The invention belongs to transporting, namely to arrangement of lighting devices, in particular to headlights or fog lights.

The purpose of the invention is to prevent overheating of the reflector and/or the casing of the light due to local thermal loadings in the area of each light source despite to the fact that the casing of a relative small volume consists of a thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers and that a light source with high emission of light and heat is used in combination with said casing and said reflector consisting of a thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers.

A motor vehicle light is disclosed in US 3,486,019. Such light comprises a casing with a light permeable front wall or lens, respectively, and a reflector which is together with a light source mounted within said casing and adapted for re-directing of light beams, which are generated by said light source, through said front wall towards the area in front of the light i.e. each vehicle. Said light source is practically surrounded with said reflector. Said reflector is interconnected with the casing in its circumferential area, and is furnished with a central passage, in which a light source is placed and extends there-through. A heat conductive member is inserted between said light source and said reflector in the area of said passage, via which the heat, which is generated by the light source, is partially transferred from the casing towards the adjacency thereof. In such manner, the light source is practically mounted within said head conductive member and is as such practically surrounded with the reflector. Said document was however issued in the past, when the casings and reflectors were produced of heat resistant metallic materials, wherein also a bi-convex lens-shaped form of the casing does not indicate any serious requirements with respect to limitation of the volume of the light as a whole.

The proposed invention refers to a motor vehicle light, in particular a headlight or a fog light. Such light comprises a casing, which consists of a thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers and is furnished with an optically active or inactive light permeable front wall and adapted for mounting at least one light source within the interior thereof, namely a halogen bulb with at least one filament. Moreover, a reflector is mounted within said casing, by which said light source is at least partially surrounded and which also consists of a thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers and is furnished with at least one reflecting surface, which is faced towards said light source and on which each light beams generated by said light source are redirected towards the front wall of the casing and towards the area in front of the light i.e. of each vehicle. Each desired position of said reflector is optionally adjustable relative to said casing by means of a regulating assembly.

The invention provides that a tubular and along its circumference uninterrupted heat conductive member is placed within the interior of said casing, within which said reflector consisting of a thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers is inserted together with said light source with the filament, which is at least partially surrounded by said reflector, so that said reflector is completely surrounded with said member and firmly interconnected therewith. Said light source is independently with regard to said reflector mounted either on said tubular heat conductive member or directly on the light casing, while the regulating assembly is adapted for adjusting each position of said tubular heat conductive member together with the reflector mounted therein relative to each disposable light casing.

In one of embodiments of the invention, said tubular heat conductive member is completely located within the interior of the casing. In an alternative embodiment, said tubular heat conductive member at least partially protrudes outwardly from the casing, in particular in the area of the rear portion of the casing opposite to the front wall, wherein a sealing is placed between the casing and said tubular heat conductive member for the purposes of establishing a tight contact between them.

The invention further provides an embodiment, in which said reflector is interconnected with said tubular heat conductive member in a non-detachable manner, as well as an alternative embodiment, in which said reflector is detachably interconnected with said tubular heat conductive member, in particular that said reflector is interlocked within said tubular heat conductive member.

Still further it is possible that said reflector is furnished with a cutout, which is located at least in the area vertically above the filament of the light bulb with respect to position during the use of the light, and which provides a direct passage between the light source and the tubular heat conductive member outside of the reflector.

The invention further provides that the internal surface of the tubular heat conductive member is at least in the area, which is during the use of the light located vertically below the light source, due to enhancing of heat absorption available as a dark or black surface. In this, it is possible that the complete internal surface is dark or black and herewith adapted for enhancement of heat absorption. However, it is also possible that at least a part of said internal surface is reflective or otherwise adapted for providing of each desired aesthetic appearance. The invention will be described in detail on the basis of embodiments, which are presented in the enclosed drawings, wherein

Fig. 1 is a schematically presented cross-section along the longitudinal vertical

diametrical plane of the first embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a schematically presented cross-section along the longitudinal vertical

diametrical plane of an alternative embodiment; and

Fig. 3 is a front view of the light according to Fig. 1, namely in a direction from the right towards the left according to Fig. 1.

A motor vehicle light, which is functioning as a fog light and is optionally combined with a corner light or a turn indicator blinker or the like, is schematically presented in Figs. 1 - 3.

The light comprises a casing 1, which is made of a thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers and is therefore light and simply manufactured. Said casing 1 is furnished with a light permeable, optically active or passive front wall 10, wherein the person skilled in the art shall understand that the front wall 10 may also function as a lens. Moreover, said casing 1 is adapted for mounting at least one light source 2 in the interior thereof, namely a halogen bulb with at least one filament 20, for example a typical H4 bulb.

Besides, a reflector 3, by which said light source 2 is at least partially surrounded, is mounted within said casing 1, and is similarly like said casing 1 made of a thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers, said reflector 3 is furnished with at least one reflecting surface 30, which is faced towards said light source 2, and on which each light beams generated by said filament 20 of the light source 2 are redirected towards said light permeable front wall 10 of the casing 1 and towards each illuminated area in front of the light i.e. the vehicle. Position of the reflector 3 is optionally adjustable by means of appropriate regulating assembly 4, which consists e.g. of a pivotal connection like a spherical joint between the casing 1 and the reflector 3, as well as of appropriate regulating screw, which is rotationally embedded on the casing 1 and cooperates with a nut, which is connected with the reflector 3. The regulating assembly as such does not belong to the scope of the invention and is in various embodiments no doubt well-known to those skilled in the art, and is of that reason not presented in the drawings.

In accordance with the invention, a tubular and in its circumferential direction uninterrupted heat conductive member 5 is placed within the interior of said casing 1, within which the reflector 3 and the light source 2 with the filament 20, which is at least partially surrounded by said reflector 3 consisting of a thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers, are inserted, so that said reflector 3 is completely surrounded with said member 5 and firmly interconnected therewith.

Said light source 2 is independently with regard to said reflector 3 mounted either on the tubular heat conductive member 5 or directly on the light casing 1.

Said regulating assembly 4 is adapted for adjusting position of said tubular heat conductive member 5 together with the reflector 3, which is mounted therein and firmly interconnected therewith, relative to each disposable casing 1. When taking into consideration various known regulating assemblies 4, in this case the assembly 4 can be equal or quite similar to the known ones, but instead of interconnection between the casing 1 and the reflector 3 as in various known lights, the invention requires establishment of interconnection and correlation between the casing 1 and said tubular heat conductive member 5.

One of possible embodiments of the light according to the invention is presented in Fig. 1, wherein said tubular heat conductive member 5 is completely located within the interior of the casing 1. In a further embodiment of the invention (Fig. 2), said tubular heat conductive member 5 at least partially protrudes outwardly from the casing 1, in particular in the rear portion of the casing 1 i.e. opposite to the front wall 10. In such case, a sealing 6 is placed between said casing 1 and said tubular heat conductive member 5, and is intended to provide a tight contact between them just in order to prevent intruding of external moisture or dust towards the interior of the casing 1.

Said tubular heat conductive member 5 consists of a material, the heat conductivity of which is essentially higher than a relatively low heat conductivity of a thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers, of which said casing 1 and said reflector 3 are made. Said tubular heat conductive member 5 preferably consists of aluminium, in particular of a die-cast aluminium, or of magnesium, or also of appropriate metallic alloy with low density and excellent heat conductivity and heat resistance up to at least approximately 200°C.

Consequently, the reflector 3 consisting of a thermoplastic material on the basis of polymers can be interconnected with such tubular heat conductive member 5 in a non- detachable manner, which is in practice achievable by forming the reflector 3 by means of injection directly onto/into the member 5 within appropriate injection mold. On the other hand, a further variation of the light is feasible in according to the invention, in which the reflector 3 is detachably interconnected with the tubular heat conductive member 5, and is preferably interlocked and/or screwed within said tubular heat conductive member 5, as soon as the surface treatment like painting thereof is finished.

Still further, the reflector 3 can be optionally furnished with a cutout 31, which is referring to the position during the use of the light located in the area vertically above the filament 20 of the light source 2, and by which a direct passage is established between the light source 2 and the heat conductive member 5 without passing the reflector 3. Whenever the light source 2 and reflector 3 are designed such that during the use of the light the reflector 3 extends above said light source 2, then such measure can prevent the material of the reflector 3 from overheating in the area above the light source 2 without any essential reduction of its reflecting surfaces 30.

The invention further provides that the internal surface 50 of said tubular heat conductive member 5 in the area 51 vertically below the light source 2 regarding the position during the use of the light is dark or black and herewith adapted to enhance the heat absorption, or optionally, that the whole internal surface 50 of the tubular heat conductive member 5 is dark or black for the purposes of enhancing the heat absorptiveness and also of achieving some other effects like dissipation of light beams due to reduction of glare.

Such approach in particular results in providing a sufficiently large surface for absorption of an essential portion of the heat, which is generated by the light source 2. The majority of the heat current is namely directed from the light source 2 upwardly in a direction towards the reflector 3 and the casing 1, wherein this heat is absorbed by said tubular heat conductive member 5, which is moreover uninterrupted along its circumference. Thanks to said excellent heat conductivity of said tubular member 5 and simultaneously due to the fact, that a heat equilibrium should be continuously established within said member 5, a heat current is generated within the material of said member 5, which continuously transfers the heat from the hot area towards the colder zones. Consequently, the heat is permanently transferred from the area above the light source 2, which is the most intensively exposed to the heat, towards the other locations along the circumference of said member 5 and then towards each adjacent areas of the casing 1, and then regardless to low heat conductivity of the thermoplastic material of the casing 1 on the basis of polymers thanks to relatively large surface of the casing 1 outside from the light.

In addition to the previously mentioned embodiments of the light according to the invention, a further embodiment is foreseen, in which at least the internal surface 50 of said tubular heat conductive member 5 is at least partially reflective or otherwise adapted to provide each desired aesthetic appearance.