HEADLAMP SUPPORTING MEMBER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present subject matter relates generally to a headlamp, and more particularly, to a supporting member for a headlamp assembly in a saddle type vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A headlamp for lighting a frontward area of a saddle type vehicle is disposed at a distinguishable location in a front portion of the vehicle body. The front portion of such a vehicle consists of headlamp assembly along with an instrument cluster placed over it. The headlamp assembly is usually made of a headlamp housing front and headlamp housing rear sub-assemblies. The headlamp housing front sub-assembly comprises, among other parts, the headlamp, a license plate and a visor all of which are secured together. The headlamp housing rear sub-assembly is attached posterior to the headlamp housing front sub-assembly whereas the instrument cluster sub-assembly comprises primarily of a vehicle speed display device and a fuel indicator.

[0003] In a conventional saddle type vehicle, the instrument cluster has to be assembled separately and independently of the headlamp assembly and they are later secured together. Therefore, more time is required for the assembly of the front portion of the vehicle leading to an increase in assembly time and decrease in productivity.

[0004] The posterior portion of the instrument cluster sub-assembly is secured to an upper bracket present above the front fork using known mechanisms whereas the anterior portion is without much support. Since the instrument cluster is mounted directly on the upper bracket, the instruments attached to it particularly the vehicle speed display device, experience frequent needle flickering due to direct absorption of vibrations from the engine via the front fork. This causes improper display of the vehicle running information which may be troublesome for an operator of the vehicle.

[0005] Further, the instrument cluster assembly is susceptible to displacement on its own when the vehicle is in motion and is not rigid due to lack of support on the anterior side. Frequent headlamp rattling and inadequate dampening is also experienced leading to dissatisfaction of the vehicle operator. The instrument cluster generally has a gap with the surrounding headlamp parts which reduces the aesthetic appearance of the overall headlamp assembly of the vehicle. [0006] Hence the present subject matter is directed to overcome all or any of the problems as set forth above and obviate the lacunae in the prior art. It is therefore an object of the present subject matter to provide a supporting member for mounting the instrument cluster in a saddle type vehicle. It is another object of the present subject matter to provide a different way of assembling the instrument cluster so as to reduce the assembly time of the complete headlamp assembly and increase productivity. It is yet another object of the present invention to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the overall headlamp assembly by removing the gap around the vehicle speed display device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] To this end, the present subject matter discloses a headlamp assembly for a saddle type vehicle comprising a headlamp housing front sub-assembly and a headlamp housing rear sub-assembly. The headlamp housing rear sub-assembly further comprises a main headlamp bracket supporting the headlamp assembly, a housing structure secured to the main headlamp bracket and having an opening, a supporting member attached to a front portion of the main headlamp bracket, and an instrument cluster, wherein the said instrument cluster is positioned in a gap between the supporting member and the housing structure in such a way that the instrument cluster rests over the supporting member and is secured to it. The housing structure receives the instrument cluster from the bottom and tightly engulfs it on all sides without leaving any visible gaps.

[0008] According to an aspect of the present subject matter, said instrument cluster is secured to the supporting member through rubber mounts and a plurality of fasteners.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present subject matter, said supporting member has a curved front portion and a rear portion attached to the front portion of the main headlamp bracket. Further, the main headlamp bracket and supporting member is made of any material including a metal or an alloy.

[00010] According to a further aspect of the present subject matter, the headlamp assembly can be fitted with any saddle type vehicle, preferably a motorcycle.

[00011] The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present subject matter. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present subject matter as well as the subject matter itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the ensuing detailed description of the subject matter and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00012] The above and other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will be better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a headlamp assembly in a saddle type vehicle. FIG. 2 shows a side view of the headlamp assembly of FIG. 1 FIG. 3 shows a rear view of the posterior portion of a headlamp housing front subassembly.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a main headlamp bracket along with a supporting member according to the present subject matter. FIG. 5 shows a side view of a housing structure and the supporting member attached to the main headlamp bracket according to the present subject matter. FIG. 6 shows an instrument cluster secured to the supporting member of the headlamp assembly.

FIG. 7 shows a rear view of the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly without instrument cluster.

FIG. 8 shows a bottom perspective view of the supporting member according to the present subject matter.

FIG. 9 shows an operator's view of the complete headlamp assembly assembled on the saddle type vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[00013] The subject matter described herein relates to a headlamp assembly for a saddle type vehicle comprising a headlamp housing front sub-assembly, a headlamp housing rear sub-assembly and an instrument cluster sub-assembly. The novelty of the present subject matter, among other things, resides in the advantageous construction of the headlamp assembly, mainly the headlamp housing rear' sub-assembly wherein the instrument cluster sub-assembly is integrated to it and supported on a supporting member to reduce needle flickering of instrument cluster components due to engine vibrations. The supporting member strengthens the anterior portion of the headlamp housing rear subassembly. All the sub-assemblies are assembled as a single unit to form the complete headlamp assembly. It is to be noted that the present subject matter is equally workable with any saddle type vehicle capable of accommodating the said headlamp assembly, including a motorcycle or a scooter type motorcycle.

[00014] Further "anterior" and "posterior", and "left" and "right" referred to in the ensuing description of the illustrated embodiment refer to 'front' and 'rear', and left and right directions as seen in a state of being seated on a seat of the saddle type vehicle. Furthermore, a longitudinal axis refers to an anterior to
posterior axis relative to the vehicle, while a lateral axis refers generally to a side to side, or left to right axis relative to the vehicle. Various other features and embodiments of the headlamp assembly according to the present subject matter here will be discernible from the following further description thereof, set out hereunder.

[00015] The headlamp assembly according to the present subject matter is now described in detail in connection with the rendered FIG. 1-9. The detailed explanation of the constitution of parts other than the subject matter which constitutes an essential part has been omitted at suitable places. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 respectively show a perspective view and a side view of the headlamp assembly in a saddle type vehicle. The headlamp assembly 100 comprises of a headlamp housing front 200 sub-assembly located in the anterior portion of the headlamp assembly and a headlamp housing rear 300 sub-assembly located in the posterior portion of the headlamp assembly. The headlamp housing front sub-assembly 200 includes a headlamp 201 (with a lens, a bulb and a reflector) and a visor 202. The headlamp 201 is secured to the visor 202 by means of fasteners.

[00016] A rear view of the posterior portion of a headlamp housing front sub-assembly is shown in FIG. 3.
The posterior portion includes brackets 203a, 203b on either side of the longitudinal axis of the headlamp assembly 100 for securing the headlamp housing front sub-assembly 200 with the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly 300. Thus the bracket 203a is provided on a left side of the headlamp assembly whereas the bracket 203b is provided on a right side of the headlamp assembly.

[00017] According to an aspect Of the present subject matter, the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly 300 includes a housing structure 301, main headlamp bracket 302, wiring harness (not shown), turn signal indicators 303a, 303b as well as instrument cluster 304 towards the top. The housing structure 301 comprises recesses at various places for attachment to other headlamp parts. In the present invention, the instrument cluster 304 is integrated with the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly 300. The instrument cluster 304, among other components, comprises of a vehicle speed display device 304a.

[00018] FIG. 4 shows a rear perspective view of the main headlamp bracket 302. It comprises of at least two main stays, indicator mounting brackets and at least two projections. The headlamp assembly 100 is largely supported on the main headlamp bracket 302 and secured at various places. The main headlamp bracket 302 has two main stays, namely the left main stay 306 and the right main stay 307, on either side of longitudinal axis of the headlamp assembly 100 and they are attached to respective front forks, namely left front fork 308 and right front fork 309, from the bottom with a rubber cushion positioned in between. The rubber cushion prevents the engine vibrations from reaching towards the top portion of the headlamp assembly. The left main stay 306 and the right main stay 307 are connected to each other at two locations; by a lower cross tube 501 at a lower portion and an upper cross tube 502 at an upper portion of main headlamp bracket 302. The lower cross tube and upper cross tube support the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly 300. The lower cross tube 501 has a headlight focus adjustment supporting member 310 preferably placed at the middle of the lower cross tube 501. It is secured to the corresponding bracket 210 of the headlamp housing front sub-assembly by means of fasteners.

[00019] Further, a left projection 601 and a right projection 602, both similar, are present on either side of the longitudinal axis of the main headlamp bracket 302. The following lines explain only one projection. The left projection 601 is attached to the upper cross tube 502 at one end, projecting out laterally and obliquely upward. The other end of the projection comprises a hole 503. As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4, the bracket 203a on the posterior portion of the headlamp housing front sub-assembly 200 is secured to the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly 300 through a threaded fastener 204a passing through this hole 503 from the headlamp housing rear side in such a way that a rubber cushion and a washer (not shown) is present on both sides of the said hole 503 during the attachment. The fastener head is visible to the vehicle operator. This leads to a sandwich type mounting where the left projection 601 is sandwiched between the headlamp housing front sub-assembly 200 and headlamp housing rear subassembly 300. The said rubber cushion prevents sudden shock impact from either side. The right projection 602 also follows likewise sandwich mounting. Thus the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly 300 and headlamp housing front subassembly 200 are connected to each other at minimum two locations on either side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

[00020] Further, on the left of the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly 300, a left indicator mounting bracket 311a for mounting the left turn signal indicator 303a is provided and is connected to the entire main headlamp bracket 302 at least at two locations. It is simultaneously connected to a lower surface of the left projection 601 and the front surface of the left main stay 306 facing forward. Likewise on the right side, a right indicator mounting bracket 311b for mounting the right turn signal indicator 303b is present and connected to the lower surface of the right projection 602 as well as the front surface of the right main stay 307 facing forward. As viewed in FIG. 1, the respective turn signal indicators are secured to the respective indicator mounting brackets of the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly 300 with the help of fasteners 315 passing through the recesses in the housing structure 301 so that the respective brackets are not visible to the vehicle operator.

[00021] Unlike the prior art, the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly 300 also comprises of the supporting member 305 for supporting and rigidly securing the instrument cluster 304 to the supporting member 305 and the housing structure 301. The supporting member 305 for supporting the instrument cluster 304 is provided in the vicinity of lower surface of the instrument cluster 304. FIG. 4 to FIG. 8 illustrate the supporting member 305 in detail. In one embodiment of the present subject matter, the front portion of the said supporting member 305 may be a curve shaped semi-circular structure. Further, one end of the rear portion of the said supporting member 305 is attached to the left projection 601 whereas the other end is connected to the right projection 602. The supporting member 305 is positioned in such a way that it is angularly disposed with respect to the normal when viewed from a side as depicted in FIG. 5. A plurality of recesses 312 is present across the length of the supporting member 305.

[00022] FIG. 8 shows a bottom perspective view of the supporting member 305. The bottom surface of the instrument cluster 304, engulfed by the housing structure 301 on all sides, is rested on the top surface of the supporting member 305 and fastened at these locations via fasteners and rubber cushions. Thus the supporting member 305 strengthens the anterior portion of the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly and therefore prevents rattling of the instrument cluster. The present embodiment of the subject matter has three recesses 312 where the instrument cluster is fastened via fasteners 317 and rubber cushions.

[00023] The assembly of the said instrument cluster is now briefly described through FIG. 5 to FIG. 8. The housing structure 301 in the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly is made of very flexible material including a PP plastic. As shown in FIG. 7, it has an opening 314 for receiving the instrument cluster 304 from the bottom. The structure of the opening 314 is made similar to the outer boundary of the instrument cluster 304. In an unassembled state as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a gap 800 is provided between the supporting member 305 and the housing structure 301. During assembling of the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly, the said flexible housing structure 301 is lifted up and the instrument cluster 304 is inserted into the said gap 800 like a cartridge in such a way that the bottom surface of the instrument cluster rests on the top surface of the supporting member 305 and the top surface of the instrument cluster 304 is engulfed on the sides by the housing structure 301. The display of the instrument cluster components is visible to the vehicle operator as it oozes out through the opening 314 in the housing structure 301. As shown in FIG. 8, the said instrument cluster is then affixed to the supporting member 305 with the help of fasteners 317 passing through the recesses 312. The instrument cluster also has a plurality of locators 316a, 316b, 316c, 316d which are used to secure the instrument cluster 304 on the housing structure 301 so as to incapacitate the movement of the instrument cluster components on their own. All the locators are provided with rubber cushions for reducing vibrations. The anterior and posterior portions of the instrument cluster 304 are fastened to the said housing structure 301 through these locators. The instrument cluster 304 is thus integrated to the headlamp housing rear subassembly 300.

[00024] The complete headlamp assembly along with the instrument cluster is shown in FIG. 9. Thus unlike the prior art, the instrument cluster 304 is mounted on the supporting member 305 of the main headlamp bracket 302 instead of the upper bracket 313. Unlike the upper bracket which directly absorbed the vibrations from the engine through the front fork, the present subject matter prevents needle flickering in instrument cluster during the vehicle operation. For example, it prevents the vibrations from the engine from reaching the vehicle speed display device 304a owing to the presence of rubber cushions, in the recesses of the supporting member 305 and below the main stays, when the vehicle is in operation and also during the movement of the front fork. Further, while the material for making the said supporting member is not limited in anyway, a plastic material or sheet metal is preferable.

[00025] The mounting arrangement of the vehicle speed display device on the supporting member and it's fitting into the opening of housing structure ensures zero gaps around the vehicle speed display device. This provides more rigidity to the instrument cluster and eliminates flexibility.

[00026] The present subject matter and its equivalent thereof offer many advantages, including those which have been described henceforth. Due to the present arrangement, the instrument cluster can be assembled along with the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly and secured to it. Further, the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly is then secured to the headlamp housing front sub-assembly at the left and right projections thereby developing into headlamp assembly which is attached to the front fork of the vehicle through the main stays. The removal of separate sub-assembly of the instrument cluster comprising the vehicle speed display device decreases the assembly time on account of reduction in the number of steps and hence increases the productivity of vehicle assembly.

[00027] The present subject matter also demonstrates an easy assembly of the instrument cluster. It minimizes the needle flickering in the instrument cluster components through a different mounting position for the instrument cluster and restricting the vibrations to the supporting member. This also increases the durability and longevity of the instrument cluster components. Absence of any gap between the instrument cluster and housing structure enhances the aesthetics of the front portion of the vehicle as viewed to the vehicle operator.

[00028] The present subject matter is thus described. It is to be noted that the instrument cluster in the present subject matter comprises of a vehicle speed display device integrated with a fuel indicator along with a digital display. However it may also have a tachometer attached to it. The present subject matter may also be useful if the devices on instrument cluster are separate from each other and with analog display. The embodiments described are chosen to provide an illustration of principles of the invention and its practical application to enable thereby one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Therefore the forgoing description is to be considered exemplary, rather than limiting, and the true scope of the invention is that described in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A headlamp assembly for a saddle type vehicle comprising a headlamp housing front sub-assembly and a headlamp housing rear sub-assembly; the headlamp housing rear sub-assembly further comprising a main headlamp bracket supporting the headlamp assembly, a supporting member attached to a front portion of the main headlamp bracket, a housing structure with an opening secured to the main headlamp bracket and an instrument cluster, wherein the said instrument cluster is positioned in a gap between the supporting member and the housing structure in such a way that the instrument cluster rests over the supporting member and is secured to it, and the housing structure tightly engulfing the instrument cluster on all sides.

2. The headlamp assembly for a saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said instrument cluster is secured to the supporting member through rubber mounts and a plurality of fasteners.

3. The headlamp assembly for a saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 1 wherein the said supporting member has a curved front portion and a rear portion attached to the front portion of the main headlamp bracket.

4. The headlamp assembly for a saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 1 wherein the main headlamp bracket and supporting member is made of any material including a metal or an alloy.

5. The headlamp assembly for a saddle type vehicle as claimed in claim 1 and claim 4, wherein the said main headlamp bracket further comprises of a plurality of main stays on either side of the main headlamp bracket connected to each other by a plurality of cross tubes, at least two projections on either side of the main headlamp bracket for securing the headlamp housing front sub-assembly with the headlamp housing rear subassembly and a plurality of indicator mounting brackets for mounting the turn signal indicators.

6. A headlamp assembly substantially as herein described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.