JP2012114013A - Reflector support structure of headlight for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reflector support structure of a headlight for a vehicle, capable of lowering cost by reducing the number of components and assembling man-hours.SOLUTION: The headlight for a vehicle 1 includes at least a light source and a reflector 5 retaining the light source in a lamp chamber 4 defined by a housing 2 and an outer lens 3 covering a front surface opening of that 2. As a structure rotatably supporting the reflector 5 of the headlight for a vehicle 1 to the housing 2, a bearing 9 rotatably supporting an end part of a pivot axis 8 fitted on a reflector 5 side is formed at the housing 2. Moreover, a cut-off hole 9b generated at the housing 2 in molding the bearing 9 is to be a breathing hole, and the breathing hole 9b is covered with a cap 10.

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure for rotatably supporting a reflector of a vehicle headlamp with respect to a housing.

  A vehicle headlamp (headlamp) includes at least a light source and a reflector for holding the light source in a lamp chamber defined by a housing and an outer lens that covers an opening of the housing. An aiming mechanism (optical axis adjustment mechanism) is provided (for example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  A conventional example of a reflector support structure in a vehicle headlamp provided with such an aiming mechanism is shown in FIGS.

  7 is a perspective view showing a conventional support structure of a reflector, FIG. 8 is a front view thereof, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. A holder 120 in which a bearing 120A (see FIG. 9) that rotatably supports the end of the attached pivot shaft 108 is formed is attached by two upper and lower screws 121. Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the bearing 120A formed on the holder 120 includes a spherical seat 120a for receiving a ball 108a formed on the end of the pivot shaft 108, and a pivot fitted in the bearing 120A. The locking claw 120b prevents the ball 108a of the shaft 108 from coming off.

  Thus, when the ball 108a of the pivot shaft 108 is fitted in the bearing portion 120A formed in the holder 120, the reflector is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the housing 102 around the ball 108a. Is rotated (tilted) to adjust the optical axis of the light source held by the reflector in the left-right direction. The holder 120 is inevitably formed with a biting hole 120c (see FIG. 9) in forming the bearing portion 120A. However, since the holder 120 is fitted and fixed to the housing 102, the biting hole 120c is formed in the housing 120. It is completely sealed by 102.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-032804 JP-A-8-022704

  However, in the conventional support structure of the reflector shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the holder 120 formed with the bearing portion 120 </ b> A for rotatably supporting the pivot shaft 108 is provided separately from the housing 102. Since the configuration in which the two screws 121 are attached to the housing 102 is employed, the number of parts increases, and the holder 120 needs to be attached to the housing 102 with the screws 121, which increases the number of assembling steps and increases costs. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a reflector support structure for a vehicle headlamp capable of reducing the number of parts and the number of assembling steps and thereby reducing the cost. It is in.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle headlamp according to claim 1 is provided with at least a light source and a reflector for holding the light source in a lamp chamber defined by a housing and an outer lens covering a front opening of the housing. As a structure for rotatably supporting the reflector with respect to the housing, a bearing portion that rotatably supports an end portion of a pivot shaft provided on the reflector side is formed in the housing. .

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 1, the biting hole generated in the housing in forming the bearing portion is a breathing hole, and the breathing hole is closed with a cap.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, a cylindrical cover that covers the breathing hole is integrally formed on the rear surface of the housing, and the cap is fitted on the outer periphery of the cover. The baffle plate which covers the opening part formed in the lower part of this from the lower part was integrally formed in the back surface of the said housing.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the bearing portion that rotatably supports the end portion of the pivot shaft provided on the reflector side is formed in the housing, the separate holder that has conventionally been required and the housing are provided in the housing. Fasteners such as screws to be attached are no longer necessary, and the number of parts and assembly man-hours can be reduced to reduce costs.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the bearing portion is formed in the housing, the biting hole that is unavoidably formed in the housing is used as the breathing hole. Therefore, there is no need to separately provide the breathing hole in the housing. It is possible to prevent fogging of the inner surface of the outer lens by ventilating the lamp chamber through the. In addition, since the breathing hole is closed by the cap, it is possible to prevent water or the like from entering the lamp chamber from the breathing hole.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, even if the breathing hole that opens in the housing is closed by the cap, the inside of the lamp chamber is ventilated through the opening formed in the lower part of the cover, and this opening is formed integrally with the housing. The covered baffle plate prevents the water from entering the lamp chamber from the opening.

It is a sectional side view of a vehicle headlamp provided with the reflector support structure which concerns on this invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the housing back surface which shows the structure of the reflector support part of a vehicle headlamp. It is a partial rear view of the housing which shows the structure of the reflector support part of a vehicle headlamp. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the housing front which shows the structure of the reflector support part of a vehicle headlamp. It is a partial front view of the housing which shows the structure of the reflector support part of a vehicle headlamp. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the conventional support structure of a reflector. It is a front view which shows the conventional support structure of a reflector. It is the BB sectional drawing of FIG.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a vehicle headlamp provided with a reflector support structure according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a rear surface of a housing showing a structure of a reflector support portion of the vehicle headlamp, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the front of the housing, FIG. 5 is a partial front view of the housing, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

  A vehicle headlamp 1 according to the present embodiment is a headlamp provided on the left and right of a front end portion of a four-wheeled vehicle, and as shown in FIG. 1, an outer lens 3 that covers a housing 2 and a front opening thereof. The lamp chamber 4 is configured to accommodate a reflector 5, a bulb (not shown) that is a light source held by the reflector 5, an extension 6 that covers a gap between the housing 2 and the reflector 5, and the like. Since the basic configuration of the left and right vehicle headlamps 1 is the same, only one of the vehicle headlamps 1 will be illustrated and described below.

  The housing 2 is integrally formed of an opaque resin, and a fitting recess 2a having a U-shaped cross section that opens toward the front of the vehicle (left side in FIG. 1) is integrally formed on the periphery of the front opening. Yes. The outer lens 3 is integrally formed of a transparent resin, and a rib-like leg portion 3a integrally formed on the periphery of the outer lens 3 toward the rear of the vehicle is fitted into the fitting recess 2a of the housing 2 from the front of the vehicle. The outer lens 3 is attached to the housing 2 by bonding the parts with hot melt 7. The reflector 5 and the extension 6 are also molded separately from resin, and the surface thereof is subjected to a reflection process such as aluminum vapor deposition.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 1, a pivot shaft 8 is horizontally attached to the rear upper part of the reflector 5 toward the rear, and a spherical ball 8a is formed at the tip of the pivot shaft 8. Further, a cylindrical boss 2A is integrally protruded rearward at a portion facing the pivot shaft 8 on the back surface of the housing 2, and is formed at the tip of the pivot shaft 8 inside the boss 2A. A bearing portion 9 is formed to rotatably fit and hold the ball 8a.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the bearing portion 9 includes three support portions 9 </ b> A that are radially formed in the back of the boss 2 </ b> A and a ball 8 a of the pivot shaft 8 that is fitted into the bearing portion 9. In order to prevent this, it is constituted by three fan-shaped locking claws 9B formed on the front end side in the boss 2A. As shown in FIG. 6, concave spherical surface seats 9a for receiving and holding the balls 8a of the pivot shaft 8 are formed on the respective support portions 9A.

  By the way, when the bearing portion 9 is directly formed in the housing 2 as in the present embodiment, three fan-shaped biting holes 9b are inevitably formed in the housing 2 due to the molding of the bearing portion 9. In the embodiment, a configuration in which the biting hole 9b is used as a ventilation hole for ventilation and the breathing hole 9b is closed by the cap 10 is employed.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a cylindrical cover 11 covering the periphery of the breathing hole 9b is integrally projected rearward on the back surface of the housing 2, and is formed outside the cover 11. A notched cylindrical cover 12 having an opening 12a formed in the lower portion thereof is also provided integrally and projecting concentrically toward the rear. Here, a notch-shaped rectangular opening 11 a is formed in the lower part of the inner cover 11, and the breathing hole 9 b is closed by the cap 10 by fitting the cap 10 into the outer periphery of the cover 11. It is. In the state in which the cap 10 is fitted on the outer periphery of the cover 11, the opening 11a formed in the lower portion of the cover 11 is not blocked by the cap 10, and the lamp is turned on through the opening 11a and the breathing hole 9b. The chamber 4 communicates with the atmosphere.

  In addition, a baffle plate 13 that covers the openings 11a and 12a that open at the lower portions of the covers 11 and 12 from below is integrally formed on the rear surface of the housing 2 toward the rear. The baffle plate 13 is formed in an inverted V shape so as to incline downward from the center toward the left and right.

  Thus, if the ball 8a formed at the tip of the pivot shaft 8 attached to the reflector 5 is inserted into the bearing 9 formed in the housing 2 from the front, the three locking claws 9B of the bearing 9 are elastically deformed. In the state in which the ball 8a is allowed to be inserted and the ball 8a is fitted and held in the spherical seats 9a of the three support portions 9A of the bearing portion 9 as shown in FIG. 9B returns to its original state due to its own elasticity, and when the locking claw 9B engages with the ball 8a, the ball 8a is prevented from coming off, and the reflector 5 rotates with respect to the housing 2 around the ball 8a. It is supported movably.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 1, a mounting portion 5 </ b> A is integrally protruded from the rear lower portion of the reflector 5 toward the rear (rightward in FIG. 1). A cylindrical boss 2B is integrally formed at a lower portion of the housing 2 (a portion facing the attachment portion 5A of the reflector 5), and an electric actuator 14 is held on the boss 2B. An adjustment screw 15 that can move back and forth linearly from the electric actuator 14 extends horizontally toward the front, and the tip of the adjustment screw 15 extends to the mounting portion 5A that projects from the lower back of the reflector 5. Engagement is held. Although not shown, the electric actuator 14 houses an electric motor that is a drive source, a rack and pinion mechanism that converts the rotation of the electric motor into a reciprocating linear motion of the adjusting screw 15, and the like.

  Thus, when the adjustment screw 15 is linearly moved forward or backward by the electric actuator 14, the reflector 5 that holds the tip of the adjustment screw 15 and the valve (not shown) held by the reflector 5 are moved to the ball of the pivot shaft 8. The optical axis is tilted up and down with 8a as a fulcrum, thereby adjusting the vertical direction of the optical axis. Although not shown, the optical axis adjustment in the left-right direction is similarly performed by an aiming mechanism not shown in the left-right direction.

  As described above, in the vehicle headlamp 1 according to the present embodiment, the bearing 9 that rotatably supports the ball 8a formed at the end of the pivot shaft 8 provided on the reflector 5 side is provided. Since it is formed directly on the housing 2, a separate holder and a fastener such as a screw for attaching the holder to the housing are no longer necessary, and the number of parts and assembly man-hours can be reduced to reduce costs.

  Further, in the present embodiment, when the bearing portion 9 is formed in the housing 2, the biting hole that is unavoidably formed in the housing 2 is used as the breathing hole 9b, so that it is not necessary to separately provide the breathing hole 9b in the housing 2. The interior of the outer lens 3 can be prevented from being fogged by ventilating the inside of the lamp chamber 4 through the breathing hole 9b.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the breathing hole 9b is closed by the cap 10 in order to prevent the intrusion of water or the like from the breathing hole 9b into the lamp chamber 4, but even in this case, the ventilation in the lamp chamber 4 is covered. 11 is formed through an opening 11a formed in the lower portion of the housing 11, and the opening 11a is covered from below by a baffle plate 13 formed integrally with the back surface of the housing 2, and the opening 11a enters the lamp chamber 4. Intrusion of water etc. is prevented. The water that falls along the outer periphery of the outer cover 11 is received by the baffle plate 13, but the baffle plate 13 is formed in an inverted V shape so as to incline downward from the center toward the left and right. The water dropped on the baffle plate 13 is divided into left and right and falls from the left and right ends of the baffle plate 13.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle headlamp 2 Housing 2A, 2B Housing boss 2a Housing recessed part 3 Outer lens 3a Outer lens leg part 4 Lamp chamber 5 Reflector 5A Reflector mounting part 6 Extension 7 Hot melt 8 Pivot shaft 8a Pivot shaft ball 9 Bearing Part 9A Bearing part support part 9B Bearing part locking claw 9a Support part spherical seat 9b Breathing hole (cut-off hole)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Cap 11, 12 Cover 11a, 12a Cover opening 13 Baffle plate 14 Electric actuator 15 Adjustment screw

Claims (3)

A reflector of a vehicle headlamp comprising at least a light source and a reflector for holding the light source in a lamp chamber defined by a housing and an outer lens covering a front opening of the housing is rotatably supported with respect to the housing. A support structure,
A reflector support structure for a vehicle headlamp, wherein a bearing portion that rotatably supports an end portion of a pivot shaft provided on the reflector side is formed in the housing.   2. The reflector support structure for a vehicle headlamp according to claim 1, wherein a cut-off hole generated in the housing in forming the bearing portion is a breathing hole, and the breathing hole is closed with a cap. A cylindrical cover that covers the breathing hole is integrally formed on the back surface of the housing, and the baffle plate that fits the cap on the outer periphery of the cover and covers the opening formed in the lower part of the cover from below is provided. 3. A reflector support structure for a vehicle headlamp according to claim 2, wherein the reflector support structure is formed integrally with a rear surface of the housing.

Images