PHOTOCHROMIC HEADLAMP

Abstract

An automobile headlamp comprising a light source; a photochromic lens; and a one-way mirror positioned between the light source and the photochromic lens such that when viewing the light source through the photochromic lens, the one-way mirror conceals at least a portion of the light source.

Claims

1. An automobile headlamp comprising: a light source; a photochromic lens; and a one-way mirror positioned between the light source and the photochromic lens such that when viewing the light source through the photochromic lens, the one-way mirror conceals at least a portion of the light source.

2. The automobile headlamp of claim 1, further including a housing including an opening, the housing surrounds the one-way mirror and the photochromic lens is located along the opening such that light emitted from the light source passes through the one-way mirror and exits the housing through the photochromic lens.

3. The automobile headlamp of claim 2, wherein the housing includes a reflective lining.

4. The automobile headlamp of claim 1, wherein the photochromic lens is activated by ultraviolet light to increase its opacity.

5. The automobile headlamp of claim 1, wherein when the photochromic lens is activated to increase its opacity, a color of the photochromic lens matches a color of an automobile body into which the automobile headlamp is mounted.

6. The automobile headlamp of claim 1, wherein the light source emits light of a color which matches a color of an automobile body into which the automobile headlamp is mounted.

7. The automobile headlamp of claim 1, wherein the light source is a color which matches a color of an automobile body into which the automobile headlamp is mounted.

8. An automobile headlamp installed in an automobile comprising: a light source positioned to emit light through a photochromic lens, wherein when the photochromic lens is activated to increase its opacity, a color of the photochromic lens matches a color of an automobile body into which the automobile headlamp is mounted.

9. The automobile headlamp of claim 8, further including a housing including an opening in which the photochromic lens is located such that light emitted from the light source exits the housing through the photochromic lens.

10. The automobile headlamp of claim 9, further including a one-way mirror positioned between the light source and the photochromic lens.

11. The automobile headlamp of claim 9, wherein the housing includes a reflective lining.

12. The automobile headlamp of claim 8, wherein the photochromic lens is activated by ultraviolet light to increase its opacity.

13. The automobile headlamp of claim 9, wherein the one-way mirror is positioned such that when viewing the light source through the photochromic lens, the one-way mirror conceals at least a portion of the light source.

14. The automobile headlamp of claim 9, wherein the one-way mirror is positioned such that when viewing the light source through the photochromic lens, the one-way mirror conceals the entire light source.

15. The automobile headlamp of claim 8, wherein the light source emits light of a color which matches a color of an automobile body into which the automobile headlamp is mounted.

16. The automobile headlamp of claim 8, wherein the light source is a color which matches a color of an automobile body into which the automobile headlamp is mounted.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord with the present concepts, by way of example only, not by way of limitations. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements.

[0020] FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a headlamp of the present application.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a cutaway view of a headlamp of FIG. 1.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the headlamp of FIG. 1.

[0023] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a photochromic lens used in the headlamp of FIG. 3 under incandescent light.

[0024] FIG. 4B is a perspective view of a photochromic lens used in the headlamp of FIG. 3 under direct sunlight.

[0025] FIG. 5A is a front view of the headlamp of FIG. 3 exposed to direct sunlight.

[0026] FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the headlamp of FIG. 3 exposed to direct sunlight.

[0027] FIG. 6 is a front view of an illuminate the headlamp of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a hidden photochromic headlamp 10. As shown in FIG. 1, in one embodiment, the headlamp 10 comprises a light source 20, a one-way mirror 30, and a photochromic lens 40. In FIG. 1 the light source 20 is placed behind a one-way mirror 30; when the light source 20 is turned on, it projects light forward through the photochromic lens 40, which is placed in front of the mirror 30. In sequence, from rear to front the main elements of the headlamp 10 are: the light source 20, the one-way mirror 30 and the photochromic lens 40.

[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates a cutaway side view of an embodiment of a hidden photochromic headlamp 10. FIG. 2 shows a light source 20 placed behind a one-way mirror 30, with the one-way mirror 30 placed behind a photochromic lens 40. FIG. 2 shows the faces of the one-way mirror: the rear face 31, which faces the light source 20 and the front face 32 which faces the photochromic lens 40. The light source 20, mirror 30 and lens 40 may be placed in sequence, inside a housing 50, making a self-contained and weather-shielded headlamp 10. The housing 50 may be made of any material appropriate for enclosing the internal elements of the headlamp mentioned above. For example, the housing 50 may be made from heat-resistant plastic. Further, the interior surface of the housing may be coated or covered by a white or reflective material or may be non-reflective, as desired or necessary per the design requirements.

[0030] This embodiment of the lamp 10, where a light source 20 sits behind a one-way mirror 30 which sits behind a photochromic lens 40 (FIGS. 1. And 2.), allows the proposed device to conceal the light source 20 and make the lamp 10 “invisible” when in full sunlight.

[0031] Examples of a light source 20 used in a hidden photochromic headlamp 10 embodiment include, but are not limited to, Halogen lights, Incandescent lights, HID lights (also known as Xenon, Plasma or Arc lights), and LED lights. The examples listed above comprise four headlight types; however the light source 20 may also be any other functionally useful light-emanating device. It should be noted the physical light source 20 and the light it emits may also be colored to match the automobile body upon which they are placed. For example, if a car had an all red body, the LED diode(s) (which act as the light source 20 for the car in this example) may also be red to help further camouflage the headlamp(s) 10. The light source 20 could also emit red colored light to match the theme of the car, producing an aesthetic effect in which (in this example) the all red car emits red light from concealed headlamps 10.

[0032] In one embodiment of the hidden photochromic headlamp 10 (FIG. 2), a photochromic lens 40 may be used in concert with a one-way mirror 30 to conceal the light source 20. Photochromic lenses 40 are optical lenses that darken on exposure to specific types of light. Such specific types of light are termed “activating light” and represent certain wavelengths or intensities of light (e.g., ultraviolet light). When activating light hits a photochromic lens 40, the lens 40 is capable of changing shade from transparent to fully opaque. The change in lens 40 color is caused by dyes embedded within the lens 40. One variant of the dye employs silver chloride; however, any functional substitute which enables transition from transparent to opaque may be used with this invention.

[0033] The dye(s) embedded within a photochromic lens 40 may, on a molecular level, change shape when exposed to activating light. When light hits the dye, its molecules get bigger and cause darkening of the lens 40. When no longer exposed to activating light, the molecules get smaller and the lens 40 becomes more transparent. This enables the shade of a lens 40 to vary with changes in light exposure.

[0034] One type of activating light is Ultraviolet light (UV light). Because sunlight is partly composed of UV light, the sun's rays may activate a photochromic lens 40. The photochromic lens' 40 reactivity to the sun is useful for an embodiment of the presently disclosed hidden photochromic headlamp 10. While driving during the day in direct sunlight the lens 40 inside of the headlamp 10 would darken (FIG. 4B). The headlamp 10 would appear hidden because the dyes used in the photochromic lens 40 would cause the color of the lens 40 to match the color of a car's body. The lens' 40 ability to match the headlamp 10 with the rest of the automobile's finish would help make the headlamp(s) 10 “invisible”, like the hide-away headlights of old, but without the moving parts.

[0035] While driving during twilight, the decreasingly diminished intensity of the sun's UV rays would cause the lens 40 to gradually transition from opaque, to semi-translucent, to translucent. Finally, at night, with no UV light present, the lens 40 would become transparent (FIG. 4A), and the light source 20 would become fully visible.

[0036] The photochromic lens 40 used in an embodiment of the hidden photochromic headlamp 10 may be made of glass, polycarbonate, various types of plastic, or any other suitable material.

[0037] The photochromic lens 40 discussed above turns opaque when exposed to sunlight, concealing the lamp 10, however the light source's 20 hardware may still be visible through the lens when examined closely. To further increase concealment of the light source 20, a one-way mirror 30 is used in some embodiments of this invention (e.g., FIG. 2). In said embodiment the mirror 30 may work together with the lens 40 to further conceal the lamp 10.

[0038] The one-way mirror 30, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is typically a sheet of glass or plastic with a thin coating of metal, usually aluminum or silver. The metal coating is applied evenly, but sparsely, and the metal may also be embedded within the glass or plastic. A one-way mirror 30 is often called a “half-silvered” mirror. The name “half-silvered” comes from the fact that only half of the reflective substance needed to make a fully opaque mirror is applied to the half-silvered mirror's 30 surface, or embedded in the mirror 30. Because the mirror 30 is at half opacity it will reflect half of the light that it absorbs. A one-way mirror 30 has two sides, also called faces. The light reflected off of each face may affect what a person sees when looking at the mirror 30. When one face of the mirror 30 is illuminated and the other side is relatively dark, a person looking through the darker side can see through the mirror 30 (it appears transparent) as the dark side does not reflect enough light to create a reflection. In contrast, the illuminated side of the mirror 30 looks fully reflective, because enough light is present for the mirror's 30 metallic molecules to create a reflection.

[0039] At night when it is dark outside, the light source 20 would be visible through the one-way mirror 30. At night the front face of the mirror 32 faces the dark horizon, so no light is hitting the front face 32. Hence, the front face 32 remains transparent. Consequently, at night, with no activating light present, a person looking from the outside through the front of the hidden photochromic headlamp 10 is able to see the light source 20 because they would see through the transparent side of the mirror 30 (e.g., the darker side of the mirror discussed above). In contrast, during the day, the one-way mirror 30 helps obscure the light source 20. During the day, any sunlight that passed through the photochromic lens 40 would hit the front face 32 of the mirror 30. The sunlight is reflected off of the front face 32 and the resulting reflection would help conceal the light source 20 behind the mirror 30.

[0040] Thus, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, working from front to back, in direct sunlight the photochromic lens 40 would turn from transparent to fully opaque (shown in FIG. 4B), helping to conceal the headlamp 10; next the front face 32 of the one-way mirror 30 would reflect the remaining UV light coming in through the lens 40 toward the light source 20 and further conceal the light source 20. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the lens 40 and mirror 30 successfully work in tandem to conceal the headlamp 10. Said hidden headlamp 10 effect is illustrated in FIG. 5A.

[0041] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of the hidden photochromic headlamp 10. In the embodiment shown, the headlamp 10 is placed under incandescent light. In the embodiment shown the housing 50 and photochromic lens 40 are visible.

[0042] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a photochromic lens 40 placed under incandescent light. The shade of the lens 40 is transparent because the lens 40 is not exposed to UV light. This feature is useful because a lens 40 used in an embodiment of the hidden photochromic headlamp 10 would remain transparent during nighttime driving, or under artificial light found in a garage or service station.

[0043] FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the same lens illustrated in FIG. 4A, exposed to direct sunlight. The shade of the lens 40 is opaque because the lens 40 is exposed to UV rays from the sun. The opaque shade of the lens 40 helps to conceal the light source 20.

[0044] FIG. 5A is a front view of an embodiment of a headlamp 10 exposed to direct sunlight. The photochromic lens 40 is visible at the front of the headlamp 10, and is opaque. The one-way mirror 30 sits behind the photochromic lens; the light source 20 sits behind the mirror 30. Housing 50 surrounds the headlamp 10. The light source 20 in FIG. 5A is switched off, demonstrating possible daytime usage. FIG. 5A illustrates almost full concealment of the light source 20, and shows how the assembly of the mirror 30 and lens 40 hides the headlamp 10.

[0045] FIG. 5B is a perspective view of a headlamp 10 with a semi-transparent lens 40. In FIG. 5B the sunlight is less intense than in FIG. 5A so the lens 40 appears semi-transparent. The semi-transparency is evident in FIG. 5B because the interior of the housing 50 is visible through the lens 40.

[0046] FIG. 6 is a front view of an illuminated headlamp 10. Each component is visible. The light source 20 is illuminated and is visible at the rear of the lamp, the half-silvered mirror 30 is visible in front of the light source 20, and the photochromic lens 40 is visible in front of the half-silvered mirror 30. The lens 40 is semi-transparent allowing the inside of the headlamp 10 to be seen. FIG. 6 demonstrates that the light source 20 can be seen at night, or with non-activating light present, despite the presence of the one-way mirror 30 and photochromic lens 40. Additionally, the housing 50 is shown surrounding the lamp and allows the embodiment to be self-contained, and shielded from the elements.

[0047] It should be noted that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its attendant advantages.