JP5262737B2 - Leveling device for vehicle headlamps - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem in a conventional leveling device, wherein there is a case that the leveling device cannot be arranged in the rear part of a vehicle headlight. <P>SOLUTION: The leveling device includes a housing 9, a wire 11, a shaft 12, and a reduction mechanism 13. The wire 11 is wound in the housing 9 at the other end so that one end can be recoiled in the housing 9. The shaft 12 is installed on the housing 9 capable of advancing and retreating in a direction perpendicular to the recoiling direction of the wire 11. The reduction mechanism 13 is provided between the other end of the wire 11 and the shaft 12 in the housing 9, and adjusts the optical axis of a headlamp 1 by advancing and retreating the shaft 12 to the housing 9 by recoiling action of the one end of the wire 11. As a result, the leveling device 6 can be arranged positively at the rear part of the headlamp 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an inexpensive leveling device for manually adjusting the optical axis of a vehicle headlamp such as a headlamp or a fog lamp.

  Conventionally, this type of vehicle headlamp leveling device is known (for example, Patent Document 1). A conventional vehicle headlamp leveling device will be described below. A conventional leveling device for a vehicle headlamp is attached to a support, a wire having one end attached to the support so as to be retractable, and attached to the support so as to be able to advance and retreat in the same direction as the direction in which the wire is retracted. The adjusting screw is attached to the support so as to be rotatable about an axis in a direction orthogonal to the wire pull-back direction and the advance / retreat direction of the adjusting screw, and one end of the wire and one end of the adjusting screw are respectively attached. A moving member. The conventional vehicle headlamp leveling device is disposed at the rear of the vehicle headlamp, and when the wire is pulled back, the pivoting member pivots and the adjustment screw advances and retreats. The optical axis of the lamp is adjusted.

  However, in the conventional leveling device for a vehicle headlamp, the wire and the adjustment screw are arranged in a linear direction in the wire pull-back direction and the adjustment screw advance / retreat direction via the rotating member. A large space is required to arrange the leveling device at the rear of the headlight. For this reason, the conventional leveling device for a vehicle headlamp has a leveling device in a case where a wide space for arranging the leveling device at the rear part of the vehicle headlamp cannot be secured due to the layout of the engine and other vehicle components. May not be able to be placed.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-12038

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the conventional leveling device for a vehicle headlamp is provided with a leveling device when a large space for arranging the leveling device cannot be secured at the rear of the vehicle headlamp. The point is that there are cases where it is not possible.

  The present invention (the invention according to claim 1) includes a housing, a wire having the other end wound in the housing so that the one end can be pulled back with respect to the housing, and a wire pulling direction in the housing. The shaft is mounted so as to be able to advance and retreat in a direction orthogonal to each other, and is provided in the housing between the other end of the wire and the shaft, and the shaft is advanced and retracted with respect to the housing by pulling back one end of the wire. And a speed reduction mechanism for adjusting the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp.

  Further, in the present invention (the invention according to claim 2), the shaft is rotatably and reciprocally attached to the housing, and the speed reduction mechanism is provided around the rotation center line concentric with the rotation center line of the shaft in the housing. A rotating member on which the other end of the wire is wound, a plurality of planetary gears rotatably attached to the rotating member, a housing, and a plurality of planetary gears. The outer ring gear meshing with the planetary gear and the shaft are attached to the shaft so as not to rotate with respect to each other and so as not to move in the direction of the rotation center of the shaft. It is composed of a sun gear that moves forward and backward, and a spring that is attached to the housing and the rotating member, respectively, and biases the wire in the returning direction. It is characterized in.

  Furthermore, this invention (invention according to claim 3) is characterized in that an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the amount of wire pullback is provided at one end of the housing and the wire.

  In the leveling device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention (the invention according to claim 1), the wire pullback direction and the shaft advance / retreat direction are orthogonal to each other, so that the wire pullback direction and the adjustment screw advance / retreat direction are linear directions. Compared with the conventional leveling device for a vehicle headlamp, the space for arranging the leveling device at the rear of the vehicle headlamp can be reduced. As a result, the leveling device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention (the invention according to claim 1) has a large space for arranging the leveling device at the rear part of the vehicle headlamp in view of the layout of the engine and other vehicle components. Even if it cannot be ensured, a leveling device can be arranged.

  Further, the leveling device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention (the invention according to claim 2) uses a planetary gear mechanism as a speed reduction mechanism, so that the space for arranging the leveling device at the rear part of the vehicle headlamp is further reduced. This increases the degree of freedom in designing the layout of the engine and other vehicle parts. Moreover, the leveling device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention (the invention according to claim 2) reliably adjusts the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp by using a spring that biases the wire in the returning direction. can do.

  Furthermore, the leveling device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention (the invention according to claim 3) performs the initial adjustment of the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp by adjusting the pullback amount of the wire by the adjustment mechanism. Can do.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view (vertical cross-sectional view) of the headlamp which shows the Example of the leveling apparatus of the vehicle headlamp concerning this invention. Similarly, it is a longitudinal cross-sectional view (vertical cross-sectional view) of the leveling device. Similarly, it is the III-III sectional view taken on the line in FIG. Similarly, it is the IV arrow line view in FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a leveling device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the leveling device for a vehicle headlamp in this embodiment will be described. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle headlamp provided with a leveling device in this embodiment, which is a headlamp in this example. The headlamp 1 includes a lamp housing 3 and a lamp lens 4 as fixing members that partition the lamp chamber 2, a mounting bracket 5 as a tilting member disposed in the lamp chamber 2, the lamp housing 3, The vehicle headlamp leveling device 6 in this embodiment is disposed between the mounting bracket 5 and the mounting bracket 5.

  The tilting member is composed of one or a plurality of lamp units (not shown) and the mounting bracket 5 to which the one or a plurality of lamp units are attached. Examples of the lamp unit include a projector type, a reflector type (reflection type), and a direct-light type. The lamp unit emits light (not shown) from a light source (not shown) through a lamp lens 4 along a predetermined optical axis (not shown) to the front of the vehicle in a predetermined light distribution pattern (not shown). ). The component parts of the lamp unit, for example, the reflector and the mounting bracket 5 may be used in common. Examples of the light source include a semiconductor light source such as an LED, a discharge lamp such as an HID, a halogen bulb, and an incandescent bulb. Furthermore, examples of the predetermined light distribution pattern include a passing light distribution pattern, an expressway light distribution pattern, and a traveling light distribution pattern.

  The mounting bracket 5 of the tilting member is moved up and down around a horizontal line H (substantially including a horizontal line) passing through the center of the ball portion 8 of the pivot mechanism 7 via the leveling device 6 and the pivot mechanism 7 to the lamp housing 3. It is mounted for rotation. A left and right optical axis adjusting mechanism (not shown) is provided between the lamp housing 3 and the mounting bracket 5, and the tilting member is a vertical line V (through the center of the ball portion 8 of the pivot mechanism 7. It may be configured such that the optical axis can be adjusted to the left and right around (including substantially vertical lines).

  The leveling device 6 includes a housing 9 and a cover 10, a wire 11, a shaft 12, a speed reduction mechanism 13, a spring 14, and an adjustment member 15 as an adjustment mechanism.

  The housing 9 has a hollow disk shape in which the front side (the side in which the headlamp 1 emits light) and the four side surfaces are closed and the rear side is open. On the other hand, the cover 10 has a hollow disk shape in which the rear side and the four side surfaces are closed and the front side is open. The housing 9 and the cover 10 are detachably attached or fixed by fitting, engagement, screwing, or the like. As a result, in the housing 9 and the cover 10, a space for accommodating a part of the wire 11 and the shaft 12 and the speed reduction mechanism 13 and the spring 14 is formed.

  A seal member (not shown) is interposed between the housing 9 and the cover 10, and the housing 9 and the cover 10 are kept airtight or watertight. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 9 and the cover 10 are formed in an O-ring shape on the lamp housing 3, for example, by engaging a lance-shaped mounting claw 16 with an edge of the mounting hole 17 of the lamp housing 3. It is airtightly or watertightly attached via the packing 18. That is, the leveling device 6 is attached to the lamp housing 3 as a fixing member of the headlamp 1.

  A cylindrical portion 19 is integrally provided at the center of the front side of the housing 9. A plurality of mounting claws 16 are integrally provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the cylindrical portion 19. A screw hole (female screw) 20 is provided at the center of the cylindrical portion 19.

  The shaft 12 has a round bar shape from the intermediate part to one end (front end), and has a square bar shape from the intermediate part to the other end (rear end). A spherical portion 21 is integrally provided at one end of the shaft 12. Further, a screw (male screw) 22 is provided at an intermediate portion of the shaft 12. By screwing the screw 22 of the shaft 12 into the screw hole 20 of the housing 9, the shaft 12 is attached to the housing 9 so as to be rotatable around the rotation center line O and to be movable back and forth in the direction of the rotation center line O Will be.

  The speed reduction mechanism 13 provided in the housing 9 and the cover 10 includes a planetary gear mechanism (planetary gear mechanism), and includes a rotating member 23 as a planet carrier and a plurality of planetary gears (four in this example). (Planetary gear) 24, outer ring gear 25, sun gear (sun gear) 26, and spring 14.

  The rotating member 23 has a disk shape, and a cylindrical recess is provided on the front side. The rotating member 23 is attached to the housing 9 and the cover 10 so as to be rotatable around a rotation center line concentric with the rotation center line O of the shaft 12.

  Four rotating shafts 27 are fixed at equal intervals on the same circumference at the bottom of the concave portion of the rotating member 23. The four planetary gears 24 are rotatably attached to the four rotating shafts 27 of the rotating member 23, respectively.

  An annular portion 28 is integrally provided on the inner surface of the housing 9. The outer ring gear 25 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the circular ring portion 8. The outer ring gear 25 and the four planetary gears 24 mesh with each other.

  The sun gear 26 is attached to the rectangular bar-shaped portion of the shaft 12 so as not to rotate with respect to each other. The sun gear 26 is disposed between the shaft 12 between the round bar-shaped portion (the screw 22) and the square bar-shaped portion of the shaft 12 and a stopper (stopper) 29. The shaft 12 is attached so as not to move in the direction of the rotation center axis O of the shaft 12. As a result, the sun gear 26 advances and retreats in the direction of the rotation center axis O of the shaft 12 while rotating with respect to the housing 9 and the case 10 together with the shaft 12. The sun gear 26 and the four planetary gears 24 mesh with each other.

  The spring 14 is formed of a coil spring and is set on the outer side of the annular portion 28 of the housing 9. One end of the spring 14 is attached (fixed) to the housing 9, while the other end of the spring 14 is attached (fixed) to the rotating member 23. The spring 14 constantly urges the wire 14 in the return direction (the direction opposite to the arrow A direction in FIGS. 3 and 4).

  A ball receiving member 30 is attached to the ball portion 21 of the shaft 12 so as to be rotatable about the center (not shown) of the ball portion 21. The ball receiving member 30 is attached to the mounting bracket 5. Thereby, the shaft 12 is attached to the mounting bracket 5 of the tilting member via the ball receiving member 30. Further, as described above, the housing 9 and the cover 10 are attached to the lamp housing 3. As a result, the leveling device 6 is disposed between the lamp housing 3 as the fixing member and the mounting bracket 5 as the tilting member.

  In the upper part of the side surface of the housing 9, a pull-back port 31 for the wire 11 is provided. The pull-back port 31 has a cylindrical shape. One end of the wire 11 is drawn from the pull-back port 31 so as to be retractable with respect to the housing 9 and the cover 10. On the other hand, the other end of the wire 11 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the rotating member 23 in the housing 9 and the cover 10, and the other end of the wire 11 is connected to the housing 9 and the cover 10. It is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the rotating member 23 inside.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the pullback direction A of the wire 11 and the advance / retreat direction B of the shaft 12 are orthogonal (including substantially orthogonal). The advancing / retreating direction B of the shaft 12 is parallel (including substantially parallel) to the rotation center axis O direction of the shaft 12.

  The adjustment member 15 as an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the amount of the wire 11 to be pulled back is provided at the pull-back port 31 of the housing 9 and one end of the wire 11. That is, an adjustment screw hole 32 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the pull-back port 31 of the housing 9. On the other hand, the adjusting member 15 includes an adjusting screw portion 33 at one end and a receiving recess 34 at the other end. By screwing the adjustment screw portion 33 of the adjustment member 15 into the adjustment screw hole 32 of the housing 9 or unscrewing the adjustment screw portion 15, the pullback amount of the wire 11 can be adjusted.

  One end of an operation wire 35 is connected to one end of the wire 11 via a joint 36. In other words, both end portions of the joint 36 are provided with spherical recesses, respectively, while one end of the wire 11 and one end of the operation wire 35 are provided with spherical portions, respectively. The sphere at one end and the sphere at one end of the operation wire 35 are respectively attached to the sphere recesses at both ends of the joint 36 so as to be rotatable to some extent.

  The other end of the operation wire 35 is connected to an optical axis adjustment operation unit (not shown). The optical axis adjusting operation unit is configured to pull out or return the wire 11 by a plurality of predetermined dimensions via the operation wire 35 and the joint 36.

  The vehicle headlamp leveling device 6 in this embodiment has the above-described configuration, and the operation thereof will be described below.

  First, the initial setting of the vertical optical axis of the headlamp 1 will be described. The adjusting member 15 is manually rotated with a tool (not shown) and pulled back from the outlet 31 of the housing 9. Then, the wire 11 is pulled back as the adjusting member 15 is pulled back. As the wire 11 is pulled back, the rotating member 23 of the speed reduction mechanism 13 of the planetary gear mechanism rotates. As the rotating member 23 rotates, the four planetary gears 24 revolve while rotating. As the planetary gear 24 rotates and revolves, the sun gear 26 rotates. As the sun gear 26 rotates, the shaft 12 advances and retreats with respect to the housing 9 while rotating together with the sun gear 26. As the shaft 12 advances and retreats, the tilting member including the mounting bracket 5 tilts up and down around the horizontal line H in the direction of the two-dot chain line in FIG. Is done.

  When the initial setting of the vertical optical axis of the headlamp 1 is completed, the light source of the lamp unit of the headlamp 1 is turned on. Then, the light from the light source is irradiated in a predetermined light distribution pattern in front of the vehicle through the lamp lens 4 along a predetermined optical axis.

  Here, when the attitude of the vehicle changes downward, there is no problem because light from the light source is irradiated downward with respect to a predetermined optical axis. However, when the attitude of the vehicle changes upward, a problem arises because light from the light source is irradiated upward with respect to a predetermined optical axis.

  When the attitude of the vehicle changes upward, the optical axis adjustment operation unit is manually operated, and the wire 11 is set in a predetermined direction in the direction of arrow A in FIGS. 3 and 4 via the wire 35 and the joint 36. Pull out the number of steps. Then, as the wire 11 is pulled out by a predetermined number of stages, the rotating member 23 of the reduction mechanism 13 of the planetary gear mechanism rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3 against the spring force of the spring 14. As the rotating member 23 rotates, the four planetary gears 24 revolve in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3 while rotating in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. As the planetary gear 24 rotates and revolves, the sun gear 26 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. As the sun gear 26 rotates, the shaft 12 rotates together with the sun gear 26 in the direction of the solid line arrow in FIG. 1 while the shaft 9 rotates with respect to the housing 9 in the direction of the solid line arrow in FIG. Retreat to. As the shaft 12 moves backward, the tilting member including the mounting bracket 5 tilts around the horizontal line H in the direction of the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, and the optical axis of the headlamp 1 is adjusted downward.

  When the posture of the vehicle returns to the original state, the optical axis adjustment operation unit is manually operated, and the wire 11 is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow A direction in FIGS. 3 and 4 via the wire 35 and the joint 36. Put it back. Then, with the return of the wire 11, the rotating member 23 of the speed reduction mechanism 13 of the planetary gear mechanism rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3 by the return action of the spring force of the spring 14. With the rotation of the rotating member 23, the four planetary gears 24 revolve in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3 while rotating in the clockwise direction in FIG. As the planetary gear 24 rotates and revolves, the sun gear 26 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. As the sun gear 26 rotates, the shaft 12 rotates together with the sun gear 26 in the direction opposite to the solid arrow direction in FIG. 1 with respect to the housing 9 in the solid arrow direction in FIG. 1 and in FIGS. It moves forward in the direction opposite to the arrow B direction. As the shaft 12 moves forward, the tilting members including the mounting bracket 5 tilt around the horizontal line H in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, and the optical axis of the headlamp 1 is adjusted upward. The When the joint 36 contacts the receiving recess 34 of the adjustment member 15, the optical axis of the headlamp 1 returns to the initial setting position.

  The vehicle headlamp leveling device 6 in this embodiment has the above-described configuration and operation, and the effects thereof will be described below.

  In the vehicle headlamp leveling device 6 in this embodiment, the wire 11 is pulled back (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 and in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow A) and in the forward and backward direction of the shaft (in FIGS. 2 and 4). Since the arrow B direction in the middle and the direction opposite to the arrow B direction are orthogonal to each other, compared to the leveling device of the conventional vehicle headlamp in which the wire pull-back direction and the adjustment screw advance / retreat direction are linear directions, The arrangement space of the leveling device 6 at the rear of the vehicle headlamp (headlamp 1) can be reduced. As a result, the leveling device 6 for the vehicle headlamp in this embodiment has a large space for arranging the leveling device 6 at the rear part of the vehicle headlamp (headlamp 1) in terms of the layout of the engine and other vehicle components. Even if it cannot be ensured, the leveling device 6 can be arranged.

  Moreover, since the leveling device 6 for the vehicle headlamp in this embodiment uses a planetary gear mechanism as the speed reduction mechanism 13, the arrangement space for the leveling device 6 at the rear of the vehicle headlamp (headlamp 1) is further increased. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the layout of the engine and other vehicle parts is increased. Moreover, the leveling device 6 for a vehicle headlamp in this embodiment uses a spring 14 that urges the wire 11 in the return direction (the direction opposite to the direction of arrow B in FIGS. 2 and 4). The optical axis of the headlight (headlamp 1) can be adjusted reliably.

  Furthermore, the leveling device 6 for a vehicle headlamp in this embodiment adjusts the pullback amount of the wire 11 with an adjustment member 15 as an adjustment mechanism, thereby adjusting the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp (headlamp 1). Initial adjustments can be made.

  In the above embodiment, the headlamp 1 will be described as a leveling device for a vehicle headlamp. However, the present invention can also be applied to leveling devices for vehicle headlamps other than the headlamp 1.

  In the above-described embodiment, the lamp housing 3 is used as the fixing member, and the lamp unit and the mounting bracket 5 are used as the tilting member. However, in the present invention, the vehicle body may be used as the fixing member, and the entire vehicle headlamp may be used as the tilting member.

1 Headlamp (vehicle headlamp with leveling device)
2 Lamp chamber 3 Lamp housing (fixing member)
4 Lamp lens 5 Mounting bracket (tilting member)
6 Leveling Device 7 Pivot Mechanism 8 Ball Part 9 Housing 10 Cover 11 Wire 12 Shaft 13 Reduction Mechanism 14 Spring 15 Adjustment Member (Adjustment Mechanism)
16 mounting claw 17 mounting hole 18 packing 19 cylindrical portion 20 screw hole 21 ball portion 22 screw 23 rotating member 24 planetary gear 25 outer ring gear 26 sun gear 27 rotating shaft 28 circular ring portion 29 stopper 30 ball receiving member 31 pull-back port 32 adjustment Screw hole 33 Adjustment screw portion 34 Receiving recess 35 Operation wire 36 Joint A Wire drawing direction B Shaft retraction direction H Horizontal line V Vertical line O Shaft rotation center line

Claims (3)

In a leveling device for adjusting the optical axis of a vehicle headlamp,
A housing;
A wire with the other end wound in the housing such that one end is retractable relative to the housing;
A shaft attached to the housing so as to be able to advance and retreat in a direction orthogonal to the pullback direction of the wire;
The vehicle headlight is provided in the housing and provided between the other end of the wire and the shaft, and the shaft is advanced and retracted with respect to the housing by pulling back the one end of the wire. A deceleration mechanism that adjusts the shaft;
A leveling device for a vehicle headlamp, comprising: The shaft is rotatably and reciprocally attached to the housing;
The deceleration mechanism is
A rotating member that is rotatably mounted about a rotation center line concentric with the rotation center line of the shaft in the housing, and the other end of the wire is wound;
A plurality of planetary gears rotatably attached to the rotating member;
An outer ring gear provided on the housing and meshing with the plurality of planetary gears;
The sun which is attached to the shaft so as not to rotate with respect to each other and in the direction of the rotation center line of the shaft, meshes with the plurality of planetary gears, and advances and retreats while rotating with respect to the housing together with the shaft. With gear,
A spring attached to each of the housing and the rotating member and biasing the wire in a return direction;
Composed of,
The leveling device for a vehicle headlamp according to claim 1. The housing and one end of the wire are provided with an adjustment mechanism that adjusts the amount of pullback of the wire.
The leveling device for a vehicle headlamp according to claim 1 or 2.

Images