EP0569254A1 - Feu pour véhicule - Google Patents

Feu pour véhicule Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0569254A1
EP0569254A1 EP93303561A EP93303561A EP0569254A1 EP 0569254 A1 EP0569254 A1 EP 0569254A1 EP 93303561 A EP93303561 A EP 93303561A EP 93303561 A EP93303561 A EP 93303561A EP 0569254 A1 EP0569254 A1 EP 0569254A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
housing
drainage
edge channel
receptacle
channel
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP93303561A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Paul Alen Copping
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.)
FLEXIBLE LAMPS Ltd
Original Assignee
FLEXIBLE LAMPS Ltd
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
Priority claimed from GB929209898A external-priority patent/GB9209898D0/en
Priority claimed from GB929211414A external-priority patent/GB9211414D0/en
Application filed by FLEXIBLE LAMPS Ltd filed Critical FLEXIBLE LAMPS Ltd
Publication of EP0569254A1 publication Critical patent/EP0569254A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F21—LIGHTING
    • F21V—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMS THEREOF; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHER ARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • F21V31/00—Gas-tight or water-tight arrangements
    • F21V31/005—Sealing arrangements therefor
    • 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
    • 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
    • F21S45/37—Ventilation or drainage of lighting devices specially adapted for signal lamps

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a vehicle lamp assembly.
  • a vehicle which is used on a public highway is typically provided with various lights and illuminated indicators such, for example, as head-lamps, tail-lamps, side-markers and direction indicators.
  • the lights at each of the front and rear ends of the vehicle are provided in two unitary lamp assemblies which are spaced one from the other across the front-rear direction of the vehicle, one towards each side thereof.
  • a typical vehicle lamp assembly includes a housing which can be fastened to the vehicle, the housing comprising a receptacle, reflector tray received in the receptacle and a transparent lens closure.
  • the receptacle comprises a generally rectangular back wall which carries means for securing the housing to the vehicle and four side walls, each side wall terminating away from the back wall in a front edge.
  • the reflector tray is shaped to define one or more reflectors which are arranged along a line parallel to the long sides of the receptacle, and comprises bulb-holding means juxtaposed each reflector.
  • the lens closure comprises one or more coloured diffuser lens portions and is fastened to the receptacle such that the periphery of the lens closure is seated on the said front edges of the side walls, and each diffuser lens portion is disposed juxtaposed one of the said reflectors thereby to provide a required light or indicator function.
  • the back wall of the receptacle has one or more apertures formed therethrough for cable access, thereby to allow the bulbs carried in the reflector tray to be connected to a remote power supply.
  • the housing is typically mounted on a vehicle with the long sides disposed horizontally such that the lights and indicators are arranged on a horizontal line across the front-rear direction of the vehicle.
  • the housing comprises a sealing gasket interposed between the receptacle and the lens closure.
  • the receptacle is provided with a gasket-receiving channel which is formed in the front edge of each of the side walls, and the lens closure has a peripheral rib which is received in the channel; the gasket being received in the channel between the side walls and the rib, such that when the lens closure is fastened to the receptacle, the gasket is compressed to form a seal therebetween.
  • the drainage means is required to provide adequate drainage for the lamp assembly when the latter is oriented alternatively vertically or horizontally.
  • a housing for a lamp assembly comprising two housing parts which can be assembled to define a lamp cavity, wherein sealing means is provided between the housing parts; the sealing means comprising an edge channel means in one of the housing parts, a sealing strip disposed in the edge channel means and an abutment means on the other housing part for engaging the sealing strip in the channel means to form a liquid-tight seal between the housing parts; characterised in that the edge channel means includes a plurality of spaced drainage means; the drainage means being positioned such that irrespective of orientation of the housing, when considered in the mounted position, at least one of the drainage means is disposed at the bottom of the housing; and the sealing strip can be positioned to by-pass the edge channel means at the one drainage means to provide a drain for liquid accummulated in the housing to drain therefrom.
  • the present invention also includes a vehicle lamp assembly comprising a housing in accordance with the invention.
  • one housing part may be a receptacle, and the other housing part may be a lens closure for the receptacle.
  • the receptacle may accommodate a reflector tray.
  • the edge channel means may be formed in the receptacle; the abutment means may be a rib formed on the lens closure.
  • the sealing strip is a sealing gasket.
  • the receptacle may have one or more side walls; the edge channel means may be formed in or carried by the side wall(s).
  • each drainage means may be constituted by a "chicane drainage means".
  • chicane drainage means means formed in the said edge channel means to allow the said sealing gasket to be removed from the edge channel means over a minor part of its length, thereby to provide a small aperture between the receptacle and the said lens closure.
  • the edge channel means may comprise two spaced channel walls carried on the one or more side walls; each channel wall may be formed as a substantially continuous loop on the side walls.
  • the chicane drainage means may comprise two cut-outs formed in one of the channel walls to allow the gasket to be removed from the edge channel means at one of the cut-outs and to be returned to the edge channel means via the other cut-out.
  • the housing may be of any shape; the one or more side walls may carry spaced chicane drainage means so that, irrespective of the orientation of the housing in its fastened position in a vehicle, at least one of the chicane drainage means is disposed at the bottom of the housing; the sealing gasket may be removed from the edge channel means at the one chicane drainage means to allow liquid accumulated in the housing to drain therefrom. It will be appreciated that the present invention comprehends embodiments in which more than one chicane drainage means can be selected to provide more than one drainage point.
  • the receptacle may comprise a generally rectangular back wall which carries four side walls. Each side wall may be connected at each end to one of the other side walls to define a corner therebetween and may terminate remote from the back wall in a front edge.
  • the receptacle may be moulded as a unitary construction from a structural plastics material such as polypropylene.
  • a chicane drainage means may be formed at each corner of the housing.
  • One cut-out may be formed in the one channel wall on one of the side walls defining the corner; the other cut-out may be formed in the one channel wall on the other of the side walls defining the corner.
  • the sealing gasket may be removed from the edge channel means around the corner to follow a generally sinuous path inside the housing between the two cut-outs.
  • a corner chicane drainage means may provide drainage for the housing in any orientation between a first position in which the one side wall is disposed lowermost and a second position in which the other side wall is disposed lowermost; irrespective of the orientation of the housing, the corner and the corner chicane drainage means at the one corner are disposed at the bottom of the housing to permit drainage of water accumulated in the housing therefrom.
  • the lamp assembly may be provided with chicane drainage means at each of the four corners of the housing.
  • the lamp assembly may be oriented in any position with any of the side walls disposed lowermost and, irrespective of the orientation, at least one of the said corner chicane drainage means may be used to provide drainage for the housing.
  • the receptacle may be provided additionally with one or more spaced side-wall chicane drainage means formed in the edge channel means on one or more of the side walls remote from the corners.
  • at least one corner chicane drainage means may be selected with the additional possibility of utilising one or more side-wall chicane drainage means.
  • the sealing gasket may be formed of any flexible water-resistant material.
  • the sealing gasket may be formed from a foamed neoprene material having blind pores.
  • the sealing gasket may have a generally circular cross-section.
  • the sealing gasket may be disposed between the reflector tray and the side walls defining the corner. Under the influence of gravity and/or as a result of vibration of the vehicle the reflector tray may tend to urge the sealing gasket against the side walls. Owing to the respective shapes of the sealing gasket and the corner, however, the sealing gasket may follow a path which is not wholly contiguous the side walls juxtaposed the corner and, irrespective of the pressure applied by the reflector tray, may leave at least a small aperture between the gasket and the side walls to provide drainage for the housing.
  • the housing in accordance with the present invention may be provided with a plurality of chicane drainage means which may optionally be used as drains for the assembly. Where more than one such chicane drainage means is provided, the sealing gasket may be "looped out" of the edge channel only in the lowermost means provided on the assembly when considered in the position as mounted. In this way, the remaining drainage means remain sealed with the gasket means disposed in the edge channel thus restricting ingress of moisture at these locations.
  • the receptacle may be provided with one or more apertures to allow cable access.
  • the apertures may carry water-proof grommets to provide a seal between the housing and the cables extending through the receptacle.
  • Figure 1 is a sectional view through a lamp assembly in accordance with the present invention.
  • Figure 2 is a part cut-away plan view of the lamp assembly of Figure 1.
  • Figure 3 is a different sectional through the lamp assembly of Figure 1.
  • Figure 4 is a detail of the cut-away part of Figure 2.
  • a lamp assembly comprises a box-shaped receptacle (12) of rectangular cross-section which is moulded as a single piece from a polypropylene plastics material.
  • Said receptacle (12) comprises a rectangular back wall (14) and four side walls - two long side walls (17, 19) and two short side walls (16, 18); which side walls (16-19) define four corners (20, 21, 22 and 23) therebetween and terminate remote from back wall (14) in a peripheral front edge (24).
  • Said front edge (24) is shaped to define a channel (30) of U-shaped cross-section and comprises parallel spaced-apart inner and outer channel walls (32) and (34) respectively (see Figure 4).
  • inner channel wall (32) comprises two cut-outs (40-41), which define a chicane drainage means.
  • the cut-outs (40, 41) are disposed on opposed sides of the corner, and each extends from the front of the inner channel wall (32) almost to the front surface (35) at the back of the channel (30).
  • Seal (50) which is formed as a continuous loop from a water-resistant neoprene material.
  • Back wall (14) carries four posts (not shown) each of which extends forwardly from the back wall to terminate just forward of front edge (24) in a circular front surface.
  • Each post is provided with a threaded bore which extends from said front surface towards back wall (14).
  • the back wall (14) of receptacle (12) also carries two spaced bolts (102) which can be used to fasten the lamp assembly (10) to a vehicle.
  • Receptacle (12) accommodates a reflector tray (70) which is generally rectangular in plan view having four right-angle corners disposed juxtaposed the corners (20-23) of receptacle (12) and is moulded from a thermosetting plastics material.
  • Reflector tray (70) is shaped to define a plurality of spaced reflectors (72) which are arranged on a line parallel to the long sides of housing (12); each reflector (72) has a circular aperture (74) formed therein which extends through the reflector tray (70) from a front surface (77) to a back surface (79) thereof.
  • the back surface (79) of reflector tray (70) carries a conducting metal strip (80) which is shaped to provide a bulb-holder (76) juxtaposed each aperture (74).
  • Said bulb-holder comprises a pair of slots (not shown) formed in the strip (80) which slots are shaped to receive radially extending spigots on a bulb (78) to hold the bulb (78) such that its filament is disposed at the focal point of reflector (72).
  • the bulb holder (78) also forms a first electrical terminal arranged to contact the side terminal of the bulb (78).
  • Juxtaposed each aperture (74), the back surface (79) of the reflector tray (70) also carries a conducting plate (82) which includes a leaf-spring (84) arranged to form a second electrical terminal to contact the bottom terminal of the bulb (78).
  • the back wall (14) of receptacle (12) is provided with one or more apertures to allow cable access to the said conducting strip (80) and conducting plates (82) thereby to permit the same to be connected to a remote power supply such, for example, as a 12V lead-acid battery.
  • Reflector tray (70) also has four generally cylindrical conduits (not shown) formed therein, each of which extends from said front surface (77) to said back surface (79) and accommodates one of the said four posts carried by the back wall (14), thereby to locate the tray (70) in the receptacle (12).
  • Lamp assembly (10) further comprises a generally rectangular lens closure (90) which is formed from a transparent plastics material and is fastened to receptacle (12) by four screws (92) which extend through apertures formed in the lens closure (90) into the threaded bores in the said posts which protrude from said cylindrical conduits towards their front ends.
  • the peripheral edge of the lens closure (90) is coterminus with the front edge (24) of side walls (16, 19), and the back surface of the lens closure (90) is provided with a peripheral rib (96) which is received in said channel (30).
  • Rib (96) has a depth such that it squashes the sealing gasket (50) accommodated within the channel (30) against the front surface (35) of the channel (30) to form a water-resistant seal between lens closure (90) and receptacle (12).
  • the sealing gasket (50) may be removed from the channel (30) over a minor portion of its length at the said chicane drainage means, such that the gasket (50) is removed from the channel (30) via one of the cut-outs (40, 41) and re-enters the channel (30) on the opposed side of the corner via the other of the said cut-outs (41, 40).
  • the rib (96) terminates short of the front surface (35) of channel (30) to provide a drainage aperture (100) between the rib (96) and the said front edge (24). Between said cut-outs (40, 41) the sealing gasket (50) follows a generally sinuous path (60) under one of said corners of reflector tray (70).
  • Lens closure (90) is divided into a plurality of diffuser lens portions (94), each of which is disposed juxtaposed one of the said reflectors (72).
  • Each diffuser lens portion (94) is formed from a plastics material having a particular colour to provide a special lamp-function in conjunction with one of the said reflectors (72) and its associated bulb (78).
  • Each diffuser lens portion (94) comprises a plurality of "pillow-case” lenses (98) which are disposed contiguously on the lens portion (94).
  • light from the filament of bulb (78) is shaped by reflector (72) to form a substantially parallel beam of light which impinges on the diffuser lens portion (94).
  • the "pillow-case” lenses (98) serve to disperse the light transmitted by the lens closure (90) over a predetermined angle so that the light from the lamp assembly is visible over a required solid angle.
  • a lamp assembly as hereinbefore described can be fastened to a vehicle with any of the said side walls (16-19) disposed lowermost, and, in any fastened position, at least one of the corners (20-23) is disposed at the bottom of the receptacle (12), and the sealing gasket (50) may be removed from the channel (30) via the cut-outs (40, 41) juxtaposed said one corner to provide a drainage aperture between the lens closure (90) and the receptacle (12).

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (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)
EP93303561A 1992-05-07 1993-05-07 Feu pour véhicule Withdrawn EP0569254A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9209898 1992-05-07
GB929209898A GB9209898D0 (en) 1992-05-07 1992-05-07 Vehicle lamp assembly
GB9211414 1992-05-29
GB929211414A GB9211414D0 (en) 1992-05-29 1992-05-29 Vehicle lamp assembly

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0569254A1 true EP0569254A1 (fr) 1993-11-10

Family

ID=26300844

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP93303561A Withdrawn EP0569254A1 (fr) 1992-05-07 1993-05-07 Feu pour véhicule

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0569254A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2273150A (en) * 1992-12-04 1994-06-08 Koito Mfg Co Ltd Seal structure for a vehicular lamp

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2831964A (en) * 1954-03-09 1958-04-22 Gen Motors Corp Water drainage from vehicle lamps
FR2349792A1 (fr) * 1976-04-26 1977-11-25 Cibie Projecteurs Feu pour vehicules automobiles
EP0474208A1 (fr) * 1990-09-07 1992-03-11 CARELLO S.p.A. Projecteur de véhicule

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2831964A (en) * 1954-03-09 1958-04-22 Gen Motors Corp Water drainage from vehicle lamps
FR2349792A1 (fr) * 1976-04-26 1977-11-25 Cibie Projecteurs Feu pour vehicules automobiles
EP0474208A1 (fr) * 1990-09-07 1992-03-11 CARELLO S.p.A. Projecteur de véhicule

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2273150A (en) * 1992-12-04 1994-06-08 Koito Mfg Co Ltd Seal structure for a vehicular lamp
GB2273150B (en) * 1992-12-04 1996-08-28 Koito Mfg Co Ltd A sealing structure for the lens of a vehicular lamp
US5560706A (en) * 1992-12-04 1996-10-01 Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Seal structure and process for a vehicular lamp

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