Headlamp Aperture Alignment Mechanism for Vibration-Stable Shutters
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle headlamp lighting devices face issues with aperture elements shifting relative to each other due to vibrations and temperature differences, leading to misalignment and loss of design integrity, particularly in the closed position.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of alignment devices with alignment and guide elements that secure the upper and lower aperture elements in a form-fitting manner in the closed position, and damping devices to control movement into the open position, using alignment elements formed from PP-GF30 overmolded with TPE and damping elements made of EPDM.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If aperture elements are made movable to switch between open and closed positions, then the lighting device can control light emission, but the aperture elements shift and misalign due to vibrations and temperature differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guide elements as intermediary components that mediate between the movable aperture elements and the housing. These guide elements provide a constrained path for movement, ensuring that aperture elements remain properly aligned during switching operations while still allowing the necessary motion for opening and closing the light path.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment elements are pre-configured in the aperture elements during manufacturing, and the guide elements are pre-installed in the housing. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when the aperture elements move, they automatically follow the correct alignment path without requiring active control during operation, preventing misalignment before it occurs.
2Reliability
If aperture elements are secured in closed position to prevent shifting, then alignment stability is improved, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment elements on the aperture elements work automatically with the guide elements in the housing to self-correct and maintain alignment during movement. The system uses its own structural components rather than external active control mechanisms, allowing the aperture elements to self-align through the constrained path provided by the guide elements without additional complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting device for a motor vehicle headlamp, including: a light module, a movable lower aperture element and a movable upper aperture element, a moving device for transferring the aperture elements between a closed position (P1) and an open position (P2) while maintaining spatial alignment of the aperture elements, and a frame on which the moving device is arranged. The lighting device has an alignment device for aligning the aperture elements relative to one another. The alignment device has an alignment element configured to engage in a guide element when the aperture elements are transferred from P2 to P1, so that the alignment element can be guided by the guide element into an end position in the guide element. The alignment element in P1 is connected to the guide element in a manner that the aperture elements are secured against movement along and transverse to the main direction in P1.