GB2370347A - Collapsible cap for a vehicle lamp - Google Patents

Collapsible cap for a vehicle lamp Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2370347A
GB2370347A GB0130348A GB0130348A GB2370347A GB 2370347 A GB2370347 A GB 2370347A GB 0130348 A GB0130348 A GB 0130348A GB 0130348 A GB0130348 A GB 0130348A GB 2370347 A GB2370347 A GB 2370347A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
pot
protective cap
side wall
shaped protective
annular portion
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
Application number
GB0130348A
Other versions
GB0130348D0 (en
GB2370347B (en
Inventor
Berthold Doering
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.)
Hella GmbH and Co KGaA
Original Assignee
Hella KGaA Huek and Co
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 Hella KGaA Huek and Co filed Critical Hella KGaA Huek and Co
Publication of GB0130348D0 publication Critical patent/GB0130348D0/en
Publication of GB2370347A publication Critical patent/GB2370347A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2370347B publication Critical patent/GB2370347B/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
    • B60Q1/0064—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor with provision for maintenance, e.g. changing the light bulb
    • B60Q1/007—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor with provision for maintenance, e.g. changing the light bulb via a removable cap
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q—ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q1/00—Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
    • B60Q1/0005—Devices preventing the lights from becoming dirty or damaged, e.g. protection grids or cleaning by air flow
    • 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
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21S—NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS
    • F21S45/00—Arrangements within vehicle lighting devices specially adapted for vehicle exteriors, for purposes other than emission or distribution of light
    • F21S45/30—Ventilation or drainage of lighting devices
    • F21S45/33—Ventilation or drainage of lighting devices specially adapted for headlamps

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)
  • Arrangement Of Elements, Cooling, Sealing, Or The Like Of Lighting Devices (AREA)

Abstract

A cap 10 to close an opening in the housing of a vehicle lamp has a side wall comprising a rigid portion 12 and an annular pliable portion 14, which can be collapsed by rolling or folding. Preferably, the pliable portion is adjacent the base of the cap, allowing the length of the cap to be reduced. This facilitates its emplacement and removal at the rear of headlamps and so reduces the required clearance between the lamp housing and the vehicle body. The lamp housing is engaged by a flexible seal on the cap wall, the seal being mounted in a groove or injection moulded to the wall. The rigid and pliable portions of the wall may be releasably attached, injection moulded together, or formed as a single piece construction. The cap has clips 22 to secure it to the lamp housing and ventilation openings 20.

Description

POT-SHAPED PROTECTIVE CAP
The invention relates to a pot-shaped protective cap for the releasable closure of an opening, used for example for bulb replacement, in the housing of a headlamp or lamp for vehicles.
A protective cap is known from DE 39 39 122 Al. The protective cap is constructed in the shape of a pot, with the side wall of the pot made of a thermally and dimensionally stable material and the base of the pot made of a flexible material. An electrical connector for the lighting unit arranged in the headlamp housing passes through the flexible base of the pot. Onto this electrical connector is set an external plug-in connector to provide the electrical contact for the lighting unit. A relatively large space is needed behind the vehicle headlamp in order to allow this plug-in connection to be provided when fitting the headlamp in the vehicle, and disconnected again for replacement of the bulb. On modern vehicle headlamps the electrical contact is no longer realised by means of such individual plug-in connectors, but instead all the headlamp's electrical contacts are provided by means of a central connector arranged in the headlamp housing. The aerodynamic shape of modern vehicles means that the space for the headlamp housing, in particular the depth, is very restricted. This creates the problem that should it become necessary to replace a bulb, the protective caps cannot be removed, or can only be removed with great difficulty, because they are wedged between the vehicle body and the housing of the headlamp.
It is an object of the invention to make a pot-shaped protective cap which is easier to install or remove, given the cramped space in the vehicle accommodating the part of the headlamp or lamp that is located behind the vehicle body wall, without reducing the rigidity and thermal stability of the protective cap notably in the zone that adjoins the housing and supports the means of fastening the cap. Thus, the present invention provides a potshaped protective cap according to claim 1.
In accordance with the invention this object may be achieved by the fact that an annular portion of the pot's side wall is designed to allow it to be flexibly folded in or rolled in. When assembling or disassembling the protective cap, the annular portion of the pot's side wall on the protective cap can be compressed together far enough for the protective cap not to be wedged between the vehicle body and the headlamp or lamp housing and for the protective cap to be removed accordingly. This results in the advantage that the headlamp or lamp requires less space in the vehicle body since only a minimum amount of space is now needed behind the headlamp or lamp, say for bulb replacement.
It is advantageous if the annular portion adapted to be folded in or rolled in is arranged near the base of the pot so that the rigidity and thermal stability of the protective cap is not reduced, notably in the zone that adjoins the housing and supports the cap's means of attachment.
In order to promote efficient and durable flexibility of the annular portion, under one practical embodiment of the invention said portion is made of a rubbery material or flexible plastic.
The costs involved in producing the pot-shaped protective cap can be kept low if the annular portion made of a rubbery material or flexible plastic and the base of the pot are constructed in one piece.
In one practical embodiment of the invention the flexible, annular portion is joined to the pot's side wall in a releasable manner, thereby enabling the annular portion to be placed onto different pot-shaped protective caps or different annular portions to be placed onto one pot-shaped protective cap, which particularly in the case of headlamps and lamps that are manufactured in small volumes lowers the cost of the protective caps.
In one practical embodiment of the protective cap the thickness of the material of the annular portion is reduced by injection moulding the annular portion onto the pot's side wall, which produces advantages in terms of flexibility and consumption of materials.
So that dust or water can be prevented from penetrating the housing of the headlamp or lamp, in one practical embodiment of the invention a flexible seal is arranged between the pot's side wall and the housing. In one cost-effective embodiment of the protective cap this seal is inserted in a groove running around the pot's side wall.
In order to ensure a permanent sealing action between the protective cap and the housing, in one particularly practical
embodiment of the invention the flexible seal is injection moulded onto the pot's side wall, ideally together with the flexible annular portion.
The normally very complex mould for producing the housing can be simplified and thus also made less expensive if, as in one practical further embodiment of the invention, the opening needed for ventilating the headlamp or lamp is arranged in the pot's side wall on the protective cap. In this way, it may not be necessary to arrange any additional cores or splits in the large, expensive mould for the housing, but only in the smaller mould for the protective cap. This allows a protective cap of this type to be utilised as a standard component for a plurality of different headlamp or lamp housings, without the need to arrange a ventilation opening in each housing.
One practical exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the protective cap, and Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section through the protective cap seen in Fig. 1.
According to Fig. 1, the pot-shaped protective cap (10) for a motor vehicle headlamp (not shown) has a pot side wall (12) which once assembled is contiguous with the headlamp housing. A flexible, annular portion (14) is injection moulded onto this pot side wall (12). For the purpose of disassembling or assembling the pot-shaped protective cap (10) in a cramped space behind the motor vehicle headlamp, this injection moulded annular portion
(14) can be compressed to such a degree that the pot's side wall (12) is not wedged between the housing and the vehicle body, and the pot-shaped protective cap (10) can be disassembled or assembled. Formed on the pot's side wall (12) on the pot-shaped protective cap (10) are catches (22) into which clips disposed on the headlamp housing engage in order to fasten the pot-shaped protective cap (10) to the headlamp housing in a releasable manner. So that the motor vehicle headlamp is sufficiently ventilated, two ventilation openings (20) are arranged in the pot's side wall (12) on the pot-shaped protective cap (10).
Fig. 2 shows the pot-shaped protective cap (10) in a simplified sectional view in accordance with Fig. 1. Inserted into a groove (18) running around the pot's side wall (12) on the pot-shaped protective cap (10) is a flexible seal (16) which is pressed against the headlamp housing and thereby seals the pot-shaped protective cap (10) to the headlamp housing. The annular portion (14), which is a one-piece construction with the pot's base, (26), is injection moulded onto the pot's side wall (12) against the contact surface with the headlamp housing. The injection moulded surface (24) is stepped in order to give it as large an area as possible and thereby obtain the maximum connecting surface between the pot's side wall (12) and the annular portion (14) in spite of the small cross-sectional area of the pot's side wall (12). This makes it possible for the annular portion (14) to have thin walls, which saves on material and at the same time
increases flexibility.
CMrTW ?

Claims (11)

1. Pot-shaped protective cap for the releasable closure of an opening, used for example for bulb replacement, in the housing of a headlamp or lamp for vehicles, where the side wall of the pot is made of a dimensionally stable material, except that an annular portion of the pot's side wall is designed to be flexibly folded in or rolled in.
2. Pot-shaped protective cap according to claim 1, wherein the annular portion adapted to be flexibly folded in or rolled in is arranged near to the pot base.
3. Pot-shaped protective cap according to either of the preceding claims, wherein the annular portion is made of a rubbery material or a flexible plastic.
4. Pot-shaped protective cap according to claim 3, wherein the annular portion and the pot base are a one-piece construction.
5. Pot-shaped protective cap according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the annular portion is joined to the pot's side wall in a releasable manner.
6. Pot-shaped protective cap according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the annular portion is injection moulded onto the pot's side wall.
7. Pot-shaped protective cap according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a flexible seal is arranged between the pot's side wall and the housing of the headlamp or lamp.
8. Pot-shaped protective cap according to claim 7, wherein the seal is inserted into a groove which runs around the pot's side wall.
9. Pot-shaped protective cap, according to claim 7, wherein the seal is injection moulded onto the pot's side wall.
10. Pot-shaped protective cap according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one opening for ventilating the headlamp or lamp is disposed in the pot's side wall.
11. A pot-shaped protective cap as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
GB0130348A 2000-12-20 2001-12-19 Pot-shaped protective cap Expired - Fee Related GB2370347B (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE10063578A DE10063578A1 (en) 2000-12-20 2000-12-20 Cup-shaped protective cap

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB0130348D0 GB0130348D0 (en) 2002-02-06
GB2370347A true GB2370347A (en) 2002-06-26
GB2370347B GB2370347B (en) 2004-08-11

Family

ID=7667990

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB0130348A Expired - Fee Related GB2370347B (en) 2000-12-20 2001-12-19 Pot-shaped protective cap

Country Status (2)

Country Link
DE (1) DE10063578A1 (en)
GB (1) GB2370347B (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20120207970A1 (en) * 2011-02-15 2012-08-16 Tokai Kogyo Co., Ltd. Composite molded article

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2925611A3 (en) * 2007-12-20 2009-06-26 Renault Sas Acoustic resonator for air filter of motor vehicle, has projector with protector connected to main body for forming hollow body, where main body has opening for changing bulb and connected to upstream air inlet pipe by additional pipe
DE102021120553A1 (en) 2021-08-06 2023-02-09 Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft automobile lamp and automobile

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3939122A1 (en) * 1988-11-29 1990-05-31 Valeo Vision Rear cover cap for vehicle headlamp unit - has relatively rigid cuff and peripheral annular sealing lip engaging rear of headlamp housing
EP0710795A1 (en) * 1994-11-04 1996-05-08 MAGNETI MARELLI U.K. Ltd. Sealing member
US6129448A (en) * 1995-12-25 2000-10-10 Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Vehicular lighting fixture with discharge bulb and reflector having increased width and depth

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3558872A (en) * 1968-09-09 1971-01-26 Sylvania Electric Prod Automotive driving light
GB1422112A (en) * 1971-12-09 1976-01-21 Vega Auto Products Ltd Electric lamps for vehicles
DE7923488U1 (en) * 1979-08-17 1979-11-15 Westfaelische Metall Industrie Kg, Hueck & Co, 4780 Lippstadt VEHICLE HEADLIGHTS
DE3337896C1 (en) * 1983-10-19 1985-03-21 Westfälische Metall Industrie KG Hueck & Co, 4780 Lippstadt Ventilated vehicle headlights
DE19541217C2 (en) * 1995-11-04 1999-10-21 Sidler Gmbh & Co Sealing arrangement for a lamp

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3939122A1 (en) * 1988-11-29 1990-05-31 Valeo Vision Rear cover cap for vehicle headlamp unit - has relatively rigid cuff and peripheral annular sealing lip engaging rear of headlamp housing
EP0710795A1 (en) * 1994-11-04 1996-05-08 MAGNETI MARELLI U.K. Ltd. Sealing member
US6129448A (en) * 1995-12-25 2000-10-10 Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Vehicular lighting fixture with discharge bulb and reflector having increased width and depth

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20120207970A1 (en) * 2011-02-15 2012-08-16 Tokai Kogyo Co., Ltd. Composite molded article
US8999486B2 (en) * 2011-02-15 2015-04-07 Tokai Kogyo Co., Ltd. Composite molded article

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0130348D0 (en) 2002-02-06
DE10063578A1 (en) 2002-07-04
GB2370347B (en) 2004-08-11

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee

Effective date: 20071219