GB2279450A - Improvements relating to light assemblies for vehicles - Google Patents
Improvements relating to light assemblies for vehicles Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2279450A GB2279450A GB9313349A GB9313349A GB2279450A GB 2279450 A GB2279450 A GB 2279450A GB 9313349 A GB9313349 A GB 9313349A GB 9313349 A GB9313349 A GB 9313349A GB 2279450 A GB2279450 A GB 2279450A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- vehicle
- unit
- light
- accordance
- light unit
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
- B60Q1/02—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments
- B60Q1/04—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights
- B60Q1/06—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights adjustable, e.g. remotely-controlled from inside vehicle
- B60Q1/08—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights adjustable, e.g. remotely-controlled from inside vehicle automatically
- B60Q1/12—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights adjustable, e.g. remotely-controlled from inside vehicle automatically due to steering position
- B60Q1/122—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights adjustable, e.g. remotely-controlled from inside vehicle automatically due to steering position with electrical actuating means
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
- B60Q1/02—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments
- B60Q1/04—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights
- B60Q1/18—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights being additional front lights
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q2300/00—Indexing codes for automatically adjustable headlamps or automatically dimmable headlamps
- B60Q2300/10—Indexing codes relating to particular vehicle conditions
- B60Q2300/14—Other vehicle conditions
- B60Q2300/142—Turn signal actuation
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60Q2300/00—Indexing codes for automatically adjustable headlamps or automatically dimmable headlamps
- B60Q2300/20—Indexing codes relating to the driver or the passengers
- B60Q2300/21—Manual control
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)
Abstract
There is provided a vehicle (10) having a first light unit (14) adapted to illuminate an area either forward or to the rear of the vehicle (10), a turn indicator unit (16) adapted to provide a signal indicative of the intended direction of turn of the vehicle (10), and means (18) adapted to provide a substantially constant illumination in a direction that diverges obliquely from the direction of travel of the vehicle (10) and which is selectively operable in response to the actuation together of both said first light unit (14) and the turn indicator unit (18). There is also provided a vehicle light assembly (12) for attachment to a vehicle (10) and comprising a housing, a first light unit (14) located within the housing and adapted to illuminate an area either forward or to the rear of the vehicle (10), a turn indicator unit (16) located within the housing and adapted to provide a signal indicative of the intended direction of turn of the vehicle (10) and means (18) located within the housing and adapted to provide a substantially constant illumination in a direction that diverges obliquely from the direction of travel of the vehicle (10), said oblique illumination means (18) being selectively operable by the driver of the vehicle. <IMAGE>
Description
IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO LIGHT
ASSEMBLIES FOR VEHICLES
The present invention relates to a vehicle light assembly and to vehicles provided with such an assembly.
Modern road vehicles are equipped with one or more headlight units which are adapted to illuminate an area forward of the vehicle. In addition to this most road vehicles are also provided at each corner with one of at least four turn indicator units which are adapted to provide a signal indicative of the intended direction of turn of the vehicle.
Under most driving conditions the aforementioned headlight units are sufficient to provide all the illumination that is required by the driver of the vehicle. Under certain circumstances however the illumination provided by the or each headlight unit is ineffective, not because the existing illumination is not bright enough, but because it does not illuminate that part of the vehicle surroundings that is of interest to the driver.
One such situation arises at night when turning the vehicle into an unlit side road or drive way. Under such circumstances the driver of the vehicle will wish to make certain that the side road or drive way is clear of obstructions and yet the area illuminated by the or each headlight unit is fixed relative to the vehicle and, in this particular situation, is of no assistance to the driver. Indeed, if the illumination provided by the or each headlight unit is particularly bright, the driver of the vehicle may experience particular difficulties in checking the side road or drive way for unlit obstructions.
It is to be noted that in this regard the intermittent illumination provided by one or more of the turn indicator units, although perhaps orientated so as to illuminate that part of the vehicle surroundings that is of interest to the driver, is insufficient to enable the driver of the vehicle to be certain that the side road or drive way does not contain an unlit obstruction.
Although the situation described is relatively rare in towns or other built up areas where it is usual for the roads to be illuminated by street lights, in the country or in areas of sparse population the situation described may occur more frequently and so represent a potential hazzard to road users and pedestrians alike.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle having a first light unit adapted to illuminate an area either forward or to the rear of the vehicle, a turn indicator unit adapted to provide a signal indicative of the intended direction of turn of the vehicle, and means adapted to provide a substantially constant illumination in a direction that diverges obliquely from the direction of travel of the vehicle and which is selectively operable in response to the actuation together of both said first light unit and the turn indicator unit.This provides the advantage of not only providing the driver of the vehicle with means to illuminate an otherwise unlit side road or drive way but also provides him with means to selectively deactivate the oblique illumination means so as to not dazzle other road users in circumstances when the oblique illumination means is not required.
Advantageously the oblique illumination means may comprise a light unit in addition to both said first light unit and the turn indicator unit.
Advantageously said first light unit may comprise a headlight unit and the oblique illumination means may be adapted to provide illumination of an area in front and to one side of the vehicle. Alternatively said first light unit may comprise a tail light unit and the oblique illumination means may be adapted to provide illumination of an area to the rear and to one side of the vehicle.
Advantageously the side of the vehicle on which the illuminated area is located may correspond to that indicated by the turn indicator unit.
Advantageously the oblique illumination means may be selectively enabled by means of a switch operable by the driver of the vehicle.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle light assembly for use with a vehicle as hereinbefore described and which incorporates the oblique illumination means.
Advantageously the vehicle light assembly may, in addition to the oblique illumination means also include one or both of said first light unit and the turn indicator unit.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle light assembly for attachment to a vehicle and comprising a housing, a first light unit located within the housing and adapted to illuminate an area either forward or to the rear of the vehicle, a turn indicator unit located within the housing and adapted to provide a signal indicative of the intended direction of turn of the vehicle and means located within the housing and adapted to provide a substantially constant illumination in a direction that diverges obliquely from the direction of travel of the vehicle, said oblique illumination means being selectively operable by the driver of the vehicle.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a front corner of a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and
Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a vehicle light assembly in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a vehicle 10 whose direction of travel is indicated by arrow A. As can be seen, the vehicle 10 is provided at each of its forward corners with a vehicle light assembly 12 comprising a headlight unit 14, a turn indicator unit 16 and an additional lighting unit 18.
As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, each headlight unit 14 is adapted to illuminate an area forward of the vehicle thereby enabling the driver of the vehicle to see the road ahead when driving at night.
In order that the or each headlight unit may not dazzle the drivers of oncoming vehicles, each headlight unit 14 may be arranged so as to provide illumination in a direction B at a slight angle to the direction of travel.
Likewise, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that each turn indicator unit 16 is adapted to provide a signal indicative of the intended direction of turn of the vehicle. Typically a turn indicator unit 16 is located at each corner of the vehicle so as to be visible simultaneously both from the side and either the front or the rear. Furthermore each turn indicator unit 16 is typically adapted so as to provide, when actuated, a flashing amber signal.
The additional lighting unit 18 may be located either on the front or the side of the vehicle and is adapted so as to provide illumination in a direction C that diverges obliquely from the direction of travel of the vehicle. In contrast with the illumination provided by each of the turn indicator units 16, the illumination provided by the additional lighting unit 18 is substantially constant and is preferably of a colour other than amber so as to be clearly distinguishable therefrom by other road users.
In order that the additional lighting unit 18 may be effective to provide illumination of an otherwise unlit side road or drive way into which the driver of the vehicle intends to turn, the additional lighting unit preferably provides illumination in a direction that diverges from the direction of travel of the vehicle by an angle in the range from 200 to 900 and preferably by an angle of about 450.
In order that the illumination provided by the additional lighting unit 18 does not dazzle the drivers of oncoming vehicles the illumination preferably comprises a fixed dipped beam. In addition to this the additional lighting unit 18 may be provided with one or more baffles to prevent it from providing any illumination in the direction of travel of the vehicle. This may be particularly beneficial in the case of an additional lighting unit located at or near an off-side corner of the vehicle and which serves to provide illumination in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of on coming vehicles.
Within each of the vehicle light assemblies shown in
Figure 1 the additional lighting unit 18 may be adapted so as to be selectively operable in response to the combined actuation of both the headlight unit 14 and the turn indicator unit 16. In this way it is possible to ensure that the additional lighting unit which is actuated is that which is appropriate for the intended direction of turn of the vehicle. Furthermore, by also requiring the headlight unit 14 to be actuated it is possible to prevent the actuation of the additional lighting unit 18 at times when the illumination that it would otherwise provide is not required such as, for example, during the hours of daylight.
In addition to the foregoing the additional lighting unit 18 may be selectively enabled by means of a switch operable by the driver of the vehicle so as to prevent the actuation of the additional lighting unit when not required even if both the headlight unit 14 and the turn indicator unit 16 are actuated. Such a situation might for example arise when changing lane on a dual carriageway at night.
As an alternative to the aforementioned switching arrangement the or each additional lighting unit 18 may be actuated solely by means of a switch operated by the driver of the vehicle. In this way the or each additional lighting unit 18 might be actuated independently of either the or each headlight unit 14 or the or each turn indicator unit 16.
In another arrangement the or each additional lighting unit 18 may be selectively enabled by means of a switch operable by the driver of the vehicle but only when the appropriate turn indicator unit 16 is also actuated.
In this way it is again possible to ensure that the additional lighting unit which is actuated is appropriate to the intended direction of turn of the vehicle.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various units 14,16 and 18 of the vehicle light assembly 12 may be housed within a unitry construction so that the replacement of one of the units requires the replacement of all three. Alternatively however each unit of the vehicle light assembly 12 may be spaced apart from the other units of the assembly thereby facilitating the optimum location of each unit on the vehicle whilst at the same time enabling the repair and/or replacement of one of the units without the need to necessarily repair and/or replace the other two at the same time.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a modified vehicle light assembly 20 may be provided at each of the rear corners of a vehicle in which case the modified vehicle light assembly might comprise a tail light unit 22, a turn indicator unit 16 and an additional lighting unit 18. Under such circumstances a switch may be provided to enable the driver of the vehicle to selectively actuate either the front or the rear additional lighting unit 18.
The advantage of providing a modified vehicle light assembly 20 at each of the rear corners of a vehicle is that at night the driver would be able to illuminate an otherwise unlit side road or drive way to the rear of the vehicle. In this way the driver of the vehicle would be able to check that the side road or drive way is clear of obstructions before, for example, reversing into it.
The additional lighting unit 18 of the modified vehicle light assembly 20 may be adapted so as to be selectively operable in the same way as has been described in relation to the vehicle light assembly 12 for the front of the vehicle with the tail light unit 22 taking the place of the headlight unit 14.
Whilst the oblique illumination has been described as being provided by an additional lighting unit 18, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this need not necessarily be the case. Indeed this oblique illumination may instead be provided by the headlight unit 14 provided that the headlight unit 14 is equiped with means to either direct a beam of illumination at an angle that diverges obliquely from the direction of travel of the vehicle when so required or to obscure such a beam when it is not required. One such arrangement is shown in Figure 2 in which the headlight unit 14 is provided with a shutter arrangement 24 which is moveable, in response to a switch operable by the driver of the vehicle, between a first position in which the head light unit 14 provides illumination in a direction that diverges obliquely from the direction of travel of the vehicle and a second position in which the beam is masked. In an alternative arrangement a mirror or lens assembly may be provided which is capable, in response to a switch actuated by the driver of the vehicle, of directing a proportion of the illumination provided by the headlight unit 14 in a direction that diverges obliquely from the direction of travel of the vehicle.
Claims (16)
1. A vehicle having a first light unit adapted to illuminate an area either forward or to the rear of the vehicle, a turn indictor unit adapted to provide a signal indicative of the intended direction of turn of the vehicle, and means adapted to provide a substantially constant illumination in a direction that diverges obliquely from the direction of travel of the vehicle and which is selectively operable in response to the actuation together of both said first light unit and the turn indicator unit.
2. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1 wherein said oblique illumination means comprises a light unit in addition to both said first light unit and the turn indicator unit.
3. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said first light unit comprises a headlight unit and said oblique illumination means is adapted to provide illumination of an area in front and to one side of the vehicle.
4. A vehicle in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said first light unit comprises a tail light unit and said oblique illumination means is adapted to provide illumination of an area to the rear and to one side of the vehicle.
5. A vehicle in accordance with claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the side of the vehicle on which the illuminated area is located corresponds to that indicated by the turn indicator unit.
6. A vehicle in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein said oblique illumination means is selectively enabled by means of a switch operable by the driver of the vehicle.
7. A vehicle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
8. A vehicle light assembly for use with the vehicle of any of claims 1 to 7 and incorporating said oblique illumination means.
9. A vehicle light assembly in accordance with claim 8, wherein in addition to said oblique illumination means the vehicle light assembly also includes one or both of said first light unit and the turn indicator unit.
10. A vehicle light assembly substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
11. A vehicle light assembly for attachment to a vehicle and comprising a housing, a first light unit located within the housing and adapted to illuminate an area either forward or to the rear of the vehicle, a turn indicator unit located within the housing and adapted to provide a signal indicative of the intended direction of turn of the vehicle and means located within the housing and adapted to provide a substantially constant illumination in a direction that diverges obliquely from the direction of travel of the vehicle, said oblique illumination means being selectively operable by the driver of the vehicle.
12. A vehicle light assembly in accordance with claim 11 wherein said oblique illumination means comprises a light unit in addition to both said first light unit and the turn indicator unit.
13. A vehicle light assembly in accordance with claim 11 or claim 12 wherein said first light unit comprises a headlight unit.
14. A vehicle light assembly in accordance with claim 11 or claim 12 wherein said first light unit comprises a tail light unit.
15. A vehicle light assembly in accordance with any of claims 11 to 14 wherein said oblique illumination means is selectively operable in response to the actuation of said first light unit.
16. A vehicle light assembly in accordance with any of claims 11 to 15 wherein said oblique illumination means is selectively operable in response to the actuation together of both said first light unit and the turn indicator unit.
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9313349A GB2279450A (en) | 1993-06-29 | 1993-06-29 | Improvements relating to light assemblies for vehicles |
| PCT/GB1994/001412 WO1995001267A1 (en) | 1993-06-29 | 1994-06-29 | Improvements relating to light assemblies for vehicles |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9313349A GB2279450A (en) | 1993-06-29 | 1993-06-29 | Improvements relating to light assemblies for vehicles |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9313349D0 GB9313349D0 (en) | 1993-08-11 |
| GB2279450A true GB2279450A (en) | 1995-01-04 |
Family
ID=10737954
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9313349A Withdrawn GB2279450A (en) | 1993-06-29 | 1993-06-29 | Improvements relating to light assemblies for vehicles |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2279450A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1995001267A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KR100372745B1 (en) * | 1999-12-03 | 2003-02-17 | 김병환 | steering support light for car |
Citations (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0517995A2 (en) * | 1991-06-13 | 1992-12-16 | Gianni Carolfi | Front section of a motor vehicle with fog lighting |
Family Cites Families (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB467337A (en) * | 1934-11-15 | 1937-06-14 | Henri Matha | Improvements in or relating to means carried by automobile vehicles for illuminating the path or road followed by the same |
| DE2041146A1 (en) * | 1969-08-22 | 1971-03-04 | Gutmann Erwin | Lighting systems for vehicles |
| JPS59209933A (en) * | 1983-05-12 | 1984-11-28 | Fuji Tekkosho:Kk | Headlight for car |
-
1993
- 1993-06-29 GB GB9313349A patent/GB2279450A/en not_active Withdrawn
-
1994
- 1994-06-29 WO PCT/GB1994/001412 patent/WO1995001267A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0517995A2 (en) * | 1991-06-13 | 1992-12-16 | Gianni Carolfi | Front section of a motor vehicle with fog lighting |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO1995001267A1 (en) | 1995-01-12 |
| GB9313349D0 (en) | 1993-08-11 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |