Patent Publication Number: US-2023158945-A1

Title: Lamp assembly for a vehicle

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to a lamp assembly for a vehicle and to a vehicle comprising such a lamp assembly. The invention further relates to a method for mounting a lamp assembly on a vehicle body, and to a method for disassembling a lamp assembly. 
     The invention can be applied in light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses and construction equipment. However, the invention can be applied to other types of vehicles, such as passenger cars. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Vehicles are equipped with several lamp assemblies having various functions such as lighting or signalling functions. 
     Conventionally, a lamp assembly is secured to the outer face of the vehicle by fastening arrangements such as bolts and nuts. For that purpose, the vehicle body is provided with through holes for receiving the fasteners and also the electric wires which connect the lamp assembly to a power source located inside the vehicle body. 
     However, having through holes in the vehicle body leads to the risk of water entry. Ultimately, this can cause corrosion of the fasteners, which may require most frequent replacement and make this replacement problematic. Other consequences may be corrosion of the vehicle body, or entry of water into the passenger’s compartment. 
     Seals are generally provided to prevent water entry. However, an efficient sealing interface is an expensive solution, and requires a high level of maintenance. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the invention is to provide a lamp assembly for a vehicle which is robust and requires little maintenance. 
     According to one aspect, the invention relates to a lamp assembly for a vehicle, intended to be mounted in a recess of a body of the vehicle, the lamp assembly having a housing and a securing system for securing the lamp assembly to the vehicle body, wherein the securing system is arranged in the housing and comprises:
     at least one latch that is movable between a retracted position in which the latch is substantially fully located inside the housing, and a locking position in which the latch at least partially projects out from the housing to be able to engage in a cavity arranged in the recess of the vehicle body;   an electromagnet capable, when powered, to attract a ferromagnetic member secured to the latch, in order to move the latch to the locking position;   a receiver capable of being coupled to a transmitter located inside the vehicle body, said receiver and said transmitter being part of a wireless power transfer device, the receiver being configured to power the electromagnet;   a retaining system which, in an active state, is configured to retain the latch in the locking position and which can be released to an inactive state for allowing the latch to move to the retracted position.   

     Owing to the invention, there is no need to provide through holes in the vehicle body. Indeed, securing the lamp assembly to the vehicle body is achieved by a latch engaged in a cavity, which is not a through hole. Moreover, the electric connection between the lamp assembly located outside the vehicle and the power source located inside the vehicle is provided by a wireless power transfer device. 
     As a consequence, the invention avoids the issue of water entry into the vehicle and does not require implementing expensive sealing solutions. The lamp assembly therefore has an increased robustness and durability, and may last during the entire life-span of the vehicle, without service or replacement. 
     Another advantage of the invention derives from the fact that the securing system is arranged in the housing. With such non-visible fasteners, the lamp assembly design can meet the high expectations from a premium brand. Moreover, it improves the vehicle aerodynamics and thus its efficiency. However, the securing system design allows easily mounting and disassembling the lamp assembly despite the fact that the fasteners — here the latches — are not directly accessible to an operator. 
     The lamp assembly according to the invention can be easily mounted on the vehicle and disassembled. There is no need to open the housing during these operations. 
     In practice, before the lamp assembly is mounted, the latch is preferably in the retracted position. The lamp assembly may comprise at least one biasing member configured to bias the latch towards the retracted position. The terms “the latch is substantially fully located inside the housing” may include a configuration in which the latch projects out from the housing over a very small distance, this distance being small enough to prevent locking. 
     Alternatively, before the lamp assembly is mounted, the latch can be in the locked position, but capable of moving towards the retracted position while being pushed onto the vehicle body when the lamp assembly is being mounted. 
     Power is required to trigger the mounting process, i.e. the movement of the latch due to the electromagnet. In this respect, it has to be noted that a reverse configuration is possible, namely with the electromagnet provided on the latch and the ferromagnetic member secured to the housing. However, once the latch is in the locking position, the securing system is electrically passive, i.e. does not require power, as the latch can be mechanically maintained in this position by means of the retaining system. 
     In an embodiment, the retaining system comprises a retaining member and at least one biasing member configured to bias the retaining member towards the active state. In the active state of the retaining member and in the locking position of the latch, a projection secured to the latch may cooperate with the retaining member to prevent the latch from moving to its retracted position. 
     The securing system can be configured so that the movement of the latch from the retracted position towards the locking position causes the projection to move the retaining member towards its inactive state against the force of the biasing member until the projection has moved past the retaining member, the projection then being snapped on the retaining member which has returned to the active state by means of the biasing member. 
     For example, the retaining member comprises a bar. The bar can have a triangular cross-section. The lamp assembly can comprise two latches configured to move along parallel sliding axes between the retracted position and the locking position, said sliding axes being orthogonal to the main direction of the bar. 
     The securing system may further comprise a releasing member which is configured to be actuated from the outside of the lamp assembly by a user, for moving the retaining system to the inactive state, and ultimately allowing removing the lamp assembly from the vehicle body. 
     In an embodiment, the housing has a lens, a rear wall opposite the lens, and a peripheral wall. The lens is the transparent or translucent wall through which the light is emitted. The lens can include optics or not. It can be made of a plastic material. One wall of the housing, preferably the peripheral wall, has at least one hole for the at least one latch in the locking position to pass therethrough. 
     In an embodiment, one wall of the housing, preferably the rear wall, has at least one pattern which is depressed or raised and which is configured to cooperate with a corresponding pattern arranged in the recess of the vehicle body for prepositioning the lamp assembly in said recess before the lamp assembly is secured to the vehicle body. By “depressed” is meant “protruding towards the inside of the housing; by “raised” is meant “protruding towards the outside of the housing”. Such an arrangement ensures that the latch faces the cavity of the recess. This may not be easy to achieve otherwise, as the latch is hidden in the housing or hard to see through the lens of the housing. 
     The receiver can be one of a capacitive plate and an induction coil. However, other wireless power transfer devices could be envisaged. In an embodiment, the receiver comprises a plate which is mounted adjacent the housing rear wall, and said plate has at least one hole for receiving a depressed pattern arranged in the housing rear wall. 
     According to another aspect, the invention relates to a vehicle having a body in which at least one recess is formed, the recess being open towards the outside of the vehicle, the vehicle comprising a lamp assembly as previously described. The lamp assembly is mounted in the recess and secured to the vehicle body. The recess has at least one cavity in which a latch of the lamp assembly can be engaged. The vehicle further comprises a transmitter which is located inside the vehicle body, substantially adjacent a recess wall, and which can be connected to a vehicle battery for allowing wireless power transfer to the receiver of the lamp assembly. 
     In an embodiment, the housing of the lamp assembly has a lens, and said lens is substantially level with the portion of the vehicle body which surrounds the recess. This brings significant advantages in terms of design, impact protection and aerodynamics. 
     According to another aspect, the invention relates to a method for mounting a lamp assembly on a vehicle body, to form a vehicle as previously described. The method comprises:
     positioning the lamp assembly in the recess, the latch being in the retracted position;   powering the transmitter thus, as a consequence of the wireless power transfer device, powering the receiver, thereby powering the electromagnet and causing the latch to move to the locking position to engage the cavity of the recess, the latch then being retained in the locking position by the retaining system in the active state.   

     According to still another aspect, the invention relates to a method for disassembling a lamp assembly, in a vehicle as previously described. The method comprises, starting from an unpowered condition of the transmitter:
     releasing the retaining system to the inactive state, resulting in the latch being freed and moving to the retracted position, for example by means of at least one biasing member configured to bias the latch towards the retracted position;   removing the lamp assembly from the vehicle body.   

     Further advantages and advantageous features of the invention are disclosed in the following description and in the dependent claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       With reference to the appended drawings, below follows a more detailed description of embodiments of the invention cited as examples. 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a vehicle comprising several lamp assemblies according to the invention; 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic cross-section in a vertical longitudinal plane of the vehicle of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    is a front view of a lamp assembly mounted on the vehicle body; 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic and enlarged cross-section in vertical longitudinal plane P IV  of  FIG.  3   , P IV  being defined as including axis A30 of a latch of a securing system of the lamp assembly; 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic and enlarged cross-section in vertical longitudinal plane Pv of  FIG.  3   , Pv being defined as passing through a biasing member of a retaining system of the lamp assembly; 
         FIG.  6    is a detailed view of the vehicle body from the inside, near the lamp assembly; 
         FIGS.  7  to  9    show successive steps of a method for mounting the lamp assembly on the vehicle body; 
         FIGS.  10  and  11    are detailed views of the securing system of the lamp assembly, respectively with the latch in the retracted position and with the latch retained in the locking position by the retaining system; 
         FIGS.  12  to  14    show successive steps of a method for disassembling the lamp assembly; 
         FIG.  15    is a detailed view of the lamp assembly showing a step of the disassembling method. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG.  1    shows a vehicle  1 , more specifically an industrial vehicle. Although the invention will be described with respect to a truck, the invention is not restricted to this particular vehicle, but may also be used in other vehicles, such as a bus. 
     As shown in  FIG.  1   , Z is defined as the vertical direction, X is defined as the longitudinal direction of the vehicle  1 , and Y is defined as the transversal direction of the vehicle  1 . 
     The vehicle  1  comprises a tractor  2  including a chassis  3  supported by front wheels 4a and rear wheels 4b and a cab  5  which can be mounted on the chassis  2  through suspensions. The cab  5  comprises a front wall  6  provided with a windscreen  7 , side walls  8  and a roof  9 . It defines a driver compartment. The vehicle  1  comprises a body  10  which is defined as the frame structure including in particular the front wall  6 , side walls  8  and roof  9 . 
     In the configuration of  FIG.  2   , the vehicle  1  comprises only the tractor  2 . However, the vehicle  1  is also configured to include a trailer (not shown) connected to the tractor  2 . 
     The vehicle  1  further comprises at least one lamp assembly  20  secured to the vehicle body  10 . For that purpose, at least one recess  11  is formed in the vehicle body  10 , the recess  11  being open towards the outside of the vehicle  1  and receiving the lamp assembly  20 . The recess  11  has a rear wall  13  opposite the recess opening, and a peripheral wall  14 . 
     The vehicle  1  may comprise several lamp assemblies  20  which are mounted in corresponding recesses  11  of the vehicle body  10 . In a non-limiting embodiment, as shown in  FIG.  1   , the lamp assemblies  20  are mounted on the cab  5 , preferably along a transverse line above the vehicle windshield  7 , and thus can form clearance marker lamps. However, the invention can apply to lamp assemblies having other functions and/or other locations on a vehicle. 
     The lamp assembly  20  has a housing  21  which comprises a lens  22 , a rear wall  23  opposite the lens  22 , and a peripheral wall  24 . Preferably, the housing  21  has substantially the same shape as that of the recess  11 , so that the lamp assembly  20  can be mounted in the recess  11  and fit into said recess  11 . In addition, the lens  22  may be substantially level with the portion of the vehicle body  10  which surrounds the recess  11 , as can be seen in  FIGS.  4  and  9    for example. This brings significant advantages in terms of aesthetics, aerodynamics and impact protection. 
     The lamp assembly  20  comprises one or several light sources (not shown) which are located inside the housing  21 , and which have appropriate lighting or signalling functions in accordance with the intended use of the lamp assembly  20 . The lens  22  of the housing  21  must allow the light emitted by the light source(s) to be transmitted towards the outside with the required properties in terms of light intensity and distribution. 
     The vehicle  1  also comprises an electronic control unit  18  and a battery  19  connected to said electronic control unit  18 . The connection can be achieved by wires  17 . The battery  19  can provide power to the light source(s) and other components of the lamp assembly  20 , in particular for allowing securing the lamp assembly  20  to the vehicle body  10  as will be explained hereinafter. 
     The lamp assembly  20  comprises a securing system  25  for securing the lamp assembly  20  to the vehicle body  10 . The securing system  25  is arranged in the housing  21 . Preferably, the securing system  25  is fully housed in the housing  21 , before the lamp assembly  20  is mounted in the recess  11 . 
     The securing system  25  comprises at least one latch  30  that is movable between a retracted position in which the latch  30  is substantially fully located inside the housing  21  ( FIG.  7   ), and a locking position in which the latch  30  at least partially projects out from the housing  21  ( FIGS.  3  and  9   ). For that purpose, the peripheral wall  24  of the housing  21  has a hole  16  for allowing the latch  30  to pass through and extend outside the housing  21 . 
     In the locking position, the latch  30  is engaged in a cavity  12  arranged in the recess  11  of the vehicle body  10 , the cavity  12  not being a through hole. In an embodiment, as represented in  FIG.  4   , the latch  30  is not directly engaged in the cavity  12  but received in a receiving member  15  which is arranged in the cavity  12  and which opens towards the inside of the recess  11 . The receiving member  15  may comprise a non-threaded nut. It is preferably assembled to the vehicle body  10  without requiring holes in the vehicle body  10 . For example, the receiving member  15  can be integrated in the vehicle body  10  by insert moulding or any other appropriate post operation method, such that the interface between the receiving member  15  and the vehicle body  10  is completely sealed. 
     The latch  30  may be arranged to slide in a sleeve  31  secured to the housing  21 , along a sliding axis A30. With the arrangement shown in  FIG.  1   , the sliding axis A30 may be substantially vertical, i.e. parallel to vertical direction Z. 
     The lamp assembly  20  preferably comprises a biasing member  34  (such as a helical spring) configured to bias the latch  30  towards the retracted position, as can be seen in  FIG.  4   . 
     For better securing the lamp assembly  20  to the vehicle body  10 , the lamp assembly  20  may comprise two latches  30  configured to move along parallel sliding axes A30 between the retracted position and the locking position. Preferably, the latches  30  may be arranged near opposite sides of the lamp assembly  20 , as seen in  FIG.  3   . 
     The securing system  25  also comprises a retaining system which, in an active state, is configured to retain the latch  30  in the locking position and which can be released to an inactive state for allowing the latch  30  to move to the retracted position, for example under the action of the biasing member  34 . 
     In the non-limited illustrated embodiment, the retaining system has a retaining member comprising or consisting of a bar  26  which preferably extends orthogonal to the sliding axes A30 and adjacent the housing rear wall  23 . The bar  26  may be engaged in side apertures  29  of the housing, as can be seen in  FIG.  10   . 
     The bar  26  may have a triangular cross-section having a front face  27  forming a ramp and a bottom face  28  forming a locking surface (see  FIG.  5   ). The latch  30  comprises a projection  36  having a ramp-like bottom face  37  and a locking upper face  38 , as shown in  FIG.  10   . In the active state of the retaining member  26  and in the locking position of the latch  30 , the projection  36  cooperates with the retaining member  26  to prevent the latch  30  from moving to its retracted position. 
     The retaining system further has at least one biasing member which is configured to bias the retaining member  26  towards the active state. This biasing member may be a spring  35 , such as a helical spring, having one end secured to the lens  22  and one opposite end secured to the retaining member  26 . The spring  35  can be an extension spring. 
     The securing system  25  further comprises an electromagnet  33  which is secured to the housing  21 . When powered, the electromagnet  33  is capable of attracting a ferromagnetic member secured to the latch  30 , in order to move the latch  30  to the locking position. The ferromagnetic member may comprise a tab  32  extending orthogonally to the latch  30 . 
     It results from the above description that the mechanical features ensuring the locking of the lamp assembly  20  inside the recess  11  — namely basically the latch  30  and cavity  12  —do not require through-holes in the vehicle body  10 . 
     Moreover, actuating the securing system  25  neither requires such through-holes, as the invention makes use of a wireless power transfer device  40 . 
     To that end, the vehicle  1  comprises a transmitter  41  which is located inside the vehicle body  10  and which is connected to the battery  19 , and the lamp assembly  20  comprises a receiver  42  which is located inside the housing  21 . The transmitter  41  and receiver  42  are part of the wireless power transfer device  40 , the transmitter  41  allowing wireless power transfer to the receiver  42 . The transmitter  41  and receiver  42  can be capacitive plate, or induction coils. The transmitter  41  can be housed in an inner module  44  as shown in  FIG.  2   . 
     The transmitter  41 , or inner module  44 , is secured to the vehicle body with any mounting arrangement not requiring holes. For that purpose, according to an embodiment shown in  FIG.  6   , there may be provided embossments  50  protruding from the vehicle body  10  towards the inside, on opposite sides of the recess  11 . The embossments  50  are made by moulding or other appropriate post operation and therefore are part of the vehicle body  10  or secured to the vehicle body  10  without holes. The embossments  50  may have threaded inserts for receiving fasteners  51  for securing the transmitter  41 . 
     Thus, basically, the lamp assembly  20  derives power and communication wirelessly from the inner module  44 . 
     For the wireless power transfer device  40  to work, there is no need to provide through holes in the vehicle body  10  for receiving wires; however, the transmitter  41  and receiver  42  must be fairly close to one another. In an embodiment, the transmitter  41  is arranged substantially adjacent the recess rear wall  13 , while the receiver  42  is arranged substantially adjacent the housing rear wall  23 , therefore facing the transmitter  41 . As shown in  FIGS.  2 ,  4  and  5   , with such a configuration, the transmitter  41  and receiver  42  are only separated by a wall of the vehicle body  10 . 
     The receiver  42  can provide the power transmitted by the transmitter  41  to components inside the housing  21  of the lamp assembly  20 , including light source(s) and the electromagnet  33 . Inside the housing  21 , wires or tracks on a circuit board (not shown) electrically connect the receiver  42  to the components which need power.  FIG.  3    schematically shows wires  39  which electrically connect the electromagnets  33  and the receiver  42 . 
     According to a possible feature of the invention, one wall of the recess  11  of the vehicle body  10  can have at least one pattern which is depressed or raised. This pattern in the recess  11  is configured to cooperate with a corresponding pattern arranged in one wall of the lamp assembly housing  21 , for prepositioning the lamp assembly  20  in said recess  11  before the lamp assembly  20  is secured to the vehicle body  10 . 
     In the non-limited represented embodiment, on the one hand, the rear wall  13  of the recess has two patterns  45  which are raised, i.e. which protrude towards the inside of the recess  11 . On the other hand, the rear wall  23  of the housing  21  has two patterns  46  which are depressed, i.e. which protrude towards the inside of the housing  21 . 
     The receiver  42  may comprise a plate which is mounted adjacent the housing rear wall  23 . Then, said plate-shaped receiver  42  has one or several holes  43  for receiving the depressed pattern(s)  46  arranged in the housing rear wall  23 , as shown in  FIGS.  3  and  5   . 
     Reference is now made to  FIGS.  7  to  11    which shows steps of a method for mounting the lamp assembly  20  on the vehicle body  10 . 
     In the lamp assembly  20  ready for being mounted, the latches  30  are in the retracted position, because of springs  34 , and therefore do not project, or project only very slightly, outside the housing  21 . As shown in  FIG.  10   , the projection  36  on the latch  30  is spaced apart from the retaining member  26 . 
     First of all, the lamp assembly  20  is positioned in the recess  11  so that the axes  30  of the latches  30  coincide with the cavities  12  ( FIG.  8   ). This might be fairly easy if the shapes of the housing  21  and recess  11  are substantially identical. Mutually engaging the patterns  45  of the vehicle body  10  and  46  of the lamp assembly  20  further improves the positioning, and may even provide some temporary hold. 
     Then, the transmitter  41  is powered, typically by switching on the vehicle ignition. As a consequence, the receiver  42  is also powered, and the electromagnet  33  is powered in turn. Attraction of the ferromagnetic member  32  by the electromagnet  33  causes the latch  30  to move to the locking position, against the force of the biasing member  34 , the latch  30  projecting out of the housing  21  through holes  16  and engaging the cavity  12  of the recess  11  ( FIG.  9   ). 
     As the latch  30  moves towards the locking position, the projection  36  on the latch  30  moves closer to the retaining member  26  until the ramp-like bottom face  37  of the projection  36  comes into contact with the front face  27  of the retaining member  26 . Further movement of the latch  30  towards the locking position results in the projection  36  pushing the retaining member  26  to move it towards its inactive state against the force of the biasing member  35 , until the projection  36  has moved past the retaining member  26 . Then, the projection  36  is snapped on the retaining member  26  which has returned to the active state by means of the biasing member  35 . The locking upper face  38  of the projection  36  on the latch  30  abuts the bottom face  28  of the retaining member  26 , so that the latch  30  is retained in the locking position by the retaining system  26  in the active state ( FIG.  11   ). 
     In the locking position, the latch  30  remains engaged in the cavity  12  — i.e. the lamp assembly  20  remains secured to the vehicle body  10  — even if the transmitter  41 , receiver  42  and electromagnet  33  are not powered any more as a result of the vehicle ignition being turned off, and despite the biasing member  34 . The securing system  25  of the invention is electrically activated but then mechanically held in locking position. 
     In case the lamp assembly  20  needs to be disassembled, an operator can follow the now described steps, with reference to  FIGS.  12  to  15   . 
     The vehicle  1  is in the condition depicted in  FIGS.  9 ,  11  and  12   , namely: the latches  30  are engaged in cavities  12  and held in the locking position by the retaining member  26 . Furthermore, the vehicle ignition is off. In other words, the transmitter  41  is in an unpowered condition, meaning that the electromagnet  33  does not attract the ferromagnetic member  32  provided on the latch  30 . 
     The securing system  25  comprises a releasing member  47  which is configured to be actuated from the outside of the lamp assembly  20  by a user, for moving the retaining system to the inactive state. 
     For example, when the lamp assembly  20  is received in the recess  11 , there can remain a small gap  55  between the wall of the housing  21  which is adjacent the releasing member  47  and the facing wall of the recess  11  (see  FIG.  15   ). Said wall of the housing  21  may be the wall provided with the holes  16 . Such a gap  55  allows a user to access and actuate the releasing member  47 , typically by means of a tool  48  inserted in said gap  55  ( FIG.  13   ). The tool can be a screwdriver. 
     For example, actuating the releasing member  47  results in pushing the retaining member  26  to move it towards its inactive state against the force of the biasing member  35 . 
     More specifically, as shown in  FIG.  15   , the releasing member  47  may include a base  56  arranged in a hollow  57  of the housing  21  and secured to an arm  58  having an enlarged end  59 . The enlarged end  59  is located close to the retaining member or bar  26 , preferably substantially in contact with the bottom face  28  of the retaining member  26 . The hollow  57  has a greater dimension than the base  56  of the releasing member  47 . Thus, the base  56  can be pushed to move inside the hollow  57 , here towards the rear wall  23  of the housing  21 . This results in the arm  58  pushing the retaining member  26  towards its inactive state. 
     Once the user has released the retaining system to the inactive state by actuating the releasing member  47 , the latch  30  is freed from the retaining member  26  and, as it is not attracted by the electromagnet  33 , moves to the retracted position ( FIG.  14   ). This can be achieved by means of the biasing member  34 . 
     The lamp assembly  20  can then be removed from the vehicle body  10 . 
     Because of the robust design of the lamp assembly securing system according to the invention, disassembling should only be necessary to replace a damaged lamp assembly, but should not be required for maintenance. 
     One significant improvement brought by the invention relies in avoiding through holes in the vehicle body. Moreover, the invention provides a straight forward and intuitive way of mounting and securing the lamp assembly on the vehicle body. Besides, the invention does not require any particularly sophisticated arrangement on the vehicle body. 
     In addition to the previously mentioned advantages of the invention, it should be noted that the wireless power transfer device provides a wireless communication link which enables the electronic identification of the lamp assembly for aftermarket and warehouse traceability through contactless methods. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.