JPH0834064B2 - Vehicle headlamp tilting device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A tilting device for a vehicle headlight according to the present invention will be described in accordance with the following items.

A. Industrial fields of use B. Overview of the invention C. Prior art [Fig. 12] a. General background b. Example of conventional tilting device D. Problems to be solved by the invention [Fig. 12] E. Means for Solving the Problems F. Embodiment [Figs. 1 to 11] F-1. First Embodiment [Figs. 1 to 8] a. Headlamp unit, lamp housing [First] Figures through 5
Fig.] B. Rotating fulcrum mechanism [Fig. 4] c. Aiming adjustment mechanism [Fig. 5] d. Tilt device [Figs. 1 to 4 and 6 to 8] d-1. Leveling drive Mechanism [FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG.
Fig. 6 to Fig. 8] d-1-a. Casing [Fig. 1, Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 6]
Figure, Figure 7] d-1-b. Drive shaft, drive gear [Figure 1, Figure 7, Figure 8]
[Fig.] D-1-c. Adjustment rod [Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 7]
Figure, Figure 8] d-1-d. Motor, worm gear, worm wheel [Figure 1, Figure 7, Figure 8] d-1-e. Sensor [Structure] [Figure 1, Figure 8] d-1-f. Sensor driving means [Fig. 1, Fig. 7, Fig. 8]
Fig.] D-1-g. Sensor [Function] d-1-h. Attachment to lamp housing, connection of adjusting rod and headlamp unit [Fig. 1, 3, 4] d-2 .Aiming operation unit [Figs. 1, 3, 4
Fig. 8] d-2-a. Aiming operation axis d-2-b. Connected body d-3. Operation d-3-a. Aiming adjustment in vertical direction d-3-b. Leveling F-2. Embodiment 2 [Fig. 9] F-3. Application example [Figs. 10 and 11] G. Effect of the invention (A. Industrial field of application) The present invention is a tilting of a novel vehicle headlight. Regarding the device. More specifically, a tilting member tilted when adjusting the irradiation direction is tiltably supported by a support member, and an adjusting rod connected to the tilting member, a drive shaft supporting the adjusting rod, and the drive shaft are moved. The present invention relates to a tilting device for a vehicle headlight, comprising a worm wheel for detecting the position of an adjusting rod and a detecting device for detecting the position of an adjusting rod, and devising a positional relationship between the drive shaft, the worm wheel and the detecting device. By doing so, it is intended to provide a novel tilting device for a vehicle headlamp, which can be made thinner.

(B. Outline of the Invention) A tilting device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention supports a tilting member tilted when adjusting an irradiation direction on a support member so as to be tiltable, and an adjusting rod connected to the tilting member. A tilting device for a vehicle headlight, comprising: a drive shaft supporting the adjusting rod; a worm wheel for moving the driving shaft; and a detecting means for detecting the position of the adjusting rod. Is parallel to the drive shaft, parallel to the moving direction of the drive shaft, and arranged on a shaft different from the drive shaft,
The worm gear and the motor are arranged side by side in the direction orthogonal to the adjusting rod, and the detection means is located coaxially with the worm wheel and in the vicinity of the worm wheel. The tilting device of this type can be housed in a case with a thin structure.

(C. Prior art) [Fig. 12] (a. General background) For example, in an automobile headlight device, initial aiming adjustment is performed, that is, after being attached to a vehicle body, before use or during inspection. In addition to the adjustment of the irradiation direction, there is a so-called leveling adjustment, that is, an adjustment of the irradiation direction for correcting the irradiation direction which is deviated by the change of the load applied to the vehicle body each time. In such a headlight device, generally, a member (hereinafter, referred to as a "tilting member") that changes the irradiation direction of the headlight device by changing the direction with respect to the vehicle body, such as a headlight unit and a reflecting mirror. ) Is supported on the lamp housing or the lamp body via one rotation fulcrum and two adjustment points so as to be tiltable in the left-right direction and the up-down direction, and adjustment in the up-down direction is performed among the two adjustment points. Adjustment It is adapted to constitute a tilting device comprising a and a leveling adjustment means for performing the aiming adjustment means and the leveling adjustment for making an initial aiming adjustment. Here, the headlamp unit is a unit in which a light source is arranged in a lamp space defined by a lamp body and a lens attached so as to cover a front opening of the lamp body.

Although there are various types of tilting devices of the related art, basically, an adjusting rod whose front end is connected to a tilting member, a means for moving the adjusting rod, and a position of the adjusting rod are basically provided. It is composed of detecting means for detecting.

(B. Example of conventional tilting device) FIG. 12 shows a tilting device for a vehicle headlight described in JP-A-61-64548.

Reference numeral a is a headlamp unit supported by a lamp housing (not shown) so as to be tiltable in the left-right direction and the vertical direction, and b is a tilting device. c is a main casing fixed to the lamp housing, d is a substantially cylindrical drive shaft supported by the main casing c so as to be movable in the front-rear direction and non-rotatable, e
Is an adjustment in which the middle part is screwed into a screw hole f formed in the drive shaft d, the front end is connected to the lower end of the headlight unit a in a ball joint shape, and the rear end projects rearward from the main casing c. A rod, g is a worm wheel rotatably supported by the main casing c and externally fitted to the drive shaft d,
Reference numeral h is a worm gear which is rotated by the motor i and meshes with the worm wheel g.

Therefore, when the adjusting rod e is gripped at its rear end and rotated, the adjusting rod e is screwed or unscrewed with respect to the drive shaft d and moves in the front-rear direction, so that the headlamp unit a is tilted substantially vertically. The irradiation direction will be changed. This is aiming adjustment. Further, when the motor i is rotated by remote control from the driver's seat, the worm wheel g is rotated to move the drive shaft d integrally with the adjusting rod e in the front-rear direction. Is tilted substantially vertically to change its irradiation direction. This is leveling adjustment.

j is a sub-casing fixed to the lower part of the main casing c. The sub-casing j has a contact holding plate k holding a large number of fixed contacts (not shown) and the contact holding plate k.
A sensor n including a rotary plate l supporting a movable contact (not shown) facing from the front and an intermediate gear m meshed with gear teeth formed on the peripheral surface of the rotary plate l is housed in the intermediate gear m. Is meshed with a gear o formed integrally with the worm wheel g. Then, when the worm wheel g rotates, the adjustment rod e moves and the intermediate gear m rotates to rotate the rotary plate l, whereby the position or the amount of movement of the adjustment rod e is detected.
The amount of movement of the adjusting rod e is controlled by the signal from the sensor n that operates as described above.

(D. Problem to be Solved by the Invention) [FIG. 12] The tilting device b described above has the following problems.

That is, since the sensor n is housed in the sub-casing j different from the main casing c and attached to the main casing c, there is a problem that the number of parts increases, and the sensor n has a drive shaft d. Also, since it is arranged in parallel with the adjusting rod e and diagonally below and behind the worm wheel g, the size in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction becomes large, and therefore the overall shape of the device becomes very large.

Therefore, it is conceivable to arrange the sensor n coaxially with the drive shaft d in order to reduce the protrusion in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the drive shaft d. However, if this is done, the dimension in the front-rear direction becomes large. There is a problem that the whole shape becomes thick.

(E. Means for Solving the Problem) Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the tilting device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention detects a motor, a worm gear, and a worm wheel in a case supporting a drive shaft. The means is housed, the worm wheel is arranged in parallel with the drive shaft, parallel to the moving direction of the drive shaft, and arranged on a shaft different from the drive shaft, and the worm gear and the motor are arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to the adjusting rod, The detection means is arranged coaxially with the worm wheel and in the vicinity of the worm wheel.

Therefore, according to the tilting device for a vehicle headlamp of the present invention, the worm wheel and the detecting means are arranged side by side with the drive shaft in a state where they are coaxial and close to each other, that is, on a shaft different from the drive shaft. The dimension of the drive shaft in the direction along the axis can be reduced by the worm wheel and the detecting means to substantially the same length as the total length in the axial direction, whereby a tilting device of this kind can be constructed to be considerably thin. it can.

(F. Embodiment) [FIGS. 1 to 11] Hereinafter, details of a tilting device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention will be described with reference to the illustrated embodiment.

(F-1. First Embodiment) [Figs. 1 to 8] Figs. 1 to 8 show a first embodiment of a tilting device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention. The headlight device 1 shown in this embodiment is a so-called movable unit headlight device,
That is, a headlamp unit formed by disposing a light bulb in a lamp space defined by a lamp body having a reflecting mirror surface and a lens covering a front opening thereof is used as a tilting member, and the headlamp unit is set with respect to a vehicle body. This is a headlight device of a type that changes the irradiation direction by tilting.

(A. Headlamp Unit, Lamp Housing) [FIGS. 1 to 5] 2 is a headlamp unit, which includes a lamp body 3 formed to have a recessed shape that is open substantially forward and It comprises a lens 4 attached to the lamp body 3 so as to cover its front opening, and a light bulb 5 supported by the lamp body 3. The lamp body 3 has a reflection surface 3a facing forward, and the light bulb 5 has a light bulb mounting hole formed at the top of the reflection surface 3a.
The light emitting portion of the light bulb 5 is supported by 3b and is located in a lamp space 6 defined by the lamp body 3 and the lens 4.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a synthetic resin lamp housing, which has a substantially concave shape that is open to the front, and is fixed to the vehicle body 8 so as to be located on the rear side of the opening for headlight placement of the vehicle body 8.

Point A, point B and point C (see FIG. 2) are points at which the headlamp unit 2 is supported by the lamp housing 7, point A is a rotation fulcrum portion, and is separated laterally from point A. The headlamp unit 2 is an adjusting section that can adjust the distance between the lamp housing 7 and the headlight unit 2 at the point C that is spaced downward from the point B and the point A. The tilting is performed in the left-right direction (the direction to the left in FIG. 2 is the left side and the direction to the right is the right side) and the up-down direction.

Reference numeral 9 denotes an operation shaft arranging portion which is formed so as to project rearward from a position corresponding to the adjusting portion C on the lower end portion of the rear wall 10 of the lamp housing 7. This operation shaft arranging portion 9 will be described later. In the portion where the aiming operation shaft of the tilting device is provided, the rear end is closed and has a substantially cylindrical shape, a circular support hole 11a is formed in the rear end wall 11, and the rear end wall 1
An annular protrusion 11b is formed on the rear surface of 1 so as to surround the support hole 11a.

(B. Rotational fulcrum mechanism) [Fig. 4] 12 is a rotational fulcrum mechanism which constitutes the above-mentioned rotational fulcrum part.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a supported portion that projects rearward from the rear surface of the lamp body 3. A metal support shaft 14 is fixed to the rear end of the supported portion 13, and a spherical portion 14a is integrated with the lower end of the support shaft 14. Is formed in.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a synthetic resin receptacle attached so as to project forward from the upper portion of the rear wall 10 of the lamp housing 7, and has a spherical recess 15a formed on the upper surface thereof. The spherical portion 14a of the support shaft 14 is rotatably fitted in the shaft 15a.

The headlamp unit 2 is mounted on the lamp housing 7 so that the headlamp unit 2 can be tilted about a point where the spherical portion 14a of the support shaft 14 is supported by the receiving body 15 (this point is the point A). Supported.

(C. Aiming Adjusting Mechanism) [FIG. 5] Reference numeral 16 is an aiming adjusting mechanism which constitutes the adjusting part at the point B.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a substantially cylindrical protrusion projecting rearward from the rear surface of the lamp body 3, and a receiving end 18 made of synthetic resin is supported at the rear end of the receiving end. A spherical recess 18a opening toward the front and a groove-shaped hole 18b continuously extending forward are formed at the front end of the spherical recess 18a.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a gear unit, which is a rear wall 10 of the lamp housing 7.
A gear case 20 fixed to the front surface of the vehicle, a first bevel gear 21 rotatably provided in the gear case 20 in a direction in which the axial direction extends in the vertical direction, and a second bevel gear meshed with the first bevel gear 21. 22 and an aiming adjustment shaft 23, a boss formed in the center of the second bevel gear 22 is formed with a screw hole 22a penetrating in the front-rear direction, and an operation rod 21a fixed to the first bevel gear 21 is formed. The upper end portion projects outside the gear case 20.

Most of the aiming adjustment shaft 23 has a screw shaft shape, and a sphere portion 23a and a plate-like protrusion 23b protruding forward from the sphere portion 23a are integrally formed at a front end portion thereof, and an intermediate portion thereof. Is screwed into the screw hole 22a of the second bevel gear 22, the spherical portion 23a is rotatably fitted in the spherical concave portion 18a of the receiving member 18 (this point is the point B), and The protrusion 23b is slidably engaged with the hole 18b of the receiving body 18. Therefore,
The aiming adjustment shaft 23 is connected to the receiver 18 in a non-rotatable state.

Then, the first bevel gear 2 is moved by the operating rod 21a.
When 1 is rotated, the second bevel gear 22 is rotated, and the aiming adjustment shaft screwed to the second bevel gear 22 is rotated.
Since 23 is sent in the axial direction, the receiving body 18 is moved in the substantially front-back direction, whereby the headlight unit 2 is moved to the points A and C.
The irradiation direction is changed to the left-right direction by tilting in the substantially left-right direction with the straight line connecting the points as the rotation center axis. That is, the aiming adjustment in the left-right direction is performed.

(D. Tilt device) [FIGS. 1 to 4 and 6 to 8]
FIG. 24 is a tilting device that constitutes an adjusting portion of the support point C, and has a leveling drive mechanism having an adjusting rod whose front end is connected to the headlamp unit 2 and an aiming device connected to the adjusting rod. Headlamp unit 2 consisting of an operating part
The tilting device 24 performs initial aiming adjustment and leveling adjustment in the up and down direction of the irradiation direction.

(D-1. Leveling drive mechanism) [FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG.
FIGS. 6 to 8] 25 is a leveling drive mechanism.

(D-1-a. Casing) [FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG.
6 and 7] 26 is a casing of the leveling drive mechanism 24, which is approximately 2
A front half 27 and a rear half 28 that can be split are integrally connected.

Most of the front half 27 and the rear half 28 have a front-rear symmetrical shape, and the outer shape when viewed from the front-rear direction is approximately two-thirds of the upper portion 29, 29 '(hereinafter referred to as "upper"). ) Is a vertically long rectangle, and the remaining portions 30 and 30 '(hereinafter referred to as "lower portions") are substantially semicircular. The insides of the lower portions 30 and 30' are the insides of the upper portions 29 and 29 '. The depth is about one-third to one-quarter of the depth of. The holes 31, 31, 31 and 31 ', 3 are provided at the three corners of the upper part 29, 29' except for the upper right end.
1 ', 31' are formed, and projections 32, 32 'are formed on the upper end surface at positions substantially corresponding to corners other than the above three corners. Holes 32a are formed in the projections 32, 32'. 32'a is formed.

Further, the substantially central portion 33a of the lower portion of the front wall 33 of the front half 27 is formed thickly by projecting to the front and rear sides, and a circular support hole 34 is formed that penetrates the thick portion 33a in the front-rear direction. Engaging grooves 34a, 34a extending along the axial direction of the support hole 34 are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the support hole 34.

Further, a circular recess 36 is formed in the center of the inner surface of the lower part of the rear wall 35 of the rear half 28 by projecting this part rearward, and a circular recess is formed in the center of the back wall of the recess 36. Is formed with a rod insertion hole 37.

Then, the two halves 27 and 28 as described above are connected to each other with their respective opening faces butted against each other.
Nuts 39, 39 are provided at the tips of the screws 38, 38 inserted into two of 31, 31, 31 and 31 ', 31', 31 'except the one on the lower left.
Are joined together by being screwed together, thereby forming a casing 26 having a relatively thin space inside. When these two halves 27 and 28 are combined, the support hole 34 of the front half 27 and the rod insertion hole of the rear half 28 are inserted.
37 and are located on the same axis.

(D-1-b. Drive shaft, drive gear) [FIGS. 1, 7, and 8] 40 is a drive shaft. The drive shaft 40 has a substantially cylindrical shape that is long in the front-rear direction, and a substantially intermediate portion 41 has a diameter larger than the remaining portion, and portions that are located on opposite sides of the intermediate portion 41 with the axial center therebetween. The engaging projections 41a, 41a are provided so as to project, and the rear portion 42 from the intermediate portion 41 is a screw shaft portion.

43 is a drive gear rotated by a worm wheel described later, and a substantially cylindrical boss portion 44 and a gear portion 45 centering on the front end portion of the boss 44 are integrally formed. A screw hole 44a is formed in the center, and the gear portion 45
A concave portion 45a having a diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the gear portion 45 and having a depth approximately half the thickness of the gear portion 45 is formed on the front surface of the.

The drive gear 43 has a boss portion 44 rotatably fitted in the recess 36 formed in the rear wall 35 of the rear half 28 and a recess 45a formed in the gear portion 45.
Is rotatably externally fitted to the rear end of the thick portion 33a formed in the lower portion 30 of the front half 27, and is thereby rotatably arranged on the rear side of the lower end inside the casing 26. .

Further, in the drive shaft 40, the middle portion 41 is a thick portion of the front half 27.
The screw shaft portion 42 is slidably inserted into the support hole 34 formed in 33a, the screw shaft portion 42 is screwed into the screw hole 44a of the boss portion 44 of the drive gear 43, and the engaging protrusions 41a and 41a are It is slidably engaged with the engaging grooves 34a, 34a of the support hole 34, whereby it is non-rotatably disposed at the lower end of the casing 26.

(D-1-c. Adjusting rod) [Fig. 1, Fig. 3, Fig. 4,
7 and FIG. 8] 46 is an adjusting rod having a substantially cylindrical shape, a front end side approximately one-third of which is formed in the screw shaft portion 47, and a rear end side approximately one-fourth portion 48.
(Hereinafter, referred to as "connecting portion") is formed to have an oval cross section, a stopper flange 50 is formed at the boundary between the intermediate portion 49 and the connecting portion 48, and the intermediate portion 49 is formed. An annular groove 51 is formed at the boundary between the screw shaft portion 47 and the screw shaft portion 47.

An intermediate portion 49 of such an adjusting rod 46 is rotatably inserted into a support hole 52 formed by penetrating the central portion of the drive shaft 40, and its stopper flange 50 abuts on the rear end of the drive shaft 40. At the point of contact, the groove 51 located immediately before the hole 52
A stop ring 53 is attached to the drive shaft 40, and is thereby supported by the drive shaft 40 so as to be rotatable and immovable in the axial direction.

(D-1-d. Motor, worm gear, worm wheel) [FIGS. 1, 7, and 8] 54 is a motor having a case 55 having a substantially oval shape when viewed from the axial direction. The case 55 is arranged at the upper end inside the casing 26 with the axial direction extending in the left-right direction.
The projections 55a, 55a provided on both end surfaces of the motor support pieces 56, 56 projecting from the rear half 28 and the front wall of the front half 27 and the like fix the position with respect to the casing 26, and the rotation shaft 57 thereof. The pinion gear 58 is fixed to. The tip of the rotary shaft 57 is supported by semicircular cutouts 59, 59 (only the rear half 24 is shown in FIG. 6) formed in the abutting end faces of the halves 27, 28.

Reference numeral 60 denotes a worm body, in which a worm gear 61 and a reduction gear 62 in the form of a spur gear centered on a position near one end of the worm gear 61 are integrally formed of synthetic resin.
Cylindrical bosses 63, 63 that are arranged immediately below the motor 54 in a direction parallel to the motor 54 and project from both ends of the worm gear 61.
There is a worm support piece 64 protruding from the rear half 28 and a half
The transmission gears 62 are rotatably supported separately in semicircular cutouts 65, 65 formed on the abutting surfaces of 27, 28, and a transmission gear 62 is meshed with a pinion gear 58 of a motor 54.

Reference numeral 66 is a support shaft for supporting a worm wheel, a sensor, etc., which will be described later, and has a length substantially the same as the distance between the front wall 33 and the rear wall 35 of the casing 26, and is located at the rear side from the center thereof. The portion 66a has a cylindrical shape, and the remaining portion is formed so as to have a substantially oval shape when viewed in the axial direction, and its front and rear end portions are substantially in the center of the inner surfaces of the front wall 33 and the rear wall 35. It is rotatably supported by the formed bearing recesses 67, 67 '. Therefore, the support shaft 66 is the drive shaft 40 and the adjusting rod.
It is placed parallel to 46.

Reference numeral 68 denotes a rotating body, and a worm wheel 69 and a transmission gear 70 coaxial with the worm wheel 69 and having a smaller diameter than the worm wheel 69 are integrally formed by a synthetic resin, and the worm wheel 69 has a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the worm wheel 69. A circular recess 71 having a small diameter is formed, and a support hole 72 is formed in the center.
Then, such a rotating body 68 is provided in the support hole 72 with the support shaft.
The columnar portion 66a of 68 is rotatably inserted, the worm wheel 69 is meshed with the worm gear 61 of the worm body 60, and the transmission gear 70 is meshed with the gear portion 45 of the drive gear 43. Therefore, the worm wheel 69 is arranged in parallel with the drive shaft 40, the adjusting rod 46 and the drive gear 43.

Then, when the motor 54 rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the drive gear 43 via the path of the pinion gear 58-worm body 60-worm wheel 69, the drive gear 43 is rotated, and the drive shaft 40 is integrated with the adjusting rod 46. Will be moved axially.

(D-1-e. Sensor [Structure]) [FIGS. 1 and 8] 73 is a sensor for detecting the position of the adjusting rod 46 moved as described above, and includes a circuit board and a contact holding plate. And sensor gear etc.

Reference numeral 74 is a circuit board, and a circular engaging hole 75 is formed in the substantially central portion thereof.
, Two positioning holes 76, 76 are formed, and a large number of terminals 77, 77, ... Arranged substantially annularly around the engagement hole 75 are formed by printing on the rear surface. There is.

Reference numeral 78 denotes a contact holding plate in the shape of a substantially thick disc, which has a circular support hole 79 formed in the center thereof and a large number of contact holding holes 80, 80 arranged in an annular position surrounding the support hole 79. , Are formed, and positioning projections 81, 81 are formed on the front surface.

Reference numeral 82 denotes a rotor, which is a disc portion having a thick central portion.
A hole 86 is formed integrally with a cylindrical boss portion 85 projecting from the central portion 84 of the disc portion 83 and having a cylindrical shape.
Is formed, and the central hole 86 has a portion 86a corresponding to the disc portion 83.
Has a substantially oval cross section and the rest is circular. Further, the tip side approximately one-third of the boss portion 85 is provided with a cut groove extending along the axial direction, and thus is divided into approximately four equal parts in the axial direction and has elasticity having a bending elasticity in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction. The elastic pieces formed on the pieces 87, 87, ...
Engaging grooves 88, 88, ... Which extend annularly in the direction around the axis are formed in approximately the rear half of the outer peripheral surfaces of 87, 87 ,.

Reference numeral 89 denotes a substantially ring-shaped conductor support plate, on the front surface of which two substantially semi-circular arc-shaped conductors 90 and 90 'are formed, and the rear surface is adhered to the front surface of the disc portion 83 of the rotor 82. It is fixed by the fixing means.

The contact holding plate 78 faces the rear surface of the circuit board 74, that is, the surface on which the terminals 77, 77, ... Are provided, and the positioning projections 81, 81 of the contact holding plate 78 are positioned in the positioning holes 76 of the circuit board 74. , 76, the position thereof is defined, and the rotor 82 has the elastic pieces 87, 8 of the boss portion 85.
The portion on the disk portion 83 side from 7, ... Is rotatably inserted into the support hole 79 of the contact holding plate 78, and the engaging groove of the boss portion 85 is formed.
88, 88, ... rotatably engages the opening edge portion of the engaging hole 75 of the circuit board 74, and the contact holding plate 78 serves as the circuit board 74 and the disc portion.
It is held in a sandwiched manner with the central portion 84 of 83. Furthermore,
The portion of the support shaft 66 between the cylindrical portion 66a and the front end portion is inserted into the center hole 86 of the rotor 82, and the part 86a of the center hole is formed into an oval shape as described above. So
The rotor 82 and the support shaft 66 are coupled so as to rotate integrally.

Further, spherical contact points 91, 91, ... And coil springs 92, 92, ... Having conductivity are provided in this order from the rear side in the contact point holding holes 80, 80 ,. The contact points 91, 91, ... Are coil springs 92, 92, ...
・ Always elastically contact the surface of the conductor support plate 89 on which the conductors 90, 90 'are provided, and the coil springs 92, 92 ,.
..Front ends of terminals 77, 7 formed on circuit board 74
It is in contact with 7, ...

Incidentally, in the rotating body 68, the concave portion 71 has a disc portion 83 of the rotor 83.
Also, the conductor support plate 89 is supported by the support shaft 66 so as to be fitted on the conductor support plate 89 with some margin.

Then, the support shaft 66 has the sensor 73 assembled in this way, and the driven gear to be described later is supported at the end portion on the side opposite to the circuit board 74 of the support shaft 66 as described above.
It is installed in 26.

Thus, the sensor 73 is arranged in parallel with the drive shaft 40 while being coaxial with the worm wheel 69.

The circuit board 74 includes the projections 93, 93 formed on the front half 27.
The casing 26 is supported by being supported (see FIG. 1).
The position inside is fixed.

(D-1-f. Sensor driving means) [FIGS. 1, 7, and 8] 94 is a thin spur gear-shaped driven gear, and an oval hole formed in the center thereof. A portion of the support shaft 66 that projects rearward from the worm wheel 69 is inserted into the shaft 94a, and thus is supported by the support shaft 66 so as to rotate integrally therewith.

Reference numeral 95 denotes an intermediate gear, which is integrally formed with a large gear 95a and a small gear 95b, each of which has a spur gear shape and is coaxial with each other, and is rotatably supported by a support shaft 96 supported by the rear half 28. And the large gear 95a is the transmission gear 70 of the rotating body 68.
The small gear 95b is meshed with the driven gear 94.

Therefore, when the worm wheel 69 rotates, the rotation is reduced in speed via the transmission gear 70, the intermediate gear 95 and the driven gear 94 and transmitted to the support shaft 66, whereby the support shaft 66 and the rotor 82 are integrated. Will be rotated. The support shaft
66 and the rotating body 68 are rotated at different speeds.

(D-1-g. Sensor [Function]) The contacts 91, 91, ... Are divided into two groups, a first polarity side group and a second polarity side group, and the contacts 91, 91 ,.
Terminals 77, 77 in which two electrode contacts 91, 91 of 91, ... Are in contact are respectively connected to two input terminals having different polarities of the motor 54, and the other contacts are provided in the remote control section. The rotary switches are separately connected to the switched contacts of the two rotary switches that are interlocked with each other, and the rotary switch is connected to the power supply battery. By selecting any one set of the switched contacts in the rotary switch, The circuit consisting of the selected set of switched contacts and the two contacts 91, 91 connected to them, the conductors 90, 90 ', the motor 54 and the power supply is closed to rotate the motor 54 in the forward or reverse direction. It has become so.

Then, when the motor 54 rotates, the rotating body 68 and the drive gear 43 rotate, so that the drive gear 43 causes the drive shaft 40 and the adjusting rod 46 to integrally move forward or backward, and at the same time, the sensor 73 When the rotor 82 and the conductor support plate 89 are rotated and rotated by a predetermined amount, the conductors 90 and 90 'are separated from the selected contact points 91 and 91 and the circuit is opened to rotate the motor 54. Stop. Therefore, the motor
The rotation amount and rotation direction of 54 are defined by the switched contacts selected by the rotary switch.
The position of the adjusting rod 46 is detected by 73.

The control system of the control mechanism equipped with such a sensor 73 is substantially the same as the control system of the control mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-209932.

(D-1-h. Attachment to lamp housing, connection of adjusting rod and headlamp unit) [Fig. 1, Fig. 3, Fig. 4] The leveling drive mechanism 25 as described above has its casing 26. Is arranged so as to be close to the rear wall 10 of the lamp housing 7 from the front side and the connecting portion 48 of the adjusting rod 46 is located in the operation shaft arrangement portion 9 provided in the lamp housing 7, and the rear wall of the lamp housing 7 is arranged. (Not shown) of the mounting bosses 97, 97 projecting forward from 10 and the casing 26
The holes 32a, 32'a of the projections 32, 32 'and the three holes 31, 31, 31 and 31', 31 ', 3 of the halves 27, 28 provided in the.
Long screws 98, 98 are inserted from the rear into one of 31, 31 'in 1', and nuts 99, 99 are attached to the tips of the screws 98, 98.
Is fixed to the lamp housing 7 by being screwed.

Further, 100 is a bracket attached to the lower end portion of the rear surface of the lamp body 3 of the headlight unit 2, and a nut 101 made of synthetic resin is supported on the bracket 100 with its axis extending in the front-rear direction. There is.

Then, the screw shaft portion 47 of the adjusting rod 46 is screwed into the nut 101, whereby the adjusting rod 46 and the headlight unit 2 are connected.

(D-2. Aiming operation unit) [Figs. 1, 3 and 4
FIG. 8, FIG. 8] 102 is an operating section for aiming.

(D-2-a. Aiming operation axis) 103 is an aiming operation axis, which is a cylindrical intermediate portion 1
04, a head 105 formed at the rear end of the intermediate portion 104, a connecting portion 106 located on the front side of the intermediate portion 104, and a truncated cone shape located between the connecting portion 106 and the intermediate portion 104. The portion 107 is formed coaxially and integrally with each other, and a flange 108 having a diameter larger than that of the head 105 is formed between the intermediate portion 104 and the head 105.
The connecting portion 106 is formed to have a substantially oval cross-sectional shape, and an engaging groove 109 is formed at a position closer to the connecting portion 106 side of the intermediate portion 104.

Further, such an aiming operation shaft 103 is provided at the rear side of the operation shaft arrangement portion 9 in which a portion between the flange 108 of the intermediate portion 104 and the engagement groove 109 is formed on the rear wall 10 of the lamp housing 7 from the rear side. The support hole 11a formed in the end wall 11 is rotatably inserted, and the retaining ring 110 is engaged with the engaging groove 109, whereby the position in the axial direction with respect to the operation shaft arranging portion 9, that is, the front-rear direction is fixed. In addition, the connecting portion 106 is rotatably supported by the lamp housing 7 in a state where the connecting portion 106 is positioned inside the operation shaft arrangement portion 9.

Thus, the aiming operation shaft 103 is coaxially close to the adjusting rod 46 from the rear.

The range of movement of the adjusting rod 46 is the position when the rear surface of the intermediate portion 41 of the drive shaft 40 supporting the adjusting rod 46 comes into contact with the front surface of the drive gear 43 as shown by the solid line in FIG. Position ") and the drive shaft 40 as indicated by the two-dot chain line in the same figure.
Between the position where the front surface of the intermediate portion 41 of the lamp contacts the inner surface of the front wall 33 of the casing 26 (hereinafter referred to as the “maximum forward position”), and The relative relations such as the dimensions and the lengths of the adjusting rod 46 and the aiming operation shaft 103 are determined by a predetermined distance l between the rear end of the adjusting rod 46 and the front end of the aiming operation shaft 103 in the retracted position. (See FIG. 1).

Reference numeral 111 is a waterproof O-ring that is fitted in the annular projection 11b of the operation shaft arrangement portion 9.

(D-2-b. Connection body) 112 is a connection body for connecting the aiming operation shaft 103 and the adjusting rod 46, and has a substantially cylindrical shape and has a hole.
113 has a substantially oval shape when viewed from the axial direction, and a retaining wall 114 is formed at a substantially intermediate portion thereof.

And, in such a connecting body 112, the connecting portion 106 of the aiming operation shaft 103 and the connecting portion 48 of the adjusting rod 46 are slidably inserted into the hole 113 from both ends, respectively, by this,
The aiming operation shaft 103 and the adjusting rod 46 are connected so as to rotate integrally.

The distance 1 between the adjusting rod 46 and the aiming operation shaft 103 when the adjusting rod 46 is in the retracted position is larger than the thickness of the retaining wall 114 of the connecting body 112, for example, approximately the thickness. And the length of the connector 112 is such that the adjusting rod 46 is moved to the maximum forward position and the connector 112 is
Even when the retaining wall 114 comes to a position where the retaining wall 114 comes into contact with the rear end of the adjusting rod 46, the length is such that the retaining wall 114 does not slip forward from the aiming operation shaft 103.

Therefore, the adjusting rod 46 and the aiming operation shaft 103 are
The adjustment rods 46 are always separated from each other in the axial direction and are connected so as to be integrally rotated via the connection body 112 regardless of which position in the movement range the adjustment rods 46 come to.

(D-3. Operation) (d-3-a. Vertical aiming adjustment) When performing the initial aiming adjustment in the vertical direction, the aiming operation shaft 103 is rotated. Then, the connecting body 112 and the adjusting rod 46 are rotated integrally with the aiming operation shaft 103, and the adjusting rod 46 is screwed into the nut 101 supported by the headlight unit 2 without changing the position in the axial direction. Or it is screwed back so that the nut
101 is relatively moved in the front-rear direction along the adjusting rod 46, whereby the distance between the headlight unit 2 and the lamp housing 7 in the tilting device 24 is changed, and the headlight is changed. The unit 2 is tilted substantially vertically with the straight line connecting the rotation fulcrum A and the adjustment point B as the rotation center axis. Thereby, the irradiation direction is adjusted in the vertical direction.

(D-3-b. Leveling) When performing leveling adjustment, the motor 54 is rotated by remote control. Then, as described above, the drive shaft
Since 40 is moved in the front-rear direction together with the adjusting rod 46, the nut 101 supported by the headlight unit 2 is moved in the front-rear direction, whereby the space between the headlight unit 2 and the lamp housing 7 is increased. Since the interval of is changed and the headlight unit 2 is tilted substantially in the vertical direction, the irradiation direction is adjusted in the vertical direction.

In this case, the connecting body 112 is the connecting portion 4 of the adjusting rod 46.
8 and / or the connecting portion 106 of the aiming operation shaft 103 is slid. Further, the moving direction and moving amount of the adjusting rod 46, in other words, the rotating direction and rotating amount of the motor 54 are controlled by the sensor 73 as described above.

(F-2. Second Embodiment) [FIG. 9] FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of the tilting device for a vehicle headlamp according to the present invention.

The headlight device 115 shown in the second embodiment is different from the headlight device 1 shown in the first embodiment in that the connecting structure between the adjusting rod and the headlight unit and its relation are related. Only the part that was done. Therefore, the description of the parts which are not different from those of the headlight device 1 will be omitted by giving the same reference numerals to the respective parts shown in the figure, which are the same as those of the headlight device 1 of the first embodiment. The usage of such a code is the same in the application example described later.

116 is a bracket 1 formed integrally with the lamp body 3
The receiving member 17 is made of synthetic resin and is supported by 17, and has a spherical recess 116a that is open rearward.

Further, a screw hole 118 is formed so as to penetrate the central portion of the drive shaft 40.

Reference numeral 119 is an adjusting rod, in which a spherical body 120 is formed at the front end, a rear end 121 is formed as a non-cylindrical connecting portion having an oval cross section, and most of the remaining portion 122 is formed as a screw shaft portion. The screw shaft portion 122 is screwed into the screw hole 118 of the drive shaft 40, and the connecting portion 121 is connected to the aiming operation shaft via the connecting body 112.
Slidingly connected to the connecting portion 106 of 103, and a spherical body 120
Is rotatably fitted in the spherical recess 116 a of the receiving body 116.

Then, when the aiming operation shaft 103 is rotated, the adjusting rod 119 is screwed or unscrewed with respect to the drive shaft 40 to move in the axial direction, so that the receiving body 116 is moved in the substantially front-back direction, whereby the front The lighting unit 2 is tilted substantially vertically and the irradiation direction is changed.

The leveling is performed in the same way as in the first embodiment.

(F-3. Application Example) [Figs. 10 and 11] Figs. 10 and 11 show an application example of the tilting device for a vehicle headlight according to the present invention. The headlamp device 123 shown in this application example is a so-called movable reflector mirror headlamp device, that is, a reflector rotatably supported by the lamp body is used as a tilting member, and the reflector is mounted on the lamp body. A headlight device of a type in which an irradiation direction is changed by tilting with respect to the headlight device. The first headlight device is only at this point and a point related thereto.
Is different from the headlight device 1 shown in the embodiment.

Reference numeral 124 denotes a headlight unit, which is a lamp body 125 made of a synthetic resin and having an open front surface, a lens 126 attached to the lamp body 125 so as to cover the front opening, and an image formed by the lamp body 125 and the lens 126. A lamp body 125 is fixed to the lamp housing 7 and is composed of a reflecting mirror 128 arranged in the formed lamp space 127 and a light bulb 129 supported on the rear top of the reflecting mirror 128.

Reference numeral 130 denotes an operation shaft arrangement portion formed so as to project rearward from the lower end portion of the rear wall 131 of the lamp body 125, which is the same as the operation shaft arrangement portion 9 of the lamp housing shown in the first embodiment. It has a structure.

Then, the reflecting mirror 128 is 3 of A, B and C shown in FIG.
Supported by the lamp body 125 at three points, these three
One of the two points A, B and C is a rotation fulcrum portion, and this rotation fulcrum portion is constituted by the above-mentioned rotation fulcrum mechanism 12. Further, the other two supporting points B and C are the reflecting mirrors 12.
The adjusting portion for adjusting the distance between the lamp 8 and the lamp body 125, and the adjusting portion for the point B, which is separated from the rotation fulcrum portion point A to the left, is shown in, for example, the first embodiment. It is composed of an adjusting mechanism similar to the aiming adjusting mechanism 16.

Further, the adjusting portion at the point C is constituted by the tilting device 24 described above, and in this application example, the leveling drive mechanism 25 is attached to the inside of the rear wall 131 of the lamp body 125 and the front end of the adjusting rod 46 thereof. Part is reflector 128
It is screwed to a nut 133 fixed to a bracket 132 protruding from the.

Further, the aiming operation shaft 103 is supported by the operation shaft arrangement portion 130 of the lamp body 125, and the aiming operation shaft 103 and the adjusting rod 46 are connected via the connecting body 112.

Thus, when the operating member of the aiming adjustment section at the point B is operated, the reflecting mirror 128 is tilted substantially in the left-right direction with the straight line connecting the points A and C as the rotation center axis, and
When the operation shaft 103 of the tilting device 24 is rotated or the motor 54 is rotated, the tilting device 24 is tilted in a substantially vertical direction with the straight line connecting the points A and B as the rotation center axis. In this way, the irradiation direction is changed.

(G. Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, the vehicle headlight leveling device of the present invention supports the tilting member tilted when changing the irradiation direction on the support member so as to be tiltable. A tilting device for a vehicle headlamp, comprising a case fixed to a holding member, a drive shaft movably supported in the case in the front-rear direction, and a tilting member having a front end supported by the drive shaft. A detection means for detecting the positions of a worm gear having a connecting adjustment rod, which is rotated by a motor in the case, and a worm wheel for moving the drive shaft by meshing with and rotating the worm gear and the adjustment rod. And the worm wheel is arranged in parallel to the drive shaft and parallel to the moving direction of the drive shaft and on a shaft different from the drive shaft, and the worm gear and the motor are They are arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the integer rod, the detection means, characterized in that disposed in the vicinity of the worm wheel coaxially and worm wheel.

Therefore, according to the vehicle headlamp tilting device of the present invention, the worm wheel detecting means are arranged side by side with the drive shaft in the state of being coaxial and close to each other, that is, on a shaft different from the drive shaft. The dimension of the drive shaft in the axial direction can be reduced to about the same as the sum of the axial lengths of the worm wheel and the detecting means, which makes it possible to construct a tilting device of this type in a considerably thin shape. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 to 8 show a first embodiment of a tilting device for a vehicle headlight according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an enlarged lower end portion of the headlight unit and the tilting device. Fig. 2 is a front view, Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a second view. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the case separately into a front half and a rear half, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 1 of the tilting device. FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view showing an essential part of the tilting device in a disassembled state, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the essential part showing a second embodiment of the tilting device for a vehicle headlight according to the invention, FIG. And FIG. 11 shows an application example of the tilting device for a vehicle headlight according to the present invention. FIG. 10 is a front view and FIG.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XI-XI of FIG. 12, and FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing an example of a conventional tilting device for a vehicle headlamp. Explanation of symbols 1 …… Vehicle headlamp, 2 …… Tilt member, 7 …… Support member, 24 …… Tilt device, 26 …… Case, 40 …… Drive shaft, 46 …… Adjustment rod, 47 …… Front end (of adjusting rod), 54 …… motor, 61 …… worm gear, 69 …… worm wheel, 73 …… detecting means, 101 …… nut, 49 …… intermediate portion (of adjusting rod), 115 …… vehicle Headlights, 119 …… Adjustment rod, 120 …… (adjustment rod) front end, 122 …… (adjustment rod) middle part, 123 …… Vehicle headlight, 128 …… Tilt member, 133… …nut

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A tilting device for a vehicle headlamp, wherein a tilting member tilted when changing an irradiation direction is tiltably supported by a support member, the case being fixed to the support member, and the case. A drive shaft supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, and an adjustment rod supported by the drive shaft and having a front end portion connected to a tilting member, and a worm gear rotated by a motor in the case and meshed with the worm gear. A worm wheel for moving the drive shaft by rotating and a detecting means for detecting the position of the adjusting rod are housed, and the worm wheel is parallel to the drive shaft and parallel to the moving direction of the drive shaft, and The worm gear and the motor are arranged side by side in a direction orthogonal to the adjusting rod, the detecting means being coaxial with the worm wheel. Tilting device for a vehicle headlamp, characterized in that it is arranged in the vicinity of one warm wheel 2. The adjusting rod is characterized in that an intermediate portion of the adjusting rod is rotatably supported by the drive shaft so as to be immovable in the axial direction, and a front end portion of the adjusting rod is screwed into a nut supported by the tilting member. Device for tilting a vehicle headlight according to claim 1 3. The vehicle headlight according to claim 1, wherein an intermediate portion of the adjusting rod is screwed into the drive shaft, and a front end portion of the adjusting rod is connected to the tilting member in a ball joint shape. Light tilting device