FR3112194A1 - Support for light block, in particular light block of a headlamp. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a support (3) for a light block (4), in particular a light block of a headlamp (1) intended to be worn on the forehead (F) of an individual, said support (3) being intended to be secured to a strap (2) of said headlamp and comprises a device (31) for fixing the light block (4), said support (3) comprising at least one plate (30) elongated along a so-called longitudinal axis (X) , said plate having at least a first cutout configured to form on the plate at least a first part (32) bendable by bending around an axis perpendicular (Y1) to its longitudinal axis and located in the plane of said plate, so to allow said support to come to marry, at least partially, the forehead of the individual. Figure to be published with abstract: Figure 2

Description

Support for a light unit, in particular the light unit of a headlamp.

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a support for a light unit, in particular a light unit for a headlamp intended to be worn on the forehead of an individual.

State of the art

In known manner, a headlamp is made up of two main elements, a strap and a light unit secured to the strap. The strap is positioned around the head of the individual and has adjustment means to adjust to the size of his head circumference. The light block is positioned on the front. It may include a battery, an electronic circuit and a light source, often composed of one or more light-emitting diodes.

The stability of the light block on the individual's forehead is an important subject. During a physical exercise, the luminous block present at the front must remain perfectly stable and not toss about, in particular from top to bottom. Instability of the light unit causes movement of the strap on the forehead, which can cause friction as well as untimely movements of the light beam, creating unpleasant sensations for the wearer of the lamp.

Currently, to limit the sloshing of the light unit, there are several solutions:

• Reduce the mass of the light unit, for example by using a lighter battery. This solution is easy to implement but requires making compromises in terms of the autonomy of the lamp. If the battery is lighter, it has a lower capacity, penalizing the autonomy of the lamp.
• The battery can be deported and attached to the back of the strap, allowing the weight to be better distributed between the front and the back. The battery can also be moved outside the strap, and for example placed in a bag. In a remote battery solution, however, a cable must be drawn between the battery block and the light block, which makes this configuration not always suitable for the intended practice, and often particularly cumbersome.
• Adapt the light unit support to limit sloshing. This track has ultimately been little explored and proves to be relevant in that it can make it possible to keep a standard battery and therefore not to degrade the autonomy of the lamp, while stabilizing the light block on the strap to avoid any sloshing. in use.

The object of the invention is therefore to propose a support for a light unit, in particular for a light unit of a headlamp, which makes it possible to guarantee the stability of the light unit when the headlamp is worn on the forehead of an individual, even during sustained physical activity.

The support can be adapted to accommodate the light unit, whether this light unit has an integrated battery or a remote battery, as described above.

This object is achieved by a support for a light block, in particular a light block of a headlamp intended to be worn on the forehead of an individual, said support being intended to be secured to a strap of said headlamp and comprises a device for fixing of the light unit, said support comprising at least one elongated plate along a so-called longitudinal axis, said plate having at least a first cutout configured to form on the plate at least a first part which can be curved by bending around an axis perpendicular to its axis longitudinal and located in the plane of said plate, so as to allow said support to come to marry, at least partially, the forehead of the individual.

According to one feature, the plate has a generally rectangular shape and comprises a rigid central part carrying the device for fixing said light block.

According to another feature, the plate has a second cutout configured to form on the plate at least a second bendable part by bending around a second axis perpendicular to its longitudinal axis and located in the plane of said plate.

According to another particular feature, the first curved part and the second curved part are located on either side of the central part of the plate.

According to another feature, the plate is made in the form of a printed circuit board.

According to another feature, each cutout is made in the form of a profile with several juxtaposed identical patterns.

According to another feature, the profile comprises several ring patterns which are juxtaposed.

According to another feature, the fixing device comprises means for fixing by interlocking or by sliding arranged to cooperate with a complementary member of the light block.

According to another feature, the plate has two cutouts at its two ends forming loops for attaching a strap thereto.

The invention also relates to a headlamp comprising a strap and a light block, said lamp comprising a support as defined above, said support being secured to said strap.

According to one feature, the strap comprises a flexible headband having two layers of material, called inner layer and outer layer, and the plate of said support is positioned between the two layers, the outer layer comprising a cutout to allow its fixing device to pass.

The solution of the invention makes it possible to obtain a support which is both:

Rigid, which guarantees the stability of the light block;

Deformable in flexion to match the shape of the individual's forehead;

Deformable in extension or compression to follow the stretching movements of the strap;

In conventional and known solutions, the pressure exerted by the strap is often uniform over the entire cranial circumference. A strap which integrates the new support of the invention makes it possible, with the same level of stability as the previous solutions, to reduce the pressure at the level of the forehead and the occiput, in particular to divide it almost by two at the level of the temples, the temples being an important area of venous circulation where it is appreciable that the mechanical pressure is as low as possible.

Brief description of figures

Other characteristics and advantages will appear in the following detailed description made with regard to the figures listed below:

• Figure 1 illustrates the principle of positioning a headlamp on an individual's head.

• FIG. 2 schematically represents the architecture of a headlamp according to the invention.

• Figures 3A and 3B show two embodiments of the support plate according to the invention.

• FIG. 4 illustrates, by a top view of an individual's head, the principle of operation of the support according to the invention.

• Figure 5 shows, in exploded view, a strap for a headlamp on which the support shown in Figure 2 can be adapted.

• Figure 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the support plate of the invention.

Detailed description of at least one embodiment

For the rest of the description, the terms “front” and “rear” are to be understood taking into account the position of the lamp on the individual's head.

The terms "internal" and "external" are to be understood by taking as reference the position of the strap on the head of the individual, the internal face being oriented towards the side of the head and the external face oriented towards the outside.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a headlamp 1 according to the invention consists of at least three main elements:

• A strap 2 intended to be placed around the head T of the wearer;
• A support 3 secured to the strap 2 and comprising a device for fixing the light block, intended to be positioned against the forehead F of the individual;
• A light block 4 comprising at least one light source, for example light-emitting diodes.

The battery 40, advantageously of the rechargeable type, can be integrated into the light unit (as shown in FIG. 1) or housed in a remote battery unit, which can be fixed on the strap, at the back or placed in a bag. A cable is then used to connect the light unit to the remote battery unit.

The battery can in particular be a standard lithium battery, of the 18650 or 21700 type. This type of battery has the shape of a cylinder of revolution.

The light unit 4 may comprise an optical element, a light source composed of one or more light-emitting diodes 41 and an electronic card intended for controlling the light source.

The strap 2 is composed of a band closed on itself, having an adjustable length, to adjust to the circumference of the head of the individual wearer. It may include conventional adjustment means 20.

According to the invention, the support 3 mainly comprises a plate 30 and a fixing device 31 of the light block 4.

The fixing device 31 and the plate 30 can be made in two separate parts, fixed together by fixing means such as screws or the like. The plate 30 and the fixing device 31 can also be produced in a single one-piece piece, produced by any suitable process (moulding, 3D printing, etc.). Similarly, the fixing device 31 and the light block 4 can be made in two separate parts, the light block 4 being removable with respect to the fixing device and its strap or form a single piece, made integral with the support 3 .

In the appended figures, in a non-limiting manner, the plate 30 is represented independently with respect to the fixing device 31.

The plate 30 of the support 3 has an elongated shape along a so-called longitudinal axis (direction (X)). It is intended to be secured to the strap, its longitudinal axis oriented along the length of the strip forming the strap 2.

Plate 30 may have a generally rectangular shape. Its sides and its corners can be rounded to match the external shape of the strap respectively and avoid the presence of sharp angles.

By way of example and without limitation, the plate 30 may have a length L1 of between 4 cm and 10 cm, a width L2 of between 1 cm and 5 cm and a thickness of between 0.5 mm and 3 mm.

When the strap 2 is positioned around the head T of the individual, the plate 30 of the support 3 comes to rest, through the strap, against a part of the forehead F of the individual.

The plate 30 can be a card such as that used in microelectronics to manufacture printed circuits. It can be made of a composite material, such as for example an epoxy resin or fiberglass.

The plate 30 has the particularity of being at least partially deformable in bending, elastically, to bend in order to best fit the surface of the forehead F of the individual when it is secured to the strap 2 and that the strap 2 is positioned around the head T of the individual. This bending deformability is achieved at least around an axis situated in the plane of the plate, and perpendicular to its longitudinal axis (X).

Its deformability in bending is made possible by at least one cutout of the plate 30. It will be seen that to confer deformability in bending, the cutout can take different forms.

Referring to Figure 2, the plate 30 can be broken down into several separate parts, segmented along its longitudinal axis (X).

It may comprise two lateral parts 32, 33 elastically deformable in bending, each around an axis (Y1), (Y2) present in the plane of the plate 30 and perpendicular to its longitudinal axis (X).

These two side parts 32, 33 are advantageously identical and arranged symmetrically with respect to a median transverse plane. By bending around their respective axis, they have the ability to curve or bend elastically around their respective axis to each match the surface of the forehead F of the individual wearer.

Between the two lateral parts 32, 33, the plate 30 may have a central part 34 intended to support the fixing device 31 of the light unit 4.

Advantageously, this central part 34 is rigid and non-deformable. Figure 3A shows this stiff core plate configuration. This central part can be of greater or lesser length. It can carry the fixing holes 340 necessary for the passage of the fixing screws of the fixing device 31.

In a variant embodiment represented in FIG. 3B, the central part can also be deformable around the median transverse axis (denoted (Y3) in FIG. 3B), in the same way as the two lateral parts. In this last configuration, the fixing of the fixing device 31 then makes it possible to stiffen the central part.

To be elastically deformable, on its two lateral parts 33, 33, the plate 30 is cut following a particular profile. Each cutout makes it possible to confer on the plate 30 its qualities of deformability in bending at the level of its lateral parts 32, 33 and its ability to bend to match the surface of the forehead F of the individual. The same cut can also be made on the central part 34, in the alternative embodiment of FIG. 3B. In FIG. 3B, the plate 30 is thus shown with an identical cutting profile over its entire length, whether on its side parts and on its central part. The central part is then indistinguishable from the side parts.

FIG. 4 illustrates, in a top view, the principle of deformability of the plate 30, allowing the support 3 of the lamp to conform to the surface of the forehead F of the wearer.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the cutting of the plate makes it possible to give it a spring effect in the direction (X). This in particular allows the plate not to disturb the elasticity of the strap. In other words, during a stretching movement of the strap, the plate will also deform and follow this stretching movement of the strap.

Each cutout of the plate 30 can be made by any known method, such as for example by machining or laser cutting.

The profile of each cutout is produced by several transverse patterns, advantageously identical, juxtaposed and interconnected.

In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the pattern is ring-shaped, the patterns being joined together by a middle attachment part.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative embodiment in which the pattern comprises two branches forming a V, the juxtaposition of several of these patterns forming a serpentine. Of course, other cutting profiles could be imagined. It is also possible to provide a combination of several patterns of different shapes (for example ring pattern+V pattern).

It should be noted that the density of juxtaposed patterns is a criterion for adapting the degree of deformability of the plate. In the same size in length, the more there are juxtaposed patterns, the more the plate will be able to gain in rigidity.

Referring to Figure 5, the support comprising the fixing device 31 of the light block 4 can be integrated into the strap 2, between two layers of material of the strap. The strap 2 can be cut on its outer layer to reveal the fastening device 31. Fastening means can be provided to secure the support to the strap. These fixing means can be those which already make it possible to fix the fixing device 31 to the plate 30.

According to one feature, the fixing device 31 is configured to accommodate the light block. The light block can be fixed to the fixing device 31 in a definitive or removable manner.

The fixing device 31 may comprise fixing means 310 by interlocking or by sliding arranged to cooperate with an additional element present on the light block.

In a non-limiting manner, as represented in FIG. 5, the fixing means 310 can comprise a part with an unclosed circular section, forming a non-articulated and deformable clamp, on which a cylindrical part of the block is fixed by interlocking or by sliding. light 4. The cylindrical part can be formed of the battery 40 itself (battery of the 18650 or 21700 type for example), integrated into the light unit or of a cylindrical box intended to receive the battery or an extension unit connected to a remote battery.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, at the level of each cutout, the plate 30 can have an elastic deformability in bending which is sufficient to adapt to the curvature of the forehead of an individual. Its maximum deformability can be between 30% and 60% compared to its initial flat shape.

In a non-limiting way, it can thus be considered that, at the level of each lateral part 32, 33, the plate is:

Deformable in flexion around the direction (Y) so as to be able to bend and bend to best match the curvature of the forehead;

Non-deformable or slightly deformable in bending around the direction (X) to maintain rigidity from top to bottom;

Not deformable in compression along the direction (Y), because useless for the intended application;

Possibly deformable in compression/extension in the direction (X), in particular to contribute to the elasticity of the tightening of the strap;

The solution of the invention has many advantages, including:

It improves the stability of the light unit, even when the battery is integrated into the light unit and the ground is present on the front;

It is easy to put in place and can be easily replaced in the event of early breakage;

It is easy to manufacture and inexpensive, the support plate being formed of a simple card commonly used in the field of electronics;

It is solid, the support plate allowing sufficient flexion to adapt to different configurations of use.

The solution of the invention makes it possible to obtain a support which is both:

Rigid, which guarantees the stability of the light block;

Deformable in flexion to match the shape of the individual's forehead;

Deformable in extension or compression to follow the stretching movements of the strap;

Claims (11)

Support (3) for light block (4), in particular light block of a headlamp (1) intended to be worn on the forehead (F) of an individual, said support (3) being intended to be secured to a strap (2) of said headlamp and comprises a device (31) for fixing the light block (4), said support (3) being characterized in that it comprises at least one plate (30) elongated along a so-called longitudinal axis ( X), said plate having at least a first cutout configured to form on the plate at least a first part (32) which can be curved by bending around an axis perpendicular (Y1) to its longitudinal axis and located in the plane of said plate, so as to allow said support to come to marry, at least partially, the forehead of the individual. Support according to Claim 1, characterized in that the plate (30) has a generally rectangular shape and comprises a rigid central part (34) carrying the fixing device (31) of the said light unit. Support according to Claim 2, characterized in that the plate (30) has a second cutout configured to form on the plate at least a second part (33) which can be curved by bending around a second axis (Y2) perpendicular to its longitudinal axis. and located in the plane of said plate. Support according to Claim 3, characterized in that the first curved part and the second curved part are located on either side of the central part (34) of the plate. Support according to Claim 2, characterized in that the plate (30) is produced in the form of a printed circuit board. Support according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each cutout is produced in the form of a profile with several juxtaposed identical patterns. Support according to Claim 6, characterized in that the profile comprises several ring patterns which are juxtaposed. Support according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the fixing device (31) comprises means for fixing by interlocking or by sliding arranged to cooperate with a complementary member of the light unit. Support according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the plate (30) comprises at its two ends two cutouts forming loops for attaching a strap (2) thereto. Headlamp comprising a strap and a light unit, characterized in that it comprises a support as defined in one of claims 1 to 9, said support (3) being secured to said strap (2). Headlamp according to Claim 10, characterized in that the strap (2) comprises a flexible headband having two layers of material, called the internal layer and the external layer, and in that the plate (30) of the said support (3) is positioned between the two layers, the outer layer comprising a cutout to allow its fixing device (31) to pass.