Patent · US Expired

Motor vehicle headlamp having a discharge lamp with masks and a multi-zone reflector

US6017138A · kind A · utility

11Cited by
5References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 7, 1997
Grant dateJan 25, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 7, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
  • CPC primaryF21S41/335
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A motor vehicle headlamp has a discharge lamp, a reflector and a smooth or nearly smooth cover lens, the reflector being adapted to generate a beam below a cut-off line. At least two masks are associated with the discharge lamp, and define two shadow zones on the reflector; the reflector includes at least two reflective zones for forming portions of the beam below the cut-off line, with different amounts of sideways spreading of the light; and these zones of the reflector are separated by generally radial transition planes, at least some of which extend into the shadow zones. A particular application is to enable wide cruising beams to be produced to European standards without any optical anomalies.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.