EP0468704B1 - Lamp assembly - Google Patents

Lamp assembly Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0468704B1
EP0468704B1 EP91306548A EP91306548A EP0468704B1 EP 0468704 B1 EP0468704 B1 EP 0468704B1 EP 91306548 A EP91306548 A EP 91306548A EP 91306548 A EP91306548 A EP 91306548A EP 0468704 B1 EP0468704 B1 EP 0468704B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
bulb
ring
sleeve
lugs
lamp assembly
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.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP91306548A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0468704A1 (en
Inventor
David Alan Birt
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Magneti Marelli UK Ltd
Original Assignee
Carello Lighting PLC
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Carello Lighting PLC filed Critical Carello Lighting PLC
Publication of EP0468704A1 publication Critical patent/EP0468704A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0468704B1 publication Critical patent/EP0468704B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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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
    • F21S41/50—Illuminating devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, e.g. headlamps characterised by aesthetic components not otherwise provided for, e.g. decorative trim, partition walls or covers
    • F21S41/55—Attachment thereof
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
    • F21S2/00—Systems of lighting devices, not provided for in main groups F21S4/00 - F21S10/00 or F21S19/00, e.g. of modular construction
    • 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
    • F21S41/194—Bayonet attachments

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a lamp assembly and is more particularly, though not exclusively, concerned with a motor vehicle headlamp assembly into which a conventional quartz halogen H4 bulb is fitted in use.
  • the quartz halogen H4 bulb is one having an annular mounting flange furnished with three outwardly projecting bulb-locating lugs.
  • a dished reflector body having a front opening, an internal reflective surface and a rear bulb-receiving aperture surrounded by an external sleeve, said sleeve having circumferentially spaced abutment surfaces for engagement by the respective bulb-locating lugs on the mounting flange of the bulb.
  • the dished body and the external sleeve are moulded out of a suitably heat-resistant synthetic resin composition, it has been the practice in the past to mould circumferentially spaced slots in the rear end of the wall of the sleeve, the dimensions and mutual dispositions of the slots being such as to receive respective ones of the bulb-locating lugs.
  • moulded-in slots tend to disrupt the mould flow characteristics of the synthetic resin material during moulding, with the result that it is difficult to maintain a consistent quality of moulding. It is particularly important to ensure that the slots are moulded accurately because the bases of such slots define the abutment surfaces against which the bulb-locating lugs engage and which serve to position the filament of the bulb accurately relative to the optics of the reflective surface. Additionally, many types of previously proposed headlamp assembly employ removable or hinged springs or other retainers which are engaged with the sleeve and which engage against the bulb to retain it in position with the lugs engaging the respective abutment surfaces.
  • US-A-4682274 discloses an automotive headlight including a dished reflector body having a front opening, an internal reflective surface and a rear bulb-receiving aperture surrounded by an external sleeve.
  • the sleeve has a face having regions against which the bulb-locating lugs on the mounting flange of the bulb engage.
  • a retaining ring serves to retain the bulb in position, the retaining ring having securing tabs which are forced into openings in the sleeve.
  • the retaining ring includes stops against which the bulb-locating lugs engage and coaxial resilient arms which urge the lugs against the face of the sleeve.
  • the retaining ring also has circumferentially spaced slots in its inner periphery, each slot being offset relative to a respective one of the stops and being of a size to allow passage of a respective one of the bulb-locating lugs when the mounting flange is passed through the ring with the lugs aligned with the slots.
  • a lamp assembly comprising a dished body having a front opening, an internal reflective surface and a rear bulb-receiving aperture surrounded by an external sleeve, said sleeve having circumferentially spaced abutment surfaces for engagement by respective bulb-locating lugs on a mounting flange of a bulb, and retaining means for retaining the lugs in engagement with the respective abutment surfaces of the sleeve in use, wherein (a) the retaining means includes a ring which is fixedly mounted relative to the sleeve and which has circumferentially spaced slots in its inner periphery, (b) each slot is offset relative to a respective one of the abutment surfaces in the circumferential direction and is of a size to allow passage of a respective one of the bulb-locating lugs when the mounting flange is passed through the ring with the lugs aligned with the slots, and (c) the retaining means further includes a resilient member
  • the retaining means used in the lamp assembly according to the present invention obviates the need for slots in the rear end of the wall of the sleeve and also obviates the need for hinged or removable retaining springs or other retaining elements which have to be pivoted out of the way or removed completely before the bulb can be inserted into the bulb-receiving aperture.
  • the resilient members are formed integrally with the ring.
  • the ring is provided with a collar which embraces the sleeve, the collar being provided with a plurality of inwardly directed barbs or sprags which engage against the outer surface of the sleeve to resist disengagement of the ring from the sleeve.
  • each resilient member is preferably in the form of a spring arm anchored at one end to the ring and extending away from the respective slot and towards and overlying the associated abutment surface.
  • Such mutually interengaging formations preferably take the form of one or more interengaging ribs and recesses provided on the respective parts.
  • abutment surfaces are arranged in two sets of three, one of the sets being orientated so as to hold the bulb in a position suitable for driving on the left hand side of the road and the other set being arranged to hold the bulb in a position suitable for driving on the right hand side of the road.
  • two types of retaining means are provided and it is merely necessary to select and fit to the reflector body that retaining means which is appropriate to the rule of the road in the country for which the headlamp is destined to be mainly used.
  • the headlamp assembly illustrated therein is for producing a dipped or passing beam which satisfies the appropriate ECE regulations for an asymmetric beam pattern.
  • the headlamp assembly comprises a dished reflector body 10 (only partly shown) having the usual front opening (also not shown), an internal reflective surface 12 and a rear bulb-receiving aperture 14.
  • the headlamp assembly further comprise, in a manner known per se, a housing containing the body 10 and fitted with a light-transmitting front cover which lies across the front opening of the dished body 10.
  • the dished body 10 is injection moulded out of a suitably temperature-resistant synthetic resin composition and includes an external sleeve 16 which is integrally molded at the same time as the body 10 and which surrounds the bulb-receiving aperture 14.
  • the sleeve 16 is of stepped configuration at is rear end (the upper end as viewed in Figs 1 and 2) so as to define a continuous annular rim 18 and an annular surface 20 disposed inwardly of the rim 18 and facing rearwardly.
  • the surface 20 is disposed in a plane which is generally perpendicular to the optical axis X (see Fig 1) of the dished reflector body 10.
  • the surface 20 is moulded with a series of features thereon, such features including a first set of three abutment surfaces 22 and a second set of three abutment surfaces 23.
  • the abutment surfaces 22 of the first set are spaced apart in the circumferential direction about the axis of the sleeve 16 (which coincides with optical axis X) by distances which correspond to the spacing between the bulb-locating lugs 24 (only one shown- see Fig 4) on an annular mounting flange of a conventional quartz halogen H4 bulb.
  • each of the abutment surfaces 22 in the circumferential direction is such that it is capable of receiving the appropriate lug 24, it being appreciated that, in a conventional H4 bulb, one of the lugs is wider than the remaining two lugs and that the lugs are not equally-angularly spaced about the periphery of the mounting flange.
  • This asymmetric arrangement of the lugs ensures that the bulb can only be fully mounted in the bulbholder in a unique orientation so as to ensure that the filament and the filament shield (which also forms an integral part of the bulb) are correctly positioned relative to the optics of the reflector.
  • the abutment surfaces 23 of the second set are mutually arranged in a similar manner to that described above for the abutment surfaces 22, but the set of abutment surfaces 23 is displaced by an angle of 15° about the circumference of the surface 20 relative to the set of abutment surfaces 22.
  • the object of this is to enable the same reflector body 10 to be used irrespective of the rule of the road prevailing.
  • the lugs 24 of the standard H4 bulb are either engaged with the abutment surfaces 22 of the first set or with the abutment surfaces 23 of the second set.
  • the headlamp is intended to be used with the lugs 24 engaged with the abutment surfaces 22 of the first set.
  • Each abutment surface 22 and its adjacent abutment surface 23 is separated by a rearwardly extending projection 26 having a recess 28 (only shown in Fig 4) in its rear end.
  • the projection 26 does not extend as far rearwardly as the rim 18.
  • the surface 20 is formed with respective ramps 30 and 32 thereon which are oppositely directed circumferentially of the surface 20. These ramps are only shown in Figs 3 and 4.
  • the lamp assembly further includes a retaining device in the form of a pressing 34 of suitably resilient sheet metal.
  • the pressing 34 includes a ring 36 provided with an integrally formed outer annular collar 38 of a size to embrace the sleeve 16.
  • the collar 38 is provided with a plurality of barbs 40 (only one shown - See Fig 2) which extend inwardly relative to the collar 38 and which are directed towards the ring 36.
  • the dimensions of the collar 38 and the barbs 40 relative to the outer periphery of the sleeve 16 are such that the collar 38 can be forced over the sleeve 16 so that the barbs 40 bite into the material of the sleeve 16 and thereby hold the pressing 34 firmly against removal once fitted.
  • the ring 36 When fully fitted, the ring 36 abuts against the rear face of the rim 18 and is thereby held in spaced relationship relative to the surface 20.
  • the ring 36 has a series of three spring arms 42 which are formed integrally from the material of the ring 36 by means of a cutting and bending operation. Each spring arm 42 projects forwardly of the ring 36 towards a respective one of the abutment surfaces 22.
  • Each ring 36 is also formed with three radially extending ribs 44 (only one shown - see Fig 4) which engage respective ones of the recesses 28 in the projections 26. The engagement of the ribs 44 in the recesses 28 ensures that, once the pressing 34 has been fitted, it is fixed in the desired position against rotation relative to the sleeve 16.
  • Each spring arm 42 has a convexly curved free end 46 which engages against the respective lug 24 to urge it resiliently against its associated abutment surface 22.
  • the ring 36 is further provided with a series of three slots 48 (only one shown - See Fig 3) which open onto its inner periphery.
  • the slots 48 are so dimensioned and mutually spaced apart circumferentially of the ring 36 that the lugs 24 can be passed therethrough during fitting of the bulb into the lamp assembly.
  • Each slot 48 is, however, circumferentially staggered relative to the respective abutment surface 22 so as to be disposed on the opposite side of the ramp surface 30 thereto.
  • the bulb is first angularly orientated and moved so as to pass the lugs 24 through the respective slots 48 until the lugs 24 engage against the surface 20. Then the bulb is axially rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig.3 so that the lugs 24 pass along the surface 20 and ride up the ramp 30. Further rotation of the bulb causes the respective spring arms 42 to be contacted by the lugs 24 and biassed upwardly until the lugs 24 lie opposite the respective abutment surfaces 22, whereupon the spring arms 42 are free to flex back and urge the lugs 24 against the respective abutment surfaces 22 as illustrated in Fig 4.
  • a slightly different pressing is used which is the pressing 34 described hereinabove but with the spring arms 42 and slots 48 respectively positioned so as to enable the lugs 24 to be engaged with the respective abutment surfaces 23 after riding over the ramps 32 upon axial rotation of the bulb in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig.3.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)
  • Fastening Of Light Sources Or Lamp Holders (AREA)
  • Lighting Device Outwards From Vehicle And Optical Signal (AREA)
EP91306548A 1990-07-25 1991-07-18 Lamp assembly Expired - Lifetime EP0468704B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB909016293A GB9016293D0 (en) 1990-07-25 1990-07-25 Light assembly
GB9016293 1990-07-25

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0468704A1 EP0468704A1 (en) 1992-01-29
EP0468704B1 true EP0468704B1 (en) 1995-03-29

Family

ID=10679613

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP91306548A Expired - Lifetime EP0468704B1 (en) 1990-07-25 1991-07-18 Lamp assembly

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0468704B1 (es)
JP (1) JPH04233101A (es)
KR (1) KR100209069B1 (es)
DE (1) DE69108473T2 (es)
ES (1) ES2073684T3 (es)
GB (1) GB9016293D0 (es)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0900974A2 (de) 1997-09-06 1999-03-10 Hella KG Hueck & Co. Halterung einer Lampe in einer Öffnung eines Reflektors eines Fahrzeugscheinwerfers

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR100796888B1 (ko) * 2004-11-30 2008-01-22 샤프 가부시키가이샤 램프 보유 지지구, 램프 보유 지지구를 포함하는 표시 장치용 조명 장치, 조명 장치를 포함하는 표시 장치 및 표시 장치용 조명 장치를 포함하는 액정 표시 장치
ITTO20070522A1 (it) * 2007-07-13 2009-01-14 Automotive Lighting Italia Spa Dispositivo portalampada perfezionato per un proiettore di veicolo
FR2982214B1 (fr) * 2011-11-04 2017-02-24 Valeo Vision Belgique Support de lampe pour module ou dispositif d'eclairage et/ou de signalisation pour vehicule, module, boitier et procede correspondants

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
IT8552810V0 (it) * 1985-01-08 1985-01-08 Carello Ind Spa Proiettore per autoveicoli
DE3602234A1 (de) * 1986-01-25 1987-07-30 Hella Kg Hueck & Co Fahrzeugscheinwerfer
US4794500A (en) * 1987-05-18 1988-12-27 Ford Motor Company Composite headlamp bulb retaining mechanism

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0900974A2 (de) 1997-09-06 1999-03-10 Hella KG Hueck & Co. Halterung einer Lampe in einer Öffnung eines Reflektors eines Fahrzeugscheinwerfers

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
KR100209069B1 (ko) 1999-07-15
GB9016293D0 (en) 1990-09-12
DE69108473T2 (de) 1995-10-19
KR920002982A (ko) 1992-02-28
JPH04233101A (ja) 1992-08-21
DE69108473D1 (de) 1995-05-04
ES2073684T3 (es) 1995-08-16
EP0468704A1 (en) 1992-01-29

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