Claims:WE CLAIM
1. A headlamp assembly (100) for a vehicle (200) comprising:
a housing (10) having a compartment (8);
a first reflector (60) positioned inside the compartment (8); and
a second reflector (70) positioned inside the compartment (8); wherein the second reflector (70) is forwardly disposed with respect to the first reflector (60).

2. The headlamp assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second reflector (70) is in a step-through relation with respect to the first reflector (60).

3. The headlamp assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compartment (8) comprises a heat sink (30) positioned between the first reflector (60) and the second reflector (70).

4. The headlamp assembly (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the heat sink (30) has a raised surface (22a) and a depressed surface (26a).

5. The headlamp assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1 or claim 4, wherein the first reflector (60) is mounted on the raised surface (22a) of the heat sink (30).

6. The headlamp assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1 or claim 4, wherein the second reflector (60) is mounted beneath the depressed surface (26a) of the heat sink (30).

7. The headlamp assembly (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the heat sink (30) comprises a first printed circuit board (20) having a first light source (12), the first printed circuit board (20) being mounted on the raised surface (22a) of the heat sink (30).

8. The headlamp assembly (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the heat sink (30) comprises a second printed circuit board (40) having a second light source (32), the second printed circuit board (40) being mounted on the depressed surface (26a) of the heat sink (30).

9. The headlamp assembly (100) as claimed in claims 7 or 8, wherein the first light source (12) and the second light source (32) include one or more light emitting diodes.

10. The headlamp assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first reflector (60) reflects light received from a first light source (12a, 12b, 12c) to emit a high beam.

11. The headlamp assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second reflector (70) reflects light received from a second light source (32) to emit a low beam.

12. The headlamp assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing (10) receives a masking member (80), the masking member (80) divides the compartment (8) into an upper chamber (72) and a lower chamber (78) wherein the upper chamber (72) accommodates the first reflector (60) and the lower chamber (74) accommodates the second reflector (70).

13. The headlamp assembly (30) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing (10) engages with a lens (90) defining an anterior outer wall of the headlamp assembly (100).

14. The headlamp assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the headlamp assembly (100)) comprises an adjustment bracket (50) extending between a first end (42) and a second end (44) thereof, the second end (44) of the adjustment bracket (50) coupled with the second reflector (70).

, Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present invention relates to a headlamp assembly for a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] Vehicles are generally equipped with headlamps provided in front of for illuminating a road or a path ahead of them, especially during night travel. A headlamp assembly typically has a light source and a reflector housed inside a housing. The light source can be a filament headlamp or a Light Emitting Diode (LED) positioned within the housing and electrically connected to a power source. The reflector is positioned inside the housing in such a fashion that it reflects the light originating from the light source in front of the vehicle. A bezel is generally affixed on the housing which receives a lens thereby enclosing the housing. Housing, bezel and lens are usually packaged in an airtight manner such that ingress of water, dirt, air, etc. inside the housing is prohibited.
[003] Generally, any light source, more particularly a light source with higher wattage, will generate heat and thus temperature inside the headlamp assembly will rise due to airtight packaging of the headlamp assembly. As a result, high temperature inside the headlamp assembly will cause the entire headlamp assembly to heat up, which in turn may damage other parts of the headlamp assembly. To resolve this issue, headlamp assembly is generally provided with a heat sink mounted behind the light source inside the housing. As a result, the heat sink absorbs the heat generated inside the housing. However, to accommodate such heat sink inside the headlamp assembly, a bigger housing is required making the headlamp assembly bulkier. Also, due to increase in size of the housing, such bulkier headlamp assemblies will entail additional cost to manufacture.
[004] Further, to improve the illumination of roads, there evolved a concept of having two light sources - one light source for illuminating the road in width and the other light source for illuminating the road in length. Accordingly, headlamp assemblies having two light sources and a heat sink for each of the light sources were developed. Thus, a user could operate either of the light sources to obtain a low beam light having a short field of vision or a high beam light having a long field of vision. The low beam light can illuminate the road in width, i.e. within the proximity of the vehicle and allow the user to see the road while riding on low lit roads or on bad roads or when there are other vehicles present ahead. The high beam light on the other hand can illuminate the road in length, and thus allow the user to see the road as far as possible while riding on straight roads or highways.
[005] It may be noted that the headlamp assemblies of configuration hereinbefore described still could not satisfactorily illuminate the roads and the user still find it difficult to view the roads especially during turns and while riding on badly lit roads. Further, use of two heat sinks makes the headlamp assembly more bulky and entails additional cost to manufacture. Additionally, such bulkier headlamp assembly will be difficult to transport, as it causes overhang of the headlamp assembly making the headlamp assembly to behave as a cantilever. This also tends to affect the front-rear center of gravity of the vehicle. Further, the bulkier headlamp assembly is difficult to handle while servicing. Also, since the headlamp assemblies have multiple components, considerable amount of time is spent during assembly and disassembly of the headlamp assembly.
[006] Thus, there is a need in the art for a headlamp assembly which addresses at least the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[007] The present invention is directed to a headlamp assembly for a vehicle. The headlamp assembly comprises a housing having a compartment. A first reflector and a second reflector are positioned inside the compartment wherein the second reflector is forwardly disposed with respect to the first reflector. Further, the second reflector is in a step-through relation with respect to the first reflector.
[008] In an embodiment of the invention, the headlamp assembly has a heat sink positioned inside the compartment between the first reflector and the second reflector.
[009] In another embodiment of the invention, the heat sink has a raised surface and a depressed surface. In this regard, the first reflector is mounted on the raised surface of the heat sink, and the second reflector is mounted beneath the depressed surface of the heat sink.
[010] In another embodiment of the invention, the headlamp assembly has a first printed circuit board having a first light source, wherein the first printed circuit board is mounted on the raised surface of the heat sink. Similarly, a second printed circuit board having a second light source is mounted on the depressed surface of the heat sink. The first light source and the second light source include one or more light emitting diodes.
[011] In an embodiment of the invention, the first reflector reflects light received from the light source to emit a high beam and the second reflector reflects light received from the light source to emit a low beam.
[012] In a further embodiment of the invention, the headlamp assembly has a masking member received by the housing, the masking member divides the compartment into an upper chamber and a lower chamber wherein the upper chamber accommodates the first reflector and the lower chamber accommodates the second reflector.
[013] In another embodiment of the invention, the housing engages with a lens defining an anterior outer wall of the headlamp assembly.
[014] Yet in another embodiment of the invention, the headlamp assembly has an adjustment bracket having a first end and a second end wherein the second end is coupled with the second reflector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[015] Reference will be made to embodiments of the invention, examples of which may be illustrated in accompanying figures. These figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in context of these embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments.
Figure 1 shows a left side perspective view of a motorcycle having a headlamp assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 2 shows a first reflector, a heat sink, and a second reflector housed inside a housing of the headlamp assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 3 shows an exploded view of the headlamp assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 4 is a schematic representation showing cross sectional view of the headlamp assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 5 shows a first reflector, a heat sink, and a second reflector of a headlamp assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 6 shows path of the light emitting from the second reflector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[016] The present invention relates to a headlamp assembly.
[017] Figure 1 is a side view of a vehicle 200 having a headlamp assembly 100 mounted on its front side. The vehicle 200 is a two wheeler motorcycle which seats two persons over a front seat 240 and a rear seat 250 and has a front wheel 280 and a rear wheel 290. The vehicle 200 has a speedometer 210 positioned above the headlamp assembly 200. The vehicle 200 has a maneuvering handle 220 coupled to a front fork 320 attached to the front wheel 280. The vehicle 200 has a fuel tank 230 positioned between the maneuvering handle 220 and the front seat 240, the fuel tank 230 being connected to engine 300 positioned below the maneuvering handle 220. On rear side, the vehicle 200 has a tail light 260 and a rear fender 270 positioned below the tail light 260. The vehicle 200 is thus made to stay in a riding ready position over a center stand 310.
[018] Figure 2 shows a housing 10 of the headlamp assembly 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the housing 10 is essentially an encasing structure which receives and accommodates various components of the headlamp assembly 100. The housing 10 has a posterior wall 2, a left side wall 2a and a right-side wall 2b, which along with the entire headlamp assembly 100 is docked on to the vehicle 200. As seen in Figure 2, the housing has fixating loops 6a and 6b used to fix the headlamp assembly 100 on the vehicle 200. The posterior wall 2 together with the side walls 2a, 2b forms a compartment 8 of the housing. The compartment 8 receives and accommodates various components of the headlamp assembly 100.
[019] In an embodiment of the present invention, the housing 10 engages with a lens 90 shown in Figure 3 in order to form an airtight casing. The airtight casing arrangement prohibits permeation of dust, smoke, water, pollutants and other particulate matter from entering inside the casing. Accordingly, referring to Figures 2 and 3, the housing 10 has a plurality of locking fins 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f, 4g around its periphery and the lens 90 has corresponding locking receptacles 82a, 82b, 82c, 82d, 82e, 82f, 82g around its periphery. The locking fins 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4f, 4g of the housing 10 engage with the locking receptacles 82a, 82b, 82c, 82d, 82e, 82f, 82g of the lens 90 in order to form the airtight casing.
[020] Further, as shown in the Figure 2, a first reflector 60, a second reflector 70 and a heat sink 30 are seen positioned inside the compartment 8 of the housing 10. In an embodiment, the compartment 8 has a stepped configuration. This stepped configuration allows the heat 30 sink to be seated onto the stepped configuration. As shown in Figure 3, the stepped configuration is defined by a platform 9 in the compartment 8 of the housing 10.
[021] The headlamp assembly 100 of the present invention has a heat sink 30 to dissipate heat generated from light sources. This protects the components of the headlight assembly 100 from the effects of over-heating. Figures 2 to 6 show the heat sink 30 according to embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment of the invention, the heat sink 30 has a first end 22 and a second end 26 wherein the first end 22 is raised with respect to the second end 26 thereby defining a stepped configuration. Thus, the second end 26 of the heat sink 30 is depressed with respect to the first end 22. The raised first end 22 and the depressed second end 26 of the heat sink 30 are further separated and connected by a vertical wall 24 such that a raised surface 22a is defined between the vertical wall 24 and the first end 22, and a depressed surface 26a is defined between the vertical wall 24 and the second end 26. In operation, while placing the heat sink 30 in the compartment 8 of the housing 10, the raised surface 22a of the heat sink 30 is seated on the platform 9. The raised surface 22a is affixed onto the platform 9 by screws, nuts, bolts or any other fixating techniques.
[022] In an embodiment of the invention, the headlamp assembly 100 further has a first printed circuit board (PCB) 20 and a second printed circuit board (PCB) 40 mounted on the heat sink 30. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the first PCB 20 is mounted on the heat sink 30, more particularly on the raised surface 22a of the heat sink 30. The first PCB 20 further has a plurality of apertures 14a, 14b, and 14c which are used to fix the first PCB 20 onto the heat sink 30. As shown in Figure 3, the first PCB 20 is thus affixed on the raised surface 22a by screws, nuts, bolts, or any other fixating means using the apertures 14a, 14b and 14c.
[023] As seen in Figures 3 and 4, the second PCB 40 is mounted beneath the depressed surface 26a of the heat sink 30. The second PCB 40 also has a plurality of apertures 34a, 34b which are used to fix the second PCB 40 onto the heat sink 30. Thus, the second PCB 40 is affixed beneath the depressed surface 26a of the heat sink 30 by screws, nuts, bolts, or any other fixating means using the apertures 34a and 34b.
[024] Further, the housing assembly 100 of the present invention has light sources which emit a desired amount of light to illuminate field ahead of the vehicle 200. In this regard, as shown in Figure 4, the first PCB 20 has a first light source 12 mounted on the raised surface 22a, and the second PCB 40 has a second light source 32 mounted on the depressed surface 26a. In an embodiment of the invention, the first PCB 20 has three light sources (12a, 12b, 12c) mounted on the raised surface 22a and the second PCB 40 has two light sources (not shown) mounted on the depressed surface 26a. In a further embodiment of the invention, the light sources are Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).
[025] In order to direct the light emitted from the light sources in a desired direction, the housing assembly 100 of the present invention has two reflectors. These reflectors are mounted such that each individual reflector receives the light emitted from the light sources and reflects the received light onto the field ahead of the vehicle 200. In an embodiment of the invention, the headlamp assembly 100 has a first reflector 60 and a second reflector 70.
[026] As shown in Figures 2 to 6, the first reflector 60 is mounted on the heat sink 30. The first reflector 60 has a reflecting layer 54 which reflects incident light falling upon it received from the first light source 12. In a preferred embodiment, the first reflector 60 is placed and affixed on the raised surface 22a of the heat sink 30 by screws, nuts, bolts, or any other fixating means. Further, the first reflector 60 is also affixed to the housing 10. On the posterior side of the first reflector 60 and as shown in Figures 3 and 5, there are plurality of engaging means 52a, 52b which engage with corresponding elements provided in the compartment 8 of the housing 10, such that the first reflector 60 is also fixedly positioned inside the compartment 8 of the housing 10.
[027] In order to receive the light emitted from the first light sources 12a, 12b, 12c the first reflector 60 has a plurality of apertures 56a, 56b and 56c on its base. In an embodiment of the invention, the apertures correspond to the number of light sources present on the PCB. Thus, light emitted from the first light sources 12a, 12b and 12c is received through the apertures 56a, 56b and 56c and reflected from the reflective surface 54 of the first reflector 60 on to the field ahead of the vehicle 200.
[028] Further, as shown in Figures 2 to 6, the headlamp assembly 100 has a second reflector 70. In an embodiment, the second reflector 70 is mounted on the heat sink 30 beneath the depressed surface 26a of the heat sink 30. As seen in the figures, the second reflector 70 has a reflecting layer 68 which reflects incident light falling upon it. As shown in Figure 3, the second reflector 70 has a plurality of engaging means 62a, 62b, and 62c on its top side and has a plurality of engaging means 64a and 64b on its posterior side used to affix the second reflector 70 on to the heat sink 30. Thus, the second reflector 70 is affixed to the depressed surface 26a of the heat sink 30 by screws, nuts, bolts, or any other fixating means by using the engaging means 62a, 62b, 62c, 64a, and 64b.
[029] In order to receive the light emitted from the second light sources, the second reflector 70 has a plurality of apertures 66a, 66b. These apertures are made on top side of the second reflector 70. The apertures 66a and 66b as shown in figure 2 correspond to the number of second light sources present on the second PCB 40. Thus, light emitted from the second light sources 32 is received through the apertures 66a and 66b and reflected from the reflective surface 68 of the second reflector 70 on to the filed ahead of the vehicle 200.
[030] In an embodiment of the invention, the second reflector 70 is affixed to the heat sink 30 such that it can be moved forward or backward. In this regard and as shown in Figure 4, the second reflector 70 is pivotally coupled to the heat sink 30 by using the engaging means 62b. Further, in order to facilitate the forward and backward movement of the second reflector 70, as shown in Figures 3 and 5, the second reflector 70 has engaging means 67. The engaging means 67 is thus operated to move the second reflector 70 forward or backward.
[031] Accordingly, in order to operate and move the second reflector 70, the headlamp assembly 100 of the present invention further houses an adjustment bracket 50. The adjustment bracket 50 is positioned on a rear side of the second reflector 70 and is housed inside the compartment 8 of the housing 10. The adjustment bracket has two ends, a first end 42 and a second end 44. The second end 44 of the adjustment bracket 50 is coupled with the engaging means 67 of the second reflector 70. The engaging means 67 is thus operated by the second end 44 of the adjustment bracket 50 in order to move the second reflector 70 forward or backward.
[032] In an embodiment of the invention, the first reflector 60 is above the second reflector 70. Further, as mentioned hereinabove, the second reflector 70 is forwardly disposed with respect to the first reflector 60. In this regard the second reflector 70 is in a step-through relation with the first reflector 60. As shown in Figure 5, this configuration of the first reflector 60 and the second reflector 70 allows a wider field of coverage when a user switches on a low beam mode, and allows a farther vision when the user switches on a high beam mode. Figure 6 clearly shows a light R emitted from the second reflector 70 covering a wider distance D on road X.
[033] Although the figures show the first reflector 60 being positioned above the second reflector 70, however, a side-by-side arrangement whereby the first reflector 60 is placed adjacent to the second reflector 70 and whereby the second reflector 70 is forwardly disposed with respect to the first reflector 60 is well within the scope of the present invention.
[034] In an embodiment of the invention and as shown in Figure 3, the housing assembly 100 has a masking member 80. The masking member 80 is received in the housing 10 such that it entirely conceals the heat sink 30. Further, the masking member 80 divides the compartment 8 into an upper chamber 72 and a lower chamber 74. In this regard, the upper chamber 72 of the masking member 80 accommodates the first reflector 60 and the lower chamber 74 of the masking member 80 accommodates the second reflector 70.
[035] Advantageously, the present invention provides a compact headlamp assembly with a single heat sink. Owing to the placement of the reflectors, the headlamp assembly of the present invention also provides a wider coverage of the roads within the proximity of the vehicle while operating in low beam mode. Further, in high beam mode, the headlamp assembly also allows a longer coverage of the road and offers a longer field of vision to the user. Moreover, due to reduced number of the components, the headlamp assembly of the present invention is easy to assemble and disassemble thereby reducing the assembly time. Furthermore, due to its compactness, the headlamp assembly does not overhang in front of the vehicle and thus effect on front-rear center of gravity of the vehicle caused by overhanging portion of a headlamp assembly is nullified by the headlamp assembly of the present invention. Also, the compactness of the headlamp assembly eases transportation.
[036] While the present invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.