Improvements in Outside Lamps for Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec., 1897-Accepted, 29th Jan., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Outside Lamps for Vehicles.
I, GUSTAVE TROUVÉ, of 14, Rue Vivienne, Paris, France, Electrical Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
My invention relates to outside lamps for vehicles whereby to effect also the
illumination of the interior of the vehicle and the localization of the light at a
certain point.
Hitherto vehicles have been internally illuminated by means of internal lamps
or by means of the outside lamps as in the case of omnibuses for example, but in
all cases the illumination of the interior has been general whereas my invention
has, on the contrary, for its object to illuminate a portion only of the interior by
causing a portion of the luminous rays emitted by the outside lamps to converge
at such a point for example as to enable a passenger to read without being incon-
venienced by the glare and without being seen from the outside.
An example of my improved system of lamp is illustrated in the accompanying
drawings in which Figure 1 represents a face view, Figure 2 a horizontal section
on line 1-2 Figure 1, and Figure 3 a vertical section on line 3-4 Figure 2.
Figure 4 shews a modified arrangement and Figure 5 shews a lamp provided with
a shutter. The same letters of reference denote like parts in all the Figures.
My improved lamp is essentially characterized by the employment of a
condenser a mounted in the angle of the lamp which is next the interior of the
vehicle, in such position (as shewn in Figure 3) as to converge the luminous rays
to the point desired.
I may however employ any optical combination capable of locally increasing
the lighting power and of concentrating the luminous rays on a single point. For
example in order to collect the light rays and direct them upon any desired point
of the vehicle I may employ a glass cylinder a¹ mounted in the lamp in place of
the lens a and projecting within the vehicle body, as shewn in the diagram
Figure 4, this cylinder having a lens-like front end and adapted like the condenser
to project the light into the interior of the vehicle. The cylinder may be enclosed
in a protecting sheath for preventing loss of light by dispersion and serving also
as a reflector.
In order to increase the illuminating power, a reflector may also be placed in
the opposite angle of the lantern to that ocoupied by the condenser. By means of
this arrangement both outside lamps are caused to project the luminous rays into
the interior of the vehicle so that they will converge at the same point and leave
the rest of the interior of the vehicle in obscurity.
Means are provided for shutting off the light such as a blind or screen arranged
inside the vehicle, or by a shutter on the lantern itself. In this latter case the
lantern frame would be provided with guides 6 in which slides a shutter c (as shewn
in Figure 5) to which a cord or chain would be attached, passing over guide
pulleys into the interior of the vehicle for convenience of handling by the occupant.
Any other suitable means of operating the shutter may however be employed.

page_text: The condenser a may be inclined so as to project the rays upwards to a reflector
mounted on the ceiling of the vehicle and adjustable so as to admit of being set
by the passenger so as to direct the light rays in any desired direction.
The invention may be applied to lamps of all kinds of vehicles and the accessory
arrangements may be modified to suit the circumstances of each application.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
The combination, with an outside carriage lamp, of means for projecting the
light into the interior of the vehicle and localizing the light by causing a portion
of the luminous rays emitted by the lamp to converge at a single point within the
vehicle substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this lot day of December 1907
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.