Automobile headlight housing

• US 20050195615A1
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Takenaka, Hisanori
• Application Number:
  US11/063,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20050195615A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/546
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/172 High-intensity discharge light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/192 Details of lamp holders, terminals or connectors
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 45/10 Protection of lighting devices cooling of lighting devices F21S45/40; waterproofing of lighting devices F21S45/50

Abstract

Headlight components including a bulb and a reflector are contained in a headlight housing, and a rear opening of the headlight housing is closed with a back cover. A circuit board is mounted on an inner surface of the back cover, and an impact-alleviating member is connected to or formed on an outer surface of the back cover. An external impact applied to circuit board through the back cover is alleviated by resiliency or plasticity of the impact-alleviating member. Thus, the circuit board is well protected from the external impact. The impact-alleviating member may be plural projections standing up from the outer surface of the back cover, or may be formed in various shapes.

Claims

1. An automobile headlight housing containing a circuit board for controlling lighting operation therein, the automotive headlight housing comprising:

a back cover covering a rear opening of the headlight housing, the circuit board being mounted on an inner surface of the back cover; and

means for alleviating an external impact applied to the circuit board through the back cover, the alleviating means being disposed on an outer surface of the back cover.

2. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 1, wherein the alleviating means is a resiliently deformable member.

3. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 1, wherein the alleviating means is a plastically deformable member.

4. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 1, wherein the alleviating means is a member having a plurality of projections sticking out from the outer surface of the back cover.

5. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 4, wherein each projection has a rectangular cross-section.

6. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 4, wherein each projection has a stepped rectangular cross-section including a larger foot portion and a smaller tip portion.

7. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 4, wherein each projection has a triangular cross-section tapering off toward a tip portion of the projection.

8. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 4, wherein each projection has a cross-section having a smaller cross-sectional area at a tip portion than at a foot portion.

9. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 4, wherein each projection has a cross-section having a thin portion at a middle portion of the projection.

10. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 4, wherein each projection has a cross-section having a thin portion at a foot portion of the projection.

11. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 1, wherein the alleviating means is a rubber sheet pasted on the outer surface of the back cover.

12. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 1, wherein the alleviating means is a plurality of rubber sheets each pasted on the outer surface of the back cover.

13. The automotive headlight housing as in claim 1, wherein the alleviating means is a member having a hollow space therein, the member being resiliently or plastically deformable toward the outer surface of the back cover when an external impact is applied thereto.

14. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 1, wherein the alleviating means is an L-shaped member composed of a base portion standing from the outer surface of the back cover at a right angle and a parallel portion extending in parallel to the outer surface of the back cover, forming a hollow space between the outer surface and the parallel portion.

15. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 14, wherein the alleviating means is composed of one or more pairs of the L-shaped members, the L-shaped members being facing each other in each pair.

16. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 1, wherein the alleviating means is knurls formed on the outer surface of the back cover.

17. The automobile headlight housing as in claim 1, wherein a substrate of the circuit board is a ceramic substrate.