General Electric Company

Walter J Kosmatka

Frank E Zalar

John M Davenport

Gary Robert Allen

Richard L Hansler

James M Hanson

Jeffrey D Johnson

William O Harris

Douglas G Seredich

Gustino J Lanese

Lee W Otto

Dean R Tener

Brian R Swiers

L Abigail Ainsworth

John J Biel

Glare or stray light from a lamp is controlled by determining the location of a filament relative to a major axis of the ellipsoidal portion of a lamp envelope. Once the maximum deviation of the filament from the major axis has been determined, the lamp may be marked with indicia, or immediately secured to a base to assure the location of the filament in the final assembly of the headlamp. Any stray or glare light is then controlled or directed in a predetermined manner.

Low glare infrared light source

This headlamp comprises a reflector and a discharge lamp comprising an inner envelope having a longitudinal axis coinciding with the optical axis of the reflector. The inner envelope includes a bulbous portion, a front leg extending along the optical axis from the bulbous portion toward the front of the headlamp, and a back leg extending along the optical axis from the bulbous portion toward the reflector. The discharge lamp further comprises a tubular shroud comprising a first hollow portion surrounding the front leg of the inner envelope, a second hollow portion surrounding the back leg of the inner envelope, and a bulbous portion between the two hollow portions. The bulbous portion of the shroud has a central longitudinal axis, and this central axis is upwardly offset by a small distance (e.g., at least about 0.5 mm) from the longitudinal axis of the inner envelope on which the discharge is located. The presence of this offset has been found to substantially increase the ratio of the seeing light to the glare light (i.e., the SGR) in the headlamp beam as compared to that present when there is no offset between these axes.

Vehicle headlamp comprising a discharge lamp including an inner envelope

A replaceable headlamp bulb for automotive applications comprising a discharge light source, a gimbal device, and a plastic lamp base in which the gimbal device is a one-piece construction that allows the light source to be precisely aligned and locked in a specific position with respect to the lamp base. The gimbal device is a cylindrically shaped member made of glass-mica material with a metallic ring fitted in a castellated circumferential groove at one end of the glass-mica member. The light source is mounted at the opposite end of the gimbal device to the ring-fitted portion. The plastic base contains an internal cylindrical opening into which the ring-fitted end of the glass-mica gimbal is inserted and aligned with respect to the plastic base. The gimbal device is locked inside the plastic base by heating of the metallic ring using Radio-Frequency (RF). During the RF heating the mica material reacts in the vicinity of the metallic ring which is seated inside the castellated groove to lock the gimbal to the ring. Ring sizing tolerance can be relaxed because the gaps between the castellations on each side of the groove walls serve to accommodate an oversized ring so that the ring is contained within the groove.

One-piece thermally resistant gimbal device for a replaceable headlamp

This vehicle headlamp comprises a housing adapted to be fixed to the body of a vehicle and having a light-transmissive portion through which upper and lower beams are directed. Within the housing is a discharge-type lamp serving as the light source for both these beams and an arrangement for mounting this lamp in a fixed location with respect to the housing. Also located within the housing is a reflector that is mounted on the housing in such a manner as to permit relative movement between the reflector on one hand and the housing and the lamp on the other hand. An actuating arrangement causes movement of the reflector between two spaced-apart positions while the lamp remains fixed relative to the housing. The reflector in one of said positions causes light from the lamp to be reflected from the reflector as the upper beam, and the reflector in its other position causes light from the lamp to be reflected from the reflector as said lower beam.

Vehicle headlamp in which multiple beams are derived from a single

A mount structure for a double ended type tungsten-halogen lamp is disclosed employing vibration damping elements to reduce the effects of mechanical shock and vibration. A thin layer of ceramic cement is interposed between the mount structure and lamp to improve the sealing arrangement related to a quartz lamp. A sealed beam headlamp unit employing the improved lamp mount construction is also disclosed.

Vibration resistant mount structure for double ended tungsten-halogen

A mount for a minature lamp terminating at one end in an elongated tubular member, said mount comprising a base and a cap assembled in mating engagement and exerting a compressive force on at least one deformable, elastomeric tubular or ring shaped member in said mount which surrounds and contacts said tubular lamp member of which at least a portion of which is inserted in a bore in the mount, thereby holding the lamp in the mount.

Mount for miniature arc lamp

A combined glare and heat shield configuration is disclosed for vehicle headlamp applications. Such composite heat shield member is configured and located inside the headlamp assembly with particular respect to the light source so as to avoid shadowing by this lamp component in the projected light beam pattern. Efficacy of the hermetically sealed electric lamp providing a light source in the present vehicle headlamp construction can be further improved with an infrared reflective coating being deposited on the lamp envelope.

Vehicle headlamp

An improved vehicle headlamp for developing forward illumination and having reduced dimensions relative to prior art headlamps is disclosed. The lamp comprises an enclosed concave parabolic reflector of a rectangular cross section type and having a single tungsten-halogen light source coaxially located within the enclosed reflector. The headlamp has a glare shield arranged around the light source when the headlamp is utilized for low beam application and a heat shield located about the light source for both low and high beam applications. The light source is of a tubular shape and has a bulbous portion preferably of an ellipsoidal shape. The efficacy of the light source is improved by means of an infrared reflective coating placed on its outer surface.

Automotive headlamp

A multi-faceted reflector for a headlamp of a motor vehicle is disclosed. The motor vehicle headlamp has the desired optics, in the form of facets, placed entirely on the reflective surfaces of the reflector. The reflective surfaces are comprised of a plurality of discrete reflective surfaces having right (i.e., surfaces of a parabolic shape in the vertical plane and being linear or cylindrical in the horizontal plane) parabolical cylindrical surfaces and discrete simple rotated parabolical surfaces. All of the reflective surfaces are located relative to the light source of the headlamp. The parabolic cylindrical surfaces, serving as spreading facets create a lateral spread of the light developed by the light source of the lamp, whereas, the simple rotated parabolic surfaces, serving as bending facets, create a shifting, relative to the light source, of the projected image of the light source. The shifted light forms the compact high intensity portion of the light output of the headlamp which cooperates with the lateral spread light to form a compact light output which serves the illumination needs of the motor vehicle.

Faceted reflector for headlamps

A vehicle lamp unit having an improved supporting arrangement for the light source of the unit is disclosed. Also disclosed is an improved supporting arrangement for a light source having platform members that allow the light source to be attached to a base which is then inserted into complementary locating openings of a lamp unit in a vehicle. Further disclosed is a method of connecting the light source to the improved mounting arrangement.

Vehicle lamp unit and method for an improved supporting arrangement of

A vehicle lamp, such as a headlamp or fog lamp, having a concave reflector truncated at its top and bottom, one of the truncated surfaces being closer to the optical axis than the other truncated surface, and both truncated surfaces being substantially non-reflective. This achieves significant glare control without requiring a separate shield between the light source and the reflector.

Motor vehicle headlamp

A light bulb is held by a base having an outer base member surrounding an inner member holding the bulb and which is secured to the outer base member after being adjusted longitudinally, laterally, and rotationally with respect thereto, as needed, to accurately position the bulb's filament with respect to the outer base member. No cement or adhesive is in contact with the light bulb.

Lamp unit having accurately positioned filament

A light bulb is held by a base to which the bulb is secured after being adjusted longitudinally, laterally, and rotationally, as needed, to accurately position the bulb's filament with respect to the base. No cement or adhesive is in contact with the light bulb.

Filters, in the form of lens covers, are provided for PAR lamps and attached to the outside thereof by means of a ring of heat-shrinkable tubing which both fastens and seals the filter to the lamp.

Growing community of inventors

Highland Heights, OH, United States of America

Walter J Kosmatka