Lampholder device for a vehicle headlight with a tilt reflector

Abstract

 A lampholder device (1) for a vehicle headlight with a tilt reflector (3) associated with a lamp (4) having power contacts defined by at least one blade connector (6) and a conducting collar (7), the device having: an electrically non-conducting body (12); at least one first contact (14) housed in a seat in the body to receive the blade connector (6), and in the form of a gripper; and at least one second contact (17) carried by the body and having a flange (20) located outside the seat and designed to fit onto the rear of the collar of the lamp (4) and angularly integral with the lamp, and at least one elastically deformable arm (21) housed in and projecting from the seat, formed integrally with the flange (20), and designed to allow the flange to move, with respect to the body, between a first limit position coaxial with a first limit position of the reflector (3), rotated of a predetermined angle with respect to an axis (A) of the headlight parallel to the travelling direction (M) of the vehicle, and a second limit position coaxial with a second limit position of the reflector (3), rotated by an angle, opposite to the angle of said first limit position, with respect to the axis of the headlight, and via an intermediate position aligned with the axis (A) of the headlight.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a lampholder device for a vehicle headlight with a tilt reflector associated with a lamp having rear power contacts comprising at least one blade connector and a conducting collar.

[0002] A lampholder device of the above type is known from Italian Industrial Invention Patent n. 1.290.995, in which the lamp is fitted movably to the lampholder by first and second sliding-contact means to move integrally, and so remain aligned at all times, with the reflector, to ensure optimum optical efficiency, even when the reflector is moved with respect to the assembly position, normally for the purpose of correcting the direction of the headlight beam to bring it within the regulation range. This correction is first made after the headlight is fitted to the vehicle, and subsequently by the user to compensate for different vehicle load conditions.

[0003] Despite being fairly bulky axially, on account of the shape of the contact means, the device described is satisfactory as a whole. However, whereas the position of the beam was formerly corrected infrequently, the current practice is to fit vehicles with fully automatic headlight position correctors, designed to operate substantially continuously to compensate for variations in position caused not only by different vehicle load conditions, but also by driving conditions, such as acceleration, braking, road gradient, etc.

[0004] In such high-stress conditions, devices of the type described, based exclusively on sliding electric contacts, may reasonably be expected to be unreliable.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to provide a lampholder device, for a vehicle headlight with a tilt reflector, designed to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks, and which, at the same time, is cheap to produce and assemble, compact, and highly reliable.

[0006] According to the present invention, there is provided a lampholder device for a vehicle headlight with a tilt reflector associated with a lamp having rear power contacts comprising at least one blade connector and a conducting collar, as defined in Claim 1.

[0007] More specifically, the lampholder device according to the invention comprises an electrically non-conducting body; a first contact housed in a seat in the body to receive the blade connector in sliding manner, and in the form of a flexible gripper to permit movement of the lamp with respect to the body; and a second contact carried by the body; the second contact comprising a flange located outside the seat, and in turn having mechanical and electrical connecting means for connection onto the rear of the collar of the lamp; the second contact comprising at least one elastically deformable arm housed in and projecting from the seat, and formed integrally with the flange; said mechanical and electrical connecting means comprising means for making the flange angularly integral with said lamp; and said elastically deformable arm being designed to allow said flange to move, with respect to said body, between a first angular limit position of said flange, in which the flange is coaxial with a first limit position of the reflector, rotated a predetermined angle with respect to an axis of the headlight parallel to the travelling direction of the vehicle, and a second angular limit position of the flange, in which the flange is coaxial with a second limit position of the reflector, rotated by an angle, opposite to the angle formed in said first limit position, with respect to the axis of the headlight.

[0008] In this way, the sliding contact between the collar of the lamp and the second contact of the lampholder - which, with frequent use, could result in premature wear of the electric contacts, in turn resulting in loss of electric contact, and in operating failure of the lamp and headlight - is replaced by a system of much greater long-term reliability. Moreover, the device is easier to assemble and cheaper to produce, and the second contact of the lampholder device according to the invention is more compact axially.

[0009] A non-limiting embodiment of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows, in elevation, a longitudinal section of a lampholder device in accordance with the invention, in one operating position and fitted to a known vehicle headlight shown schematically and only partly by a dash line for the sake of simplicity;

Figure 2 shows a front view of a detail of the Figure 1 device;

Figures 3 and 4 show the Figure 1 device in two different operating positions;

Figure 5 shows a three-quarter, front, left-side view in perspective of the Figure 2 detail.

[0010] With reference to Figures 1 to 5, number 1 indicates as a whole a lampholder device for a headlight 2 (only the main components shown schematically by dash lines) of a vehicle (not shown), of the type having a tilt reflector 3 associated with a lamp 4 comprising rear power contacts defined by at least one blade connector 6 and a conducting collar 7. Lampholder device 1 is fixable to the rear of a casing 8 of headlight 2, closed at the front by a smooth or prismatic (i.e. bearing prisms) lens 9.

[0011] Here and hereinafter, the terms "front" and "rear" refer to the vehicle travelling direction M indicated by the arrow in Figure 1. Headlight 2 has an axis A parallel to travelling direction M, and reflector 3 has an optical axis T, along which lamp 4 is mounted and axially symmetrical.

[0012] Lamp 4 has an intermediate portion 10 - flat and prismatic in the non-limiting example shown - and is connected angularly integral with reflector 3 in known manner, e.g. by cylindrical locators and pins 7a projecting axially from the side of collar 7 facing reflector 3 in use. Reflector 3 has a through opening 3a for loose passage of intermediate portion 10 of lamp 4, the collar 7 of which rests axially, in use, on the rear of reflector 3.

[0013] Lampholder device 1 comprises a cup-shaped, electrically non-conducting body 12 with its mouth facing reflector 3 in use; and a first electric contact 14 for lamp 4 is housed inside a seat 15 in body 12 to receive in sliding manner blade connector 6, which is insertable inside seat 15 through the mouth of the body, and is in the form of a flexible gripper to permit movement of lamp 4 with respect to body 12.

[0014] More specifically, contact 14 is defined by two facing, mutually contacting, flexible tabs 16 (Figure 3), only one of which is shown, and between which blade connector 6 is force-fitted, and is free to rotate and slide with respect to the tabs, while remaining mechanically and electrically in contact with tabs 16. Contact 14 is of the same type referred to as "first conducting and elastic means" in Italian Patent n. 1.290.995 - the content of which is included herein as required purely by way of reference - and is therefore not described or illustrated further.

[0015] A second contact 17 is carried by body 12, partly outside seat 15. According to a main aspect of the invention, second contact 17 comprises a flange 20 (Figures 1, 2, 5) defined by a substantially circular, symmetrical disk having means - indicated as a whole by 200 (Figure 5) - for mechanical and electrical connection of flange 20 onto the rear of collar 7 of lamp 4. Flange 20 is located outside seat 15 (Figures 1, 3, 4) and is formed in one piece with at least one elastically deformable arm 21 housed in and projecting from seat 15, and forming an integral part of contact 17, together with flange 20.

[0016] The disk defining flange 20 is lens-shaped, being bounded by two curved, respectively front and rear, face surfaces, and is of such a thickness as to fit, in use, inside the thickness of collar 7 (Figure 1), which is cup-shaped with its concavity facing rearwards.

[0017] Flange 20 also has means 30 for making it angularly integral with lamp 4, as will be seen, and which, in the example shown, are defined by a substantially rectangular through opening 30.

[0018] Means 200, for mechanically and electrically connecting flange 20 onto collar 7, comprise, for example, a peripheral bevel 31 extending obliquely with respect to opening 30 and positioned, in use, adjacent to a corresponding known peripheral locating bevel (not shown) of collar 7; and an elastically deformable, U-shaped tab 32 formed in one piece with flange 20, on bevel 31, projecting frontwards and axially with respect to the flange, and the side of which, in use, cooperates in sliding manner with collar 7 of lamp 4 to ensure correct assembly of the lamp.

[0019] Again according to the main aspect of the invention, elastically deformable arm 21 is designed to allow flange 20 to move, with respect to body 12, between a first angular limit position of flange 20 (Figure 1) and a second angular limit position of flange 20 (Figure 4) via an intermediate position (Figure 3).

[0020] In the first angular limit position in Figure 1, flange 20 is coaxial with a first limit position of reflector 3, shown in Figure 1 by the position of optical axis T of reflector 3, rotated by a predetermined angle α1 with respect to axis A of headlight 2.

[0021] In the second angular limit position in Figure 4, flange 20 is coaxial with a second limit position of reflector 3, shown in Figure 4 by the position of optical axis T of reflector 3, rotated by an angle α2, opposite angle α1, with respect to axis A of headlight 2. Angles α1 and α2 are not necessarily the same.

[0022] In the intermediate angular position of flange 20 in Figure 3, flange 20 is coaxial with reflector 3 (of which only axis T is shown) and with axis A of headlight 2. The Figure 1, 3 and 4 positions are assumed, as will be seen, in response to a controlled movement of reflector 3.

[0023] Opening 30 is formed centrally with respect to the circular disk defining flange 20, and, in use, is fitted through with intermediate portion 10 of lamp 4 with substantially no clearance. Opening 30 is parallel to the tilt plane of reflector 3, which coincides with the plane of Figures 1, 3 and 4, and which, in use, coincides generally with a substantially vertical plane parallel to travelling direction M.

[0024] In the example shown, contact 17 comprises not one but two elastically deformable arms 21 (Figures 2 and 5) formed integrally in one piece with the outer periphery of flange 20, and on the opposite side to oblique bevel 31. Each arm 21 comprises an elastic portion 41 shaped axially substantially in the form of a V, housed partly inside seat 15 in body 12, and separated electrically from contact 14 by respective non-conducting walls 44 of seat 15; and an assembly portion 45 shaped axially substantially in the form of an L, and resting axially against a rear wall of seat 15 opposite the mouth of cup-shaped body 12.

[0025] As described in Italian Patent n. 1.290.995, contacts 14 and 17 are connected electrically, inside seat 15, to respective contact members 50a, 50b of an electric connector 51 formed in one piece with the side of body 12.

[0026] In actual use, lampholder device 1 receives part of lamp 4 through the mouth of body 12, with blade contact 6 gripped inside gripper contact 14, and with collar 7 resting on flange 20. At this stage, intermediate portion 10 of lamp 4 is fitted through opening 30 in flange 20, so that flange 20 is angularly integral with lamp 4 in the tilt plane of reflector 3.

[0027] Lampholder device 1 is then fitted in known manner, e.g. by means of a bayonet connection, to the rear of headlight 2 in fluidtight manner (by means of a seal 70), by inserting it inside a seat in casing 8, and inserting lamp 4 through opening 3a in reflector 3, so that collar 7 of lamp 4 is fitted angularly integral with reflector 3, e.g. by means of pins 7a and other known means and locators, not shown for the sake of simplicity, and reflector 3 is made angularly integral with flange 20 of contact 17 by means of portion 10 of lamp 4.

[0028] Headlight 2 is equipped with a known mechanism, not shown for the sake of simplicity, for adjusting the position of reflector 3, and for tilting reflector 3, inside casing 8, between the limit positions shown in Figures 1 and 4, via an aligned position shown in Figure 3. On engaging reflector 3, lamp 4 is therefore aligned with it, and (if reflector 3 is in any other than the Figure 3 position) stresses arms 21, which flex slightly to allow lamp 4, if necessary, to rotate with respect to body 12 - which remains aligned with axis A at all times - to line up with axis T of reflector 3.

[0029] Similarly, after assembly, whenever reflector 3 is rotated, it rotates lamp 4, which in turn rotates flange 20 and so flexes arms 21 to allow lamp 4 to follow reflector 3, while still being supported by body 12, which remains in a fixed position aligned with axis A. The lens shape of flange 20 ensures arms 21 flex properly, and, above all, ensures optimum electrical contact between flange 20 and collar 7 is maintained regardless of the angular position of reflector 3.

[0030] The invention described in the non-limiting embodiment shown, employing the vehicle headlight lamp illustrated, obviously also applies to other types of headlight lamps with one or two filaments, one or two connectors, and with a flange, lamp bulb and other lamp components of different shapes and sizes.

Claims

1. A lampholder device (1) for a vehicle headlight with a tilt reflector (3) associated with a lamp (4) comprising rear power contacts defined by at least one blade connector (6) and a conducting collar (7), the device comprising an electrically non-conducting body (12); at least one first contact (14) housed in a seat in the body to receive said at least one blade connector (6), and in the form of a flexible gripper to permit movement of the lamp (4) with respect to the body (12); and at least one second contact (17) carried by the body; characterized in that said at least one second contact (17) comprises a flange (20) located outside the seat and having mechanical and electrical connecting means (200) for connection onto the rear of the collar (7) of the lamp, and said at least one second contact comprises at least one elastically deformable arm (21) housed in and projecting from the seat, and formed integrally with the flange (20); said mechanical and electrical connecting means (200) comprising means (30) for making the flange angularly integral with said lamp; and said at least one elastically deformable arm (21) being designed to allow said flange (20) to move, with respect to said body (12), between a first angular limit position of said flange, in which the flange is coaxial with a first limit position of the reflector (3), rotated a predetermined angle with respect to an axis (A) of the headlight parallel to the travelling direction (M) of the vehicle, and a second angular limit position of the flange (20), in which the flange is coaxial with a second limit position of the reflector (3), rotated by an angle, opposite the aforementioned angle, with respect to the axis (A) of the headlight.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that said at least one elastically deformable arm (21) is designed to allow said flange (20) to assume an intermediate position between said first and said second angular limit position, and in which the flange (20) is coaxial with said reflector (3) and with the axis (A) of the headlight.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 1 or 2,
characterized in that said at least one first contact (14) in the form of a flexible gripper is defined by two facing, mutually contacting, elastic tabs (16), between which said at least one blade connector (6) is force-fitted, and is free to rotate and slide with respect to the tabs, while remaining mechanically and electrically in contact with the tabs (16).

4. A device as claimed in one of the foregoing Claims, characterized in that said flange (20), at the front, is in the form of a circular disk having a central opening (30), through which the lamp (4) is housed to connect the lamp angularly integral with said flange (20); said opening (30) being parallel to a tilt plane of the reflector, and said flange (20) having a peripheral bevel (31) extending obliquely with respect to said opening and positioned, in use, adjacent to a corresponding peripheral locating bevel of said collar (7); said bevel (31) of the flange having an axially-projecting, U-shaped, flexible tab (32) formed in one piece with said flange and cooperating, in use, in sliding manner with the collar (7) of the lamp.

5. A device as claimed in Claim 4, characterized in that said disk defining said flange (20) is lens-shaped, being defined by two curved, respectively front and rear, face surfaces.

6. A device as claimed in Claim 4 or 5,
characterized in that said at least one second contact (17) comprises two elastically deformable arms (21) formed integrally in one piece with the outer periphery of the flange (20), and on the opposite side of said opening (30) to said bevel (31) of the flange; each elastically deformable arm (21) comprising an elastic portion (41) shaped axially substantially in the form of a V, housed partly inside said seat in the body, and separated from the at least one first contact by respective walls (44) of the seat, and an assembly portion (45) shaped axially substantially in the form of an L, and resting axially against a rear wall of the seat.

7. A device as claimed in any one of the foregoing Claims, characterized in that said at least one first (14) and said at least one second (17) contact are connected electrically, inside said seat, to respective contact members (50a, 50b) of at least one electric connector (51) formed in one piece with the side of said body (12).

Drawing