Adjusting vehicle headlights
First Claim
1. A headlight assembly comprising:
- a headlight; and
at least one actuator including;
a bladder, the bladder including a flexible casing and defining a fluid chamber, the fluid chamber including a dielectric fluid; and
a first conductor and a second conductor operatively positioned on opposite portions of the bladder,the at least one actuator being configured such that, when electrical energy is supplied to the first conductor and the second conductor, the first conductor and the second conductor have opposite charges, whereby the first conductor and the second conductor are electrostatically attracted toward each other, the first conductor and the second conductor move toward each other to cause at least a portion of the dielectric fluid to be displaced to an outer peripheral region of the fluid chamber, thereby causing the outer peripheral region of the bladder to bulge such that a height of the bladder increases,the at least one actuator being operatively positioned to cause a position and/or an orientation of the headlight to be adjusted based on changes in the height of the bladder.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A headlight assembly can include a headlight and one or more actuators operatively positioned to cause the position and/or orientation of the headlight to be adjusted. The one or more actuators include a bladder. The bladder can include a flexible casing. The bladder can define a fluid chamber. The fluid chamber can contain a dielectric fluid. The one or more actuators can include a first conductor and a second conductor operatively positioned on opposite portions of the bladder. The one or more actuators can be configured such that, when electrical energy is supplied to the first conductor and the second conductor, the first conductor and the second conductor can become oppositely charged. As a result, the first conductor and the second conductor are electrostatically attracted toward each other to cause at least a portion of the dielectric fluid to be displaced to an outer peripheral region of the fluid chamber.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A headlight assembly comprising:
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a headlight; and at least one actuator including; a bladder, the bladder including a flexible casing and defining a fluid chamber, the fluid chamber including a dielectric fluid; and a first conductor and a second conductor operatively positioned on opposite portions of the bladder, the at least one actuator being configured such that, when electrical energy is supplied to the first conductor and the second conductor, the first conductor and the second conductor have opposite charges, whereby the first conductor and the second conductor are electrostatically attracted toward each other, the first conductor and the second conductor move toward each other to cause at least a portion of the dielectric fluid to be displaced to an outer peripheral region of the fluid chamber, thereby causing the outer peripheral region of the bladder to bulge such that a height of the bladder increases, the at least one actuator being operatively positioned to cause a position and/or an orientation of the headlight to be adjusted based on changes in the height of the bladder. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A headlight system comprising:
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a headlight; a base, the headlight being operatively connected to the base; at least one actuator operatively connected to the base, the at least one actuator including a bladder, the bladder including a flexible casing and defining a fluid chamber, the fluid chamber including a dielectric fluid, the at least one actuator including a first conductor and a second conductor operatively positioned on opposite portions of the bladder, the at least one actuator being operatively positioned to adjust a position or an orientation of the headlight based on changes in a height of the bladder; and a power source operatively connected to supply electrical energy to the first conductor and the second conductor; and one or more processors operatively connected to selectively control a supply of electrical energy from the power source to the first conductor and the second conductor, the at least one actuator being configured such that, when electrical energy is supplied to the first conductor and the second conductor, the first conductor and the second conductor have opposite charges, whereby the first conductor and the second conductor electrostatically attract each other, the first conductor and the second conductor move toward each other to cause at least a portion of the dielectric fluid to be displaced to an outer peripheral region of the fluid chamber thereby causing the outer peripheral region of the bladder to bulge such that the height of the bladder increases. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of adjusting a position and/or an orientation of a headlight assembly, the headlight assembly includes a headlight and at least one actuator, the at least one actuator including a bladder, the bladder including a flexible casing and defining a fluid chamber, the fluid chamber including a dielectric fluid, the at least one actuator including a first conductor and a second conductor operatively positioned on opposite portions of the bladder, the at least one actuator being configured such that, when electrical energy is supplied to the first conductor and the second conductor, the first conductor and the second conductor have opposite charges, whereby the first conductor and the second conductor are electrostatically attracted toward each other, the first conductor and the second conductor move toward each other to cause at least a portion of the dielectric fluid to be displaced to an outer peripheral region of the fluid chamber, thereby causing the outer peripheral region of the bladder to bulge such that a height of the bladder increases, the at least one actuator being operatively positioned to adjust a position and/or an orientation of the headlight based on changes in the height of the bladder, the method comprising:
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detecting a headlight trigger; responsive to detecting the headlight trigger, determining a target headlight position or orientation based on the headlight trigger; and causing the at least one actuator to actuate to alter a position or orientation of the headlight to the target headlight position or orientation based on changes in the height of the bladder. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification