US 6,439,753 B1Granted

Headlight unit for a vehicle

AssigneeHonda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsTakashi Sumada, Koji Kano, Shigeru Kodaira, Koichi Shimamura

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Abstract

A pair of right and left headlights are fitted with a front cowl. Each headlight has two lamps laterally arranged. A laterally inner one of the two lamps is a discharge lamp functioning as a low-beam emitting lamp, and a laterally outer one of the two lamps is a halogen lamp functioning as a high-beam emitting lamp. The halogen lamp is higher in position than the discharge lamp. Each headlight further has a reflector surface for the low beam and a reflector surface for the high beam. The reflector surface is larger in size than the reflector surface. A lens is provided on the front side of the reflector surfaces, and the width of a laterally inner portion of the lens is larger than the width of a laterally outer portion of the lens. The low beam emitted from the discharge lamp is reflected on the larger reflector surface to illuminate a wide area, and the high beam emitted from the halogen lamp is reflected on the smaller reflector surface to illuminate a spot area at a distant point.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A headlight unit for a vehicle having right and left headlights provided at a front portion of the vehicle, each of said right and left headlights comprising:

a low-beam emitting lamp for emitting a low beam;
a high-beam emitting lamp for emitting a high beam;
a reflector having a first reflector surface for reflecting said low beam emitted from said low-beam emitting lamp and a second reflector surface for reflecting said high beam emitted from said high-beam emitting lamp;
and
a lens provided so as to commonly cover said low-beam emitting lamp and said high-beam emitting lamp;
wherein said low-beam emitting lamp is located more toward a center of the vehicle as compared to said high-beam emitting lamp, and said high-beam emitting lamp is located more toward a lateral side of the vehicle as compared to said low-beam emitting lamp;
wherein said high-beam emitting lamp is positioned higher, relative to a ground level supporting the vehicle, as compared to a height of said low-beam emitting lamp;
said first reflector surface for said low-beam emitting lamp is larger in size than said second reflector surface for said high-beam emitting lamp;
and
said lens has a laterally inner portion opposed to said first reflector surface for said low-beam emitting lamp and a laterally outer portion opposed to said second reflector surface for said high-beam emitting lamp, said laterally inner portion being larger in size than said laterally outer portion.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/539,715Filed 31 Mar 2000
Priority: JP 11-09143231 Mar 1999
Granted: 27 Aug 2002
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B60Q 1/0094
Details of electrical connections: arrangement of electronic circuits separated from the light source, e.g. mounting of housings for starter…
B60Q 1/0041
Spatial arrangement: of several lamps in relation to each other
B60Q 1/076
Adjustable, e.g. remotely-controlled from inside vehicle: by electrical means including means to transmit the movements, e.g. shafts or joints
B62J 6/024
Specially adapted for motorcycles or the like: switching between high and low beam