JPH08207653A - Optical axis adjusting device of vehicular headlight - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve a coupling part for supporting a reflector so that it may be freely tilted, so as to prevent its own weight may not be applied to a screw feeding mechanism for adjusting an optical axis, and also to facilitate assembly of the coupling in a reflector movable-type optical axis adjusting device. CONSTITUTION: A projecting spherical part 14b for constituting a coupling is fixed on the lower end of a reflector 14. A recessed spherical surface seat 11b is formed on the edge of the front surface opening part of a lamp housing 11. The projecting spherical part 14b is fitted into the recessed spherical surface seat 11b as shown by the arrow (a). A bulb presser 12b provided on a lens 12 prevents the projecting spherical part 14b from slipping off.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for adjusting the optical axis direction of a lighting fixture mounted on a vehicle such as a vehicle headlamp.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Headlights for automobiles are dangerous because they are dazzling to an oncoming vehicle if they are facing upwards too much. However, if it is too downward, it is difficult to drive because the road ahead in the traveling direction is not well illuminated. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a vehicle headlight with a device for adjusting the optical axis of the vehicle headlamp slightly upward or downward, or for adjusting the optical axis slightly rightward or leftward, with the vehicle headlamp being mounted on the vehicle body. The headlamp generally has a structure in which a reflector composed of a concave reflecting mirror is provided in the lamp housing, and a light source bulb is located near the focal point of the concave reflecting mirror. The optical axis of the headlamp is the optical axis of the concave reflecting mirror. It means the axis of symmetry. Therefore, to adjust the optical axis,
(A) Tilt the lamp housing up and down with the mask that keeps the relative position of the lamp housing and the concave reflecting mirror constant, or (b) do not move the lamp housing with the bracket that is attached to the vehicle body. There are two ways to tilt it up or down. 3 to 5 show a conventional example of the optical axis adjusting device (commonly referred to as a reflector movable type) of the above item (b). 3 is a front view, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. However, the scale of FIG. 4 and the scale of FIG. 5 are different. Reference numeral 1 is a lamp housing, 2 is a reflector, and 3 is a light source bulb. As shown in FIG. 3, assuming a substantially horizontal line H-H and a substantially vertical line V-V, the ball joint 4 is arranged near the intersection. The vertical adjustment screw means 5 is arranged on the line V-V so as to be separated from the ball joint 4, and is separated from the ball joint 4 to be H.
The left and right adjusting screw means 6 is arranged on the −H line. The above-mentioned ball joint 4 is shown in the cross section of FIGS. 4 and 5, and supports the reflector 2 with respect to the lamp housing 1 so as to be tiltable vertically and horizontally. The vertical adjusting screw means 5 is shown in FIG. 4, and the horizontal adjusting screw means 6 is shown in FIG. The adjusting screw means for both the upper and lower sides and the left and right sides are used for the reflector 2
A nut-shaped screw mounting 7 is attached to the lamp housing 1, and an adjusting screw 8 is inserted into the lamp housing 1 to support the lamp housing 1 so as to be rotatable and non-sliding. FIG.
As can be understood by comparing FIG. 4 with FIG. 4, the adjusting screw 8 of the vertical adjusting screw means 5 is turned to rotate the screw mounting 7
When the screw is fed, the reflector 2 is tilted so that its optical axis Z is swung up and down. In this case, the ball joint 4 described above
And the left and right adjusting screw means (FIG. 3) form a fulcrum shaft for vertical tilting. Specifically, the screw mounting 7 (FIG. 5) mounting portion of the left and right adjusting screw means 6 acts as a fulcrum.
Similarly, when the adjusting screw 8 of the left and right adjusting screw means 6 is turned to screw-feed the screw mounting 7, the reflector 2 tilts so that the optical axis Z is swung to the left and right. Also in this case, the ball joint 4 and the vertical adjusting screw means 5 (specifically, the screw mounting attachment portion thereof) form a fulcrum shaft. FIGS. 6 (A) and 6 (B) are two-side views showing a state in which the screw mounting 7 is attached to the reflector 2 and screwed with the adjusting screw 8. The screw mounting 7 is a member made of synthetic resin, has an engaging flange 7a and a projection 7b, and is engaged with an engaging hole 2a provided in the reflector 2. Reference numeral 7c shown in FIG. 6A is a notch provided for facilitating elastic deformation of the screw mounting 7 during the above-described engaging operation. As described above, when one of the left and right adjusting screw means or the up and down adjusting screw means is turned,
As shown in FIGS. 7 (A) and 7 (B), the screw mounting 7 is screw-fed, and accordingly the reflector 2
Tilts. At this time, since the other adjusting screw 8 of either the left-right adjusting screw means or the vertical adjusting screw means is not turned, the screw mounting 7 is not fed. FIG. 8 shows a schematic view of the vicinity of the screw mounting 7 which is stationary with respect to the adjusting screw 8 as described above.
While the adjusting screw 8 and the screw mounting 7 remain stationary, the reflector tilts as shown by 2'and 2 "in the figure, and the stationary screw mounting 7 acts as a fulcrum.

[0003]

The operation described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 for the conventional optical axis adjusting device shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 is performed by a mechanical mechanism without considering gravity and inertia. However, as will be easily understood from FIGS. 4 and 5, the own weight of the reflector 2 is supported via the ball joint 4 and the screw mounting 7. Similarly, when an automobile travels and receives vibrations, the vibrations in the vertical direction are the strongest, and the role of supporting the reflector 7 against this vibration must also be shared by the ball joint 4 and the screw mounting 7. I have to. Further, the screw mounting 7 should be supported by the adjusting screw 8. The ball joint 4 is originally designed to withstand a gravitational load and a vibration load and rotatably support the member, but the adjusting screw 8 and the screw mounting 7 are originally designed for screw feeding. A drive machine,
It is not a structure that can easily withstand gravity load and vibration load. Moreover,
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the lamp housing 1
It must absorb the tilt relative to. It is unreasonable to load the screw feeding means with the three functions of screw feeding, tilt absorption, and load support, and if it is not done, reliability and durability are likely to be impaired. It was one.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ball joint 4 has a structure in which a concave spherical seat is bent and a convex spherical member is press-fitted to be connected, so that the ball joint 4 is skilled in assembly work. And labor was required. In addition, it cannot be said that there is no risk of damage due to pressure, and even if damage occurs, it cannot be inspected after press fitting.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and does not apply a large load to the adjusting screw means for adjusting the optical axis, which is composed of the screw mounting and the adjusting screw, and tilts the reflector. (EN) Provided is an optical axis adjusting device for a vehicle headlamp, which enables quick and easy assembly of a joint that is freely supported, and that can be assembled without bending the constituent members of the joint. With the goal.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above objects (reduction of load and facilitation of assembly), the structure of the optical axis adjusting device according to the present invention is capable of tilting a reflector in a lamp housing through a joint. In the optical axis adjusting device having a structure in which a screw mounting is attached to the reflector and the lamp housing is tilted by turning an adjusting screw screwed into the screw mounting, a joint is formed near the lower end of the reflector. A member having a convex spherical surface or a convex cylindrical surface is fixed, and in the vicinity of the edge of the front opening of the lamp housing, a concave spherical surface or a convex cylindrical surface that is removably fitted to the convex spherical surface is attached. A concave cylindrical surface that is fitted into and removed from the concave cylindrical surface is formed, and the convex spherical surface is the concave spherical surface, or A convex cylindrical surface is fitted to the concave cylindrical surface, and a part of the lens mounted so as to cover the front opening of the lamp housing faces the member having the convex spherical surface or the convex cylindrical surface, It is characterized in that it acts as a retainer so as not to separate from the concave spherical surface or the concave cylindrical surface.

[0007]

According to the above construction, since the member having the convex spherical surface or the convex cylindrical surface for the joint is fixed to the lower end portion of the reflector, the self weight of the reflector and the vibration load in the vertical direction are mainly supported by the joint. , Does not put a burden on the optical axis adjusting screw feeding means. Therefore, the required strength of the screw feeding means for adjusting the optical axis is reduced, and the vibration resistance is remarkably improved. Therefore, the durability is also improved. Moreover, since the convex spherical surface or the convex cylindrical surface formed on the reflector can be inserted into and removed from the concave spherical surface or the concave cylindrical surface formed on the lamp housing, the related members can be assembled without bending. Since it can be inserted and removed freely, no special skill is required for the assembly work, and the assembly can be done quickly and easily. In addition, since they can be fitted to each other without being bent, there is no possibility of causing cracks, scratches, or plastic deformation, and it is also effective in maintaining quality. Since the fitted convex member having the curved surface is pressed by the lens, there is no possibility of being separated from the concave surface. Since the above-mentioned lens is originally a member that should cover the front opening of the lamp housing and be fixed to the peripheral edge of the lamp housing, even if the lens also serves as a retainer for the joint constituent members, an additional increase in man-hours will occur. Absent.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows an automobile headlamp including an embodiment of an optical axis adjusting device according to the present invention, and is a partial view of a vehicle cut by a vertical plane including a joint portion and a screw feeding mechanism for adjusting the optical axis. FIG. 8 is a broken sectional view and is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 illustrating an optical axis adjusting device according to a conventional example. The lens 2 is mounted so as to cover the front opening of the lamp housing 11. Specifically, the lens leg 12a integrally formed with the lens 12 is inserted into the seal groove 11a formed along the edge of the front opening of the lamp housing, and is joined by the hot melt 13 which is a heat softening adhesive. It is fixed. A bracket 14a and a convex spherical portion 14b are integrally formed on the reflector 14 with a synthetic resin material. A screw mounting 15 is rotatably attached to the bracket 14a, and an adjusting screw 16 is screwed into the screw mounting 15 to form a screw feed adjusting mechanism.

The convex spherical portion 14b is formed by the reflector 14
Is provided at the lower end portion of the reflector 1 in this embodiment.
4 is projected below. In carrying out the present invention, the member having the convex spherical surface (the convex spherical portion 14b) may be provided at an appropriate position near the lower end portion of the reflector, but it is located below the center of gravity of the reflector in the normal posture. Is desirable. The reason is that there is a good balance in supporting the gravity load of the reflector. Reference numeral 14c shown in the figure is a reinforcing rib, which is formed integrally with the reflector 14. On the other hand, in the vicinity of the edge of the front opening of the lamp housing 11, a concave spherical seat 11b that fits with the convex spherical portion 14b is formed. The concave spherical seat 11b is formed into a half concave spherical surface or a shape obtained by further cutting out the half concave spherical surface. That is, it is formed so that the fitting in the arrow a direction and the disengagement in the opposite arrow a direction can be freely performed without enclosing the convex spherical member. Then, the convex spherical portion 14b is fitted into the concave spherical seat 11b. With this alone, the convex spherical portion 14b is disengaged from the concave spherical seat 11b.
The ball retainer 12b integrally formed with the above is gently pressed so as to perform a retaining action so as not to hinder the rotation of the convex spherical portion 14b. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams shown for explaining a joint pair of the optical axis adjusting device according to the present invention, in which FIG. 2A shows a pair of a concave spherical seat and a convex spherical member, and FIG. The pair of the seat and the convex columnar member is shown, and an arrow showing the assembling direction is added to each perspective view of the disassembled state. The above-described embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is an application of the “convex spherical surface / concave spherical surface pair” shown in FIG. 2 (A). With such a spherical joint, the reflector 14 can be supported so that it can be tilted vertically and horizontally.

Depending on the type of headlight, it is sufficient to adjust the optical axis in the vertical direction, and there is also one that does not require adjustment in the horizontal direction. The reason is as follows. That is, for example, an automobile manufacturer mounts a headlight on a vehicle body, adjusts the optical axis direction of the vehicle, and then ships a freight car that has been shipped to a maintenance specialized factory. When some equipment such as a device is mounted, the vehicle body leans forward or downward due to the flexure of the suspension spring, so that it is necessary to readjust the optical axis of the headlamp in the vertical direction to correct this. However, even if such a bodywork is carried out, the body does not swing to the left or right. From this point of view, the optical axis adjusting device capable of only adjusting in the vertical direction also fulfills a practical function. For such a reason, when the reflector is supported so that it can only be tilted in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 2B, the concave cylindrical seat 11c is provided on the lamp housing 11 and the lower end portion of the reflector is provided. The convex columnar portion 14d fixed to the above is fitted as shown by arrows b and b '. In this case as well, the concave cylindrical seat 11c is formed in a shape that can be freely inserted into and removed from the convex cylindrical portion 14d, and the cylindrical pressing (not shown) similar to the ball pressing 12b described above with reference to FIG. The cylindrical portion 14d is prevented from coming off so as not to hinder the rotation of the cylindrical portion 14d. The portion shown by the reference numeral 17 in FIG. 1 is a known breathing apparatus, and causes the thermal expansion and contraction of the air in the lamp chamber to communicate with the atmosphere and escape.

[0011]

When the present invention is applied, since the member having the convex spherical surface or the convex cylindrical surface for the joint is fixed to the lower end portion of the reflector, the weight of the reflector itself and the vibration load in the vertical direction are mainly caused by the joint. It is supported and does not impose a load on the optical axis adjusting screw feeding means. Therefore, the required strength of the screw feeding means for adjusting the optical axis is reduced, and the vibration resistance is remarkably improved. Therefore, the durability is also improved. Moreover, since the convex spherical surface or the convex cylindrical surface formed on the reflector can be inserted into and removed from the concave spherical surface or the concave cylindrical surface formed on the lamp housing, the related members can be assembled without bending. Since it can be inserted and removed freely, no special skill is required for the assembly work, and the assembly can be done quickly and easily. In addition, since they can be fitted to each other without being bent, there is no possibility of causing cracks, scratches, or plastic deformation, and it is also effective in maintaining quality. Since the fitted convex member having the curved surface is pressed by the lens, there is no possibility of being separated from the concave surface. Since the above-mentioned lens is originally a member that should cover the front opening of the lamp housing and be fixed to the peripheral edge of the lamp housing, even if the lens also serves as a retainer for the joint constituent members, an additional increase in man-hours will occur. Absent. By combining these actions, excellent practical effects such as reduction of assembly man-hour, reduction of manufacturing cost, and improvement of durability are achieved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an automotive headlamp including an embodiment of an optical axis adjusting device according to the present invention, which is cut and drawn by a vertical plane including a joint part and a screw feed mechanism for adjusting the optical axis. FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view showing a conventional optical axis adjusting device corresponding to FIG. 4.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view for explaining a joint pair of the optical axis adjusting device according to the present invention, in which (A) shows a pair of a concave spherical seat and a convex spherical member, and (B) shows a concave pair. The pair of the cylindrical seat and the convex cylindrical member is shown, and an arrow showing the assembling direction is added to each perspective view of the disassembled state.

FIG. 3 is a front view for explaining the arrangement of main constituent members in the optical axis adjusting device for a vehicle headlamp.

4 is a view for showing a vertical adjustment mechanism in an optical axis adjusting device for an automobile, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA shown in FIG.

5 is a view for showing a left and right adjusting mechanism in the optical axis adjusting device for an automobile, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB shown in FIG.

6A and 6B show a screw mounting in an optical axis adjusting device of a conventional example, FIG. 6A being a side view and FIG. 6B being a front view.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing the conventional screw mounting shown in FIG. 6, in which (A) shows a state in which the screw is fed upward in the figure, and (B) shows a state in which the screw is fed downward in the figure. It is the drawn sectional view.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the screw mounting of the conventional example shown in FIG. 6 (A) acts as a fulcrum.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Lamp housing, 2 ... Reflector, 2 ', 2 "...
Inclined reflector, 3 ... Light source bulb, 4 ... Ball joint supporting the reflector, 5 ... Vertical adjustment screw means,
6 ... Left and right adjusting screw means, 7 ... Conventional screw mounting, 7a ... Flange, 7b ... Protrusion, 7c ... Notch,
8 ... Adjustment screw (adjustment screw), 11 ... Lamp housing of the embodiment, 11a ... Seal groove, 11b ... Concave spherical seat, 12 ... Lens, 12a ... Lens leg, 12b ... Ball retainer, 13 ... Hot melt, 14 ... Reflector of Example, 14a ... Bracket, 14b ... Convex spherical portion, 14c ...
Reinforcing ribs, 15 ... Screw mounting, 16 ... Adjusting screw, 17 ... Breathing device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A structure in which a reflector is tiltably supported in a lamp housing via a joint, a screw mounting is attached to the reflector, and an adjusting screw screwed into the screw mounting is turned to tilt the lamp housing. In the optical axis adjusting device, a member having a convex spherical surface or a convex cylindrical surface forming a joint is fixed near the lower end portion of the reflector, and the convex spherical surface is formed near the edge of the front opening of the lamp housing. A concave spherical surface that is removably fitted to it or a concave cylindrical surface that is removably fitted to the convex cylindrical surface is formed, and the convex spherical surface is the concave spherical surface, or A convex cylindrical surface is fitted to the concave cylindrical surface, and is mounted so as to cover the front opening of the lamp housing. A part of the gap faces a member having the convex spherical surface or the convex cylindrical surface, and acts as a retainer so as not to separate from the concave spherical surface or the concave cylindrical surface. Optical axis adjustment device for headlights