Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Including headlamp beam measuring or indicating
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-14
2003-04-08
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Including headlamp beam measuring or indicating
C362S530000, C362S523000, C362S531000, C362S532000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06543916
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicular headlamp of a type having a moveable reflector in which the reflector with an attached light source is supported by an aiming mechanism so as to be tiltable relative to a lamp body. More particularly, the invention relates to a vehicular headlamp with a movable reflector in which the aiming screw, which is a structural member of the aiming mechanism, is formed from synthetic resin.
As is shown in
FIG. 15
, in a conventional vehicular headlamp of this type, a synthetic resin reflector
2
on which is mounted a light source is supported near the front surface of a synthetic resin lamp body
1
by an aiming mechanism formed from one ball joint, which is a tilting fulcrum, and two nut members. The nut members, which constitute moving support points capable of moving forward and backward in the axial direction, mesh with respective ones of the aiming screws.
More specifically, an aiming screw
4
is rotatably supported in a screw insertion hole la provided in the lamp body
1
, and a synthetic resin nut member
5
, attached to a bracket
2
a
that extends out from the reflector
2
, meshes with a threaded portion
4
a
of the aiming screw
4
, which protrudes toward the front of the lamp body
1
. By rotating the aiming screw
4
, the nut member
5
is made to advance or retreat along the aiming screw
4
, whereupon the reflector
2
tilts about a tilt axis that connects the ball joint and the nut member that meshes with another aiming screw. As a result, the optical axis of the lamp can be adjusted.
The aiming screw
4
is made from metal and has a crown-shaped gear
7
formed integrally at the rear end portion thereof. The aiming screw
4
can be rotated using a screwdriver D. The aiming screw
4
, which is inserted through the screw insertion hole
1
a
from the rear of the lamp body
1
, is elastically supported in the longitudinal direction by a push-on fixing element
8
and is thereby held in position.
In addition, an O ring
9
, which serves as a sealing member, is inserted in the screw insertion hole
1
a
that rotatably supports the aiming screw
4
, thereby waterproofing the rotation support portion of the aiming screw
4
.
However, in the above described lamp, because the aiming screw
4
is made of metal, there has been a limit as to how much the weight of the aiming mechanism and the headlamp could be reduced. Therefore, in recent years, proposals have been made to form the aiming screw out of synthetic resin in order to reduce the weight of the headlamp.
However, when the aiming screw is made of synthetic resin, a problem as described below has occurred, and thus an aiming screw made of synthetic resin has not been put to actual use prior to the invention.
Namely, as is indicated by the symbol W in
FIG. 15
, the weight of the reflector acts on the distal end of the aiming screw
4
, which is supported in a cantilever fashion, resulting in the proximal end portion of the aiming screw
4
being easily deformed by bending and creating durability problems.
The nut member
5
attached to the reflector bracket
2
a
is formed so as to be able to rock slightly relative to the bracket
2
a;
however, it is not possible to reliably remove the stress generated in the attachment portion between the bracket
2
a
and the nut member
5
. Therefore, problems arise such as the reflector
2
and the aiming screw
4
being deformed due to the stress generated in the attachment portion between the nut member
5
and the bracket
2
a
when the nut member
5
is made to advance or retreat along the screw upon rotation of the aiming screw
4
, and therefore appropriate aiming is not always possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was conceived in view of the above situation, and it is an object thereof to provide a vehicular headlamp with a movable reflector in which appropriate aiming is ensured by the use of an aiming screw made from synthetic resin.
In order to achieve the above and other objects, a first embodiment of the present invention is provided in the form of a vehicular headlamp with a movable reflector, and which comprises a container-shaped lamp body made from synthetic resin, a front lens made from synthetic resin attached to a front surface aperture portion of the lamp body so as to define together with the lamp body a lamp compartment, a reflector with an attached light source and housed in the lamp compartment, and an aiming mechanism that is provided between the lamp body and the reflector and that supports the reflector tiltably relative to the lamp body, wherein the aiming mechanism includes an aiming fulcrum that forms a tilt fulcrum of the reflector, a synthetic resin aiming screw that is rotatably supported in a screw insertion hole provided in the lamp body and extends in a forward direction, and a synthetic resin nut member that is attached to a bracket formed extending from the reflector, that meshes with the aiming screw, and that is made to advance or retreat by a rotation of the aiming screw, and wherein a nut slide guide is formed integrally with the lamp body and extending outward so as to carry and support the nut member in a manner whereby it can slide in a longitudinal direction, and stress relieving means having a ball joint structure is provided at an attachment portion where the nut member is attached to the bracket for relieving stress that is generated in the attachment portion as the nut member is made to advance or retreat.
Because the nut slide guide that is formed integrally with the lamp body carries the weight of the reflector that is borne by a nut member that meshes with the aiming screw, the bending moment created by the weight of the reflector does not act on the synthetic resin aiming screw.
Moreover, the stress that is generated between the aiming screw and the reflector in the portion where the nut member is attached to the bracket when the reflector is tilted relative to the lamp body due to the forward or backward movement of the nut member or when the reflector undergoes thermal expansion due to heat emitted from the light source is relieved by the stress relieving means having a ball joint structure that is provided at the attachment portion of the nut member and the bracket.
Further, because the nut member that is made to advance or retreat longitudinally by the rotation of the aiming screw is guided in a direction along the aiming screw by the nut slide guide, it is possible to keep the frictional torque in the portion where the nut member meshes with the aiming screw constant.
The aiming mechanism may include a vertical aiming screw provided at a position where it can move vertically toward or away from the aiming fulcrum, and a horizontal aiming screw provided at a position where it can move horizontally toward or away from the aiming fulcrum.
The nut member that meshes with the vertical aiming screw is made to advance or retreat along the vertical aiming screw by the rotation of the vertical aiming screw and the reflector is tilted about a horizontal tilt axis that passes through the aiming fulcrum and the attachment portion of the bracket and the nut member that meshes with the horizontal aiming screw.
The nut member that meshes with the horizontal aiming screw is made to advance or retreat along the horizontal aiming screw by the rotation of the horizontal aiming screw and the reflector is tilted about a vertical tilt axis that passes through the aiming fulcrum and the attachment portion of the bracket and the nut member that meshes with the vertical aiming screw.
The attachment portion of the bracket and the nut member may be formed from a ball engaging projection that protrudes from a side surface of the nut member that faces the aiming fulcrum and a ball receiving engaging hole that is provided in the bracket and that is engaged by the engaging projection. Further, the stress relieving means with a ball joint structure is constructed with the engaging protrusion and the engaging hole formed so as to be slidable relatively in the en
Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
Ton Anabel
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