JPS6123484Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a device for remotely controlling the angle of so-called outer mirrors such as fender mirrors and door mirrors of automobiles from inside the vehicle.

This type of device initially used a wire method to adjust the angle by pulling the mirror through a wire, but later the drive motor and power transmission member were housed on the back of the mirror inside the mirror case. However, an electric method for electrically adjusting the angle has been provided, and various improvements have been made.

There are various types of electric devices, but they generally have the following structure.

That is, the approximate center of the mirror is rotatably connected to a predetermined location on the mirror case or a predetermined location on the outer surface of the casing of the mirror angle adjustment device housed in the mirror case using a universal joint method, and the 1 for vertically tilting the mirror to either the top or bottom of the connection part
One end of two mirror push/pull operation shafts and one end of one mirror push/pull operation shaft for tilting the mirror in the left or right direction are connected by a universal joint method, and each of them is The end is introduced into the casing. and,
The other end of each mirror push/pull operation shaft is carved with an outer circumferential thread, and a rotary cylinder that has a threaded flexible piece on the outer periphery of the screw and cannot be moved in the axial direction is fitted onto the outer circumference of the screw. Then, the screw of the flexible piece is screwed onto the outer circumference screw of the mirror push/pull operation shaft, and the drive mechanism housed in the casing rotates this rotary cylinder to move the mirror push/pull operation shaft in the axial direction. This allows the mirror to tilt.

By the way, although this type of mirror is basically automatically tilted by its angle adjustment device, it may be manually operated during the manufacturing process or during use of the device.

However, in this case, in the conventional example described above, the engagement between the outer circumferential screw of the mirror push/pull operation shaft and the screw of the flexible piece of the rotary cylinder must be forcibly changed, which not only requires considerable force but also Adjustment can only be made for each pitch interval, that is, stepless adjustment is not possible, and in addition, there is a problem in that noise is generated.

In addition, in the conventional device described above, although the mirror rotates, the mirror push/pull operation shaft only moves linearly in a fixed direction.
There is a problem in that unreasonable force is applied between the mirror and the mirror push/pull operation axis.

The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional device.The mirror push/pull operation shaft is made of an elastic member such as rubber, and its outer peripheral surface is made smooth, while the rotating cylinder is made of the elastic member. In contrast, it is made of a hard material and has screws carved into its inner circumferential surface.
When the rotary tube rotates, the screw of the rotary tube threads the smooth surface of the mirror push/pull operation shaft.
Each mirror push/pull operation shaft is configured to move in the axial direction, and further, a portion of each mirror push/pull operation shaft that cooperates with the rotating cylinder is formed into a rod shape having a smooth surface on the outer periphery, A flexible narrow neck part is formed between the rod-shaped part and the rear connecting end of the mirror, and the neck part of each mirror push/pull operation shaft can be freely deformed in response to the tilting of the mirror. The present invention provides an angle adjustment device.

The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. Although the present invention can be applied to a drive mechanism using a one-motor/one-electromagnetic solenoid type, this embodiment shows an example where it is applied to a drive mechanism using a two-motor type.

First, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 will be described.

This device is housed on the back side of a mirror 1 within a mirror case (not shown), and the casing 2 is fixed within the mirror case. This casing 2 is formed by covering a lower casing 2a with an upper casing 2b. The substantially central portion of the bottom of the lower casing 2a and the substantially central portion of the rear surface of the mirror are rotatably connected to each other by a universal joint. That is, the mirror cover 1a holds the mirror body 1b on the front side.
has a hole 1g in its center, a body 1c protruding to the back side around the hole 1g, and is connected to the inside of the cylinder 1c by a total of four rods 1e on the top, bottom, left and right sides. It has a sphere 1d. On the other hand, a bearing portion 2c is provided approximately at the center of the lower casing 2a. The bearing portion 2c has a spherical inner surface 2e into which the spherical body 1d fits, and a slit 2d into which each of the rods 1e fits.
Therefore, the sphere 1d and the rod 1e on the mirror side
are fitted into the spherical inner surface 2e and the slit 2d of the bearing portion 2c on the casing side, respectively, and the mirror 1
can be tilted vertically and horizontally with respect to the casing 2.

Below and to the right of the sphere 1d of the mirror cover 1a, one end of mirror push/pull operation shafts 3a and 3b of the same shape made of an elastic material such as urethane rubber, natural rubber, silicone rubber, etc. is connected. , the other end is introduced into the casing 2 through each hole 2d provided at the bottom of the lower casing 2a.

Each of the mirror push/pull operation shafts 3a, 3b has a round rod-shaped part 3c with a smooth outer peripheral surface on its free end side, and a square piece-shaped stopper part 3e on its connecting end side, which is highly flexible. A narrow neck portion 3d is formed. On the other hand, a square stepped portion 1 having holes 1h below and to the right of the sphere 1d of the mirror cover 1a.
f, 1i. Thus, the mirror push/pull operation shafts 3a, 3b are inserted into the holes 1f, 1i of the stepped portions 1f, 1i from the front side of the mirror cover 1a before the mirror main body 1b is fixed to the mirror cover 1a.
h, its round bar-shaped portion 3c and narrow neck portion 3d are made to protrude to the back side, and its stopper portion 3e is press-fitted and glued into the recesses of the stepped portions 1f and 1i.

Rotary cylinders 4a and 4b are fitted around the outer periphery of the round bar-shaped portion 3c of each mirror push/pull operation shaft 3a and 3b introduced into the casing 2, respectively. Each rotating cylinder 4
a, 4b are the respective mirror push/pull operation shafts 3a,
It is made of a synthetic resin harder than the material of 3b, such as polyacetal resin, and is provided with an inner circumferential screw 4c that slightly bites into the outer circumferential surface of the round bar-shaped portion 3c of each mirror push/pull operation shaft 3a, 3b. is equipped with a gear 4d. Further, each rotary cylinder is supported by the lower casing 2a and the upper casing 2b so as to be rotatable but immovable in the axial direction.

Each of the rotating cylinders 4a and 4b is connected to the casing 2.
It is designed to be rotated by a drive mechanism of the same structure housed inside. That is, each drive mechanism is
Reversible motor 7a or 7b, gear 8a or 8b fixed to the outer periphery of the output shaft of each motor 7a, 7b, gear 6a or 6b meshing with each gear 8a, 8b, coaxial with each gear 6a, 6b and each rotation mentioned above. Tube 4
It consists of a worm 5a or 5b that meshes with gears 4d of gears a and 4b. In addition, each of the above motors 7a, 7
The selection of the drives b and the switching of the rotational direction of their output shafts can be remotely controlled by a switch (not shown) installed inside the vehicle.

According to this device having the above structure, when one of the motors 7a, 7b is driven by a switch operation,
A series of transmission members 8a, 6a, 5a or 8b, 6
The rotary cylinder 4a or 4b is rotated via b and 5b. Then, the inner circumferential screws 4c of the rotating shafts 4a and 4b rotate while cutting a thread on the outer circumferential surface of the round bar-shaped portion 3c of the mirror push-pull operation shaft 3a or 3b, and as a result, the mirror push-pull operation shaft 3a or 3b moves in its axial direction, and tilts the mirror 1 vertically or horizontally about the sphere 1b. The screws cut into the round bar-shaped portions 3c of each mirror push/pull operation shaft 3a, 3b can immediately return to their original state due to their elasticity.

When the mirror 1 tilts and becomes non-perpendicular to the axis as shown in FIG. 5 due to the movement of each mirror push/pull operation shaft 3a, 3b, the narrow neck portion 3d easily bends. This prevents the generation of excessive stress.

When manually operating the mirror 1, if you forcibly push in any desired part of the mirror 1, such as the top, bottom, left or right, the round bar-shaped part 3 of the mirror push/pull operation shaft 3a or 3b
c has a smooth outer peripheral surface and is elastic, so the screw 4c of the rotary cylinder 4a or 4b
It can be slid very easily against the In this case, the manual pushing force is not only relatively small, but also has the advantage that it can be pushed steplessly, and there is almost no noise.

Note that if the hardness of the round bar-shaped portion 3c of each mirror push/pull operation shaft 3a, 3b is too low, when the mirror 1 is manually pushed in, the pushing force will be lower than the mirror push/pull operation shaft 3.
It is not transmitted well to a and 3b. Therefore, for example, when the rubber hardness is 90° or less, it is preferable to insert a metal wire 9 as a reinforcing material into the center of the round bar-shaped portion 3c, as shown in FIG.

In the above embodiment, the mirror cover 1a is connected to the casing 2;
a may be connected to the mirror case itself via a suitable attachment member. For example, there is a case where a device for driving each mirror push/pull operation shaft 3a, 3b is housed separately in each casing.

As is clear from the above detailed description of the embodiments, the angle adjustment device for an outer mirror of a car according to the present invention has a mirror push/pull operation shaft made of an elastic material such as rubber, and a rod-shaped portion and a rear surface of the mirror. Since a flexible neck is formed between the connecting ends, even if the mirror tilts relative to the mirror case, the unreasonable stress generated at that time is absorbed by the elastic material itself, especially at the neck, which is very convenient. . In addition, the rotary tube is made of a harder material than the above-mentioned elastic material, and its inner circumferential surface is threaded, while the outer circumferential surface of the mirror push/pull operation shaft made of an elastic material is a smooth surface, so that the rotary tube can be rotated. When the screw of the hard member is threaded into the smooth surface of the elastic member, the mirror push/pull operation shaft is silently and smoothly moved in the axial direction, while the angle of the mirror can be adjusted manually. In this case, if a predetermined portion of the mirror is pushed in from the outside, there is an advantage that the outer circumferential surface of the mirror push/pull operation shaft slides smoothly and steplessly against the inner circumferential surface of the rotating cylinder.

In addition, by configuring each mirror push/pull operation shaft with an elastic material, even if vibrations occur in the outer mirror while the car is running, the vibrations are well absorbed, meaning the vibrations converge quickly, so the mirror itself is free from vibrations. The light attenuates quickly, thus minimizing the negative effect on the visibility of the mirror.

Furthermore, simply fixing one end of each mirror push/pull operation shaft to the rear surface of the mirror is sufficient; in other words, there is no need to employ the conventional universal joint method (spherical bearing structure).
In addition to being easy to manufacture, it is possible to eliminate any play between the mirror and the mirror push/pull operation shaft, thereby suppressing vibration of the mirror and improving the visibility of the mirror.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 is a rear view showing the device attached to the back of the mirror with the upper casing removed, and Figure 2 is the figure 1--
3 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of what is shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part showing the engagement state of the rotating cylinder and the mirror push/pull operation shaft, and FIG. 5 is the mirror pusher. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a state when the mirror is tilted with respect to the pulling operation shaft, and FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a modification in which a wire is inserted into the round rod-shaped portion of the mirror push-pull operation shaft. 1...Mirror (1a...mirror cover, 1b...
...Mirror body), 2...Casing, 3a, 3b
...Mirror push/pull operation shaft, 3c...Round bar-shaped part, 3h
...Screw, 4a, 4b...Rotating cylinder, 4c...Screw.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A substantially central portion of the rear surface of the mirror is rotatably connected to a predetermined location of a mirror case or a predetermined location on the outer surface of a casing of a mirror angle adjustment device housed in the mirror case, and Connecting one end of the mirror push/pull operation shaft to either the upper or lower side or the left or right side of the central connecting part on the back of the mirror, and introducing the other end into the casing,
A rotary tube that cannot be moved in the axial direction is fitted around the outer periphery of the other end, and a drive mechanism housed in the casing rotates each of the rotary tubes to move the mirror push/pull operation shaft in the axial direction. In an angle adjusting device for an outer mirror of an automobile, the mirror push/pull operation shaft is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and its outer peripheral surface is a smooth surface;
The rotating tube is made of a harder material than the above-mentioned elastic material, and a thread is carved on its inner circumferential surface, so that when the rotating tube rotates, the screw of the rotating tube touches the smooth surface of the mirror push/pull operation shaft. Each mirror push/pull operation shaft is configured to be moved in the axial direction by threading, and the portion of each mirror push/pull operation shaft that cooperates with the rotary tube is formed into a rod shape having a smooth surface on the outer periphery. What is claimed is: 1. An angle adjustment device for an outer mirror of an automobile, characterized in that a flexible thin neck portion is formed between the rod-shaped portion and the mirror rear connecting end.