Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Light modifier
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-24
2002-11-19
Tso, Laura K. (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Light modifier
C362S523000, C362S273000, C362S277000, C362S289000, C362S319000, C362S428000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06481880
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicular headlight, particularly to a aiming apparatus to be incorporated for adjusting orientation of a reflector of the headlight so as to optimize the direction of illumination when the headlight is attached to a vehicular body and also to a process for manufacturing a headlight using the same.
An exemplary constitution of a aiming apparatus
80
in a prior headlight
90
is shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8
. A reflector
91
is provided with a ball joint
81
at a lower right corner thereof with respect to the direction of fitting the reflector to a housing
92
and also with adjusting nuts
82
at an upper right corner directly above the ball joint and at a lower left corner (not shown) in alignment horizontally with the ball joint, respectively, in the state where the reflector
91
is attached to the housing
92
.
Meanwhile, the housing
92
is provided with a ball receiver
81
a
at a lower right corner thereof to oppose the ball joint
81
and also with a pair of adjusting screws
82
a
to oppose the adjusting nuts
82
respectively. One adjusting screw
82
a
located at the upper right cornet is for adjusting vertically the orientation of the reflector; whereas the other adjusting screw
82
a
(not shown) located at the lower left corner is for adjusting horizontally the orientation of the reflector.
The headlight
90
having the constitution as described above is assembled by fitting first the ball joint
81
in the ball joint receiver
81
a
and then threading the adjusting screws
82
a
into the opposing adjusting nuts
82
respectively to achieve fitting of the reflector
91
to the housing
92
, followed finally by fitting of a lens
93
to the housing
92
.
It should be noted here that in
FIG. 8
, which is directed to minute illustration of the relationship between the adjusting nuts
82
and the adjusting screws
82
a
, the adjusting nuts
82
are fixed to substantially C-shaped nut holders
82
b
formed on the rear side of the reflector
91
, respectively; whereas the adjusting screws
82
a
are each rotatably engaged at around the proximal end with the housing
92
. If each adjusting screw
82
a
is, turned from the rear side of the housing, the opposing adjusting nut
82
is caused to move forward or backward along the adjusting screw
82
a
to enable changing of the orientation of the reflector
91
vertically or horizontally on the ball joint
81
serving as a pivot.
However, the prior aiming apparatus
80
involves a problem that the procedures of fitting the reflector
91
to the housing
92
is difficult, intricate and time-consuming, since engagement of the adjusting screws
82
a
with the adjusting nuts
82
are achieved respectively within the housing
92
under the condition where it is difficult to visually confirm them, and each adjusting screw
82
must be driven into the opposing adjusting nut
82
until the nut reaches an appropriate position of the opposing adjusting screw
82
a.
There is another problem that the number of steps is increased. The reason is that it is difficult to align each adjusting screw
82
a
with the opposing adjusting nut
82
between them since the alignment is achieved respectively within the housing
92
. As a result, there occurs a wide variation in the orientation of the reflectors
91
with respect to the housings respectively, and this inevitably requires readjustment of the reflectors
91
with respect to the direction of illumination, after the headlight
90
is assembled completely.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides means, which can solve the problems inherent in the prior aiming apparatus. More specifically, the present invention provides a aiming apparatus to be interposed between a reflector and a housing to adjust direction of light reflected by the reflector; the aiming apparatus comprising an adjusting screw rotatably engaged at one end (proximal end) with the housing at a predetermined position; a pivot nut having at one end (proximal end) a nut portion capable of achieving thread engagement with the other end (distal end) of. the adjusting screw and at the other end (distal end) a pivot portion, respectively; a pivot holder attached to a rear side of the reflector; said pivot holder being capable of pivotally holding the pivot portion; and a nut receiver fixed on the front side of the housing at a predetermined position; said nut receiver being capable of receiving slidably a guard-like sliding guide formed at a top of the pivot nut; wherein a longitudinal axial line of the nut receiver is parallel to an axial line X of the adjusting screw engaged with the nut portion; and the pivot nut has a height equal to the vertical distance between a position where the nut receiver is engaged with the housing and a position where one end (proximal end) of the adjusting screw is engaged with the housing.
It should be noted here that the expression “a height equal to the vertical distance . . . ” means that, one end (proximal end) of the adjusting screw engaged with the nut portion is located at a predetermined engaging position of the housing, in the state where the sliding guides are received in the nut receiver such that the longitudinal axial line of the nut receiver and the axial line of the adjusting screw engaged with the nut portion are parallel to each other.
REFERENCES:
patent: 05-008685 (1993-01-01), None
Ito Hisashi
Mizuno Hiromichi
Tatsumi Yoichi
Aoyama Seisakusho Co., Ltd.
DelGizzi Ronald E.
Tso Laura K.
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