JP7579770B2 - Actuator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an actuator.

Leveling actuator devices that adjust the optical axis of a vehicle headlamp according to the vehicle's inclination angle to change the direction of illumination are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an illumination corrector that includes an electric motor, a rod that rotates due to the electric motor, and a mechatronics device that partially covers the periphery of the rod and converts the rotational motion of the rod into linear motion. A spherical portion is provided at the tip of the rod, and the spherical portion, which is fitted into a connection portion on the back of the reflector, moves forward and backward to tilt the reflector, thereby changing the illumination direction of the illuminator.

JP 2009-26763 A

When assembling a vehicle headlamp, the illumination compensator described above requires that the spherical portion at the end of the rod be fitted into a capsule on the back of the reflector. If an excessive load is applied to the spherical portion at the end of the rod, there is a risk that the part will be deformed when the rear end of the rod comes into contact with another part, such as the housing.

The present invention was made in light of these circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide a new technology that reduces damage to the components that make up the actuator when assembling the actuator to another unit.

In order to solve the above problems, an actuator according to one embodiment of the present invention is an actuator used to change the illumination direction of a vehicle lamp, and includes a rotating member that rotates with the rotation of a motor, a rod having a connection part that is connected to a mechanism that tilts an optical member provided in the vehicle lamp and is connected coaxially with the rotating member so as to be rotatable relative to the rotating member, a housing that contains the rotating member and the rod, a locking part that locks the rear end of the rotating member on the side opposite to the side to which the rod is connected at a predetermined position in the housing, and a displacement suppressing part that is provided between the rear end of the rotating member and the housing and suppresses displacement of the rear end.

According to this embodiment, the displacement of the rear end of the rotating member is suppressed, thereby suppressing deformation of the locking portion.

The displacement suppression portion may be a protrusion provided on the inner wall of the housing. This allows the protrusion to be provided integrally with the housing by devising a shape for the housing.

The housing has an overall box-like shape, and if the height of the housing is H, the width is W, and the thickness is D (where H>W>D), the protrusions may be ribs extending in the thickness direction. This makes it possible to reliably suppress the displacement of the rear end of the rotating member with a simple shape.

The gap between the rear end and the protruding portion may be 0.3 to 1.0 mm. This allows the displacement of the rear end to be limited to 0.3 to 1.0 mm or less.

The height of the protrusion may be 1.0 to 2.0 mm. This allows the protrusion to be designed so as not to interfere with other components inside the housing.

The rotating member may be made of a material whose main component is nylon resin, and the engaging portion may be made of a material whose main component is polyacetal resin.

Any combination of the above components, and expressions of the present invention converted between manufacturing methods, devices such as lamps and lighting, light-emitting modules, light sources, etc. are also valid aspects of the present invention.

The present invention can reduce damage to the components that make up the actuator.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a vehicle lamp including an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front. 1 is an overall perspective view of an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the actuator according to the present embodiment. 2 is a partial side view showing a main portion of a speed reducing mechanism in the actuator according to the present embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rotating member according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the rotating member according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rod according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a view of the rod shown in FIG. 8 as seen from direction A. FIG. 9 is a view of the rod shown in FIG. 8 as seen from direction B. FIG. 9 is a view of the rod shown in FIG. 8 as seen from direction C. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a holding member according to the present embodiment. 13 is a view of the rod shown in FIG. 12 as viewed from direction D. FIG. 13 is a view of the rod shown in FIG. 12 as viewed from a direction E. 13 is a view of the rod shown in FIG. 12 as viewed from the F direction. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the actuator shown in FIG. 3 taken along the line GG. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a state in which the rod is extended further than the state shown in FIG. 16 . 4 is a view showing a main part of the HH cross section of the actuator shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an actuator according to a modified example.

The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings based on preferred embodiments. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments do not limit the invention but are merely examples, and all of the features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

(Vehicle lighting fixtures)
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a vehicle lamp equipped with an actuator according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 10 shown in Fig. 1 as viewed from the front. The vehicle lamp 10 shown in Fig. 1 shows one of left and right headlights. The headlights are attached to both sides in the vehicle width direction at the front of the vehicle, and the pair of headlights illuminate the area ahead of the vehicle.

The vehicle lamp 10 comprises a lamp housing 12 with an opening at the front and a cover 14 that closes the opening of the lamp housing 12. The lamp housing 12 and the cover 14 form a lamp outer case 16, and the interior of the lamp outer case 16 is formed as a lamp chamber 16a.

A frame 18 is disposed in the lamp chamber 16a. The frame 18 has an upper support portion 18a provided at the upper end, a pair of lower support portions 18b, 18b provided at the lower end, and a unit mounting portion 18c provided at the middle portion. The pair of lower support portions 18b are disposed apart in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

A screw support member 20 is provided behind the lower support portion 18b of the frame 18. The upper front end of the screw support member 20 is provided as a spherical portion 20a. The screw support members 20, 20 are supported by the lamp housing 12 so as to be movable in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body.

Bearing members 22, 24, 24 are attached to the upper support portion 18a and the lower support portions 18b, 18b of the frame 18, respectively, with the bearing members 22, 24, 24 passing through them.

The spherical portion 20a of the screw support member 20 is connected to each of the bearing members 24. The bearing members 24 can rotate in any direction relative to the screw support member 20.

A pair of aiming screws 26, 26 are supported in the lamp housing 12 so that they can rotate freely but cannot move in the fore-aft direction (axial direction). The aiming screws 26, 26 are spaced apart in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and their respective rear ends protrude rearward from the lamp housing 12. The aiming screw 26 has a threaded portion 26a, which is connected to the screw support member 20.

Lighting units 28, 28 are attached to the unit mounting portion 18c of the frame 18. Note that the number of lighting units 28 attached to the unit mounting portion 18c may be one, or three or more.

The lighting unit 28 has a heat sink 30 that dissipates heat, a substrate 32 arranged on the heat sink 30, a light source 34 mounted on the substrate 32, a reflector 36 that reflects the light emitted from the light source 34 forward, a projection lens 38 through which the light emitted from the light source 34 passes, and a holder 40 that holds the projection lens 38.

An actuator 42 is disposed in the lamp chamber 16a. The actuator 42 is disposed, for example, at the upper part of the lamp chamber 16a, rearward of the lamp unit 28, and is fixed to a part of the lamp housing 12.

(Optical axis adjustment in vehicle lighting fixtures)
Next, a description will be given of the optical axis adjustment in the vehicle lamp 10. The vehicle lamp 10 is configured to allow aiming adjustment, which is an initial adjustment of the irradiation direction, and leveling adjustment, which adjusts the deviation of the optical axis that changes due to the weight of the vehicle load. The aiming adjustment includes left-right aiming adjustment and up-down aiming adjustment.

The left-right aiming adjustment is performed by rotating one of the aiming screws 26. When the aiming screw 26 is rotated, the screw support member 20 to which the threaded portion 26a is screwed is sent forward or backward depending on the direction of rotation of the aiming screw 26, and the frame 18 and the lamp units 28, 28 are rotated together, with the line connecting the spherical portion 20a of the other screw support member 20 and the spherical portion 46 at the tip of the rod 44 as the fulcrum axis. By rotating the frame 18 and the lamp units 28, 28 together, the direction of the optical axis of the lamp units 28, 28 is displaced left and right, and left-right aiming adjustment is performed.

The vertical aiming adjustment is performed by rotating both aiming screws 26, 26 in the same direction. When the aiming screws 26, 26 are rotated, the screw support members 20, 20 to which the threaded portions 26a, 26a are screwed are sent forward or backward depending on the direction of rotation of the aiming screws 26, 26, and the frame 18 and the lamp units 28, 28 are rotated integrally with the spherical portion 46 of the rod 44 as a fulcrum. By rotating the frame 18 and the lamp units 28, 28 integrally, the orientation of the optical axis in the lamp units 28, 28 is displaced up and down, and vertical aiming adjustment is performed.

Leveling adjustment is performed by operating the drive mechanism of the actuator 42. When the drive mechanism is operated, the rod 44 moves in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle relative to the lamp housing 12.

When the rod 44 is moved, for example, forward, the bearing members 22, 24, 24 are rotated relative to the spherical portion 46 and the spherical portions 20a, 20a, respectively, and as the bearing members 22, 24, 24 rotate, the frame 18 and the lamp units 28, 28 are rotated together downward about the line connecting the spherical portions 20a, 20a as a fulcrum axis. By rotating the frame 18 and the lamp units 28, 28 together, the direction of the optical axis of the lamp units 28, 28 is displaced downward, and leveling adjustment is performed.

On the other hand, when the rod 44 is moved, for example, rearward, the bearing members 22, 24, 24 are rotated relative to the spherical portion 46 and the spherical portion 20a, 20a, respectively, and as the bearing members 22, 24, 24 rotate, the frame 18 and the lamp units 28, 28 are rotated upward as a unit around the line connecting the spherical portions 20a, 20a as a fulcrum axis. By rotating the frame 18 and the lamp units 28, 28 as a unit, the direction of the optical axis of the lamp units 28, 28 is displaced upward, and leveling adjustment is performed.

(Actuator)
Next, the configuration of the actuator 42 according to this embodiment will be described in detail. Fig. 3 is an overall perspective view of the actuator according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the actuator according to this embodiment. Fig. 5 is a partial side view showing a main part of the reduction mechanism in the actuator according to this embodiment.

The actuator 42 is used to change the illumination direction of the vehicle lamp by the above-mentioned leveling adjustment. The actuator 42 includes a motor 48, a spur gear 52 that meshes with a pinion gear 48a fixed to the rotation shaft of the motor 48, a pin 54 that serves as the rotation shaft of the spur gear 52, a housing 56 with a bearing portion 56a that supports the pin 54 at the bottom, a cover 58 that covers one opening 56b of the housing 56, a holding member 60 that is attached to the other opening 56c of the housing 56, and a C-ring 62 that is attached to one end of the rod 44.

The actuator 42 further includes a control board 86 and a cover 88 that covers the other opening of the housing 56. The control board 86 is a printed wiring board, and is equipped with a connector 90 to which a cable that transmits control signals from an external vehicle ECU or headlamp vehicle ECU is connected, a capacitor 92, three Hall ICs 94 for detecting the rotational position of the rotor of the motor 48, and other elements. A control IC (not shown) that controls the positioning of the motor 48 is also mounted on the back side of the control board 86 shown in FIG. 4.

The motor 48 in this embodiment is a brushless DC motor, which is a type of flat motor, in order to make the thickness of the housing 56 as thin as possible. Here, a flat motor refers to a motor in which the thickness CT of the case in the direction of the rotation axis is relatively thin compared to the diameter CD of the case that houses the main components, for example, a motor that satisfies CD > CT. The spur gear 52 has a worm 64 fixed coaxially, and meshes with a helical gear 66 provided on the outer periphery of the rotating member 50. The worm 64 and the helical gear 66 form a worm gear whose rotation axes are perpendicular to each other.

The rotating member 50 rotates as the motor 48 rotates via a reduction mechanism consisting of the pinion gear 48a, spur gear 52, worm 64, and helical gear 66. In this way, by transmitting the rotation of the motor to the rotating member 50 via the reduction mechanism, even if a motor with high speed rotation and relatively small torque is used, the rotating member 50 can be rotated at a reduced rotation speed to an appropriate speed and sufficient thrust can be obtained. Therefore, a small and flat brushless DC motor can also be used for the actuator 42.

(Rotating member)
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rotating member according to this embodiment. Fig. 7 is a side view of the rotating member according to this embodiment. The rotating member 50 is a cylindrical member as a whole, and a female screw 68 is formed in a hole along the rotation axis at the front end portion where the rod 44 is connected. A groove 70 in which the C-ring 62 is attached is formed on the outer periphery of the rear end portion of the rotating member 50. The above-mentioned helical gear 66 is formed in the center of the rotating member 50. The rotating member 50 is made of a material mainly composed of nylon resin that does not contain glass fibers.

(rod)
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the rod according to this embodiment. Fig. 9 is a view of the rod shown in Fig. 8 from direction A. Fig. 10 is a view of the rod shown in Fig. 8 from direction B. Fig. 11 is a view of the rod shown in Fig. 8 from direction C.

The rod 44 has a spherical portion 46 at its front end. The spherical portion 46 is a connection portion that is connected to a bearing member 22 that constitutes part of a mechanism for tilting an optical member (lamp unit 28) that the vehicle lamp 10 has. In addition, a male thread 72 that fits (meshes) with a female thread 68 of the rotating member 50 is formed on the outer periphery of the rear end of the rod 44. This allows the rod 44 to be connected to the rotating member 50 coaxially and rotatably relative to the rotating member 50. In addition, by forming threads on each of the rod 44 and the rotating member 50, the rotating member and the rod can be rotatably connected to each other with simple processing.

The rod 44 is provided with a plurality of guide rails 74 extending in the axial direction on its outer periphery. In the present embodiment, the rod 44 is provided with three guide rails 74 at equal intervals (120° intervals) around the circumference of the rod. The front end of each guide rail 74 is formed with an inclined portion 74a. The rear end of each guide rail 74 is connected to an annular portion 76, and an annular space 78 is formed between the annular portion 76 and the male thread 72. As a result, when the rotating member 50 rotates relative to the rod 44 while connected to the rod 44, the front end of the rotating member 50 passes through the space 78 while the male thread 72 and the female thread 68 are engaged with each other, and advances toward the spherical portion 46, or retreats away from the spherical portion 46.

The guide rails 74 are also connected near the center by an annular portion 79. The position and diameter of the end face 79a of the annular portion 79 on the spherical portion 46 side are set so that it abuts against the arc portion of the holding member 60 described below. The rod 44 is made of a different material from the rotating member 50, and is made of a material whose main component is nylon resin containing glass fiber. Note that instead of nylon resin, a resin with good sliding properties, such as polyacetal resin, may be used.

(Holding member)
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a holding member according to this embodiment. Fig. 13 is a view of the rod shown in Fig. 12 as seen from direction D. Fig. 14 is a view of the rod shown in Fig. 12 as seen from direction E. Fig. 15 is a view of the rod shown in Fig. 12 as seen from direction F.

The holding member 60 according to this embodiment is a member that holds the rod 44 slidably in the advancing and retreating direction while suppressing rattling in a direction intersecting the advancing and retreating direction of the rod 44, and is made of a material whose main component is polyacetal resin. It is attached to the opening 56c of the housing 56 through which the rod 44 advances and retreats. The holding member 60 has multiple guide grooves 80 provided in the axial direction on its inner circumference. The holding member 60 according to this embodiment has three guide grooves 80 provided at equal intervals (120° intervals) around the circumference of the holding member 60. The guide grooves 80 are configured so that the guide rails 74 of the rod 44 slide along them.

As a result, each of the multiple guide rails 74 of the rod 44 is guided at equal intervals by each of the multiple guide grooves 80 of the holding member 60. This makes it difficult for the rod 44 to tilt relative to the holding member 60, and the rod 44 slides smoothly in the axial direction of the holding member 60 without rotating. In addition, three arc portions 60b are provided at equal intervals to surround the opening 60a at the front end of the holding member 60, and are configured to abut against the annular portion 79 of the rod 44.

The holding member 60 has three equally spaced projections 82 formed on the outer periphery that engage with the square hole 56f provided on the inner periphery of the opening 56c shown in FIG. 4. The projections 82 are provided between the guide grooves 80. This allows the holding member 60 to be easily attached to the opening 56c, and the holding member 60 can hold the rod 44 without rotating or sliding in the opening 56c. Therefore, when the rotating member 50 rotates, the rotation of the rod 44 is restricted by the holding member 60. As a result, the rod 44, which is coaxial with the rotating member 50, advances and retreats from the opening 56c by sliding axially relative to the holding member 60 as the rotating member 50 rotates. In this way, the rotating member 50 and the rod 44 according to this embodiment can be integrated to form a compact advance and retreat mechanism.

Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view of the actuator 42 shown in Figure 3 taken along line G-G. Figure 16 shows a state in which most of the rod 44 is contracted inside the housing 56. Figure 17 shows a state in which the rod 44 is extended from the state shown in Figure 16. The rod 44 is connected to the rotating member 50 so that it can move between a first position P1 (the state shown in Figure 16) where the rod 44 abuts against the bottom 50a of the hole of the rotating member 50 when contracted, and a second position P2 (the state shown in Figure 17) where the rod 44 abuts against the arc portion 60b of the holding member 60 when extended. In the first position P1, the guide rail 74 of the rod 44 overlaps with the female thread 68. In other words, when the rod 44 is contracted, the guide rail 74 overlaps with the rotating member 50, and the rotating member 50 and the rod 44 can be shortened as a unit.

The actuator 42 according to the present embodiment described above includes a motor 48, which is a flat motor, and a housing 56 that accommodates the motor 48, the rotating member 50, and the rod 44. The rod 44 is configured such that the spherical portion 46 advances and retreats relative to the rotating member 50 as the rotating member 50 rotates. As shown in FIG. 5, in the actuator 42, the rotation axis X1 of the motor 48 and the rotation axis X2 of the rotating member 50 are not parallel. In other words, the rotation axis X1 and the rotation axis X2 are in a twisted position. The angle between the rotation axis X1 and the rotation axis X2 according to the present embodiment is 90°.

The rotation axis X1 of the motor 48 and the rotation axis X2 of the rotating member 50 are in a twisted position, which reduces the thickness of the motor 48 in the direction of the rotation axis, and allows the thickness of the housing 56 in a specified direction to be reduced.

The housing of the actuator 42 (housing 56 and cover 58) has an overall box-like shape and includes a housing 56 that supports the motor 48 and a cover 58 that covers an opening 56b formed in the housing 56. As shown in FIG. 4, the opening 56b is formed so that the motor 48 is exposed when not covered by the cover 58. This allows the motor 48 to be assembled to the housing 56 through an opening 56c in the housing 56.

Assuming that the height of the housing 56 shown in FIG. 3 is H, the width is W, and the thickness is D (where H>W>D), the motor 48 is arranged so that the rotation axis X1 is along the thickness direction, and the rotating member 50 is arranged so that it is along the width direction W. This reduces the thickness D of the motor 48 in the direction of the rotation axis X1, thereby making it possible to reduce the thickness of the housing 56. In addition, the housing 56 has an opening 56c formed on one of the two sides in the width direction as a slide hole through which the rod 44 slides.

(Actuator Control Method)
Next, an example of a method for controlling the actuator will be described. An electronic control unit (hereinafter, referred to as a "vehicle ECU") that performs leveling control of the vehicle controls the operation of the actuator 42 based on the output from a sensor (e.g., a vehicle height sensor) provided on the vehicle side. Specifically, the vehicle ECU detects the inclination of the vehicle, calculates the inclination angle at that time based on the information from the sensor, and calculates control position information of the motor 48 required to realize the amount of movement (advancement and retreat) of the rod 44 in the actuator 42 so as to achieve the desired inclination angle (horizontal state). The vehicle ECU then outputs a signal corresponding to the calculated control position information to the control IC.

A signal corresponding to the control position information is input to the control IC via connector 90. The motor 48 is electrically connected to the control board 86 and is driven by the control IC. Three Hall ICs 94 are arranged on the control board 86 at predetermined intervals along the circumference of the rotor of the motor 48. When the rotor magnet rotates together with the rotor, the magnetic field in each Hall IC changes, and the on/off state of each Hall IC changes, outputting a pulse signal corresponding to the rotation period of the rotor. The control IC counts these pulse signals and corresponds the count value to the rotation position of the motor 48.

(Actuator assembly method)
Next, a method for assembling the above-mentioned actuator will be described. The method for assembling the actuator according to this embodiment includes the steps of preparing a housing 56 having an opening 56b and an opening 56c on different sides as shown in Fig. 4, placing the rotating member 50 at a predetermined position on the housing 56 from the opening 56b, inserting a rod 44 connected to a mechanism for tilting an optical member provided in a vehicle lamp from the opening 56c and coaxially connecting it to the rotating member 50, and mounting a holding member 60 for holding the rod 44 in the opening 56c. The predetermined position for mounting the rotating member 50 is a position where a C-ring 62 mounted on the rear end of the rotating member 50 is held by a U-shaped protrusion 84 provided on the bottom of the housing 56. The C-ring 62 is a locking portion made of a material mainly composed of polyacetal resin.

According to this assembly method, the rotating member 50 and the rod 44 that are connected to each other can be inserted from different openings 56b, 56c and then connected coaxially, which increases the degree of freedom in the assembly process and makes assembly easier. In addition, it may be possible to make the overall opening smaller than if the parts were connected to each other in advance and then placed in the housing 56.

The assembly method according to this embodiment also includes the steps of placing the motor 48 at a predetermined position on the housing 56 through the opening 56b, and placing the spur gear 52, which constitutes a speed reduction mechanism that reduces the rotation of the motor 48 and transmits it to the rotating member 50, at a predetermined position through the opening 56b. This allows the rotation transmission mechanism, including the motor 48, speed reduction mechanism, and rotating member 50, to be placed through the opening 56b, so that the rotation transmission mechanism can be provided within the housing 56 without changing the orientation of the housing 56 or the orientation in which the members are placed. Also, by attaching the holding member 60 to the opening 56c, the movement of the rod 44 can be restricted within a predetermined range.

In addition, the housing 56 has an opening 56b formed on one of its two sides in the thickness direction, and an opening 56c formed on one of its two sides in the width direction. This allows the housing 56 to be positioned with the other of its two sides in the thickness direction as the bottom surface, allowing components to be assembled from both openings 56b and 56c without rotating the housing 56.

(Assembly of the spherical portion to the bearing member)
In the actuator 42 according to this embodiment, the spherical portion 46 is finally assembled to the bearing member 22 shown in Fig. 1. At that time, as shown in Fig. 16, a large load L (several hundred N or more) is applied to the spherical portion 46 in the direction of the arrow, and the rear end portion 50b of the rotating member 50 tries to be displaced toward the inner wall 56d of the housing 56 via the rod 44.

However, a C-ring 62 is attached to a groove 70 near the rear end 50b, and the C-ring 62 as a locking part fits into the groove of the protrusion 84, locking the rear end 50b in a predetermined position on the housing 56. Therefore, when the rear end 50b tries to displace toward the inner wall 56d, a large force is applied to the C-ring 62, and if the amount of displacement is large, the C-ring 62 may deform or crack.

The actuator 42 according to this embodiment is provided with a displacement suppression portion between the rear end 50b of the rotating member 50 and the inner wall 56d of the housing 56, which suppresses the displacement of the rear end 50b. Figure 18 shows the main part of the H-H cross section of the actuator 42 shown in Figure 3.

The displacement suppression portion in this embodiment is a protrusion 56e provided on the inner wall 56d of the housing 56. This allows the protrusion 56e to be provided integrally with the housing 56 by devising a shape for the housing 56.

If there is no protrusion 56e, the rear end 50b shown in FIG. 18 can be displaced to a distance d1 from the inner wall 56d. In that case, a large load is applied to the C-ring 62 engaged with the protrusion 84, which may cause deformation or cracking. However, by providing the protrusion 56e on the inner wall 56d, the gap between the rear end 50b and the protrusion 56e can be reduced to d2 (d2<d1). As a result, the displacement of the rear end 50b is reduced to a maximum of the gap d2, and the load applied to the C-ring 62 is reduced. In other words, by suppressing the displacement of the rear end 50b of the rotating member 50, deformation and cracking of the C-ring 62 are suppressed.

The protrusion 56e in this embodiment is a rib that extends in the direction of thickness D. This allows the displacement of the rear end 50b of the rotating member 50 to be reliably suppressed with a simple shape. The gap d2 between the rear end 50b and the protrusion 56e may be 0.3 to 1.0 mm. This allows the displacement of the rear end 50b to be suppressed to 0.3 to 1.0 mm or less. The height of the protrusion is 1.0 to 2.0 mm. This allows the protrusion 56e to be provided in a way that is less likely to interfere with other members inside the housing 56.

(Modification)
In the above embodiment, the actuator 42 is described as having a male thread on the rod 44 and a female thread on the rotating member 50, but the actuator may have a female thread on the rod and a male thread on the rotating member. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of an actuator according to a modified example. The same components as those of the actuator 42 are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described as necessary. The actuator 142 according to the modified example is mainly characterized in that a rotating member 150 having a male thread 172 is connected to a rod 144 having a female thread 168. The actuator 142 configured in this manner functions similarly to the actuator 42 described above.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and suitable combinations or substitutions of the configurations of the embodiments are also included in the present invention. In addition, it is possible to suitably rearrange the combinations and processing order in the embodiments based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and to make modifications to the embodiments such as various design changes, and embodiments with such modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention.

10 Vehicle lamp, 28 Lamp unit, 42 Actuator, 44 Rod, 46 Spherical portion, 48 Motor, 48a Pinion gear, 50 Rotating member, 50b Rear end portion, 52 Spur gear, 56 Housing, 56b Opening, 56c Opening, 56d Inner wall, 56e Convex portion, 58 Cover, 60 Holding member 60a Opening, 60b Arc portion, 62 C-ring, 64 Worm, 66 Helical gear, 68 Female thread, 72 Male thread, 74 Guide rail, 76 Annular portion, 78 Space, 79 Annular portion, 79a End surface, 80 Guide groove, 82 Protrusion, 84 Protrusion, P1 First position, P2 Second position, X1 rotation axis, X2 rotation axis, d1 spacing, d2 gap.

Claims (6)

An actuator used to change the illumination direction of a vehicle lamp,
A rotating member that rotates in accordance with the rotation of the motor;
a rod having a connection portion connected to a mechanism for tilting an optical member included in a vehicle lamp, the rod being connected coaxially with the rotating member so as to be relatively rotatable;
a housing that accommodates the rotating member and the rod;
a locking portion that locks a rear end portion of the rotating member opposite to the side to which the rod is connected at a predetermined position on the housing;
a displacement suppression portion provided between a rear end portion of the rotating member and the housing and suppressing displacement of the rear end portion;
An actuator comprising: The actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that the displacement suppression portion is a protrusion provided on the inner wall of the housing. The housing has an overall box-like shape. If the height of the housing is H, the width is W, and the thickness is D (where H>W>D), then:
3. The actuator according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion is a rib extending in a thickness direction. The actuator according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the gap between the rear end and the protrusion is 0.3 to 1.0 mm. An actuator according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the height of the protrusion is 1.0 to 2.0 mm. The rotating member is made of a material mainly composed of nylon resin,
6. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion is made of a material containing polyacetal resin as a main component.

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