Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-24
2001-09-18
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S193040, C362S549000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290287
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to mounting of headlamps in motor vehicles.
Conventionally, a headlamp is mounted into a vehicle by being fixed by appropriate means onto bodywork parts of the vehicle. These fixing means are generally designed to allow adjustment of the position off the headlamp, in particular so that its glazing occupies the appropriate position, in general flush and essentially in continuity, with respect to the bodywork surrounding the aperture formed therein in order to accommodate the headlamp.
To set up the headlamp correctly in this position, it is known to provide abutment means between the casing of the headlamp and ad hoc arrangements of the bodywork, defining a reference position, and elastic means for forcing the headlamp into this reference position.
This setting-up principle, effective when the headlamp is mounted directly in the bodywork, is inapplicable, in contrast, when the headlamp is mounted on a structural element which is for the purpose first of all of accommodating the headlamp, then of being mounted into the bodywork. In effect, even if a suitable referencing of the headlamp is achieved with respect to this structural element, the manufacturing tolerances and mounting play intervening between the structural element and the bodywork are in practice such that the headlamp will only fortuitously occupied the position sought with regard to the part of the bodywork adjacent to the headlamp. It is precisely with respect to this bodywork part, however, that it is sought to position the headlamp correctly.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to remedy these limitations of the state of the art. It envisages, more precisely, making it possible to take advantage of a prior mounting of the headlamp onto a structural element separate from the bodywork and then affixed onto it, while providing correct positioning of the headlamp with respect to the bodywork adjacent to it.
Hence the invention, according to a first aspect, proposes an assembly of a vehicle structural element and of a headlamp of the vehicle, wherein
the structural element is separate from the bodywork of the vehicle and able to be affixed onto it,
the structural element and the headlamp possess matching arrangements for mounting the headlamp onto the structural element while leaving the headlamp at least one degree of freedom along a given direction;
the headlamp and the bodywork possess matching abutment arrangements defining a reference position of the headlamp along said given direction, and
an elastic means is provided, working between the structural element and the headlamp so as to push the headlamp along said given direction counter to the reaction force from the abutment arrangements on the headlamp.
Preferred, but not limiting, aspects of the assembly according to the invention are as follows:
said given direction is a direction which is generally horizontal and transverse to the axis of the vehicle,
the matching abutment arrangements comprise an arrangement formed on a wing part of the bodywork adjacent to an outer edge of a glazing of the headlamp,
the matching mounting arrangements comprise hooking lugs formed on the headlamp and interacting with hooking orifices formed in corresponding regions of the structural element,
second matching abutment arrangements are also provided, defining a reference position of the headlamp along a second given direction and able to come into action when the matching mounting arrangements are put into use,
the elastic means consists of a leaf spring mounted on the structural element.
the elastic means consists of a leaf spring made of the same material as the structural element,
the structural element constitutes a vehicle front-face support and accommodates a pair of left-hand and right-hand headlamps.
According to a second aspect, the invention proposes a method of mounting an assembly comprising a vehicle structural element forming a front-face support and a pair of headlamps, the method comprising the following steps:
mounting of the headlamps onto the structural element, leaving the headlamps at least one degree of freedom along a given respective direction, each headlamp then being subjected to the action of a respective elastic means forcing it in said given respective direction,
mounting of the assembly thus obtained into the bodywork of the vehicle, the bodywork, in the course of this mounting, pushing the headlamps counter to the forces exerted by the respective elastic means so as to bring the headlamps into given reference positions.
Preferred, but not limiting, aspects of the above method are as follows:
said given respective directions are the same direction generally horizontal and transverse to the axis of the vehicle,
the forcing of the headlamps in the course of the stage of mounting the assembly is achieved by ar- rangements formed on wing parts of the bodywork in a way respectively adjacent to the outer edges of the glazing of the headlamps,
the stage of mounting the headlamps is carried out by translation and hooking along a direction different from each given respective direction,
the translation of each headlamp is carried out as far as an abutment position constituting a reference position of the headlamp along said different direction.
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International Search Report dated Jan. 17, 2000.
Coletta Lori L
Gordon Stephen T.
Morgan & Finnegan , LLP
Valeo Vision
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