FR2631904A1 - DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING THE DIRECTION OF THE BEAM OF A HEADLIGHT FOR VEHICLES - Google Patents

Abstract

Headlight device for vehicles, provided with a tilting member defining the direction of the light beam and being tiltably supported by a support member. The support member supports a sighting adjustment mechanism 21 having an adjustment rod 47 the front end of which is connected to the tilting member, an orthogonal gear unit 22 comprising an output gear that can be actuated in rotation for move the adjusting rod 47, and an input gear meshing with the output gear. The rear end of the adjustment rod 47 extends from the rear end of the gear unit 22, and a leveling adjustment mechanism 53 is placed on the rear side of the gear unit orthogonal 22 and has an outlet part connected in a sliding manner and without the possibility of turning at the rear end of the adjustment rod 47.

Description

The present invention relates to a headlight device for a vehicle

  such as an automobile and other vehicles of the same type and specifically a headlight device provided with a tilting member for modifying the direction of the light beam, and means for tilting the tilting member. Different headlights have been proposed and used, and it is generally requested that the light beam from the headlight can be directed in a desired direction in order to improve the

traffic safety.

  For this purpose, a member defining the direction of the light beam such as a headlight unit or a reflector and other means of the same type is mounted so as to be tiltable on a support member such as a member fixed to the chassis of the vehicle, and a tilt mechanism is provided to tilt the tilt member as desired. The headlight unit generally consists of a reflector and a light source which are arranged in a lamp volume defined by a lamp body and by a covering lens

  the front opening of the lamp body.

  For adjusting the beam direction

  bright, two steps have been adopted, that is

  say the initial aiming adjustment which is carried out when the headlight is fitted to the vehicle, before use, or during the initial inspection process, and an leveling adjustment which is carried out to compensate for the change in vehicle load represented by passengers or by loading the vehicle or for other similar causes. The modification of

  vehicle load usually changes verti-

  the direction of the light beam. The initial aiming adjustment is usually done by hand, and the leveling adjustment is usually done through

  an actuation mechanism controlled remotely.

  Aim adjustment is usually done to change the direction of the light beam horizontally and vertically, and the adjustment mechanisms are provided at two separate locations, and the actuation mechanism for leveling adjustment is usually located at the adjustment point. aimed for

  adjust in the vertical direction.

  A certain tilting device known in the prior art integrally comprises the aiming adjustment mechanism and the

leveling adjustment.

  Fig. 14 schematically shows a headlight device of the prior art provided with the tilting device of the type mentioned above. b represents the tilting device, c is a housing fixed on the internal surface of the rear wall of a lamp housing d, e is a tubular member carried by the housing c and which can be moved forward and towards the rear, f is an adjustment rod mounted so as to be able to be actuated in rotation on the tubular member e, the relative axial movement between them being prevented, and h is a headlight unit mounted so as to be able to be tilted on the lamp housing d. The front end part _ of the adjustment rod f is threaded and engages on a nut i which is mounted on the headlight unit h, and the rear end of the rod f extends through the housing vs. The housing c - receives an actuation unit (not illustrated) comprising a motor, a worm transmission, a worm wheel or of similar type, and the tubular member e meshes with the worm wheel end so that the e organ moves forward and backward in response to the

  worm wheel rotation.

  In the initial aiming adjustment, the end of the adjustment rod f is actuated manually in rotation, therefore the rod f is screwed and unscrewed from the nut i, so the nut i moves relative to the rod f forward and backward and the headlight unit h tilts vertically up and down. When the actuation unit is actuated, the tubular member e and the rod f which form an integral part thereof move forwards and backwards. Due to the tilting device b of the headlight device a, it is necessary that the initial sight adjustment means and that the leveling adjustment means are provided and an integral part thereof. However, it is difficult to omit the leveling adjustment means, and the lamp housing d is used

  exclusively for the tilting device b.

  The sight adjustment device is particularly essential in the vehicle headlight device, while the leveling adjustment device is part of special accessories. The tilting device b mentioned above integrally comprises the sight adjustment means and the focusing adjustment means, and, therefore, it is necessary to provide a separate sight adjustment means for a device. headlights in which the leveling adjustment is not necessary. In addition, since the tilting device b is mounted inside the lamp housing d and a

  plurality of mounting protuberances, J, ...

  are formed on the inner surface of the lamp housing d, it is necessary to prepare a separate lamp housing for the headlight device having only the sight adjusting means. In addition, in a headlight device of the movable reflector type in which the reflector is tiltably mounted in a lamp volume defined by a lamp body and by a lens covering the front opening of the lamp body, and o reflector is tiltably mounted on the lamp body, a tilting device being generally mounted on the inner surface of the rear wall of the lamp housing and a tilting device adjustment rod being connected to the reflector, a similar problem arises the fact that the sighting means and the lamp body cannot generally be used in a

  tilt device of a different type.

  One of the objectives of this invention is to

  solve the problems mentioned above.

  The invention provides a vehicle headlight device provided with a tilting member defining the direction of the light beam and being supported so as to be tilted on a support member, in which a sight adjustment mechanism is provided with a rod. adjuster whose front end is connected to the tilting member, and a unit of orthogonal gears comprising an output gear which can be actuated in rotation to move the adjusting rod and an input gear meshing with the gear output is mounted on the support member, the rear end of the adjustment rod extending from the rear end of the gear unit, and a leveling adjustment mechanism is placed on the rear of the unit of

  orthogonal granaries and is provided with a part of exit

  tie slidingly connected and cannot be rotated at the rear end of the

adjustment rod.

  Thus, according to the present invention, the aiming adjustment mechanism for carrying out the initial aiming adjustment is mounted on the support member and, as it is connected, but not fixed, to the leveling adjustment mechanism, the mechanism Target adjustment can thus be used on various tilting devices independently of the leveling adjustment mechanism and is mounted in a predetermined position of the support member. In addition, the leveling adjustment mechanism is mounted on the rear side of the support member, and thus it is easy to mount or dismount the

  leveling adjustment mechanism.

  Additional objectives and benefits will become apparent from the

  detailed description below with reference

  in the appended drawings, in which: - figs. 1 to 11 represent a headlight device according to the first embodiment of the invention; - fig. 1 is an enlarged section of the essential part of the headlight device; - fig. 2 is a front view; - fig. 3 is a section along line III-III of FIG. 2; - fig. 4 is a section along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2; - fig. 5 is a section along the line V-V of FIG. 2; - fig. 6 is a section enlarged in general along the line VI-VI of FIG. 1; - fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an orthogonal gear unit incorporated in the headlight device of FIG. 1; - fig. 8 is an enlarged rear view of the essential part of the leveling adjustment mechanism; - fig. 9 is a section enlarged in general along the line IX-IX of FIG. 8; - fig. 10 is an exploded and enlarged perspective view of the essential part of the leveling adjustment mechanism; - fig. 11 is a section illustrating an example of the headlight device not provided with the leveling adjustment mechanism; - fig. 12 is a front view of a headlight device according to a second embodiment of the invention;

  - fig. 13 is a section along line XIII-

  XIII of fig. 12; and - fig. 14 is a partially broken side view showing the essential part of an example

  of a headlight device of the prior art.

  The first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 11 is a headlight device 1 of the

type of mobile unit.

  The headlight device 1 comprises a headlight unit 2 which consists of a lamp body 3, of a lens 4 mounted on the lamp body 3 to cover the front opening thereof, and of an electric bulb 5 carried by the lamp body 3. The lamp body 3 has a reflecting surface 3a facing forward, and the bulb 5 is carried by a base 3b formed in the general central part of the reflecting surface 3a, and the part of the light-emitting light bulb 5 is arranged in the lamp volume 6 defined between the reflecting surface 3a of the lamp body 3 and

lens 4.

  A lamp housing 7 made of synthetic resin, generally concave in shape and provided with an opening at the front, is fixed to a body of

vehicle 8.

  Points A, B and C (fig. 2) are the support points of the headlight unit 2 on the lamp housing 7. Among them, point A is a mobile and pivoting support point, and point B being away from point A horizontally and point C being away from point A vertically are adjustment parts for adjusting the difference between

  the headlight unit 2 and the lamp housing 7.

  When the adjustment parts are adjusted, the headlight unit 2 can be tilted to the right and to the left (the left part of fig. 2 is defined as the direction of

  left), up and down.

  The pivoting support part consists of a pivoting support mechanism 9, and the mechanism 9 comprises a supported part 10 formed on the lamp body 3 and a receptacle 12

mounted on the lamp housing 7.

  The supported part 10 is formed on the rear surface of the lamp body 3 so as to extend towards the rear, and a metal support shaft 11 is fixed to the rear end of the shaft 11 and has a spherical part 11a integral with the end

lower part of the shaft 11.

  The receptacle 12 is made of synthetic resin and is mounted on the lamp housing 7 so as to extend forward and has a spherical recess 12a to receive the spherical part 11a of the support shaft 11 and allow it to pivoting. Thus, the headlight unit 2 is supported by the lamp housing 7 so as to be able to pivot around the point A defined by the engagement between the spherical part 11a of the support shaft 11 and the spherical recess 12a in the

receptacle 12.

  The mechanism of point B consists of an adjustment mechanism 13 (designated as the first aiming adjustment mechanism) which essentially comprises a member acting as receptacle 15, a gear unit 16, an actuating rod 18a and a sight adjustment shaft 20. The receptacle member 15 is made of synthetic resin and is supported on the rear end of a part 14 of generally tubular and projecting shape which is formed on the rear surface of the lamp body 3. L member 15 serving as a receptacle has a spherical recess 15a opening towards the rear and a part perforated like a groove 15b extending forward from the front end of the recess

spherical 15a.

  The gear unit 16 comprises a housing 17 fixed to the front surface of the lamp housing 7, a bevel gear 18 rotatably mounted in the housing 17 around a vertical axis, and a second bevel gear 19 meshing with the first gear 18. The second gear 19 has screw threads 19a for meshing with the aiming adjustment shaft 20 which extends forward and backward. The actuating rod 18a is fixed to the first gear 18 and its upper end part extends

outside the housing 17.

  The aiming adjustment shaft 20 has screw threads along most of its length and, on the front end part, a spherical part 20a and a projection in the form of a plate 20b which extends from the front end of the spherical part 20a. The spherical part 20a is received in the spherical hollow 15a of the member acting as a receptacle and can rotate there, and the projecting part 20b is received in the perforated part 15a in a sliding manner. Thus, the adjustment shaft is connected, without being able to rotate, to the member acting as receptacle 15. The point B is defined by the spherical part 20a and by the hollow

spherical 15a.

  When the first gear 18 is rotated by the rod 18a, the second gear 19 rotates, the adjustment shaft 20 moves forward and backward, and the member acting as a receptacle 15 moves in the same direction. Thus, the headlight unit 2 is generally inclined to the left and to the right about an axis connecting the points A and C. The direction of the light beam changes to the left or to the right. Therefore, the aiming adjustment to the left and to the right is performed. The adjustment mechanism at point C consists of a sighting adjustment mechanism 21

  identified as a second adjustment mechanism.

  The mechanism 21 comprises an orthogonal gear unit 22 which consists of a housing 23 consisting of a front half 24 and a rear half 25 connected to each other. The housing 23 has an internal volume 27 divided into an upper part 27a and a lower part 27b by a generally horizontal partition wall 26. In the left part of the wall 26 is formed a circular support bore 26a for supporting a screw member endless 36, and in the right part is provided a support bore 26b for supporting an actuating rod 42. In addition, the worm member 'is also supported in a support bore 28a formed in a wall upper side 28 of the housing 23 and in a support bore 29a formed in a lower side wall 29 of the housing 23. The bores 26a, 28a and 29a are aligned with each other. In the wall 28 is also provided a bore 29b which is aligned with the bore 26b and is adapted to support the actuating rod 42. In the front and rear walls 31 and 32 of the housing 23 are provided bores 30 and 30 for

  support a worm wheel 33.

  The worm wheel 33 comprises a part 34 of generally cylindrical shape having a boss and a part forming eng: enage which is an integral part of the part 34 having a boss, and whose center is located at an intermediate location of the part 34 having a boss. Threads are formed in a bore 34a of the part 34 having a boss, and opposite end portions of the part 34 having a boss are rotatably mounted, in the bores 30 and 30 in the housing 23. The screw member endless 38 comprises a coaxial gear in one piece 36 and a pinion 38, a shaft 40 force-fitted into the central hole 39 thereof. The worm gear 37 is located in the lower volume 27b and the pinion 38 is placed in the upper volume 27a in the housing 23. The opposite ends of the shaft 40 extending out of the screwless member end 36 are rotatably mounted in holes 28a and 29a of the housing 23. An intermediate portion 36a between the worm gear 37 and the pinion 38 is supported in the bore 26a in the intermediate wall 26. Thus, the member worm gear 36 and the worm gear 33 are rotatably supported in the housing 23, the worm gear

  fine meshing with worm gear 37.

  A drive pinion 41 is fixed to the shaft 42 and is supported in the upper volume 27a in the housing 23, and it meshes with the pinion 38. In FIG. 6, the lower end part of the shaft 42 is force-fitted into an axial hole 41a of the gear 41, and the shaft 42 is rotatably supported in the hole 28b in the upper wall 28 of the housing 23 and in the hole 26b in the intermediate wall 26 of the

housing 23.

  A hole 43 for the insertion of the rod is formed in the part-7a of the rear surface of the lamp housing 7 at the end part

  lower right of the headlight unit 2.

  The gear unit 22 is fixed on the front surface of the part 7a of the rear surface of the lamp housing 7, the worm wheel 33 being located coaxially with the insertion hole 43. Parts mounting 44, 44, ... extending outside the housing 23 are provided and fixed to the lamp housing 7 by screws 45, 45, ... and nuts 46, 46, ... in

the embodiment.

  The reference 47 designates an adjustment rod having a threaded portion 48, a rear end portion 49 of generally oval shape and a front end portion 50 of spherical shape. A fixing lug 51 is an integral part of the rear surface of the lamp body 3 ,; on the lower right rear part, and has a mounting hole 51. A receptacle 52 made of synthetic resin is mounted in the mounting hole 51, and is formed so as to have a spherical recess 52a opening towards the rear. The threaded part 48 of the adjustment rod 47 meshes with the threaded part 34a of the worm wheel 33, the spherical part 30 pivotally meshes with the receptacle 52, and the rear end part 49 extends to through the hole 43 for inserting the rod into the housing

lamp 7 and back.

  The receptacle 52 and the spherical part 50 of the adjustment rod 47 define the point C mentioned above. The aim adjustment carried out by the second aim adjustment mechanism 21

  will be the subject of a later description.

  Reference 53 designates a mechanism

upgrade actuation.

  A housing 54 of the mechanism 53 made of synthetic resin consists of a front half 55 and a

rear half 56.

  The front half 55, seen from the front and from the rear, has the configuration of a lower half of generally rectangular shape and an upper half in the shape of an inverted U and tapered upwards. The front half 55 has a relatively small thickness. As shown in fig. 1, the front half 55 of the housing 54 has a bulged lower end part and a tubular part 58 extending forward. A bore 58a is formed in the tubular part 58 and its rear end opens into the rear surface of the front wall 57 of the

front half 55 of housing 54.

  The rear half 56, seen from the front and rear, has a configuration corresponding to that of the front half 55, and the rear wall 59 of the rear half 56 has an upper part 59a and a lower part. Seen from the rear, a generally circular support recess is formed in the front surface of the lower central part of

the upper part 59a.

  As shown in fig. 9, a support projection 61 is formed in the lower part of the rear wall 59 of the rear half 56 of the housing 54 and consists of a rear part 62 with a large diameter and a front part 63 with a small diameter. A support hole 64 is formed in the projection 61, and a part of the peripheral wall of the front part 63 is removed so that the part 63 seen from the rear has a general shape in C. The front and rear halves 55 and 56 are connected to each other by a seal member 65 placed and tightened together, and by screws 67, 67, passing through mounting ears 66, 66, ... from the periphery of the halves 55 and 56

  respectively and by nuts 68, 68 ...

  In fig. 1, 8, 9 and 10, the adjustment rod 47 of the second aiming mechanism 21 is

connected to an output shaft 69.

  The outlet member 69 is a one-piece metal member which comprises a front part of generally tubular shape 70, a part 71 meshing with a wheel at the rear end of the front part 70, a part 72 meshing with the the gear extending from the rear surface of the portion 71 meshing with the wheel, and a rear end portion 73 extending from the rear surface of the portion 72 meshing with the gear. The diameter of the front part 70 is provided so that it engages in the hole 58a in the tubular part 58 of the front half 55 of the housing 54 while its axial length is slightly greater than that of the tubular part 58 The part 71 meshing with the wheel seen from the front and from the rear has a generally oval shape, the part 72 meshing with the gear has a general block shape, and the rear part 73 is a tubular part whose diameter is about half the length of the front part 70. In addition, a recess

  annular 70a is formed in the front part 70.

  A connection hole 74 is formed in the front part 70 and has an oval shape corresponding to the rear end part 49 of the adjustment rod 47, and the hole 74 extends

  to part 72 meshing with the gear.

  The output arm 69 is rotatably supported in the housing 54, the front part 70 being inserted in rotation in the tubular part 58 of the front half 55, the rear end part 73 being inserted in rotation in the support recess 60 in the rear half 56. The front end of the shaft 69 is generally located end to end with the front end of the tubular part 58. An O-ring 75 and two emergency seals 76 and 76 are placed in the 'Annular recess 70a so that the interior of the housing 54 is sealed relative to the outer parts such as the adjusting rod 47 and others. Figs. 1 and 8 to 10 illustrate a motor 77 whose casing has a generally oval shape, when viewed along its shaft which extends transversely. The motor 77 is mounted on the lower end of the casing 54 by support parts 78 and 78 ′ of the motor which are formed so as to extend from the front and rear walls 57 and 58 and are adapted to place and fix the motor 77. A pinion 80 is fixed to

motor shaft 77.

  A worm member is formed in one piece of synthetic resin and comprises a worm gear 82 of generally cylindrical shape and a transmission gear 83 of a large diameter. The member 81 is supported by a shaft 84 supported in turn by support pieces 85, 85, ... of the front half 55 of the housing 54. The gear 83 of the screwless member

  end 81 meshes with the pinion 80 of the motor 77.

  A worm wheel 86 is mounted on the rear part of the front part 70 of the output shaft 69 and meshes with the worm gear 82 of the worm member 81. The worm wheel worm 86 has a central bore 86a, a projecting portion 87 whose inner peripheral surface is oval, and worm gear teeth on the outer periphery. The projecting part 87 receives the part 71 of the output shaft 69 which meshes with

it and fits into it.

  Thus, when the motor 77 rotates, the rotation is transmitted successively to the pinion 80, to the transmission gear 83, to the worm gear 82, to the worm wheel

  endless 86 and output shaft 69.

  Figs. 1, 8, 9 and 10 illustrate the detection part. The position of the adjustment rod 47 is detected by a detection part 88 comprising a circuit board, a sensor, means for rotating the rotary part of the sensor, and other means

similar.

  The reference 89 designates the circuit board having a hole 90 in the upper central part, and a plurality of printed terminal elements 91, 91, ... located around the hole 90. The circuit board 89 is fixed in the rear half 56 of the bootmaker 54, the rear part 73 of the output shaft 69 passing to

  through hole 90 and being able to turn there.

  A plate 92 for retaining the terminal element

  relatively thick disc-shaped is expected.

  A central hole 93 corresponding to hole 90 is

  formed in the retaining plate 92.

  In addition, a plurality of holes 94, 94, ...

  for receiving end members are formed around the hole 93 and pass axially through the plate 92. The plate 92 is connected to the plate

  circuit 89 with no possibility of turning.

  A sensor gear 95 comprising a main part 96 in the form of a disc and an annular gear part 97 integrally connected to the external periphery of the main part 96

  so as to extend backwards is provided.

  The gear portion 97 has gear teeth on its outer circumference. A hole 96a for insertion is formed in the central part of the main part 96 and, as shown in FIG. 10, two conductors in the form of semi-circular arcs 98 and 98 ′ are mounted on

  the main part 96 and around the hole 96a.

  The terminal member retaining plate 92 and the sensor gear 95 are located near the rear end portion 73 of the output rod 69 which rotates through the hole 96a of the gear 95 and the hole 93 in the

  plate 92. Coil springs 100, 100, ...

  and spherical end members 99, 99, ...

  are received respectively in the holes 94, 94, for receiving the terminal members and connected to the respective terminal elements 91, 91, ... on the circuit board 89, and they operate in cooperation with the conductors 98 and 98 'on

the sensor gear 95.

  The terminal element retaining plate 92, the sensor gear 95, the circuit board 89 and other elements of the same type

constitute a sensor 101. An intermediate gear 102 is mounted without the possibility of turning on

  the gear part 72 of the gear of the output shaft 69 and is placed between the worm wheel 86 and

  the sensor gear 95 in the axial position.

  A transmission gear 103 having large and small gears 104 and 105 which form an integral part thereof is rotatably mounted on a support shaft 107. The support shaft 107 has, as shown in FIG. 10, a large diameter head 108 at one end and axial ribs 107a and 107a near the other end which is forced into the support hole 64 in the support projection 61 of the rear half 56 of the housing 54 The ribs 107a and 107a have

  for the role of fixing the shaft 107 to the housing 54.

  Thus, the gear 103 is rotatably mounted on the rear half 56. The large gear 104 meshes with the intermediate gear 102 and the small gear 105 meshes with the gear

sensor 95.

  Thus, when the output shaft 69 is actuated in rotation, the sensor gear 95 is also actuated in rotation and the relative position of the conductors 98 and 98 'and the contact points

99, 99, ... changes.

  The contact points 99, 99, ... are divided into two groups of first and second polarities, and two terminals 91a and 91b in contact with the contact points 99a and 99b are connected respectively to two input terminals of polarity different from motor 77. The remaining terminals are respectively connected to the switching terminals of two associated rotary switches placed on a remote controller means (not illustrated). The assessors

  are connected to a battery supplying the electric current

  stick. When a set of switch terminals is selected

  tionné in rotary camutateurs, an electric circuit, formed by two points of contact 99 and 99 connected to the selected terminals, the conductors 98 and 98 ', the motor 77 and the current source,

  is closed and the motor 77 rotates in a determined direction.

  The rotation of the motor 77 is transmitted via the worm wheel 86 to the output shaft 69 and the sensor gear 95 is actuated in rotation. When the sensor gear 95 is rotated by a predetermined value, the conductors 98 and 98 ′ separate from the selected terminals 99 and 99 so that the circuit

  electric motor opens and the motor 77 stops.

  Thus, the value and the direction of rotation of the motor 77 can be determined by

  selecting the rotary switch.

  Japanese patent (Kokai) No. 209932/1984 shows an example of a control system of the type

mentioned above.

  The fixing ears 109, 109 and 109 are formed on the housing 54 as illustrated in FIG. 8, 'and have holes 109a, 109a and 109a

  to receive screws respectively.

  The leveling actuation mechanism 53 is mounted on the lamp housing 7, the rear end portion 49 of the adjustment rod 47 being inserted into the connection hole 74 of the output shaft 69. Screws 110, 110 and 110 are inserted into the holes 109a, 109a and 109a in the mounting ears 109, 109 and 109 of the housing 54 and fixed to threaded holes 111a, 111a and 111a in bosses 111, 111 and 111 extending from the rear surface part 7a

lamp housing 7.

  The leveling actuation mechanism 53 is mounted at the rear of the second aiming adjustment mechanism 21 and the adjustment rod 47 and the output shaft 669 are connected together without

possibility of turning.

  When the initial aiming adjustment is carried out vertically, the actuation shaft 42 of the second aiming adjustment mechanism 21 is rotated. The rotation of the shaft 42 is transmitted via the pinion 41 and the worm gear 36 to the worm wheel 33. The worm wheel 33 is hindered from any movement towards the front and rear by the front and rear walls 31 and 32 of the housing 23 and, the adjusting rod 47 meshing by thread with the worm wheel 33, has its rear end part 49 inserted in the shaft output 69 of the leveling actuating mechanism 53, whose rotation is prevented by the fact that the worm wheel 86 is an integral part of the output shaft 69 and meshes with the worm gear 82. Thus, the rotation of the worm wheel 33 moves the rod 47 in the axial direction, thereby causing the change in the distance between the lamp housing 7 and the headlight unit 2 in the second mechanism. aiming beam 21, and the headlight unit 2 revolves around - a line connecting the pivot point A and point B of the first aiming mechanism ised 13; the direction of the light beam is thus adjusted vertically. The leveling adjustment is carried out by turning the motor 77. When the motor 77 is actuated in rotation, this is transmitted via the output shaft 69 to the adjustment rod 47. Like the wheel screw 33 of the aiming adjustment mechanism 21 with which the adjusting rod 47 meshes by thread is hampered without the possibility of rotation, the thread on the adjusting rod 47 is screwed -in the threaded hole 34a in the screw wheel endless 33 or is unscrewed, so that the rod 47 is moved forward and backward and the unit

  headlights 2 is tilted vertically.

  The value and the direction of movement of the adjustment rod 47 are controlled by the sensor 101. That is to say that the sensor 101 is actuated by a remote control not illustrated in the drawings, so that the direction of the displacement of the rod 47 is determined by the direction of rotation of the motor 77 and that the value of the displacement is determined by the value of the rotation. Fig. 11 shows a modified embodiment of the present invention, in which a headlight device 112 does not have the leveling actuation mechanism 53 of the first embodiment, and in which the adjustment rod 47A is connected without possibility to rotate to a receptacle 52A of the headlight unit 2. The adjustment rod 47A is the adjustment rod of the second aiming adjustment mechanism 21 and the mounting is practically similar to that of the adjustment rod 47, but differs however in that a projection 113 in the form of a rectangular plate is formed on the front end of the spherical member 50. The reference 52A designates a receptacle supported on the headlight unit 2, the mounting of which is also practically similar to that of the receptacle 52, but differs in that a hole 114 resembling a groove is formed between the front end and the hollow part 52a. The projection 113 meshes with the hole 114. Thus, the receptacle 52A is connected to the rod 47A without the possibility of turning, and when the shaft 42 is turned, the worm wheel 33 moves the rod 47A axially and l 'headlight unit 2 is tilted. Compared to the headlight device 1, the headlight device 112 does not require modification of the lamp housing 7, and the adjustment rod of the aiming adjustment mechanism 21 may or may not be replaced by another to use the device in a application in which the leveling adjustment mechanism is not required. And we will not observe any malfunction. Figs. 12 and 13 illustrate the second embodiment of the invention. The headlight device 115 used in an automobile is of the moving reflector type in which the reflector is tiltable when adjusting the direction of the light beam. In the drawings, the same references apply to corresponding parts

  to those of the first embodiment.

  The reference 116 designates a headlight unit comprising a lamp body 117 made of synthetic resin and of which a front end is open, a lens 118 mounted on the open front end and covering it, a reflector 120 placed in a defined lamp volume 119 between the lens 118 and the lamp body 117, an electric bulb 121 supported on the rear end part of the reflector 120 and others. The lamp body 117 is fixed to the lamp housing 7 by

mounting means not shown.

  The reflector 120 is mounted on the lamp body 117 at three points A, BetC illustrated in FIG. 11. Point A is the pivot support part and consists of a ball joint for example, or elements of the same type. The other two points B and C are adjustment parts for adjusting the distance between the reflector 120 and the lamp body 117. Point B is separated from point A horizontally and consists of an adjustment mechanism similar to the first mechanism aim adjustment 13 in the first

embodiment.

  The adjustment mechanism at point C is made up of elements similar to those of the second aiming adjustment mechanism 21 and of the leveling actuation mechanism 53 of the first embodiment. In fig. 13, the second aiming adjustment mechanism 21 is fixed inside the rear wall 122 of the lamp body 117, the rear end part 49 of the adjustment rod 47 extending through an opening in the rear wall 122. The leveling actuation mechanism 53 is

  mounted on the rear side of the rear wall 122.

  The spherical member 50 on the front end of the adjustment rod 47 is rotatably mounted in a recess 124a in a receptacle 124 supported by a

  tab 123 extending from the reflector 120.

  The upper end of the actuation shaft 42 extends through the upper wall of the body

lamp 117.

  When the aiming adjustment mechanism at point B is actuated, the reflector 120 is inclined around a line connecting points A and C and generally to the left and to the right. And, when the adjustment rod 47 or the motor 77 are actuated in rotation, the reflector is generally turned up or down around a line connecting the points A and B. According to the present invention, the adjustment mechanism sight is mounted on a support member, the leveling actuation mechanism being detachably connected thereto; therefore, regardless of the presence of the leveling actuation mechanism, the aiming adjustment mechanism can be used

  commonly on different headlight devices.

  In addition, the support member and the aiming adjustment mechanism can be used in headlight devices of a different mounting; it is thus possible to reduce the number of parts

and therefore reduce the cost.

  It will be noted that the invention is not limited to the embodiments and that various changes and modifications can be easily made by those skilled in the art for the purpose of the present invention such as

  defined by the claims. For example, in

  the second embodiment, the aiming adjustment mechanism and the leveling actuation mechanism are mounted on the lamp body which acts as a support member, but it is possible to mount the aiming adjustment mechanism on the lamp body and mount the leveling mechanism on the lamp housing. In addition, the structure of the gear unit can be modified to include two bevel gears or other similar gears. In addition, the output shaft of the leveling mechanism can have any desired structure provided that the output shaft cannot rotate and can be slidably connected to the rear end

of the adjustment rod.

Claims (3)

  1. Headlight device for vehicles, provided with a tilting member for defining the direction of the light beam and being tiltably supported by a support member, characterized in that it consists of: a sight adjustment mechanism (21) having an adjustment rod (47) the front end of which is connected to the tilting member, and an orthogonal gear unit (22) comprising an output gear which can be actuated in rotation to move the adjustment rod (47) and an input gear meshing with the output gear, said aiming adjustment mechanism (21) being mounted on the support member; the rear end of the adjustment rod (47) extending from the rear end of the gear unit (22); and - a leveling adjustment mechanism (53) arranged on the rear side of the orthogonal gear unit (22) and of which an output part is connected in a sliding manner and without the possibility of turning to the rear end of the rod adjustment (47).   2. Headlight device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the tilting member is a headlight unit (2) comprising a hollow lamp body (3) having an opening at the front, a lens (4) covering the opening at the front of the lamp body (3) and a light source placed in a lamp volume (6) defined by the lamp body (3) and the lens (4); and in which the support member is a housing   lamp (7) attached to a vehicle body.   3. Headlight device for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the tilting member is a reflector supporting a light source and placed in a lamp volume defined by a lamp body (3) having a recessed portion and being fixed to the vehicle body and a lens (4) covering an opening at the front of the recessed lamp body (3) and in which the member   support is the lamp body (3).