Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Specific lamp mounting or retaining
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-07
2004-03-02
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Specific lamp mounting or retaining
C362S523000, C362S287000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06698914
ABSTRACT:
The invention lies within the field of equipment for automotive vehicles.
It relates to an optical unit for an automotive vehicle, comprising a housing having a main opening intended to be facing the vehicle exterior, and at least one headlamp element fixed inside said housing.
Optical units of this type are already known in the prior art, especially mounted on the front face of the vehicle, the lamps of which are accessible from the engine compartment. Thus, in order to replace a lamp of the optical unit, the user has to operate hanging over the optical unit by slipping his hands into an extremely cramped space in the engine compartment. The user therefore has little visibility and room to handle the lamp and effect the replacement operation.
It has already been proposed to remedy this drawback by proposing an optical unit for an automotive vehicle, the removal of the component parts of the headlamp of which, in particular of the lamps, lamp bases and/or deflectors, is facilitated by increased accessibility.
An optical unit is in fact known comprising an intermediate fastening member on which said headlamp element is fixed, said intermediate fastening member being itself fixed detachably inside the housing, by releasable fastening means, such as to be displaceable toward the main opening of the housing when said fastening means are released.
Such an optical unit does not give complete satisfaction, since maintenance of the lighting elements cannot be carried out from the front without losing the settings of the optics.
A main object of the invention is to remedy this drawback.
To this end, the releasable fastening means comprise means for positionally adjusting the intermediate fastening member relative to the housing and the adjusting means comprise a support which is positionally adjustable relative to the housing and is suitable for receiving the intermediate fastening member according to a detachable fastening connection.
According to other characteristics of the invention:
the intermediate fastening member is a fixing plate in which at least one recess is made, suitable for receiving in a complementary manner said at least one headlamp element;
the intermediate fastening member has at least one grip handle projecting toward the main opening;
said releasable fastening means comprise releasable locking means ensuring the detachable fastening connection of the intermediate fastening member on the adjustable support (
22
);
the releasable locking means comprise at least one locking finger mounted pivotably on the support and comprising a locking pin suitable for cooperating with a shoulder formed on the intermediate fastening member, and a form of rotary drive;
the releasable locking means comprise at least one pair of complementary latching elements formed respectively on the intermediate fastening member and on the support, suitable for retaining the intermediate fastening member and the support in a mutual pre-locked ready position;
the adjustable support has a guide for the intermediate fastening member between a locking position and a pre-mounting position on said support;
the adjustable support has a body suitable for cooperating by complementarity of form with the intermediate fastening member, when these are in their locking position, and the guide extends substantially in the direction of the main opening from said body;
the guide has a free end edge close to which a member is formed for retaining the intermediate fastening member in its pre-mounting position, said retaining member being suitable for cooperating with a complementary member formed on the intermediate fastening member;
the retaining member and the complementary member define a pivot connection allowing pivoting of the intermediate fastening member relative to the support, when the intermediate fastening member reaches a position close to the free end edge of the guide;
the optical unit comprises a glass fixed detachably on the housing such as to close off at least partially the main opening; and
the housing is realized in one piece with a bodywork element or structural element of the vehicle.
The invention also relates to a front face of an automotive vehicle comprising an optical unit of the type previously described.
Finally, the invention relates to an automotive vehicle equipped with such an optical unit.
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patent: 5702174 (1997-12-01), Dobler
patent: 6273588 (2001-08-01), Arakelian
patent: 196 32 688 (1997-02-01), None
patent: 0 649 773 (1995-04-01), None
patent: WO 00/07844 (2000-02-01), None
Berne Sébastien
Riviere Caroline
Faurecia Industries
Neils Peggy A.
O'Shea Sandra
Young & Thompson
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