Patents by Inventor Otto Dobler

Otto Dobler has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7905632
    Abstract: The invention relates to a illumination module (10; 10a; 10b) for a headlamp or a illumination system of an automobile with at least one semiconductor light source (5) secured to a carrier element (4). The carrier element (4) in turn is attached to a heat sink (7) and fixed in place by means of a separate securing bracket (18; 18a; 18b) that is plate-shaped or is in the form of a wire-bale spring. The securing bracket (18; 18a; 18b) is attached to the heat sink (7) and includes a recess that at least partially surrounds the carrier element (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Automotive Lighting Reutlingen GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Andres Faehnle, Thomas Wezel
  • Publication number: 20090096341
    Abstract: The invention relates to a illumination module (10; 10a; 10b) for a headlamp or a illumination system of an automobile with at least one semiconductor light source (5) secured to a carrier element (4). The carrier element (4) in turn is attached to a heat sink (7) and fixed in place by means of a separate securing bracket (18; 18a; 18b) that is plate-shaped or is in the form of a wire-bale spring. The securing bracket (18; 18a; 18b) is attached to the heat sink (7) and includes a recess that at least partially surrounds the carrier element (4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Applicant: AUTOMOTIVE LIGHTING REUTLINGEN GMBH
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Andres Faehnle, Thomas Wezel
  • Patent number: 6749326
    Abstract: A headlight for a motor vehicle, having a light module, at least one reflector, the module having at least one holding frame which is turnable about two axes extending substantially perpendicularly to one another in a plan parallel to a light outlet plan of the light module, the axis intersecting one another and having an intersecting point located inside the light module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Automotive Lighting Reutlingen GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Klaus Nagel, Hans-J. Schmidt, Wolfgang Krieg, Harry Hoffmann
  • Patent number: 6220736
    Abstract: A headlight for a vehicle has a reflector, a light source, a lens through which a light reflected by the reflector passes, and at least one element which surrounds the lens at least over a part of its periphery and is at least partially light permeable so that the light emitted by the light source and not engaged by the reflector passes through the element and is collected, the element being provided with ring-shaped optical profiles which form a Fresnel lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Kurt Schuster, Juergen Wulf, Andreas Schien, Klaus Nagel, Doris Boebel
  • Patent number: 6042252
    Abstract: A mounting device for mounting an illumination arrangement on a vehicle in several mounting points so that the illumination device in the region of one of the mounting points is turnable about an axis between a turned-in position and a turned-out position, the mounting device has a receiving part arrangeable on a vehicle and having at least one concavely curved shell-shaped region extending in planes perpendicular to the turning axis, at least one portion providable on the illumination arrangement and convexly curved in planes extending perpendicular to the turning axis, the at least one portion in the turned-out position being insertable in or withdrawable from the at least one shell region in a mounting direction and opposite to the mounting direction correspondingly, the at least one portion being arranged in at least one shell region so as to be slidingly displaceable so that during a sliding displacement a turning around the turning axis is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Guenter Steinert
  • Patent number: 6036341
    Abstract: A headlight for a vehicle, has a holder, at least one reflector displaceably supported on the holder, a displacing device for displacing the reflector and having a displacement screw which is turnable on the holder about a longitudinal axis of the displacement screw but is non displaceable in a direction of the longitudinal axis, the displacing device also having a deviating transmission with a receptacle which is mountable on the holder, an adjusting element supported on the receptacle non rotatably about a longitudinal axis of the adjusting element but non displaceable in a direction of the longitudinal axis of the adjusting element, the adjusting element engaging with the displacement screw, the deviating transmission being formed as a bevel gear transmission, the displacement screw being provided with a first bevel toothing while the adjusting element being formed as a bevel gear provided with a second bevel toothing and the receptacle being mounted on the housing transversely to the longitudinal axis of
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Gustav Klett
  • Patent number: 5975729
    Abstract: An illumination device arrangeable on a front part of a vehicle has a tubular receptacle formed on the front part, a light-permeable cover member covering a light outlet opening, a cup-shaped housing, at least one reflector provided with at least one light source and supported on the housing, the housing being mountable on the receptacle, the cover member being mountable on the front part, the housing having a front edge region facing a light outlet direction and being mountable with the front edge region on a rear-side edge region of the receptacle--facing opposite to the light outlet direction, the cover member, the receptacle and the housing together limiting a closed inner chamber in which the at least one reflector with the at least one light source is arranged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Jan Fischer
  • Patent number: 5921672
    Abstract: A headlight for a vehicle has a housing, a cover member which together with the housing at least partially limits an inner chamber, a color shutter arranged in the inner chamber so that during observation through the cover member the headlight at least in a turned-off condition has a colored appearance, the shutter being arranged near a lower edge region of the housing and at least partially covering an inner side of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Jan Fischer
  • Patent number: 5863107
    Abstract: A headlight for vehicles includes a headlight insert with a reflector and a light source inserted in the reflector, a holder mountable on a vehicle part and supporting the headlight insert so that the headlight insert is turnable about a horizontal axis relative to the holder for orientation of a light bundle emitted from the headlight insert, an adjusting screw cooperating with an adjusting element and actuatable to turn the headlight insert about the horizontal axis and a releasable mounting element for mounting the headlight insert at least directly on the holder. The adjusting screw being held on the holder rotatably and axially non-displaceably and the adjusting element being held on the holder axially displaceably and non-rotatably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Jan Fischer
  • Patent number: 5769525
    Abstract: The headlight has a reflector (10) and a light source (12) which is arranged in a lamp carrier (22), which can be pivoted in relation to the reflector (10) about a horizontal axis (30) between a position for low beam and a position for high beam by means of an actuator (42). Starting from the position for low beam, the light source (12) is moved as a result of the pivoting movement about the axis (30), together with the lamp carrier (22), both in the direction of the optical axis (11) of the reflector (10) towards its vertex and also vertically downward in relation to the optical axis (11). Starting from the low beam reflected by the reflector (10) in the case of the arrangement of the light source (12) in its low beam position, the result achieved is both a concentration of the light beam reflected by the reflector (10) and an elevation of the light beam, so that an effective high beam is generated by means of which the remote region in front of the vehicle is illuminated with a high illumination intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1998
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Hans Daumueller, Karl-Otto Dobler, Rainer Neumann, Frieder Liedtke, Lothar Streit, Albert Vent, Doris Boebel
  • Patent number: 5718505
    Abstract: A headlight for vehicles has a light source, a reflector having at least two different reflector regions including a first reflector region which reflects a light emitted by the light source as a converging light beam to form low beam and a second reflector region formed so that light emitted by the light source and reflected by the second reflector region together with the light emitted by the light source and reflected by the first reflector region form high beam, a lens arranged after the reflector in a light outlet direction so that at least the light which forms low beam passes through the lens, and a screening device arranged between the reflector and the lens, the screening device having a stationary screening part and a movable screening part, the movable screening part being movable between a position for low beam in which light forming low beam can pass along the movable screening part and a position for high beam in which additionally the light reflected by the second reflector region can pass alon
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1998
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Hans Daumueller, Karl-Otto Dobler, Rainer Neumann, Frieder Liedtke, Johannes Bertling, Henning Hogrefe, Gerd Bahnmueller, Martin Lampen
  • Patent number: 5709452
    Abstract: The headlamp has a headlamp insert (10), which is mounted pivotably at its front marginal region (22) in a portion (26) of a receiving fixture (12) and which is acted upon, at a distance from its bearing point, by an adjusting device. The receiving fixture portion (26) surrounds the headlamp insert (10) on its periphery and between the headlamp insert (10) and the receiving fixture portion (26) there is clamped an elastically deformable element (29) in the form of a ring. By means of the ring (29), the headlamp insert (10) is mounted pivotably without play in the receiving fixture portion (26). Changes in distance which, upon a swivel motion of the headlamp insert (10), arise between this and the receiving fixture portion (26) are counterbalanced by the ring (29) and this ring, together with the receiving fixture portion (26), constitutes a very simple mounting for the headlamp insert (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1998
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Johannes Bertling, Hans Daumueller, Karl-Otto Dobler, Juergen Mueller, Lothar Streit, Albert Vent
  • Patent number: 5702174
    Abstract: The illumination device is formed as a headlight and has a frame-shaped housing part with a light outlet opening closed by a light permeable cover disc and with a reflector supported in the housing part and provided with a light source. The housing part is supported on the front part of the vehicle turnably about an axis and mountable on the front part by a releasable mounting element. It is open at its rear side and has there a circumferential edge abutting against a circumferential edge of a front part portion with interposition of a sealing element. The circumferential edge encloses a depression limited by a wall and receiving the apex of the reflector with the light source. With the released mounting element, the housing part is turnable from the front part portion, so that the light source becomes accessible for an exchange. Since the housing part does not need a rear wall, it is formed simply and only a small mounting space in the longitudinal direction of the headlight is required on the front part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1997
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Karl-Otto Dobler
  • Patent number: 5672001
    Abstract: The headlamp has a reflector (10) and a light source (12). Disposed in the ray path of the light reflected from the reflector (10) there is a lens (18), which is received in a mounting (20) and consists of an elastically deformable material. The lens (18) is acted upon by at least one control element (22), by which a force can be applied to the lens (18) in order to deform it. The light passing through the lens (18) is influenced, i.e. deflected in its direction. In the nondeformed state of the lens (18) the light beam radiating from the headlamp exhibits a first characteristic, i.e. direction and scatter, and in the deformed state of the lens (18) the light beam radiating from the headlamp, because of the then different optical effect of the lens (18), exhibits a different, second characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Johannes Bertling, Karl-Otto Dobler, Rainer Neumann, Henning Hogrefe, Heike Eichler, Martin Lampen, Doris Boebel
  • Patent number: 5651604
    Abstract: An illumination device for a vehicle comprises at least one reflector, at least one light source, a housing part at least partially surrounding the reflector and the light source and having a front side provided with a light outlet opening, a light permeable cover member closing the light outlet opening, the housing part being mountable on a front part of the vehicle, the housing part being frame-shaped and having a rear side which faces away from the cover member and being open, the housing part having a rear edge insertable into a cup-shaped depression of the vehicle part, an elastically deformable sealing element provided between an outer periphery of the housing part and an inner periphery of the depression and being elastically deformable in a direction transverse to the insertion direction of the housing part, so that the cover member, the housing part and the depression limit a closed inner chamber accommodating the reflector and the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 29, 1997
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Jan Fischer
  • Patent number: 5649762
    Abstract: The lighting device has a housing (10) bounding an interior space (14). An air passage (26) connected to the outer atmosphere is provided in the housing to vent the interior space (14). An exteriorly projecting extension (30) has an inner duct (28) connected with the air passage (26) and extends from the housing. A cap (42) is secured to the exteriorly projecting extension (30) and together with the exteriorly projecting extension (30) forms an outer duct (50) connected with both the outer atmosphere and the inner duct (28). The cap (42) has a resilient finger (48) extending into the inner duct (28) of the exteriorly projecting extension (30) which is elastically pivotable transverse to the insertion direction (52) of the cap (42) and which has an opening (49) so that it locks on a projection (36) protruding from a longitudinal inner wall (32) bounding the inner duct (28).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 22, 1997
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Karl-Otto Dobler
  • Patent number: 5615939
    Abstract: The headlight for a self-propelled vehicle includes a pivotable reflector (12) having a reflector pivot axis (20), a holder (10) for the reflector (12) and a compact mechanism for pivoting the reflector (12) relative to the holder (10) to adjust the orientation of the reflector. This compact adjusting mechanism for the reflector includes an adjusting element (26) having a ball end (30) and eccentrically engaged with the reflector (12) relative to the reflector pivot axis (20) and a compact double-jointed pivot joint for pivotally connecting the adjusting element (26) with the reflector (12). This compact double-jointed pivot joint includes a pivot joint mount (36) provided with a spherical receptacle (42), a socket insert (50) having a spherical-segment-shaped outer section (52) pivotally engaged in the spherical receptacle (42) of the pivot joint mount (36).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1997
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Wolfgang Krieg
  • Patent number: 5613754
    Abstract: The headlight has a reflector which is mounted inside a casing for swiveling about a swivel axis extending approximately in a horizontal center plane of the reflector, close to the apex region of the latter. The front edge, pointing in the light emission direction, of the reflector has an at least approximately circular arc shape in planes at right angles to the swivel axis and the center point thereof is arranged at least approximately on the swivel axis. The casing has a part whose edge pointing opposite to the light emission direction adjoins the front edge of the reflector and, in planes at right angles to the swivel axis, likewise has an at least approximately circular arc shape, and whose center point is arranged at least approximately on the swivel axis. Because of this design the gap between the casing part edge and the front edge of the reflector can be kept small, since when the reflector makes a swiveling movement about the swivel axis, the gap varies only slightly or not at all.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 25, 1997
    Assignees: Robert Bosch GmbH, Mercedes - Benz AG
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Gustav Klett, Horst Dahm, Rainer Jocher
  • Patent number: 5580150
    Abstract: The headlamp has a headlamp insert (10), which is mounted pivotably at its front marginal region (22) in a receiving fixture (12). A part (50) of the receiving fixture (12) has an opening (52) through which there is placed from above an adjusting screw (54), which is supported by its head (55) against the top side of the receiving fixture part (50), which is screwed into a threaded bore (43) in the headlamp insert (10) and onto which there is screwed, between the headlamp insert (10) and the receiving fixture part (50), a female part (57). The female part (57) enables the adjusting screw (54) and hence the headlamp insert (10) to be fixed to the receiving fixture part (50) and, once the female part (57) is loosened, the adjusting screw (54) can be twisted in order to adjust the alignment of the optical axis (28) of the headlamp insert (10) in a vertical longitudinal plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1996
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Johannes Bertling, Hans Daumueller, Karl- Otto Dobler, Juergen Mueller, Lothar Streit, Albert Vent
  • Patent number: 5567035
    Abstract: The headlight has a reflector mounted inside a casing and swivelable about an axis by an adjustment element rotatably mounted in the casing. The adjustment element has a portion formed eccentrically to its axis of rotation. In the casing a transmission element is mounted for swiveling about an axis and is swivelably connected to the reflector. The transmission element has a recess in which the eccentric portion of the adjustment element is received, so that the transmission element is coupled, in the tangential direction relative to the axis about which it is swivelable in the casing, to the eccentric portion. On rotation of the adjustment element the reflector is swiveled about the swivel axis and the magnitude of the swiveling movement of the reflector is determined by the magnitude of the eccentricity of the portion and the lever ratios of the transmission element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1996
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Otto Dobler, Gustav Klett, Horst Dahm, Rainer Jocher