Vehicle headlight and alert system

摘要

A vehicle headlight and control system for a bus or large vehicle includes a headlight fixture with a center or low beam light source and side illumination light source operated independently. The side illumination light source may be activated when the vehicle is turning, as detected by the vehicle speed and steering shaft turn angle, to provide supplemental illumination. Both right and left side illumination sources may be provided, and may comprise LED light elements. The system may also include an audible sound generator to alert pedestrians when the vehicle is turning.

主权项

1. A multi-mode headlight fixture, comprising:
a headlight enclosure; a low beam light source comprising one semiconductor light element within the headlight enclosure; a first side illumination light source comprising one or more semiconductor light elements within the headlight enclosure operable independently from the low beam light source; a second side illumination light source comprising one or more semiconductor light elements within the headlight enclosure operable independently from the lowbeam light source and the first side illumination light source; and a cover lens attached to the headlight enclosure; wherein said first and second side illumination light sources are oriented to project non-reflected light directly at a portion of the cover lens; wherein the at least one of semiconductor light elements of the first side illumination light source is oriented at a predefined acute angle with respect to the forward-projected beam of the lowbeam light source and towards the right of the headlight fixture, and at least one of the semiconductor light elements of the first side illumination light source is oriented at a predefined acute angle with respect to forward-projected beam of the lowbeam light source and towards the left of the headlight fixture; and wherein each of the first right-oriented and first left-oriented side illumination light sources provides a beam spread encompassing at least 20 degree to 50 degrees relative to a centerline of the projected beam of the lowbeam light source.