JPH0739127Y2 - Optical axis adjustment device for vehicle lighting - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Utilization of the Invention] The present invention relates to a device for adjusting the optical axis direction of an illumination lamp mounted on a vehicle, such as a vehicle headlamp. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for adjusting the optical axis of a vehicle lamp whose optical axis is installed substantially horizontally so that the optical axis can be vertically tilted.

[Conventional technology]

Headlights for automobiles are dangerous because they dazzle an oncoming vehicle if they are facing upwards too much. On the other hand, if it is facing down too much, the road ahead in the girder direction will not be illuminated well and it will be difficult to drive.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a vehicle headlamp with a device for adjusting the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp slightly upward or downward with the headlamp mounted on the vehicle body.

The headlamp generally has a structure in which a concave reflecting mirror is provided in the lamp housing, and a light source bulb is positioned near the focal point of the concave reflecting mirror, and the optical axis of the headlamp is the symmetry axis of the concave reflecting mirror. I mean

Therefore, in order to adjust the optical axis, (a) tilt the lamp housing up and down while keeping the relative position of the lamp housing and the concave reflecting mirror constant, or (b) attach the lamp housing to the vehicle body. There are two methods to tilt the concave reflecting mirror up and down without moving it with the mirror.

FIG. 9 shows a conventional example of an optical axis adjusting device in which the lamp housing is tilted.

FIG. 10 shows a conventional example of an optical axis adjusting device of a type in which a concave reflecting mirror is tilted up and down.

(See FIG. 9) 1 is a lamp housing, and its inner surface 1a is a concave reflecting mirror. ZZ is an optical axis and F is a focus. The light source bulb 2 is provided near the focus F.

3 is a front lens.

The lamp housing 1 is tiltably supported by a ball joint 4, a nut member 5 is attached to the lamp housing 1, and a male screw member 6 screwed to the nut member 5 makes the nut member substantially parallel to the optical axis ZZ. It is configured so that it can be screw fed. As a result, when the male screw member 6 is turned, the optical axis ZZ is reciprocally tilted forward (upward left in the figure) and downward (downward left).

The lamp housing 1'is fixed to the vehicle body (see FIG. 10).

A concave reflecting mirror 7 is tiltably supported on the lamp housing 1'via a ball joint 4 '. A nut member 5'is attached to the concave reflecting mirror 7 and a male screw member 6'is screwed therein.

When the male screw member 6'is turned to screw-feed the nut member 5 ', the optical axis ZZ is tilted up and down.

In each of the above-mentioned conventional examples, the male screw members 6 and 6'are provided with the optical axis Z-
It is arranged substantially parallel to Z. Looking at this in use, it is arranged substantially horizontally in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

Therefore, the optical axis adjustment operation cannot be performed unless a space is provided behind these headlights.

The configuration shown in FIG. 11 has been proposed so that the above problems can be solved and the optical axis adjustment operation can be performed from above the headlamp. 8
A and 8B are bevel gears, 9 is an operation shaft arranged vertically, and 1c is a bearing.

When the operating shaft 9 is rotated, the male screw member 6 ″ is passed through the bevel gears 8B and 8A.
Is rotated and the nut member 5'is screw-fed.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a gear housing which is attached to the lamp housing 1 '(stationary member) so as to cover the bevel gears 8A and 8B.

Further, for example, in the conventional example shown in FIG. 10, if there is an obstacle 41 drawn by a virtual line, the driver 14 cannot be engaged with the male screw member 6 '. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 12, the receiving gear 33 is fixed to the male screw member 16, and the original gear 32 is fixed to the drive shaft 12 that engages with the driver 14, and these gears are engaged with each other. The structure covered by the gear chamber cover 34 is used. 15
Is a nut member, and 17 is a concave reflecting mirror.

Further, when there is an obstacle as shown in FIG. 10, instead of bending the transmission shaft at a right angle using a bevel gear as in the conventional example shown in FIG. 12, a transmission shaft is obliquely crossed using a crown gear. The technique is known from Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 64-51206.

[Problems to be solved by the device]

Bevel gears 8A, 8B in the conventional example shown in FIG. 11, and
The original gear 32 and the receiving gear 33 in the conventional example shown in FIG. 12 are
It is the same kind of component member as the transmission gears used in a general drive device.

However, the frequency of use of the optical axis adjusting device for a vehicle lamp is low and the transmission torque is low. For this reason, the use of a transmission gear for a general drive device for adjusting the optical axis is an excessive quality, and the cost is increased more than necessary.

Furthermore, if bevel gears, spur gears, or crown gears are used as in the above-mentioned respective prior arts, the positional relationship between the original gear and the receiving gear must be precisely regulated, and the tolerance for mounting error is small. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, has a simple structure, is inexpensive in manufacturing cost, is lightweight, and has practically sufficient durability. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical axis adjusting device having high properties.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

The structure of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 (B) and 2 (B) corresponding to the embodiment of the first invention.

In the prior art, when the male screw member and the transmission shaft are not concentric, bevel gears 8A and 8B are used as in the conventional example of FIG. 11,
Alternatively, since the spur gear is used as in the conventional example of FIG. 12, the parts cost is high and the weight is large.

As shown in FIG. 1 (B), the present invention comprises a cylindrical member 18 in which circular holes 18a are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction to form a male screw member 16
And the teeth of the gear 19 are meshed with the hole 18a.

Instead of the cylindrical member 18 shown in FIG. 1 (B), an elliptical hole 20a is formed in a conical cylindrical member 20 as shown in FIG. 2 (B).
May be provided.

Next, regarding the second device, a fourth device corresponding to the embodiment
Explaining with reference to the figure, in the cylindrical member 18 having a bottomless bottom,
The long holes 18b extending over the top surface and the side surfaces are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

In the present invention, a capped cylinder or a capped conical cylinder is not particularly limited with respect to its installation direction, and may be referred to as capped. Ie the top surface,
The bottom surface is a convenient name for facilitating the understanding of the structure, and does not limit the technical scope. Note that the conical cylindrical surface and the cylindrical surface may be collectively referred to as side surfaces when they are not dusty.

[Action]

When the first device is applied, the cylindrical member 18 shown in FIG. 1 (B) and the conical cylindrical member 20 shown in FIG. 2 (B), which are examples of the first embodiment, are lightweight because they are hollow. The manufacturing cost is low because it does not have a complicated tooth profile.

When the cylindrical member 18 having the round hole 18a as shown in FIG. 1 (B) and the gear 19 are engaged with each other and assembled as shown in FIG. 1 (A), both of these members are similar to the gear. Fulfills the transmission function. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1 (A), even if the central axes of both members are not perfectly parallel, that is, they can be transmitted even if they are obliquely crossed at the illustrated angle θ. Furthermore, the range in which the angle θ can be changed freely is wide.

The conical tubular member 20 provided with the elliptical hole 20a as shown in FIG. 2B is combined with the gear 21 shown in FIG.
When assembled as shown in FIG. (A), it can be transmitted between two orthogonal axes, and has the same function as a bevel gear.

Moreover, even if the meshing depth of the meshing portion is changed, it is not greatly affected, and as long as meshing, the transmission is practically sufficient and reliable, and the optical axis adjusting function is fulfilled.

Further, by applying the second invention, as shown in FIG. 4 which is an embodiment thereof, when the elongated hole 18b is provided so as to extend over the top surface 18c and the side surface 18d of the cylindrical member 18, In addition to the effect of being light and inexpensive in the first invention, the effect that the assembling in the direction of the arrow A is easy can be obtained.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1A is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the optical axis adjusting device according to the first invention.

A concave reflecting mirror 17 is rotatably supported on the lamp housing 11.

A nut member 15 is attached to the concave reflecting mirror 17, and a male screw member 16 is screwed onto the nut member 15.

On the other hand, the drive shaft 12 is rotatably supported so as to intersect the male screw member 16 at an angle θ.

The cylindrical member 18 is in the form of a short cylinder having a bottom and a bottom, and a large number of round holes 18a are formed in a row in the circumferential direction on the side surface thereof.

The teeth of the gear 19 mesh with the hole 18a.

FIG. 1 (B) is a perspective view in which the male screw member 16 to which the cylindrical member 18 is attached and the gear 19 attached to the drive shaft 12 are extracted and drawn.

When the driver 14 rotates the drive shaft 12, the gear 19 is rotated, and the male screw member 16 is rotated via the cylindrical member 18 meshing with the gear 19.

Thus, according to this embodiment, a lightweight, inexpensive cylindrical member
18 allows smooth transmission between two axes with poor parallelism, so when applied to the case where the extension of the center line of both axes intersects, a particularly excellent effect is obtained. can get.

Since the contact area between the round hole 18a of the cylindrical member 18 and the gear 19 is not so large, the contact pressure is relatively high, and there is some friction due to transmission, but in consideration of the frequency of the optical axis adjustment operation, it is practical. There is no defect.

FIG. 2 (A) shows an embodiment different from the above according to the first invention. In this example, the conical cylindrical member 20 shown in FIG. 2 (B) was used instead of the cylindrical member 18 shown in FIG. 1 (B), and an elliptical hole 20a was provided. The exploded perspective view is the third
As shown in the figure.

The conical tubular member 20 in which elliptical holes are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the conical surface is fixed to the male screw member 16, and the drive shaft 22 rotated by the driver 14 is made orthogonal to the male screw member 16 and rotatable. Support.

Reference numeral 11a shown in FIG. 3 is a bearing boss for supporting the drive shaft 12, 22 is a shaft holding plate, and 23 is a mounting screw. 11b
Is a set screw boss corresponding to the screw 23.

According to this example (FIGS. 2 and 3), it is possible to transmit between two orthogonal axes without using a bevel gear.

Next, the second device will be described. The cylindrical member 18 of the embodiment of the first invention shown in FIG. 1 (B) has a topless bottom, and round holes 18a are provided in the side surface thereof, but the second invention is the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6B, elongated holes 18b are arranged in a row across the side surface and the top surface. FIG. 5 shows that the male screw member 16 is fixed to the cylindrical member 18 in which the long holes 18b are arranged, and
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a gear 19 is engaged with b. According to this example (second invention), it is easy to assemble and assemble both members. For example, in FIG. 5, the gear 19 is moved in the left-right direction without moving the cylindrical member 18 to engage with each other. ， Can be separated. (Regarding FIG. 4, it is easy to assemble and remove the gear 19 in the direction of arrow A.) FIG. 6 is a modification of the embodiment (second invention) of FIG. Using a gear that meshes with the cylindrical member 18 fixed to the member 16 as an intermediate gear, with respect to this intermediate gear 19,
Further, another cylindrical member 18 fixed to the drive shaft 23 is engaged.

When the cylindrical member 18 and the gear 19 shown in FIG. 4 are concentrically and integrally connected, a block gear 25 is formed as shown in FIG.

When the block gear 25 of FIG. 7 is applied to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 for modification, it becomes as shown in FIG. In this example, the hole of the cylindrical member 18 fixed to the male screw member 16 meshes with the gear 19 which is a constituent element of the block gear 25, and the hole of the cylindrical member 18 which is a constituent element of the block gear 25. And drive shaft 23
The gear 19 fixed to the gear meshes with it.

According to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the shaft distances L ₁ and L ₂ can be relatively large as compared with the diameter of the cylindrical member 18 and the diameter of the gear 19.

[Effect of device]

According to the optical axis adjusting device of the first invention, when the male screw member that performs the screw feeding action and the drive shaft for adjusting operation are not concentrically arranged, it is easy to use without using a bevel gear or a spur gear. The structure is light and inexpensive, and has a high degree of tolerance for errors in the mounting position of the transmission member, and reliable transmission is performed, resulting in high operational reliability. According to the second invention, the assembling workability is improved in addition to the above effects.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 (A) is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the first invention.
FIG. 1 (B) is a perspective view in which the principal part is also extracted and drawn. FIG. 2 (A) is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment different from the above, and FIG. 2 (B) is a perspective view in which the essential parts are also extracted. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 and 5 are explanatory views of an embodiment of the second invention, and FIG.
The figure is a sectional view of a further different embodiment. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are explanatory views of an embodiment different from the above. 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views of a conventional optical axis adjusting device, and FIGS. 11 and 12 are explanatory views of problems in the conventional example. 11 ... Lamp housing, 15 ... Nut member, 16 ... Male screw member, 17 ... Concave reflector, 18 ... Cylindrical member, 18a
...... Round hole, 18b ...... Long hole, 19 ...... Gear, 20 ...... Conical tubular member, 20a ...... Elliptical hole, 21 ...... Gear.

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A lamp housing in which a concave reflecting mirror is provided, and a light source bulb is positioned near a focal point of the reflecting mirror, and at least one of the lamp housing and the reflecting mirror is fixed to a vehicle fixing member. In an optical axis adjusting device configured to be tiltably supported with respect to one another, and a nut member is attached to either one of them, and the nut member can be screw-fed by a male screw member screwed to the nut member, A member having a cylindrical portion or a conical cylindrical portion is concentrically fixed to the male screw member, and circular holes or elliptical holes are equally spaced in the circumferential direction in the cylindrical portion or the conical cylindrical portion. A gear is attached to the shaft for transmitting the rotational force to the male screw member, the teeth of the gear are meshed with the holes, and the extension line of the axis of the male screw member and the rotation Power Characterized by being arranged allowed intersecting the extension line of the axis of the shaft to the transmission, the optical axis adjusting device of a vehicle lamp. 2. A concave reflecting mirror is provided in the lamp housing, and at least one of the lamp housing and the reflecting mirror in a vehicle lamp in which a light source bulb is positioned near the focal point of the reflecting mirror is fixed to a vehicle fixing member. In an optical axis adjusting device which is tiltably supported with respect to one another, and which is attached to one of the nut members, and the nut member can be screw-fed by a male screw member screwed to the nut member, A topless bottomed same tubular member or a topless bottomed conical tubular member is concentrically fixed to the male screw member, and the topless and bottom surfaces of the topless bottomed member are provided. Characterized in that elongated holes straddling each other are arranged in a row in the circumferential direction at equal intervals, a gear is attached to a shaft for transmitting a rotational force to the male screw member, and teeth of the gear are meshed with the elongated hole. The optical axis of the vehicle lamp Integer unit.