Motor vehicle flashing lamp and headlamp fixture

This specification discloses a motor vehicle flashing lamp and headlamp fixture to be attached to a motor vehicle body. The fixture provides a pivotable mouunting so that the flashing lamp and the headlamp can be aligned with respect to each other as well as the automobile body while maintaining a simple and relatively secure mounting. The mounting of the flashing lamps and headlamps in a body aperture of the motor vehicle includes a headlamp braced by an upper swivel providing an upper swivel point for the headlamp relative to the flashing lamp. An outer lateral lower adjusting device, movable forward and backward for the illumination range adjustment, is attached through a bracket to the flashing lamp or the body. An inner lateral upper adjusting device, which is movable forward and backward for the illumination direction adjustment, is attached to the body. A mounting part for anchoring the flashing lamp to the body is constructed directly as a seat for the bearing part included in the swivel providing the upper swivel point for the headlamp.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention relates to a motor vehicle flashing lamp and headlamp 
fixture. 
2. Prior Art 
The prior art teaches various means for adjustment of the mounting of a 
headlamp in accordance with technical illumination requirements and 
aligning a lamp unit, including the headlamp and a flashing lamp or 
indicator, in a body aperture accommodating the lamp unit. The prior art 
further teaches, in the case of different headlamp constructions, 
solutions in order to realign mutually deviations of adjacent contours 
dictated on the one hand by production tolerances of the two lamps and on 
the other hand by production tolerances of the body hole accommodating the 
unit. Advantageously, this is done in such a way that a stylistically 
favorable appearance of the lamp unit arranged in the body aperture is 
obtained. 
In the case of the known headlamp/flashing lamp fixtures these solutions 
consisted principally in the fact that the flashing lamp was constructed 
as a component engageable with or elastically attached to the headlamp. 
This preassembled unit was then anchored to the body through the 
intermediary of the conventional mounting devices for the respective 
headlamp construction. 
The mutual alignment of the two headlamps could be achieved comparatively 
well in this case, however the alignment of the flashing lamp with 
reference to the mudguard more particularly in the case of headlamp 
constructions with a cover disc firmly attached to the reflector, the 
mobility of the cover disc which was necessary in order to align the 
headlamp in accordance with the technical lighting requirements could not 
always be obtained satisfactorily. Furthermore, the mounting of the 
flashing lamp was not always satisfactorily secure. These are some of the 
problems this invention overcomes. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The aim of the invention is to improve a mode of mounting flashing lamps 
and headlamps in motor vehicle bodies so that on the one hand a favorable 
mutual alignment of the two lamps, and on the other hand a favorable 
alignment of the flashing lamps with reference to the mudguard is possible 
and simultaneously a simple and reliably secure mode of mounting the two 
lamps to the body is achieved. 
This aim is achieved according to the invention in that a mode of mounting 
flashing lamps and headlamps in a body aperture of a motor vehicle body 
includes a headlamp braced by a swivel means providing an upper swivel 
point for the headlamp against the flashing lamp housing. An outer lateral 
lower adjusting device, movable forward and backward for the illumination 
range adjustment, is attached through a bracket to the flashing lamp 
housing or to the body. An inner lateral upper adjusting device, which is 
movable forward and backward for the illumination direction adjustment, is 
attached to the body. A mounting part for anchoring the flashing lamp to 
the body is constructed directly as a seat for the bearing part included 
in the swivel means providing the upper swivel point of the headlamp. 
Advantageously, if desired, the outer lateral lower adjusting device, 
movable forwards and backwards for the illumination range adjustment, is 
attached to the body through a guide bracket slidable on the flashing lamp 
housing. Also, the mounting part in the form of a screw bolt may be 
utilized for tensioning the support arm of the flashing lamp housing 
against a flange of the body. The free end of the screw bolt includes a 
first mating means such as a ball head or a ball socket to receive a 
coacting second mating bearing means portion of the swivel means providing 
the upper swivel point of the headlamp. 
Due to the fact that a mounting part for anchoring the flashing lamp 
housing to the body is constructed directly as a seat for the second 
mating bearing means of the swivel means for the headlamp, a reliably 
secure mode of attaching the flashing lamp and the mounting point of the 
headlamp is achieved and furthermore a mutual alignment of the two lamps 
within close tolerances is ensured. Because the guide bracket is 
accommodated slidably on the flashing lamp for the adjusting device for 
the illumination range adjustment, good alignment of the two lamps 
mutually and between the mounting means of the headlamp to the body is 
ensured. 
The bearing part of the swivel means for of the headlamp may in this case 
according to a further embodiment of the invention be removed inside the 
headlamp, whereby the horizontal pivotal axis of the headlamp is shifted 
more to its center of gravity lying farther forward due to the heavy 
diffuser or lens and a more vibration-free and more reliable support of 
the headlamp on the body can thereby be achieved.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
In FIG. 1 a flashing lamp 1 and a headlamp 2 are arranged within a body 
aperture 3 indicated by thin chain-dotted lines. The housing of flashing 
lamp 1 is provided with an arm 4 which is attached through a mounting part 
5 in the form of a screw bolt 6 with a ball head 7 to a flange 8 of the 
body (see FIGS. 2 and 4). 
Ball head 7 constitutes the seat part of an upper pivotally movable 
mounting point P through which both the horizontal optical axis H 
(extending through the inner lateral upper forwards and backwards movable 
adjusting points HA) and also the vertical optical axis V of headlamp 2 
(extending to the outer lateral lower forwards and backwards movable 
adjusting point VA) both extend. 
A ball socket 9 made of plastic constitutes the bearing part of the swivel 
forming upper swivel point P in this case. Ball socket 9 is inserted into 
a holding part 10 which is firmly attached to headlamp 2. Holding part 10 
accommodates a ball head 12 of an adjusting screw 13 which is mounted in a 
plastics bracket 14 on the body. This arrangement constitutes the 
adjusting device for the upper adjusting point HA that provides for the 
illumination direction adjustment (see FIG. 2). 
A further holding part 15 is firmly attached to headlamp 2 in the region of 
the lower adjusting point VA. Holding part 15 again accommodates a ball 
socket 16 made of plastic in which the ball head 17 of, for example, an 
hydraulic illumination range adjusting device 18 is seated. Illumination 
range adjusting device 18 is fixed through a kind of bayonet catch 19 to a 
flange 20 of the body. In order that the mounting of illumination range 
adjusting means 18 occurs in coordination with the position of flashing 
lamp 1, flashing lamp 1 is provided with a guide means 21 in which a guide 
bracket 22 is slidingly accommodated, the angled end of which carries the 
catch orifice 23 for bayonet catch 19. The orifice in the flange 20 is 
made larger so that the position of illumination range adjusting device 18 
is determined by the guide bracket 22 and illumination range adjusting 
device 18 is only attached to flange 20 of the body by the engagement of 
bayonet catch 19 (see FIGS. 3 and 5). 
The mounting of flashing lamp 1 and of headlamp 2 is thus effected through 
a common mounting part 5, whereby on the one hand production and assembly 
cost are economized and on the other hand an alignment of the two adjacent 
components so as to permit close tolerances is ensured. Guide bracket 22 
slidable on flashing lamp 1 ensures an appropriate determination of the 
position of the lower adjusting point VA, without it then being necessary 
for flashing lamp 1 to support the weight of illumination range adjuster 
18, since the latter is supported by flange 20 of the body. In this way, 
no reinforcement of the flashing lamp in order to perform the guidance 
function for illumination range adjuster 18 is necessary. 
The exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5 
starts from a mode of mounting flashing lamp and headlamps where the two 
components are attached to a flange 8 of the body oriented substantially 
in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and vertically. 
However, this is not the only possible embodiment. On the contrary, as is 
shown, for example, in FIG. 6, a joint mounting of flashing lamp 1 and 
headlamp 2' can also be made to a flange 8' of the body extending in the 
transverse direction of the vehicle and vertically. In this case, a 
mounting means 5' extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in 
contradistinction to the first exemplary embodiment. This second 
embodiment makes possible in a particularly advantageous manner the 
arrangement of the upper pivotally movable mounting point P' within the 
headlamp 2', whereby the horizontal optical axis H' and also the vertical 
optical axis V' can be removed nearer to the center of gravity of the 
headlamp 2', which lies comparatively far forwards in the case of the 
currently customary constructions of the diffusers or lens shown as a 
solid line around headlamp 2 (See FIG. 2). 
Consequently, a more vibration-free and reliable mounting of the headlamp 
to the body can be achieved. As may be seen from FIG. 1, in this case the 
upper pivotally movable point P' can be arranged in a plane end region of 
the rectangular headlamp, where it scarcely has any prejudicial effect 
upon the optical requirements of the reflector configuration. 
The ball socket 9' made of plastic may in this case be of closed 
construction at its end located in the headlamp 2' and be inserted sealed 
into the sheet metal of the reflector of the headlamp. 
The construction of mounting part 5, as shown in the circle A in FIG. 1, 
can be made in a further embodiment which is shown in FIG. 7. In this 
figure a flashing lamp 1' is attached through an arm 4" and a mounting 
part 5" to a flange 8" of the body. Mounting part 5" exhibits a screw bolt 
6" in the free end of which a ball socket 9" is made which accommodates a 
ball head 7" of the upper pivotally movable mounting point P". The 
mounting part 5" in this case may be made of a suitable plastic material 
in which the ball socket 9" is shaped. The ball head 7" may be attached to 
an angled region of a supporting part 10" in such a way that a forward 
removal of the horizontal optical axis H" is optionally achieved. 
A further embodiment of the mounting part is shown in FIGS. 8 an 9. A 
flashing lamp 1''' in this case exhibits an arm 4''' which is braced 
through an articulated catch connection 26 to a mounting part 5''' which 
is attached to a flange 8''' of the body. The mounting part 5''' is 
attached through a screw bolt 24 to the flange 8''', while the mounting 
part 5''' is aligned with reference to the mudguard and braced by an 
integrally moulded guide plate 25. 
Mounting part 5''' again exhibits a ball socket 9''' which accommodates a 
ball head 7''' of the upper pivotally movable mounting point P. The catch 
connection of flashing lamp 1''' to mounting part 5''' is made somewhat 
articulated and thereby prevents stressing of the flashing lamp housing. 
Furthermore, an independent assembly of the headlamp and of the flashing 
lamp may be made to mounting part 5''' aligned and anchored towards the 
shell of the body. 
Various modifications and variations will no doubt occur to those skilled 
in the various arts to which this invention pertains. For example, the 
mounting part can be constructed as a screw threaded mounting part as well 
as in various clip and catch mounting constructions which permit a 
reliable mounting of the flashing lamp and of the headlamp with a 
favorable mutual alignment of the two components with each other. These 
and all other variations which basically rely on the teachings through 
which this disclosure has advanced the art are properly considered within 
the scope of this invention.