The field of the present invention is that of headlamps and, more particularly, that of
headlamps 5 for motor vehicles.
Motor vehicle headlamps usually comprise a light source which projects light onto a
reflector. The light is then reflected onto a lens in order to be inverted and sent back in the
form of a light beam to the outside of the vehicle. The headlamps also comprise a cut-off
mechanism allowing a portion of the reflected beam to be obscured or not, as well as means
10 of controlling the shape of the beam in order to adapt said beam to the driving conditions.
The use of cut-off mechanisms comprising a rotating cut-off bar is known. The cut-off bar
is actuated electrically to move, on command, between at least two angular positions in
which said bar obscures the light beam to a greater or lesser extent. In the case of what are
known as dual function headlamps, said two positions are a first angular position, in which
15 the cut-off bar obscures a portion of the light beam so as to limit the range of the headlamp
to dipped beam so as not to dazzle other drivers travelling in the opposite direction, and a
second angular position, in which said bar does not obscure the light beam, the range of the
headlamp corresponding in this case to main beam. There are also so-called multifunction
headlamps, in which the cut-off bar can take more than two angular positions in order to
20 obscure the light beam selectively.
The cut-off bar is attached to a support element of a movable device which is moved in
rotation by an actuating motor.
Attachment of the cut-off bar to the support element, which is usually by a screw
connection, is not easy to implement and takes some time.
25 However, it would be advantageous if the cut-off bar, which participates directly in the
intensity and orientation of the light beam emitted by the headlamp, could be changed, in
particular depending on the regulations of the country of use, or the type of headlamp or
light source in question.
The attachment as usually carried out is therefore not well suited to changes of cut-off bar,
30 or to standardisation of the cut-off mechanism.
The object of the present invention is to propose a movable assembly comprising a cut-off
bar, which does not have the drawbacks of the prior art, and in particular which allows a
change of cut-off bar to be implemented quickly and easily, and at a lower cost.
3
The invention relates to a movable assembly for a motor vehicle headlamp cut-off
mechanism, the movable assembly comprising at least one movable device and a cut-off
bar suitable for fitting to a support element of the movable device.
According to the invention, said support element comprises at least one housing, said cutoff
bar is provided with at least one attachment foot, and said housing 5 and said attachment
foot cooperate and are configured to allow what is known as a fitted position to be obtained
in which the attachment foot is inserted in the housing, following insertion by (simple)
pressure (of the attachment foot into the housing), so that the cut-off bar can be attached
removably to the movable device.
10 Thus, owing to the housing and the attachment foot and the cooperation thereof, removable
attachment of the cut-off bar to the movable device is obtained, which can be put in place
or removed quickly and easily, by applying force for the insertion or withdrawal thereof,
which allows the above-mentioned drawback of the prior art to be overcome.
In addition, by providing identical housings and attachment feet, different cut-off bars can
15 be fitted to different movable assemblies, which assists standardisation and leads to a
reduction in cost.
Advantageously, the cooperating housing and attachment foot have a shape and dimensions
adapted respectively to produce at least some ‘lateral’ contacts in the fitted position, the
adjective lateral applying to the sides of the width the elongate attachment foot, on both
20 sides of a longitudinal axis.
Furthermore, advantageously, said attachment foot has a generally planar elongate form,
and the length of the attachment foot along a longitudinal axis and the depth of the housing
are adapted to one another to obtain a given positioning of the cut-off bar on the movable
device, during contact of the free longitudinal end of the attachment foot against the bottom
25 of the housing.
Moreover, in a particular embodiment, the attachment foot is provided with at least one
locking tooth configured to hook into a wall of the cooperating housing in the fitted
position.
Preferably, said locking tooth is a pointed projecting pin. Said locking tooth or preferably
30 teeth help hold the connection rigidly in the fitted position, without preventing said
connection from being removable.
Furthermore, to increase the hold, the attachment foot comprises, advantageously, at least
one transverse bead configured to come in contact with a wall of the cooperating housing,
the adjective transverse applying to the sides of the thickness of the attachment foot.
4
Preferably, said bead is:
- an undulation of the attachment foot;
- an increase in the thickness of the attachment foot;
- an add-on bead of the attachment foot.
Moreover, in a preferred embodiment, the headlamp comprises two 5 attachment feet and
two housings which co-operate with one another.
Advantageously, the support element is provided with a branch between the two housings,
and the two attachment feet are spaced one from the other so as to have, between them, a
space of a form and dimensions respectively adapted to those of said branch.
10 In addition, advantageously, among the two attachment feet, the attachment foot positioned
towards a near end of the cut-off bar has a bevelled longitudinal end, and the cooperating
housing is provided with a bottom of a shape that at least partly is adapted to said bevelled
longitudinal end.
Moreover, advantageously, the attachment foot and the cut-off bar are produced as a single
15 part.
The present invention may be adapted to different geometric arrangements of the
attachment foot or feet on the cut-off bar.
Thus, advantageously, each of the attachment feet of generally planar form is arranged on
the cut-off bar which is also of generally planar form such that one of the following two
20 conditions is fulfilled:
- the plane of the attachment foot is situated in the plane of the cut-off bar;
- the plane of the attachment foot is situated outside the plane of the cut-off bar.
Moreover, advantageously, each of the attachment feet having a longitudinal axis is
arranged on the cut-off bar such that the longitudinal axis thereof fulfils one of the
25 following conditions:
- it is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the cut-off bar;
- it is not orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the cut-off bar.
The present invention also relates to at least one movable assembly comprising at least one
cut-off bar and a movable device, as well as an actuating motor of the movable assembly.
30 According to the invention, said movable assembly is as described above.
The present invention further relates to a headlamp for a motor vehicle comprising at least
one movable assembly and/or at least one cut-off mechanism, as described above.
The invention will be better understood, and further aims, details, characteristics and
advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the detailed explanatory description that
5
follows of embodiments of the invention given as purely illustrative and non-limiting
examples, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings. In said drawings:
- Fig. 1 and 2 are front views of a cut-off mechanism, in the main beam position and in the
dipped position respectively;
- Fig. 3 is a perspective view in part of elements of a movable 5 assembly of a cut-off
mechanism that are not fitted;
- Fig. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic front views of a portion of a movable assembly in an
insertion position and in a fitted (or inserted) position respectively of attachment feet of the
cut-off bar in the cooperating housings of a support element;
10 - Fig. 6 is a view in cross section, along a line A-A of Fig. 5, of the movable assembly in
the fitted position; and
- Fig. 7A and 7B show diagrammatically different examples of beads present on an
attachment foot.
The present invention applies to a headlamp (not shown) of a motor vehicle, configured to
15 produce a light beam. Said headlamp generally comprises a rectangular plate 1 (Fig. 1 and
2). Said plate 1 extends in an plane which is orthogonal to the optical axis of the light beam
and has a cut-out at the centre thereof, as shown in Fig. 1 and 2, forming an opening 2 that
allows said light beam to pass through. A cut-off mechanism 3 is attached to said plate 1,
the function of which is to obscure the light beam to a greater or lesser extent depending in
20 particular on the vehicle driving conditions. Usually, the headlamp also comprises behind
said plate 2, the following elements, which are not shown: a light source which produces a
light beam and a reflector which orients said light beam towards the front and towards a
lens.
In the present description, the terms front and back are defined relative to the direction of
25 emission of the light beam, and the terms low and high are defined relative to the position
of the headlamp on the vehicle.
Referring to Fig. 1 and 2, the cut-off mechanism 3, which is mounted in the low position on
the plate 1, can be seen in front view in the main beam position and in the dipped position
respectively. Said plate 1 comprises in the low portion of the opening 2, a shield 4 which
30 partly obscures said cut-out and in front of which a cut-off bar (or blade) 5 can be moved
so as to modulate the shape of the beam coming from the headlamp. Said cut-off bar 5
which forms part of the cut-off mechanism 3, is movable in rotation in a plane
perpendicular to the light beam, and is moved by an actuating motor 6.
6
In Fig. 1, which corresponds to the main beam position, the cut-off bar 5 is retracted, in
other words it slopes downwards and reveals the shield 4, which allows almost the entire
light beam to pass through the opening 3.
In Fig. 2, on the other hand, which corresponds to the dipped position, the cut-off bar 5 is
raised, and cuts the light beam over a greater height than the shield 5 4 would do alone. After
inversion by the lens, the light beam is thus oriented downwards, which avoids dazzling
drivers of vehicles coming from the opposite direction.
The cut-off mechanism 3 comprises a movable assembly 7 comprising the cut-off bar 5 and
a movable device 8, as well as an actuating motor 6 of the movable assembly 7.
10 The cut-off bar 5 is movable in a conventional manner under the action of the actuating
motor 6 via the movable device 8.
The cut-off bar 5 is moved so as to modulate the shape of the light beam coming from the
headlamp. Said cut-off bar 5, which is moved by the actuating motor 6, is movable in
rotation, in the plane which is orthogonal to the axis of the light beam.
15 The actuating motor 6 therefore allows the cut-off bar 5 to be positioned in a plurality of
positions, in particular in the above-mentioned two positions shown in Fig. 1 and 2
respectively, in order to obscure the light beam to a greater or lesser extent.
In a preferred embodiment, the actuating motor 6 for actuating the cut-off bar 5 comprises
an electromagnet (not shown). Said electromagnet comprises, for example, a coil and a
20 fixed, substantially cylindrical, ferromagnetic core, which is placed at the centre of said
coil, along the axis of symmetry thereof.
The cut-off bar 5 is suitable for fitting by one end 5A to a support element 9 of the movable
device 8, the end 5B opposite said end 5A being a free end.
The movable device 8 is therefore movable about an axis X (Fig. 3) under the action of the
25 actuating motor 6, against a return spring (not shown), between a rest position (Fig. 2) and
an actuation position (Fig. 1).
According to the invention:
- the support element 9 comprises at least one housing 10A, 10B, as shown in Fig. 3 to 5;
- the cut-off bar 5 is provided with at least one attachment foot 11A, 11B; and
30 - each attachment foot 11A, 11B is intended for, and associated with, a housing 10A, 10B.
Each housing 10A, 10B and each associated attachment foot 11A, 11B cooperate and are
configured to allow a ‘fitted’ position to be obtained in which the attachment foot 11A,
11B is fully inserted in the associated cooperating housing 10A, 10B.
7
The housing 10A, 10B may be in the form of an elongate slit, for example of rectangular
form in cross section, having an opening at the top and a closed bottom opposite the
opening.
According to the invention, insertion takes place simply by pressing the attachment foot
11A, 11B into the cooperating housing 10A, 10B as stated below. 5 The cooperating housing
10A, 10B and attachment foot 11A, 11B are configured so as to produce a removable
attachment of the cut-off bar 5 to the movable device 8.
In the preferred embodiment, shown in Fig. 3 to 6, the movable assembly 7 comprises two
attachment feet 11A and 11B and two housings 10A and 10B which are respectively
10 cooperating.
The cut-off bar 5 is therefore fitted simply by insertion in the movable device 8. To do this,
the attachment feet 10A and 10B are inserted, from the unassembled position in Fig. 3, by
pressure in the direction shown by an arrow F in Fig. 4 into an insertion position, until the
inserted (or fitted) position of Fig. 5 is obtained.
15 Thus, owing to the housing(s) 10A, 10B and the attachment foot (feet) 11A, 11B and the
cooperation thereof, removable attachment (or rigid connection) of the cut-off bar 5 to the
movable device 8 is obtained, which can be put in place or removed quickly and easily,
simply by applying force for the insertion or withdrawal thereof.
As shown in Fig. 4 and 5, the support element 9 is provided with a branch (or wall) 12
20 formed between the two housings 10A and 10B, and the two attachment feet 11A and 11B
are spaced from one another so as to have, between them, a space 13 of a shape and
dimensions respectively that are adapted to those of said branch 12.
Moreover, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 and 5, the attachment foot 11A situated
towards the end 5B of the cut-off bar 5 has a longitudinal end provided with a bevel 14, and
25 the cooperating housing 10A is provided with a bottom having a sloping edge 15 that is at
least partly adapted to said bevel 14.
The cooperating housing and attachment foot (of each housing and attachment foot pair)
have a shape and dimensions respectively that are adapted to produce at least ‘lateral’
contacts in the fitted position, so as to obtain sufficient hold. The adjective lateral applies,
30 as shown by way of example for the attachment foot 11B in Fig. 4, to the sides C1 and C2
of width l1 of the elongate attachment foot 11B, on both sides of a longitudinal axis B of
the attachment foot 11B. The lateral contacts of the cooperating attachment feet 11A and
11B in the housings 10A and 10B are indicated by the reference numerals L1A and L2A,
and L1B and L2B respectively, in Fig. 5.
8
Moreover, each attachment foot 11A and 11B has a generally planar elongate shape. The
length L of each attachment foot along the longitudinal axis B, as shown for the attachment
foot 11B in Fig. 4, and the depth of the cooperating housing are adapted to one another, to
obtain a given positioning of the cut-off bar 5 on the movable device 8, during contact of
the free longitudinal end of the attachment foot 11A, 11B against the 5 bottom of the housing
10A, 10B, as shown by an arrow PA, PB in Fig. 5.
Moreover, in a particular embodiment, the attachment feet 11A and 11B are provided with
locking teeth 16 configured to hook into a wall of the cooperating housing in the fitted
position of Fig. 5.
10 Preferably, each locking tooth 16 is a pointed projecting pin, formed in the corresponding
attachment foot. Said locking teeth 16 help hold the rigid connection in the fitted position,
without preventing it from being removable.
Furthermore, to increase said hold, each attachment foot 11A and 11B also comprises at
least one transverse bead 17 configured to come in contact with a wall of the cooperating
15 housing 10A, 10B. The adjective transverse applies to the sides of the thickness E of the
attachment foot, as shown for the foot 11B in Fig. 6.
The bead 17 may be in particular:
- an undulation 18 of the attachment foot 11A, 11B, in other words the attachment foot
11A, 11B has a shape that is at least partly undulating, as shown in Fig. 6; or
20 - an increase 19 in the thickness of the attachment foot 11A, 11B, as shown in Fig. 7A; or
- an add-on bead 20 of the attachment foot 11A, 11B, as shown in Fig. 7B.
The present invention may be applied to different geometric arrangements of the
attachment foot or feet 11A, 11B on the cut-off bar 5. Each attachment foot 11A, 11B is of
generally planar form, and is arranged on the cut-off bar 5 which is also of generally planar
25 form.
In a preferred embodiment, the plane of the attachment foot 11A, 11B is situated in the
plane of the cut-off bar 5, as shown in Fig. 3 to 5.
However, in the context of the present invention, it is also possible to envisage, in an
alternative embodiment, that the plane of the attachment foot is situated outside the plane
30 of the cut-off bar, either by sloping relative to said plane, or by being orthogonal thereto. In
the last case, instead of insertion from top to bottom as shown in Fig. 4, insertion is carried
out from front to back or from back to front.
Moreover, each attachment foot 11A, 11B has a generally longitudinal axis, like the axis B
of the attachment foot 11B (Fig. 4). In a preferred embodiment, the longitudinal axis B of
9
each attachment foot is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis Y of the cut-off bar
5, as shown in Fig. 3.
However, in the context of the present invention, it is also possible to envisage, in an
alternative embodiment, that the longitudinal axis of each of the attachment feet is not
orthogonal to the longitudinal axis Y of the cut-off bar 5, either by sloping 5 relative to said
plane, or by being parallel thereto. In the last case, instead of insertion from top to bottom
as shown in Fig. 4, insertion is carried out in direction Y.
It will be noted that the operation of the cut-off mechanism 3 as described above is similar
to the operation of a conventional cut-off mechanism of the same type.
10 Furthermore, for putting in place the cut-off bar 5 on the movable device 8, the following
operation is carried out, as indicated above.
The cut-off bar 5 is fitted simply by insertion in the movable device 8. To do this, the
attachment feet 10A and 10B are inserted, from the unassembled position of Fig. 3, by
pressure (in the direction shown by the arrow F in Fig. 4 into an insertion position), until
15 the inserted (or fitted) position of Fig. 5 is obtained.
The cut-off bar 5 is separated by pulling said bar in the opposite direction to that of the
arrow F in Fig. 4, from the inserted position of Fig. 5.
The connection is therefore removable.
Thus, by providing identical housings and attachment feet, different cut-off bars can be
20 fitted to different movable assemblies, which in particular, assist standardisation and leads
to a reduction in cost.
FOR AML Systems

We Claim:
1. Movable assembly for a cut-off mechanism of a motor vehicle headlamp, the movable
assembly (7) comprising at least one movable device (8) and a cut-off bar (5) suitable for
fitting to a support element (9) of the movable device (8), said 5 support element (9)
comprising at least one housing (10A, 10B), said cut-off bar (5) being provided with at
least one attachment foot (11A, 11B), said housing (10A, 10B) and said attachment foot
(11A, 11B) cooperating and being configured to allow what is known as a fitted position to
be obtained in which the attachment foot (11A, 11B) is inserted in the housing (10A, 10B),
10 following insertion by pressure, so that the cut-off bar (5) can be attached removably to the
movable device (8), characterised in that the cooperating housing (10A, 10B) and
attachment foot (11A, 11B) have a shape and dimensions adapted respectively to produce
at least some ‘lateral’ contacts (L1A, L2A, L1B, L2B) in the fitted position, the adjective
lateral applying to the sides (C1, C2) of the width (l1) of the elongate attachment foot
15 (11A, 11B), on both sides of a longitudinal axis (B).
2. Movable assembly according to claim 1,
characterised in that said attachment foot (11A, 11B) has a generally planar elongate form,
and in that the length (L) of the attachment foot (11A, 11B) along a longitudinal axis (B)
and the depth of the housing (10A, 10B) are adapted to one another to obtain a given
20 positioning of the cut-off bar (5) on the movable device (8), during contact (PA, PB) of the
free longitudinal end of the attachment foot (11A, 11B) against the bottom of the housing
(10A, 10B).
3. Movable assembly according to any of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the attachment foot (11A, 11B) is provided with at least one locking
25 tooth (16) configured to hook into a wall of the cooperating housing (10A, 10B) in the
fitted position.
4. Movable assembly according to claim 4,
characterised in that said locking tooth (16) is a pointed projecting pin.
5. Movable assembly according to any of the preceding claims,
30 characterised in that said attachment foot (11A, 11B) comprises at least one transverse bead
(17) configured to come in contact with a wall of the cooperating housing, the adjective
transverse applying to the sides of the thickness (E) of the attachment foot (11A, 11B).
6. Movable assembly according to claim 5,
characterised in that said bead (17) is:
11
- an undulation (18) of the attachment foot (11A, 11B); or
- an increase (19) in the thickness (E) of the attachment foot (11A, 11B); or
- an add-on bead (20) of the attachment foot (11A, 11B).
7. Movable assembly according to any of the preceding claims,
characterised in that it comprises at least two attachment feet (11A, 5 11B) and at least two
housings (10A, 10B) which are respectively cooperating.
8. Movable assembly according to claim 7,
characterised in that the support element (9) is provided with a branch (12) between the two
housings (10A, 10B), and in that the at least two attachment feet (11A, 11B) are spaced one
10 from the other so as to have, between them, a space (13) of a form and dimensions
respectively adapted to those of said branch (12).
9. Movable assembly according to claim 8,
characterised in that, among the at least two attachment feet (11A, 11B), the attachment
foot (11A) positioned towards a near end (5A) of the cut-off bar (5) has a bevelled
15 longitudinal end (14), and in that the cooperating housing (10A) is provided with a bottom
of a shape (15) that at least partly is adapted to said bevelled longitudinal end (14).
10. Movable assembly according to any of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the at least two attachment feet (11A, 11B) and the cut-off bar (5) are
produced as a single part.
20 11. Movable assembly according to any of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the at least two attachment feet (11A, 11B) of generally planar form
are arranged on the cut-off bar (5) which is also of generally planar form such that one the
following two conditions is fulfilled:
- the plane of the at least two attachment feet (11A, 11B) is situated in the plane of the cut25
off bar (5);
- the plane of the at least two attachment feet (11A, 11B) is situated outside the plane of the
cut-off bar (5).
12. Movable assembly according to any of the preceding claims,
characterised in that the at least two attachment feet (11A, 11B) having a longitudinal axis
30 (B) are arranged on the cut-off bar (5) such that the longitudinal axis thereof (B) fulfils one
of the following conditions:
- it is orthogonal to a longitudinal axis (Y) of the cut-off bar (5);
- it is not orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the cut-off bar (5).
12
13. Cut-off mechanism for a motor vehicle headlamp, said cut-off mechanism (3)
comprising at least one movable assembly (7) comprising at least one cut-off bar (5) and a
movable device (8), as well as an actuating motor (6) of the movable assembly (7),
characterised in that said movable assembly (7) is as specified in any of claims 1 to 12.
14. Headlamp 5 for a motor vehicle,
characterised in that it comprises at least one cut-off mechanism (3) as specified in claim
13.