United States Patent (19)
`Miller
`
`USOO5975.734A
`Patent Number:
`11
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`5,975,734
`Nov. 2, 1999
`
`54) ARRANGEMENT FOR MOUNTING A
`VEHICLE LAMP OR HEADLIGHT
`
`4,485,430 11/1984 Achiaga Fustel ....................... 362/267
`4,722,032
`1/1988 Kulka ........................................ 362/80
`
`75 Inventor: Michael Miller, Gifhorn, Germany
`
`73 Assignee: Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg, Germany
`
`21 Appl. No.: 08/951,861
`22 Filed:
`Oct. 16, 1997
`30
`Foreign Application Priority Data
`Oct. 23, 1996 DEI Germany ........................... 196 43 767
`(51) Int. Cl. ................................................. B60Q 1700
`52 U.S. Cl. .......................... 362/549; 362/548; 362/459;
`116/28 R
`58 Field of Search ..................................... 362/523,382,
`362/507, 468, 459, 418, 80, 267, 368, 365,
`61, 272, 82,227, 238,548,549, 427, 396;
`315/129; D26/28; 116/28 R; 296/23
`
`56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`3,638,012 1/1972 Lenz et al. ................................ 240/25
`4,408,265 10/1983 Dick ........................................ 362/238
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`0504626 9/1992 European Pat. Off..
`91159083 3/1992 Germany.
`Primary Examiner Sandra O'Shea
`Assistant Examiner I. Negron
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Baker & Botts, L.L.P.
`57
`ABSTRACT
`A fastening arrangement for mounting a lamp or a headlight
`in an opening of a vehicle wall part in which there is at least
`a partial Overlap between the lamp or headlight and the edge
`of the opening and the lamp or the headlight can be fastened
`to a Second vehicle wall part by at least one fastening device
`pivotally connected to the lamp or headlight So that the lamp
`or headlight can be retained in the opening in the first vehicle
`wall part. This makes it possible to fasten lamps or
`headlights, Such as additional brake lights or Side indicator
`lights, between two vehicle wall parts without any need for
`accessibility between the vehicle wall parts. As a result, it is
`possible for Such lamps to be mounted in vehicle wall parts
`which border cavities in vehicle parts.
`
`13 Claims, 1 Drawing Sheet
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`5
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`50
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`16
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`Mercedes EX1022
`U.S. Patent No. 11,208,029
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`U.S. Patent
`
`
`
`5,975,734
`5,975,734
`
`Nov. 2, 1999
`Nov. 2, 1999
`F.G. 1
`FIG.
`
`1
`
`

`

`1
`ARRANGEMENT FOR MOUNTING A
`VEHICLE LAMP OR HEADLIGHT
`
`BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
`This invention relates to an arrangement for mounting a
`lamp or a headlight in an opening of a vehicle wall with an
`overlap between the lamp or the headlight and the border of
`the opening.
`German Utility Model No. E 91 15908.3 U1 and Euro
`pean Patent Specification No. 0 504 626 disclose the fas
`tening of an indicator light adjacent to a headlight. In those
`references, the indicator light is retained in its installation
`position by a helical Spring which is Subjected to tensile
`loading. Fastening of an indicator light in a vehicle cavity
`which is not accessible from the outside is not possible using
`an arrangement of that type.
`An arrangement for fastening a lamp or a headlight in a
`vehicle cavity which is not accessible from the outside is not
`known in the prior art. Consequently, if a lamp or a headlight
`is to be mounted in an opening in a vehicle wall in a
`conventional manner, then to provide a Sealing Surface or for
`design reasons, the opening must be Smaller than the lamp
`or headlight. Furthermore, for design reasons, if the lamp is
`arranged in a vehicle cavity and it is necessary to provide a
`fastening arrangement projecting from the lamp by which
`the lamp is to be fastened to a Second vehicle wall, it may
`be difficult to introduce the lamp with the fastening arrange
`ment into the opening and then to fasten the lamp in the
`opening. This causes problems, in particular, if it is not
`possible to put the installer's hands into the vehicle cavity.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`Accordingly, it is our object of the present invention to
`provide an arrangement for mounting a lamp or headlight in
`an opening in a vehicle wall which overcomes disadvantages
`of the prior art.
`Another object of the invention is to provide a way by
`which a lamp or a headlight can be retained in an opening
`in a vehicle wall So that it is possible to fasten the lamp or
`the headlight to a Second vehicle wall.
`These and other objects of the invention are attained
`according to one embodiment of the invention by providing
`a fastening arrangement which is pivotally connected to the
`lamp or headlight. In order to introduce the lamp or head
`light into an opening in a vehicle wall, the fastening arrange
`ment is pivoted So as to move against the lamp or headlight
`So that the fastening arrangement can be introduced into the
`opening together with the housing of the lamp or headlight.
`After introduction, the fastening arrangement pivots into a
`position in which it can be fastened to a Second vehicle wall.
`In the fastened position, the lamp or the headlight at least
`partially overlaps, or is at least partially overlapped by, the
`border of the opening. A Sealant is preferably provided
`between the Overlapping Surfaces of the vehicle wall and the
`lamp or headlight to prevent any moisture or dirt from
`passing into the opening.
`The invention also provides a device by which it is
`possible to limit the deflection of the fastening arrangement
`with respect to the lamp or headlight. This device may be a
`Stop which is associated with the lamp or the headlight, with
`the fastening device or with the Second vehicle wall.
`Alternatively, a deflection-limiting retaining device or
`Spring device could also be provided between fastening the
`arrangement and the lamp or headlight.
`The fastening arrangement is preferably fastened in an
`opening in the Second vehicle wall in a conventional manner,
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`using a threaded extension and an associated nut. A further
`embodiment of the invention provides a slot for the opening
`So that the fastening arrangement can pivot into the slot as
`it Swings down and, at the same time, the slot acts as a
`deflection-limiting device.
`In this case, it is be possible to dispense with the
`deflection-limiting Stop or the retaining means or Spring
`CS.
`According to another embodiment, a force which acts
`essentially perpendicularly with respect to the opening in the
`first vehicle wall is introduced into the lamp or headlight by
`the fastening arrangement when it is in the fastening posi
`tion. This provides a good Sealing action of the Sealant
`located between the overlapping Surfaces of the lamp or the
`headlight and the edge of the vehicle wall around the
`opening.
`The fastening arrangement may include a resilient mem
`ber. This allows the lamp or headlight to be fastened between
`pairs of differently Spaced vehicle walls, i.e. in vehicle
`cavities of different depth.
`Light-emitting diodes are advantageously used as light
`Sources. Such light-emitting diodes are very reliable and
`may thus be mounted in locations which are barely acces
`Sible after installation, e.g. in Vehicle-part cavities, without
`being in any way disadvantageous.
`Such lamps or headlights usually have a housing and a
`light cap on the housing. With this structure, the fastening
`arrangement is expediently included on the housing.
`A light-cap Surface which is mounted in a Surface of the
`first vehicle wall advantageously follows the contour of the
`surface of the first vehicle wall. This provides a smooth and
`homogenous continuous Surface.
`Examples of lamps or headlights which are arranged in
`openings in vehicle walls are Supplementary brake lights or
`Side indicator lights. In Such cases, the vehicle parts are
`usually body parts forming the outer wall of the vehicle.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`Further objects and advantages of the invention will be
`apparent from a reading of the following description in
`conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
`FIG. 1 is a croSS-Sectional view showing a representative
`embodiment of a device for fastening a lamp or a headlight
`in an opening of a vehicle body wall in accordance with the
`invention; and
`FIG. 2 is a fragmentary Sectional view showing a vehicle
`body wall with an overlapping light cap and a Sealant
`disposed between them.
`DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENTS
`In the typical embodiment of the invention shown in FIG.
`1, a lamp or headlight 1, which will be referred to just as a
`lamp hereinafter, is positioned in an opening 2 of a first
`vehicle wall part 5a of a vehicle wall 5. A surface 10 of the
`light cap overlaps a Surface 11 of the first vehicle wall part
`5a and a sealant 9 is inserted between the Surface 10 and the
`Surface 11. A joint 6, on which a fastening arrangement 3 is
`pivotably mounted, is affixed to a lamp housing 12. By
`pivoting against the housing 12, the fastening arrangement
`3 can be introduced together with the housing 12 into the
`opening 2. After the housing 12 is inside the opening, the
`fastening arrangement 3 can Swing down toward a Second
`wall 5b until it rests against a stop 4 on the housing. Of
`course, it is also possible for the Stop 4 to be a part of the
`
`

`

`3
`fastening arrangement 3 on the Second vehicle wall part 5b
`of the vehicle wall 5 to which the fastening arrangement is
`fastened. In the position of the fastening arrangement 3
`which is defined by the stop 4, the longitudinal axis of the
`fastening arrangement 3 extends essentially perpendicularly
`with respect to the plane of the opening 2 of the first wall
`part 5a. Consequently, a fastening force is introduced from
`the fastening arrangement into the housing 12 essentially
`perpendicularly with respect to the plane of the opening 2.
`This produces a good Sealing action of the Sealant 9 and a
`good fit of the lamp 1 in the opening 2.
`The overlapping surfaces 10 and 11 act as an abutment for
`the fastening force which prevents the lamp 1 from Slipping
`through the opening 2. It would also be possible for the
`edges which contain the overlapping Surfaces 10 and 11 to
`taper or increase a thickness in the direction toward the edge
`of the opening.
`Furthermore, in the position of the fastening arrangement
`3 against the Stop 4, the projecting end of the fastening
`arrangement can be received in an opening 13 in the Second
`body wall part 5b in which the fastening arrangement can be
`fastened. For this purpose, the fastening arrangement 3 has
`a threaded pin 18 which can be introduced into the opening
`13. The fastening arrangement 3 may then be fastened from
`the opposite side 17 of the second wall part 5b using a nut
`19.
`It is also possible for the opening 13 to be, for example,
`in the form of a slot extending parallel to the pivoting motion
`of the fastening arrangement So that, when the fastening
`arrangement 3 pivots down, it can be introduced into the Slot
`by the threaded pin 18. In this case, deflection of the
`fastening arrangement 3 is limited by engagement of the
`threaded pin 18 with the end of the slot. The stop 4 may thus
`be dispensed with.
`With this arrangement, it is not necessary for a hand to be
`inserted between the vehicle wall parts 5a and 5b for
`installation of the lamp.
`A resilient member Such as a compression Spring 14 is
`preferably provided in the fastening arrangement 3 So that
`production-related inaccuracies may be compensated and
`the lamp can be installed between vehicle walls parts 5a and
`5b which have different spacings.
`Preferably, light-emitting diodes 7 are provided inside the
`housing 12 of the lamp 1. Such light-emitting diodes 7 are
`very reliable, with the result that, in contrast to conventional
`lamps, the lamp only needs to be changed very infrequently.
`As shown in FIG. 1, the surface 15 of the light cap 8
`follows the contour of the Surface 16 of the vehicle wall 5a,
`i.e. the Surface 15 merges continuously into the Surface 16.
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`Although the invention has been described herein with
`reference to specific embodiments, many modifications and
`variations therein will readily occur to those skilled in the
`art. Accordingly, all Such variations and modifications are
`included within the intended scope of the invention.
`I claim:
`1. A fastening arrangement for fastening a vehicle lamp in
`an opening of a first vehicle wall part in which there is at
`least a partial overlap between the lamp and an edge of the
`wall part comprising, at least one fastening means pivotally
`connected to the lamp and having a portion be fastened to a
`second vehicle wall part spaced from the first vehicle wall
`part and applying a clamping force thereto So as to retain the
`lamp in an opening in the first vehicle wall part.
`2. A fastening arrangement according to claim 1 including
`a Sealant disposed between overlapping Surfaces of the first
`vehicle wall part and the lamp.
`3. A fastening arrangement according to claim 1 including
`limiting means for limiting deflection of the fastening means
`with respect to the lamp.
`4. A fastening arrangement according to claim 3 wherein
`the limiting means is a Stop on one of the group consisting
`of the lamp, the fastening means and the Second vehicle wall
`part.
`5. A fastening arrangement according to claim 1 wherein
`the fastening means includes means for applying a force on
`the lamp which acts essentially perpendicularly with respect
`to the opening.
`6. A fastening arrangement according to claim 1 wherein
`the fastening means can be fastened at a predetermined
`location in the Second vehicle wall part.
`7. A fastening arrangement according to claim 6 wherein
`the Second vehicle wall part includes a slot providing the
`predetermine location.
`8. A fastening arrangement according to claim 1 wherein
`the lamp comprises a plurality of light Sources.
`9. A fastening arrangement according to claim 8 wherein
`the light Sources are light-emitting diodes.
`10. A fastening arrangement according to claim 1 wherein
`the lamp includes a housing and a light cap and the fastening
`means is pivotally connected to the housing.
`11. A fastening arrangement according to claim 10
`wherein the light cap has a Surface which follows the
`contour of a Surface of the vehicle wall part.
`12. A fastening arrangement according to claim 1 wherein
`the lamp is one of the group consisting of a Supplemental
`brake light and a side indicator light.
`13. A fastening arrangement according to claim 1 wherein
`the first and Second vehicle wall parts form a cavity in a
`vehicle wall.
`
`