Lighting device in particular signalling lamp for a vehicle

• US 5,685,628 A
• Filed: 07/07/1995
• Issued: 11/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ITT Automotive Europe GmbH
• Original Assignee: ITT Automotive Europe GmbH
• Inventors: Holzmacher, Gunther, Feger, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): CARIASO, ALAN B
• Application Number:
  US08/428,192
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 362/61, 362/80, 362/267, 362/369, 362/390, 277/12, 277/180, 277/181
• US Class Current: 362/507
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0466 with arrangement for sealing the headlamp with respect to the vehicle body, or for concealling gaps between the headlamp and the vehicle body
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 41/29 Attachment thereof for achieving variable light distribution F21S41/63
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 43/51 Attachment thereof

Abstract

A lighting device, in particular to a signalling lamp for a vehicle, which consists of a lamp housing and of a cover plate which is connected therewith and is translucent at least in some areas. The lighting device is mountable on a wall or the like, and a gap which forcibly results from design, which provides an unesthetic view to a beholder, and which is formed between the lighting device and an adjacent wall has to be covered in a decorative manner.

Claims

1. A lighting device for a vehicle comprising;

a lamp housing mountable on a wall of said vehicle and provided with a cover plate which at least in some areas is translucent, with at least one light source being arranged or arrangeable in the lamp housing and, wherein a gap is defined between said lamp housing and a portion of said wall of the vehicle adjacent said housing when said lighting device is mounted to said vehicle,

wherein an elastic element of plastics is injection-moulded on an edge of the lamp housing, said elastic element substantially masking said gap relative to a visual impression imparted to an observer of the vehicle wherein the elastic element has a masking lip which extends in a direction towards said adjacent portion of said wall.

2. A lighting device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the masking lip rests on an outer edge portion of the wall.

3. A lighting device for a vehicle comprising:

a lamp housing mountable on a wall of said vehicle and provided with a cover plate which at least in some areas is translucent, with at least one light source being arranged or arrangeable in the lamp housing and, wherein a gap is defined between said lamp housing and a portion of said wall of the vehicle adjacent said housing when said lighting device is mounted to said vehicle,

wherein an elastic element of plastics is injection-moulded on an edge of the lamp housing, said elastic element substantially masking said gap relative to a visual impression imparted to an observer of the vehicle wherein an injection-moulding surface of the lamp housing features additional anchoring means for the elastic element, said anchoring means comprising at least one of a pin and a cam.

4. A lighting device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pins project through the material of the elastic element and are caulked on the surface of the elastic element.

5. A lighting device for a vehicle comprising:

a lamp housing mountable on a wall, said lamp housing having a cover plate which at least in some areas is translucent, with at least one light source being arranged or arrangeable in said lamp housing, wherein said lamp housing includes a plurality of outer surfaces which lie in a visual range to thereby convey a decorative impression, and

wherein a plastic coating is injection-moulded to at least one of said plurality of outer surfaces of said lamp housing which lie in the visual range, said plastic coating extending around a surface edge formed by a first one of said plurality of outer surfaces and a second one of said outer surfaces adjacent to said first one of said outer surfaces wherein said plastic coating extends from said first one of said outer surfaces up to and on said second one of said outer surfaces, said plastic coating, at least in some areas, extending on a first side of and around a front edge of a lamp housing wall up to and on a back side opposite said first side of said lamp housing wall,

wherein at least one opening is provided in said lamp housing wall having a coating of injection-moulded plastic and in that coating material that has passed through this opening integrally unites the part of the plastic coating on the outer surface with the part of the plastic coating on the back side of the lamp housing wall.

6. A lighting device for a vehicle, comprising:

a lamp housing mountable on a wall of the vehicle and provided with a cover plate which at least in some areas is translucent, with at least one light source being arranged or arrangeable in the lamp housing and, wherein a gap is defined between said lamp housing and a portion of said wall of the vehicle adjacent said lamp housing when said lighting device is mounted to said vehicle and wherein said lamp housing includes a plurality of outer surfaces which lie in a visual range destined to convey a decorative impression,

wherein by means of injection-moulding, an elastic element of plastics is applied to a part of the lamp housing with the elastic element of plastics having a masking lip formed on a distal end thereof and has an elasticity associated therewith for substantially masking said gap and which extends from the lighting device in a direction of the adjacent portion of said wall and in that, by means of injection-moulding, a plastic coating is applied to at least one of said plurality of outer surfaces of the lamp housing which lie in the visual range.

7. A lighting device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the elastic element with masking lip and the plastic coating are integrally united.

8. A lighting device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the plastic coating extends up to and on a front edge of a lamp housing wall and in that, the masking lip is directly moulded integrally to the plastic coating.

9. A lighting device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the color of the lamp housing is gray and the color of the elastic element and the color of the plastic coating is black.

10. A lighting device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the lamp housing is of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and in that the elastic element and the plastic coating is selected from the set of thermoplastic elastomer and thermoplastic urethane-based elastomer respectively.

11. A lighting device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the lamp housing with injection-moulded elastic element and with injection-moulded plastic coating is manufactured by means of a two-component injection-moulding process.

12. A lighting device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said masking lip is generally V-shaped.