FR2496572A1 - ELECTRIC MOTOR ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLE HEADLIGHT - Google Patents

Abstract

A. ELECTRIC MOTOR ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR MOTOR VEHICLE HEADLIGHTS WHICH, WHEN A CHANGE OF SUSPENSION SPRING DROP, TURNS THE HEADLIGHT REFLECTOR FOR NON-GLARE LIGHT; B. DEVICE CHARACTERIZED IN THAT IT INCLUDES A CASING 34, 56, 76 AN ELECTRIC MOTOR WITH A REDUCING MECHANISM 81, 82, 31, 30 OF WHICH A TOOTHED WHEEL 30 HAS AN EXTERNAL THREAD 32 ENGAGING WITH AN INTERNAL THREAD 33 OF THE CASING AND MAINTAINS A TAPPET 38, 62, 63 WITH NON-ROTATION SLIDING IN THE CRANKCASE, THIS TAPPET BEING CONNECTED TO THE HEADLIGHT REFLECTOR BY MEANS OF A COUPLING ORGAN. C. THE INVENTION RELATES TO A HEADLIGHT ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOTIVE.

Description

1.- 2496572

  The invention relates to a position adjusting device, co mmanded by an electric motor, for a motor vehicle headlamp, which device, during a modification in the spring suspension of the vehicle, causes a gradual pivoting of the reflector for glare-free lighting. (said

  "code" lighting), to a position in which the

  projected light does not exceed the distance prescribed by

the rule.

  Various electrical devices are already known.

  position control, for progressive step-by-step control of the illumination distance, which do not constitute

  practical solutions. In particular, the problems relating to a

  automatic immobilization of the device and the reduction

  wear and tear have not been solved, as both factors presuppose the requirement for trouble-free operation within the specified tolerances

  the entire period of use of the vehicle.

  The object of the invention is to provide a device

  such a headlamp, with which an immobilisation braking

  full accountability is ensured, and in which external forces

  res acting on the adjustment mechanism, can not, under very unfavorable conditions, act on the latter and modify

adjustment.

  For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a

  headlight setting, of the type mentioned above, characterized

  se by an electric motor with gearbox mounted in the crankcase

  headlight, a gear wheel of the gear mechanism having a

  outer surface which cooperates with an internal toothing of the car-

  with a fine thread, a pusher mounted axially on the wheel

  the gearbox, for sliding without rotation in the housing, via a coupling member which connects it to the housing. We thus obtain an automatic immobilization

  of the mechanism, and external forces acting on it.

  he can not move it and change the setting.

  Because axial forces acting from the outside are trans-

  put, by the pusher, on the casing of the adjustment device, these forces are not likely to act, in an unfavorable manner, on

  the adjustment mechanism itself mounted following the pusher.

  In addition, this provision makes it possible to apply

2.- 2496572

  relatively high adjustment forces, despite the

  a relatively low power drive motor.

  Different embodiments are provided by the invention. According to a feature of the invention, the gear wheel of the gearbox is provided with a device

  which is engaged in an annular groove of the

  evening, and a disc is provided to separate a flange of the pusher from a shoulder of the gear wheel. In this way, the pusher is mounted free of play in the housing of the adjusting device

  and the tolerances of the various moving elements are compensated.

  According to another characteristic of the invention,

  the possible wear of friction of the different elements is reduced

  on the envelope surface of the pusher

  flat which cooperates with an opposite contact surface of the housing

of the mechanism.

  A sealing against dust is obtained in the field of the coupling, by means of a bellows-shaped cover which is fixed, with one of its end portions, to the housing of the device, and with its other portion end,

at the pusher.

  In the case in which the adjusting device must operate with a comparison between a set point and an actual adjustment value, it is provided, according to another characteristic of the invention, for the gear wheel of the gear unit to have a hub with several hooks engaged in the annular groove of the pusher, a metal sleeve acting as a plunging magnetic core, surrounding the hub and the hooks, cooperating with an induction coil fixed in the housing, and in which the core sleeve is mounted

  sliding. With a view to economic production and

  The invention provides, in the induction coil, a coil body fixed on a receiver sleeve which is engaged.

  notch in a plate fixed on the housing of the device.

  In the case where it is desired to adjust the basic adjustment of the position of the reflector from the rear face of the device, it is provided in accordance with a feature of the invention that the pusher is constituted in two parts. , one of which is an adjustment shaft provided with

  outer thread, and the other is a sleeve provided with a

  interior, which cooperate with each other, the adjusting shaft being rotatably mounted without the possibility of axial displacement in the gear wheel, and the sleeve being slidably mounted without

  to be able to turn in the housing of the device.

  In order to limit the movement of the two constituent parts of the pusher and in particular to oppose an unwanted release of their engagement, it is provided, according to another characteristic of the invention, on the one hand, a screw to projecting head on the end face of the adjusting shaft portion provided with an external thread, and, secondly, a

  inner ring mounted on the adjusting sleeve and against

  what is the head of the screw, so that the movement

  the adjustment shaft with respect to this sleeve is

limited in one direction.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the housing of the adjusting device is formed in two parts, comprising on one side a base body which can be mounted by means of a bayonet connection in the fixed portion of the headlight of the vehicle, and on the other hand, a flanged

  which can be hung, with the interposition of a ring of

  on the base body, a circular flange, protruding on the lid, surrounding a sealing plate and pressing

the lid against the plate.

  In this way, the interior space of the

  tif is found in a simple way, realized, on the one hand, in the field of the two housing parts, and, on the other hand, in

  the nesting area on the lighthouse.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the pusher has a threaded axis and the toothed wheel is provided with a threaded sleeve cooperating with this threaded shaft with steps

  threads in opposite directions, at the thread.

  This provision presents, in relation to the

  previously described position, the advantage that the race of de-

  plunger placement can be increased, with a small decrease

  think of technical means, without requiring modification of the electrical control system. This feature is based on the use of two steps that can add up

two threads in opposite directions.

  The following description refers to exe-

  Embodiments of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 shows, on a scale scale, the principle arrangement of an electric motor adjustment of the illumination distance of a lighthouse of motor vehicle, - Figure 2 is a view, in axial section,

  an illumination distance adjustment device provided

  only with an electric control, - Figure 3 is a view, in section similar,

  of a device with, in addition, a manual actuation.

  FIG. 4 is a side elevational view,

  the basic body of the adjustment device and, in cross section,

  dirty, the lid of the device in the field of electrical connections. FIG. 5 is a view in axial section on a scale scale of the adjusting device according to another

embodiment.

  FIG. 1 represents an adjustment device with an electric motor, the housing 9 of which is fixed to a fixed support frame 11 of the right headlight 12 and of the left headlight 13 of a motor vehicle, and whose coupling member 14, movable over a predetermined race, is hingedly connected, via a frame 15, to the reflector 16 of the lighthouse in question. the frame 15 can be pivoted progressively about a hinge 17, by the adjustment device 10, of such

  so that the optical axis of the reflector 16 can take the

extreme situations 18 or 18 '.

  A real size sensor element 20 is attached to the vehicle body 21 which is only partially

  represent. the sensor 22 of this detector is connected to transmit-

  force to a beam 23 of the rear wheel 24 of the vehicle.

  An electrical conduit 26, 27 and 28 connects the position adjusting device 10 with the other device, with the sensor element 20, as well as with a plug coupling 25 for the

  connection to the on-board network, not shown.

  the electric motor adjusting device 10

  shown in FIG. 2, comprises a worm gear 30

  trapped by a worm 31 provided with a small pitch external thread 32, which cooperates with a similar internal thread 33 of the housing body 34. In addition, the worm wheel 30 has a shoulder 35 and a hub 36 provided with a 4.- engagement device with notches 37 composed of several hooks turned

one to the other.

  A pusher 38 provided with a dia.

  meter, has an annular groove 39, in which is engaged the notch device 37. It has, in addition, a flange 40, which is held away from the shoulder 35 by a plate

  with an axial displacement 41, and another portion with a different diameter.

  42. This portion 42 presents, on its outer envelope,

  re, a flat surface 43 which cooperates with a counter surface (not visible in the figure) of the housing body 34. In addition, there is provided in this portion 42 of the pusher, a front blind bore provided with an internal thread 44 , in which is screwed a coupling member 14 articulated on the reflector 16, as

shown in Figure 1.

  A real value detector for an installation

  4-way distance adjustment, consists essentially of

  It is a fixed induction coil 45 and a plunger 46 which slides axially in the coil and is influenced by induction. This core 46 is constituted by a steel sleeve and surrounds the hub 36 and the notch engaging device 37 of the worm wheel 30. A sleeve-shaped coil body 47 receives the induction coil 45 and it is plugged with it into a receiving socket 48, which, for its part, is hooked by means of engagement notches 49 into a plate 50, which is fixed on a plurality of spacing pins 51

protruding on the basic body 34.

  A winding bellows 52 is fixed, with one of its end portions 53, in the base body 34, and is engaged by its other end portion 54 in an

throat 55 of the pusher 36.

  the base body 34 has, for its attachment to the support frame 11, a bayonet coupling 57 whose resilient locking is provided by a corrugated ring 58 (Figure 2). A lid 56, in the form of a cover, is fixed by engagement with notches on the basic body 34, with interposition

  sealing ring 60, so that the body of the cartridge

  ter 34 and cover 56 together form a protected housing

  to be dust in relation to the atmosphere.

  the adjustment device with electric motor

  shown in Figure 3, is additionally provided with a

-

2 496572

  tif adjustment for the basic positioning of the reflector

  headlight in the vertical direction. It differs from the pre-

  described above by the characteristics described below:

  the pusher is made up of two parts,

  see a position adjustment shaft 62 and an envelope sleeve

  63. The shaft 62 has a portion 64 provided with an external thread

  65 and, on its front face, a blind hole 66. In the casing 63, an internal thread 67 is provided to receive the threaded end portion 64 of the shaft 62, followed by a

  inner ring 68 and a blind hole 69 provided partially

  of an internal thread. In addition, this external envelope

  63 has on its outer surface a flat part 43 which

  cooperates with a non-visible counter-surface of the body of car-

  ter 34. A screw head 71 is screwed, with its threaded rod, into

  the blind threaded bore 66 of the adjusting shaft 62, and the

  between the head 72 of the screw and the inner ring 68 is

  in such a way that an unwanted separation from the

  loppe 63 and shaft 62 by completely unscrewing the screw 71,

is not possible.

  The position adjustment shaft 62 has an end section 73 protruding out of the cover 76, and on which is fixed a hand wheel 74 integral in rotation with the cover 76, an annular flange 77 of the flywheel 74 being,

  for this purpose, engaged behind a flange 75 of the lid.

  An O-ring 78 seals the seal between the

  handwheel 74 and collar 75 of housing cover 76.

  FIG. 4 shows a small size electric motor 80 which is fixed on the base body 34 of the housing of the

  adjusting device 10, and whose shaft end carries a

  81 which meshes with a front toothed wheel 82 provided in one piece with the worm 31 (see Figure 2). On the

  housing body 34 are mounted, in total, four spindles

  51 each provided with a thinned rod in conical shape

  only with end 79 with reduced diameter. A fixed plate 50

  to the spacing pins 51 is constituted as a plate con-

  duct on which are fixed the electrical and electronic elements of the adjustment device, and, where appropriate, the entire lighthouse illumination distance adjustment system. Electrical connection fittings of the plate

  conductive 50 are constituted by cylindrical plugs 83.

6.-

  A sealing disc 84 surrounds the foot of each cylinder plug.

  83 and a projecting flange 85 of the cover 56 maintains the sealing disc 84 applied to the plate 50, so that

  that the sealing of the interior space 86 with respect to the

  mosphere is assured. The electric motor adjustment device shown in FIG. 2 operates in the following manner: The worm wheel 30 and, consequently, the pusher 38 are shown in their extreme right-hand position. If, for example, the electric motor 80 (FIG. 4),

  because of a variation of the spring suspension of the car-

  body, receives, from the detector element 20 (FIG.

  corresponding to this change, the worm wheel 30 is rotated by the gear mechanism 81, 82 and 31 of the motor and is thus moved out of the housing body 34 into the interior space 86. the pusher 38 is thus driven into direction

  axial, the flat 43 opposing its rotation. The delivery organ

  plement 14 fixed in the pusher 38 transmits this displacement stroke on the frame 15 and on the reflector 16 of the lighthouse

  (Figure 1) which is rotated correspondingly.

  The electric motor 80 is disconnected out of cir-

  cooked as soon as the reflector has reached the new position of

  rotation corresponding to the new state of suspension of the

  hike, this disconnection being determined by a comparison

  between actual value and positioning setpoint.

  the operation of the additional device

  of adjustment of the basic adjustment position of the lighthouse, is ex-

  hereinafter with reference to FIG. 3. If it is desired to carry out this preliminary adjustment of the headlamp,

  handwheel 74 in the corresponding direction, in accordance with

  to the double plug 88, so that the adjusting shaft 62

  is driven, the worm wheel 30 being blocked. He r6-

  the adjustment casing 63, immobilized against rotation

  tion, is displaced laterally in one of the two directions, so that the support frame 15, with the reflector 16, is

  pivoted through the coupling member 14 (FIG.

  re 1) as described above.

  FIG. 5 is a view in axial section of a FIG.

  positive lighting distance control with electric motor

  according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

  7.- 8.o- The adjustment device 101 comprises a wheel

  worm gear 130 driven by a worm 31, and for-

  as seen from an external thread with a very fine pitch, which cooperates with an internal thread with identical pitch 33 of the casing body 34. The worm wheel 130 is itself provided with a shoulder

  and a threaded casing socket 136.

  A pusher 138 with diameters staggered on its length

  4, which comprises a threaded rod 100 provided with a flange 40 which can be moved away from a shoulder 35 of the housing by means of an axially displaced plate 41, and an opposite end portion 42 whose envelope surface is provided with a flat 43 which cooperates with a counter surface, not visible in the figure,

  34. In addition, it is intended, in this case, to

  42, a blind hole provided with an internal thread 44 on the front face # in which is engaged by screwing, a

  coupling member 14 with the headlight reflector, not shown

  sented. The worm gear 130 is provided with a casing in the form of a threaded bushing 136 which cooperates with the threaded rod 100 of the pusher 138. the threading of the rod 100 and the threading of the casing sleeve 136 are in opposite directions,

  at the external thread of the worm wheel 130 and the file

  interior 33 cooperating with the latter of the housing body 34, that is to say that if the threads of the rod 100 and the

  socket 136 are stepping to the left, the external threading

  32 and the inner thread 33 are stepped right and vice versa. the above adjusting device operates as follows: In the case in which the worm wheel, due to the pitch of the threads 32 and 33 moves on a corresponding stroke, for example out of the housing body 349

  the threads in opposite directions of the axis 100 and the casing

  because of their step, they give rise to an additional

  138. The two races add up together and thus cause, for unchanged impulses of the

  detector, a greater pivoting of the reflector.

9.-

REVE N D I A T I 0 N S

  1.- Adjustment device with electric motor

  for a motor vehicle headlight which, when a change of

  suspension springs, rotates the reflec-

  headlight unit (16) for non-glare illumination, progressively in a position in which the light beam does not exceed the prescribed prescribed illumination distance, a device characterized in that it comprises, in a housing (34, 56, 76) an electric motor (80) with a gear mechanism (81, 82, 31, 30) of which a toothed gear (30) has a thread

  outside (32) meshing with an internal thread (33) of the car-

  ter, and maintains a pusher (38, 62, 63) sliding without rotation in the housing, this pusher being connected to the reflector

  (16) of the headlight by means of a coupling member (14).

  2. Device according to claim 1,

  characterized in that the toothed wheel is provided with a detent engagement device (37) cooperating with an annular groove

(39) of the pusher.

  3.- Device according to any one of the

  1 or 2, characterized in that the outer surface of the pusher is provided with a flat (43) which cooperates

  with a counter surface of the housing (34).

  4.- Device according to any one of the

  1 to 3, characterized by a rolling bellows

  (52) which is secured by an end portion (53) in the car-

  ter, and the other (54) on the pusher.

  5.- Device according to any one of the

  Claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the toothed wheel (30) has a hub (36), provided with a plurality of hooks (37) which are engaged in the annular groove of the pusher, and surrounded by a metal bush (46) acting as plunger core of an induction coil (45) fixed in the housing and in which

the core sleeve can slide.

  6.- Device according to one of the claims

  6 or 7, characterized by a coil body (47) supporting the coil and fixed itself in a receiver socket (48) which

  is embedded in a plate (50) fixed to the housing of the arrangement

operative part.

  7. Device according to claim 6, characterized

  characterized in that the plate is constituted by a conductive plate

  trice (50) on which at least the electronic electrical elements of the adjusting device are arranged, and provided with

  several spacing pins (51) away from the housing.

  8.- Device according to one of the claims

  6 or 7, characterized in that the connection elements of the plate are constituted by plug-in pins

cylindrical (83).

  9.- Device according to any one of the

  5 to 8, characterized in that the pusher is

  of two parts, namely a rod portion or position adjusting shaft (62) provided with an external thread (65) and a position adjusting sleeve portion (63) provided with

  an internal thread (67) cooperating with each other by engagement

  threads (65, 67), the adjusting shaft (62) being

  rotational tee without axial displacement in the toothed wheel (30) of the motor, while the bushing (63) is slidably mounted

  without being able to rotate in the housing of the device (76).

  10. Device according to claim 9,

  characterized by a handwheel (74) attached to the end portion

  mité (73) of the positioning shaft (62) which protrudes out of the housing (76) and engaged behind a collar (75)

  protruding from the housing, an O-ring (78) ensuring the sealing

  the joint formed between the hand wheel and the collar of the housing.

  11.- Device according to one of the claims

  9 or 10, characterized by a screw head (71) projecting on the

  end face of the portion of the adjustment shaft provided with the

  external thread, this screw head (72) pressing against an inner ring (68) arranged in the positioning sleeve, so as to limit in one direction the displacement stroke

  of the shaft relative to the socket.

  12.- Device according to any one of the

  1 to 11, characterized in that the housing of the device

  tif consists of two parts, namely, on the one hand, a body

  base (34) which can be mounted by balancer engagement

  in the fixed portion (11) of the vehicle headlight and,

  on the other hand, a cover (76) with the hand-held engagement wheel with the base body (34) with interposition of a ring

sealing (60).

  13.- Device according to claim 12, 10.- 11.- characterized in that each cylindrical pin plug

  protruding on the cover (76) comprises a sealing washer

  it (84) with which the lid is applied by pressing on

the conductive plate (50).

  14.- Device according to any one of

Claims I to 12, characterized in that the pusher (138)

  comprises a threaded shaft portion (100), and the screw wheel without

  end (130) comprises a threaded bushing (136) co-operating with this

  the threaded portion (100), the threads of the pusher (100) and the bushing (136) being in opposite directions to the external thread (32) of the worm wheel (130) and to the internal thread (33) of the body housing base (34) cooperating with the latter (32).