GB1054064A - - Google Patents

Abstract

1, 054,064. Photo-electric headlight control. K. ZUSE. Aug. 17, 1964 [Aug. 23, 1963], No. 33478/64. Heading G1A. At least one of the headlights 202 (Fig. 1) of a motor vehicle is controlled by a photo-electric directing device 201, having a detector 200 which scans the space in front of the vehicle such that the headlight or its reflector is arranged to rotate about a substantially vertical axis in steps through angles of constant magnitude away from on-coming vehicles. The embodiment described is applied to left hand drive vehicles. The detector 200, which comprises a photo-cell, is arranged to rotate continuously about its own axis 213, the actual zone from which it can receive light being restricted by stops to an area (sections B-D, Fig.5 (not shown)), in front of the vehicle. The directing device includes a locating head 201, Fig. 3 (not shown), for monitoring the orientation of the headlight 202. The head also rotates about the axis 213, and periodically passes over a partial annular strip 225, Fig. 4 (not shown), which is attached to the headlight and which carries a number of slits 226-229 corresponding to the beginning of zones B, C, D and F. Whenever the slit 224 of the locating head coincides with a slit on the strip, a pulse is transmitted to the storage circuit 204. This circuit, Fig. 6 (not shown), includes a shift register circuit comprising a flip-flop chain, each indicator element, 301-304, corresponding to a slit on the strip 225 and being actuated by a pulse from the detector 222 when its corresponding slit is illuminated. A circuit arrangement of AND and OR-gates and flip-flops controls the rotation and switching on and off of the headlamps 202 in response to signals from the detectors 218, 222. The headlamp is also controlled by contact device 245, such that it is switched off during the scan of zones B, C, D by the photo-cell 218 and by device 252 such that it is prevented from rotating during this part of the scan. When the detector 218 receives light from a sector B, C or D, the relay R is actuated and during the scan of sector F, the headlight is caused to rotate to the right by the necessary number of strips, carrying its light beam away from the on coming vehicle. In certain cases the lamp may also be switched off for a short time. If the scan of sectors B, C, D results in no illumination of the detector and the headlamp is in a displaced position it will be rotated to the left until it reaches the left hand limit. Rotation of the lamp to left or right is brought about when the relay L or R is actuated to energize the electromagnet L' or R' which controls an arrangement of cranks and gears, Figs. 7-9 (not shown), connected to the axis of rotation 206 of the headlight.