USRE14406E - Assiggob to bewjaimt elecebsc - Google Patents

Description

R. B. BENJAMIN.

REFLECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED mm. h 1911- Reissued Dec. 11, 1917. 14,406.

- 3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

R. B. BENJAMIN.

REFLECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED uov. x. 19w.

Reissued Dec. 11, 1917.

R. B. BENJAMIN.

REFLECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1. 19H- Beissued Dec. 11, 1917. 14,406.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

BEUBEN B. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO BENJAMIN mcrmc MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 01' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 01' ILLINOIS.

mnnc'ron.

Specification ct Belssued Letters Patent. Reissued Dec. 11, 1917.

Ori inal in. 1,aaa,4aa, dated August as, 1917, Serial No. 818,282, filed February 12, 1914. Application mreissue and November 1, 1917. Serial no. 199,785.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Reflectors, of which the folowing is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to im rovements in reflectors as particular] app 'cable to the reflectors of'headlights or automobiles, motorcycles, and the hke.

One object of my invention is to provide a reflector wherein predetermined of the direct rays from the illuminant projecting beyond the reflecting surface are either entirely intercepted or intercepted and re'directed. This is articularly advantageous in automobiles. n the reflectors now in commercial use for automobile headlights certain of the direct rays emanating from the illuminant project forwardly and upwardly and are high enough to form a. 1i ht-screen in front of the driver through w ich the driver cannot readily see. This screen is particularly intensified on a foggy or damp night. These upwardly-projecting direct rays also form a blinding glare in the eyes of pedestrians or drivers of cars aglproaching from an opposite direction, w ich prevents them from seeing, and serious accidents have been known to result from this blinding glare. By providing means for intercepting these rays, the height of the beam of light is kept down to a point below the eye of the driver and to a point below the eyes of persons approaching the lights. By providing this intercepter with a reflecting surface on one side, these upwardly-projecting rays may be deflected downward] so as to throw additional light on the ma For the purpose of disclosingmy invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings an automobile head-.

light having a reflector embodying my invention. In said drawings- Fi re 1 is a vertical sectional view of the eadlight taken directly through the axis of the reflector;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

' provided,

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the headlight;

'Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a, horizontal sectional view of another form of reflector embodying my in illustration, it will be. assumed that all of the light rays of the lamp emanate from the single point 7, which is the focus of the reflector. The reflector illustrated is designed for the headlight of an automobile, wherein it is particularly desirable that the top and bottom reflected rays of the lam shall be reflected in planes parallel or su stantially parallel with the horizontal plane passing through the focus of the reflector and wherein it is desirable that the reflected side rays be reflected in planes which, instead of being horizontal with, diverge from a vertical plane passing through the focus of the reflector. To accomplish this result I so form the reflector 2 that the arc thereof in the vertical plane through its axis is a parabolic curve, while the arc in horizontal plane 1 intermediate portions of the reflector merge from the parabolic curve in vertical cross section to the distorted curve inhorizontal cross-section, so that the front edge of the reflector forms an ellipse. While I have described the curves "as being parabolic and hyperbolic curves, these terms, it will be un-' derstood, are relative and have been used as they more nearly describe the arcs formed rather than with the intention that the terms shall be used in their most strict and limited sense.

By the aboveconstruction, as illustrated in the drawin the top and bottom reflected ra s will reflected in lanes" parallel or an tantially parallel wi a horizontal auxiliary reflector 8, and the light reflected by the main reflector 2, and that these light fields are shaped and directed so as to give the most advantageous Iightin for automobiles. The direct light is p aced so as to illuminate strongly ircctly in front of and at the sides of the vehicle. The light reflected-by the main reflector 2 is directed forwardly and laterally (but not upwardly or downwardly) because of the flattening of the reflector, and this gives a moderate illumination over a wide extent, both forwardly and laterally. The light reflected by the auxiliary reflector gives a fairly strong illumination somewhat farther forward and at the sides than the direct light, and this auxiliary reflector prevents any. of the light from being directed upwardly where it would dazzle the eyes of pedestrians and form a light-screen in. the eyes of the driver.

, Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A vehicle light comprising a concave reflector having lts axis horizontal, means for supporting a source of light in said reflector, and a reflector mounted inside of said concave reflector immediately adjacent and in front of said source of light, said second reflector having a substantially horizontal edge lying adjacent a horizontal plane through said light center to permit the direct rays below said horizontal plane to pass beneath said reflector, and having a curved edge lying in the surface of a cone having its apex in said light center and the outline of its base defined by the front edge of said concave reflector, to intercept the direct light lying within said cone above the horizontal plane through said li ht and to permit the direct rays outside 0 said cone above said horizontal plane to fall on the reflector, said reflector having a reflecting surface on the side toward the source of light.

2. A vehicle light com rising a concave reflector having its axis orizontal, means for supporting a source 'of light in said reflector, and an intercepter located inside of said concave reflector adjacent and in front of said source of li ht, said interce ter having a substantially orizontal edge ying adjacent a horizontal plane through said light center to permit the direct rays below said horizontal lplane to pass beneath said intercepter and aving a curved edge lying in the surface of a cone havin its apex 1n said light center and the outline of its base defined by the front ed e of said concave reflector, to intercept t e direct light lying within said cone above the horizontal lane through said light and to permit the irect rays outside of said cone above said horizontal plane to fall on said concave reflector.

3. A vehicle light comprising a casing, means for supporting a source of light in said casing, said casing havin an opening therein for the passage of lig t rays from said casing, said opening lying substantially in a vertical plane, a concave reflector having its axis substantially horizontal for reflecting light rays through said opening, and an intercepter in said casing in the rear of said opening and adjacent and in front of said source of light, lying adjacent a horizontal plane through said light center, to permit the direct rays below said horizontal plane to pass beneath said intercepter and through said opening, and having a curved edge ying substantially in the surface of a cone, said cone having its apex in said light center and the outline of its base defined by said opening, to intercept the direct light lying within said cone above the horizontal plane through said light center and to per-' mit the direct rays outside of said cone above said plane to fall on said'reflector and to permit light reflected from said reflector to pass above said intercepter and through said opening.

4. A vehicle light comprising a casing, means for supporting a source of light in said casing, said casing having an opening therein for the passage of the light ra s from said casing, said opening lying su stantially in a vertical plane, a concave reflector having its axis substantially horizontal for reflecting light rays through said opening, and an intercepter in said casing in the rear of said opening and adjacent and in front of said source of light, lying adjacent a horizontal plane through said light center, to permit the direct rays below said horizontal plane to pass beneath said intercepter and through said opening, and having a curved edge lying substantially in the surface of a cone, said cone having its apex in said light center and the outline of its base defined by said opening, to intercept the direct light lying within said cone above the horizontal plane through said light center and to permit the direct rays outside of said cone above said plane to fall on said reflector, and to permit light reflected from said reflector to pass above said intercepter and through said opening, said intercepter being substantially flat and lying substantially in a horizontal plane.

In witness whereof, I have-hereunto subscribed my name.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN.

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