US2140855A - Automobile lamp - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 20, 1938. A. B. SCOTT AUTOMOBILE LAMP Filed Dec. 19, 1936 I |NVENTR BY v I ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 20, 1938 Y UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE AUTOMOBILE LAMIP Albert B. Scott, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to S. G. K. Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Application December 19, 1936, Serial No. 116,766

6 Claims. (01. 240-71) This. invention relates tov a lamp having a spe- In the drawing: cial construction adapting it to be carried, in an Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through the automobile. While. the lamp may be used for any forward end of an automobile body adjacent the special. purpose, it is intended particularly to be upper edge of the windshield, these parts being 5 used as a. red lamp on police automobiles. It is broken away. This view illustrates my improved 5 desirable that such lamps on police automobiles lamp in side elevation in its active position, and should be held in a position so that they are not also illustrates the lamp in its inactive position in visible, but so that. they can be immediately dotted lines.

brought into an active-position in which they will Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the axis cast the beam ahead of the car. Due to the fact f the lamp b ack t, and s w a portion of th 10 that u h lamps are d i t bil b dies base of the bracket broken away, and also partialhaving' considerable variation in design, it is ly in section. This view also shows a p o of found in practice that in some cars the lamps the lamp arm in section to illustrate details of its should be attached inone, position, and in other construction, and also shows the contact stop in carsin another position. vertical section. 15

The general object of this invention is to pro- 3 is a p p n V w f he br ket and duce a lamp ofthis type having characteristics OI arm n th r lation h wn n Fla nd h win construction, which will enable the lamp t b a portion of the base of the bracket broken away. carried normally in an, inactive position, but Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 4--4 of Fig.

2o quickly brought forward or down into an active p n enlarged scale, a p r ic l rly illusposition, and to provide the construction with tratin the Connection be e end of the means for automatically closing the circuit arm and the amp Casingthrough the lamp when the lamp-carrying arm is Ref n m p r l rly to h p an in its active position. especialy to Fig. l, l indicates the lamp bracket,

A further object of the invention is to construct w ich, i t e p esent i stance efera y i .25 th d i in h way th t. i th ti posicludes a holow or chambered base 2 from which tion of the lamp the lamp arm is held resiliently a po t 3 extends outwardly. i bracket Caroryieldingly against a stop, which stop carries a S a p m Which is hingedly attached to contact means for completing the circuit through it preferably y lliVOt o ec Din 5. In

the lamp. practical use the lamp bracket may be attached at 30 A. further object of the, invention is to c any convenient point within the car, but in the t t t t t t in h way as t present instance it is illustrated as attached to able it to cooperate with the lamp arm to regulate the forward wall 6 of the car above the windshield the direction of the beam from the lamp. 1. In order to facilitate making this attachment,

In the preferred embodiment of the construce base 2 ay be provided with a flange 8 35 tion, the lamp arm is hingedly' connected with the u h which s w or bolts 9 are app d. B bracket, or post, and resilient means is employed tween the bracket l and the arm 4 I p d attached to the bracket and to the arm near the yielding means o holding e a m in an e evated hinge connection. With this arrangem t th inactive position as indicated in the dotted lines 40 resilient. means will hold the lamp arm either in n Fi or in an active depressed p n s wn its active, or its inactive position. One of the n l linesn t elevated po n the a m objects of the invention is to provide improved holds a p Casing Out Of the y a 0 construction for this resilient means, which will a t t roof or p 1 Of e ca In the deoperate to develop a considerable yielding pull in Dressed position the p Casing W Will be e d holding the lamp arm againstth Contact t in line with the windshield, so that the beam of 45 Further objects of, the invention will appear light from the lamp will be cast through the windhereinafter. shield and forward of the car.

The invention consists in the novel parts and In the active position the yielding means recombination of parts to be described hereinafter, ferred to holds the arm 4 against stop means all of which contribute to produce an efficient indicated generally by the reference numeral 50 automobile lamp. l2, and this stop means also constitutes contact A preferred embodiment of the invention is demeans to engage contact means l3 on the lamp scribed in the following specification, while the arm, so as to form an energizing circuit through scope of the invention is pointed out in the apthe lamp in this position of the arm. This pended claims. a 7 contact means I2 is preferably mounted so that 55 it is adjustable, thereby enabling the direction of the beam from the lamp to be regulated. This adjustment, of course, in the present instance, will adjust the beam in a vertical plane.

In order to enable the beam from the lamp to be adjusted in a horizontal plane, and also to enable the lamp arm to be lengthened thereby enabling the device to be adapted to various conditions in cars, I prefer to form the arm 4 with a body section la, which is preferably of tubular form, and within which an extension or stem ib is received. This stem 4b can swivel in the tube 4. The end of the tube 50. is preferably slotted or split, as indicated in Fig. 2, and provided with oppositely disposed lugs l4 connected by a clamping bolt i5. It will be evident that by loosening up this bolt the arm 4b can be swiveled on its longitudinal axis, and adjusted in or out as may be desired.

The yielding means for holding the lamp arm resiliently in either position, may consist of a single coil spring, but preferably comprises a pair of coil springs E8, the ends of which are attached to spring headers Ill that are pivotally attached on pins 58 and i9 mounted respectively between the forks 3a and 312 that form the post 3 (see Fig. 3). By employing two springs in this way, it will be evident that in the lower position of the arm the lower spring is most effective in holding the arm against the contact means l2, and in the upper position the upper spring I5 is most effective in holding the arm in its elevated position. This mode of operation arises by reason of the fact that in the lower position the lower spring will be at a greater distance than the upper spring from the pivotal axis of the pin 5, and vice versa.

The contact means 52 is shown in detail in Fig. 2 in longitudinal section. This contact means is preferably mounted in a lug 20 that extends laterally and preferably downwardly from the forks 3a to which it is integrally connected when the bracket i is cast. The contact means preferably includes a contact screw 2!, which is mounted for longitudinal adjustment in the lug 20, and preferably along a line substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the post 3. In the present instance I prefer to mount this contact screw 2! in an insulated bushing 22 that is secured in a socket 23 at the lower end of the lug 23. Any suitable means may be employed for effecting the longitudinal adjustment of this contact screw to alter the position of the arm 4- in its active position. For this purpose the contact screw 2i is preferably provided with means for preventing it from rotating, and it has suilicient length to extend at both ends beyond the end faces of the lug 26. On one end it is provided with an adjusting thumb nut 24, which has threaded engagement with the threads of the screwiii, and at the other end another thumb nut 25. If desired, the latter thumb nut 25 may have an integral sleeve 26 that is guided in the bushing 22. This enables the nut 25 to give a better support for the adjacent end of the contact screw. The other end of the contact screw is preferably provided with an enlarged head 28' having a dished or concave contact face 2? on its outer side to engage the contact l3 carried by the arm. This contact 13 preferably has a rounded nose for engaging the face 27 (see Fig. 2). By reason of the concave face 3? and the convex nose of the contact 3, a suiiicient area of contact will result.

In order to prevent the contact screw 2| from rotating, it is preferably provided with a longitudinal groove 23 that receives a pin 29 extending in through the side of the bushing, the head of this pin 29 being countersunk into the bushing so that it is not in contact with the lug 20. The pin or rivet 33 may be provided for securing the insulating bushing 22 within the lug.

The contact means, or contact [3, is preferably mounted in an insulating bushing 31 received in a socket 32 formed in the side of the arm body 4a (see Fig. 2) and from the back of the contact I3 an insulated wire 33 leads through the stem 4b; which is also tubular, to carry the current into the lamp. Beyond the inner end of the stem 4b a small chamber 34 is formed to receive a few coils 35 formed in the insulated wire 33. These coils enable the arm to be extended without straining or breaking the wire 33.

If desired, the lamp casing l0 may be rigid with the extension 4?) of the lamp arm, but I prefer to attach it to the extension 4b by a pivot joint. For this purpose I prefer to provide the lamp casing with a pair of lugs 36 between which the end of the extension 419 is received. Through the lugs and the end of the extension, a bolt 31 passes, said bolt being preferably of the carriage bolt type, and having an angular or square shank 33 received in a correspondingly formed socket 39 in one of the lugs 36 (see Fig.

4). This will prevent the bolt from rotating in such a way as to break the wire 33, which passes through a transverse opening 4!! drilled through the shank of the bolt. The end of the stem 4b adjacent the lugs is preferably formed into a rounded hollow head, and the wall of this head on the axis of the arm, is provided with a slot 4| through which the wire passes before it is led into the interior of the lamp casing if]. It

will be evident that by loosening up the nut 42 of the bolt 31 a considerable angular adjustment can be effected for the lamp casing It) on the arm 4.

If desired, the device may be provided with a contact breaker within the chambered base 2 that will enable the lamp to flash continuously whenever it is in its active position. From this flashing device a current passes by a conductor, or insulated wire 43, that is connected to the end of the contact screw 2! (see Fig. 2).

A current may pass into the flasher device through an insulated wire M connecting to an insulated terminal 45 for one side of the flasher.

In the present instance the lamp circuit is a grounded circuit, but if desired, of course, a double wired circuit could be employed. Such a double wired circuit, however, would involve duplication of parts, and would increase the ex pense of the device,

The mode of operation of the device is, of .2

course, very simple. When the lamp arm is in its inactive position, the contact means l2 and 13 are out of engagement with each other, and no circuitexists through the lamp. As soon as the contact arm is swung down to its active poarm 4 and adjust the beam from the lamp l0 up or down in a vertical plane in front of the car.

Many other modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In an automobile lamp, the combination of a bracket adapted to be secured to the body of an automobile, an arm having a joint connection to the bracket, insulated contact means located in a lateral position with respect to the axis of the bracket, a lamp casing carried by the arm, insulated contact means carried by the arm between the said joint and the lamp casing, means connected with the bracket and the arm operating to hold the arm yieldingly in an inactive position with its said insulated contact means out of contact with the first-named contact means, and yieldingly in an active position with the second-named contact means in engagement with the first-named contact means, means for adjusting the first-named contact means in the general direction in which the axis of the bracket extends so as to regulate the position of the arm and lamp in their active position, and conductor means leading into the lamp casing from the secend-named contact means.

2. In an automobile lamp, the combination of a post adapted to be secured to the body of an automobile, an arm having a joint connection to the post, said post having a lug extending laterally therefrom, insulated contact means mounted in the said lug for adjustment in a direction substantially parallel with the axis of the post, a lamp casing carried by the arm, insulated contact means carried by the arm between the said joint and the lamp casing, and resilient means connected with the post and with the arm operating to hold the arm in an inactive position with its said insulated contact means out of contact with the first-named contact means, and in an active position with the said contact means in engagement with each other, and means for conducting electric current from the second contact means into the lamp casing.

3. In an automobile lamp, the combination of a bracket adapted to be secured to the body of an automobile, an arm hingedly connected to the bracket, insulated contact means carried by the bracket located in a lateral position wtih respect to the axis of the bracket, a lamp casing carried by the arm, insulated contact means carried by the arm, a spring header plate attached to the bracket, and a spring header plate attached to the arm near the hinge connection, and a plurality of springs attached to the header plates and operating to hold the arm in an inactive position remote from the first-named contact means and in an active position with the contact means in engagement with each other to close an electric circuit through the lamp.

4. An automobile lamp constructed as described in claim 1, in which the lamp casing is hingedly secured to the free end of said arm.

5. In an automobile lamp, the combination of a bracket adapted to be secured to the body of an automobile, and having a laterally projecting lug, an arm hingedly connected to the bracket, an insulating bushing in the lug, a threaded contact screw mounted to slide through the bushing with means for holding the same against rotation, threaded adjusting means mounted on the threads of the contact screw on each side of the lug, an insulated contact carried by the arm, a lamp casing carried by the arm, and means for holding the arm in a position remote from the contact screw, and in an active position in which the contact on the arm engages the end of the contact screw to close an electric circuit through the lamp, said contact operating as an adjustable stop for the arm for regulating the direction of the light beam from the lamp.

6. In an automobile lamp, the combination of a bracket adapted to be secured to the body of an automobile, an arm having a tubular body portion with a chamber therein, and having a joint connection to the bracket, said arm having a tubular extension portion, insulated contact means located in a lateral position with respect to the axis of the bracket, a lamp casing carried by said extension portion, insulated contact means carried by the arm between the said joint and the lamp casing, means connected with the bracket and the arm operating to hold the arm yieldingly in an inactive position with its said insulated contact means out of contact with the first named contact means and yieldingly in an active position with the second named contact means in engagement with the first named contact means, means for adjusting the first named contact means in the general direction in which the axis of the bracket extends so as to regulate the position of the arm and lamp in their active positions, conductor means leading into the lamp casing from the second named contact means, said extension portion being capable of rotative adjustment on the axis of the body portion of the arm to change the direction in which the lamp projects its rays, with means for clamping the extension portion in different adjusted positions on the said body portion, and an insulated electric light wire extending through the tubular body portion and having coils carried in said chamber.

ALBERT B. SCOTT.

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