Patent Application
20180297507
The present invention relates generally to vehicle headlamps, more specifically but not by way of limitation, to a retrofit bracket configured to accommodate a replacement projector suitable for use in a specific make and model of vehicle headlamp.
The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Retrofitting vehicle components is a popular activity practiced by auto enthusiast worldwide. Among the many vehicle components that can be retrofitted are headlamps. Vehicle headlamps are retrofitted for any of many reasons, including to improve visibility or other safety parameters, to improve a vehicle's appearance or esthetics, or to replace damaged or broken components.
Typically, those skilled in the art purchase new or salvaged aftermarket components, which might or might not be direct replacements for the original equipment. Replacing headlamp components, such as a projector, pose difficulties when modifications are needed to accommodate the aftermarket component in the headlamp housing. In some cases, it is necessary to design and make, or modify, a harnesses or bracket to assist in coupling an aftermarket component to the headlamp housing. This process can be time consuming and expensive. Additionally, there is no guarantee that the aftermarket components will work, or will work in the headlamp housing.
Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a retrofit bracket, and a retrofit bracket that can be configured to accommodate a replacement projector suitable for use in a specific make and model of vehicle headlamp. The bracket component of a headlamp is typically designed by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to connect the OEM headlamp housing to the OEM's selected projector. Thus, the headlamp housing, bracket and projector are narrowly designed features of most vehicle headlamps. In order to accommodate a different aftermarket replacement projector, it becomes necessary to retrofit the bracket in order to accommodate the newly selected replacement projector in the headlamp housing.
Thus, there is still a need for a retrofit bracket that accommodates a different aftermarket replacement projector in the headlamp housing.
The inventive subject matter provides a method for manufacturing a retrofit bracket to couple a replacement projector to a headlamp housing. The method comprises storing in a computer readable memory a model of an original bracket. The original bracket comprises housing mounting points configured to couple the original bracket to a headlamp housing, and original projector mounting points configured to couple the original bracket to an original projector. Data from the model of the original bracket is utilized to develop a model of a retrofit bracket. The retrofit bracket comprises housing mounting points configured to couple the retrofit bracket to the headlamp housing, and replacement projector mounting points configured to couple the retrofit bracket to the replacement projector. At least one of the replacement projector mounting points is different from a corresponding one of the original projector mounting points. The model of the retrofit bracket is used by a person or machine, including a three-dimensional printer, or both to manufacture the retrofit bracket.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a computer program product comprising a tangible nontransitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a computer performs the method recited for manufacturing a retrofit bracket to couple a replacement projector to a headlamp housing.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide a retrofit bracket configured to couple a replacement projector to a headlamp housing. The retrofit bracket comprises housing mounting points configured to couple the retrofit bracket to the headlamp housing and replacement projector mounting points configured to couple the retrofit bracket to the replacement projector. At least one of the replacement projector mounting points is different from a corresponding one of an original projector mounting points.
Although the various steps of the method are described in the above paragraphs as occurring in a certain order, the present application is not bound by the order in which the various steps occur. In fact, in alternative aspects of the present invention, the various steps can be executed in an order different from the order described above or otherwise herein.
All publications identified herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. In some embodiments of the invention, the structural components illustrated herein are drawn to scale. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
In the accompanying drawings:
As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term “coupled to” is intended to include both direct coupling (in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional element is located between the two elements). Therefore, the terms “coupled to” and “coupled with” are used synonymously.
Certain aspects of the present invention are hereinafter described in detail in connection with the views and examples of
According to an aspect of the present invention,
Referring to
A front view of a replacement projector 46 is shown in
One aspect of the present invention includes storing a model of the original bracket, comprising housing mounting points configured to couple the original bracket to a headlamp housing, and original projector mounting points configured to couple the original bracket to an original projector, in a computer readable memory. It will be appreciated that the model of the original bracket can be developed utilizing any of a number of known technologies such as importing into computer readable memory drawings, photographs, three-dimensional scanned images, and CAD images, utilizing applications for use in design, engineering and manufacturing. Such known technologies typically convert raw data sets into any of a number of data, data files, digital images, Stereo Lithography (STL) and three-dimensional models.
In some aspects the three-dimensional scanner employs some type of optical projection, either laser or structured light, and one or more cameras. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the cameras can be configured to detect pixels along the projected stripes in order to triangulate data points along each stripe. The output from this process in some aspects can be called a “cloud of points”. Point clouds can then be triangulated into a polygon mesh, or STL files. Those skilled in the art will appreciate, an STL file can be suitable for three-dimensional printing.
According to an aspect of the present invention,
One aspect of the present invention includes utilizing data from the model of the original bracket to develop a model of a retrofit bracket.
In one aspect, the model of the replacement projector bowl as in
In other aspects, rapid prototyping, three-dimensional printing and computer-aided manufacturing technologies can be utilized to manufacture a retrofit bracket. Stereolithography is a form of three-dimensional printing technology used for creating models, prototypes, patterns, and production parts in a layer by layer fashion using photopolymerization, a process by which light causes chains of molecules to link together, forming polymers. Those polymers then make up the body of a three-dimensional solid. U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,307 entitled “Method and apparatus for production of high resolution three-dimensional objects by stereolithography,” which is hereby incorporated by reference as though set forth in full herein, describes stereolithography systems that can be employed by those skilled in the art to manufacture the retrofit bracket. It should be appreciated that other methods can be employed for manufacturing the retrofit bracket such as machining, and molding.
In one aspect, the method of manufacturing a retrofit bracket is implemented as a series of instructions stored on a tangible, nontransitory computer-readable medium and capable of being executed by a computer. A computer for implementing the method, according to an aspect of the present invention, comprises a processor (e.g., one or more processors), and a memory in communication with the processor. The computer may further include an input device for inputting data (such as keyboard, a mouse or the like) and an output device such as a display device for displaying results of the computation.
As it can be appreciated, the term “computer” is used herein to encompass any type of computing system or device including a personal computer (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or any other handheld computing device), or a mainframe or supercomputer, or a plurality of networked computers in a distributed computing environment. For example, the method may be implemented as a computer program product such as a software program application which can be stored in a computer readable medium such as hard disks, CDROMs, optical disks, DVDs, magnetic optical disks, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, flash cards (e.g., a USB flash card), PCMCIA memory cards, smart cards, or other media. It will be appreciated that the scope and underlying principles of the present invention are not limited to any particular computer software or hardware technology.
According to an aspect of the present invention,
According to an aspect of the present invention,
In yet another aspect of the present invention,
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the present invention can provide retrofit brackets in a variety of suitable configurations. Each suitable configuration capable of accommodating a different aftermarket replacement projector suitable for use in a specific make and model of vehicle headlamp housing. In some aspects of the present invention, suitable configurations can include having any number of housing mounting points and any number of projector mounting points, each capable of any of a number of configurations for coupling, such as ball joints, pivot joints and fixed joints
The foregoing description of aspects of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the forms described. Numerous modifications are possible in light of the above teachings. Some of those modifications have been discussed and others will be understood by those skilled in the art. The aspects were chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the invention and various aspects as are suited to the particular use contemplated. The scope of the invention is, of course, not limited to the aspects set forth herein, but can be employed in any number of applications and equivalent devices by those of ordinary skill in the art. Rather it is hereby intended the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.
