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EP0118477A1 - Systeme d'eclairage pour un vehicule - Google Patents

Systeme d'eclairage pour un vehicule

Info

Publication number
EP0118477A1
EP0118477A1 EP83902686A EP83902686A EP0118477A1 EP 0118477 A1 EP0118477 A1 EP 0118477A1 EP 83902686 A EP83902686 A EP 83902686A EP 83902686 A EP83902686 A EP 83902686A EP 0118477 A1 EP0118477 A1 EP 0118477A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
light
vehicle
polarizing
polarizing means
polarized
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP83902686A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Ronald Harry Brooks
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP0118477A1 publication Critical patent/EP0118477A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
    • F21S41/00—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps
    • F21S41/10—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by the light source
    • F21S41/12—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by the light source characterised by the type of emitted light
    • F21S41/135—Polarised

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a lighting system for vehicles, particularly road vehicles, but the system according to the invention may be adapted for any other vehicle or device having its own lighting system and/or which is subjected to incident light from lighting systems of other vehicles or light from other sources.
  • the system of the invention will be described hereinafter with reference to automobiles.
  • automobiles are provided with headlights which can be switched between “low” beam (some ⁇ times termed “dipped” beam) and "high” beam.
  • the headlights are intended to be aimed on the roadway some distance in front of the vehicle and various means are employed to direct or*mask the low beam light so that it does not shine directly into the eyes of a driver of an * oncoming vehicle.
  • the means for maintaining the light in a "low” beam condition include multi-filament bulbs, shielding, relatively movable bulbs, reflectors or lights and, when dual lights are provided, specific aiming.
  • the vehicle lights are aimed to direct light well in front of the vehicle such that lights on high beam will shine directly into the eyes of a driver . of an oncoming vehicle.
  • Difficulty is also often experienced by drivers dazzled by the lights of oncoming vehicles in adverse weathe conditions, even though the lights may be correctly aimed and on low beam, due to the greater incidence of reflected and refracted light.
  • a vehicle driver can clearly see his path or roadway from the illumination provided by his own headlights, and can clearly see objects illuminated by the headlights and yet is not dazzled or temporarily blinded by the lights of an oncoming vehicle either through those lights being incorrectly switched to high beam or being badly adjusted low beam lights, or due to any other cause such as adverse weather conditions.
  • polarizing means are well known. Such polarizing means are commonly used in scientific instruments and are also commonly used in some forms of glasses, particularly, sunglasses, to reduce glare.
  • the present invention utilizes in a novel manner - the properties of light polarized in a selected plane being able to pass through a polarizing medium aligned with the selected plane but being blocked, or partially blocked by a polarizing medium mis-aligned with the selected plane.
  • first polarizing means to polarize in a predetermin plane the light emitted from a light source on a vehicle, second polarizing means on the vehicle aligned or effectivel aligned with said predetermined plane whereby reflected polarized light will pass through said second polarizing mea said predetermined plane being selected such that transmissi of the polarized light from the light source through similarly aligned second polarizing means on an approaching vehicle is at least reduced.
  • the first polarizing means to polarize the light emitted from the vehicle light source comprises a polarizing medium which forms part of or is attached to the headlight lenses or covers of the vehicle so that all the light emitted from the vehicle headlights is polarized in the predetermined plane.
  • the second polarizing means on the vehicle may com- prise a polarizing medium on or forming the vehicle windscre or may be a visor or the like in the vehicle and which the vehicle driver can move to a position whereat light from an approaching vehicle passes through the visor before reaching the eyes of the driver.
  • the planes of polarization of the first and second polarizing means are aligned and extend at an ang of between 30° and 60 , more preferably 45°, to the horizont
  • the invention in its preferred aspect, provides polarizing means to polarize the light from a vehicle's headlights in .such a manner that the polarized light therefrom can.be reflected back through a polarized medium on or adjacent that vehicle's windscreen but the similarly polarized lights from a vehicle facing the opposit direction are effectively polarized in a different plane suc that the polarized light from the oncoming vehicle will not pass through the polarized windscreen of the first vehicle, or will pass through at a greatly diminished intensity dependant on the relative angles of the polarizing plane.
  • an anti-glare system for vehicles comprising light polarizing means on or associated with the headlights of vehicles such that the light emitted by such headlights is polarized, cooperating light polarizing means through which light impinging on the vehicle windscree passes befor reaching the eyes of the vehicle driver, the said vehicle light polarizing means and the cooperating light polarizing means being arranged so that reflected polarized light from each vehicle will pass through the cooperating light polarizing means and can be seen by the driver of that vehicle but polarized light from a vehicle travelling in an opposite direction towards a first vehicle will be further polarized by said cooperating light polarizing means of the first vehicle to be thereby reduced in intensity as seen by the driver of the first vehicle.
  • Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of the polarizing light system of the invention as applied to road vehicles.
  • a headlight 12 " of a first vehicle emits light which passes through a polarizing medium 14 which may be incorporated in the headlight lens, o may be a cover over the lens, or a polarizing coating on the bulb, lens, reflecrtor or any other means for polarizing the light emitted from the headlight 12.
  • a polarizing medium 14 which may be incorporated in the headlight lens, o may be a cover over the lens, or a polarizing coating on the bulb, lens, reflecrtor or any other means for polarizing the light emitted from the headlight 12.
  • the light emitted from the headlight 12 is polarized in a plane extending at an ang of approximately 45 to the horizontal and represented by th lines 16 on the polarizing medium 14. Those lines 16 extend downwardly from right to left as viewed from the headlight side of the medium 14.
  • a cooperating polarizing means of the first vehicle is represented by 17 which may comprise incorporation of a polarizing medium within the windscreen structure of the vehicle or by coating the windscreen with suitable polarizin material or by a polarizing attachment or accessory mounted adjacent the windscreen either inside or outside the vehicle such as a flip-down polarized screen similar to or incorporated with a sun visor.
  • the polarizing plane of the cooperating polarizing means 17 is the same as that for the polarizing medium 14 of headlight 12 and is represented by the lines 18 extending downwardly from right to left as viewed by the vehicle driver.
  • a beam of light 21 from the headlight 12 passes through the polarizing medium 14 and is polarized thereby in the plane represented by the line 16.
  • the beam 21, on being reflected from an object 22, such as a road surface passes back to the cooperating means 17, and because the reflected polarized light is in the same plane as the polarizing medium of the means 17 as represented by the line 18, the reflected beam of light 21 passes through the means 17 to be.seen by the driver of the first vehicle.
  • the driver is able to see reflections from his vehicle's lights and objects illuminated thereby.
  • the headlight 23 of the second vehicle has its light polarized by a polarizing medium 24 in the same manner as that of the first vehicle.
  • the polarizing medium 24 polarizes the light from the headlight 23 in a plane corresponding to the lines 26 which extend downwardly from right to left in exactly the same manner as for the headligh 12.
  • the headlights 12 and 23 and the respective polarizing mediums 14 and 24 are identical.
  • the cooperating polarizing means 27 of the second vehicle is polarized in the same manner as the means 17 of ' the first vehicle so that a polarized beam of light 31 from the head- light 23, when reflected by the object 22, passes back throu the cooperating polarizing means 27 to be seen by the driver of the second vehicle.
  • the plane of polarization of a beam of light 25 from headlight 12 is substantially at right angles to the polarizing plane of the cooperating polarizing means 27 so that the polarized light beam 25 will be further polarized by the means 27 thus substantially blocking the transmission of the beam 25.
  • the cooperatin means 27 will polarize the light beam 25 at right angles to its original polarization thereby substantially eliminating light transmission.
  • OMPI sty , WIPO fro the headlight 23 and which is polarized by the polarizing medium 24 in a plane extending a '-substantially 45° to the horizontal as represented by the lines 26 will be further polarized by the cooperating polarizing means 17 of the approaching other vehicle at an angle substantially a right angles to the initial polarizing plane thereby reducin or substantially eliminating transmitted light through the cooperating polarizing means 17.
  • the present invention is thereby able, by suitable arrangement of various polarizing mediums, to facilitate at least substantial reduction of light which is able to pass from a vehicle headlight through a windscreen of an oncoming vehicle without reducing to any great extent the reflected light which the driver of the first vehicle would normally see.
  • the polarizing plane of each light source on each vehicle and of each associated cooperating polarizing means may be the same or may be different to each other.
  • the • -planes may also be at angles greater or less than 45 .
  • Selection of desired plane angles for each of the light sources and the cooperating polarizing means enables variations to be made to amounts of either or both reflected and directly incident light passing through the cooperating polarizing means. .
  • the polarizing plane angle for all lights and cooperating means is selected as 40°, all reflected light and a small amount of direct light will pass through the relevant cooperating means.
  • the invention may be used with polarizing mediums which do not fully polarize light in any one plane. In this case, some ' partially polarized light will pass through the cooperating means irrespective of the relative orientations of the polarizing planes.
  • the output light from the vehicle headlights may be polarized by any suitable means such as polarized plastic material or glass in the lens, or a polarizing coating on the lens, or by using polarized hea light protectors which are fitted in front of the normal he light lens.
  • the headlights may be designed emit polarized light having the desired characteristics.
  • vehicle drivers instead of providing vehicles with windscreens which are either polarized or have a polarized coating or layer associated therewith, vehicle drivers may wear glasses having lens appropriately polarized to produce the effects of the prese invention.
  • Many other modifications may be made in the design, construction, arrangement or performance of embodiments of the invention, the exact nature and scope of which is defin in the following claims.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)
  • Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)

Abstract

Système d'éclairage anti-éblouissement, notamment pour des véhicules automobiles, utilisant un premier organe de polarisation de lumière (14, 24) pour polariser dans un plan désiré (16, 26) la lumière émise par le véhicule ou d'autres lumières (12, 23) et un deuxième organe polarisant (17, 27) possédant un plan de polarisation (18) aligné avec celui du premier organe polarisant (14, 23). Les plans de polarisation sont disposés de sorte que la lumière réfléchie (21) traverse le deuxième organe polarisant (17) et peut ainsi être vue, tandis que la lumière polarisée (30) incidente sur le deuxième organe polarisant (17) et provenant d'une source lumineuse opposée (23) est polarisée encore une fois, réduisant ainsi sensiblement la transmission lumineuse au travers de l'organe polarisant.
EP83902686A 1982-08-27 1983-08-26 Systeme d'eclairage pour un vehicule Withdrawn EP0118477A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU5607/82 1982-08-27
AU560782 1982-08-27

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0118477A1 true EP0118477A1 (fr) 1984-09-19

Family

ID=3696074

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP83902686A Withdrawn EP0118477A1 (fr) 1982-08-27 1983-08-26 Systeme d'eclairage pour un vehicule

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0118477A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO1984001012A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2743862B1 (fr) * 1996-01-23 1998-04-10 Bouillart Roland Procedes et dispositifs de polarisation pour l'amelioration de la visibilite notamment dans les mobiles
GB2346955A (en) * 1999-02-09 2000-08-23 Roger Hobbs Polarising headlights
GB2362206A (en) * 2000-05-12 2001-11-14 Aldersey Williams John Polarising light from vehicle headlamps
WO2009104977A1 (fr) * 2008-02-21 2009-08-27 Dumitru Ionescu Système interactif d'éclairage et protection anti-éblouissement

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2031045A (en) * 1932-12-06 1936-02-18 Sheet Polarizer Company Inc Means for avoiding glare from automobile headlights

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO8401012A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO1984001012A1 (fr) 1984-03-15

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Legal Events

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Effective date: 19840731