Spring Steel Holding Device for Vehicle Lighting Module
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing holding devices for vehicle lighting modules are not compact enough and require too many components, making them cumbersome for installation in limited spaces and prone to misalignment due to component tolerances.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece holding device made from spring steel with a bearing section and securing section, featuring positioning aids and three spring tabs for secure locking and alignment, allowing for resilient tolerance compensation and simplified assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If traditional multi-component holding devices are used, then the structure is robust, but the device size is large and assembly is complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate components (holding device, positioning aids, locking mechanisms) into a single integrated holding device made from spring steel sheet. This merging reduces the number of components while maintaining all necessary functions including securing, positioning, and locking capabilities through the one-piece construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding device is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously provides securing (through spring tabs), positioning (through positioning aids), and mounting functions. This universal design eliminates the need for separate specialized components for each function, reducing overall device complexity.
2Ease of operation
If traditional holding devices with multiple components are used, then each component can be optimized independently, but the overall assembly is large and difficult to assemble
Solution Approach 1:
By merging all functional elements into a single spring steel sheet construction, the patent eliminates the need for separate assemblies of multiple components. The one-piece design reduces assembly complexity to a single installation operation while minimizing the overall volume required for transport and storage.
3Manufacturing precision
If standard tolerance ranges are used for multiple components, then manufacturing is easier, but alignment precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates positioning aids and locking mechanisms directly into the spring steel sheet holding device, creating a unified component where internal tolerances can be controlled more precisely than in multi-component assemblies. This eliminates cumulative tolerance errors from multiple separate parts while maintaining ease of manufacture through the sheet metal construction process.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring steel material properties allow for resilient tolerance compensation, where the elastic characteristics of the spring tabs and positioning aids can accommodate and compensate for manufacturing variations, achieving precise alignment without requiring extremely tight tolerance specifications.
4Reliability
If resilient tolerance compensation is implemented, then alignment accuracy is maintained under operating conditions, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the elastic properties of spring steel to provide resilient tolerance compensation. The spring tabs and positioning aids are designed with controlled elasticity that allows them to deflect and compensate for tolerance variations and loads during operation, maintaining positioning accuracy without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms or additional components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables a more compact, efficient mounting of lighting modules with fewer components, ensuring correct alignment and secure locking, even under difficult conditions, thus simplifying transport, storage, and assembly while maintaining proper module function.
Implementation Method 1
the holding device bears resiliently against a positioner of the bearing pin via the positioning aid
Data Source
AI summary
A holding device of a lighting module of a lighting unit of a vehicle, comprising a securing section for securing the holding device to the rest of the lighting module and a bearing section for supporting the holding device on a bearing pin of the lighting unit, wherein the bearing section has at least one lock which forms a locking connection together with the bearing pin when the holding device is assembled, and wherein the lock is designed such that the locking connection simultaneously forms a joint which enables the lighting module to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the bearing pin. A lighting module and a lighting unit of a vehicle are also provided.