Vacuum cleaner headlight
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A vacuum cleaner assembly, comprising:
- a housing having a front wall;
a light pipe chamber within said housing communicating with a headlight aperture in said front wall;
a light source within said housing remote from said headlight aperture; and
a substantially planar light pipe within said light pipe chamber, said light pipe having;
a first index of refraction;
a rear face adjacent said light source for receiving light from said light source,a front face disposed substantially in said headlight aperture through which light is emitted, andan upper surface and a lower surface, at least one of said upper and lower surfaces having primary reflex optical elements thereon for distributing light entering said rear face in a desired distribution to said front face, said reflex optical elements being optical elements that direct light transmitted therethrough by substantially total internal reflection of said light.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vacuum cleaner headlight system incorporating a light pipe is provided. The light pipe includes reflex optics to control the distribution of light across the width of the output edge of the light pipe, as well as to prevent light from escaping through the sides of the light pipe. A reflex optical reflector is also part of the system, for reflecting light from a light bulb into the light pipe without requiring a metallized mirror.
68 Citations
122 Claims
-
1. A vacuum cleaner assembly, comprising:
-
a housing having a front wall; a light pipe chamber within said housing communicating with a headlight aperture in said front wall; a light source within said housing remote from said headlight aperture; and a substantially planar light pipe within said light pipe chamber, said light pipe having; a first index of refraction; a rear face adjacent said light source for receiving light from said light source, a front face disposed substantially in said headlight aperture through which light is emitted, and an upper surface and a lower surface, at least one of said upper and lower surfaces having primary reflex optical elements thereon for distributing light entering said rear face in a desired distribution to said front face, said reflex optical elements being optical elements that direct light transmitted therethrough by substantially total internal reflection of said light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
-
- 25. The vacuum cleaner assembly of claim wherein said light pipe has lateral edges, at least one lateral edge of said light pipe having supplemental reflex optical elements for directing back into said light pipe any light rays that would otherwise exit said lateral edge.
-
62. For use in a vacuum cleaner assembly having a light source, a reflex optical reflector spaced from said light source in a first direction, for reflecting light in a second direction opposite said first direction, said reflex optical reflector comprising:
-
a substantially transparent part-cylindrical element having; an axis substantially centered on said light source, an index of refraction, a surface facing said light source, and a surface away from said light source; and a plurality of reflex optical elements on said surface away from said light source, said reflex optical elements extending substantially parallel to said axis, said reflex optical elements being optical elements that direct light transmitted therethrough by substantially total internal reflection of said light. - View Dependent Claims (63, 68)
-
- 64. The reflex optical reflector of clam 63 wherein each of said prismatic reflex optical elements has an isosceles-triangular cross section.
-
69. For use in a vacuum cleaner assembly including a housing having a front wall, a headlight aperture in said front wall, and a light source within said housing remote from said headlight aperture, for disposition between said light source and said headlight aperture for propagating light therebetween, a substantially planar light pipe, said light pipe comprising:
-
an index of refraction; a rear face adjacent said light source for receiving light from said light source, a front face disposed substantially in said headlight aperture through which light is emitted, and an upper surface and a lower surface, at least one of said upper and lower surfaces having primary reflex optical elements thereon for distributing light entering said rear face in a desired distribution to said front face, said reflex optical elements being optical elements that direct light transmitted therethrough by substantially total internal reflection of said light. - View Dependent Claims (70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122)
-
Specification