JP3209002B2 - Outer mirror device for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a vehicle outer mirror device for rotating a shaft carrying an outer mirror between a use position and a storage position.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an outer mirror device for a vehicle in which a shaft carrying an outer mirror is rotated between a use position and a storage position. This vehicle outer mirror device has a drive circuit for driving a shaft to rotate, and a case that incorporates the drive circuit and is fixed to a vehicle body. The rotation angle of the shaft is regulated by a stopper member provided on the case and engaging with the shaft. Further, the drive circuit includes a slide switch, and stops driving of the motor when the shaft rotates by a predetermined angle (for example, actual open flat 1-173038).
Reference).

[0003]

However, in this conventional outer mirror device for a vehicle, since the stopper member is formed integrally with the case, a case where the rotation angle of the shaft is changed according to the type of the vehicle. In addition, it is necessary to change the design of the whole case or the whole shaft, and it is not desirable to change the shape of the case or the shaft every time the rotation angle of the shaft is changed, from the viewpoint of parts management and parts costs. Further, since the strength of the stopper member is also determined by the material of the case, it is difficult to select a material. Furthermore, if the rotation angle of the shaft of the drive circuit is changed for each vehicle type, the structure of the sliding switch must be changed accordingly, and the drive circuit must be changed for each vehicle type.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an outer mirror device for a vehicle that can change the rotation angle of the shaft without changing the structure of the drive circuit, the shape of the case or the shaft.

[0005]

A first aspect of the present invention.
The vehicle outer mirror device according to (1), in order to solve the above-described problem, a flange portion for fixing the outer mirror.
A drive circuit having a motor for rotating between a storage position and the use position the shaft having integrally, a case which is fixed to and the body incorporates the driving circuit, of the case
With a mounting plate that is detachably fixed to the outside
A pair of engagement notches formed on the outer periphery of the flange portion
Is located on the rotation locus and contacts the engagement notch.
The engagement plate that regulates the rotation angle of the shaft
When the stopper member formed integrally with the mounting plate portion and the shaft are rotated between the use position and the storage position
The engagement cutouts detects an overcurrent flowing through the motor by the contact of the said engaging plate portion, characterized in that it comprises a overcurrent detection circuit to stop the rotation of the motor.

[0006]

According to the outer mirror device for a vehicle according to the present invention, since the stopper member is formed separately from the case, the rotation angle of the shaft can be changed by replacing only the stopper member. Further, since the motor is configured to stop rotation by detecting an overcurrent flowing through the motor, the drive circuit can be shared even when the rotation angle of the shaft is changed.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an outer mirror device for a vehicle according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a stay, 2 is a shaft, and 3 is a case. An outer mirror 4 is attached to an upper end of the stay 1. A connecting rod 5 is fitted to the lower end of the stay 1. The connecting rod 5 includes a mounting flange 5a and a cylindrical portion 5b as shown in FIG. The shaft 2 has an engaging flange portion 6 and a columnar portion 7 as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. A bolt insertion hole 5c is formed in the mounting flange 5a of the connecting rod 5 at every 120 degrees, and a bolt screw hole 8 is formed in the engagement flange portion 6 corresponding to the formation position of the bolt insertion hole 5c. Is welded to the shaft 2, and then the shaft 2 is
Is concluded.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the engaging flange portion 6 has a circular recess 10 at its upper surface and at the center thereof, and a ball recess at its lower surface and its peripheral portion as shown in FIG. It has guide grooves 11 and 12. These ball guide grooves 11, 12
Is a circular arc, and the shaft 2 between the use position (forward tiltable) of the vehicle door mirror 4 and the storage position (rearward tiltable) is used.
The rotation angle of the motor. The ball guide grooves 11 and 12 have different radial distances from the center of the shaft 2. A step 14 for raising the shaft 2 in cooperation with the ball 13 is formed at the end of the rotation area of the ball guide grooves 11 and 12, as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. The step 14 has an inclined surface 14a and a stopper surface 14b. The stopper surface 14b sets the rotation angle of the shaft 2 from the storage position to the use position. Here, the rotation angle is 120 degrees. The inclination angle of the stopper surface 14b with respect to the horizontal line 14c is set larger than the inclination angle of the inclined surface 14a with respect to the horizontal line 14c. When a predetermined force or more is applied to the shaft 2, the ball 13 moves over the step of the stopper surface 14 b and moves to the bottom surface 6 a of the engagement flange portion 6. The columnar portion 7 of the shaft 2 has flat surfaces 7a, 7a. The lower end of the columnar portion 7 is a small-diameter columnar portion 7b.
A washer 15 and an O-ring 16 are fitted to the columnar portion 7 of the shaft 2. The shaft 2 is a bush in which a washer abutment portion 15a to which the washer 15 abuts, an O-ring abutment portion 15b to which the O-ring 16 abuts, and a bush member to be described later are relatively slidably fitted. And a member fitting portion 15c.

As shown in FIG. 6, the case 3 has a circular recess 17a for receiving the insertion hole 17 of the shaft 2 and the washer abutment portion 15a and a circular recess 17b for receiving the O-ring abutment portion 15b. And As shown in FIG. 6, hemispherical ball mounting holes 3a and 3a are formed on the upper side of the case 3 on both sides of the insertion hole 17 as a boundary. Since the ball mounting holes 3a, 3a are provided in the case 3, it is possible to prevent dust from accumulating in the ball guide grooves 11, 12, and
Since the ball 13 is positioned in the ball mounting holes 3a, 3a at the time of assembly, it is easy to assemble.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, on the rear surface of the case 3, a mounting recess 1 for mounting a stopper member 18 (see FIG. 8) is provided.
9 are formed. The stopper member 18 is formed in a T-shape, and includes a mounting plate portion 18a and an engaging plate portion 18b integrally protruding from substantially the center of the mounting plate portion 18a. Screw insertion holes 18c at both ends near the mounting plate portion 18a, 18c are formed, the screw insertion hole 18c to the mounting recess 19 on the back of the case 3, screw screw hole 19a so as to correspond to 18c, 19a is Is formed. The stopper member 18 is fixed to the back of the case 3 by screw members 18d ', 18d' shown in FIG. The case 3 is fixed to a vehicle body (not shown), and four mounting holes 20 are formed in the back of the case 3 as shown in FIG.
The case 3 is attached to the vehicle body via a bracket (not shown). By changing this bracket for each vehicle type, the mirror assembly can be shared. Mounting hole 2
Reference numeral 0 denotes a hole for mounting the bracket.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes a bush member. The bush member 21 includes a flange 21a and a pillar 21.
b. The pillar portion 21b is a bush member fitting portion 15c.
Is fitted to. A notch 21c is formed in the flange 21a as shown in FIG. 9 in an enlarged manner, and a cut line 21d extending in the axial direction is formed in the pillar 21b as shown in FIG. A clutch holder 22 is inserted through the columnar portion 7 adjacent to the bush member 21. As shown in FIG. 10, the clutch holder 22 has an oval shaped insertion hole 22a at the center thereof. As shown in FIG. 11, the engaging projections 2 are formed around the insertion holes 22a around the clutch holder 22.
2b is formed. The engagement projection 22b is 12
It is formed every 0 degrees, and has a chevron shape. The clutch holder 22 is engaged with the driving gear 23.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the drive gear 23 has a tooth portion 23a, a circular center hole 23b, and an engagement recess 23c. The engagement recess 23c has a shape corresponding to the engagement protrusion 22b. The drive gear 23 is urged upward by a spring 24 as shown in FIG. 2, and the drive gear 23 and the clutch holder 22 are always meshed and engaged. The upper end 24a of the spring 24 is in contact with the lower surface of the drive gear 23, and the lower end 24b is in contact with the spring receiver 25. As shown in FIG. 14, the spring receiver 25 includes a retaining portion 25a, a receiving surface 25b, and an annular peripheral wall 25c. The spring receiver 25 is fixed to the small diameter column portion 7b of the columnar portion 7 so as not to come off.

A housing space 26 for a drive mechanism 27 is formed inside the case 3 as shown in FIGS. The drive mechanism 27 is schematically composed of a motor 28, a drive circuit member 29, a plate member 30, a worm 31, a helical gear 32, and a worm 33 as shown in FIG. The drive circuit member 29 includes a circuit element 30 'and a circuit board 31'.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a fixing boss 3a 'for fixing the plate member 30, an accommodation space 3b for accommodating the helical gear 32, and a worm 33 as shown in FIG. Storage space 3 for storing
c, receiving surface 3d of bush member 34 shown in FIG. 17, FIG.
7, the receiving surface 3e of the bush member 35, the receiving surfaces 3f and 3g of the plate member 30, and the housing portions 3h and 3h of the ball 36.
i, a receiving portion 3j of the ball 37, a screw hole 3k, a positioning hole 31, screw holes 3m and 3n are formed.

The plate member 30 is shown in FIGS.
9. As shown in FIG. 20, it has a planar shape, and has screw holes 30a, 30b, 30c, positioning projections 30d, ball pressing projections 30e, 30f, a guide recess 30g for the helical gear 32, a guide recess 30h for the worm gear 33, The bush members 34 and 35 have pressing protrusions 30i and screw holes 30j for mounting the motor 28. On the back side of the plate member 30, a mounting boss 30m of the circuit board 31 and a support frame 30n of the circuit board 31 'are formed. A screw hole 30p is formed in the mounting boss 30m. A screw insertion hole 31a is formed in the circuit board 31 'as shown in FIG. The plate member 30 is fixed to the case 3 by screwing a screw 3q into a screw hole 3p formed in the boss 3a as shown in FIG. The other two locations are similarly fixed by screws 3q. A circuit board 31 'is attached to the back side of the plate member 3 as shown in FIGS. In FIG. 16, 30q is a circuit board 31
'Are fixing screws.

A joint member 40 is fitted to the output shaft 28a of the motor 28 as shown in FIGS. The joint member 40 has an oval-shaped fitting hole 40a as shown in an enlarged manner in FIG. FIG. 22 shows a longitudinal section of the joint member 40. By adjusting the joint member 40, the biting force between the worm 31 and the helical gear 32 can be adjusted.

The worm 31 is composed of teeth 31a and shafts 31b and 31c as shown in FIGS.
The shaft portion 31b has an oval-shaped portion 31d as shown in FIG. FIG. 25 is a partially enlarged view of the shaft portion 31b. The oval-shaped portion 31d of the shaft portion 31b is fitted into the oval-shaped hole 40a of the joint member 40. By this, worm 3
1 and the output shaft 28a of the motor 28
Are connected via. A ball receiving hole 31e is formed in the shaft portion 31c as shown by a broken line in FIG. The ball 37 shown in FIGS. 1 and 16 is engaged with the ball receiving hole 31e.

The helical gear 32 has an oval shaped insertion hole 32a and a tooth 32b as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 27, the worm 33 has a tooth portion 33a, a shaft portion 33b,
33c. The shaft portion 33b has an oval-shaped portion 33d and a ball receiving hole 33e as shown in FIGS. The shaft portion 33c has a ball receiving hole 33f. Shaft 3
3b, the oval-shaped portion 33d is inserted through the insertion hole 32a of the helical gear 32, and the helical gear 32 and the worm 3
3 is connected so as to be integrally rotatable. The balls 36, 36 are engaged with the ball receiving holes 33e, 33f of the worm 33, and the worm 33 is rotatably supported by the balls 36, 36 as shown in FIGS.
The teeth 33a of the worm 33 are the teeth 2 of the drive gear 23.
3a.

At the lower end of the case 3, three screw holes 3x are formed as shown in FIG. This case 3
A bottom cover 41 shown in FIGS.
(See FIG. 2). This bottom lid 41
A packing 43 is interposed between the case 3 and the lower end of the case 3. The bottom cover 41 has a supporting recess 41 a for supporting the small-diameter cylindrical portion 7 b of the shaft 2, a housing recess 41 b for housing the bottom of the motor 38, and a fitting wall 41 c for fitting with the inner wall of the case 3.
And a mounting hole 41d. A bush 44 is fitted into the support recess 41a as shown in FIG.
The small-diameter cylindrical portion 7b is inserted into the bush 44, and the shaft 2 is supported by the bush 44 so as to be rotatable and slidable in the axial direction. Case 3 for each of these components
After assembling the shaft 2 to the case 3,
This can be easily performed by turning the case 3 upside down and inserting the bush, the clutch holder, the drive gear, and the like into the case 3 in order.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 32, the engaging flange 6 is formed with an engaging notch 6z on its outer periphery. The engagement plate portion 18b of the stopper member 18 faces the rotation region of the engagement notch 6z. Shaft 2 is motor 2
8 is driven to rotate. The rotation angle of the shaft 2 between the use position and the storage position is usually the ball guide groove 11, 1
2 is determined by the ball rotation area. The motor 28 is turned off, for example, at a use position or a storage position by detecting a lock current (overcurrent) flowing through the motor 28 by an overcurrent detection circuit (see FIG. 33) of the drive circuit member 29. When the ball 13 is located on the step 14, the shaft 2
Is slightly raised, the spring 24 is slightly compressed, the pressing force of the flange portion 6 against the ball 13 increases, and the shaft 2 is held without rattling at the use position or the storage position. Note that the driving torque of the motor 28 is set to a magnitude that is less than that required for the ball 13 to get over the stopper surface 14b.

As shown in FIG. 33, the drive circuit includes fixed contacts 51a, 51b, 5
2a, 52b, a switch circuit composed of linked movable contacts 53a, 53b, first diodes 54, 55 for rectification connected to the motor 28, and a first PTC as overcurrent detection means.
The motor 28 is roughly constituted by an element 56 and a second PTC element 57, and the rotation of the motor 28 is stopped by an abrupt increase in the internal resistance of the first PTC element 56 and the second PTC element 57 based on the overload current flowing through the motor.

When an external force is forcibly applied to the shaft 2, for example, when a person grasps the stay 1 and forcibly rotates the shaft 2, the outer mirror 4 collides with an obstacle and a large force is applied to the shaft 2. In this case, the engagement protrusion 22b of the clutch holder 22 pushes the drive gear 23 downward against the upward biasing force of the spring 24, and the rotation transmission engagement between the clutch holder 22 and the drive gear 23 is released. This prevents the drive mechanism 27 from being broken, the shaft 2 from being damaged, and the like.

An example of the operation of the vehicle outer mirror device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 34 to 36 are explanatory views for explaining the rotation of the shaft 2 when the rotation angle θ1 of the shaft 2 and the arc angles θ2 of the arc-shaped ball guide grooves 11 and 12 are substantially equal. When the shaft 2 rotates in the storage direction indicated by the arrow A1, when the ball 13 is positioned at a stepped portion in the opposite direction from the use position (set position) of the ball guide grooves 11, 12, an overload is applied to the motor 28, and the drive circuit is driven. The overcurrent detection circuit detects an overcurrent flowing through the motor 28, and the driving of the motor 28 is stopped. When the shaft 2 is rotated from the storage position to the use position, the connection relationship between the switch circuit and the motor 28 may be reversed.

Next, when an external force is forcibly applied to the shaft 2 (manually or at the time of collision with an obstacle), the rotation transmitting engagement between the clutch holder 22 and the driving gear 23 is released. At this time, as shown in FIG. 36, when the shaft 2 rotates in the use direction indicated by the arrow B1, the engagement notch 6z of the engagement flange 6 is connected to one side 1 of the engagement plate 18b.
8d, the rotation of the shaft 2 is stopped. Further, the ball 13 rides over the ball guide grooves 11 and 12 and slides on the bottom surface 6a. In this case, since the ball 13 deviates from the guide grooves 11 and 12, the shaft 2 is further lifted with respect to the case 3. As a result, the spring 24 is further compressed, and the pressing force of the flange portion 6 against the ball 13 further increases. Therefore, even when a large external force is forcibly applied, the stay 1 is prevented from tilting.

Further, as shown in FIG.
By changing the width dimension h of b, the rotation angle θ1 can be changed. When the rotation angle θ1 is smaller than the arc angle θ2, when the shaft 2 rotates in the storage direction indicated by the arrow A1, Before the ball 13 comes into contact with the stepped portion corresponding to the storage direction of the ball guide grooves 11 and 12, the engagement notch 6 z of the engagement flange 6 is engaged with the engagement plate 1 as shown in FIG.
8b, the motor 28 is overloaded, the overcurrent detection circuit of the drive circuit detects the overcurrent flowing through the motor 28, and the drive of the motor 28 is stopped. This prevents the shaft 2 from colliding with the vehicle body.

In the present invention, the stopper member 18 is
Because it is formed separately, even for different models,
The rotation angle of the shaft can be changed without changing the shape of the case 3 or the shaft 2, and the drive circuit does not need to be changed for each vehicle type, thereby facilitating parts management and reducing parts costs. Can be planned.

[0029]

As described above, the outer mirror device for a vehicle according to the present invention is configured as described above. Therefore, even if the vehicle type is different, the rotation angle of the shaft can be changed without changing the shape of the case or the shaft. And the drive circuit does not have to be changed for each vehicle model.
There is an effect that the cost of parts can be reduced. Further, the degree of freedom in selecting the material of the stopper member is increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a main configuration of a vehicle outer mirror device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a shaft according to the present invention is attached to a case.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a shaft according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the shaft according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view showing a sliding contact relationship between a ball and a guide groove of a flange portion according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a case according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the case according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a stopper member according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the bush member according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a clutch holder according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a clutch holder according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a drive gear according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of a drive gear according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the spring receiver according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the case according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a view showing a state in which the motor according to the present invention is attached to a plate member and disposed inside a case.

FIG. 17 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a connection relationship between a worm gear and a helical gear according to the present invention, showing a state of attachment to a case.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an arrangement relationship when the drive gear, the motor, the plate member, and the circuit board according to the present invention are viewed from the bottom side of the case.

FIG. 19 is a top view of the plate member according to the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a bottom view of the plate member according to the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a plan view of a joint member according to the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a longitudinal sectional view of the joint member shown in FIG. 21.

FIG. 23 is a side view of a worm gear connected to the motor according to the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a view showing a right end face of a shaft portion of the worm gear according to FIG. 23;

25 is a partially enlarged view of a shaft portion of the worm gear shown in FIG.

FIG. 26 is a plan view of a helical gear according to the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a plan view of a worm gear meshed with a drive gear according to the present invention.

28 is a diagram showing a right end surface of a shaft portion of the worm gear shown in FIG. 27.

FIG. 29 is a top view of a shaft portion of the worm gear shown in FIG. 27;

FIG. 30 is a plan view of a bottom cover according to the present invention.

FIG. 31 is a side view of the bottom cover according to the present invention.

FIG. 32 is a schematic view showing a relationship between a shaft and a stopper member according to the present invention.

FIG. 33 is a circuit diagram of a drive circuit according to the present invention.

FIG. 34 is an explanatory view showing a positional relationship between the ball, the ball guide groove, and the engagement plate portion when the shaft according to the present invention is in the use position, and illustrates the arc angle of the ball guide groove and the rotation of the shaft. It is a figure which shows the case where a moving angle is substantially equal.

FIG. 35 is an explanatory view showing a positional relationship between the ball, the ball guide groove, and the engagement plate portion when the shaft according to the present invention is at the retracted position, wherein the arc angle of the ball guide groove and the rotation of the shaft; It is a figure which shows the case where a moving angle is substantially equal.

FIG. 36 shows a state in which the arc notch portion of the shaft is in contact with the engagement plate portion when the shaft is rotated in the use position direction when the arc angle of the ball guide groove is substantially equal to the rotation angle of the shaft. FIG.

FIG. 37 is an explanatory diagram showing a positional relationship between the ball, the ball guide groove, and the engagement plate portion when the shaft according to the present invention is in the use position, wherein the arc angle of the ball guide groove is the rotation of the shaft; It is a figure which shows the case where it is larger than a moving angle.

FIG. 38 shows a state in which the engagement notch of the shaft is in contact with the engagement plate when the shaft is rotated in the storage position direction when the arc angle of the ball guide groove is larger than the rotation angle of the shaft. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Shaft 3 ... Case 4 ... Outer mirror 6 ... Flange part 11, 12 ... Ball guide groove 13 ... Ball 18 ... Stopper member 18a ... Engagement plate part 27 ... Driving mechanism 28 ... Drive circuit 56, 57 ... PTC element

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A flange for fixing an outer mirror.
A drive circuit having a motor for rotating between parts and the use position the shaft having integrally a storage position, and the case which is fixed to and the body incorporates the driving circuit, said case
With a mounting plate that is removably fixed to the outside of the
A pair of engagement notches both formed on the outer periphery of the flange portion
Located on the rotation locus of the
With this, the engagement plate portion for regulating the rotation angle of the shaft is
A stopper member formed integrally with the mounting plate portion ,
The motor detects an overcurrent flowing through the motor due to the contact of the engagement notch with the engagement plate when the shaft is rotated between the use position and the storage position. outer mirror device for a vehicle, characterized in that and a overcurrent detection circuit for stopping the rotation of the.