LIGHTING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR JOINING A LIGHTING DEVICE

Abstract

A lighting device for a vehicle, comprising a housing, an illuminant arranged in the housing and comprising a light panel for the passage of light generable by the illuminant, wherein a frame is provided, which is molded onto the light panel at least on the edge side in an at least sectionally circumferential fashion using a plastic injection molding process, and wherein the frame is joined to a connection portion of the housing by means of a plastic welded seam. The invention further relates to a method for producing a lighting device.

Claims

1. A lighting device for a vehicle, the lighting device comprising: a housing; an illuminant arranged in the housing; a light panel for the passage of light generated by the illuminant; and a frame that is molded onto the light panel at least on an edge side in an at least sectionally circumferential fashion using a plastic injection molding process, the frame being joined to a connection portion of the housing by a plastic welded seam.

2. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein at least the connection portion of the housing and the frame have a material forming a stress crack resistant plastic welded seam.

3. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the frame and/or the housing and/or at least the connection portion of the housing have a material at least comprising acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate copolymers (ASA), ASA-HT, PBT+ASA-[GF20], and/or a material containing acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate copolymers.

4. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the connection portion and the frame are formed from an identical material.

5. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the material of the frame is opaque.

6. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the plastic welded seam between the housing and the frame is formed continuously as a closed contour on the edge side of the light panel.

7. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device is a front headlight and/or a rear light of a vehicle.

8. A method for producing a lighting device according to claim 1, the method comprising: molding the frame onto the light panel using a plastic injection molding process; arranging the frame on a connection portion of the housing; and joining the frame to the connection portion by a plastic welding process.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0018] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawing, which is given by way of illustration only, and thus, is not limitive of the present invention, and wherein the sole FIGURE shows, in a sectional view, a lighting device comprising a light panel, a frame, and a housing guided with the frame by means of a plastic welded seam.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The FIGURE shows a sectional view of a lighting device 100 embodied as a rear lamp for a motor vehicle. The lighting device comprises a housing 10 and an illuminant 11 held thereto, comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs). Furthermore, lighting device 100 comprises a light panel 12, which is produced by means of a 2-component injection molding process with a frame 13. Light panel 12 is fabricated from a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), in particular injection molded in a plastic injection molding process. Frame 13 is formed of the material acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate copolymer (ASA) and was molded onto light panel 12 in a 2-component injection molding process. Housing 10, having a connection portion 15 for joining with frame 13, is formed of acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate copolymer (ASA) as a uniform material. Frame 13 and connection portion 15 were joined materially to one another by a plastic welding process with the formation of a plastic welded seam 14. Due to the identical materials of frame 13 to be joined and housing 10, residual stresses arising due to the plastic welding process are relatively low. The acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate copolymer material further exhibits high stress crack resistance, and plastic welded seam 14 is stress crack resistant as a result. The stress crack resistance is also retained when the welded seam comes into contact with media such as water, ethylene, heptane, or toluene. Thus, it is made possible that lighting device 100 can be installed directly in a motor vehicle without temperature aging in an annealing furnace to reduce residual stresses. Omitting annealing also avoids deformation of lighting device 100 associated with relaxation of plastic welded seam 14 during annealing. Furthermore, it is ensured that a set position and orientation of illuminant 11 relative to light panel 12, scattered light section 16, and further optical elements of the lighting device are maintained. This achieves that a light pattern and desired beam path are guaranteed. Frame 13 is fabricated of a material that is nontransparent to light and has a black color. As a result, leakage of light through the frame into an adjacent area is prevented. Nontransparent frame 13 thus also enables light-tight separation of individual lighting chambers of the lighting device.

[0020] Frame 13 is molded along an outer edge 17 of light panel 12 using the 2-component injection molding process. Plastic welded seam 14 between housing 10 and frame 13 runs continuously as a contour parallel to outer edge 17 of light panel 12. Thus, plastic welded seam 14 and the connection between frame 13 and light panel 12, together with light panel 12, frame 13, and housing 10, create a sealed interior of lighting device 100 into which water, particles, or other media cannot penetrate. In particular, this protects an electrical system and illuminant 11 from external influences and ensures reliable operation and a long service life of lighting device 100.

[0021] The invention is not limited in its implementation to the preferred exemplary embodiment described above. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable which make use of the shown solution even in the case of fundamentally different embodiments. All features and/or advantages arising from the claims, the description, or the drawings, including structural details, spatial arrangements, and method steps, can be essential to the invention both individually and in a wide variety of combinations.

[0022] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.