GB837610A - Improvements in or relating to a retractable vehicle headlight arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

837,610. Retractable vehicle headlamps. USINES-CHAUSSON S. A., DES. Oct. 2, 1956 [Oct. 19, 1955], No. 29975/56. Class 75(3) For automatic retraction or projection of a vehicle headlamp 3 into or from a housing 2 in a streamlined vehicle wing or body 1, the lamp 3 is connected by a linkage 4-10 to an electric motor 11 which is controlled both by the headlamp operating switch 16 and by a switch 13 operated by one of the elements of the linkage. As shown the lamp 3 is mounted on one limb of a bell-crank lever 4 swingable about a pivot 5 and pivotally connected at the end 6a of its other limb 6 to a connecting rod 8 which is in turn connected to a crank 9 on the shaft 10 of the motor 11. The shaft 10 carries a cam 14, provided with a flat 14a, which controls, through a follower 15, the position of a two-way switch arm 13 according to the angular position of the motor shaft 10. Fig. 2 shows the circuit arrangement, switch and cam positions with lamp off and in retracted position. To project the lamp from its housing the lamp switch 16 is closed to light the lamp and energize a relay 18 to move a two-way switch arm 19 and close a circuit from the supply 5 via leads 20, 13a, switch arm 13, and lead 22 to the motor 11 and cause rotation of the shaft 10 in the direction of arrow F1. Nearing the end of one half-revolution of the shaft 10, the flat 14a on the cam allows the follower 15, and thereby the switch arm 13, to drop and thus break the circuit to the motor 11. However the motor feed is maintained by a switch 12 which is closed, by means on the shaft 10 or crank 9 immediately. on movement thereof from the rest or the operative positions of the lamp 3 to supply the motor via a lead 21, until the half-revolution of the shaft 10 is completed and the lamp 3 is fully projected. At this point the switch 12 is opened, Fig. 5 (not shown). For retraction of the lamp 3, the switch 16 is opened, de-energizing the relay 18 and thereby causing return of the switch arm 19 to close the motor circuit via leads 20, 13d and 22 and rotate the shaft 10. This circuit is quickly broken by lift of the follower 15 to move the switch arm 13 to the Fig. 2 position, but the circuit to the motor is again maintained via lead 21 by closing of switch 12, until the retraction half revolution is completed and switch 12 is opened.