Search light

• US 5,072,347 A
• Filed: 05/12/1989
• Issued: 12/10/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William Mcmanus
• Original Assignee: William Mcmanus
• Inventors: Brunson, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/351,149
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 362/194, 362/187, 362/188, 362/285, 362/286, 362/372, 362/288, 362/306, 362/255, 362/261, 362/263, 200/60
• US Class Current: 362/194
• CPC Class Codes: F21L 2/00 Systems of electric lighting devices systems employing both electric and non-electric light sources or exchangeable light sources F21L27/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 15/04 Resilient mountings, e.g. shock absorbers shock absorbing devices of vehicle headlamp housings B60Q1/0491; in general F16F15/04
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/02 with provision for adjustment, e.g. for focusing
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/00 Arrangement of electric circuit elements in or on lighting devices characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/508

Abstract

A hand held search light includes a miniaturized electronic control circuit for igniting and operating an arc lamp in the light. Lamp mounting means is disclosed for shock mounting the arc lamp, including means to center and focus the light beam emitted by the search light. The search light is modularized for ease of field maintenance by unskilled personnel.

Claims

1. In a search light, the combination comprising;

(a) a lamp housing having a forward end and a rearward end, and including,

(i) a reflector mounted within said lamp housing and having an aperture therein adjacent the rearward end of said lamp housing,

(ii) a focus means disposed at the rearward end of said lamp housing and having a lamp socket substantially in alignment with the aperture in said reflector,

(iii) a lens secured over the reflector at the forward end of said lamp housing, said lens having a recess on the surface thereof facing inside said housing, and

(iv) an arc lamp disposed at opposite ends thereof between the recess in said lens and the lamp socket in said focus means and being spring biased at one end thereof whereby said arc lamp is shock mounted at at least one end thereof and can be moved along its longitudinal axis while maintaining said arc lamp in pressure contact with said lens and the lamp socket to keep said arc lamp centered relative to said reflector;

(b) a control housing mounted to the rearward end of said lamp housing, said control housing including,

(i) a power supply, including electronic circuit means, for controlling the application of electrical energy to said arc lamp,

(ii) drive means coupled to said focus means and being electrically operable for moving said arc lamp along its longitudinal axis with respect to said reflector to control the focusing of the light emitted by said search light; and

(c) means, connected between said power supply and said drive means, for providing a focus control signal to said drive means to thus control said focus means to selectively control the focusing of the light emitted by said search light.

2. The search light in accordance with claim 1, wherein said drive means includes a servo coupled to said focus means.

3. The search light in accordance with claim 2, wherein said drive means further includes a programmed controller connected to said means for providing a focus control signal for controlling said servo.

4. The search light in accordance with claim 3 wherein said means for providing a focus control signal comprises a switch for providing signals to said programmed controller to effect therefrom signals for controlling the direction of rotation of said servo.

5. The search light in accordance with claim 1, wherein said focus means is disposed inside said control housing and includes adjustment means, accessible externally of said control housing, for moving said focus means and said arc lamp along at least one axis to precisely align said arc lamp relative to said reflector to thereby center the light beam emitted by said search light.

6. The search light in accordance with claim 5, wherein the adjustment means of focus means includes a screw, which is accessible through an opening in said control housing, to enable said focus means to be adjusted to center the light beam after said control housing has been mounted to said lamp housing.

7. The search light in accordance with claim 1, further including electrical connecting means on said focus means and said control circuit means for making an electrical connection when said control housing is mounted to said lamp housing to provide electrical energy to said arc lamp.

8. In a search light, apparatus for supporting and adjusting a lamp comprising:

(a) a lamp housing having a forward end and a rearward end;

(b) a reflector mounted in said lamp housing and having an aperture formed therein at the rearward end of said lamp housing;

(c) a lens detachable secured to said lamp housing at the forward end thereof, said lens including a first lamp support means positioned thereon substantially in axial alignment with the aperture in said reflector;

(d) second lamp support means, including lamp focus and adjustment means, mounted on the rearward end of said lamp housing in substantial alignment with the aperture in said reflector; and

(e) an arc lamp suspended at opposite ends thereof between said first and second lamp support means, said arc lamp including, at one end thereof, a spring biased telescopically movable member, whereby said arc lamp may be adjusted along at least two axes relative to said reflector upon adjustment of said lamp focus and adjustment means to thereby focus said search light and center said arc lamp relative to said reflector.

9. A search light with an adjustable light beam, comprising, in combination:

(a) a lamp housing, including a lens over one end thereof, and having an aperture in the opposite end;

(b) an arc lamp having first and second ends, said arc lamp including, at the first end thereof, a spring biased telescopically movable member, said arc lamp mounted in said lamp housing and disposed at the second end thereof in the aperture of said lamp housing and disposed at the first end thereof, with the telescopically movable member in contact with said lens, whereby said arc lamp may be adjusted along an axis;

(c) focus means, including socket means, engaged with the second end of said arc lamp, said focus means being movable along the axis of said arc lamp and being under spring pressure exerted, along the axis of said arc lamp, by said telescopically movable member to thus urge said focus means and said arc lamp toward said opposite end of said lamp housing;

(d) servo drive means, coupled to said focus means, for moving said arc lamp along said axis; and

(e) control circuit means, including switching means, for the selective energization of said arc lamp and said servo drive means, to switch said lamp on and off, control the intensity of the light emitted by said search light, and adjust the beam spread of the light beam emitted by said search light by the adjustment of said arc lamp along said axis; and

(f) a power source for supplying electrical energy to said search light.

10. The search light in accordance with claim 9, wherein said spring biased telescopically movable member serves as a shock mount for relieving stress on said arc lamp.

11. The search light in accordance with claim 10, wherein said socket means serves as a second shock mount for further relieving stress on said arc lamp.

12. In a modularized hand held search light, comprising:

(a) a first assembly, including

(i) a housing,

(ii) a parabolic reflector, mounted in said housing, and having an aperture in the vertex end thereof,

(iii) a lens covering said reflector at its clear aperture end,

(iv) an arc lamp disposed, at one end thereof, within the aperture at the vertex end of said parabolic reflector and disposed at its other end in a spring biased relationship to said lens,

(v) a lamp focusing means, mounted in said housing and coupled to said arc lamp at one end thereof,

(vi) means for securing said first assembly to a second assembly, and

(vii) a first quick disconnect means, on said lamp focusing means, connected to terminals on opposite ends of said arc lamp for providing electrical energy thereto; and

(b) a second assembly adapted to be matingly secured to said first assembly at said means for securing, including,

(i) a second quick disconnect means for mating attachment to said first quick disconnect means when said first and second assemblies are secured together,

(ii) a circuit board including a power supply and control circuit means disposed within said second assembly, and being connected to said second quick disconnect means, for providing electrical energy to said arc lamp via said first and second quick disconnect means, and

(iii) drive means mounted on said circuit board, said drive means engaging said lamp focusing means, when said first and second assemblies are secured together, for driving said lamp focusing means to thereby focus said search light by moving said arc lamp along its longitudinal axis between the clear aperture and vertex ends of said reflector.

13. A hand held search light, comprising:

(a) a first housing including a parabolic reflector, said parabolic reflector having disposed therein an arc lamp, and including focus means mechanically coupled to said arc lamp to effect movement of said arc lamp along its longitudinal axis to thereby focus said search light, said focus means further including adjustment means, accessible from outside said housing, for adjusting said arc lamp along at least one axis perpendicular to the horizontal axis of said arc lamp, to center said arc lamp relative to said parabolic reflector and thereby center the light beam emitted by said search light;

(b) a power source;

(c) a second housing, secured to said first housing, and having disposed therein an electronic control circuit connected to said power source and said arc lamp and for providing energizing current for said arc lamp, said second housing further having disposed therein a microcontroller driven servo coupled to said focus means for controlling the focusing of said search light; and

(d) a carrying handle secured to said second housing, said carrying handle including operable control means connected to said power source and said electronic control circuit and said microcontroller driven servo for sending control signals to said electronic control circuit and said microcontroller driven servo to thereby selectively control the operation of said arc lamp and the focusing of said search light.

14. A method of assembling and adjusting the light beam of a modularized hand held search light, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing first and second housings adapted to be matingly attached at an opening in each housing, said first housing having a parabolic reflector mounted therein in which said arc lamp is adjustably disposed, including a focusing means coupled to said arc lamp, at the opening in said first housing, for moving said arc lamp along its longitudinal axis relative to said parabolic reflector to alter the beam spread of the light reflected by said parabolic reflector and adjusting said arc lamp along at least one axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said arc lamp, and said second housing having mounted therein an electronic control circuit and a microcontroller driven servo drive, whereby said electronic control circuit is connected to terminals on said arc lamp to provide electrical energy thereto, and said servo drive engages said focusing means at the opening in said second housing when said first and second housings are matingly attached;

(b) attaching said first and second housings;

(c) turning on said arc lamp and effecting the emission of light from said search light by applying power to said search light;

(d) pointing said search light at a substantially flat surface and activating said microcontroller driven servo drive while focusing the beam spread of light on the flat surface to obtain a beam sufficiently narrow for adjustment purposes;

(e) adjusting said focusing means, to thereby adjust said arc lamp along said at least one axis to center said arc lamp relative to said reflector, and obtain a uniformly distributed beam of light on said flat surface; and

(f) alternatively, leaving said first and second housings attached, or detaching said first housing from said second housing and replacing the adjusted first housing with another previously adjusted first housing, or detaching the adjusted first housing from said second housing and repeating steps (b) through (e) substituting the adjusted first housing by attaching, to said second housing, a different first housing to be adjusted.

15. A hand held search light comprising, in combination:

(a) an arc lamp having a terminal on each end thereof;

(b) a parabolic mirror, having an aperture in the vertex end thereof, for reflecting light emitted by said arc lamp;

(c) a circuit board including,

(i) a power supply and electronic control circuit connected to the terminals of said arc lamp for providing electrical energy for controlling said arc lamp; and

(ii) servo drive means;

(d) focusing means, coupled to said arc lamp and said servo drive means, for moving said arc lamp along its longitudinal axis to thereby focus the light reflected by said parabolic mirror;

(e) a housing in which said arc lamp, said parabolic mirror, said circuit board and said focusing means are housed;

(f) a carrying handle secured to said housing;

(g) control means, including focus control means and light source control means mounted in said handle and being electrically connected to said servo drive means for controlling the operation thereof to focus said search light and being further connected to said power supply and electronic control circuit to effect output control signals therefrom for controlling the electrical energy provided to said arc lamp; and

(h) a power source for providing electrical energy for the operation of said search light.

16. A hand held search light comprising, in combination:

(a) an arc lamp;

(b) a parabolic reflector in which said arc lamp is adjustably disposed;

(c) an electronic control circuit for providing electrical energy for controlling said arc lamp;

(d) servo drive means, including a programmed microcontroller for driving said servo drive means;

(e) focusing means coupled to said arc lamp and said servo drive means for moving said arc lamp along its longitudinal axis relative to said parabolic reflector to thereby alter the beam spread of the light reflected by said parabolic reflector;

(f) a first housing in which said arc lamp, said reflector and said focusing means are housed;

(g) a second housing detachably mounted on said first housing, said second housing having said electronic control circuit and said servo drive means mounted therein, whereby said electronic control circuit is connected to terminals on said arc lamp and said servo drive means engages said focusing means when said first housing is mounted on said second housing;

(h) a carrying handle secured to said search light;

(i) first and second control means mounted in said carrying handle, said first control means electrically connected to said electronic control circuit for providing signals thereto to effect output control signals therefrom for controlling the electrical energy provided to said arc lamp and said second control means electrically connected to said microcontroller for driving said servo drive means to thereby change the beam spread of said search light; and

(j) a power source for providing electrical energy for the operation of said search light.