Installation for automatic control of the light distance with motor vehicle headlights

• US 4,037,134 A
• Filed: 12/19/1975
• Issued: 07/19/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Daimler-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Daimler-Benz AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Loper, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): La Roche, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US05/642,569
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 315/78, 315/82, 240/7.1 LJ, 240/8.25, 240/62 R, 240/62.2
• US Class Current: 315/78
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/064 by fluid means

Abstract

An installation for the automatic control of the light projection distance of motor vehicle headlights in dependence on the positional change of the vehicle body, in which in case of a positional change of the vehicle body toward one side when driving through a curve, an analogous control of the light projection distance of the headlight takes place in such a manner that, for example, with right-hand traffic and when driving through a right-hand curve, the light projection distance is decreased and vice versa is increased in a left-hand curve.

Claims

1. An installation for automatically controlling motor vehicle headlights in dependence on the positional changes of the vehicle body of a motor vehicle, comprising detection means for detecting a one-sided positional change of the vehicle body, and control means responsive to said detection means for controlling the light projection distance of the headlights, when driving through a curve resulting in a one-sided positional change of the vehicle body, in such a manner that when driving through a curve located on the outside in relation to the oppositely directed traffic, the light projection distance is decreased and when driving through a curve located on the inside in relation to the oppositely directed traffic, the light projection distance is increased.

2. An installation according to claim 1, characterized in that with a right-handed traffic, when driving through a right-handed curve, the light distance is decreased, and the light distance is increased when driving through a left-handed curve.

3. An installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the detection means includes at least one eccentrically arranged controller means for detecting identical inward and outward spring deflection of one wheel of an axle differently from the inward and outward spring deflections of the other wheel of the same axle.

4. An installation according to claim 3, characterized in that said detection means includes two controller means, one of said controller means being operatively associated with the front axle and the other controller means being operatively associated with the rear axle.

5. An installation according to claim 4, characterized by switch means enabling the shifting of the control of the light projection distance from right-hand traffic to left-hand traffic and vice versa.

6. An installation according to claim 5, characterized in that with a right-handed traffic, when driving through a right-handed curve, the light distance is decreased, and the light distance is increased when driving through a left-handed curve.

7. An installation according to claim 1, characterized by switch means enabling the shifting of the control of the light projection distance from right-hand traffic to left-hand traffic and vice versa.

8. An installation for automatically controlling motor vehicle headlights in dependence on the positional changes of the vehicle body of the motor vehicle with respect to at least one of the front and rear axles thereof, comprising a pair of headlights, mounting means for mounting said headlights at the front of the vehicle body for pivoting movement about a horizontal axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, detection means for detecting movement of the vehicle body with respect to a point on one of the vehicle axles spaced from the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and control means responsive to said detection means for pivoting said headlights about said horizontal axis in such a manner that when driving through a curve located on the outside in relation to the oppositely directed traffic, the light projection distance of the headlights is decreased, and when driving through a curve located on the inside in relation to the oppositely directed traffic, the light projection distance is increased.

9. An installation according to claim 8, wherein said control means includes biasing means for biasing said headlihgts so that the optical axes thereof are directed in a predetermined normal driving direction and pivoting means for pivoting said headlights to adjust the optical axes thereof above and below said predetermined normal driving directions.

10. An installation according to claim 9, wherein said control means includes a first controller means connected to a point on the rear vehicle axle spaced from the longitudinal axis of said vehicle for operating said pivot means to raise and lower said headlights in response to movement of said vehicle body away and toward said point on said rear axle.

11. An installation according to claim 10, wherein said control means further includes a second controller means connected to a point on the front vehicle axle for operating said pivot means to lower and raise said headlights in reponse to movement of said vehicle body away and toward said point on said front axle.

12. An installation according to claim 11, characterized by switch means enabling the shifting of the control of the light projection distance from right-hand traffic to left-hand traffic and vice versa.