WO2022064252A1

WO2022064252A1 - Cable leveller device, headlamp leveller, and method of securing a cable thereto

Info

Publication number: WO2022064252A1
Application number: PCT/IB2020/058916
Authority: WO
Inventors: Moorthi SUBRAMANI; Angidivel Senniveerappan MUTHUKRISHNAN
Original assignee: Johnson Electric Private Limited
Priority date: 2020-09-24
Filing date: 2020-09-24
Publication date: 2022-03-31

Abstract

A cable leveller device (20) is provided which comprises a cable leveller housing (30) having a cable guide channel (42) extending therethrough in an axial direction and a member receiver (38) at one axial end of the cable guide channel (42), and a cable securing member (28) having a cable receiving bore (66) for receivably engaging a free end of a cable end (52) to be secured. The member receiver (38) has a stop (50), whilst the cable securing member (28) has a shoulder portion (36) which abuttably engages against the stop (50) in the axial direction. The member receiver (38) and cable securing member (28) are complementarily shaped to allow at least partial axial insertion of the cable securing member (28) into the member receiver (38).

Description

Cable Leveller Device, Headlamp Leveller, and Method of Securing a Cable Thereto

The present invention relates to a cable leveller device preferably, but not necessarily exclusively, for altering an incident angle of a vehicular headlamp. The invention further relates to a headlamp leveller having such a cable leveller device, and to a method of securing a cable end of a cable leveller device.

In passenger cars or similar vehicles, when a load in the car is increased, the head lamps tend to focus upwards, which can blind other road users driving in the opposite direction. To prevent this, leveller apparatuses are provided to tilt the headlamp so that a cut-off line of the headlamp beam points downwards. This is mandatory in many jurisdictions.

Leveller apparatuses are manually adjustable using a command unit at or adjacent to the driver’s position, which allows for the driver to alter the headlamp angle as required.

Such apparatuses are operated using tensioned cables, known commonly as Bowden cables, which can transmit an axial force along the length of the cable from the command unit to the leveller apparatus. This can then push or pull on part of the headlamp housing to adjust a tilt thereof. However, the process of cable installation to the leveller apparatus is relatively complicated, which makes assembly more difficult and thus expensive.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a simpler mechanism for coupling of the leveller apparatus and command unit which requires a reduced insertion force to improve the ease of installation and reduce the wear on the cable securing member.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a cable leveller device comprising: a cable leveller housing having a cable guide channel extending therethrough in an axial direction and a member receiver at one axial end of the cable guide channel; and a cable securing member having a cable receiving bore for receivably engaging a free end of a cable end to be secured; the member receiver having a stop; the cable securing member having a shoulder portion which abuttably engages against the stop in the axial direction; wherein the member receiver and cable securing member are complementarily shaped to allow at least partial axial insertion of the cable securing member into the member receiver.

The state of the art for securing a cable of a cable leveller device for headlamp assemblies in vehicles is axially fixed in position, thereby only permitting lateral securing methods which need the significant excess force. The present invention allows for axial manoeuvrability, thereby allowing abutment between the cable securing member and the member receiver of the cable to be achieved, thereby providing a positive visual indication of security without needing the significant excess force required in the art.

Optionally, the cable leveller housing may include a longitudinal aperture in communication with the cable guide channel for permitting cable access thereto during engagement of the cable securing member and member receiver.

A longitudinal opening allows for the lateral initial movement of the cable to be introduced, so that the cable leveller housing does not interfere with the installation process.

Preferably, the cable securing member may have a housing-facing end portion which extends beyond the shoulder portion, a width of the housing-facing end portion being greater than a width of the longitudinal aperture.

The housing-facing end portion provides for a positive location force to be provided during the abutment, so that there is no or minimal scope for lateral ejection of the cable securing member. This becomes important due to the increased risk of dislocation due to the removal of an interference or wedging fit.

The housing-facing end portion may have a uniform width.

A uniform housing-facing end portion may be relatively simple to manufacture and produce the abutting shoulder portion.

In an alternative embodiment, the housing-facing end portion may be tapered, a minimum width of the housing-facing end portion being greater than a width of the longitudinal aperture. A tapered end of the cable securing member may provide an improved positive locator force when the housing-facing end is in the member receiver. This further reduces the risk of relative dislocation.

Optionally, the cable securing member is devoid of a flange or collar at the housingfacing end portion.

The flangelessness or the collarlessness of the cable securing member without the interference fit type of construction requires a reduced insertion force to improve the ease of installation and reduce the wear on the cable securing member.

The cable leveller housing may comprise an overhang portion at or adjacent to the stop to inhibit lateral ejection of the cable securing member.

Since the cable securing member can slightly move along the axial direction, then there is an opportunity for a lip to be provided to secure laterally, which does not required specific alignment of the cable securing member and the cable leveller housing in said lateral direction. This removes the need for a lateral urging force to be provided, as is the case in the art.

Preferably, the cable securing member may have a cylindrical profile.

A cable securing member having a cylindrical profile can be readily inserted at any angle along the axial direction without impeding the installation process.

Optionally, a length of the cable securing member may be greater than a depth of the member receiver.

If the cable securing member overhangs the member receiver, this further simplifies installation, as the user’s hand will not be impeded when securing the cable securing member in the cable leveller housing if holding onto the end of the cable securing member.

The cable leveller device may further comprise a cable end associated with the cable leveller housing and which is engaged with the cable securing member.

Installation of the cable is made simpler if the cable end is pre-anchored in the cable leveller device prior to securing. Onward connection to the cable control unit can then be made at a more convenient position in the vehicle, for example, under the bonnet or hood, rather than directly at the headlamp.

Preferably, there may be a slider mechanism engaged with the cable end and a spring for biasing the slider mechanism in the axial direction.

A linear slider and spring provide an excellent means of providing the biasing force against the cable end without any lateral deviations which could hamper the performance of the headlamp level.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a headlamp leveller for an automotive vehicle, the headlamp leveller comprising a cable leveller device in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.

A headlamp leveller in accordance with the present invention is able to be more readily assembled and requiring less force, thereby improving the speed with which the vehicular component can be assembled.

Optionally, the headlamp leveller may further comprise a cable command assembly having a transmission cable which terminates at the cable end, the transmission cable engaging with the cable securing member.

A cable command assembly allows for the connection of the headlamp leveller to a point of manual operation, most likely the driver’s cab of an automobile.

Preferably, the cable receiving bore may include a transmission-cable receiving bore which has a greater diameter than that for the cable end.

The transmission cable will have a protective sheath, which has a greater diameter than that of the cable end which is anchored in the cable leveller device. As such, the cable receiving bore will likely require different internal dimensions to accommodate the protective sleeve.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of securing an cable end of a cable leveller device in accordance with at least one embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the method comprising the steps of: a] pulling the cable securing member, when engaged with the cable end, beyond the stop; b] laterally inserting the cable securing member into the member receiver; and c] axially urging the cable securing member into the member receiver until the shoulder portion abuttably engages against the stop.

A method of securing the cable end according to the invention reduces the force requirement compared with equivalent arrangements known in the art, simplifying installation of the various components.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic representation of a headlamp leveller system for an automobile;

Figure 2 shows a plan view of one embodiment of a cable leveller device in accordance with the first aspect of the invention;

Figure 3 shows a vertical cross-sectional representation of the cable leveller device of Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows an enlarged cross-sectional representation of the cable leveller device of Figure 3 at the cable securing member;

Figure 5 shows a side view of the cable securing member of the cable leveller device of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 shows an end view of the cable leveller device of Figure 2.

Referring to Figure 1 , there is illustrated a headlamp leveller system indicated globally at 10 for an automobile 12 having headlamps 14 at the front end thereof. Each headlamp 14 has an illumination element 16, typically a bulb, which is located in a discrete housing 18 of the headlamp 14.

A cable leveller device 20 is provided so as to be coupled to the housing 18. This can adjust the housing 18 tilt angle by applying a linear motion at an upper portion of the housing 18 to push the housing 18 angle up or down.

Control of the cable leveller device 20 is achieved via a cable control assembly 22, typically having a rotatable knob 24 in the driver’s cab. Turning the knob 24 either pulls or releases a force on a transmission cable 26. The transmission cable 26 is connected to the cable leveller device 20 to transmit the linear motion of the transmission cable 26 to a movable component of the cable leveller device 20.

A cable leveller device 20 in accordance with the invention is shown in plan in Figure 2. The interface between the cable securing member 28 and the cable leveller housing 30 is considerably altered in order to change the action, and therefore force requirement, of the insertion process for the cable securing member 28.

Here, the cable securing member 28 has a cylindrical body portion 32 and a housingfacing end portion 34 which has a smaller diameter than the cylindrical body portion 32. This creates a shoulder portion 36 which extends at least in part around, and preferably around the entire circumference of the cable securing member 28. This has the effect of forming the housing-facing end portion 34 into a plug-like structure. Whilst the housing-facing end portion 34 is here shown having a uniform width, it could easily have a tapered shape which forms a frusto-cone, provided that the member receiver 38 is the corresponding shape. The housing-facing end portion 34 is devoid of the flange or collar which otherwise would inhibit axial motion of the cable securing member 28 when installed.

The member receiver 38 is then complementarily shaped to the cable securing member 28. There is a throat portion 40 which defines a stop 50 within the member receiver 38, against which the shoulder portion 36 can abuttably engage. The member receiver 38 is positioned at one end of the throat portion 40, through which extends a cable guide channel 42 for receiving the cable end 52 of the cable leveller device 20 therethrough. The cable guide channel 42 lies in an axial direction through which force transmission occurs in the cable leveller device 20.

The cable leveller assembly of the cable leveller device 20 can be seen in more detail in Figure 3. The cable leveller housing 30 houses a shaft 44 which imparts the linear force onto the headlamp 14, which is urged by a slider mechanism 46. The slider mechanism 46 is biased to urge against the shaft 44, but the urging force can be reduced by exerting a force on the slider mechanism 46 against, for example, a spring force of a spring 54 thereof. This is achieved by the cable end 52 pulling on the slider mechanism 46 when the user activates the control knob 24. Withdrawing the slider mechanism 46 to reduce the urging force on the shaft 44 will result in an upward tilt or relaxation of the position of the headlamp 14. The shaft 44 preferably ends in a rounded nub 56 which will not damage the headlamp housing during actuation, instead urging a tilting motion onto a planar rear surface thereof. A spring tension of the spring 54 can be adjusted by use of a pinion 58 once the cable end 52 is in situ. The slider mechanism 46 preferably comprises a bar slider 60 with an integrated anchoring point 62 for engaging with an anchor element 64 of the cable end 52.

Figure 4 shows the detailed relationship between the cable end 52 and the cable securing member 28. The cable end 52 is shown in isolation in order to better highlight the cable-receiving bore 66, but it will be apparent that this would ordinarily be contiguous with the transmission cable 26, which is not shown here.

The shoulder portion 36 abuts against the stop 50, and lift of the cable securing member 28 out of the member receiver 38 may be inhibited by the provision of an overhang portion 68 at or adjacent to the throat portion 40, as can be seen best in Figure 2.

The dimensioning of the cable securing member 28 is shown in Figure 5, in which the engagement of the cable end 52 into the cable-receiving bore 66 is shown at the housing-facing end portion 34, and the protective sheath 70 of the transmission cable 26 is shown engaged with a transmission-cable receiving bore 72 at the opposite end of the cable securing member 28.

The throat opening 74 is formed as a longitudinal aperture to permit lateral insertion of the cable end 52 therethrough when introducing the cable securing member 28 into the member receiver 38. The width of the throat opening 74 is dimensioned so as to be narrower than a width of the housing-facing end portion 34 of the cable securing member 28, preferably narrower than the minimum width thereof. This is visible from Figure 6. The member receiver 38 is correctly sized to the cable securing member 28 so that no interference fit is required, and therefore axial movement is viable. In effect, this results in a sliding fit region in the member receiver 38, as the radius of the cable securing member 28 is marginally less than that of the member receiver 38, and therefore no wedging engagement arises. This reduces the total force required to install the cable securing member 28 to approximately 35N; in the art, a total force required to install a cable securing member is closer to 65N, nearly double that required in the present invention. This is due to the need for an interference fit in the art, against which the user must forcibly insert the cable securing member. The cable securing member 28 is pulled into place, and then the biasing force of the spring 54 and slider mechanism 46 holds the abutment engagement between the cable securing member 28 and cable leveller housing 30 securely.

The method by which the cable securing member 32 is installed is described below. The cable end 52 is anchored in the slider mechanism 46, with the transmission cable 26 and protective sheath 70 extending away from the cable leveller device 20. The user holds the cable securing member 28 at an angle, approximately 30° to 45° to the axial direction of the cable leveller housing 30.

The user then pulls on the cable securing member 28, typically by pulling at or adjacent to an end thereof which is coupled to the protective sheath or sleeve 70 of the transmission cable 26. The user simultaneously brings the cable securing member 28 into co-axiality with the said axial direction.

The insertion of the cable securing member 28 into the member receiver 38 is only viable if the housing-facing end portion 34 is pulled past the end of the throat portion 40, due to the narrowness of the longitudinal aperture 74; only the cable end 52 can slot through the longitudinal aperture 74.

Once past the end of the throat portion 74, the cable securing member 28 is fully receivable in the member receiver 38, at which point, the user can release the pulling force. The cable securing member 28 can therefore be axially urged into the member receiver 38 so as to abuttably engage the shoulder portion 36 with the stop 50, as required. With the preferable addition of the overhang portion 68 to inhibit lateral disengagement, the cable securing member 28 holds the axial position of the cable end 52 with a reduced force insertion requirement, as well as providing a visual indication of correct insertion which cannot be impeded by inadequate interference fit.

It will be clear to the skilled user that, for reasons of ease of assembly, the transmission cable 26 could be provided in at least two parts, interconnected by, for example, a barrel connector. For the purposes of the disclosure above, however, a single transmission cable 26 which extends from the cable leveller device 20 to the cable control assembly 22 is presumed.

It is therefore possible to alter the shape and interface between a cable securing member and a leveller housing of, in particular, a headlamp leveller device for an automobile. The improved shape interface reduces the force required for insertion, and also provides a more obvious visual indicator of correct engagement than equivalent devices known in the art.

The words ‘comprises/comprising’ and the words ‘having/including’ when used herein with reference to the present invention are used to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

The embodiments described above are provided by way of examples only, and various other modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the field without departing from the scope of the invention as defined herein.

Claims

1. A cable leveller device (20) comprising: a cable leveller housing (30) having a cable guide channel (42) extending therethrough in an axial direction and a member receiver (38) at one axial end of the cable guide channel (42); and a cable securing member (28) having a cable receiving bore (66) for receivably engaging a free end of a cable end (52) to be secured; the member receiver (38) having a stop (50); the cable securing member (28) having a shoulder portion (36) which abuttably engages against the stop (50) in the axial direction; wherein the member receiver (38) and cable securing member (28) are complementarily shaped to allow at least partial axial insertion of the cable securing member (28) into the member receiver (38).

2. The cable leveller device (20) as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cable leveller housing (30) includes a longitudinal aperture (74) in communication with the cable guide channel (42) for permitting cable access thereto during engagement of the cable securing member (28) and member receiver (38).

3. The cable leveller device (20) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cable securing member (28) has a housing-facing end portion (34) which extends beyond the shoulder portion (36), a width of the housing-facing end portion (34) being greater than a width of the longitudinal aperture (74).

4. The cable leveller device (20) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the housing-facing end portion (34) has a uniform width.

5. The cable leveller device (20) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the housing-facing end portion (34) is tapered, a minimum width of the housing-facing end portion (34) being greater than a width of the longitudinal aperture.

6. The cable leveller device (20) as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the cable securing member (28) is devoid of a flange or collar at the housing-facing end portion (34).

7. The cable leveller device (20) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cable leveller housing (30) comprises an overhang portion at or adjacent to the stop (50) to inhibit lateral ejection of the cable securing member (28).

8. The cable leveller device (20) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cable securing member (28) has a cylindrical profile.

9. The cable leveller device (20) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a length of the cable securing member (28) is greater than a depth of the member receiver (38).

10. The cable leveller device (20) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a cable end (52) associated with the cable leveller housing (30) and which is engaged with the cable securing member (28).

11. The cable leveller device (20) as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a slider mechanism (46) engaged with the cable end (52) and a spring (54) for biasing the slider mechanism (46) in the axial direction.

12. The headlamp leveller for an automotive vehicle, the headlamp leveller comprising a cable leveller device (20) as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11.

13. The headlamp leveller as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a cable control assembly (22) having a transmission cable (26) which terminates at the cable end (52), the transmission cable (26) engaging with the cable securing member (28).

14. The headlamp leveller as claimed in claim 13, wherein the cable receiving bore (66) includes a transmission-cable receiving bore (72) which has a greater diameter than that for the cable end (52).

15. A method of securing a cable end (52) of a cable leveller device (20) as claimed in claim 10 and 11 , the method comprising the steps of: a] pulling the cable securing member (28), when engaged with the cable end, beyond the stop (50); b] laterally inserting the cable securing member (28) into the member receiver (38); and c] axially urging the cable securing member (28) into the member receiver (38) until the shoulder portion (36) abuttably engages against the stop (50).