CA2015918C - Support member for a headlamp assembly - Google Patents

Support member for a headlamp assembly

Info

Publication number
CA2015918C
CA2015918C CA002015918A CA2015918A CA2015918C CA 2015918 C CA2015918 C CA 2015918C CA 002015918 A CA002015918 A CA 002015918A CA 2015918 A CA2015918 A CA 2015918A CA 2015918 C CA2015918 C CA 2015918C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
support member
headlamp
mounting bracket
ball pivot
aim axis
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 - Fee Related
Application number
CA002015918A
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
CA2015918A1 (en
Inventor
Michael E. O'shaughnessey
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.)
Guide Corp
Original Assignee
Motors Liquidation 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 Motors Liquidation Co filed Critical Motors Liquidation Co
Publication of CA2015918A1 publication Critical patent/CA2015918A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2015918C publication Critical patent/CA2015918C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60QARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60Q1/00Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor
    • B60Q1/02Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments
    • B60Q1/04Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights
    • B60Q1/06Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights adjustable, e.g. remotely-controlled from inside vehicle
    • B60Q1/068Arrangement of optical signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor the devices being primarily intended to illuminate the way ahead or to illuminate other areas of way or environments the devices being headlights adjustable, e.g. remotely-controlled from inside vehicle by mechanical means
    • B60Q1/0683Adjustable by rotation of a screw

Abstract

SUPPORT MEMBER FOR A HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY
Abstract of the Disclosure:
A headlamp assembly which includes a separate support member located between a headlamp and a mounting bracket secured to the vehicle and which has the lower portion thereof formed so that the lower portion of the headlamp can be connected thereto through a tongue and groove arrangement while the upper portion of the headlamp is connectable to the upper portion of the support member through a pair of removable fastener members.

Description

21~ 59~ ~3 SUPPORT MEMBER POR A HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY
This invention concerns vehicle headlamps and more particu-larly a support member interposed between a headlamp and a mounting bracket fixed to the front of a vehicle for supporting the headlamp while the latter is adjusted about mutually perpendicular aim axes.
More specifically, the support member according to the present invention is generally L-shaped in configuration and has three sockets formed therein for receiving a pair of longitudinally ad~ustable bulb pivots and a fixed bulb pivot, all of which are carried by the mounting bracket secured to the vehicle. In addition, the lower portion of the support member is formed with a pocket member that allows a pro~ection integral with the lower portion o~ the headlamp to be received by the pocket member and afterwards tilted into an upright position and secured to the upper panel of the support member by a pair of shafts accessible from above the headlamp. Thus, if the headlamp subsequently needs to be removed from the vehicle or if the lamp bulbs carried by the headlamp need replacement, it is a simple matter to pull the two shafts to release the headlamp from the support member.
The obJects of the present invention are to provide a new and improved support member for a headlamp that facilitates replacement of the headlamp and/or the lamp bulbs mounted in the headlamp; to provide a new and improved support member that is carried by the adjustable .. : .

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2~S9~3 and fixed pivot balls which form a part of the mounting bracket secured to the front vehicle and that supports the headlamp for movement about a horizontal aim axis and a vertical aim axis and allows the headlamp to be readily released from the support member by ' 5 removing a pair of shafts accessible from above the headlamp; to provide a new and improved headlamp support member interposed between a headlamp and a mounting bracket secured to the front of the vehicle .:~ and serving to removably support the headlamp through a pair of threaded shafts; and to provide a new and improved headlamp assembly which includes a separate support member located between a headlamp . and the mounting bracket secured to the vehicle and which has the ., lower portion thereof formed so that the lower portion of the headlamp ~, can be connected thereto through a tongue and groove arrangement while :~ the upper portion of the headlamp is connectable to the upper portion ~- 15 of the support member through a pair of removable fastener members.
A patent that discloses a support member for a headlamp that has certain similarities to the present invention can be seen in U.S.
1 Patent 4,774,639 which issued on September 27, 1988.
.. Other ob~ects and advantages of the present invention will be , ' 20 more apparent from the following detailed description when taken with the drawings in which Pigure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the variouQ
parts of a headlamp assembly including the support member according to the present invention for the headlamp;

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201~918 :

Figure 2 is a front elevational view showing the various parts of the headlamp assembly of Figure 1 interconnected for allowing ` ad~ustable movement of the headlamp about a vertical aim axi~ and a `''.'! horizontal aim axis;
Figure 3 is an elevational sectional view of the headlamp ~` assembly taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2; and Figure 4 i8 a similar view of the headlamp assembly taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly Figure 1 ` 10 and 2 thereof a headla-p assembly 10 is shown of the replaceable light bulb composite type. The headlamp assembly 10 includes a mounting , bracket 12 whlch connect~ through a support member 14 to a headlamp body 16 for a selective ad~ustable movement of the lamp body 16 in a horizontal plane containing a horizontal alm axis A and a vertlcal plane containing a vertical aim axis ~. The lamp body 16 include3 a plastic reflector member 18 enclosed by a glass or the like lenJ 19 and formed wlth a pair of side by side parabolic cavities 20 and 21 the concave surfaces of each of which is aluminized so as to pro~ect a light beam forwardly of the vehicle.
The mounting bracket 12 is made of a plastic material and is adapted to be secured to the sheet metal of the motor vehicle (not shown) at the front end thereof and has a main body portion that is generally T-shaped a~ best seen in Figure 1. The mounting bracket 12 : A

-; , . .. ~ ;, .

is similar to that seen in US Patent 4916586 lssued Aprll 10, 1990. The mounting bracket 12 lnclutes a palr of laterally spaced at~ustment mechanisms 22 and 24 for positioning the lamp body 16 about the aforementioned ai~ axes A ant B. The ad~ustment mechanism 22 18 located wlthin the vertical leg portion of the mounting bracket 12 while the ad~ustment mechanism 24 i8 locatet at the tenminal end of the horlzontal leg portion of the mounting bracket 12.
As best seen in Figure 3, the ad~ustment mechanism 22 is located within a houslng 26 which pro~ects forwardly outwardly from 3 and is integral with the lower end of the vertical leg portion of the mounting bracket 12. The housing 26 contains the usual bevel gears as seen in Pigure 5 of the U.S. patent 4,742,435 issued May 3, 1988 so a~
to convert manual rotatable movement of a shaft 28 into longitudinal movement of a threaded shaft 30 the front end of which is integrally formed with a ball pivot member 32. The upper end of the vertical leg portion carries a ball pivot member 34 which is integral with L-shaped shaft 36 fixedly molded in the associated leg portion. Thu~, the centers of the ball plvot member 32 and 34 define the vertlcal alm 20 axls B about whlch th- lamp body 16 is ad~ustable by the ad~ustment mechanlsm 24. In this regard, it will be noted that ad~ustment mechanism 24 also has a vertical shaft 38 the lower end of which connects through a bevel gear arrangement located within a housing 40 which forms an integral part of the terminal end of the horizontal ~ 'r:

2~9~

~ - 5 _ -- portion of the mounting bracket 12. The bevel gear arrangement transmits drive to a longitudinally movable threaded shaft 42 which is integral with a ball pivot member 44. Also, the centers of the ball pivot members 34 and 44 define the horizontal aim axis A about which the lamp body 16 is adjustable by the ad~ustment mechanism 22.
Rather than having the ball pivot members 32, 34, 44 connected directly to the lamp body 16 in the manner of the above referred to patent application, in this instance, and in accordance with the invention, the support member 14 is interposed between the mounting bracket 12 and the lamp body 16. As in the case of the mounting bracket 12, the support member 14 has a main body portion that is generally T-shaped and is molded from a plastic material as seen in Figures 1 and 2. As seen in Figure 3, the vertical leg portion 46 of the support member 14 is formed with a pair of socket~
48 and 50 which receive the ball pivot members 32 and 34, respectlvely, in a snap action fashion. Similarly, the horizontal leg : portion 52 of the support member 14 has a socket 54 molded therein which receives the ball pivot member 44 in a snap action fashion. The .-. support member 14 also has a pair of laterally spaced arms 56 and 58 ~` 20 integrally formed wlth the horizontal leg portion 52 . Each arm 56 .. and 58 has a locator pin 60 formed thereon ad~acent to a threaded bore 62. The lower end of the vertical leg portion 46 also has a laterally :.
:~ outwardly extending arm 64 formed therewith that is formed with a slot or groove 66.
.~

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~ 2~59~3 The support member 14 described above is intended to be permanently connected to the ball pivot members 32, 34, and 44 while ~ removably supporting the lamp body 16. To this end, it will be noted ~ that the rear portion of the reflector member 18 is integrally formed at the upper portion thereof with a pair of rearwardly extending . connector members 68 and 70 with connector member 70 located outboard . of the cavity 21 while connector member 68 is located between the two cavities 20 and 21 of the reflector member 18. The connector members 68 and 70 are spaced from each other a distance which equals the ~` 10 spacing between the arms 56 and 58 formed on the support member 14.
- Also, as seen in Figures 1 and 4, below the connector member 68 a hook-shaped tang member 72 is integrally formed with the rear of the reflector member 18. Each of the connector members 68 and 70 is formed with a pair of through-bores 74 and 76. Through-bore 76, in each case, serves as a locator bore for purposes which will be explained hereinafter.
From the above description, it should be apparent that in assembling the lamp body 16 to the support member 14 the tang member . 72 i9 initially inserted into the groove 66 of the vertical leg portion 46 and the connector members 68 and 70 are positioned onto the arms 56 and 58 respectively of the support member 14 with the bores 76 each mating with the locator pins 60. Afterwards, a pair of identical lock pins 78 and 80 each having lower threaded portions 82 are inserted through the bores 74 into threaded engagement with the ~ ~ . .. . .

2~S9~ ~3 :
threaded bores 62 in the support member 14. In this manner the lamp - body 16 is fixedly secured to the support member 14 as seen in Figures 2, 3 and 4. If for some reason it is necessary to remove the lamp body 16 from the support member 14, the lock pins 78 and 80 which are ; 5 accessible from above the head lamps 16 are initially unthreaded from the support member 14 and the top of the lamp body 16 is tilted downwardly so as to free the tang member 72 from the slot 66 in the vertical leg portion 46.
Various changes and modifications can be made in this construction without departing from the spirit of the invention. Such changes and modifications are contemplated by the inventor and he does not wish to be limited except by the scope of the appended claims.

.,, .-. - 7 -`:

Claims (4)

1. A support member for interconnecting a headlamp to a mounting bracket for selective adjustable movement of said headlamp about a vertical aim axis and a horizontal aim axis, said mounting bracket being fixed to said motor vehicle and having a first longitudinally adjustable ball pivot and a fixed ball pivot the centers of both of which are located along said vertical aim axis, a second longitudinally adjustable ball pivot on said mounting bracket and having its center located along said horizontal aim axis, said support member being a unitary member having socket means for receiving said fixed ball pivot and said first and second ball pivots, and means for removably connecting said head lamp to said support member, said means including a pair of shaft members accessible from above the headlamp.
2. A support member for interconnecting a headlamp to a mounting bracket for selective adjustable movement of said headlamp about a vertical aim axis and a horizontal aim axis, said mounting bracket being fixed to said motor vehicle and having a first longitudinally adjustable ball pivot and a fixed ball pivot the centers of both of which are located along said vertical aim axis, a second longitudinally adjustable ball pivot on said mounting bracket and having its center located along said horizontal aim axis, said support member being a unitary member having socket means for receiving said fixed ball pivot and said first and second ball pivots, and means for removably connecting said head lamp to said support member, said means including a pair of screw members accessible from above the headlamp and a tongue and groove arrangement for connecting the lower portion of said headlamp to said support member.
3. A support member for interconnecting a headlamp to a mounting bracket for selective adjustable movement of said headlamp about a vertical aim axis and a horizontal aim axis, said mounting bracket being fixed to said motor vehicle and having a first longitudinally adjustable ball pivot and a fixed ball pivot the centers of both of which are located along said vertical aim axis, a second longitudinally adjustable ball pivot on said mounting bracket and having its center located along said horizontal aim axis, said support member being a unitary plastic member having socket means for receiving said fixed ball pivot and said first and second ball pivots in a snap action fashion, and means for removably connecting said head lamp to said support member, said means including a pair of shaft members accessible from above the headlamp for connecting upper portions of said headlamp to said support member, and a tongue and groove connection for joining the lower portion of said headlamp to said support member.
4. The support member according to claim 3 wherein said means for removably connecting said headlamp to said support member includes locator pin means and locator bores.
CA002015918A 1989-07-28 1990-05-02 Support member for a headlamp assembly Expired - Fee Related CA2015918C (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US07/386,166 1989-07-28
US07/386,166 US4947306A (en) 1989-07-28 1989-07-28 Support member for a headlamp assembly

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2015918A1 CA2015918A1 (en) 1991-01-28
CA2015918C true CA2015918C (en) 1994-03-29

Family

ID=23524452

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002015918A Expired - Fee Related CA2015918C (en) 1989-07-28 1990-05-02 Support member for a headlamp assembly

Country Status (2)

Country Link
US (1) US4947306A (en)
CA (1) CA2015918C (en)

Families Citing this family (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5270907A (en) * 1991-10-03 1993-12-14 Textron Inc. Integral plastic socket assembly with insert-molded metal supports for headlamp mounting arrangement
US5428511A (en) * 1994-09-29 1995-06-27 General Motors Corporation Quick release vehicle headlamp arrangement
US5497301A (en) * 1995-02-13 1996-03-05 General Motors Corporation Headlamp adjustment mechanism
US6692176B1 (en) 2002-04-02 2004-02-17 Asyst Technologies Llc Ball socket with locking feature
US6695396B1 (en) * 2002-11-01 2004-02-24 General Motors Corporation Adjustable fastener assembly
FR2858290B1 (en) * 2003-07-30 2005-10-28 Faurecia Ind MOTOR VEHICLE FRONT BLOCK ASSEMBLY INCLUDING MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF THE OPTICAL BLOCKS, ADJUSTMENT TOOL PROVIDED FOR THE SAME, AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING SUCH A FRONT BLOCK
US9610661B2 (en) 2010-05-24 2017-04-04 Burton Technologies, Llc Fastener for a vehicle lamp assembly
US10315558B2 (en) 2010-05-24 2019-06-11 Burton Technologies, Llc Locking position stud fastener for a vehicle lamp assembly
EP2577073B1 (en) 2010-05-24 2020-07-29 Burton Technologies, LLC Fastener for a vehicle lamp assembly
FR2998943B1 (en) * 2012-11-30 2018-07-13 Valeo Illuminacion LIGHTING AND / OR SIGNALING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLE
DE102013100915A1 (en) * 2013-01-30 2014-07-31 Hbpo Gmbh Fastening device and alignment method for attachments of vehicles
US9150145B2 (en) * 2014-02-07 2015-10-06 Volkswagen Ag Vehicle headlight assembly with self-adjusting fasteners
US11639039B1 (en) 2016-02-04 2023-05-02 Maurice Paperi Matching pieces and kits for repairing broken structures and related methods
US11148578B2 (en) * 2018-03-25 2021-10-19 Maurice Paperi Universal mounting tabs and kits for automotive components

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3525618A1 (en) * 1985-07-18 1987-01-22 Bosch Gmbh Robert HEADLIGHTS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES
US4884174A (en) * 1988-05-06 1989-11-28 Valeo Vision Attachment and hinging component, especially for a device to adjust an optical element, particularly for a motor vehicle headlight

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US4947306A (en) 1990-08-07
CA2015918A1 (en) 1991-01-28

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