; 
     FIG. 3 is a vertical view of the same headlight showing the position it takes when the automobile is in the process of rightward steering; 
     FIG. 4 is a rear view of the headlight according to the present invention; and 
     FIG. 5 shows the comparison of the radiating ranges between the conventional headlights and the headlights constructed in accordance with the present invention, wherein A represents the beam radiation range of conventional headlights and B represents the beam radiation range of headlights based on the present invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The headlight arrangement according to the present invention has a rudder or balance bar 1 projecting rearward and is attached to the lamp body 2. A lamp body 2 is fixed to the inside of cross or mounting bars 3a and 3b. These mounting bars 3a, 3b have at each of their ends hinges 4 and slide pieces 6. Each of the slide pieces 6 has one small bore 5 through which said slide pieces are guided along at least one pair of curved rails 8 fixed to the vehicle body 7. These curved rails 8 are provided with springs 10 which exert a resilient repelling force between slide pieces 6 and the rear support frame 9 so as to keep slide pieces 6 in close contact with the front support frame 11 in the absence of operative centrifugal force, but to allow only one of the slide pieces to keep such contact with the front support frame 11 while the vehicle moves along a curve. 
     In FIG. 3, the headlight based on the present invention is mounted on the vehicle body 7 by means of adjustable screws 12. 
     The working principle of the headlight based on the present invention will be described below. 
     While an automobile is running in a straight direction, according to the present invention, the springs 10 exert a resilient force pressing the respective slide pieces 6 against the front support frame 11, and the headlight beams are directed straightly forward. 
     When the steering wheel is turned in either direction and the vehicle body starts to change its direction, centrifugal force starts to act on the vehicle body; therefore the direction of the rudder 1 projecting from the lamp body is changed. When the direction of the rudder 1 is altered, one of the slide pieces 6 moves toward the rear support frame 9, consequently compressing the spring 10. 
     Meanwhile, the other slide piece 6 remains in contact with the front support frame 11. The hinge 4 attached to this contacting slide piece is bent and the lamp body 2 is directed towards the turning direction of the vehicle (FIG. 3). 
     Because springs 10 surround the curved rails 8, the mounting bars and the slide pieces can easily swivel through the hinges 4. Furthermore, because the small bores 5 in the slide pieces 6 have a narrow clearance between the bore wall and the curved rails 8, the slide pieces 6 slide smoothly. 
     When the curving vehicle straightens its direction, centrifugal force disappears. Therefore, the slide pieces 6 are pushed by springs 10 towards the front support frame 11, the lamp body 2 is directed straight ahead of the vehicle, and the slide pieces 6 are kept in contact with the front support frame 11. 
     The headlight based on the present invention is characterized in that it can adapt its light beam direction to the steering direction of the vehicle, and it can always radiate its light beam slightly in advance of the vehicle turning in the direction of vehicle turning. Therefore, the presently invented headlight improves the forward visibility in curve steering, enhances driving safety, reduces traffic accidents, and illuminates the approach of the vehicle to oncoming traffic efficiently. 
     Vehicle headlights based on the present invention may be installed on any conventional passenger cars, buses, trucks and other automobiles, and because the headlights do not require any machining or other modifications on the front side of the vehicle, the appearance of the cars is not damaged by its mounting. Because of the utilization of centrifugal force by the presently invented headlights for the adjustment of the light beam direction, the driver is not required to make any manual operation. Furthermore, if the presently invented headlights are mounted as auxiliary headlights, supplementating the main headlights of the conventional design, safety is greatly improved and illuminatory effects are increased. 
     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of headlights differing from the types described above. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a vehicle, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
     Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.