Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Including headlamp beam measuring or indicating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-05
2001-06-19
Husar, Stephen (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Including headlamp beam measuring or indicating
C362S460000, C362S512000, C362S515000, C362S523000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247834
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle headlamp in which a reflector serving as an inclinable member with a light source mounted thereon is supported by an aiming mechanism so that it is inclinable with respect to a lamp body serving as a reference member mounted on and fixed to a vehicle body or the like and, between the lamp body and reflector, an inclination measuring device is disposed for measuring the inclination of the reflector in the right and left direction thereof (that is, the inclination of the optical path of the lamp in the right and left direction thereof). More particularly, the invention relates to a vehicle headlamp in which a zero point adjustment operation portion of a zero point adjusting mechanism provided in the inclination measuring device is exposed to the outside of the lamp body serving as the reference member.
2. Related Art
As a structure for a headlamp of the above-mentioned type, conventionally, there has been known a structure as shown in
FIGS. 19 and 20
. That is, a reflector c with a light source b mounted thereon is supported by an aiming mechanism (which is composed of two aiming screws d, e and a ball joint f) to be inclinable with respect to a lamp body a mounted on and fixed to a vehicle body, and, if a rotation operation portion d
1
, e
1
disposed on the rear end portion of an aiming screw projecting backwardly of the lamp body a is rotated, then the reflector c is inclined in the vertical direction as well as in the right and left direction thereof to thereby be able to adjust the position of the optical axis L of the lamp.
Between the lamp body a and reflector c, there is provided an inclination measuring device g including a slide member g
1
which is slidable back and forth by an amount proportional to the amount of inclination of the reflector c, whereby the amount of inclination of the reflector c in the right and left direction thereof with respect to the reference position thereof is measured in accordance with the amount of displacement or sliding of the slide member g
1
with a scale m added thereto. A zero point adjust screw h shown in
FIG. 20
is formed in a cylindrical body with the slide member g
1
stored in the interior portion thereof and projects backwardly of the lamp body a. If the zero point adjust screw h is rotated a scale zero point position in the inclination measuring device g is adjusted.
An inclination measuring device i consisting of a level which is mounted on the upper surface wall of the reflector c and is used to measure the amount of inclination of the reflector c in the vertical direction thereof with respect to the reference position thereof (that is, the amount of inclination of the optical axis L of the lamp in the vertical direction thereof). A zero point adjust screw j is provided in the inclination measuring device i.
Now, when putting a vehicle such as an automobile onto the market, the lamp is adjusted in such a manner that the optical axis L thereof is set at a proper position by the aiming mechanism (that is, the aiming screws d, e) and further the zero point position of the zero point adjust mechanism in the inclination measuring devices g, i is adjusted properly by the zero point adjust screws h, j, before the automobile is put onto the market. After that, if the optical axis L of the lamp is out of order for some reason or other, then indicators in the inclination measuring devices g, i indicate not the scale zero point but a value (a graduation) equivalent to the amount of displacement of the optical axis L and, therefore, if the aiming screws d, e are rotated to thereby adjust the inclination measuring devices g, i so that the indicators in the inclination measuring devices g, i can indicate the zero point, then the optical axis L of the lamp can be returned to the proper position.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional headlamp, since the zero point adjust screw h of the inclination measuring device g projects backwardly of the lamp body a, there is a fear that a user can rotate the zero point adjust screw h in error to thereby cause the scale zero point in the inclination measuring device g to be out of order, which makes it impossible not only to check whether the optical axis L of the lamp lies at its proper position or not, but also to make an aiming adjustment when the optical axis L of the lamp is out of order.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims at eliminating the drawbacks found in the above-mentioned conventional headlamp. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a vehicle headlamp which hides the zero point adjustment operation portion from the outside, which is exposed outwardly of a reference member, of a measuring device for measuring the inclination of an optical axis in the right and left direction thereof to thereby be able to keep the zero point of the inclination measuring device from being out of order.
In attaining the above object, according to the invention, there is provided a vehicle headlamp which includes: a reference member mounted on and fixed to a vehicle body; an inclinable member including a light source mounted thereon, and disposed in the reference member inclinably with respect to the reference member for setting an optical axis of the headlamp; an aiming mechanism for adjusting the inclination of the inclinable member in the vertical direction thereof as well as in the right and direction thereof with respect to the reference member; and an inclination measuring device interposed between the reference member and inclinable member for measuring the inclination of the optical axis of the headlamp in the right and left direction thereof, while a zero point adjustment operation portion of a zero point adjust mechanism disposed in the inclination measuring device is exposed outwardly of the reference member. In the headlamp according to the present invention, a hide member is mounted directly on the zero point adjustment operation portion or on a vertical wall formed integrally with the reference member in such a manner as to surround the zero point adjustment operation portion, and the zero point adjustment operation portion is hidden by the hide member.
According to the structure of the invention, since, after completion of the aiming adjustment by the aiming mechanism, the zero point adjustment operation portion of the zero point adjust mechanism of the inclination measuring device is hidden by the hide member, the adjustment of the zero point of the zero point adjust mechanism is difficult, thereby being able to prevent the zero point from being adjusted on the user side.
Because the zero point adjustment operation portion of the zero point adjust mechanism is prevented from being operated in error on the user side, there is no fear that the zero point of the inclination measuring device can be out of order, thereby being able to always check by the inclination measuring device whether the optical axis of the headlamp in the right and left direction thereof is set at a proper position or not. Therefore, when the optical axis of the headlamp is inclined in the right and left direction thereof, not only the inclination amount thereof can be measured accurately but also the optical axis of the headlamp can be adjusted to the proper position in the right and left direction by the aiming mechanism.
According to another aspect of the invention, the zero point adjustment operation portion consists of a rotation operation portion formed in the rear end portion of a zero point adjust screw, the vertical wall consists of a rear extension portion formed in a measuring device case fixed to the reference member, the rear extension portion extends up a position beyond the rotation operation portion of the zero point adjust screw, and the hide member is composed of a cap which is mounted on the rear extension portion of the measuring device case.
According to another aspect of the invention, the zero point adjustment operation portion consists of a rotation operation po
Husar Stephen
Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
Ward John Anthony
LandOfFree
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