Patent Application
20090129108
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp and, more particularly, to a vehicle lamp that can be adjusted to and reliably positioned in a desired angular illuminating position through easy operation in an economic manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical vehicle lamp includes a lamp seat fixed to a vehicle body and an illuminating member mounted in the lamp seat to emit light beams through a light-transmittable shield on the lamp seat. However, the angular position of the lamp seat can not be changed after installation. Adjustment of the angular position of the lamp seat is not easy even after detachment of the lamp seat.
Vehicle lamp devices utilizing a motor to adjust the illuminating angle of the lamp have been proposed and generally include a lamp seat, an illuminating member, a control circuit, and a motor mechanism that is controlled by the control circuit to move the lamp seat or the illuminating member to change the illuminating angle. However, these lamp devices are expensive in addition to high malfunction rate of the control circuit and the motor mechanism.
An objective of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive vehicle lamp whose illuminating angle can be easily adjusted in an economical manner while reliably retaining the vehicle lamp in the desired angular illuminating position.
A vehicle lamp according to the preferred teachings of the present invention includes a coupling seat adapted to be mounted to a vehicle body. The coupling seat includes a compartment defined by two lateral walls. One of the two lateral walls includes an engaging portion. A lamp seat has a length smaller than that of the compartment of the coupling seat allowing the lamp seat to move in the compartment. The lamp seat includes two ends pivotably connected to the lateral walls of the coupling seat. One of the ends of the lamp seat includes an engaging portion releasably engaged with the engaging portion of the coupling seat. An illuminating member is mounted in the lamp seat. An elastic element is mounted between the other lateral wall of the coupling seat and the other end of the lamp seat to bias the engaging portion of the lamp seat to engage with the engaging portion of the coupling seat to retain the lamp seat in an angular position relative to the coupling seat. The lamp seat is movable in the compartment of the coupling seat to compress the elastic element and to disengage the engaging portion of the lamp seat from the engaging portion of the coupling seat, allowing the lamp seat to pivot to another angular position relative to the coupling seat.
Preferably, one of the engaging portions includes a plurality of annularly spaced engaging holes, and the other engaging portion includes a plurality of pegs releasably engaged with the plurality of engaging holes.
Preferably, the other end of the lamp seat includes a groove in which the elastic element is received.
In an embodiment, the lateral sides of the coupling seat include aligned axle holes. Each end of the lamp seat includes a coupling hole. Two axles are extended through the axle holes of the coupling seat into the coupling holes of the ends of the lamp seat.
In another embodiment, the lateral sides of the coupling seat include aligned axle holes, and each end of the lamp seat includes an axle rotatably engaged in one of the axle holes of the coupling seat.
The present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of this invention described in connection with the drawings.
The illustrative embodiments may best be described by reference to the accompanying drawings where:
All figures are drawn for ease of explanation of the basic teachings of the present invention only; the extensions of the Figures with respect to number, position, relationship, and dimensions of the parts to form the preferred embodiment will be explained or will be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood. Further, the exact dimensions and dimensional proportions to conform to specific force, weight, strength, and similar requirements will likewise be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood.
The lamp seat 2 has a length a smaller than the length b of the compartment 12 (see
The elastic element 3 is attached between the lateral wall 13 of the coupling seat 1 and the end 21 of the lamp seat 2. An end of the elastic element 3 is received in the groove 212. The pegs of the engaging portion 222 are biased by the elastic element 3 to engage with the engaging holes of the engaging portion 143 of the coupling seat 1 to retain the lamp seat 2 in a desired angular position relative to the coupling seat 1.
With reference to
It can be appreciated that the engaging holes can be formed in the engaging portion 143 of the lamp seat 1, and the pegs can be formed on the engaging portion 222 of the lamp seat 2.
The lamp seat 5 has a length smaller than the length of the compartment 42 allowing the lamp seat 5 to move in the compartment 42 in a lengthwise direction of the compartment 42. The lamp seat 5 includes two ends 51 and 52 each having an axle 511, 521 engaged with one of the axle holes 431 and 441. The end 52 includes an engaging portion 522 having plurality of engaging holes. The lamp seat 5 further includes a compartment 53 in which an illuminating member and a circuit board are mounted. A light-transmittable shield is mounted to seal the compartment of the lamp seat 5.
The elastic element 6 is attached between the lateral wall 43 of the coupling seat 4 and the end 51 of the lamp seat 5 to bias the engaging holes of the engaging portion 522 to engage with the pegs of the engaging portion 442 of the coupling seat 4 to retain the lamp seat 5 in a desired angular position relative to the coupling seat 4.
The lamp seat 5 can be moved toward the elastic element 6 to compress the elastic element 6 so as to disengage the engaging portion 522 of the lamp seat 5 from the engaging portion 442 of the coupling seat 4. The lamp seat 5 can be pivoted relative to the coupling seat 4 to a desired angular position and then released so that the engaging holes of the engaging portion 522 of the lamp seat 5 reengage with the pegs of the engaging portion 442 of the coupling seat 4 under the action of the elastic element 6. The adjustment of the angular position of the lamp seat 5 is easy while the components of the vehicle lamp according to the preferred teachings of the present invention are inexpensive.
Thus since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or general characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, the embodiments described herein are to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is to be indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.
