JP2004063089A - Vehicular headlight - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular headlight compatible between a rotation type and a vertical optic axis adjusting mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: On the ground that a shaft 26 can be tilted forward and backward and can move up and down centering on a slider 27 located in an opening 37 of a rack gear 32 in a state that forward and backward of the slider 27 is made to contact with the inner face of front and back of the opening 37, occurring of a backlash in the rotation direction centering on the rotating shaft V of the reflector 5 can be prevented. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a headlamp for vehicles such as automobiles, airplanes, and railway vehicles, and more particularly to a headlamp for vehicles that can enhance the visibility when turning.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A headlight such as a headlamp or a fog lamp is installed on a front side of a vehicle, for example, an automobile. In this type of headlight, a reflector having a light source is housed in a front-opening housing, and the front side of the housing is covered with an outer lens that is continuous with the vehicle body surface. Yes). Light from the light source is reflected by the reflector to form a forward light distribution pattern, and illuminates the front of the vehicle. Depending on the type of headlight, when the vehicle turns, the light distribution pattern from the reflector is changed in the turning direction (the steering wheel). There is one that bends in the steering direction to illuminate the turning point instead of the front of the vehicle (for a similar technique, see JP-A-2001-328485).
[0003]
In a fixed type headlight that does not bend the light distribution pattern in the turning direction, the left and right ends of the reflector are attached to the rear surface of the housing, but in a turning type headlight that bends the light distribution pattern in the turning direction, In order to enable a large rotation of the reflector, the entire reflector is supported on the upper and lower surfaces of the housing by one rotation shaft set at the center in the left-right direction of the reflector. The gear fixed to the upper end or the rear end of the rotation shaft is rotated by a drive motor, and the reflector is rotated in either the left or right direction together with the rotation shaft.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such a conventional headlamp, since the structure for supporting the reflector on the housing is completely different between the fixed type and the rotating type, the number of parts that can be shared between the two types is small, and the number of parts is small. Was causing an increase. Further, in the rotating headlight, since the weight of the reflector is supported by one rotating shaft, the backlash in the rotating direction of the reflector about the rotating shaft is easily generated.
[0005]
Therefore, a structure is considered in which the reflector is not supported at the center in the left and right directions, and one of the left and right sides is a “rotation axis”, and the other side is a “drive point” that rotates to the vehicle turning side along the arc direction. With such an improved rotation type, similar to the conventional fixed type, it has a structure that supports the left and right sides of the reflector, and it is easy to use common parts with the fixed type, and the reflector rotation shaft and Since the driving point is separated in the left-right direction, rattling in the rotation direction hardly occurs.
[0006]
However, even with such an improved rotation type, if the reflector is provided with a vertical optical axis adjustment mechanism, the rotation axis set on one of the left and right sides of the reflector is tilted forward and backward, so that the drive point on the other side is left and right. Displacement occurs, and it becomes impossible to prevent backlash in the rotation direction. For this reason, it was not possible to achieve both the improved rotation type and the vertical optical axis adjustment mechanism.
[0007]
The present invention has been made by paying attention to such a conventional technique, and provides a vehicle headlamp capable of achieving both an improved rotation type and a vertical optical axis adjustment mechanism. is there.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a reflector having a light source is housed in a front open type housing, and one side of the reflector in the left-right direction is rotated right and left around a rotation axis defined by a pair of upper and lower pivot mechanisms. The optical axis of the reflector changes up and down by tilting the rotation axis back and forth by changing the distance between the pivot mechanism and the rear surface of the housing to one of the pivot mechanisms while supporting the pivot mechanism in the direction. Combining the upper and lower optical axis adjustment mechanisms, integrally forming a shaft facing the pivot mechanism side where the upper and lower optical axis adjustment mechanisms are not combined in the vertical direction on the other side of the reflector on the left and right sides, and rotating the shaft Engagement is performed in an opening or a hole formed in a movable portion of a drive mechanism that moves in an arc around a shaft, and the entire reflector is turned in the vehicle turning direction about the turning axis. In a portion to be engaged in the opening or the hole of the shaft, a bulging portion whose front and rear size is larger than the diameter of the shaft is formed integrally with or separate from the shaft, and the front and rear of the bulging portion are vertically It is characterized in that it is curved in an arc shape in the direction and is in contact with the front and rear inner surfaces of the opening or hole.
[0009]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the reflector is not supported at the center in the left and right direction, one side in the left and right direction is used as a rotation axis, and the other side is used as a drive point for rotating in an arc direction. The structure supports both the left and right sides of the reflector, and it is easy to share parts with the fixed type. Further, since the rotating shaft of the reflector and the driving point are separated in the left-right direction, even in the event of a shock during traveling, rattling in the rotating direction hardly occurs. Furthermore, even if the rotation axis set on one of the left and right sides of the reflector is tilted forward and backward by the vertical optical axis adjustment mechanism, the shaft provided on the other right and left sides of the reflector is located in the opening or the hole of the movable part. Around the swollen portion, the swollen portion can be tilted back and forth and move up and down while being in contact with the front and rear inner surfaces such as the opening, so that the reflector is centered on the pivot axis. It is possible to prevent backlash in the rotation direction.
[0010]
The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the bulging portion has a disk shape extending in the front-rear direction.
[0011]
According to the second aspect of the invention, since the bulging portion has a disk shape extending in the front-rear direction, it is easy to form an opening or a hole for engaging the shaft even if the width of the movable portion is small.
[0012]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the center of the arc of the bulging portion coincides with the horizontal axis passing through the center of the pivot mechanism that is not combined with the vertical optical axis adjustment mechanism.
[0013]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the center of the arc of the bulging portion is aligned with the horizontal axis passing through the center of the pivot mechanism serving as the fulcrum of vertical optical axis adjustment, the shaft is moved together with the vertical rotation axis. Even if it is tilted back and forth, there is no change in the arc center position of the bulging portion, and the state in which the bulging portion is in contact with the inner surface before and after the opening or hole is maintained.
[0014]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a left and right optical axis adjustment mechanism is provided in a protruding state on a rear surface portion of a housing corresponding to the other side of the left and right sides of the reflector. The optical axis of the reflector is changed left and right by changing the amount of protrusion.
[0015]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the left and right optical axis adjustment mechanisms are provided on the rear surface of the housing corresponding to the left and right sides of the reflector, the left and right adjustment of the optical axis can be performed.
[0016]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the driving mechanism includes a rack gear curved in an arc shape as a movable portion, a rail slidably supporting the rack gear along the arc direction of the rack gear, and a pinion gear meshed with the rack gear. And a drive motor for transmitting a rotational force to the pinion gear.
[0017]
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the reflector is turned in the turning direction by engaging the shafts formed on the left and right sides of the reflector with the rack gear that slides in the arc direction, so that the reflector is large. It can be rotated at an angle.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a headlamp according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. On the front side of the automobile 1 shown in FIG. 1, a pair of left and right headlights 2 and 3 are provided, respectively. Of the left and right headlights 2, 3, the light distribution pattern P of the headlights 2, 3 located in the turning direction bends in the turning direction. That is, in FIG. 1, since the vehicle 1 turns left, only the light distribution pattern P of the left headlight 2 turns in the turning direction (left side) more than the normal forward light distribution pattern (dotted line display). The state is shown. When turning right, the light distribution pattern P of the right headlamp 3 turns right. The turning angle of the light distribution pattern P is a maximum of 30 °, and is proportional to the steering angle of the steering wheel.
[0019]
Since the internal structures of the left and right headlights 2 and 3 are symmetrical, the internal structure of the left headlight 2 will be described below with reference to FIGS.
[0020]
Reference numeral 4 denotes a housing of the headlight 2, which has a container shape with an open front side (upper side in FIG. 2), and is fixed to the front part of the vehicle body. The front side of the housing 4 is covered with a well-known outer lens (not shown) that forms the same surface as the vehicle body surface.
[0021]
A reflector 5 is housed inside the housing 4, and a light source 6 is attached to the center of the reflector 5. Protrusions 7 and 8 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) are formed vertically on the left rear surface of the reflector 5.
[0022]
A spherical portion 9 is formed on the lower convex portion 8. The spherical portion 9 is slidably engaged in a concave spherical surface 12 of a receiving portion 11 formed on a rear surface portion 10 of the corresponding housing 4 of the reflector 5. The spherical portion 9 and the concave spherical surface 12 form a lower pivot mechanism 13.
[0023]
A spherical portion 15 sandwiched between a pair of left and right concave spherical surfaces 14 is attached to the upper convex portion 7. An adjusting screw 16 attached to the rear surface 10 of the corresponding housing 4 passes through the spherical portion 15 in a screwed state. The spherical portion 15 is slidable in the left-right direction with respect to the concave spherical surface 14 due to unevenness (not shown), but cannot rotate in the rotation direction of the adjusting screw 16. A space 17 is formed in front of the spherical portion 15 in the convex portion 7 to avoid interference with the tip of the adjusting screw 16. At the rear end of the adjusting screw 16, an operation section 16a for manually rotating the adjusting screw 16 is formed. In the upper convex portion 7, the spherical portion 15 and the concave spherical surface 14 form an upper pivot mechanism 18, and the spherical portion 15 and the adjusting screw 16 form a vertical optical axis adjusting mechanism 19. The vertical optical axis adjusting mechanism 19 may have not only a manual operation by the operation section 16a as in this embodiment but also an automatic leveler function for automatically controlling the vertical adjustment of the optical axis X by driving a motor.
[0024]
On the left side of the reflector 5, a straight line connecting the centers of the upper and lower spherical portions 9 and 15 is a rotation axis V, and the entire reflector 5 rotates left and right about the rotation axis V. Further, by rotating the adjusting screw 16, the spherical portion 15 functions as a “nut” to change the distance between the spherical portion 15 and the rear surface portion 10 of the housing 4. Therefore, the reflector 5 is tilted forward and backward about the lower spherical portion 9 to change the optical axis X of the reflector 5 up and down (see FIGS. 12 and 13).
[0025]
Another convex portion 20 is formed near the upper and lower middle position on the rear surface on the right side of the reflector 5. The projection 20 has a shape in which a lower portion 21 extends rearward from a rear surface. An adjusting screw 22 having an operation portion 22a at the rear end is attached to the rear surface portion 10 of the housing 4 corresponding to the convex portion 20. A cap 23 whose inner surface is screwed with the adjusting screw 22 is provided at the tip of the adjusting screw 22. The cap 23 cannot rotate by engaging with a cover 24 attached to the root of the adjusting screw 22 with irregularities (not shown). By rotating the adjusting screw 22 in the normal and reverse directions, the cap 23 Move back and forth.
[0026]
In this embodiment, the adjustment screw 22, the cap 23, and the cover 24 form a left and right optical axis adjustment mechanism 25. Therefore, by bringing the tip of the cap 23 into contact with the rear surface of the reflector 5, the direction of the reflector 5 in the left-right direction about the rotation axis V is determined. Is adjusted, the optical axis X of the reflector 5 can be changed left and right.
[0027]
An upper end of a shaft 26 is fixed to a lower portion 21 of the convex portion 20 with which the cap 23 comes into contact, and the shaft 26 projects downward from the convex portion 20 (the upper and lower optical axis adjusting mechanisms 19 are combined). (It is in a state of protruding toward the lower pivot mechanism 13 side which is not set.) A disk-shaped slider 27 facing forward and backward is integrally formed as a “bulge” below the shaft 26 (this slider 27 may be a spherical body). On the left and right side surfaces of the slider 27, a projection 28 is formed at the center. The slider 27 may be a separate part thinner than the diameter of the shaft 26, and may have a structure rotatably supported in a slit formed between the shafts 26. In that case, the projection 28 is formed on the side surface of the shaft 26.
[0028]
A base plate 29 is provided below the shaft 26. A rail 30 is mounted on the upper surface of the base plate 29. The rail 30 has a tunnel-shaped hat-shaped cross section at the rear (see FIG. 9), and a notch 31 (see FIG. 10) formed by removing the upper surface and the right side surface at the front. It is curved in an arc around the axis V.
[0029]
Inside this rail 30, a rack gear 32 as a "movable part" is slidably housed. The rack gear 32 is also curved in an arc shape about the rotation axis V similarly to the rail 30, and gear teeth 33 exposed from the notch 31 of the rail 30 are formed on the side surface thereof along the longitudinal direction. I have.
[0030]
The gear teeth 33 of the rack gear 32 mesh with a pinion gear 34 that is supported by the base plate 29. A drive gear 36 of a drive motor (stepping motor) 35 installed below the base plate 29 is meshed with the pinion gear 34. Therefore, by rotating the drive gear 36 of the drive motor 35 in either the forward or reverse direction, the rack gear 32 can be slid back and forth along the arc direction.
[0031]
The rack gear 32 has an opening 37 into which the lower part of the shaft 26 is inserted (a hole that does not penetrate downward). The opening 37 has a rectangular shape sized so that the front and rear ends of the slider 27 and the left and right protrusions 28 are respectively in contact with the inner surface. In this embodiment, since the slider 27 has a disk shape extending in the front-rear direction, the width of the opening 37 is smaller than that of a spherical shape or the like, and the opening 37 is easily formed in the rack gear 32 having a limited width.
[0032]
The position of the projection 28 at the center of the slider 27 on the shaft 26 matches the horizontal axis H passing through the center of the pivot mechanism 13 at the lower left portion of the reflector 5. The drive mechanism 38 of this embodiment is formed by the rack gear 32, the rail 30, the pinion gear 34, and the drive motor 35.
[0033]
As described above, the headlamp 2 of this embodiment does not support the reflector 5 at the center in the left and right directions, but uses the rotation axis V on the left side and the shaft 26 (drive point) on the right side in an arc direction. As in the fixed type in which the reflector 5 is not rotated, the left and right sides of the reflector 5 are supported, so that it is easy to share components with the fixed type. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of parts related to the headlight 2.
[0034]
A signal relating to the steering angle is sent to the drive motor 35 of the drive mechanism 38 from the angle sensor provided on the handle (not shown) only when turning left (for the left headlight 2). Then, the drive gear 36 of the drive motor 35 is rotated by the number of rotations linearly responding to the steering angle, and the rack gear 32 is slid forward.
[0035]
When the rack gear 32 slides forward, the shaft 26 engaged in the opening 37 also moves forward, so that the right side of the reflector 5 is pushed by the shaft 26, and the left rotating shaft V , The entire reflector 5 rotates leftward (turning direction). As described above, since the shaft 26 formed on the right side of the reflector 5 is rotated by engaging the rack gear 32 sliding in the arc direction, a large rotation angle (maximum 30 °) of the reflector 5 can be obtained. it can.
[0036]
Then, after the steering, the drive gear 36 is reversely rotated by the same number of revolutions to return the rack gear 32 to the original position, so that the reflector 5 returns to the original forward state. Since the front and rear ends of the slider 27 in the shaft 26 are in contact with the inner surfaces before and after the opening 37, there is no play in the reflector 5 in the rotation direction about the rotation axis V. In particular, since the rotation axis V of the reflector 5 and the shaft 26 (driving point) are separated in the left-right direction, play in the rotation direction is less likely to occur even if an impact during driving of the vehicle is received.
[0037]
The center of the arc (projection 28) of the slider 27 on the shaft 26 is aligned with the horizontal axis H passing through the center of the lower pivot mechanism 13, which is the fulcrum of the forward / backward tilt of the rotation axis V by the vertical optical axis adjustment mechanism 19. Therefore, even if the reflector 5 is tilted back and forth to adjust the vertical optical axis, the arc center position (projection 28) of the slider 27 does not change, and the front and rear ends of the projection slider 27 move forward and backward of the opening 37 of the rack gear 32. The state of contact with the inner surface is maintained, and backlash in the rotation direction about the rotation axis V of the reflector 5 is prevented. Note that the shaft 26 is thin and easy to bend even if the center of the arc of the slider 27 does not necessarily coincide with the horizontal axis H passing through the center of the pivot mechanism 13 below. Can be maintained while absorbing the displacement of the slider 27 and the inner surface of the opening 37.
[0038]
Further, when the reflector 5 is rotated in the turning direction while the rotation axis V is tilted forward or backward by the vertical optical axis adjusting mechanism 19, the vertical position of the slider 27 on the shaft 26 is caused by the rotation in the turning direction. However, since the shaft 26 is inserted into the opening 37 from above with respect to the opening 37, even if the shaft 26 is inclined forward and backward due to the adjustment of the vertical optical axis, the inclination is not changed. In this state, the slider 27 is vertically displaced, and the state in which the front and rear ends of the disk-shaped slider 27 abut on the inner surface of the opening 37 is maintained. Not only the vertical optical axis adjustment, but also the vertical displacement when the reflector 5 does not completely rotate in the horizontal direction due to factors such as the mounting error of the reflector 5, also causes the shaft 26 to move into and out of the opening 37 of the rack gear 32. As a result, the state in which the slider 27 is in contact with the inner surface of the opening 37 is maintained.
[0039]
In the above embodiment, the turning direction of the vehicle 1 is detected from the steering direction of the steering wheel. However, the steering direction of the steering wheel is detected from information such as the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, map information, and vehicle speed. The reflector 5 can be rotated by a necessary angle immediately before the above. If the reflector 5 is rotated in the turning direction of the vehicle 1 in advance, the light distribution pattern can be changed to the direction in which the vehicle 1 turns quickly, and the visibility of the turning of the vehicle 1 can be further improved. In addition, although only the vehicle 1 has been described as an example of a vehicle, the present invention may be applied to a headlight when an aircraft travels on a runway or when entering or exiting a hangar. This is a technology that may be used for headlights.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
According to this invention, since the reflector is not supported at the center in the left and right directions, one of the left and right sides is used as a rotation axis, and the other side is used as a drive point for rotating in the arc direction. And it is easy to share parts with the fixed type. In addition, since the rotating shaft of the reflector and the driving point are separated in the left-right direction, even in the event of an impact during traveling of the vehicle, rattling in the rotating direction hardly occurs. Furthermore, the shaft provided on the left and right sides of the reflector is located in the opening or the hole of the movable section even if the rotation axis set on the left or right side of the reflector is inclined forward and backward by the vertical optical axis adjustment mechanism. The swelling portion can be tilted back and forth and move up and down while the swelling portion is in contact with the front and rear inner surfaces such as the opening around the swelling portion. It is possible to prevent backlash in the rotation direction.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a view of the vehicle turning left when viewed from the sky when the vehicle headlamp according to the present invention is employed in the vehicle.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the headlight according to the embodiment of the present invention in a state where the reflector is not rotated.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an internal structure in which a reflector of the headlight of FIG. 2 is rotated.
FIG. 4 is a front view showing the internal structure of the headlight as viewed from a direction indicated by an arrow DA in FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line SB-SB in FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line SC-SC in FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view showing the driving mechanism in FIG. 3;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line SD-SD shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line SE-SE shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line SF-SF shown in FIG. 7;
FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line SG-SG shown in FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 6, showing a state where the optical axis is changed downward.
13 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 6, showing a state in which the optical axis is changed upward.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 car (vehicle)
2, 3 headlight 4 housing 5 reflector 6 light source 7, 8, 20 convex part 13, 18 pivot mechanism 19 vertical optical axis adjustment mechanism 25 left and right optical axis adjustment mechanism 26 shaft 27 slider (bulging part)
28 Projection (center of arc)
32 Rack gear (movable part)
37 opening 38 drive mechanism P light distribution pattern V vertical rotation axis H horizontal axis X optical axis

Claims (5)

A reflector having a light source is housed in a front open type housing,
The reflector supports one side in the left-right direction of the reflector so as to be rotatable in the left-right direction about a rotation axis defined by a pair of upper and lower pivot mechanisms, and one of the pivot mechanisms has the pivot mechanism and the housing. By changing the distance from the surface and tilting the rotation axis back and forth, a vertical optical axis adjustment mechanism that changes the optical axis of the reflector up and down is combined,
On the other side in the left-right direction of the reflector, a shaft facing the pivot mechanism side in which the up-down optical axis adjustment mechanism is not combined in the up-down direction is integrally formed,
The shaft is engaged with an opening or a hole formed in a movable portion of a drive mechanism that moves in an arc about a rotation axis, and the entire reflector is turned in a turning direction about a vertical rotation axis. So,
A swelling portion whose front and rear size is larger than the diameter of the shaft is formed integrally with or separately from the shaft at a portion engaged with the opening or the hole portion of the shaft, and the front and rear portions of the swelling portion are arc-shaped in the vertical direction. A headlamp for a vehicle, characterized in that the headlight has a curved shape and is in contact with front and rear inner surfaces of an opening or a hole. The vehicle headlight according to claim 1,
A headlight for a vehicle, wherein the bulging portion has a disk shape extending in the front-rear direction. A vehicle headlight according to claim 1 or claim 2,
A headlight for a vehicle, wherein the center of the arc of the bulging portion coincides with the horizontal axis passing through the center of the pivot mechanism not combined with the vertical optical axis adjusting mechanism. A vehicle headlight according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
On the rear surface of the housing corresponding to the other left and right sides of the reflector, a left and right optical axis adjustment mechanism that makes the tip abut on the rear surface of the reflector is provided in a projected state,
A headlight for a vehicle, wherein the optical axis of the reflector is changed left and right by changing the amount of protrusion of the left and right optical axis adjusting mechanism. A vehicle headlight according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A drive mechanism includes a rack gear curved in an arc shape as a movable portion, a rail slidably supporting the rack gear along the arc direction of the rack gear, a pinion gear meshed with the rack gear, and a drive transmitting torque to the pinion gear. A vehicle headlight comprising a motor.

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