Closure element for closing the housing of a headlamp

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10875443-B2
Application number	US-201916359503-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2019
Priority date	Sep 20, 2016
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A closing element for closing a service opening in the housing of a headlamp, and a method therefor, the closing element having a ventilation component, with the aid of which a gas exchange between an inside and an outside of the housing of the headlamp is facilitated. The closing element includes a sealing formation, on which a sealing member may be arranged or is arranged, so that the ventilation component may be or is temporarily closed with the aid of the sealing member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A closing element for closing a service opening in a housing of a headlamp, the closing element comprising:
a ventilation component via which a gas exchange between an inside and an outside of the housing of the headlamp is facilitated; and
a sealing formation on which a sealing member is arranged so that the ventilation component is adapted to be temporarily closed via the sealing member,
wherein the sealing formation is formed as a collar that projects from an outer surface of the closing element, and
wherein the sealing member is disposed in a self-retaining manner against an inner surface of the sealing formation forming a radial force.

2. The closing element according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing formation has a closed contour, which surrounds the ventilation component.

3. The closing element according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing formation is designed as a single piece with the closing element and the outer surface of the closing element, from which the sealing formation projects, is planar.

4. The closing element according to claim 1 , wherein the collar that forms the sealing formation is an annular collar having an essentially cylindrical inner surface.

5. The closing element according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing member includes sealing rings, which are brought into contact in a sealing manner against the inner surface of the sealing formation.

6. A method for temporarily closing a service opening in a housing of a headlamp, the method comprising:
providing a closing element which includes a sealing formation, the closing element having a ventilation component, with the aid of which a gas exchange between an inside and an outside of the housing of the headlamp is facilitated; and
arranging a sealing member on the sealing formation, wherein the ventilation component is temporarily closed without force by the sealing member,
wherein the sealing formation is formed as a collar that projects from an outer surface of the closing element, and wherein the sealing member is disposed in a self-retaining manner against an inner surface of the sealing formation forming a radial force.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the sealing member includes sealing rings, which are brought into contact in a sealing manner against the inner surface of the sealing formation.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the sealing member is arranged on the sealing formation manually or using a handling system, the arrangement being self-retaining and thus taking place perpendicularly to an extension plane of the closing element without axial force.

9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the sealing member is arranged on the sealing formation for closing the ventilation component during a tightness test of the headlamp.

Assignees

• Hella Gmbh & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Mattina Giuseppe

Classifications

• F21S45/33

  specially adapted for headlamps · CPC title

• B60Q1/007 Primary

  via a removable cap · CPC title

• B60Q1/0466

  with arrangement for sealing the headlamp with respect to the vehicle body, or for concealling gaps between the headlamp and the vehicle body · CPC title