VEHICLE LIGHT AND VEHICLE

Abstract

A vehicle light is provided with a housing which partially delimits an interior and has an open side. A light source assembly is positioned inside the housing. An at least partially transparent outer lens is positioned on the open side of the housing. The outer lens is attached to the housing with a snap-fit assembly and a seal assembly to obtain a fluid-tight seal. The seal assembly contains a seal placed in a circumferential groove on the housing. The snap-fit assembly has a snap-fit component on the outer lens, which engages in the groove and is snapped onto the housing inside the groove. When fully assembled, the snap-fit component bears on the seal and the outer lens is releasably attached to the housing.

Claims

1. A vehicle light comprising: a housing which partially delimits an interior, the housing having an open side; a light source assembly inside the housing; and an at least partially transparent outer lens on the open side of the housing, wherein the outer lens is attached to the housing with a snap-fit assembly and a seal assembly to obtain a fluid-tight seal, wherein the seal assembly contains a seal placed in a circumferential groove on the housing, wherein the snap-fit assembly has a snap-fit component on the outer lens, which engages in the groove and is snapped into the housing in the groove, and wherein when fully assembled, the snap-fit component bears on the seal and the outer lens is releasably attached to the housing.

2. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the housing has snap-fit lugs in the groove that snap in place behind a projection on the snap-fit component in an assembled state.

3. The vehicle light according to claim 2, wherein the side walls of the housing are thinner near the lugs.

4. The vehicle light according to claim 2, wherein the snap-fit component bears on the seal such that the seal is compressed, and the lugs are pressed by the seal counter to an assembly direction (MR) against the projection.

5. The vehicle light according to claim 2, wherein the snap-fit component or housing has a stop.

6. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the outer lens has a hole for a tool.

7. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the outer lens has a cover section, the surface of which is flush with the housing.

8. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the housing is composed of numerous parts, wherein the groove is delimited by two separate housing elements.

9. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the seal is made of an elastic material.

10. The vehicle light according to claim 9, wherein the elastic material is silicone or EPDM foam rubber.

11. The vehicle light according to claim 1, wherein the outer lens is snapped onto the housing at numerous spaced-apart points.

12. A vehicle with light according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] 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.

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a schematic and perspective illustration of a vehicle light.

[0022] FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the light in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a light 10 that can have a variety of designs and be placed at different locations on a vehicle. This light 10 can have a variety of purposes, e.g. as taillight at the rear of the vehicle, or a daytime running light or headlight at the front. FIG. 2 shows part of a sectional view of the light 10.

[0024] The light 10 has a housing 20, a light source assembly 30, and an outer lens 40, wherein the housing 20 and the lens 40 delimit the housing interior 22.

[0025] The housing 20 is composed of two elements 24, 26, both of which are made of a single piece of plastic. The housing elements 24, 26 are produced in particular in an injection molding process.

[0026] The first element 24 is shaped like a cup or shell with a base 241 and circumferential side walls 242, with an open side 243 opposite the base 241. This element 24 therefore forms an outer part or basic structure for the light 10 with which the light 10 can be attached to other components.

[0027] The second element 26 is inside the first element 24 and bears on a projection 27 on the first element 26. The second element 26 therefore forms a liner. The second element 26 is substantially flat and has a light-projecting surface corresponding to the light-projecting surface formed by the open side 243 encompassed by the first element 24.

[0028] The light source assembly 30 is between the two housing elements 24, 26, and therefore in the interior 22. The light source assembly 30 contains a printed circuit board 32 populated with numerous light sources 341, 342, 343, which are on the side of the printed circuit board 32 facing toward the second housing element. The second housing element 26 has apertures 261, 262, 263 for each of the light sources 341, 342, 343. The second housing element 26 therefore forms a blind that conceals the area behind it, through which only the light sources 341, 342, 343 can be seen.

[0029] The outer lens 40 is transparent and on a side of the second housing element 26 facing away from the printed circuit board 32. The outer lens 40 is made of a single piece of plastic. It could also be composed of numerous pieces. The edge of the outer lens 40 is releasably attached to the housing 20 with a snap-fit assembly 50 and a seal assembly 60. The housing 20 has a circumferential groove 28 for a seal 62 that is delimited by the two housing elements 24, 26. The seal 62 is made of an elastic material, e.g. an elastomer or EPDM foam rubber. The snap-fit assembly 50 has a snap-fit component 52 on the outer lens 40 that is at a right angle to the light-emitting surface 42, which engages in the groove 28 with a projection 54. The projection 54 is parallel to the light-emitting surface 42 on the outer lens 40. The snap-fit assembly 50 also has lugs 56 on the housing 20, i.e. on the first housing element 24, which extend into the groove 28 and engage behind the projection 54 on the snap-fit component 52 when the light 10 is fully assembled. The first housing element 24 also has a stop 58 that also extends into the groove 28 and is downstream of the lugs 56 in the assembly direction MR.

[0030] To prevent being able to see into the groove 28, the outer lens 40 has a cover section 44 outside and substantially parallel to the snap-fit component 52. The cover section 44 is flush with the edge of the housing 20 in the assembled state of the light 10.

[0031] When assembling the light 10, the housing elements 24, 26 and the light source assembly 30 are first put together. The outer lens 40 is then placed thereon. The seal 62 is first placed in the groove 28 for this, after which the snap-fit component 52 of the lens 40 is inserted in the assembly direction MR into the groove. At this point, the projection 54 comes in contact with the lugs 56, pressing it outward, at a right angle to the assembly direction MR. In order to translate the force exerted on the lens 40 into the force acting on the lugs 56 at a right angle to the assembly direction MR, the lugs 56 are have an angled surface 561. Once the lens 40, and therefore the projection 54, have been fully inserted, the lugs 56 return to their starting position, snapping in place, where they engage behind the projection 54. This also results in circumferential contact between the snap-fit component 52 and the seal 62 in the groove 28, such that the seal 62 is compressed between the housing 20 and the lens 40, and pressed against the lugs 56 by the projection 54.

[0032] To release the snap-fit connection, e.g. to replace the lens 40 when it becomes damaged, a tool, in particular a standard screwdriver, can be inserted into the groove 28 to release the lugs 56. To simplify this, the lens 40 can have beveled holes 70 for the tool on its edge.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0033] 10 Vehicle light [0034] 20 housing [0035] 22 interior of the housing [0036] 24 first housing element [0037] 241 base [0038] 242 side walls [0039] 243 open side [0040] 26 second housing element [0041] 261 aperture [0042] 262 aperture [0043] 263 aperture [0044] 27 projection [0045] 28 groove [0046] 30 light source assembly [0047] 32 printed circuit board [0048] 341 light source [0049] 342 light source [0050] 343 light source [0051] 40 outer lens [0052] 42 light-emitting surface [0053] 44 cover section [0054] 50 snap-fit assembly [0055] 52 snap-fit component [0056] 54 projection [0057] 56 lug [0058] 561 angled section of the lug [0059] 58 stop [0060] 60 seal assembly [0061] 62 seal [0062] 70 tool hole [0063] MR assembly direction