Pivot bearing for a pivotable holder of a light module in a carrier frame for a headlamp

Abstract

A bearing configuration is disclosed, particularly for a pivotable holder of a light module in a carrier frame for a headlamp. A detent bearing element is provided that is positioned on the light module and that has a pivot bearing section that is held by the formation of a latch mechanism in a bearing shell formed on the carrier frame.

Claims

1. A bearing configuration for a light module for a headlamp, the bearing configuration comprising: a carrier frame supporting the light module, the carrier frame comprising: a bearing shell formed on the carrier frame, the bearing shell including a rear side that forms a first mating surface; and a detent bearing element selectively engageable with the carrier frame, the detent bearing element comprising: a pivot bearing section that is selectively receivable within an inner surface of the bearing shell; a U-shaped extension that extends outwardly from the pivot bearing section; and a latch lug protruding from the U-shaped extension toward the pivot bearing section forming a second mating surface; and wherein when the detent bearing element is engaged with the carrier frame, the first mating surface and the second mating surface are mated with one another.

2. The bearing configuration according to claim 1, wherein the pivot bearing section includes a spring tongue segment that makes contact with a sliding surface of the bearing shell and acts as a spring.

3. The bearing configuration according to claim 1, wherein the detent bearing element is formed as one piece and constitutes a bearing interface between the light module and the carrier frame.

4. The bearing configuration according to claim 1, wherein the detent bearing element has POM plastic and/or is manufactured using an injection molding process.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings, which illustrate the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention and wherein similar reference characters indicate the same parts throughout the views.

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic view of a bearing configuration to the pivotable holder of a light module in a carrier frame, where the bearing configuration has an inventive detent bearing element.

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective schematic view of the detent bearing element.

(4) FIG. 3 is a side view of the bearing configuration of the light module on the carrier frame with the detent bearing element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(5) FIG. 1 shows a perspective schematic view of a carrier frame 11 in which several light modules can be positioned where, for example, a light module 10 is held by the formation of a bearing configuration 1 on the carrier frame 11. The bearing configuration 1 includes the inventive detent bearing element 12, where the arrangement is depicted in a fully installed state. Another detent bearing element for forming a second bearing position of the light module 10 in the carrier frame 11 is on a side of the light module 10 opposite the bearing configuration 1.

(6) The light module 10 is mounted through the two bearing configurations and around the pivot axis that runs transversely such that it can pivot. Here, the pivot axis is defined by an axis, which runs through the bearing configuration shown in FIG. 1 and the other bearing configuration 1 that is not depicted.

(7) FIG. 2 shows a perspective schematic view of the detent bearing element 12 which, for example, is manufactured from a POM plastic in an injection molding process. As a vital structural component, the detent bearing element 12 has a pivot bearing section 13. A holder 21 is located in the center of the pivot bearing section 13.

(8) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a lug provided on the light module can be inserted into the rear of the holder 21, which can be used to attach the detent bearing element 12 to the side of the light module 10.

(9) From the pivot bearing section 13, a U-shaped extension 18 extends to the rear, where the U-shaped extension 18 is roughly U-shaped.

(10) In the U-shaped extension 18, a latch lug 15 that extends from a center branch of the U-shaped extension 18 towards the pivot bearing section 13. On the side facing towards the latch lug 15, the pivot bearing section 13 has a spring tongue segment 19, which creates elastic compliance in the pivot bearing section 13.

(11) FIG. 3 shows the inventive bearing configuration 1, particularly for a pivotable holder of the light module 10 in a carrier frame 11 for a headlamp for a vehicle. On the carrier frame 11, a somewhat semicircular, crescent-type bearing shell 14 is formed into which the pivot bearing section 13 of the detent bearing element 12 is inserted in the sliding surface 20. In this process, the U-shaped extension 18 with the latch lug 15 moves to the rear of the crescent-shaped bearing shell 14, and the latch lug 15 can engage in the bearing shell 14 against the rear side 17 of the bearing shell 14 if the pivot bearing section 13 is fully inserted. As a result, the rear side 17 forms a latch mating surface 16, and the latch lug 15 engages on the rear side of the bearing shell 14, which means that the detent bearing element 12 is positioned in the bearing shell 14 captively. In this process, the U-shaped extension 18, just like the latch lug 15, has a spring-loaded part of the detent bearing element 12, and the U-shaped extension 18 with the latch lug 15 moves to the rear of the bearing shell 14, which is why the bearing shell 14 has lateral clearance.

(12) If the light module 10 is pivoted together with the latch mating surface 12 that is attached to it such that it is torque-proof, then the tip of the latch lug 15 slides down the latch mating surface 16 to ensure that rear side 17 of the bearing shell 14 has a center of the circle that matches the center of the circle of the sliding surface 20, which is advantageous.

(13) In the process, the detent bearing element 12 can be easily removed from the carrier frame 11 together with the light module 10. For this purpose, just the latch lug 15 with the U-shaped extension 18 has to be pushed back to ensure that the detent bearing element 12 can be removed again in the opening direction of the bearing shell 14.

(14) A spring tongue segment 19 of the pivot bearing section 13 further tensions the pivot bearing section 13 in the bearing shell 14. This is done by tensioning the bearing shell 14 between the spring tongue segment 19 and the latch lug 15 properly. However, an adequate bracket segment can still be rotated to ensure that the detent bearing element 12 can be pivoted together with the light module 10 in the carrier frame 11. For torsion-resistant arrangement of the detent bearing element 12 on the light module 10, the light module 10 has a lug 22 that is held free of play in a holder 21. The holder 21 is formed on the detent bearing element 12 and, for example, is located in the pivot bearing section 13.

(15) The design of the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments specified here. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable, which make use of the present solution also in designs of a fundamentally different type. All of the features and/or advantages arising from the claims, description or drawings, including design details, physical layout and process steps, may be vital to the invention both by themselves and in a wide variety of combinations.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

(16) 1 Bearing configuration 10 Light module 11 Carrier frame 12 Detent bearing element 13 Pivot bearing section 14 Bearing shell 15 Latch lug 16 Latch mating surface 17 Rear side 18 U-shaped extension 19 Spring tongue segment 20 Sliding surface 21 Holder 22 Lug