Patent ID: 8042980

Claim:
A vehicle headlamp, comprising: (i) a semiconductor-type light source having a light emitting chip shaped like a planar rectangle; (ii) a lens for illuminating a part of light is emitted from the light emitting chip of the semiconductor-type light source toward a forward direction of a vehicle, as a light distribution pattern having one or more cutoff lines; (iii) a reflector having a reflecting surface for forwardly reflecting the light emitted from the light emitting chip of the semiconductor-type light source, excepting light incident to the lens, as a spot light distribution including a main optical axis of a light distribution pattern for high beam; (iv) a light shading member which is disposed to be movable between a first location and a second location, for disallowing a part of the light emitted from the light emitting chip of the semiconductor-type light source, to be hindered from being incident to the lens and for shading light that is out of incidence to the lens from the light emitting chip of the semiconductor-type light source, the light being incident to the reflecting surface, when the light shading member is positioned in the first location; (v) a prism member which is integrally structured together with the light shading member and is disposed to be movable between the first and second locations replaceably with the light shading member, for disallowing the light that is out of incidence to the lens and is emitted from the light emitting chip of the semiconductor-type light source, to be hindered from being incident to the reflecting surface, when the prism member is positioned in the first location, and for allowing a part of the light emitted from the light emitting chip of the semiconductor-type light source, to be incident to the lens in a state in which a reference focal point of the lens is virtually moved; and (vi) a switching device for replaceably switching the light shading member and the prism member that are integrally structured with each other, between the first location and the second location, thereby switching a current light distribution pattern to a respective one of a light distribution pattern having one or more cutoff lines and a light distribution pattern for high beam.