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| Three styles of headlamp are common. The smallest and lightest-weight headlamps have a combined lamp housing, reflector, and battery box. These typically use ] or ], and in the smallest types use lithium ]s to save size and weight. The headlamp is strapped to the head or helmet with an elasticized or adjustable strap. <ref name=Swart02> Peter K. Swart ''Caving'' Stackpole Books, 2002 ISBN 0811720527 : pp. 34-41 </ref> | Three styles of headlamp are common. The smallest and lightest-weight headlamps have a combined lamp housing, reflector, and battery box. These typically use ] or ], and in the smallest types use lithium ]s to save size and weight. The headlamp is strapped to the head or helmet with an elasticized or adjustable strap. <ref name=Swart02> Peter K. Swart ''Caving'' Stackpole Books, 2002 ISBN 0811720527 : pp. 34-41 </ref> | ||
| Headlamps with higher output or longer run time use a separate battery box mounted at the back of the head or helmet, to improve balance. Larger, heavier batteries (to give more light or run time, or, historically, to allow use of rechargeable wet cell batteries) are attached to the user's belt, with a cable running along the user's neck to the lamp. This style allows the battery pack to be worn within winter clothing, helping to maintain battery performance in cold weather. It is sometimes possible to completely disconnect a headlamp's battery pack, for storage on a belt or in a pocket | Headlamps with higher output or longer run time use a separate battery box mounted at the back of the head or helmet, to improve balance. Larger, heavier batteries (to give more light or run time, or, historically, to allow use of rechargeable wet cell batteries) are attached to the user's belt, with a cable running along the user's neck to the lamp. This style allows the battery pack to be worn within winter clothing, helping to maintain battery performance in cold weather. It is sometimes possible to completely disconnect a headlamp's battery pack, for storage on a belt or in a pocket. <ref name=Swart02/> | ||
| Lighter headlamp systems are strapped to the user's head by a single band; heavier ones use an additional band over the top of the head. Helmets may have fittings for detachable mounting of a headlamp or may have the lamp permanently mounted. | Lighter headlamp systems are strapped to the user's head by a single band; heavier ones use an additional band over the top of the head. Helmets may have fittings for detachable mounting of a headlamp or may have the lamp permanently mounted. | ||
| For many years miniature ]s were the only practical source of light for an electric headlamp. The bulb and reflector system allowed good control of the distribution of light. Halogen bulbs provided additional light and operating time compared to vacuum or gas-filled bulbs. Miniature incancdescent bulbs designed for headlamps traded light output for operating time; replacement of a failed bulb could prove difficult or dangerous for the user, so in some types an auxiliary or spare bulb was built into the headlamp, selected by the wearer if the main lamp broke or burned out. Incandescent headlamps also have rapidly declining light output when the battery voltage drops on discharge. | For many years miniature ]s were the only practical source of light for an electric headlamp. The bulb and reflector system allowed good control of the distribution of light. Halogen bulbs provided additional light and operating time compared to vacuum or gas-filled bulbs. Miniature incancdescent bulbs designed for headlamps traded light output for operating time; replacement of a failed bulb could prove difficult or dangerous for the user, so in some types an auxiliary or spare bulb was built into the headlamp, selected by the wearer if the main lamp broke or burned out. Incandescent headlamps also have rapidly declining light output when the battery voltage drops on discharge. <ref name=Swart02/> | ||
| White ]s were quickly adopted for use in headlamps due to their smaller size, lower power consumption and improved durability compared with incandescent bulbs. Power LEDs rated 1 watt or more have displaced incandescent bulbs in many models of headlamps. To avoid damage to electronic parts, a ] is usually required for headlamps that use LEDs that dissipate more than 1W. To regulate power fed to the LEDs, DC-DC converters are often used in 1W+ lights, sometimes controlled by ]s. This allows the LED(s) to provide brightness that is not affected by a drop in battery ], and allows selectable levels of output. Near the introduction of LEDs for headlamps, sometimes combinations of LED and halogen lamps were used, allowing the user to select between the types for various tasks. <ref name=Swart02/> | White ]s were quickly adopted for use in headlamps due to their smaller size, lower power consumption and improved durability compared with incandescent bulbs. Power LEDs rated 1 watt or more have displaced incandescent bulbs in many models of headlamps. To avoid damage to electronic parts, a ] is usually required for headlamps that use LEDs that dissipate more than 1W. To regulate power fed to the LEDs, DC-DC converters are often used in 1W+ lights, sometimes controlled by ]s. This allows the LED(s) to provide brightness that is not affected by a drop in battery ], and allows selectable levels of output. Near the introduction of LEDs for headlamps, sometimes combinations of LED and halogen lamps were used, allowing the user to select between the types for various tasks. <ref name=Swart02/> | ||
Revision as of 16:50, 30 July 2014
This article is about headlamps for outdoor activities. For other types of headlamps and headlights, see Headlight (disambiguation). | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Headlamp" outdoor – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
A headlamp (known as a headtorch in the UK) is a light source affixed to the head for outdoor activities at night or in dark conditions such as caving, orienteering, hiking, skiing, backpacking, camping, mountaineering or mountain biking. Headlamps may also be used in adventure races. Headlamps are often used by workers in underground mining, search and rescue, surgeons, and by other workers who need hands-free lighting.
Description
Three styles of headlamp are common. The smallest and lightest-weight headlamps have a combined lamp housing, reflector, and battery box. These typically use AA or AAA batteries, and in the smallest types use lithium coin cells to save size and weight. The headlamp is strapped to the head or helmet with an elasticized or adjustable strap.
Headlamps with higher output or longer run time use a separate battery box mounted at the back of the head or helmet, to improve balance. Larger, heavier batteries (to give more light or run time, or, historically, to allow use of rechargeable wet cell batteries) are attached to the user's belt, with a cable running along the user's neck to the lamp. This style allows the battery pack to be worn within winter clothing, helping to maintain battery performance in cold weather. It is sometimes possible to completely disconnect a headlamp's battery pack, for storage on a belt or in a pocket.
Lighter headlamp systems are strapped to the user's head by a single band; heavier ones use an additional band over the top of the head. Helmets may have fittings for detachable mounting of a headlamp or may have the lamp permanently mounted.
For many years miniature incandescent bulbs were the only practical source of light for an electric headlamp. The bulb and reflector system allowed good control of the distribution of light. Halogen bulbs provided additional light and operating time compared to vacuum or gas-filled bulbs. Miniature incancdescent bulbs designed for headlamps traded light output for operating time; replacement of a failed bulb could prove difficult or dangerous for the user, so in some types an auxiliary or spare bulb was built into the headlamp, selected by the wearer if the main lamp broke or burned out. Incandescent headlamps also have rapidly declining light output when the battery voltage drops on discharge.
White LEDs were quickly adopted for use in headlamps due to their smaller size, lower power consumption and improved durability compared with incandescent bulbs. Power LEDs rated 1 watt or more have displaced incandescent bulbs in many models of headlamps. To avoid damage to electronic parts, a heatsink is usually required for headlamps that use LEDs that dissipate more than 1W. To regulate power fed to the LEDs, DC-DC converters are often used in 1W+ lights, sometimes controlled by microprocessors. This allows the LED(s) to provide brightness that is not affected by a drop in battery voltage, and allows selectable levels of output. Near the introduction of LEDs for headlamps, sometimes combinations of LED and halogen lamps were used, allowing the user to select between the types for various tasks.
History
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2014) |
Head-mounted lighting likely started with candles, but problems with exposed flame and hot dripping wax motivated development of better alternatives. Carbide lamps were developed around 1900, and remained in use even as electric lamps appeared, because of poor battery life of the latter designs. The advent of high-efficiency LED lamps eventually displaced incandesent or combustion lamps.
Thomas Edison developed electric cap lamps for miners starting in 1914; by 1915, certain cap lamps were approved by the United States Bureau of Mines for safe use in gassy coal mines. These included features such as spring-loaded contacts to automatically disconnect broken bulbs. These lamps consisted of a reflector and incandescent lamp and a separate belt-mounted wet-cell storage battery. The battery was sized to power the lamp for the entire working shift. After 12 hours a 1917-era miner's lamp produced less than one candlepower and about 2 to 5 total lumens. This pattern became popular for similar lamps. Head lamps approved for use in coal mines are designed not to allow an internal spark to ignite flammable gas surrounding the headlamp.
Gallery
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Silva halogen headlamp primarily used for night orienteering with separate battery case and lamp
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Petzl LED headlamp with batteries and lamp combined
Manufacturers
- Petzl
- Silva
- Black Diamond Equipment
- Princeton Tec
- Zebralight
- Tiga
- Magicshine
See also
References
- ^ Peter K. Swart Caving Stackpole Books, 2002 ISBN 0811720527 : pp. 34-41
- ^ Jurgen Brune, Jürgen F. Brune Extracting the Science: A Century of Mining Research SME, 2010 ISBN 0-87335-322-6, pages 35-40
- http://kycoal.homestead.com/MineLighting.html Mine Lighting retrieved 2012 Jan 09
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