Impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11745640-B2
Application number	US-202218081598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2022
Priority date	Dec 16, 2021
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A self-absorbent vehicle headlamp system including (i) a vehicle frame element that can be firmly connected to a vehicle; (ii) a vehicle headlamp housing displaceably held on the vehicle frame element, having at least one pin that is firmly connected to the vehicle headlamp housing, wherein the vehicle frame element includes at least one guide for receiving and linearly guiding the pin, wherein the pin is in engagement with the guide, so that the vehicle headlamp housing is guided by the pin being displaced along the guide and is thereby displaceable with respect to the vehicle frame element; (iii) at least one triggering element that can be mechanically connected to a bumper of a vehicle, and (iv) at least one triggering mechanism that is firmly connected to the vehicle frame element and is configured to receive the triggering element and the pin and to change at least as a function of the position of the triggering element, between a state (S 1 ) blocking the pin and a state (S 2 ) releasing the pin, wherein in the state (S 2 ), the vehicle headlamp housing including the pin is displaceable with respect to the vehicle frame element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp system ( 1 ), comprising:
at least one vehicle frame element ( 2 ) that can be firmly connected to a vehicle,
a vehicle headlamp housing ( 3 ) that is displaceably held on the vehicle frame element ( 2 ), having at least one pin ( 4 ) connected to the vehicle headlamp housing ( 3 ), wherein the vehicle frame element ( 2 ) comprises at least one guide ( 2 a ) for receiving and linearly guiding the pin ( 4 ), wherein the pin ( 4 ) is in engagement with the guide ( 2 a ) so that the vehicle headlamp housing ( 3 ) is guided by the displacement of the pin ( 4 ) along the guide ( 2 a ) and thus displaceable with respect to the vehicle frame element ( 2 ),
at least one triggering element ( 5 ) that can be mechanically connected to a bumper of a vehicle, and
at least one triggering mechanism ( 6 ) that is firmly connected to the vehicle frame element ( 2 ), which is equipped in order to receive the triggering element ( 5 ) and the pin ( 4 ) and to change at least as a function of the position of the triggering element ( 5 ), between a state (S 1 ) blocking the pin ( 4 ) and a state (S 2 ) releasing the pin ( 4 ), wherein in the state (S 2 ) releasing the pin ( 4 ) the vehicle headlamp housing ( 3 ) including the pin ( 4 ) can be displaced with respect to the vehicle frame element ( 2 ),
wherein the triggering mechanism ( 6 ) comprises:
a pivot arm ( 6 a ) that is pivotably mounted in the triggering mechanism ( 6 ), which pivot arm ( 6 a ) comprises an engagement region ( 6 a ′) for receiving the pin ( 4 ), wherein the pivot arm ( 6 a ) is equipped in order to be rotated between two positions, namely between a holding position (D 1 ), in which the pivot arm ( 6 a ) counteracts a movement of a pin ( 4 ) received in the engagement region ( 6 a ′) along the guide ( 2 a ) and a release position (D 2 ), in which the pivot arm ( 6 a ) releases the movement of the pin ( 4 ) along the guide ( 2 a ),
a locking element ( 6 b ), which is linearly displaceably held in the triggering mechanism ( 6 ), wherein the locking element ( 6 b ) is equipped in order to engage in the pivot arm ( 6 a ) in the blocking position (D 1 ), and lock the same as a function of the position of the triggering element ( 5 ) in the said blocking position (D 1 ) or release a change into the release position (D 2 ), in that the locking element ( 6 b ) is displaceable between a locking position (V 1 ) for blocking the pivot arm ( 6 a ) and an unlocking position (V 2 ) for releasing the change of the pivot arm ( 6 a ) into the release position (D 2 ), wherein a first spring element ( 6 c ) is provided, which exerts on the locking element ( 6 b ) a spring force (F F1 ) pushing the same into the locking position (V 1 ), wherein the locking element ( 6 b ) is mechanically coupled to the triggering element ( 5 ) in such a manner that in a starting position (P 1 ) of the triggering element ( 5 ) the locking element ( 6 b ) is held in the locking position (V 1 ) with the help of the first spring element ( 6 c ), and that as a consequence of a displacement of the position of the triggering element ( 5 ) into a release position (P 2 ), the locking element ( 6 b ) is displaced against the spring force (F F1 ) into the unlocking position (V 2 ), so that a rotation of the pivot arm ( 6 a ) from the holding position (D 1 ) towards the release position (D 2 ) is made possible, and the triggering mechanism ( 6 ) thus changes into the releasing state (S 2 ).

2. A motor vehicle comprising at least one impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 .

3. The motor vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the motor vehicle comprises two front headlamp units for generating a low-beam light distribution and a high-beam light distribution, wherein the motor vehicle comprises two impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp systems according to claim 1 , wherein the two vehicle headlamp housings ( 3 ) of the two impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp systems form the vehicle headlamp housings of the two front headlamp units.

4. The motor vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the motor vehicle comprises a bumper, wherein each triggering element ( 5 ) is connected to the bumper so that in the event of a collision-induced displacement of the bumper, the triggering element is displaced in the direction of the vehicle headlamp and thus a displacement of the vehicle headlamp against the main travelling direction of the vehicle is made possible.

5. The impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein a second spring element ( 7 ) is provided, which is connected to the vehicle frame element ( 2 ) and to the vehicle headlamp housing ( 3 ), wherein the spring element ( 7 ) is equipped in order to exert a resetting spring force (F F2 ) on the vehicle headlamp housing ( 3 ), so that the pin ( 4 ) is pushed in the direction of the pivot arm ( 6 a ).

6. The impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the triggering mechanism ( 6 ) comprises a third spring element ( 6 d ), which is arranged in such a manner that on the pivot arm ( 6 ) a force (F F3 ) is exerted, which pushes the pivot arm ( 6 a ) in the direction of the holding position (D 1 ).

7. The impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the triggering mechanism ( 6 ) comprises a displaceable holding element ( 6 e ) and a fourth spring element ( 6 f ), wherein the holding element ( 6 e ) is equipped with the help of the spring element ( 6 f ) to obstruct a change of the pivot arm ( 6 a ) from the release position (D 2 ) into the blocking position (D 1 ) in that a spring force (F F4 ) is exerted on a pivot arm ( 6 a ) situated in the release position (D 2 ), which counteracts the spring force (F F3 ) of the third spring element ( 6 d ) and exceeds the same, so that only by the addition of a resetting force (F F2 ) of the second spring element ( 7 ) exerted by the pin ( 4 ), a resetting of the pivot arm ( 6 a ) by displacing the holding element ( 6 e ) against the spring force (F F4 ) of the fourth spring element ( 6 f ) is released.

8. The impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the triggering element ( 5 ) is designed as a projection, in particular as a pin.

9. The impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the locking element ( 6 b ) comprises a hook ( 6 b ′) for engagement in the pivot arm ( 6 a ).

10. The impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the guide ( 2 a ) in the vehicle frame element ( 2 ) is designed as a groove or elongated hole.

11. The impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the locking element ( 6 b ) is mechanically coupled to the triggering element ( 5 ) in such a manner that by the triggering element ( 5 ) entering the locking element ( 6 b ), the locking element ( 6 b ) is pushed against the force of the first spring element ( 6 c ) into the unlocking position (V 2 ).

12. The impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle headlamp housing ( 3 ) includes at least one light module, which is equipped for emitting a light distribution.

13. The impact-absorbing vehicle headlamp system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the guide ( 2 a ) and the pin ( 4 ) are designed in such a manner that the maximum stroke of the vehicle headlamp housing ( 3 ) along the guide ( 2 a ) amounts to between 3 cm and 10 cm.

14. The impact-abs

Assignees

• Zkw Group Gmbh

Inventors

• Zeuner Markus
• Wagner Florian
• Bemmerl Markus

Classifications

• B60Q1/0491 Primary

  Shock absorbing devices therefor · CPC title

• B60Q1/0408

  built into the vehicle body, e.g. details concerning the mounting of the headlamps on the vehicle body (B60Q1/0491, B60Q1/05 take precedence, integrated front ends B62D25/00) · CPC title

• B60Q1/0483

  mounted on a bracket, e.g. details concerning the mouting of the lamps on the vehicle body · CPC title

• B60Q1/115

  by electric means {(details of the electric drive components, e.g. motors, shafts, ball joints B60Q1/076)} · CPC title

• B60Q1/0023

  the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera · CPC title