Method for the arrangement of a retaining ring on a reflector

Abstract

A method for the arrangement of a retaining ring (10) for holding a light source in the opening (11) of a reflector (12) for a vehicle headlamp. The retaining ring (10) extends in a plane and is arranged on the back side flush with the opening (11) on the reflector (12). For the arrangement of the retaining ring (10) of the reflector (12), a molded retainer part (13) is arranged on the reflector (12) and a recess (14) is formed in the retaining ring (10). The retaining ring (10) is placed on the reflector (12), so that the molded retainer part (13) is guided through the recess (14), after which the retaining ring (10) is turned in the plane of its extent about the molded retainer part (13), so that the retaining ring (10) clamps on the molded retainer part (13).

Claims

1. A method for the arrangement of a retaining ring for holding a light source in the opening of a reflector for a vehicle headlamp, comprising the steps of: arranging a molded retainer part on the reflector; forming a recess and a central opening in the retaining ring, the recess being a through hole, the through hole being separate from the central opening; placing the retaining ring on the reflector, so that the molded retainer part is guided through the recess; and rotating the retaining ring in its plane about the molded retainer part, so that the retaining ring is clamped to the molded retainer part.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein when rotating the retaining ring in the plane of its extent, the edge of the recess cuts at least slightly into the material of the molded retainer part.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein a molded support part is arranged on the reflector and a support edge is arranged on the retaining ring, wherein, at the end of the rotational movement of the retaining ring in its plane of extent, the support edge is brought into contact with the molded support part with a positive fit, so that a reverse rotation of the retaining ring about the molded retainer part is prevented.

4. A method according to one of claim 1 wherein after the arrangement of the retaining ring by the clamping, the retaining ring is fastened on the reflector by means of screw elements.

5. An arrangement of a retaining ring for holding a light source in the opening of a reflector for a vehicle headlamp, the arrangement comprising: a molded retainer part arranged on the reflector; and a recess and a central opening formed in the retaining ring, the recess being a through hole, the through hole being separate from the central opening, wherein the molded retainer part is guided through the recess and wherein the retaining ring is clamped on the molded retainer part by a rotation of the retaining ring in its plane.

6. The arrangement according to claim 5, wherein a molded support part is arranged on the reflector and a support edge is arranged on the retaining ring, wherein the support edge is brought into contact on the molded support part with a positive fit, so that a reverse rotation of the retaining ring about the molded retainer part is prevented.

7. The arrangement according to claim 5 wherein the molded support part is arranged on the reflector at a distance to the molded retainer part, wherein this distance corresponds to half the diameter of the retaining ring.

8. The arrangement according to claim 5 wherein the recess has a closed contour.

9. The arrangement according to claim 5 wherein the boundary of the recess has an elastic area.

10. The arrangement according to claim 5 wherein the reflector has a mounting neck in which the opening for holding the light source is formed and on which the retaining ring is placed, wherein the molded retainer part and/or the molded support part is formed on the mounting neck without an undercut.

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: a perspective view of a reflector and a retaining ring, wherein the retaining ring is shown in an unassembled arrangement at a distance to the reflector,

(3) FIG. 2: a perspective view of the reflector according to FIG. 1, wherein the retaining ring is placed on the opening of the reflector such that the molded retainer part is guided through the recess in the retaining ring,

(4) FIG. 3: the arrangement of the retaining ring on the reflector according to FIG. 2, wherein the retaining ring is rotated about the molded retainer part such that a support edge on the retaining ring contacts against a molded support part on the reflector,

(5) FIG. 3a: a detail view of the molded retainer part that extends through the recess in the retaining ring,

(6) FIG. 4: a perspective view of the retaining ring, and

(7) FIG. 5: a perspective view of the reflector with a retaining ring, wherein the retaining ring is fastened with the reflector in its clamped arrangement on the reflector through threaded elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) In the following detailed description numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. For example, the invention is not limited in scope to the particular type of industry application depicted in the figures. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.

(9) FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 5 show a reflector 12 on which a retaining ring 10 is arranged with the features according to the invention. Here, FIG. 1 shows the retaining ring 10 in an arrangement spaced apart from the reflector 12; FIG. 2 shows the retaining ring 10 that is already placed on an opening 11 of the reflector 12; FIG. 3 shows the retaining ring 10 in an already turned and thus clamped arrangement on the reflector 12; and FIG. 4 shows the arrangement of the retaining ring 10 on the reflector 12 according to FIG. 3, wherein additional thread elements 17 are inserted by means of which the retaining ring 10 is finally fastened on the reflector 12.

(10) The reflector 12 has a base body on which a mounting neck 19 connects on the back side. The base body of the reflector can be formed, for example, from a metallic body and the mounting neck 19 is formed by a plastic body. The back side of the mounting neck 19 here forms the opening 11 in which a light source can be inserted in a way that is not shown in more detail. The light source can be held on the reflector 12 by the retaining ring 10 in the opening 11 when the retaining ring 10 is arranged on the mounting neck 19 according to FIG. 5 with a threaded connection.

(11) FIG. 1 shows the retaining ring 10 in an arrangement spaced apart from the mounting neck 19 of the reflector 12. In this way, for example, the retaining ring 10 can be held by an assembler, wherein the retaining ring 10 must have an orientation so that the recess 14 is positioned over the molded retainer part 13 on the reflector 12.

(12) FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of the retaining ring 10 on the mounting neck 19 of the reflector 12, wherein the assembler has placed the retaining ring 10 on the opening 11 of the mounting neck 19 such that the molded retainer part 13 extends through the recess 14. Here the molded retainer part 13 can correspond approximately to the dimensions of the recess 14, wherein passing the molded retainer part 13 through the recess 14 can be performed, for example, without force. The view further shows a molded support part 15 that is still located under this in the orientation of the retaining ring 10 and the molded support part 15 is formed with a support edge 16 on the retaining ring 10, formed by a side recess, not yet brought into alignment. The assembler can now turn the retaining ring 10, as this is shown placed on the mounting neck 19 in FIG. 2, in the direction shown by the arrow, so that an arrangement of the retaining ring 10 according to FIG. 3 is produced.

(13) FIG. 3 shows the retaining ring 10 on the mounting neck 19 of the reflector 12 in a clamped arrangement by contacting the molded support part 15 on the mounting neck 19 against the support edge 16 on the retaining ring 10. In this way, the retaining ring 10 is clamped in the recess 14 by the rotation of the molded retainer part 13, so that the molded retainer part 13 is slightly torqued. The molded retainer part 13 is formed integrally with the mounting neck 19 in an injection molding process and thus can be slightly elastic and, in particular, can deform plastically. If the retaining ring 10 has been turned and if the support edge 16 on the retaining ring 10 is already located behind the molded support part 15, then after the rotational movement the assembler must slightly lower the retaining ring 10 in the area of the support edge 16 in which the assembler, for example, manually holds the retaining ring 10, so that the support edge 16 can also reach behind the molded support part 15.

(14) FIG. 3a shows a detailed view of the arrangement of the molded retainer part 13 in the recess 14 and the closed edge contour of the recess 14 can cut slightly into the material of the molded retainer part 13 on diametrically opposed areas. Thus the retaining ring 10 is reliably held over the opening 11 of the mounting neck 19.

(15) FIG. 4 finally shows the retaining ring 10 with the recess 14 and the support edge 16 and it can be seen that the recess 14 and the support edge 16 have a greater distance to each other, in order to introduce a greater torque into the molded retainer part 13 just through small retaining forces between the molded support part 15 and the support edge 16. The molded retainer part 13 here has, in particular, an elongated design and, corresponding to the elongated molded retainer part 13, the recess 14 also has an elongated extent. The recess 14 is formed at the edge in the retaining ring 10, so that an elastic area 18 is produced that can flex slightly. In particular, the elastic area 18 with a rib 20 of smaller material thickness is shown and the rib 20 can also be eliminated, so that the elastic area 18 has greater elasticity and thus forms a stronger spring effect. Here it should be ensured that a slot that is formed, for example, in the rib 20, is narrower than the sheet thickness of the retaining ring, so that the retaining ring cannot become hooked in the slot at the position of the rib 20.

(16) FIG. 5 shows finally the arrangement of the retaining ring 10 on the mounting neck 19 of the reflector 12, wherein the retaining ring 10 is finally fastened on the mounting neck 19 with threaded elements 17. In this arrangement, finally a light source can be inserted into the opening 11 and this can be fixed on the retaining ring 10 like a kind of bayonet connection through slight rotation of the light source.

(17) The invention is not limited in its design to the preferred embodiment described above. On the contrary, a number of variants are conceivable that use the solution as represented above, even on designs that are fundamentally different. All of the features and/or advantages, including structural details, spatial arrangements, and processing steps emerging from the claims, the description, or the drawings can be considered essential to the invention both individually and also in different combinations.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(18) 10 Retaining ring 11 Opening 12 Reflector 13 Molded retainer part 14 Recess 15 Molded support part 16 Support edge 17 Threaded element 18 Elastic area 19 Mounting neck 20 Rib