JP2562034Y2 - Rearview mirror angle control mechanism - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rearview mirror, such as a door mirror or a fender mirror, in a vehicle such as an automobile. The present invention relates to an angle control mechanism for a rearview mirror that can instantly lower the mirror angle to a predetermined downward angle and can instantly return the mirror angle to the original angle after the vehicle has retreated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An angle control mechanism of a rearview mirror in which a mirror angle can be remotely controlled in two directions by two actuators has been already widely known. The angle control mechanism of the rearview mirror adjusts the mirror angle in the left-right direction and the up-down direction by moving the center part of the mirror holder to the supporting pivot and moving the two adjusting nuts with pivoting by the two actuators respectively. It is something that you get.

[0003]

[Background of the Invention] For example, when a vehicle is moved backward by approaching a side groove on the left side of the road, the mirror in the rear-view mirror on the left side of the vehicle is tilted downward so that the driver can visually recognize the rear side of the left side near the rear wheel. There is a need. However, the above-mentioned conventional rearview mirror is configured such that an adjusting nut is screwed into an adjusting screw which cannot be advanced and retracted, and the adjusting nut is rotated to advance and retract the adjusting nut to adjust the mirror angle. Since the tilting speed of the mirror is slow and cannot be locked when the mirror reaches a predetermined angle, the mirror cannot be instantaneously lowered to the predetermined angle. Therefore, it takes time to lower the mirror angle so that the left and right sides of the vehicle can be visually recognized when the vehicle retreats, and there is a possibility that another vehicle may be disturbed during the adjustment time.

[0004] In view of the above, the present inventor has proposed a
In Japanese Utility Model Registration Application No. 40800 (filing date: May 1, 1991), means for slowly adjusting the mirror angle of a conventional rearview mirror in the vertical direction and means for instantly tilting the mirror in the vertical direction are described. An additional mechanism for controlling the angle of the rearview mirror is provided (hereinafter, this invention is referred to as a "preceding invention"). In this prior art, an adjusting nut with a pivot for adjusting a mirror angle in a vertical direction is driven to rotate by a first motor, and the adjusting nut is screwed to a non-rotatable adjusting screw, and a spiral having a large pitch is provided at a rear portion of the adjusting screw. A groove is formed, a rear portion of the adjusting screw is fitted into a central hole of the worm wheel rotated by the second motor, and a protrusion projecting inward from the central hole of the worm wheel is inserted into the spiral groove. is there.

In this prior art, if the first motor is rotated while the second motor is stopped, the pivot-adjusting nut screwed on the adjusting screw advances or moves depending on the rotation direction of the first motor. Move backward to tilt the mirror upward or downward at a low speed. On the other hand, when the second motor is rotated in the predetermined direction, the worm wheel rotates in the predetermined direction, and the protrusion protruding inward from the center hole of the worm wheel slides in the spiral groove at the rear of the adjusting screw. However, since the adjusting screw is not rotatable, the adjusting screw is pushed by a projection sliding in the spiral groove at the rear thereof, and is immediately retracted to a predetermined position, that is, a position where the projection contacts one end of the spiral groove. Then, the mirror is instantly tilted to a predetermined downward angle. When the second motor is rotated in the direction opposite to the above, the worm wheel rotates in the opposite direction, and the protrusion of the worm wheel sets the adjustment screw at the original position, that is, the protrusion is at the other end of the spiral groove. The mirror is instantly returned to the contact position, and the mirror is instantly returned to the original angle.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, the movement of each part is stopped by causing the projection of the worm wheel to collide with each end of the spiral groove at the rear of the adjusting screw. The protrusions on the wheel will receive frequent impact loads,
The projections and the like may be deformed, the positional accuracy may be degraded, and ultimately a failure may occur. The present invention has been made to solve such a problem.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides an arc-shaped long hole in a tooth portion of a worm wheel in the above-mentioned prior invention, and projects the arc-shaped long hole into a housing of an angle control mechanism. The stopper is inserted, and the mirror is set at a predetermined downward angle when the stopper comes into contact with one end of the long hole, and the mirror is set at the neutral angle when the stopper comes into contact with the other end of the long hole. Is set to. That is, in the present invention, the adjusting nut with the pivot for adjusting the mirror angle in the vertical direction is the first.
The adjusting nut is screwed into a non-rotatable adjusting screw, a spiral groove having a large pitch is formed at a rear portion of the adjusting screw, and a rear portion of the adjusting screw is rotated by a second motor. In a rearview mirror which is fitted in the hole, and a protrusion protruding inward from the center hole of the worm wheel is inserted into the spiral groove, an arc-shaped long hole is provided in a tooth portion of the worm wheel, and the long hole is formed in the long hole. A stopper is inserted into the housing of the angle control mechanism, and when the stopper comes into contact with one end of the elongated hole, the worm wheel stops rotating and the mirror is set at a predetermined downward angle. The worm wheel stops rotating by touching the other end of the hole, and the mirror is set to a neutral angle. There is provided an angle control mechanism of a rearview mirror, characterized and.

The stopper is preferably located on a straight line (47) connecting the center of rotation (45) of the worm wheel and the point of engagement (46) between the worm wheel and the worm.

[0009]

In the angle control mechanism for the rearview mirror according to the present invention, the adjusting screw is not always rotatable, and when the second motor is stopped, the adjusting screw is not rotatable and cannot move forward and backward. Therefore, if the first motor is rotated while the second motor is stopped, the adjusting nut with the pivot screwed on the adjusting screw moves forward or backward depending on the rotation direction of the first motor to move the mirror upward. Or tilt it downward at a low speed. On the other hand, when the second motor is rotated in the predetermined direction, the worm wheel rotates in the predetermined direction, and the protrusion protruding inward from the center hole of the worm wheel slides in the spiral groove at the rear of the adjusting screw. I do. Since the adjusting screw cannot rotate,
The adjusting screw is instantaneously retracted by being pushed by the protrusion sliding in the spiral groove at the rear. That is, the rotational movement of the worm wheel can be changed to the linear movement of the adjusting screw. At this time, when the worm wheel rotates by a predetermined angle, a stopper protruding from the housing of the angle control mechanism comes into contact with one end of an arc-shaped long hole provided in the tooth portion of the worm wheel, and the rotation of the worm wheel is stopped. Stop. Therefore, the adjusting screw stops retreating and is locked. This locks the adjustment nut and locks the mirror at a predetermined downward angle. Even if the stopper of the housing abuts one end of the arc-shaped long hole provided in the tooth portion of the worm wheel, the protrusion protruding inward from the center hole of the worm wheel is the end of the spiral groove at the rear of the adjusting screw. Never abut. Also, since the spiral groove has a spiral shape with a large pitch, the adjusting screw moves at high speed. On the other hand, when the second motor is rotated in the direction opposite to the above, the worm wheel rotates in the direction opposite to the above, and the protrusion of the worm wheel instantaneously advances the adjusting screw. At this time, when the worm wheel rotates by a predetermined angle, a stopper protruding from the housing of the angle control mechanism comes into contact with the other end of the arc-shaped long hole provided in the tooth portion of the worm wheel, and the worm wheel rotates. To stop. As a result, the adjusting screw stops moving forward and is locked. Thus, the adjust nut is also locked in its original position and the mirror is locked in its original neutral angle. Even when the stopper of the housing abuts against the other end of the arc-shaped long hole provided in the tooth portion of the worm wheel, the protrusion protruding inward from the center hole of the worm wheel is formed at the end of the spiral groove at the rear of the adjusting screw. There is no contact with the part.

When the stopper is located on a straight line connecting the center of rotation of the worm wheel and the point of engagement between the worm wheel and the worm, the stopper comes into contact with the end of the elongated hole of the worm wheel on the straight line. For,
When the stopper comes into contact with the end of the elongated hole of the worm wheel, the worm wheel does not become oblique, and the operation of the worm wheel becomes smooth.

[0011]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a mirror body of a rearview mirror, 2 denotes a mirror, and 3 denotes a mirror holder that holds the mirror 2. The mirror holder 3 has a supporting pivot 4 at its center.
To support. The angle control mechanism of the rearview mirror according to the present invention also adjusts the angle of the mirror 2 in the left-right direction and the up-down direction by moving the two adjustment nuts with pivot by the two actuators, respectively. The angle control mechanism of the rearview mirror is a mechanism in which the mirror angle in the conventional rearview mirror is adjusted at a low speed in the vertical direction, and a means for instantly tilting the mirror in the vertical direction is added. The description of the adjusting means will be omitted, and the embodiment of the present invention will be described below in relation to the means for adjusting the mirror angle vertically at a low speed.

First, means for adjusting the mirror angle in the vertical direction at a low speed will be described. Reference numeral 10 denotes a housing of the angle control mechanism. A motor for adjusting the mirror angle in a vertical direction, that is, a first motor 11 is provided in the housing 10. A worm 12 is attached to the output shaft of the first motor 11, and a worm wheel 13 is meshed with the worm 12. An axial groove 15 is formed on the inner wall surface of the central hole 14 of the worm wheel 13. On the other hand, an adjusting nut 17 having a pivot 16 at the front end is provided with a worm wheel 1.
A protrusion 18 corresponding to the third groove 15 is provided, and an adjust nut 17 is loosely fitted into the central hole 14 of the worm wheel 13 with the protrusion 18 fitted in the groove 15 (see FIG. 5). That is, by associating the adjustment nut 17 with the worm wheel 13 in this manner, the adjustment nut 17
Always rotates with the worm wheel 13, but the adjust nut 17 can move forward and backward with respect to the worm wheel 13. The pivot 16 at the front end of the adjustment nut 17 is fitted into a concave seat 19 provided on the mirror holder 3,
The mirror holder 3 is tilted up and down by the adjustment nut 17 moving forward and backward. The adjust nut 17 is provided with a claw 20 at a rear portion thereof, and the claw 20 is screwed to an adjustment screw 21 which cannot be rotated and which cannot normally move back and forth.

When the first motor 11 is rotated in a predetermined direction by an appropriate switch operation when the adjusting screw 21 is in a state in which the adjusting screw 21 cannot advance or retreat, the rotation of the first motor 11 is performed via the worm 12 and the worm wheel 13. The adjustment nut 17 is transmitted to the adjustment nut 17 and rotates in a predetermined direction. At this time, the claw 2 of the adjustment nut 17
Since the adjusting screw 21 into which the 0 is screwed cannot rotate and cannot move forward and backward, the adjusting nut 17 moves forward or backward to adjust the mirror angle upward or downward.

Next, means for instantly tilting the mirror in the vertical direction, which is added to the above-described means for adjusting the mirror angle in the vertical direction at a low speed, will be described. Housing 1
A second motor 22 different from the first motor 11 is provided in the position 0, and the adjusting screw 21 cannot be moved forward and backward at all times, and instantaneously within a certain range only when the second motor 22 rotates. It is associated with the second motor 22 so as to advance and retreat.
That is, a spiral groove 24 having a large pitch is formed in the rear part 23 of the adjusting screw 21, and the rear part 23 of the adjusting screw 21 is fitted into the central hole 26 of the worm wheel 40 which is rotated by the second motor 22, and the center of the worm wheel 40 is Hole 2
The protrusion 41 projecting inward from 6 is inserted into the spiral groove 24. That is, as an example, the rear portion 23 of the adjusting screw 21 is formed as a large-diameter cylindrical portion, and a pair of spiral grooves 24 are formed in the cylindrical portion so as to be opposed to each other at an angular interval of 180 °. Central hole 2 of wheel 40
6 includes a pair of projections 4 corresponding to the pair of spiral grooves 24.
The projections 41 are provided so as to face each other at an angular interval of 180 °, and these projections 41 are slidably fitted into the spiral grooves 24, respectively.

The adjusting screw cannot be rotated. That is,
As an example, a pair of detent grooves 29 in the axial direction are formed in the rear part 23 of the adjusting screw 21, and a pair of detent projections 30 corresponding to the detent groove 29 are provided in the housing 10. The groove 29 is fitted into each rotation stop projection 30.

The worm wheel 40 is provided with a fan-shaped tooth as a tooth portion 42, preferably at a part of the outer periphery, and the fan-shaped tooth 42 is meshed with the worm 28 rotated by the second motor 22.

In the present invention, the worm wheel 40
A circular arc-shaped long hole 43 is provided in the tooth portion 42, and a stopper 44 projecting from the housing
When the stopper 44 comes into contact with one end 43a of the elongated hole 43, the worm wheel 40 stops rotating and the mirror 2 is set at a predetermined downward angle (FIG. 3).
(B)) When the stopper 44 comes into contact with the other end 43b of the elongated hole 43, the worm wheel 40 stops rotating and the mirror 2 is set to the neutral angle (FIG. 3 (c)). ).

In the present invention, the worm wheel 40
Is rotated only within a range from a position where the stopper 44 abuts one end 43a of the long hole 43 to a position where the stopper 44 abuts the other end 43b of the long hole 43, and the worm wheel 40 is moved within this range. In order to prevent the projection 41 of the worm wheel 40 from abutting on the end of the spiral groove 24 of the rear portion 23 of the adjusting screw 21 even when the worm wheel 40 is rotated, the length of the long hole 43 of the tooth portion 42 of the worm wheel 40 is adjusted to the rear portion of the adjusting screw 21. Needless to say, it must be set in relation to the 23 spiral grooves 24.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the stopper 44 is provided at the point of engagement 4 between the rotation center 45 of the worm wheel 40 and the worm wheel 40 and the worm 28.
6 is located on a straight line 47 connecting the lines 6 and 6. That is,
The stopper 44 is provided on the worm wheel 4 on the straight line 47.
The end portions 43a and 43b of the long slot 43 are abutted. FIG. 3A shows that the stopper 44 is the worm wheel 4.
FIG. 3B illustrates a state where the stopper 4 is positioned between the one end 43a and the other end 43b of the long hole 43.
4 is one end 43 of the elongated hole 43 of the worm wheel 40
FIG. 3B shows a state in which the stopper 44 is in contact with the other end 4 of the elongated hole 43 of the worm wheel 40.
3B shows a state in which it is in contact with 3b. In FIG. 3,
Reference numeral 48 denotes an output shaft of the second motor 22, and reference numeral 49 denotes a bearing.

[0020]

As described above, in the rearview mirror angle control mechanism according to the present invention, an arc-shaped long hole is provided in the tooth portion of the worm wheel, and the long hole protrudes from the housing of the angle control mechanism. By inserting a stopper and bringing the stopper into contact with the end of the elongated hole, the rotation of the worm wheel is stopped and the mirror is set at a predetermined angle. Accordingly, the problem that the protrusion of the worm wheel is frequently deformed by receiving an impact load as in the above-mentioned prior invention, and the positional accuracy is deteriorated, which eventually leads to a failure is solved.

When the stopper is located on a straight line connecting the center of rotation of the worm wheel and the point of engagement between the worm wheel and the worm, the stopper comes into contact with the end of the elongated hole of the worm wheel on the straight line. For,
When the stopper comes into contact with the end of the elongated hole of the worm wheel, the worm wheel does not become oblique, and the operation of the worm wheel becomes smooth. Therefore, the durability of each part is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of a rearview mirror according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the mirror angle is lowered to a state in which a rear side and a rear side on the left side of the vehicle can be visually recognized when the vehicle retreats in the rearview mirror;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship among a worm wheel, a long hole, a stopper, and a worm.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a worm wheel, an adjusting screw, and a housing.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a worm wheel and an adjustment nut.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mirror body 2 Mirror 3 Mirror holder 4 Supporting pivot 10 Housing 11 1st motor 12 Warm 13 Warm wheel 14 Center hole 15 Groove 16 Pivot 17 Adjust nut 18 Ridge 19 Concave seat 20 Claw 21 Adjust screw 22 Second motor 23 Rear part 24 spiral groove 26 central hole 28 worm 29 detent groove 30 detent projection 40 worm wheel 41 projection 42 tooth part 43 long hole 43a one end 43b other end 44 stopper 45 rotation center 46 engagement point 47 straight line 48 output shaft 49 bearing

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] An adjusting nut with a pivot for vertically adjusting a mirror angle is rotationally driven by a first motor, and the adjusting nut is screwed to a non-rotatable adjusting screw, and a spiral having a large pitch is provided at a rear portion of the adjusting screw. A rearview mirror in which a groove is formed, a rear portion of the adjusting screw is fitted into a central hole of a worm wheel rotated by a second motor, and a projection projecting inward from the central hole of the worm wheel is inserted into the spiral groove. In the above, an arc-shaped elongated hole is provided in the tooth portion of the worm wheel, and a stopper protruding from the housing of the angle control mechanism is inserted into the elongated hole, and the stopper comes into contact with one end of the elongated hole to rotate the worm wheel. The mirror stops moving and the mirror is set at a predetermined downward angle. Rearview mirror angle control mechanism wheel is characterized in that the mirror stops rotating is to be set to the neutral angle. 2. The worm wheel according to claim 1, wherein the stopper is located on a straight line connecting a center of rotation of the worm wheel and a point of engagement between the worm wheel and the worm. Rearview mirror angle control mechanism.