United States Patent (19)
`Fast
`
`USOO5900698A
`Patent Number:
`11
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`9
`
`5,900,698
`May 4, 1999
`
`9
`
`54 FULL BEAM DISCHARGE HEADLIGHT
`WITH TWO POWER LEVELS
`
`75 Inventor: Peder Fast, Kullavik, Sweden
`
`1971,341 8/1934 Getty ...................................... 307/10.8
`3,617,795 11/1971 Peek ...
`... 315/82 X
`3,621,331 11/1971 Barron .................................... 315/207
`5,191,266 3/1993 Futami et al. ......
`... 315/82 X
`5,382,877
`1/1995 Katsumata et al. ....................... 315/82
`
`73) ASSignee: Ultralux AB, Göteborg, Sweden
`
`5,463,287 10/1995 Kurihara et al. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 315/308
`
`08/875,007
`
`21 Appl. No.:
`1.-1.
`Jan. 12, 1996
`22 PCT Filed:
`PCT/SE96/00023
`86 PCT No.:
`Jul. 16, 1997
`S371 Date:
`S 102(e) Date: Jul. 16, 1997
`87 PCT Pub. No.: WO96/22.194
`PCT Pub. Date:Jul. 25, 1996
`O
`O
`Foreign Application Priority Data
`30
`Jan. 16, 1995
`SEl
`Sweden .................................. 9500125
`SE)
`2
`6
`51) Int. Cl. ....................................................... B60Q 1/14
`52 U.S. Cl. .............................................. 315/82; 307/10.8
`58 Field of Search ............................... 315/82; 307/10.8
`56)
`References Cited
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`1,954,806 4/1934 Falge et al. ............................ 307/10.8
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`3436391 1/1986 Germany.
`4020878 1/1991 Germany.
`Primary Examiner Robert Pascal
`ASSistant Examiner Justin P. Bettendorf
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm Alfred J. Mangels
`57
`ABSTRACT
`A method for controlling the full-beam headlights of auto
`motive vehicles, particularly cars, which headlights are
`provided with dischargeable light Sources. The light Source
`(2) is chosen So that when Supplying the light Source with its
`nominal power it will produce a luminous flux which greatl
`p
`greally
`exceeds the luminous flux that is standard for full-beam
`lighting, Supplying the light Source (2) with a lower power
`causes the light Source (2) to produce a luminous flux which
`is normal for full-beam lighting. A power level selection (7;
`10, 4) is provided for enabling the light source (2) to be
`supplied selectively with the lower power or with its nomi
`nal power.
`
`7 Claims, 1 Drawing Sheet
`
`
`
`f
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`UNIFIED PATENTS EXHIBIT 1016
`Page 1 of 5
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`

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`U.S. Patent
`
`May 4, 1999
`
`5,900,698
`
`
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`UNIFIED PATENTS EXHIBIT 1016
`Page 2 of 5
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`

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`1
`FULL BEAM DISCHARGE HEADLIGHT
`WITH TWO POWER LEVELS
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`1. Field of the Invention
`The present invention relates to a method and to an
`arrangement for controlling the headlights of automotive
`vehicles, and in particular car headlights.
`2. Description of the Related Art
`The design of modern cars in which the front part of the
`car dips makes it difficult to fit extra lights effectively. Extra
`lights impair the appearance of the car, constitute a greater
`accident risk to unprotected road users and make the car
`more difficult to wash. Extra lights also impair the aerody
`namics of the car and have a negative effect on engine
`cooling, Since they are normally fitted in front of the engine
`radiator.
`There is a significant need to improve full-beam lighting
`for certain categories of drivers who drive in certain regions,
`and particularly with respect to certain markets, even though
`conventional headlights will Satisfy many users.
`It has become progressively more usual for car owners to
`replace Standard bulbs in existing headlamps with bulbs of
`greater power, in order to obtain more powerful full beam
`lighting. However, bulbs of greater power damage the
`reflectors, by changing the reflectance of the reflectors as a
`result of higher temperature in the headlamp. The higher
`temperature can even deform the reflectors, resulting in a
`distorted light image.
`Furthermore, a more powerful bulb has the drawback of
`necessitating that the driver dip the lights earlier when
`driving in the dark on a typical road with repeated encoun
`ters with oncoming traffic interspersed with a clear road
`ahead, so as not to dazzle the drivers of oncoming traffic, as
`opposed to the case when using a Standard bulb. This means
`that the driver's eyes must constantly become accustomed to
`Strong light, i.e. when the lights are on full beam, and a much
`weaker, dipped light, where dipped lighting is used over a
`longer distance to prevent dazzling of oncoming traffic. This
`drawback is the reason why drivers do not normally have
`extra lights, Such as long-distance lighting, Switched-on
`when driving along roads on which oncoming vehicles are
`frequently encountered, there with requiring the lights to be
`dipped repeatedly.
`This problem is Solved in accordance with the present
`invention by providing weak headlights for certain situations
`while eliminating the aforesaid drawback and, at the same
`time, eliminating the need of extra lighting.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`The present invention thus relates to a method of con
`trolling the full-beam lighting of automotive vehicles, par
`ticularly for cars, wherein the headlights are provided with
`light Sources of a dischargeable type. The light Source is
`chosen So that when Supplied with its nominal or rated
`power, it will produce a luminous flux which greatly exceeds
`the normal luminous flux of full-beam lighting. In order to
`obtain a luminous flux which is normal for full-beam
`lighting, the light Source is Supplied with lower power; and
`means are provided for Selectively Supplying the light Source
`with said lower power or with its nominal power.
`The invention also relates to a control arrangement for
`carrying out the method.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`The invention will now be described in more detail with
`reference to an exemplifying embodiment thereof and with
`reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
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`FIG. 1 illustrates Schematically a headlamp and associ
`ated power means, and
`FIG. 2 illustrates a light Switch.
`DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENTS
`FIG. 1 illustrates an arrangement for controlling the full
`beam headlights of automotive vehicles, particularly cars,
`wherein headlight 1 is provided with light sources 2 of a
`dischargeable kind. The reference numeral 3 in FIG. 1
`identifies the headlight reflector. Such light Sources are
`available commercially and marketed, among others, by
`PHILIPS under the trade name MICRO POWER-LIGHT
`Such light Sources 2 are powered by a power means 4
`which applies an alternating Voltage across the light Source.
`The Voltage applied is normally a Square-wave Voltage.
`Such power means are also known and available commer
`cially.
`When applied to a car or to Some other automotive
`vehicle, the power means 4 is connected to the vehicle
`electrical system by cables 5, 6 which supply the power
`means with direct current Voltage.
`According to the invention, the light Source 2 is designed
`to produce a luminous flux which greatly exceeds the normal
`luminous flux of full-beam lighting when supplied with its
`nominal power. According to the invention, the power
`means 4 is designed to Supply the light Source 2 with lower
`power when in a first position, Such as to emit from the
`headlight 1 a full beam having a luminous flux which is
`normal for a full beam. Also provided is a means 7 with
`which the power means 4 can be switched selectively from
`Said first position to a Second position in which the power
`means Supplies the light Source 2 with its nominal power.
`According to one preferred embodiment of the invention,
`this lower power is between 40% and 70% of the nominal or
`rated power, preferably about 50%.
`A full beam will normally have a luminous flux of 1,500
`lumens for instance. This means that a preferred embodi
`ment of the light Source will generate a luminous flux of
`3,000 lumens at nominal power.
`According to one preferred embodiment of the invention,
`there is used a discharge lamp of the aforesaid kind having
`a nominal power of 35 Watts. In the case of standard
`head-lights, this light Source will produce a luminous flux of
`3,000 lumens when supplied with its nominal power. When
`supplied with a power of 18 Watts, the light source will
`produce a luminous flux of 1,500 lumens.
`Conventional full-beam headlights, i.e. a headlight which
`emits a full-beam lobe, will generate a normal luminous flux
`when the light source is supplied with a power of 18 Watts.
`This means that when the light Source is Supplied with a
`power of 35 Watts, the light emitted by the headlight will
`correspond to a normal full beam in combination with a
`conventional long-distance headlight, because of the higher
`luminous flux. Such long-distance headlights are normally
`fitted to the vehicle as extra lighting.
`According to one preferred embodiment of the invention,
`the means 7 includes a driver-operated Switch, by means of
`which the power means can be switched between two said
`positions.
`The Switch is connected by means of a cable 8 to an
`appropriate known control circuit not shown which is con
`Veniently integrated with the power means and which func
`tions to control the power output of Said power means by
`Voltage-regulating the output voltage and/or output current
`of the power means.
`
`UNIFIED PATENTS EXHIBIT 1016
`Page 3 of 5
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`

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`3
`When the driver alternates between full beam and dipped
`beam in a normal manner, the beam will be Switched
`between dipped lighting with a predetermined luminous flux
`given by the light Source for dipped lighting and a full beam
`with the lower power input when the Switch is in its first
`position, i.e. a full beam with normal luminous flux. When
`the Switch is in its Second position, the vehicle lighting will
`be Switched between said dipped lighting and a full beam
`lighting having the higher power input, i.e. lighting which
`corresponds to normal full-beam lighting in combination
`with long-distance lighting. This embodiment can be applied
`irrespective of whether the dipped-beam headlights and the
`full-beam headlights are mutually Separate or integrated in
`one and the same headlamp unit.
`The Switch may be an integral part of the normal light
`Switch in a car or some other automotive vehicle. FIG. 2
`illustrates an example of one Such light Switch 9.
`The reference numeral 10 identifies automatic activation
`of the vehicle lights when the vehicle is started, for instance
`activation of the vehicle side lights and dipped/full beam
`lighting. All lights are Switched offin position 11. A position
`light or the like is ignited in position 12.
`Normal dipped lighting and normal full-beam lighting are
`activated in position 13. This enables the power means to
`drive the light source 2 at the lower power input. The driver
`alternates between dipped beam and full beam with the
`Standard full beam Switch, normally a lever placed on the
`Steering wheel.
`Standard dipped lighting with the Stronger full-beam
`lighting is activated in position 14. This enables the power
`means to drive the light Source 2 at its nominal power input.
`The driver alternates between dipped lighting and full-beam
`lighting with the aid of the standard full-beam Switch.
`Thus, the present invention obviates the need to fit extra
`lighting to the vehicle while Still obtaining, when desired,
`the quality of light that an extra light would provide.
`This eliminates the problems mentioned in the introduc
`tion. Although the invention has been described above with
`reference to a number of exemplifying embodiments
`thereof, it will be understood that modifications can be
`made. For instance, it is conceivable to include more than
`two power positions. Furthermore, light Sources with other
`nominal power inputs can be chosen. The Switch means 7
`can also be constructed as a separate Switch means.
`Furthermore, the invention may be applied to only one of the
`vehicle headlights or to both headlights. It is also conceiv
`able to utilize the invention in the aforedescribed manner but
`in conjunction with a full-beam headlight which is also
`constructed for dipped lighting.
`The present invention is not therefore limited to the
`described and illustrated embodiments thereof, Since varia
`tions and modifications can be made within the Scope of the
`following claims.
`What is claimed is:
`1. A method for controlling the full-beam headlights of an
`automotive vehicle, Said method comprising the Steps of:
`providing a power Source that is operable to provide
`power at each of a first, nominal power level and a
`second power level that is a lower power level than the
`first power level;
`providing a headlight that includes a discharge lamp light
`Source that is operable at two different power levels and
`that emits full-beam luminous flux at a first full-beam
`flux level when the light source is provided with
`electrical power at the first, nominal power level, and
`that emits full-beam luminous flux at a second full
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`beam flux level that is lower than the first full-beam
`flux level when the light source is provided with
`electrical power at the Second power level;
`providing a power level Selector Switch that is Switchable
`between a first position corresponding with the first
`power level and a Second position corresponding with
`the second power level to selectively control the level
`of power applied by the power Source to the light
`SOurce,
`operating the power level Selector Switch between the first
`Switch position to provide electrical power to the light
`Source at the first power level to cause the light Source
`to provide full-beam light at the first full-beam flux
`level, and the Second Switch position to provide elec
`trical power to the light Source at the Second power
`level to cause the light Source to provide full-beam light
`at the second luminous flux level, wherein the first
`full-beam flux level is greater than the second full
`beam flux level; and
`providing a beam Selector Switch for Selectively operating
`the headlight at one of a full-beam position and a
`dipped-beam position, wherein the full-beam position
`of the beam selector Switch provides full-beam light
`from the light Source at a luminous flux level that is
`dependent upon the position of the power level Selector
`Switch, and wherein the dipped-beam position of the
`beam Selector Switch provides light at a predetermined
`dipped-beam luminous flux level that is the same level
`for each of the first and Second positions of the power
`level selector Switch.
`2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the Second
`power level is between about 40% and about 70% of the first
`power level.
`3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the power level
`Selector Switch is included as a part of a light Switch
`provided for controlling the operation of exterior lights of
`the vehicle.
`4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the Second
`power level is about 50% of the first power level.
`5. An arrangement for controlling the light intensity of
`full-beam headlights of automotive vehicles, Said arrange
`ment comprising:
`a headlight having a discharge lamp light Source wherein
`the headlight emits full-beam luminous flux at a first
`full-beam flux level when the light source is provided
`with electrical power at a first, nominal power level,
`and that emits full-beam luminous flux at a Second
`full-beam flux level that is lower than the first full
`beam flux level when the light source is provided with
`electrical power at a Second power level lower than the
`first power level;
`a power Source electrically connected with the headlight
`to Supply an alternating Voltage acroSS the light Source,
`wherein the power Source is operable to provide power
`at each of a first, nominal power level and a Second
`power level that is a lower power level than the first
`power level;
`a power level Selector Switch for Selectively controlling
`the level of power applied to the light Source, wherein
`the power level selector Switch is operable between a
`first Switch position that provides electrical power to
`the light Source at the first power level to cause the light
`Source to provide full-beam light at the first full-beam
`flux level, and a Second Switch position that provides
`electrical power to the light Source at the Second power
`level to cause the light Source to provide full-beam light
`
`UNIFIED PATENTS EXHIBIT 1016
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`6
`S
`Switch provides light at a predetermined uniform
`at the second luminous flux level, wherein the first
`dipped-beam luminous flux level for each of the first
`full-beam flux level is greater than the second full-
`and Second positions of the power level Selector Switch.
`beam flux level; and
`6. An arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the
`a beam Selector Switch for Selectively operating the light
`Source at one of a full-beam position and a dipped- 5 second power level is between about 40% and about 70% of
`beam position, wherein the full-beam position of the
`the first power level.
`beam Selector Switch provides light from the light
`7. An arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the
`Source at a luminous flux level that is dependent upon
`second power level is about 50% of the first power level.
`the position of the power level Selector Switch, and
`wherein the dipped-beam position of the beam Selector
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