Upper and lower beam optical switch for line-of-light headlamps using opaque masks.

摘要

A "line-of-light" vehicle lighting system employs a moveable mask (26) to control the beam pattern formed by a plurality of fiber optic light bundles (16A) coupled to a single high intensity slight source. The lighting system comprises a single high intensity light source coupled to forward illumination devices by means of optical light conducting devices. The forward illumination devices include an arrangement of connectors (22), a mask member (26) and lens elements (28). The connectors lodge fiber optic light bundles branched off from the optical light conducting devices and emit light through respective apertures (24). The mask has a plurality of openings (27A, B) for selectively exposing portions of the apertures which, in combination with the lens elements, form the beam pattern. The mask is movable (20) between two positions to register first and second openings in the mask with associated apertures to form the high and low beam patterns of the forward lighting system. <IMAGE>