BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention generally relates to automobile lamps and similar devices positioned at the automobile's front end and/or rear end. More specifically, this invention relates to an automobile headlamp, foglamp, taillamp, or flexible applique system that is capable of elastic deformation, yet is rigidly, directly or indirectly, attached to a fixed body component or structural component (i.e., trunk, fenders, rear quarter, decklid, etc.) of the automobile. The flexible lamp system is able to withstand substantial flexure when the automobile bumper sustains an impact by an object and, therefore, the flexible lamp system is particularly well suited for use with impact-absorbing bumpers that automatically rebound from an impact.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] Generally, automobile designers or stylists would like to create aerodynamic body shapes. Their motivation is not merely to reduce drag, but to create contemporary sculpted shapes with reuced bumper overhang that appeal to the marketplace. The automobile designers or stylists, however, are hampered by a variety of functional, economical, and other restraints.

[0006] With the advent of energy or impact-absorbing bumpers, front and rear ends of an automotive vehicle have been required to undergo significant design changes in order to accommodate the stroke of the bumper, that commonly can be as much as three to four inches. Generally, with respect to the front end of a vehicle, designers would like a clean, convex transition from the front edge of the bumper rearward to the windshield area. Likewise, with respect to the rear end of a vehicle, designers would like a clean, convex transition from the rear edge of the rear bumper forward to the sheet metal associated with the trunk area and rear deck lid. However, when viewing most vehicle designs currently available in the marketplace, this transition is normally an inward, concave box shape as shown in FIG. 1 . The front bumper protrudes forward from the vehicle body, or the rear bumper protrudes rearward from the rear sheet metal in order to provide compliance with federal and automotive original equipment manufacturer's vehicle impact standards.

[0007] These standards generally state that no damage can occur to non-bumper components or safety items, such as headlamps or taillamps, during 5 miles per hour frontal impacts, or 3 miles per hour corner impacts. Specifically, the standards dictate that lamps and other reflective devices be free of cracks and remain adjustable within specifications after the impact tests are conducted.

[0008] Traditionally, however, non-bumper components are manufactured from rigid plastic or other materials that are incapable of deformation and resilient deflection under impact. As a result, in an impact situation, these non-compliant parts are susceptible to cracking, breakage, delocation, and other damage. In fact, a 1991 study conducted by The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) estimates that about twenty percent of all claims for auto damage involve low-speed parking lot types of collisions. Furthermore, the IIHS continually proves that such low-speed impacts translate into major repair bills ranging from several hundred to several thousands of dollars, depending upon the vehicle. Accordingly, the IIHS asserts that repair costs for these relatively minor incidents are a major factor in overall collision coverage insurance costs. A news release from the IIHS reveals their position that “it doesn't make sense” to locate safety equipment such as a foglamp or headlight into the bumper since such equipment “would obviously break” during a bumper impact and that such styling decisions can thereby increase vehicle repair costs.

[0009] Therefore, to achieve compliance with the aforementioned impact standards and to address concerns similar to that of the IIHS, original equipment engineers have brought the bumper out away from the front and rear body panels, headlamps, taillamps, hood and grille, so that the bumper may stroke, thereby absorbing the impact energy without allowing intrusion into the components with subsequent damage. The clear result from such design is that the vehicle appears boxy, non-aerodynamic, and antiquated.

[0010] A closely related problem to the ability to absorb the impact energy of the above-mentioned automotive vehicle impact standards concerns the location of the engine within the engine compartment. For example, in an attempt to obtain more passenger space within a vehicle, recent practice has been to push the mounts of the engine further and further toward the front of the vehicle. Accordingly, the ability to provide additional passenger compartment space is directly affected by the space available in front of the engine to enable moving the engine forward to obtain the maximum passenger compartment space. However, since the overall length of the vehicle is subject to limits dictated by the original equipment manufacturer, bringing the bumper forward away from the body, headlamps, hood and grille intrudes into the maximum length, and the front end space of the vehicle becomes extremely valuable in that it directly affects the ability of automotive engineers to move the engine forward in an attempt to create additional passenger compartment space.

[0011] Moreover, it is also necessary to keep headlamps and taillamps out of the impact zone of a passenger truck and, therefore, bumpers on current model passenger trucks extend well beyond the headlamps and taillamps. There are, however, several reasons for bringing the location of truck bumpers inward to reduce the overall length of any given truck.

[0012] First, the longitudinally extended location of the bumpers can lead to noise, vibration, and harshness problems. Passenger truck bumpers are relatively heavy, owing to their thick solid steel construction, and thereby impose a significant load on the truck frame at an unnecessarily extended distance from the center of the truck. Second, the location of the bumpers unnecessarily lengthens the overall length of the truck, thereby making the truck more cumbersome to park. Similarly, the unnecessarily long overhang of the bumper relative to the tires also makes it relatively difficult to drive a truck up steep ramp angles, such as on a vehicle carrier. Simple geometry illustrates that a shorter bumper-to-wheel overhang would permit a truck to drive up a steeper ramp angle, if so desired. Third, customer demand for reduced repair costs and insurance rates, as evidenced by surveys conducted by the IIHS, will likely drive the need to provide passenger car types of impact absorbing bumpers on trucks.

[0013] Similar problems existed with respect to automobile grilles, and such problems were solved by the use of a grille that is mounted substantially flush with the surrounding automobile body panels and bumpers, while also being capable of deflecting with the stroke of the impact-absorbing bumper during impact, thereby obviating the need for the grille to either pivot about an anchor point or to be mechanically displaceable with the additional hardware. Such a grille is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,597, owned by the common assignee hereof. The use of the teachings of this earlier invention, however, allowed the grille to be brought into the impact zone and absorb impact without damage. Unfortunately, while this helped to achieve a more aerodynamic and contemporary look in the grille area, the transformation is incomplete because along either side of the grille the fragile headlamp system still requires protection, resulting in the boxy, non-aerodynamic situation as depicted in FIG. 1 .

[0014] Several automotive equipment manufacturers have attempted specific solutions to this problem, but in doing so have failed to take into consideration the original equipment manufacturer's limitations set forth above, as well as the availability of space between the front bumper and the front of the engine in an engine compartment where the headlamp system must be appropriately mounted. As set forth above, the traditional solution is to position the headlamps or taillamps entirely out of the path of the bumper during recoil after impact. This approach generally entails placing the automobile's headlamps or foglamps rearward of the front bumper and taillamps or flexible appliqués forward of the rear bumper, resulting in an extremely square looking profile that has little appeal according to modern design trends as depicted in FIG. 1 . Clearly such a design is not aerodynamic, but this approach has been generally followed for lack of a better solution. Another solution recently attempted by some of the original equipment manufacturers is to require the headlamp and/or taillamp to be displaceable such that it can either pivot or otherwise move out of the path of the bumper during energy absorbing impact. Preferably, this approach allows the headlamp and/or taillamp to be mounted flush with the surrounding-hood, front end, body panels and bumper, to enhance the styling and aerodynamics of the automobile. Such an approach is illustrated in Tomforde, U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,148, wherein the headlamp upper and lower housing compartments 3 , 6 , are pivotably mounted to a fixed component 4 , at axis 5 , to allow resilient cushioning of an impact in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to minimize property damage and personal injury. This approach allows the top of the headlamp to pivot rearward when the headlamp is contacted at the bottom edge so as to reduce or prevent property damage in a collision with a vehicle and/or a stationary obstacle, as well as to avoid injury to a pedestrian by yielding in a longitudinal direction about pivot point 5 . This approach appears extremely impractical as bumper heights are standardized on passenger vehicles, and an impact on the lower portion of the headlamp would not cause enough rotation to prevent the headlamp from becoming severely damaged in case of an impact in a minor collision with another vehicle or a stationary obstacle.

[0015] Another example of an attempt to solve the above problems relating to the location of headlamps or taillamps in the impact zone is taught by Delmastro et al., U.S Pat. No. 4,466,646. In this reference the lamp assemblies are mounted to an impact bar by the use of U-shaped springs to permit the lamp assembly to swing from its illustrated operating position to a protected position within the confines of the impact bar assembly in response to predetermined frontal impacts. The bumper fascia is mounted to an impact energy absorbing unit and its associated impact bar to absorb side or frontal impacts, store the energy in the impact bar and to avoid transmitting the energy into the vehicle frame, bodywork, or other vehicle components. Any frontal or side impact will permit the hinge assembly limited side and compound movement of the lamp assembly, so that it will not be damaged by any material of the energy absorbing unit crowding the headlamp assembly on corner impacts. After the impact load is removed, the impact bar and end section recover at predetermined rates to their original positions. The lamp assembly, of course, being connected to the U-shaped spring member, will likewise recover to its original position. Note that although this type of solution is proposed for fog lamps and signal lamps, the reference fails to set forth any solution, whatsoever, for avoiding damage to the headlamp in a frontal zone collision. Clearly, the design criteria to avoid damage to headlamps requires the headlamps to be set rearward a sufficient amount to allow the bumper to properly stroke during frontal impacts.

[0016] Another attempt to protect foglamps, signallamps, and taillamps mounted in the impact zone is shown in Vogelgesang, U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,117, wherein a fog lamp and turn signal lamp are mounted to the elastic bumper covering to allow the fog and turn signal lamp unit to move backward in the case of a 30° pendulum impact after it has been acted upon by the impact and to return to its original position. The fog lamp and turn signal housing are attached to a front bumper covering that, when impacted, moves toward the rear of the vehicle by pivoting about a fixed pivot mounted on the body that provides appropriate support for the fog lamp and turn signal housing, and allows the housing to pivot rearward to absorb the impact and return to its original position thereafter. The supporting element is mounted at one end at a fixed member attached to the wheel housing and to the fog lamp and turn signal housing to allow the supporting element to pivot rearward. After impact, the elastic bumper covering with the lamp units and the supporting element are returned to their original positions by the restoring force of the pneumatic impact absorbing devices.

[0017] In Roschinski et al., German patent publication DE 3802104 A1, the lighting unit is mounted in the area of the impact zone. Through the use of spherical balls mounted in a spherical socket the lighting unit is allowed to be removed from the socket upon impact in the longitudinal direction, and returned into the spherical socket by two compression coil springs located between the housing and the body of the vehicle. Because of the use of two spherical sockets that are mounted respectively in an upper and lower zone, the reference further teaches that a shock load acting obliquely from one side only will cause only one of the spherical balls to be displaced from the spherical socket and resume its original position through the use of one coil spring providing sufficient force to again engage the spherical ball with the spherical socket upon removal of the impact force. A similar arrangement is proposed for the fog and turn signal lamps, as well as for the rear lamps of the vehicle. As an alternative to the coil springs, a hydraulic, pneumatic or magnetic system that generates an appropriate force for restoring the position of the housing is also contemplated.

[0018] A further attempt to allow headlamps to be mounted forward, flush with the front fascia of the vehicle, is disclosed in Kodama et al., Japanese Patent JP3-208738-A2, wherein the headlamp is mounted to a guide rail spaced a predetermined distance from side frame members, and interconnected with a connecting bar whose lower end is connected to the side member and upper end to the movable frame containing the headlamp, and adapted for sliding on the guide rail. The torsion bar system has a front part mounted in close proximity to the bumper fascia so that upon impact the bumper fascia collapses and retreats, activating the crank portion of the torsion bar system whereby the connecting bars are pivoted to slide the headlamp in a rearward direction away from the area of the impact zone to prevent damage thereto. After restoration of the bumper fascia to its original position, through the use of impact absorbing material such as foam, the torsion bar system utilizes its stored energy to return the headlamp along the guide rails to its original forward position. An alternate embodiment discloses the use of a scissor-like, two-bar mechanism that operates in combination with a torsion bar system to retract the headlamp in a rearward direction upon impact and through the stored torsional energy in the torsion bar system return the headlamp to the original position upon release of the impact with the bumper fascia.

[0019] As can clearly be observed from a review of the prior art, with the exception of German Patent DE 3802104-A1 and Japanese Patent 3-208738-A2, the prior art addressing of this problem only concerns fog lamps or turn signal lamps where damage criteria after impact, as established by government entities or original equipment manufacturers, is very low or nonexistent. The proposal disclosed in the German reference relies mostly on a complex spring system to return the housing to its original position while the Japanese reference teaches that the bumper impact absorbing material will allow the pivoting mechanism cooperating therewith to return the lamp to its original position. Since none of the bumper impact absorbing materials are required to return a headlamp to its original position by any automotive regulations, it is not possible to rely on such a system to permit the headlamp to return to its original position after a bumper impact due to the strict regulations and tight tolerances on headlamp aim patterns that would not allow any misalignment of aim pattern after impact outside of the tolerance limitations. Further, the teachings of both the German and Japanese patents have completely neglected the value of the space considerations surrounding the headlamp mounting area that directly reflects upon the forward placement of the engine and, in turn, the amount of space available in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Accordingly, none of the systems provided in the prior art are adaptable to headlamps or taillamps that have strict regulations concerning damage after bumper impacts.

[0020] In addition to the existing government and manufacturer vehicle impact standards mentioned above, new pedestrian safety technology regulations have been proposed in European Union countries over the last several years. The regulations relate to exterior vehicle safety measures that mitigate the risk of injury to pedestrians in the event of a vehicle-pedestrian collision. The regulations will either encourage or require automobile manufacturers to study vehicle body deformation behavior and thereafter modify vehicle body geometry and materials to improve exterior safety of their vehicles. Specifically, the proposed regulations would implement standards that were established and reported by the European Enhanced Vehicle-Safety Committee (EEVC), that are aimed at minimizing serious injury to pedestrians in vehicle-pedestrian impacts up to 40 kph. The EEVC standards thereby specify certain minimum performance levels for frontal impact pedestrian protection, wherein the performance levels are evaluated using criteria embodied in a series of three tests representing three modes of injury to lower legs, upper legs, and head.

[0021] The first of these tests is a “leg to bumper” pedestrian impact test wherein acceptance criteria are defined by knee bending, knee shear, and tibia acceleration. Knee bending must be less than 15°, knee shear is required to be less than 6 mm, and tibia acceleration must not exceed 150 units of gravitational acceleration (G's). The second test is an “upper legform-to-hood edge” pedestrian impact test wherein the acceptance criteria is defined by total load and bending moment. The instantaneous sum of the impact forces with respect to time shall not exceed 5 kN, and the bending moment must not exceed 300 Nm. The third test is a “child and adult, headform-to-hood” pedestrian impact test wherein the acceptance criteria is defined by Head Performance Criterion (HPC). HPC is otherwise known as Head Injury Criterion, or Head Impact Criterion (HIC) in the United States. In any case the HPC value must not exceed 1000 G's. A child headform having a mass of 2.5 kg is used as well as an adult head form having a mass of 4.8 kg.

[0022] With regard to the leg-to-bumper and headform-to-hood tests, headlamp design is not likely to be significantly implicated. The first test involves only the bumper and the leg of the pedestrian. In the third test, the head typically impacts the hood after the lower and upper leg contact the front of the vehicle. According to the specified test criteria, headlamp designs generally would not be implicated in either the child or adult test since the child headform impacts the front portion of the hood, while the adult headform impacts the rear portion of the hood.

[0023] In contrast, however, the upper legform-to-hood edge test involves potential pedestrian impact with a headlamp. Here, most headlamp designs would be implicated since the pedestrian leg form is necessarily impacted at least at an upper portion of the headlamp proximate the hood edge. In fact, the EEVC report broadly defines the hood edge stating that “all the parts of the vehicle structure and under bonnet components that may be involved in a frontal impact with a vulnerable road user shall be included in the test to demonstrate the performance and interactions of all the contributory vehicle components.” Depending on the styling of the particular vehicle involved, the “hood edge” may include the upper edge of the bumper and the upper and side members of the headlight surround. Accordingly, the upper legform test must be performed on the bumper and headlights since they will likely influence the test conditions for most vehicles.

[0024] Therefore, the outcome of vehicle-pedestrian impacts is significantly influenced by the headlamp design since the foremost surface of the headlamp can indeed strike a pedestrian. Many current headlamp designs involve rigid and substantially vertical foremost surfaces that are typically offset rearwardly from the bumper, which are combined conditions that may not be optimal for minimizing damage to a pedestrian under a frontal collision.

[0025] Finally, it is reported that the European Commission announced that it planned to introduce regulations to make the EEVC standards mandatory thereby requiring all European automobiles to meet the above-mentioned acceptance criteria sometime between the years 2006 to 2008. Purportedly, Sweden has already approved similar frontal impact regulations that are to take effect in 2003.

[0026] Therefore, what is needed is a simple, cost effective headlamp, taillamp, auxiliary lamp, signal lamp, or similar system that can be brought into the impact zone to provide designers the freedom to create flush, convex-shaped, aerodynamic lamp systems for vehicles, that after impact return to their original positions without substantial permanent damage, and that continue to operate within the limits of the specifications set forth for headlamps, taillamps, auxiliary lamps, signal lamps, or similar subassemblies for automotive vehicles, and that meet proposed EEVC regulations relating to frontal impact pedestrian protection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0027] According to the present invention there is provided a vehicle body subassembly such as a headlamp, fog lamp, taillamp, signal lamp, auxiliary lamp, or flexible applique system for an automobile having an impact-absorbing bumper. The vehicle body subassembly of the preferred embodiment is designed to be mounted substantially flush with the surrounding automobile body panels and/or bumper. Additionally, the vehicle body subassembly provides the capabilities to deflect with the stroke of the impact-absorbing bumper during impact without significant damage to the vehicle body subassembly and to permit the vehicle body subassembly to relocate to its pre-impact position without substantial loss of the functionality thereof. The aforementioned capabilities obviate the need for the vehicle body subassembly to pivot about an anchor point or to be mechanically displaceable with additional hardware. Consequently, the vehicle body subassembly at least one component, and/or at least a portion of at least one component is preferably formed from resilient, impact-resistant material, such as a high-impact plastic in combination with a resilient deflection member located selectively between the lens and the housing, between the housing and the body of the vehicle, or between the inner lens and the outer lens in a dual lens system. Alternatively, the resilient deflection member may be either only the housing or only the lens itself. In all embodiments, the resilient deflection member resiliently responds to an impact in the manner described above.

[0028] The material for the resilient deflection member must be selected to have a yield strength that is adequate to sustain a predetermined degree of deformation, corresponding to the amount of deflection required to deflect with the bumper stroke, as will be explained more fully below. Additionally, the resilient deflection member must meet standard automotive specifications for a typical vehicle component.

[0029] The invention contemplates placing the headlamp lens and associated components forward into the impact zone and using a resilient deflection member selectively located either between the housing and the lens, between the housing and the vehicle body (or components attached thereto), or between the inner lens and the outer lens in a dual lens system to resiliently respond to impact. Alternatively, the resilient deflection member may be either the housing or the lens itself. Since the headlamp lens configuration is a direct function of the vehicle application, that is, the type of vehicle the lens is used on, the placement of the resilient deflection member, in order to obtain the desired deflection, must be selective in order to adapt to each specific vehicle application. The resilient deflection member is made of a more flexible material; preferably, TPU (urethane thermoplastic). Alternatively, TPO (rubber modified polypropylene), RIM (urethane), or TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) etc., may be used.

[0030] In the preferred embodiment, the lens is generally a more rigid material, like polycarbonate and the housing is also relatively rigid, and can be made from either polypropylene, polycarbonate, or thermoset BMC polyvinylester, molded material. In the preferred embodiment disclosed, the lens has a body portion that has an upper edge that generally extends in a horizontal extent adjacent a body panel such as the engine hood or front fascia of the automobile, and a lower edge that generally extends in a horizontal extent adjacent the bumper or bumper fascia. Accordingly, the headlamp, taillamp, fog light or turn signal light utilizing the invention as described herein achieves a more aerodynamic, contemporary look, and allows stylists the complete freedom to create a flush, convex-shaped aerodynamic front end or rear end system with each vehicle design. Of course, one skilled in the art will recognize that any material may be used so long as it provides the functionality described hereinafter for the preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0031] Because the headlamp system is mounted further forward into the impact zone, car stylists are given the freedom to utilize the additional space so as to provide the maximum amount of space in the engine compartment to be potentially used to allow engines to be mounted further forward and thereby increase the space available in the passenger compartment.

[0032] The resilient deflection member serves multiple purposes. Its primary purpose is to allow the lens or other components of the headlamp assembly to move upon impact without damage to itself or any other surrounding assembly components. A further obvious objective is to act as a seal between the lens and the housing so that moisture, water, dust or other contaminants do not degrade the function of the lamp system. Also, the use of a resilient deflection member may enhance the aesthetic effect of the vehicle by using the resilient deflection member as a styling element of the lens or headlamp system. Through the use of differently-colored materials, various finishes, and texture patterns, the resilient deflection member can be used as a decorative element. Additionally, the resilient deflection member may reduce or prevent property damage or personal injury during a collision due to the capability of the resilient deflection member to yield under impact and absorb a portion of the energy generated therefrom.

[0033] The actual design of the resilient deflection member is variable and highly dependent on the design of the lamp system and the headlamp as a whole. In the preferred embodiment, the resilient deflection member is placed selectively between the lens and the housing, or between the housing and its attachment point on the vehicle. Alternatively, the resilient deflection member may be placed between the inner and outer lens in a dual lens system, or the resilient deflection member is the lens itself. The resilient deflection member does not have to be a continuous ring about the periphery of the lens. The following factors define the parameters of the design and use of the resilient deflection member: the manner in which the lens is designed to deform during bumper impacts, the space in which it is allowed to deform without damaging itself, the physical location or structural interrelationship of the lens itself as well as the interior lamp components and the surrounding components, and the actual manner in which the resilient deflection member can be manipulated to accommodate specific automotive applications. Flexing of the resilient deflection member is also a function of the resiliency of each component of the headlamp, taillamp, or fog lamp system. Optimizing a design is normally an iterative process, utilizing structural Finite Element Analysis (FEA), simulating the various impacts, and ultimately performing actual physical testing of prototypes, as is hereinafter described.

[0034] The deflection characteristics of the resilient deflection member provide the basic deflection capability of the headlamp system, or any one of its components, i.e. the lens, the housing, or associated components. If desired, additional deflection can be provided by varying its section modulus along its length or width. Preferably, at least the lower area of the lens may be provided with a section modulus that is reduced in at least one predetermined area to provide a predetermined degree of elasticity without exceeding the predetermined yield strength of the material and without affecting the optical characteristics of the lamp system. The section modulus may also vary such that there is a predetermined minimum section modulus at any of one or more points. As a result, the predetermined degree of elasticity provides a degree of resiliency to the entire headlamp system.

[0035] With the above capability for flexing, the headlamp system can, for instance, befixed to the automotive vehicle at points along the upper edge, lower edge, and sides to firmly support the headlamp system, while still being able to elastically deform as a result of the deflection characteristics and variation in section modulus of the various components, in combination or independently (i.e., the lens only), so as to be able to both sustain a predetermined impact or to stroke with the bumper during an impact without exceeding the predetermined yield strength of the resilient deflection member. Due to the localization of the flexing in predetermined areas of the lens, the deflection in the remainder of the body portions away from the predetermined areas is significantly reduced. As a result, the likelihood of permanent yielding occurring in the lens is eliminated. Accordingly, reducing the section modulus in any one or more predetermined points of the headlamp lens or housing in conjunction with using a material having predetermined deflection characteristics allows the headlamp to be rigidly attached to the automobile yet provide deflection characteristics according to the invention. Consequently, there is no requirement for the headlamp to be pivotable about a mechanical pivot when the bumper sustains an impact. In addition, the need for additional hardware or special resilient fasteners is reduced or eliminated.

[0036] According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a flexible appliqué is provided that shares substantially similar features and functions to the headlamp assembly and other similar assemblies described above. In contrast, however, the flexible appliqué generally does not include a light source, although it can. Like the headlamp assembly, the flexible appliqué is also capable of elastic deformation despite being rigidly mounted to the decklid of a vehicle so as to provide a visual impression of a continuous surface appearance of the flexible appliqué with the taillamps across the rear end of the vehicle. Like the headlamp assembly, the flexible appliqué includes any or all of the following flexible components: a flexible lens, a flexible bezel, a flexible housing, a flexible member mounted therebetween, and flexible mounting structure intermediate a housing and vehicle body structure.

[0037] A significant advantage of the present invention is that the section modulus of any one of the components of the lamp system may be modified without affecting the exterior appearance of the lamp system and/or lens associated therewith. As a result, the optimum section modulus for different applications can be experimentally ascertained by either modifying the mold that forms the member or by mechanical means to contour and remove material from any area of the resilient deflection member.

[0038] It is also contemplated that spring steel inserts can be molded into the resilient deflection member to assist the lens in returning to its original position in some vehicle applications. This would assist in defining and controlling the location and shaping of the resilient deflection member while providing an appropriate assist force in returning it to its original pre-impact position. Also, such an arrangement could be used if there is a need to flex the resilient deflection member beyond the resilient deflection member's material yield point in specific applications, yet enable the resilient deflection member to completely return to its pre-deformed position utilizing the spring inserts molded therein.

[0039] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a headlamp, taillamp, signal lamp, or auxiliary lamp system that is able to withstand a predetermined impact without fracturing any of the components thereof by the use of a resilient deflection member as at least one of the components, or a portion thereof, of such system, or by the use of the resilient characteristics of a combination of components and/or a combination of portions of components of such a system.

[0040] It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a headlamp, taillamp, signal lamp, or auxiliary lamp system that is able to withstand a predetermined impact without fracturing any of the components thereof by the use of a resilient deflection member as at least one of the components, or a portion thereof, of such system, or by the use of the resilient characteristics of a combination of components and/or a combination of portions of components of such a system.

[0041] It is a further object that the invention can be practiced wherein each of the components of the lamp assembly collectively contributes a resilient deformation capability such that the lamp assembly can withstand a predetermined impact without fracture thereto.

[0042] It is a further object of this invention that such a headlamp, taillamp, signal lamp, or auxiliary lamp system be suitable for use on an automobile having an impact absorbing bumper such that the automobile headlamp, taillamp, signal lamp, or auxiliary lamp system is mounted forward with the bumper or body panels surrounding it yet is capable of resiliently deflecting with the stroke of the bumper without sustaining structural damage thereto without significantly affecting the optical characteristics of the lens.

[0043] It is yet a further object of this invention that such an headlamp, taillamp, signal lamp, or auxiliary lamp system be provided with a reduced section modulus in any one of the areas of the components of each of the systems for concentrating the deflection in that area of the specific component, while reducing the flexure in the remainder of the headlamp, taillamp, signal lamp, or auxiliary lamp components.

[0044] It is yet still a further object of this invention that by concentrating the flexure of the headlamp, taillamp, signal lamp, and auxiliary lamp components in predetermined areas, the headlamp, taillamp, or auxiliary lamp system can be rigidly attached to the automobile body components without the need for additional pivoting hardware or resilient brackets to support the headlamp, taillamp or auxiliary lamp system.

[0045] It is another object of this invention that such a headlamp, taillamp, signal lamp, or auxiliary lamp system be securable directly in a fixed location to the automotive body or body components so as to provide structural resistance to environmental effects such as wind and vibration.

[0046] It is still another object of this invention that such headlamp, taillamp or auxiliary lamp system have reduced cost, component weight and complexity, yet provide the ability for the headlamp, taillamp or auxiliary lamp system to provide all the functionality of current headlamp systems, while appropriately responding to bumper impacts without damage thereto.

[0047] It is yet another object of this invention that the resilient deflection member is formed from any material or combination of materials that permits the resilient deflection of the lamp system so as to provide the functionality to appropriately respond to impacts without damage thereto.

[0048] It is also an object of this invention that the resilient deflection member is the lens itself, generated from a thin sheet of polycarbonate plastic and thermoformed to the desired design criteria.

[0049] It is a further object of this invention that the resilient deflection member is generated from a low flex modulus optically clear TPU.

[0050] It is another object of this invention to generate the resilient deflection member by extruding thin sheet stock, thermoforming the lens shape and trimming the offal.

[0051] Another object is to generate a resilient deflection member that utilizes an injection/compression mold process.

[0052] Yet another object is to generate the resilient deflection member using a thin wall molding technique to create a thin lens.

[0053] Yet another object of this invention is to produce a resilient deflection member molded in a localized area to ease and direct the folding action during an impact. This effect can be achieved by the use of reinforcing ribs, darts, or variations in thickness. This effect can also be achieved through the use of a composite consisting of different flex moduli materials selectively laminated or two shot molded together.

[0054] Still another object is to provide improvements to exterior body components on a vehicle that enable the vehicle to meet pedestrian protection requirements in cases of vehicle-pedestrian collisions.

[0055] Another object is to provide improvements to automotive exterior lighting components such as headlamps, taillamps, foglamps, and reflective body trim, that reduce the negative effects of a vehicle collision with a pedestrian. Such improvements thereby enable automobiles to meet proposed European vehicle safety regulations, involving “leg to bumper,” “leg to hood edge,” and “head to hood” impact scenarios.

[0056] Yet another object is to provide automotive exterior subassemblies or appliqués that have the ability to resiliently flex and thereby absorb impact forces during a pedestrian collision for the purpose of reducing pedestrian injuries and potentially saving lives. This is accomplished by comprehensively applying the inventive concepts herein to any exterior vehicle body component, but especially headlamps, taillamps, foglamps, signal-lamps, reflective decorative trim, and the like.

[0057] Another object is to provide a flexible appliqué subassembly that attaches to a decklid of an automobile and that will resiliently absorb an impact, such as with a pole, and will thereafter rebound to its original shape and condition.

[0058] Still another object is to provide an automotive exterior subassembly having a resiliently flexible component that is composed of a rigid portion and a flexible portion overmolded to, or insert molded within, the rigid portion.

[0059] Other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent after a reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings provided.