US1625648A - Headlight construction - Google Patents

Description

Apfil 19. 1927.

C. E. GODLEY HEADLIGHT CONSTRUCTION I Filed Jan. 25. 1926 fnveqlar.

A il 1927. I

pr c. E. GODLEY HEADLIGHT CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheet-Sheat 2 Filed Jan. 25. 1926 nmmumll Patented Apr. 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,625,648 PATENT OFFICE.

CI-IlLAIEtILES E. GODLEY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO 0. M. HALL LAMP COMPANY, A CORPORATION-OF MICHIGAN.

HEADLIGHT CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed January 25, 1926. Serial No. 83,748.

My invention relates to lamp construction and in one of its general objects aims to provide simple and effective means for insuring a tight seal between the reflector and the door of the lamp, and for maintaining springs for this purpose, and provides s1m- .ple means for limiting the forward movement of the reflector by the springs while readily permitting the attaching or detaching of the reflector.

My invention also provides a novel arrangement of a hinging spring which permits a strong and easily attached spring to be employed as a hinge for a hook-on type of door and for pressing the hinging part of the door firmly against the body of the lamp.

Furthermore, my invention provides a novel door latch, particularly suited for use with a hinged lamp door and designed for affording a spring-pressed closure which can readily be released manually.

Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from the following specification and from the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an automobile headlight embodying the several features of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary central, vertlcal and longitudinal section through the same headlight, drawn on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a sectionsimilar to the upper right-hand portion of Fig. 2, showing the disposition of the hinging spring and the parts adjacent thereto, when the door isbeing attached or detached.

Fig. dis a front elevation of the reflector of the headlight.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a 'mouth portion of the reflector, showing one of the ears on the reflector.

Fig. 6 is a section similar to the lower portion of Fig. 2, showing the position of the movable latching member when the doo is being latched or unlatched. 1

Fig. is a plan view of the stem of the latching member.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section taken through Fig. 2 along the line 8-8.

Fig. 9 is a perspective View of the arched guide associated with the movable latching member.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the u per portion of the inner lens ring member 0 the door, showing the upturned tongue against which the hinging spring presses.

Fig. 11 is a section similar to an upper portion of Fig. 2, showing a modified arrangement for supporting the stationary end of the spring 27.

In the illustrated embodiment, the semiovoid body 1 of the headlight has an anglesectioned ring welded to its mouth so as to present an inwardly directed radial flange 2 flush with the month end of the body, a tubular portion 4 extending forwardly from the inner edge of the flange 2, and an inwardly directed radial flange 6 connecting the forward end of the tubular portion 4 with a smaller diametered and more forwardly extending tube 7.

The door of the headlight includes an outer lens ring member 3 which abuts at its rear end against the forward end of the body 1 so as to afford an inconspicuous joint and which has its inner edge recurved rear wardly into engagement with the lens 10. It also includes an inner lens ring member comprising a tubular-rim portion 16' secured to the bore of the outer lens ring member 3, a radial flange 14 extending inwardly from this rim portion 16 and having its rear-face flush with the rear end of the member 3 and adapted to seat on the body flange 2, a forwardly extending tubular portion 5 having its rearward portion sleeved upon the tubular portion 4 of the body flange, and a tubular forward end 17 laterally housing the lens and abutting at its forward end against the outer lens ring member 3.

The reflector 9 of the headlight has its mouth portion formed to provide a rearwardly directed tubular part 8 which is slidably sleeved upon the tubular part 7 of the body flange, and this tubular part 8 forms the inner wall of a forwardly open annular groove. Seated in this groove 1s a packing ring 18 which projects forwardly beyond the reflector into engagement with the lens 10 so as to afford a seal between the reflector and the lens.

Interposed between the rim portion of the reflector and the part 6 of the body flange are three compression springs 19 which continuously press the reflector forwardly. Each of these springs is guided by the shank of a screw 20, which screw is threaded into the body flange part 6 and has its head adapted to limit the forward movement of the reflector. To permit the use of such guide screws, I preferably form a corresponding number of ears 21 from the outer wall 8 of the groove on the reflector, with each ear extending radially outward and provided with a perforation 22 in which the shank of the adjacent screw is freely slidable. Each ear is connected to the main portion of the wall 8* by a pair of webs 23 which stiffen the ear, thereby securing the needed rigidity even when the reflector is made of quite thin metal.

To secure the door to the body of the lamp I provide a hook-on hinging arrangement, preferably at the top of the lamp, and employ a releasable latch diametrically op-' posite to this hinging arrangement, and also provide spring means associated both with the latch and hinging arrangement for pressing the door rearwardly so as to hold the door flange 14 seated firmly on the body flange portion 2. For this purpose, I punch an upwardly directed tongue 24 from the upper part of the tubular portion 5 of the inner lens ring member, thereby'providing a perforation 25 through which the upper arm 26 of a hinging spring extends. This spring is desirably formed of a flat strip of metal and comprises a bowed main portion 27 from one end of which the arm 26 is bent outwardly, and an opposite end arm 28 which is seated upon some part of the body flange. In Fig. '2, this stationary spring arm 27 extends through a perforation 29 and seats on the outer wall of the tubular portion 7, so that the portion 7 serves as a spring-anchoring portion.

The upper spring arm 26 is preferably bowed forwardly and extends upwardly both through a perforation 45 formed in the tubular ortion 4 of the body and through an adjacent perforation in the inner lens ring member, the rear edge of the perforation 25 being spaced from the forward face of the body flange 2 by a distance less than the spacing of the front face of the tongue 24 from the rear face of the radial flange part 14 of the door.

When the door is detached from the body of the head1ight,the resiliency of the spring expands this so that the upper spring arm 26 engages the rear edge of the perforation 25,. as shown in Fig. 3. In attaching'the door, the tongue 24 presses the upper spring arm forwardly and thereafter affords a sprlng-engagmg door part through winch the spring presses the upper part. of the door firmly against the body.

For the companion door fastening, Figs. 2 and 6 show the door as carrying a radially projecting lug 30 having an outwardly directed notch 31. This lug projects through the peripheral wall of the outer lens ring member 3 and is integral with an arm 32 secured to the inner lens ring portion 5. Extending through the notch 31 is the stem 33 of a latching member which stem also extends into the interior of the lamp body through an eyelet" 34 and extends through a perforation 35 in a spring-thrust receiving member 36 disposed within the body. Intel-posed between the inner end of the stem 33 and the member 36, is a compression spring 37, the said stem being so bent and the thrust receiving part 36 of the said member being so disposed that the spring urges the stem rearwardly. Fast upon the forward end of the stem is a handle 38 which projects laterally beyond both sides of the forked lug 30 and which normally bears against the forward face of this lug.

The thrust receiving member has the per,-'

foration 35 in one side of a portion which is arched so that its curvature permits the spring to slide partly upon the curved part when the latching member is swung to a position in which the handle 38 clears the forked lug 30, or a position slightly beyond that shown in Fig. 6. However, the upper edge of the perforation 35 limits the extent to which the spring can engage the adjacent curved portion, so that the latching member when released is returned by the spring to a position in which the rear portion 33 of the stem extends parallel to the adjacent side of the lamp body. A washer 39 of larger diameter than the spring is desirably interposed between the rear end of the stem and the spring for receiving the thrust of the latter and for engaging the body wall (as shown in Fig. 2) to stop the outward swinging of the rear stem end by the spring when the door has been unlatched. The stem of the latching member also preferably has suitable means for limiting its retraction by the spring, such as shoulders 33 which are adapted to engage the eyelet 34. These shoulders are so located with respect to the handle 38, and to the normal spacing between the lug 30 and the eyelet, that the shoulders will not limit the retracting of the latching member when this is operative, thereby permitting the spring 37 to cooperate with the hinging spring in drawing the door firmly rearward against the lamp body and the said body flange.

By employing a hlngmg spring having its bowed portion extending rearwardly of the body flange, I can readily make this of ample size and strength to cooperate with the latching spring 37 in overcoming the pressure of the reflector-engaging springs 19 and in holding the door in a firm closure position. Moreover, the tongue 24 provides a smooth forward face adapted to slide along the upper arm of the hinging spring, so as to facilitate the attaching of the door.

IVit-h a headlight thus constructed, the socket/41 which supports the usual lamp bulb 42 may be slidably supported in a guide sleeve 43 which is rigidly secured to the reflector .9, the position of the socket being controlled by a focusing mechanism which includes a screw 44 having its head slidable in the rear end of the body 1, after the manner described in my copending application No. 77,923, filed December 28, 1925 on a focusing lamp. With such a socket and focusing arrangement, a detach ing of the door of the headlight'permits the springs 19 to move the reflector forw a1 d until stopped by the heads of the screws 20, thereby moving the socket and the focusing screw 44forward also, but without disturbin; the focusing adjustment.

I-Iowever, while I have illustrated and described numerous features of my invention as employed in connection with a certain focusing adjustment, I do not wish to be limited in this respect. Neither do I wish to be limited to the employment of my'novel spring hinging arrangement, eared reflector construction and spring latch in connection with one another.

So also, I do not wish to be limited to the details of construction and arrangement heretofore described, since many changes might obviously be made without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims. For example, instead of having the inner arm 28 of the hinging spring project through the body flange portion 6, I may form a re'arwardly directed tongue 45 upon this flange portion 6 as a seat for the spring arm 28. as shown in Fig. 11, so that this tongue 45 serves as the spring anchoring portion. In either case, the spring can readily be formedso that its expanding tendency will retain it I in effective position at all times, while permitting the spring to be detached and replaced if necessar I claim as my invention:

1.- In a lamp, a body including a radial shelf, a reflector housed by the body and provided at its mouth with a forwardly open annular groove, spaced portions of the outer wall of the said groove being formed into cars directed radially outward and disposed forwardly of the shelf. a compression spring between each ear and the shelf, and

limit means carried by the shelf for limiting the forward movement of the reflector by the springs, the body and the reflector having slidably interfitting portions separate from the said limitmeans for guiding the movement of the reflector by the springs, a door secured to the mouth of the body and iueluding a lens, and a packing ring seated in the groove and engaging the inner face of the lens.

2. In a lamp, a body provided at it mouth with a radial shelf and a tubular guide extending forwardly from the inner edge of the shelf. a reflector recurvc-d at its mouth to provide a forwardly open groove having an inner annular wall slidably engaging the said tubular guide, the outer wall of the said groove having spaced portions formed into outwardly directed ears disposed forwardly of the said shelf and webs stiffening the ears. compression springs between the ears and'the shelf, and means associated with the shelf and the said ears for limiting the forward movement of thereflector by the springs.

3. In a lamp, a body provided at its mouth with a radial shelf and a tubular guide extending forward from the inner edge of the shelf, a reflector provided at its mouth with a flange including aradially U-sect-ioned part affording a tubular wall slidably telescoped on the said guide and also affording a forwardly open annular groove, spaced portions of the outer wall of the said U- sectioned part being turned outwardly to form ears projecting radially of the reflector; a door secured to the mouth end of the body .and including a lens; a packing ring seated in the said groove and projecting forwardly beyond the groove into engagement with the lens; limit members connecting the radial body shelf and each ear for limiting the forward movement of the reflector; and compression springs guided respectively by the limit members and interposed respectively between the said radial shelf and the several ears.

4. Latching means for securing the body of a lamp to a door abutting rearwardly against a mouth portion of the body; comprising an car fast on the door and projecting radially outward from the door; a latching member including a stem extending through the body, and a head in front of and engaging the ear; the latching member being longitudinally slidable with respect to the body and being adapted to be swung outward of the body to permit the said head to clear the ear; a guide mounted within the body for guiding'the latching member: and a spring interposed between the latching member and a portion of the guide for urging the latching member rearwardly of the body, the said portion of the guide belng curved so as to cause the pressure of the spring to return the latching member to its normal position after the latching member has been tilted away from the body during the latching or unlatehing of the door.

5. In a lamp, a body member having an annular flan e and a tubular portion extending forwardl: from the said flange, a door slidable upon the tubular portion and adapted to rock about a part of said portion and normally engaging the said flange, a spring having its main portion mounted within the body and having a. finger projecting through the part of the tubular portion about which the door is adapted to rock and extending radially of the body in front of a portion of the door, an ear projecting radially from the door dian'ietrieally opposite the said part of the tubular portionand having its outer end forked, a guide member mounted with in the body behind the said flange, a latching member extending slidably through the guide member and the body, the latching member having at its forward end a head normally engaging the front of the ear and having av part adjacent to the head normally disposed Within the forln and a spring interposed between the guide and the latching member forurging the latter rearwardly ot' the body, the guide being formed to permit the latching member to rook s as to release its said part from the said fork. and the guide member being also formed so that the spring normally retains the said part in the fork.

Signed at Detroit, Michigan, January 21,

CHARLES E. GODLEY.

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