The Lucas Electrical Company Limited

Frederick Raymond Martin

A headlamp tilting mechanism in a motor vehicle comprises a pair of spring arms mounted in opposition on a shaft which is pivotable relative to the motor vehicle body and which carries a pair of headlamps. One end of each spring arm has attached thereto one end of a sleeved cable. One cable is attached to an unsprung part at the rear of the vehicle and the other cable is attached to an unsprung part at the front of the vehicle. Both cable sleeves abut against the underside of the vehicle body. Changes in the attitude of the vehicle body relative to the front and rear wheels cause changes in the tension of the cables to effect biasing of the spring arms so that a resultant rotation of shaft is effected which corresponds to the change in attitude of the vehicle body.

Motor vehicle with headlamp tilting mechanism

The motor vehicle comprises a vehicle body suspended on wheels and carrying a pair of headlamps which are mounted on a common cross rod angularly movable relative to the body by means of a headlamp tilting mechanism. The headlamp tilting mechanism is of the hydromechanical type and includes a lever which is mounted on the vehicle body through the intermediary of a pivot. The lever has an arm which is urged by spring into engagement with a temperature sensitive element secured to a rear axle housing of the motor vehicle. An extension projecting from the lever is engaged by an output rod of a mechanism for rendering the tilting mechanism inoperative. The mechanism comprises a body within which is disposed a bellows element having the output rod secured thereto. Also disposed within the body is a temperature expansible material and a heating element which is arranged to be heated when a headlamp filament energizing switch is manually closed. Heating of the temperature expansible material by heating element effects movement of the output rod such that abutment thereon is moved out of engagement with the extension on the lever, thereby permitting the tilting mechanism to operate. When the headlamp energizing switch is de-energized, the temperature expansible material cools down and a spring within the bellows element moves the output rod into a position in which the abutment thereon engages the extension and moves the lever into a position in which the headlamp tilting mechanism is rendered inoperative.

A motor vehicle has a pair of vertically tiltable headlamps mounted on the vehicle body. An elongate rod extends horizontally between the two headlamps and is slidable in bushes fixed to the motor vehicle body. The elongate rod is connected at its respective ends to the headlamps by way of respective pairs of links disposed on opposite sides of the rod. One link of each pair is pivotally connected between the rod and the respective headlamp whilst the other rod of each pair is pivotally connected between the rod and the body. Movement of the rod effects simultaneous movement of the headlamps and is effected by a mechanical/hydraulic system linked to a rear axle housing and an engine of the motor vehicle so that headlamp tilting occurs to compensate for tilting of the body under changing conditions of load, acceleration and braking.

Motor vehicle with tiltable headlamps

The headlamp tilting system comprises a headlamp tilting mechanism and a headlamp securing mechanism. The headlamp tilting system includes a tensioned cable which leads to a sensor at the rear of the motor vehicle and is connected with a tube having a slidable output rod therein connected with a cross rod upon which headlamps of the motor vehicle are mounted. The tube is movable relative to a body of the vehicle and the output rod is connected with the tube via a pair of springs. The headlamp securing mechanism comprises a lever carrying a catch in the form of a V-shaped notch which is engageable over a pin carried by a lever secured to the cross rod. A spring biasses the lever into a position in which the catch engages the pin but an abutment on the lever engaging a pin in an elongate slot in the rod normally prevents such movement. In the event of a breakage of the cable, the springs within the tube cause a plate on the tube to engage an extension on lever to effect disengagement of the abutment from the pin. This action causes spring to urge the lever so that the catch engages the pin on the lever secured to the cross rod. In this manner, movement of the headlamps is limited.

Headlamp tilting system in a motor vehicle

A headlamp tilting system in a motor vehicle has opposite ends of an inner cable connected respectively to the rear axle housing of the vehicle and an intermediate portion of a lever. An outer sleeve surrounds the inner cable and abuts against the underside of the vehicle body. One end of the lever is pivotally mounted on the vehicle body via a damper while the other end thereof is connected to the vehicle headlamps through a further cable and a movement reducer including two spring arms. The damper is arranged to oppose relatively short term changes but to permit relatively long term change so that, under braking and acceleration conditions, the inner cable tilts the headlamps as a result of pivotal movement of the lever. Under changing load conditions, body movement of the lever takes place as permitted by the damper to effect a reduced headlamp tilt.

Headlamp tilting device in a motor vehicle

A device for changing the amount of linear movement in a linkage system, preferably for reducing the movement, consists of a hollow body into opposite ends of which a tube and a co-axial rod extend. Attached to the inner end of the rod is a pair of flanges which extend through slots in the tube. A compression spring is lodged in the body between the flanges and an end of the body and a further compression spring is lodged between the flanges and an abutment on the tube at the opposite end of the body. Preferably, the rod passes with clearance through a sleeve forming an extension of the body and a viscous material is provided in the sleeve around the rod to act as a damper to short term movements of the rod.

Device for changing the amount of linear movement in a linkage

The motor vehicle comprises a body, a pair of headlamps which are mounted on a common cross rod angularly movable relative to the body, and a headlamp tilting mechanism. The mechanism comprises a tensioned cable secured at one end to an axle housing of the motor vehicle and at its opposite end to a spring arm. An outer sleeve over the cable abuts against the underside of the body. The spring arm is clamped at one of its ends to the cross rod and a further spring arm is also clamped to the cross rod and has its free end urged into abutment with a stop fixed relative to the body. The cable is secured to the end of the spring arm which is remote from cross rod and the cable biases the further arm into engagement with the stop. The provision of the spring arms serves to reduce the amount of angular movement imparted to the cross rod by the cable when changes in the attitude of the vehicle body relative to the wheels occurs under changing conditions of load carried by the body.

The motor vehicle is provided with headlamps mounted on a common cross rod which is angularly sprung by means of a tilting system including a lever secured to the cross rod. The headlamps are normally urged into an extreme downwardly tilted position by means of a manually operable device. In one form, the manually operable device takes the form of a solenoid having an operating rod which engages lever attached to the cross rod. The solenoid is electrically connected with a manually operable headlamp lighting switch. The arrangement is such that when the solenoid is de-energised, the operating rod thereof urges the lever into an extreme position in which the headlamps are tilted downwardly. When the headlamp lighting switch is operated to illuminate the headlamps, the solenoid attracts the rod and so releases the lever secured to the cross rod so that tilting of the headlamps can be effected by the headlamp tilting mechanism. In another embodiment, the headlamp lighting switch has an operating rod which is attached to one end of a cable whose other end passes slidably through an aperture in the lever connected with the cross rod and which is operable to move the lever into a position corresponding to an extreme downward tilt of the headlamps when the lighting circuit to the headlamps is opened, but is arranged to release the lever for movement under the action of the headlamp tilting system when the lighting circuit of the headlamps is closed.

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Bromley, United Kingdom

Frederick Raymond Martin