CN103032792B

CN103032792B - Lighting unit for vehicle projectors

Info

Publication number: CN103032792B
Application number: CN201210371237.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 克莱门斯·豪尔; 马蒂亚斯·迈耶; 马丁·洪根朵夫尔; 约尔格·巴赫勒尔
Original assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
Current assignee: ZKW Group GmbH
Priority date: 2011-09-30
Filing date: 2012-09-27
Publication date: 2016-12-28
Anticipated expiration: 2032-09-27
Also published as: DE102012213776B4; AT511435A4; CN103032792A; AT511435B1; DE102012213776A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a kind of lighting unit for vehicle projectors (1), wherein, lighting unit (1) has at least one lamp (7), and this light fixture has at least one light source (7 ") and at least one starter (7 ')；And at least one reflector element, this reflector element has at least one opening (10) for making the light source of lamp (7) (7 ") pass through, wherein, the most at least include that at least one lamp bracket (9) of starter (7 ') is provided with the first blocking device of the direction extension along reflector element, and the second blocking device of correspondence it is provided with at the back side of reflector element (5), wherein, first blocking device can rotate to engage with the second blocking device around longitudinal center's axis (X) of reflector element (5) by lamp bracket (9) when mounted.The invention still further relates to a kind of lamp bracket (9) for this lighting unit (1) and stopping spring device (8).

Description

Lighting unit for a vehicle headlight

Technical Field

The invention relates to a lighting unit for a vehicle headlight, wherein the lighting unit comprises at least one lamp having at least one light source and at least one starter, and at least one reflector unit having at least one opening for the passage of the light source of the lamp. The invention also relates to a lamp holder and a catch spring for such a lighting unit for use in a vehicle headlight.

Background

A series of solutions for fastening lamps, in particular gas discharge lamps, in lighting units or vehicle headlights are known from the prior art. This fixing is mainly performed by pushing the lamp into the reflector module and fixing the lamp in the module with an elastic element, for example a leaf spring.

AT506319B1 shows a lamp holder of this type, which is made of electrically conductive material and which detachably fixes the lamp to the reflector of a vehicle headlight. For this purpose, the lamp holder is inserted along the optical axis of the lamp and is locked with the reflector or the lamp is jammed. The lamp holder is used for generating conductive connection between the lamp and the reflector, so that electromagnetic shielding of the lamp is realized.

The shield functions as an electromagnetic compatibility (EMV) for the searchlight or lamp. EMV has the problem that, when the gas discharge lamp ignites an arc, it generates electromagnetic interference radiation in addition to light, which can affect sensitive vehicle electrical systems. It is attempted to shield the lamp accordingly in order to reduce or completely suppress this interference.

DE102008020001a1 and DE102007022028a1 show solutions without the above-mentioned elastic elements, in which the lamp in the reflector is fixed by rotation about the optical axis of the lamp, whereby the reflector and the blocking element at the lamp interact fixedly.

DE102007022028a1 shows a lamp fixture in which a lamp carrier and a contact plate for EMV contact are provided between the lamp and the reflector. The above-mentioned clamping elements in the lamp carrier keep the lamp in the carrier in the end position reached by the rotation. The disadvantage is in particular that a plurality of individual parts are provided which are difficult to assemble and are easily lost, which is a problem in particular for the clamping element.

In the solution according to DE102008020001a1, the blocking element at the reflector neck, which is part of the reflector, interacts in a plug-in manner with the counter element at the lamp base. Here, the lamp is introduced into a reflector; during subsequent rotation about the optical axis of the reflector, the latching elements engage with one another in order to position the lamp axially and also radially with respect to the reflector. The lamp is fixed to the reflector without additional fixing means separate from the reflector and the lamp. The disadvantage of this solution is that the lamp has to be specially manufactured and that fixtures for older lamps cannot be used. This causes a problem of replaceability.

EP1081428a2 shows a solution of the generic type, in which the light source of the (gas) discharge lamp is fixed in the starting device by means of a bayonet lock (bayonettverseschluss) and can therefore be easily replaced. The starting device comprises the electronics necessary for the operation of the lamp; the installation in the vehicle headlight is obviously carried out via the starter device, wherein no description is given about the starter device or the connection between the lamp and the vehicle headlight.

Common to all these solutions is that they are made up of many individual parts or require a lamp of a specific embodiment.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a lighting unit for a vehicle searchlight, in which various types of lamps can be fixed simply and at low cost.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the lighting unit described above in that at least one lamp holder comprising at least one starter in the mounted state is provided with a first latching means extending in the direction of the reflector unit and a corresponding second latching means is provided on the rear side of the reflector unit, wherein the first latching means can be brought into engagement with the second latching means by rotation of the lamp holder about the longitudinal center axis of the reflector unit during mounting. A reflector unit refers to a reflector or a reflector arranged within a reflector adapter. The second latching device is arranged on the rear side of the reflector or on the rear side in the reflector adapter. The rear side is understood to be the side opposite to the direction of advance in the installed state of the lighting unit.

The invention makes it possible to fix the lamp to the reflector or reflector adapter by means of a plug-in closure which acts together by rotation and can be easily detached again by rotation in the opposite direction. By arranging the locking device at the lamp holder, any lamps can be used, which do not have to be specially prepared for plug-in locking, the only requirement being that the lamp can be fitted into the lamp holder, which is ensured by the starter (not standardized but defined by the largest dimension) of the lamp. The lamp is held via a starter. At the same time, it is ensured for the user that the lamp is adjusted to the optimum position after the lamp has been mounted in the reflector by means of rotation. The solution according to the invention is simple and inexpensive to implement and allows simple installation or replacement of the lamp.

The longitudinal central axis of the reflector unit substantially corresponds to the main illumination direction and thus to the optical axis of the so-called lighting unit. The longitudinal center axis is parallel to the driving direction in a mounted state of the lighting unit in the vehicle. For clarity and ease of understanding, the term longitudinal central axis is used hereinafter, but the term also encompasses the optical axis and the main illumination direction, respectively.

Another advantage of the present subject matter is that it allows the lamp to be held via a starter, since the structure of a conventional discharge lamp is made up of a heavier starter and a relatively lighter light source, the weight distribution of which will thus be emphasized on that side of the starter. Thereby, the light source can be properly positioned.

Advantageously, the first latching element is embodied as a latching projection and the second latching element as a latching opening, or vice versa. Even variants are possible in which the first latching element is embodied partly as a latching projection and partly as a latching opening (and the second latching element is embodied in a corresponding manner). In a variant of the invention, the latching lug has a projecting latching edge and is provided to act in a clamping manner with the latching opening when it is rotated during the mounting process. This means that with increasing twist the latching projection presses against the latching opening and a stable connection is achieved between the lamp holder and the reflector unit.

In a further variant of the invention, the first latching means are latching projections and the second latching elements are latching openings each having an insertion region and a latching receptacle, wherein, when the light source is passed through the opening in the reflector unit, the latching projections of the lamp carrier are simultaneously placed in the insertion region and rotated into the holding receptacles by means of a rotation about the longitudinal center axis of the reflector unit and thus interact fixedly with the latching openings. This achieves a plug-in lock which can also be easily released again by rotating the lamp holder in the opposite direction of the mounting, so that the latching projections are again located in the insertion region and the lamp together with the lamp holder can be separated from the reflector (or reflector adapter) along the longitudinal center axis of the reflector unit.

Advantageously, the lamp holder has four first blocking elements and the reflector unit has four corresponding second blocking elements. Advantageously, these elements are arranged opposite each other in pairs. Thus, a particularly stable fixation can be achieved.

In a variant of the invention, the lamp holder has a recess at the side thereof facing away from the reflector unit in the mounted state. The recess serves on the one hand to save material and on the other hand to facilitate the reading of information attached to the lamp or starter.

In order to allow the lamp to be optimally positioned, at least one retaining spring device is provided between the lamp holder and the lamp, which retaining spring device has a base plate and a lateral element projecting from the base plate in the direction of the reflector. The stop spring means presses the lamp to its position at the reflector unit and achieves a high positioning repeatability accuracy when changing lamps. At the same time, the lamp is pressed downward by means of the retaining clip, wherein the term "downward" here refers to the installation position of the lighting unit in the vehicle. It is also ensured by the stopping spring means that the starter of various sizes, which are defined by the maximum size, can be held firmly.

Since the lamp holder is firmly inserted into the reflector unit (i.e., the reflector or the reflector adapter), the elastic force of the stopper elastic means between the lamp holder and the lamp can be sufficiently exhibited, and good fixation can be achieved. The retaining spring means can in principle be made of any bendable electrically conductive material, such as a metal plate. Other materials are also possible, as long as they are electrically conductive (or have conductive areas, for example plastic with a conductive layer) and have sufficient strength for the function of the retaining spring means.

The lateral elements have elastic clamping means at their ends facing away from the base plate. The lateral elements of the retaining spring means are arranged on opposite sides of the base plate. Here, two or four lateral elements are advantageously provided. The holding means of the lateral elements allow the stop spring means to be optimally connected to the lamp or its starter and to support them in a proper position. In the case of two lateral elements, which are arranged above and below or to the left and right of the base plate, the positional information is here a view of the base plate with reference to the applied mounting state of the retaining spring arrangement or of the lighting unit. When two lateral elements are provided, which are arranged above and below the base plate, the upper lateral element can, for example, be made wider, so that a greater force is generated and the lamp is therefore pressed downwards. At least one of the lateral elements may be implemented in two parts to release the plug for the starter.

In a variant of the invention, at least one recess is provided in the base plate of the detent spring arrangement, and at least one positioning spring element is provided in the recess, which positioning spring element is embodied to act parallel to the longitudinal center axis X of the reflector unit in the direction of the reflector unit. Advantageously, a pair of positioning elastic elements is provided in the upper and lower regions of the recess of the base plate, respectively. These positioning elastic elements support the positioning accuracy of the mounting position of the lamp within the reflector unit (i.e. the reflector or the reflector adapter) and prevent the lamp from falling over, especially when the plug is mounted afterwards (e.g. at the starter as described above). The positioning spring element can have rounded projections for this purpose, which prevent the spring element from warping at the housing of the lamp. Here, the "upper region" and the "lower region" should be understood on the basis of the orientation of the lighting unit in the mounted state. In addition to the upper and lower faces, of course, right and left faces and combinations thereof are also possible.

For reasons of electromagnetic compatibility, or for problems of electromagnetic interference of the aforementioned gas discharge lamp, the detent elastic means in a variant of the invention are provided: the electrically conductive connection between the starter and the reflector is produced in the mounted state via the lateral elements or via the positioning spring elements and the lateral elements. The lateral elements are in direct contact with the starter and the reflector or are in electrically conductive connection with the reflector via the positioning spring elements at the back of the starter and via the lateral elements (when, for example, optimal contact by the lateral elements alone is not possible). The EMV problem thus solved is described in detail in the opening part.

In a variant of the invention, at least one auxiliary locking means is provided at the base plate for contacting the plug contacts or for supplying power to the lamp. Thus, a "grounding" of the lighting unit may be achieved by the shield-wrapped cable being in contact with the secondary locking means.

In addition to or instead of the electrically conductive connection between the stopper elastic means and the reflector, according to an embodiment at least one electrically conductive element is provided between the lamp and the reflector, which electrically conductive element produces an electrically conductive connection between the starter and the reflector. The electrically conductive element can, for example, be embodied as an annular "EMV ring" and, when installed, is placed between the lamp and the reflector. The conductive elements are obviously made of a conductive material.

By means of said feature, the lighting unit can for example also be grounded, by: an electrically conductive connection is formed between the reflector and the starter via the electrically conductive element and a connection to ground on the vehicle is achieved via the catch spring means and in particular its auxiliary locking means via a shielded cable connected to the auxiliary locking means.

The lamp holder is made of plastic or metal. For example, the lamp holder may be implemented as a metal die cast. The retaining spring means are advantageously made of an electrically conductive material. Preferably, the retaining spring means are made of sheet metal and the lamp holder is embodied as a plastic part.

The above object is also achieved by the above lamp holder or the above detent spring device for use in a vehicle headlight having the above features.

Drawings

The invention will be further elucidated hereinafter on the basis of non-limitative embodiments shown in the drawings. In this drawing, there is shown schematically:

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view, from obliquely in front, of a lighting unit according to the invention for a vehicle floodlight,

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view, from obliquely behind, of a lighting unit according to the invention for a vehicle headlight,

figure 3 is an exploded view of the lighting unit of figures 1 and 2 with its components,

figure 4 is a front perspective view of a lamp holder according to the present invention,

figure 5 is a rear perspective view of the lamp holder of figure 4,

figure 6 is a perspective rear view of the retaining spring means according to the invention,

figure 7 is a perspective front view of the retaining spring means of figure 6,

figure 8 is a rear perspective view of a reflector adapter for mounting a lamp holder according to the present invention,

figure 9 is a front perspective view of the reflector adapter of figure 8,

figure 10 is a perspective view of a conductive element,

figure 11 is a perspective view of a lamp having a stopping spring device according to the present invention mounted thereon,

fig. 12 is a perspective view of a stopper elastic means provided in a lamp holder according to the present invention, an

Fig. 13 is a partial view of a circle indicated by a dot-dash line in a perspective view of the reflector adapter according to fig. 9.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows an overall perspective view of a lighting unit 1 for a vehicle headlight from diagonally in front. The unit is closed at the front by a (projection) lens 2 arranged in a lens holder 3. The lens holder 3 is mounted at a reflector unit constituted by a reflector adapter 4 and a reflector 5 arranged therein. The longitudinal centre axis X of the reflector unit is shown in dash-dot lines. The longitudinal central axis of the reflector 5 or reflector adapter 4 coincides with the main illumination direction of the lighting unit 1. For clarity and for better illustration, the term "longitudinal central axis" is used throughout.

Such variations are described in the examples below: the lamp is held via a reflector adapter 4, while the reflector unit thus has a reflector adapter 4 and a reflector 5 held within the reflector adapter 4. For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that the solution according to the invention can also be used in variants in which the reflector unit is composed of only the reflector 5, but this has no influence on the functioning of the invention.

The means according to the invention for holding the lamp 7, i.e. the lamp holder 9 together with the retaining spring means 8, are located on the back of the reflector adapter 4.

As described below, the lamp 7 is mounted by means of plug-in locking at the reflector unit (i.e. the reflector 5 or the reflector adapter 4), the lamp 7 being introduced together with the lamp holder 9 and the retaining spring means 8 along the longitudinal central axis X of the reflector unit; by rotation about the longitudinal centre axis X, the lamp holder 9 and the blocking element at the reflector adapter 4 are lockingly engaged together. After a brief description of the individual components of the lighting unit 1 according to the invention, the plug-in latch will be described in more detail.

The lamp holder 9 and the retaining spring means 8 are more clearly visible in fig. 2, which is shown in perspective from obliquely behind in fig. 2. The starter 7' of the lamp 7 can be seen between the lamp holder 9 and the catch spring 8 via the recess 11 in the lamp holder 9, which starter is surrounded by the lamp holder 9. Due to the recess 11 information on the back of the starter 7', e.g. the lattice code of the mounted lamp 7, can be read.

The exploded perspective view in fig. 3 shows the various components of the lighting unit 1 according to the invention (except for the reflector adapter 4 which is omitted for clarity):

the lamp 7 (which is a discharge lamp) is composed of a starter 7' and a light source 7 ″. When mounted, the lamp 7 is guided through the opening 10 in the reflector 5 to the substantially circular lamp holder 40 and then fixed. The lamp holder 40 is an accurate reference surface along the longitudinal centre axis X of the lighting unit 1. The lamp 7 must be properly abutted with its reference point against the lamp holder 40. Here, the lamp holder 40 also serves as a stop for the lamp 7 or its starter 7'; the lamp 7 is also secured against the lamp holder 40 by means of the lamp holder 9 during mounting.

In order to ensure proper placement of the lamp 7 for the lighting unit 1, the lamp 7 is referenced to the reflector 5 (or socket area). For this purpose, a coding device 30 (see fig. 8 and 9) is provided in the region of the opening 10 in the reflector 5 (or the reflector adapter 4), in fig. 8 and 9 a plurality of coding devices 30 being provided. These coding means are easily broken and can be removed or not depending on the lamp type provided.

Between the lamp 7 and the reflector 5, there is a conductive element 6, here a conductive ring (fig. 10), which serves to form a conductive connection between the lamp 7 and the reflector 5. In order to ensure this connection, contact elements in the form of projecting keys 60, 60' are provided. The conductive ring and the conductive connection to the reflector 5 serve to ensure the electromagnetic compatibility of the lamp 7:

in the case of the previously customary discharge lamps, which usually comprise a common structural assembly of light source 7 ″ and starter 7', problems of electromagnetic compatibility often occur in the region of the supply circuit of lamp 7. Electromagnetic waves are emitted by the high voltage necessary for the operation of the lamp 7 or during the ignition of the arc, which electromagnetic waves can influence the vehicle electronics as noise or can interfere with their intended function, for example in the case of airbags, sensors, etc. It is therefore necessary to shield the electromagnetic emissions in the region of the lamp 7 by special shielding means. For this purpose, a reflector 5 is mainly used, which is usually made of an electrically conductive material (e.g. a metal die casting) or is provided with an electrically conductive layer. The conductive element 6 connects the lamp 7 with the reflector 5; as described below, the shielding can be performed in different ways or by means of additional devices.

In order to fix the lamp 7 in the reflector unit, i.e. in the reflector adapter here, the lamp holder 9 and the stopping spring means 8, which comprise the starter 7' or the lamp 7 and are fixed to the reflector unit, are active.

The lamp holder 9 (see fig. 4 and 5) is preferably made of plastic and is thus embodied such that the lamp holder 9 comprises the starter 7' of the lamp 7. The lamp holder 9 has a first latching element, which in the exemplary embodiment shown is embodied as a latching projection 12, two latching projections 12 each being provided opposite one another. In the mounted state of the lamp holder 9, the latching projections 12 extend in the direction of the reflector 5 or the reflector adapter 4. The recess 11 is embodied on the side of the lamp holder 9 facing away from the reflector 5.

The detent spring 8 is shown in a perspective view in fig. 6 and 7. The retaining spring means 8, preferably made of metal plate or another conductive material, has a base plate 13 with lateral elements 14, 14' protruding therefrom. In the present embodiment, two lateral elements 14,14 'are provided, which are advantageously arranged opposite one another, the lateral elements 14, 14' being able to be arranged, for example, above and below the base plate 13 (also on the left and right, as required). Here, the expressions "upper" and "lower" or "right" and "left" relate to the arrangement of the device in fig. 6 and 7. When, for example, four lateral elements 14, 14' are provided, they can be arranged above, below, to the left and to the right. Before the lamp 7 is mounted, the elastic stopping means 8 is first mounted on the starter 7' of the lamp 7 (see fig. 11), and then the lamp holder 9 is mounted and can be mounted. In a preferred variant, the stopping spring means 8 is first mounted in the lamp holder 9 (see fig. 12) and then mounted on the starter 7'. In order to hold the locking spring arrangement 8 securely, the locking spring arrangement 8 has elastic stop elements 24, which are locked after the locking spring arrangement 8 has been inserted into the lamp holder 9 by means of corresponding stop openings or stops in the lamp holder 9. This results in a stabilization, wherein the locking spring arrangement 8 can be removed again from the lamp holder 9 by pressing the stop element 24.

A lamp change is thereby easily achieved, since the combination of the lamp holder 9 and the stopper spring 8 is easily pulled out from the starter 7' of a defective lamp 7 and a new lamp 7 is pre-installed in the lamp holder-stopper spring combination. Then, the lamp 7 is mounted to the lamp socket again.

In order to be properly fixed to the starter 7 ', the lateral members 14, 14' have resilient clamping means 15,15 'at their ends facing away from the substrate 13, which grip the starter 7' from behind. The lower lateral element 14 'is divided into two parts for receiving plug contacts for the lamp 7 (e.g. the starter 7') and comprises a void for a plug. For the plug, a secondary locking device 21 for contacting is also provided. When a plug with an associated shielded cable is connected to the plug contact, the auxiliary locking device 21 locks with the plug or its shield.

In a variant of the invention, which is not shown in the drawings, the lateral elements 14, 14' may be elongated so that they are in contact with the reflector 5 of the lighting unit 1 in the mounted state; by the lateral elements 14,14 'clampingly surrounding the starter 7' of the lamp 7, an electrically conductive connection between the lamp 7 and the reflector 5 can be formed in respect of the EMV, which can be provided in addition to the electrically conductive element 6 or instead of the electrically conductive element 6. Other constructions and solutions of the lateral elements 14, 14' are possible than those shown.

A recess 16 is provided in the base plate 13, and positioning spring elements 17,18,19,20 are arranged in this recess 16. The positioning spring elements 17,18,19,20 are embodied as wider spring plates which act in a direction parallel to the longitudinal center axis X of the reflector unit or reflector 5 in the direction of the reflector unit; thereby, the positioning spring elements 17,18,19,20 press the lamp 7 in the direction of the reflector unit in the mounted state and ensure a firm holding of the lamp 7. Thereby, the lamp 7 is prevented from turning over, for example, when a plug (see above) is placed. In the embodiment shown, the positioning spring elements 17,18,19,20 are arranged in pairs in the upper and lower region of the recess 16, the terms "upper" and "lower" again referring to the orientation of the retaining spring arrangement 8 in fig. 6 and 7.

The electrically conductive contact of the reflector 5 can be achieved particularly well in combination with the lateral elements 14,14 'via the positioning spring elements 17,18,19,20 which are in contact with the starter 7' of the lamp.

In conjunction with the conductive element 6, a further variant of contacting or shielding can be achieved via the positioning of the elastic elements 17,18,19,20 as follows: the conductive element 6 forms an electrically conductive connection between the reflector 5 and the starter 7'; the electrically conductive connection of the starter 7 'to the stopping spring means 8 is realized via the lateral elements 14, 14', which can be combined with the positioning spring elements 17,18,19, 20; via the auxiliary locking device 21, is connected to the shield of the cable and thus to the ground of the vehicle.

The above-described plug-in lock is now explained further on the basis of fig. 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 9. The plug-in lock is designed as a connection between the lamp holder 9 and the reflector unit (reflector 4 or reflector adapter 5). A variant with a reflector adapter 5 is described below. In the ready-to-use lighting unit 1, the reflector 4 is located in the reflector adapter 5, and then the lamp 7 is mounted in the reflector 4 and the adapter, but the reflector 4 is omitted in fig. 8 and 9 for clarity.

The lamp holder 9 has a first latching element (the above-mentioned latching projection 12) which interacts with a corresponding second latching element on the rear side of the reflector unit, in this case a second latching element on the rear side of the reflector 4 arranged in the reflector adapter 5.

The second latching element is embodied as a latching opening 22, which is provided in accordance with the number and arrangement of the locking elements 12 of the lamp holder 9.

As can be seen in fig. 9, the latching openings 22 each have a lead-in region 220 and a clip receptacle 221, with the latching projections 12 being placed in the lead-in regions 220 of the latching openings 22 when the lamp 7 (see fig. 3) supported in the lamp holder 9 is introduced through the opening 10 in the reflector 4 along the longitudinal central axis 9 of the reflector. Fig. 13 shows a detail of the locking opening 22 with the insertion region 220 and the clamping receptacle 221, and fig. 13 shows the region marked by the dashed circle in fig. 9. When the lamp holder 9 and the lamp 7 are subsequently rotated about the longitudinal centre axis X of the reflector unit, the latching projections 12 move into the clamping receptacles 221 and thus act fixedly together with the latching openings 22. Thereby, the lamp holder 9 (and the stopper elastic means 8) exert a pressing force on the lamp 7 in the direction of the reflector 5 along the longitudinal center axis X of the reflector 5, and function to reliably support the lamp 7.

To enhance the fixing action, the latching lug 12 can be embodied with a protruding stop edge 23, as can be seen in fig. 5, the "thickness" of the stop edge 23, viewed in the circumferential direction, increasing with the radius from the axis of rotation. When the latching projections 12 enter the clamping receivers 221 during a rotation about the longitudinal center axis X of the reflector unit, the stop edges 23 interact with the clamping receivers 221 more tightly with more rotation and act to hold the plug-in latches securely. At the same time, the plug-in closure can be easily removed again by rotation in the opposite direction.

In the case shown in the figures, four latching projections 12 and four corresponding latching openings 22 are provided in each case.

As already mentioned, more or fewer devices of this type can also be provided. A combination is also possible in which the latching projections 12 are arranged partly at the lamp holder 9, partly at the reflector unit (i.e. at the reflector adapter 4 or the reflector 5). As already mentioned, the second latching element may also be provided not at the reflector adapter 4 (as shown), but at the reflector 5. In the selected locking variant it must be ensured that the lamp 7 is pressed with uniform pressure against the reflector 5 or the lamp holder 40 (see fig. 3) and that no tilting or interference of the illumination is caused by the plug-in connection.

Reference numerals

1 Lighting Unit

2 (projection) lens

3 lens holder

4 reflector adapter

5 Reflector

6 conductive element

7 Lamp

7' starter

7' light source

8 stop elastic device

9 Lamp bracket

10 opening

11 concave part

12 locking lug

13 substrate

14, 14' lateral element

15, 15' (elastic) clamping device

16 grooves

17,18,19,20 positioning elastic elements

21 auxiliary locking device

22 locking opening

220 introduction area

221 grip receiver

23 stop edge

24 stop element

30 encoder

40 (circular) lamp support

60, 60' (highlighted) keys

Longitudinal central axis X (of the reflector unit)

Claims

1. A lighting unit (1) for a vehicle headlight, wherein the lighting unit (1) has

-at least one lamp (7) provided with at least one light source (7 ") and at least one starter (7') and

-at least one reflector unit having at least one opening (10) for passing the light source (7') of the lamp (7),

wherein,

at least one lamp holder (9) comprising at least the starter (7') in the mounted state is provided with a first latching means extending in the direction of the reflector unit and with a corresponding second latching means at the back of the reflector unit, wherein the first latching means is engageable with the second latching means upon mounting by rotation of the lamp holder (9) about the longitudinal centre axis (X) of the reflector unit,

characterized in that at least one retaining spring device (8) is provided between the lamp holder (9) and the lamp (7), said retaining spring device having a base plate (13) and being provided with lateral elements (14, 14') projecting from said base plate in the direction of the reflector unit,

the lateral elements (14,14 ') have elastic clamping devices (15, 15') at their ends facing away from the base plate (13),

wherein said resilient clamping means (15, 15') resiliently press the lamp (7) into a fixed lateral position relative to the reflector unit (5).

2. A lighting unit (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the reflector unit is a reflector (5).

3. A lighting unit (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the reflector unit is a reflector (5) arranged in a reflector adapter (4).

4. A lighting unit (1) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the second latching means are arranged on the back of the reflector (5) or on the back of the reflector adapter (4).

5. The lighting unit (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first latching means is embodied as a latching projection (12) and the second latching means is embodied as a latching opening (22), or the first latching means is embodied as a latching opening and the second latching means is embodied as a latching projection.

6. A lighting unit (1) as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the latching lug (12) has a protruding stop edge (23) which is arranged to act clampingly with the latching opening (22) when rotated during mounting.

7. The lighting unit (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first latching means is a latching projection (12) and the second latching means is a latching opening (22) having a lead-in region (220) and a clamping receptacle (221) respectively, wherein the latching projection is placed in the lead-in region (220) and is rotated into the clamping receptacle (221) and interacts fixedly with the latching opening (22) by means of a rotation about the longitudinal center axis (X) of the reflector unit when the light source (7 ") passes through the opening (10) in the reflector unit.

8. A lighting unit (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the lamp holder (9) has four first latching elements and the reflector unit has four corresponding second latching elements.

9. A lighting unit (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the lamp holder (9) has a recess (11) on its side facing away from the reflector unit in the mounted state.

10. The lighting unit (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the lateral elements (14, 14') of the retaining spring means (8) are arranged on opposite sides of the base plate (13).

11. Lighting unit (1) according to claim 1 or 9, characterized in that at least one of the lateral elements (14,14 ') is divided into two parts for releasing a plug for the starter (7').

12. Lighting unit (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that at least one recess (16) is provided in the base plate (13) of the detent spring arrangement (8), and at least one positioning spring element (17,18,19,20) is provided in the recess (16), which positioning spring element is embodied to act in the direction of the reflector unit parallel to the longitudinal centre axis (X) of the reflector unit.

13. A lighting unit (1) as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that a pair of positioning spring elements (17,18,19,20) is provided in an upper region and a lower region, respectively, of the recess (16) of the substrate (13).

14. Lighting unit (1) according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the stop spring means (8) is arranged to create an electrically conductive connection between the starter (7 ") and the reflector (5) in the mounted state via the lateral element (14,14 ') or via the positioning spring element (17,18,19,20) and the lateral element (14, 14').

15. Lighting unit (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that at the base plate (13) at least one auxiliary locking means (21) is provided for contacting a plug contact or for powering the lamp (7).

16. A lighting unit (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that at least one electrically conductive element (6) is provided between the lamp (7) and the reflector (5), which electrically conductive element produces an electrically conductive connection between the lamp (7) and the reflector (5).

17. A lighting unit (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the lamp holder (9) is made of plastic or of metal.

18. Lighting unit (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said stop elastic means (8) are made of conductive material.

19. A lamp holder (9) for use in a lighting unit (1) of a vehicle searchlight according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. A catch spring arrangement (8) for use in a lighting unit (1) of a vehicle searchlight according to any one of claims 1 to 18.