Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Adjustable lamp or lamp support
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-28
2004-06-08
Cariaso, Alan (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Adjustable lamp or lamp support
C362S528000, C254S103000, C248S288310
Reexamination Certificate
active
06746142
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a headlamp for an automobile of a reflector movable type in which a reflector mounted with a light source is inclinably supported by a lamp body by an aiming mechanism. More particularly, the present invention relates to a headlamp for an automobile in which the aiming mechanism may include an aiming screw rotatably supported by a screw insertion hole.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown by
FIG. 19
, according to a conventional headlamp for an automobile of this kind, a reflector
2
, integrally mounted with a light source, is supported by an aiming mechanism. In a conventional headlamp, the aiming mechanism is constituted by a ball and socket joint (not illustrated) constituting an aiming fulcrum, and two nut members (nut member screwed to aiming screw
4
is designated by notation
5
) respectively screwed to two aiming screws (one aiming screw is designated by notation
4
). With this configuration, the reflector is made extractable and retractable in an axial direction, on a front face side of a lamp body
1
.
More specifically, the aiming screw
4
is rotatably supported by a screw insertion hole
1
a
and a screw portion
4
a
of the aiming screw
4
extended to a front side of the lamp body
1
, and screwed with the nut member
5
attached to the reflector
2
. By pivoting the aiming screw
4
, the nut member
5
is extracted and retracted along the aiming screw
4
, and the reflector
2
is inclined around an inclining axis connecting the ball and socket joint and the nut member screwed to other aiming screw to thereby enable adjustment of an optical axis of the lamp.
The aiming screw
4
is made of metal, and a rear end portion thereof is integrally formed with a crowned gear
7
so that aiming screw
4
can be operated to pivot by using a driver D. Further, the aiming screw
4
inserted into the screw insertion hole
1
a
from a rear side of the lamp body
1
, is elastically supported and fixedly positioned in a front and rear direction by a push-on fix
8
made of metal.
Additionally, the screw insertion hole
1
a,
for rotatably supporting the aiming screw
4
, is interposed with an O-ring
9
to thereby waterproof a rotational support portion of the aiming screw
4
.
However, according to the above-described conventional technology, it is necessary to provide the O-ring
9
for ensuring waterproofing at the rotational support portion of the aiming screw
4
. Also, the push-on fix
8
for positioning the aiming screw
4
in the front and rear direction is required. These two components help to increase the number of parts of the aiming mechanism, therefore, the assembly of the headlamp becomes more difficult. Particularly, interposing the push-on fix
8
at a predetermined position of the aiming screw
4
is considerably laborious because the pinching force by the push-on fix
8
is very strong.
Hence, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-114014, as shown by
FIGS. 20 and 21
, the applicant proposed a structure in which a screw insertion hole
102
is constituted by a cylindrical member
100
formed at a lamp body
1
A and having vertical slits
104
at a front end side of the cylindrical member
100
to form locking portions
106
at the front end side of the cylindrical member
100
. These locking portions
106
deform elastically when the aiming screw is inserted into the screw insertion hole
102
from a rear side of the lamp body
1
A. That is, the aiming screw pushes to expand the locking portions
106
on the front end side of the cylindrical portion to an outer side in the radial direction, wherein a supported portion of the aiming screw is contained in the screw insertion hole and the aiming screw can simply be positioned fixedly to the screw insertion hole
102
.
However, although the aiming screw can simply be positioned fixedly to the screw insertion hole
102
, when the aiming screw is inserted into the screw insertion hole
102
, a considerable pressing force is needed to push, and thereby widen, the comparatively thick locking portions
106
on the front end side of the cylindrical portion. As such, more time is required to mount the aiming screw, and also, a pressing machine having sufficient pressing force is needed for inserting the aiming screw.
Further, although the cylindrical portion
100
is integrally formed with the lamp body
1
A, since the shape of the front end side of the cylindrical portion
100
(shape of locking portion
106
) is complicated, forming dies to make this structure is also complicated due to the difficulty in machining of the forming faces of the dies. This also leads to increased time and cost for manufacturing the dies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been carried out in view of the above-described problems of the conventional technology and it is an object of the invention to provide a headlamp for an automobile of a reflector movable type wherein the mounting of an aiming screw into a screw insertion hole is performed smoothly and simply without using a push-on fix or requiring the use of complicated dies.
In order to achieve the above-described object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a reflector moveable type headlamp for an automobile which comprises:
a lamp body;
a light source;
a reflector positioned to reflect light originating from the light source; and
an aiming mechanism interposed between the lamp body and the reflector and operable to inclinably support and move the reflector relative to the lamp body;
wherein the aiming mechanism includes:
a screw insertion hole including a cylindrical portion; and
an aiming screw operable to move the reflector by pivoting the aiming screw, the aiming screw including a supported portion supported by the screw insertion hole, a male screw portion forward from the supported portion, and a pivotal movement operating force transmitted portion rearward from the supported portion,
wherein a front end side of the supported portion includes an elastic locking portion operable to pass through the screw insertion hole by being deformed elastically to an inner side in a radius direction and engage with a peripheral edge portion on a front end side of the screw insertion hole to prevent the aiming screw from drawing in a rear direction, and a rear end side of the supported portion is integrally formed with an elastic rib brought into press contact with a peripheral edge portion on a rear end side of the screw insertion hole to fixedly position the aiming screw.
Accordingly, when the aiming screw is pushed into the screw insertion hole from a rear face side of the lamp body, the elastic locking portion on the front end side of the supported portion of the aiming screw is pushed by the peripheral edge portion on the rear end side of the screw insertion hole and an inner peripheral face of the hole to elastically deform to contract to the inner side in the radial direction and slide in the screw insertion hole.
Further, when the supported portion of the aiming screw is pushed into the screw insertion hole by a force equal to or larger than a spring force which the elastic rib receives from the peripheral edge portion of the rear end side of the screw insertion hole, and when the elastic locking portion passes through the screw insertion hole, the elastic locking portion recovers to an outer side in the radial direction and engages with a peripheral edge portion on the front end side of the screw insertion hole to thereby prevent the aiming screw from drawing in the rear direction. Also, the elastic rib on the rear end side of the supported portion is brought into a press contact state with the peripheral edge portion on the rear end side of the screw insertion hole to thereby fixedly position the aiming screw to the screw insertion hole in an axial direction.
Whereas according to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-114014 (refer to
FIGS. 20
,
21
), when the aiming screw is inserted into the screw insertion hole, a
Cariaso Alan
Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Negron Ismael
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