Tool for welding a light pane to a housing of a motor vehicle light

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12145322-B2
Application number	US-202217567475-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2022
Priority date	Jul 3, 2019
Publication date	Nov 19, 2024
Grant date	Nov 19, 2024

Abstract

A tool for welding a light pane to a housing of a motor vehicle light, the tool comprising a base body and at least one heating element arranged on the base body, wherein the heating element is displaceable relative to the base body between an idle position and a welding position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for welding a light pane to a housing of a motor vehicle light, the tool comprising:
a base body; and
at least one heating element arranged on the base body,
wherein the heating element is displaceable relative to the base body between an idle position and a heating position,
wherein the base body has a substantially plate-shaped design with a bottom side, wherein a z-direction is defined by the surface normal of the bottom side and an x-direction is defined by a tangent to the bottom side, and wherein the heating element is arranged on the bottom side and is linearly displaceable in a displacement direction, wherein the displacement direction corresponds to the x-direction, or wherein the projection of the displacement direction onto the x-direction and onto the z-direction has non-vanishing components, and
wherein the bottom side of the base body has an inclined partial surface, wherein the projection of the surface normal of the partial surface onto the x-direction and onto the z direction has non-vanishing components, and wherein the heating element is accommodated on the inclined partial surface.

2. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein a second heating element is accommodated on the bottom side, wherein the contour of a joining surface of the housing is reproduced by the heating element and the second heating element when the heating element is displaced into the heating position.

3. The tool according to claim 2 , wherein the heating element is positioned closer to the second heating element in the heating position than when the heating element is in the idle position.

4. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the heating element comprises a guide body and a heating resistor accommodated thereon, wherein the guide body is arranged displaceable on the base body, and wherein the guide body has an angled and/or curved shape.

5. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the tool comprises a pneumatic cylinder or a servomotor, wherein the heating element is displaced via the pneumatic cylinder or via the servomotor.

6. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein the heating element is slidably displaceable in the x-direction.

7. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of the bottom side of the base body is flat and another portion of the bottom side of the base body has the inclined partial surface.

8. A tool for welding a light pane to a housing of a motor vehicle light, the tool comprising:
a base body; and
at least one heating element arranged on the base body,
wherein the heating element is displaceable relative to the base body between an idle position and a heating position, and
wherein the base body has a substantially plate-shaped design with a bottom side, wherein a z-direction is defined by the surface normal of the bottom side and an x-direction is defined by a tangent to the bottom side, and wherein the heating element is arranged on the bottom side and is linearly displaceable in a displacement direction, wherein the displacement direction corresponds to the x-direction, or wherein the projection of the displacement direction onto the x-direction and onto the z-direction has non-vanishing components,
wherein a second heating element is accommodated on the bottom side, wherein the contour of a joining surface of the housing is reproduced by the heating element and the second heating element when the heating element is displaced into the heating position, and
wherein a third heating element, via which the contour of a joining surface of the light pane is reproduced, is arranged on a top side of the base body opposite the bottom side.

9. A device for welding a light pane to a housing of a motor vehicle light, the device comprising:
a lower receiving tool for the housing;
an upper receiving tool for the light pane;
a welding tool;
a lifting device for moving the lower receiving tool and the upper receiving tool into a warming position and into a welding position; and
a device for moving the welding tool into a joining plane between the lower receiving tool and the upper receiving tool,
wherein the welding tool comprises a base body and at least one heating element arranged on the base body,
wherein the heating element is displaceable relative to the base body between an idle position and a heating position, and
wherein the base body has a substantially plate-shaped design with a bottom side, wherein a z-direction is defined by the surface normal of the bottom side and an x-direction is defined by a tangent to the bottom side, and wherein the heating element is arranged on the bottom side and is linearly displaceable in a displacement direction, wherein the displacement direction corresponds to the x-direction, or wherein the projection of the displacement direction onto the x-direction and onto the z-direction has non-vanishing components.

10. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the lower receiving tool comprises a rigid connecting piece, the rigid connecting piece being the device for moving the welding tool into the joining plane, wherein rigid connecting piece moves the heating element on the welding tool into the heating position when the lower receiving tool is moved into the warming position.

11. A method for welding a light pane to a housing of a motor vehicle light by a device according to claim 10 , the method comprising:
receiving the housing in the lower receiving tool in a starting position and the light pane in the upper receiving tool;
moving the welding tool into the joining plane between the housing and the light pane, wherein the bottom side of the base body faces a joining surface of the housing, an upper side of the base body faces a joining surface of the light pane, and the heating element is in the idle position;
raising the lower receiving tool and lowering the upper receiving tool into the respective warming position, wherein the heating element is linearly moved into the heating position by the rigid connecting piece;
warming and plasticizing the joining surfaces of the housing and the light pane by the heating element;
lowering the lower receiving tool and raising the upper receiving tool out of the respective warming position, wherein the heating element is linearly moved into the idle position by means of gravity;
retracting the welding tool;
raising the lower receiving tool and lowering the upper receiving tool into the welding position in which the joining surfaces of the housing and the light pane are pressed against one another under a joining pressure, and waiting for the joining surfaces to cool down;
lowering the lower receiving tool and raising the upper receiving tool out of the welding position; and
removing a welded unit comprising the housing and the light pane.

12. A method for welding a light pane to a housing of a motor vehicle light by a device according to claim 9 , the method comprising:
receiving the housing in the lower receiving tool and the light pane in the upper receiving tool;
moving the welding tool into the joining plane between the housing and the light pane, wherein the bottom side of the base body faces a joining surface of the housing, an upper side of the base body faces a joining surface of the light pane, and the heating element is in the idle position;
raising the lower receiving tool and lowering the upper receiving tool into the respective warming position;
linearly moving the heating element into the heating position;
warming and plasticizing the joining surfaces of the housing and the light pane by the heating element;
linearly moving the heating element into the idle position;
lowering the lower receiving tool and rais

Assignees

• Hella Gmbh & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Karger Odo

Classifications

• B29L2031/747

  Lightning equipment · CPC title

• B29L2031/30

  Vehicles, e.g. ships or aircraft, or body parts thereof {(vanes or blades B29L2031/08, air bags B29L2022/027)} · CPC title

• B29C66/83

  characterised by the movement of the joining or pressing tools · CPC title

• B29C66/131

  Single flanged joints, i.e. one of the parts to be joined being rigid and flanged in the joint area · CPC title

• B29C66/3452

  Making complete joints by combining partial joints · CPC title