EP0463503A1 - A reflector for vehicles - Google Patents
A reflector for vehicles Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0463503A1 EP0463503A1 EP91109739A EP91109739A EP0463503A1 EP 0463503 A1 EP0463503 A1 EP 0463503A1 EP 91109739 A EP91109739 A EP 91109739A EP 91109739 A EP91109739 A EP 91109739A EP 0463503 A1 EP0463503 A1 EP 0463503A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- collar
- flange
- slot
- resilient
- fact
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F21—LIGHTING
- F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
- F21S41/00—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps
- F21S41/10—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by the light source
- F21S41/19—Attachment of light sources or lamp holders
- F21S41/196—Wire spring attachments
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)
- Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)
- Aerials With Secondary Devices (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a reflector for vehicles.
- In particular, the present invention relates to a reflector for vehicles, of the type comprising a forwardly open reflecting body having a rear axial hole, a lamp mounted in the axial hole and having an intermediate flange, an annular socket connected to the rear end of the reflecting body and comprising a collar co-axial with the axial hole and co-operating with the said flange, and resilient fixing means associated with the collar and cooperating with the flange to fix the lamp axially, in a releasable manner, with respect to the reflecting body, the resilient fixing means including resilient thrust means co-operating with the said flange and means for engaging the resilient thrust means to the collar.
- In general, in known reflectors of the type described above, two different types of resilient thrust means are utilised.
- The first known type of resilient thrust means comprise a leaf spring pivoted at one of its ends on to the said collar and rotatable with respect to the collar itself between an open position and a closed operative position. When disposed in its closed operative position the leaf spring is engaged in a releasable manner at its second end, to related engagement means associated with a portion of the collar diametrically opposite that hingedly coupled to the first end of the spring itself.
- The second known type of said resilient thrust means comprise a resilient ring deformable in an axial sense which is inserted into the interior of the collar and in contact with the flange of the lamp, which has radial projections which, by means of rotation of the ring itself, engage in bayonet fashion with respective engagement means associated with the collar thereby axially fixing the lamp on to the rear socket of the reflector.
- The two different types of known resilient thrust means described above obviously require the associated engagement means and the collar of the related reflector to have a precise shape and are not interchangeable with one another.
- Consequently, it is necessary for headlamp manufacturers to adopt the expensive solution of producing, for the same headlamp, a multiplicity of mouldings for the formation of different collars adapted to permit the utilisation of one or the other of the two different types of resilient thrust means previously described.
- The object of the present invention is that of eliminating the disadvantage described above by providing a reflector on which the axial fixing of the lamp can be effected equally well by utilising one or the other of the two different known types of resilient thrust means described.
- According to the present invention there is provided a reflector for vehicles, of the type comprising a forwardly open reflecting body and having a rear hole, a lamp mounted in the said hole and having an intermediate flange, an annular socket connected to the rear end of the reflecting body and including a collar co-axial with the said hole and co-operating with the said flange, and resilient fixing means associated with the collar and co- operating with the flange to fix the lamp axially, in a releasable manner, with respect to the reflecting body, the resilient fixing means, including resilient thrust means co-operating with the said flange and means for engaging the said resilient thrust means to the collar, characterised by the fact that the said engagement means comprise a pair of identical engagement brackets coupled to diametrically opposite portions of the collar; each bracket extending in a direction substantially parallel to an axis of the said hole, and having at least one associated lateral slot extending transversely of the said axis; each slot communicating with the outside through a respective opening formed in the said collar and including an inlet portion and a terminal portion for form engagement of the said resilient thrust means; and the first of the said brackets defining, with the said collar, a cavity substantially parallel to the associated said slot.
- Preferably, the said resilient thrust means comprise a leaf spring in turn comprising at least one curved arm a first end section of which engages rotatably in the said cavity to provide the hinged coupling between the leaf spring itself and the collar, and a second end section of which is coupled in a releasable manner to the second of the said brackets and engages the said hollow terminal portion of the associated said slot.
- Alternatively, the said resilient thrust means are coupled to the said collar by means of a bayonet coupling, and comprise an annular body resiliently deformable in an axial sense and disposed within the said collar and in contact with a rear surface of the said flange, and two projections extending radially out from the annular body and through an associated said slot; each projection being coupled to the associated slot by means of a respective said bayonet coupling.
- The invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings which illustrate two non-limitative embodiments, in which:
- Figure 1 is a rear view of a first preferred embodiment of the reflector according to the present invention;
- Figure 2 is a rear view of a second preferred embodiment of the reflector according to the present invention;
- Figure 3 is an artificial exploded rear view of the embodiments of Figures 1 and 2;
- Figure 4 is an exploded, partially sectioned side view taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 3 illustrating the embodiments of Figures 1 and 2;
- Figure 5 is a section taken on the line V-V of Figure 3;
- Figure 6 is a front view of the reflector of Figure 1 or Figure 2, with parts removed for clarity;
- Figure 7 illustrates a detail of Figure 1 on an enlarged scale, and partly in section;
- Figure 8 illustrates a detail of Figure 2 on an enlarged scale and partly in section; and
- Figure 9 illustrates a detail of Figure 2 in side elevation.
- In the attached Figures and, in particular, in Figures 3 and 4, the
reference numeral 1 indicates a reflector for vehicles, comprising a reflectingbody 2 of generally parabolic form which has an optical axis 3, and is provided with a rearaxial hole 4 to allow passage for alamp 5 disposed on the optical axis 3 and having anintermediate flange 6 for coupling to the reflectingbody 2. - The
reflector 1 further includes an annularrear socket 7 which is preferably made of moulded plastics material and comprises, in turn, anannular plate 8 limited at the front by aparabolic surface 9, which is coupled to a portion of the reflectingbody 2 surrounding thehole 4. Thesocket 7 further includes a generallycylindrical collar 10 co-axial with the axis 3. Thecollar 10 projects rearwardly from a rear surface of theplate 8 and has at its front end aninternal flange 11. Thecollar 10 is rearwardly limited by anedge 12 having a plurality ofaxial reference cavities 13 for receivingprojections 14 extending radially outwardly from theflange 6, and four furtheraxial recesses 15 defining, on thecollar 10, two diametrically opposedprojections 16. - Each
projection 16 is engaged by a respective substantiallyU-shape bracket 17 which is preferably made of punched and folded sheet metal, and is force fitted on to theprojection 16 itself. Thebrackets 17 extend in a direction substantially parallel to the optical axis 3, are identical to one another, and each comprises twoarms associated projection 16 parallel to the optical axis 3, and across piece 20 for connecting and joining the rear ends of thearms arms crosspiece 21 adjacent to thecrosspiece 20, and astem 22 extending from an intermediate portion of the associatedcrosspiece 21 and of width at least equal to the width of the associatedprojection 16. - As illustrated, in particular in Figures 7 and 8, the outer shape of each stem 22 (only one of which is illustrated) merges with the outer profile of the associated
crosspiece 21 forming twosemi-circular seats 23. Moreover, eachstem 22 of eacharm 18 carries, connected to its free end, an intermediate portion of afurther crosspiece 24, a portion of which is clenched to theflange 11 to prevent accidental separation of the associatedbracket 17 from the associatedprojection 16. Thecrosspiece 24 defines, together with thecrosspiece 21, twoslots slots stem 22 and define an entrance, through therespective recesses 15, to the associatedseats 23 each of which constitutes a terminal portion of the associatedslot - From a free end of the
crosspiece 21 of eacharm 18 extends aprojection 27 which is substantially parallel to and faces theassociated crosspiece 24, and is limited on the side facing thecrosspiece 24 itself, by acam face 18 having an intermediate cusp facing towards thecrosspiece 24 and constituting a rear edge of an entrance portion 28a of theassociated slot 25. - The
brackets 17 constitute a part of a fixing device 29 which further includes a first or second resiliently deformable element, respectively indicated 30 and 31, each of which is coupled to thebrackets 17 alternatively to the other to fix theflange 6 of thelamp 5 with the associatedprojections 14 in contact with the bottom of the associatedrecess 13. - With reference to Figures 3 and 4, the
element 30 is constituted by a double leaf spring preferably made of metal wire bent in such a way as to define twocurved arms 32 substantially parallel to one another, one end of each of which is fixedly connected to a corresponding end of theother arm 32 by means of acrosspiece 33, and an opposite end section which is folded to form aloop 34. Thecrosspiece 33 is fitted in a rotatable manner, through a cavity 35 (Figure 4) defined between thecrosspiece 20 of a first of thebrackets 17 and theedge 12 of thecollar 10, in such a way as to form ahinge 35a coupling theelement 30 to the saidfirst bracket 17 and, therefore, to thecollar 10, and to permit theelement 30 itself to rotate about the axis of thecrosspiece 33 between an open position (illustrated in broken outline in Figure 1) and an operative closed position, to reach which a portion of eachloop 34 is inserted, by resilient deformation of the associatedarm 32, into contact with theflange 6 of thelamp 5 within theslot brackets 17, and laterally displaced until it snap-engages with the associatedseat 23. - With reference to Figures 3, 4 and 9, the
resilient element 31 comprises anannular body 36 defined by two diametrically opposite annular portions 37 (Figure 9) joined together by two further offsetannular portions 38 disposed in contact with an upper surface of theflange 6 of thelamp 5. Eachportion 37 has an associatedaxial projection 39 and an associatedprojection 40 extending radially outwardly. The dimensions of theannular body 36 and theprojections 40 are such that theannular body 36 can be fitted axially within thecollar 10 carrying theprojections 40 so that each engages arespective recess 15 communicating with anassociated slot 25. By means of axial resilient deformation of theportions 37, and subsequent rotation of theannular body 36 imparted by acting on theprojections 39, it is possible to cause sliding of eachprojection 40 along the entrance portion 28a of the associatedslot 25, and to contact therear cam edge 28 of theslot 25 itself, and subsequently to cause snap-engagement of thisprojection 40 beyond the cusp of thesaid edge 28 and into substantial coupling with the associatedseat 23 to define, with the associatedbracket 17, abayonet coupling 41. - From the preceding description it is possible to note that by means of the use of the two
brackets 17, which can be completely identical to one another for economies of scale, it is possible to form on thesame reflector 1 fixings for thelamp 5 in two different modes chosen by the user.
Claims (6)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
IT6747190 | 1990-06-29 | ||
IT67471A IT1241265B (en) | 1990-06-29 | 1990-06-29 | VEHICLE REFLECTOR. |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0463503A1 true EP0463503A1 (en) | 1992-01-02 |
EP0463503B1 EP0463503B1 (en) | 1995-10-18 |
Family
ID=11302678
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP91109739A Expired - Lifetime EP0463503B1 (en) | 1990-06-29 | 1991-06-13 | A reflector for vehicles |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0463503B1 (en) |
DE (1) | DE69113875T2 (en) |
ES (1) | ES2078997T3 (en) |
IT (1) | IT1241265B (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1998011590A1 (en) * | 1996-09-11 | 1998-03-19 | Philips Electronics N.V. | Reflector lamp |
WO1998011589A1 (en) * | 1996-09-11 | 1998-03-19 | Philips Electronics N.V. | Illumination device |
CN102313221A (en) * | 2010-05-20 | 2012-01-11 | 株式会社小糸制作所 | The light source fixture construction of light fixture |
US10066801B1 (en) | 2017-10-04 | 2018-09-04 | Osram Sylvania Inc. | Vehicle lamp reflector having ventilation channel adjacent lamp capsule |
Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR2147471A5 (en) * | 1971-07-28 | 1973-03-09 | Cibie Projecteurs | |
DE3432445A1 (en) * | 1984-09-04 | 1986-03-13 | Robert Bosch Gmbh, 7000 Stuttgart | Headlamp for motor vehicles |
-
1990
- 1990-06-29 IT IT67471A patent/IT1241265B/en active IP Right Grant
-
1991
- 1991-06-13 DE DE69113875T patent/DE69113875T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1991-06-13 EP EP91109739A patent/EP0463503B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1991-06-13 ES ES91109739T patent/ES2078997T3/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR2147471A5 (en) * | 1971-07-28 | 1973-03-09 | Cibie Projecteurs | |
DE3432445A1 (en) * | 1984-09-04 | 1986-03-13 | Robert Bosch Gmbh, 7000 Stuttgart | Headlamp for motor vehicles |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO1998011590A1 (en) * | 1996-09-11 | 1998-03-19 | Philips Electronics N.V. | Reflector lamp |
WO1998011589A1 (en) * | 1996-09-11 | 1998-03-19 | Philips Electronics N.V. | Illumination device |
CN102313221A (en) * | 2010-05-20 | 2012-01-11 | 株式会社小糸制作所 | The light source fixture construction of light fixture |
EP2388515A3 (en) * | 2010-05-20 | 2012-10-31 | Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Light source fixing structure of lamp |
CN102313221B (en) * | 2010-05-20 | 2015-03-25 | 株式会社小糸制作所 | Light source fixing structure of lamp |
US10066801B1 (en) | 2017-10-04 | 2018-09-04 | Osram Sylvania Inc. | Vehicle lamp reflector having ventilation channel adjacent lamp capsule |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
ES2078997T3 (en) | 1996-01-01 |
DE69113875D1 (en) | 1995-11-23 |
IT9067471A1 (en) | 1991-12-29 |
IT9067471A0 (en) | 1990-06-29 |
DE69113875T2 (en) | 1996-06-05 |
IT1241265B (en) | 1993-12-29 |
EP0463503B1 (en) | 1995-10-18 |
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