Headlight device for a vehicle

A headlight assembly mounting a headlight to a vehicle by means of resilient blocks such that the headlight and associated headlight frame may be detached. An electrical cord is associated with the headlight such that the headlight may be moved some distance from the vehicle. The cord has a preset coil and extends to a container which easily receives the cord with the light in position on the vehicle. An electrical case provides for electrical connection of the hedlight cord and other associated electrical components. The container may be fixed adjacent to the electrical case with both being fixed to the vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The field of the present invention is mounting devices for headlights on 
vehicles. 
Headlights typically are secured to a vehicle by rigid attachment means 
such as bolts or the like. With smaller vehicles such as motorcycles and 
all-terrain vehicles, the headlights are rigidly attached to the handle or 
upper part of the front fork or top bridge bracket of such vehicles. Tools 
are required for removal of headlights mounted by such means and little or 
no shock absorbing is available. 
It has been found that balloon tired off-road vehicles may be employed for 
utility purposes where, at night, it is advantageous to use the headlight 
on the vehicle for illuminating objects. Naturally, it is not always 
practical to have the vehicle oriented such that the light will shine on 
the area to be illuminated. Because of the difficulty in removing 
conventional headlights and the need for tools to do so, other lighting 
means are often required where the vehicle cannot be easily oriented to 
illuminate the required subject. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to a headlight mechanism for mounting of 
headlights on a handlebar-type vehicle and more specifically for arranging 
such a mechanism to insure greatest convenience and protection for the 
electrical system. A resilient mounting assembly associated with the 
vehicle is employed to advantageously reduce shock to the headlight and to 
enable the headlight to be removed easily and without tools. On off-road 
vehicles, shock absorbing characteristics are of advantage to the 
longevity of the lighting mechanism. The ability to remove the headlight 
easily enables a desired subject to be illuminated without requiring the 
orientation of the vehicle such that a mounted headlight might be 
advantageously directed. 
To provide further utility, a container may be provided to accommodate the 
electrical cord associated with the headlight. To insure that the 
headlight may be useful over and above its utility at a fixed location at 
the front of the vehicle, an extra-length cord may be used. A container 
may be provided to receive the cord when the headlight is attached to the 
vehicle. Thus, an extra-length cord may be stored out of the way and 
without exposure to the elements. To further accommodate such a system, an 
adjacent electrical case may be associated with the container so as to 
provide a convenient and structural support for the end of the cord at the 
vehicle. The cord may be given a permanent set to provide a convenient 
coil for easy stowage in the container. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an 
improved headlight attachment mechanism for vehicles. Other objects and 
advantages will appear hereinafter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Turning in detail to the drawings, an off-road three-wheel handlebar-type 
vehicle is illustrated as including a body 10 as best seen in FIG. 2, 
including a frame 12, a front fork assembly 14, a seat 16, and a fuel tank 
18. A front wheel 20 is mounted to the front fork assembly 14 while left 
and right rear wheels 22 are mounted to the rear of the vehicle. The front 
fork includes handlebars 24 for steering. An engine 26 is mounted to the 
frame 12 centrally on the vehicle. 
Mounted to the front fork assembly to face generally forwardly of the 
vehicle is a headlight assembly, generally designated 30. The headlight 
assembly 30, illustrated on the front fork assembly 14, may be fixed to 
the vehicle at other locations as desired. The assembly 30 includes a 
headlight 32 and a headlight attachment mechanism 34. The headlight 
attachment mechanism 34 in turn includes a frame structure 36 and a 
carrier stay assembly 38. The carrier stay assembly 38 provides a mounting 
support for the headlight as well as for a carrier 40, both thus mounted 
to the vehicle. The attachment mechanism 34 provides for association 
between the frame 36 and the carrier stay assembly 38 by a resilient and 
releasable mounting mechanism. The releasable nature of the attachment 
mechanism 34 enables removal of the headlight 32 from its fixed position 
on the vehicle without the need for tools or complicated assembly or 
disassembly procedures. 
The headlight frame 36 is generally a pipe or rod frame having front and 
back frame structures 41 and 42, respectively, with frame elements 44 
extending between the frame structures 40 and 42. A front foot 46 and two 
side feet 48 and 50 are rigidly associated with the frame and include 
horizontally disposed sections for association with the carrier stay 
assembly 38. 
The carrier stay assembly 38 includes a plurality of resilient blocks into 
which the feet 46, 48 and 50 of the frame 36 may be positioned. Each 
resilient block includes a hole 52 extending therethrough with a slit 54 
extending from the periphery of each block to the hole 52. There is a 
front block 56 so constructed and two side blocks 58. The feet 46, 48 and 
50 may thus be forced through the slits 54 in each of the blocks 56 and 
58, respectively, for location in the holes 52. To lock the frame 36 to 
the carrier stay assembly 38, certain of the frame elements 44 include 
swingable arms 60 having pins 62 thereon. The pins are associated with 
locking bosses 64 located on the side blocks 58. A slit 66 and hole 68 are 
once again positioned for lateral introduction of the pin 62 into the 
boss. The construction and association of the mounting blocks 56 and 58 
are seen in FIG. 4, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. In FIG. 4, the mounting block 56 is 
best illustrated as including a mounting base 70 having two mounting holes 
72 therethrough. The base 70 fits within a mounting bracket 74 to receive 
grommets 76 and fasteners 78. The mounting bracket 74 is permanently 
affixed to a cross-member of the carrier 40. A similar mounting 
arrangement for the side blocks 58 is also employed. A mounting base 80 
having holes 82 therethrough is associated with the carrier 38 and a 
bracket 84 by means of fasteners 86 with intermediate grommets 88. 
Brackets 90 retain by means of fasteners 92 the carrier stay 38 on the 
front front assembly 13. 
For the mounting and dismounting of the headlight 32 and associated frame 
36, the feet 46, 48 and 50 are either forced into or out of the slits 54 
in the blocks 56 and 58. The arms 60 and pins 62 to either side of the 
frame 36 are either engaged or disengaged from the blocks 58 to lock or 
unlock the frame 36 from the carrier stay 38 and in turn the frame. 
As part of the headlight assembly 30, an electrical cord 100 supplies power 
to the headlight 32 from the vehicle. A wiring harness 102 leads from the 
headlight assembly to the vehicle for further electrical connection. An 
electrical case 104 provides for a coupling between cords 100 and 102. A 
best view of the electrical case 104 and associated components is provided 
in FIG. 8. The electrical case 104 includes a cover 106 and a base 
structure 108. Fasteners 110 associate the cover 106 and the base 108 by 
conventional means. Associated with the base 108 is a container 112. The 
base 108 and container 112 are fixed to the vehicle by means of 
conventional fasteners 114. Actual attachment is conveniently provided by 
means of the carrier stay 38. The container 112 receives one end of the 
electrical cord 100 while the other end is received by the headlight 32. A 
grommet 116 provides access between the container 112 and the electrical 
case 104 for the electrical cord 100. FIG. 7 illustrates a permanent set 
to the electrical cord 100 to form a resilient coil for convenient 
packing. The permanent set may be introduced to the cord 100 by 
conventional heat forming. The set to the cord and the size and length of 
the cord determine the size of the container 112 such that the container 
112 will retain the cord 100 in a protected and stowed condition when the 
light 32 is fixed to the vehicle. 
Within the electrical case 104, mounting posts 118 and 120 are fixed 
relative to the base 108. These mounting posts 118 and 120 receive a 
rubber stand 122 at slits 124. The stand 122 includes cavities and 
passageways to receive a variety of electrical components. A fuse 126 is 
illustrated as being positioned within a cavity 128. Spare fuse holders 
130 receive spare fuses 132 for convenient storage. Coupler cavities 134, 
136 and 138 are provided for receipt of a plurality of electrical 
components. As illustrated in FIG. 8, a coupler head 140 associated with 
the cord 100 is intended to be positioned within the cavity 136. The cord 
102 terminates at a coupler 142 also to be associated with the cavity 136. 
This relationship is better illustrated in FIG. 9. 
Accommodated within the cavity 136 is a locking mechanism associated with 
the couplers 140 and 142. This mechanism includes an eye 144 to receive a 
lock 146 including a claw 148 for engaging the eye 144. Flanges on the 
several components 122, 140 and 142 act to locate the connection in a 
fixed condition relative to the stand 122. To help seal the compartment 
within which the stand 122 is positioned, a rubber seal 150 is positioned 
about an axis port with a grommet 152 cooperating therewith for 
introduction of the various electrical conductors. 
Thus, an improved headlight assembly is disclosed which accommodates easy 
removal of the headlight for use as a tool apart from the vehicle upon 
which it is normally mounted. While embodiments and applications of this 
invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those 
skilled in the art that many more modifications are possible without 
departing from the inventive concepts herein. The invention, therefore, is 
not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.