Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Housing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-22
2002-05-21
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Housing
C362S450000, C362S549000, C293S120000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06390658
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp device supporting structure for supporting a vehicle lamp device, such as a headlamp unit, on the front end of a vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Heretofore, in vehicles equipped with a bumper and a headlamp as a vehicle lamp device, in order to absorb the impact on the occasion when a vehicle collides with obstacle, some vehicle lamp device supporting structure is adapted to allow the headlamp to be displaced rearward along with deforming the bumper.
Specifically, in one example shown in
FIG. 15
, the structure includes an inclinable stay
92
pivotally mounted through a pin
91
a
on a member
91
fixed to a vehicle body, and a stepped bolt
95
screwed to a bracket
94
which is formed integrally with a headlamp
93
. The stepped bolt
95
is engaged with a slit
92
a
of the inclinable stay
92
, and an engagement-projecting portion
96
formed on the bracket
94
is engaged with the slit
92
a
. The inclinable stay
92
is also provided with a claw
92
b
contacted to the member
91
fixed to the vehicle body. When the headlamp
93
is displaced rearward by an external force in vehicle collision, an input load exceeding a predetermined value releases the engagement between the engagement projecting portion
96
and the slit
92
a
. This makes the claw
92
b
bend to allow the inclinable stay
92
rotate. Consequently, the impact acting to the headlamp
93
is absorbed. Further, the stepped bolt
95
is disengaged from the slit
92
a
, and the headlamp
93
is moved downward and rearward as shown by the hypothetical line in
FIG. 15
according to the movement of the inclinable stay
92
so as to reduce the impact to obstacle
97
(see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 09-30321).
This prior art structure is advantageous to reducing the impact to the obstacle
97
by the displacement of the headlamp
93
. On the other hand, the structure involves a problem of its increased number of parts, increased man-hour for assembling, and high cost, caused by the resulting complicate structure having movable parts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lamp device supporting structure capable of reducing the impact to obstacle in vehicle collision with the obstacle, with a simple and inexpensive structure, by providing a fragile portion breakable in collision in a mount bracket mounted to a housing of the lamp device and an opening formed in a shroud panel to allow the lamp device to be displaced rearward in collision.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lamp device supporting structure capable of facilitating to simplifying its structure by providing a thin walled portion in the mount bracket as the aforementioned fragile portion.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lamp device supporting structure capable of reliably displacing the lamp device rearward by providing a projecting portion, which projects into the opening, in the aforementioned shroud panel to support the mount bracket of the lamp device so as to contribute to break up the mount bracket of the lamp device by bending the projecting portion through the input load in colliding.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lamp device supporting structure capable of reducing the impact to obstacle by displacing the lamp device rearward in vehicle collision with the obstacle, particularly of rotatably displacing the lamp device rearward around a vertical support shaft as a fulcrum by the input load from a laterally offset position of the lamp device, with a simple and inexpensive structure, by providing a bracket for mounting the right and left sides of the lamp device to the shroud panel through the support shaft, a fragile portion breakable in collision in the bracket, and an opening in the shroud panel to allow the lamp device to be displaced rearward.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lamp device supporting structure capable of reducing the impact to obstacle by displacing the lamp device rearward in vehicle collision with the obstacle, with a simple and inexpensive structure, by providing a fragile portion breakable in collision on a mount portion of the shroud panel to which the lamp device is mounted, and forming an opening on the shroud panel to allow the rearward displacement of the lamp device.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lamp device supporting structure capable of applying to a resin shroud having an excellent in productivity because the overall shroud may be made by integrally molding with synthetic resin, and facilitating to simplify its structure by forming the shroud panel and the fragile portion with a resin shroud and a thin walled portion respectively.
In order to achieve the objects described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, comprising a mount bracket mounting the lamp device to a vehicle body side, the mount bracket projectedly provided on a housing of the lamp device, wherein the mount bracket including a fragile portion breakable in vehicle collision, and a shroud panel supporting said lamp device, wherein said shroud panel including an opening allowing said lamp device to be displaced rearward when said mount bracket is broken up.
By virtue of the aforementioned structure, when the vehicle collides with obstacle, the fragile portion is broken up (or cut) by the input load given to the mounted bracket through the lamp device, and this breakage of the fragile portion results in no support of the lamp device to the shroud panel. Then, the lamp device may be displaced rearward through the opening.
Thus, when the vehicle collides with obstacle, the impact to the obstacle may be reduced by displacing the lamp device rearward, with a simple and inexpensive structure having the fragile portion in the mount bracket.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the fragile portion is comprised of a thin walled portion provided in the mount bracket.
In the aforementioned structure, the fragile portion comprises the thin walled portion without any movable portion so that simplification in structure may be facilitated.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the shroud panel is provided with a projecting portion projecting into the opening of and supporting the mount bracket of the lamp device.
In the aforementioned structure, the projecting portion is bent rearward by an input load in collision, and this bending contributes to break up the mount bracket so that the lamp device may be further reliably displaced rearward.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle lamp device supporting structure for supporting a vehicle lamp device on the front end of a vehicle, comprises a bracket mounting both right and left side portions of the lamp device to the shroud panel through a vertical support shaft, wherein the bracket is provided with a fragile portion breakable in vehicle collision, and the shroud panel is provided with an opening allowing the lamp device to be displaced rearward when the bracket is broken up.
By virtue of this structure, when a vehicle collides with obstacle, particularly when the collision with obstacle occurs either at right or left offset position with respect to the lamp device, the bracket located on one side input the collision load is broken up at the fragile portion, and the lamp device is then rotatably displaced around the support shaft of another bracket located on another side as a fulcrum.
Rotating and displacing the lamp device rearward allows the impact to the obstacle to be reduced. Further, a simple and inexpensive support structure may be provided.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a vehicle lamp device supporting structure for supporting a vehicle lamp device on the front end of a vehicle, comprises a shroud panel including a mount portion for mounting the lamp device, wherein the sh
Mazda Motor Corporation
Nixon & Peabody LLP
O'Shea Sandra
Studebaker Donald R.
Ward John Anthony
LandOfFree
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