High beam / low beam switching device

Abstract

A high / low beam switching device includes a lamp holder mechanism, a beam pattern switching mechanism, and a beam pattern fine-tuning mechanism. The beam pattern switching mechanism allows the beam pattern plate to switch between low beam and high beam positions. The beam pattern fine-tuning mechanism includes a stop that can move back and forth relative to the lamp holder mechanism, an adjusting bolt passing through the stop and screwed into the lamp holder mechanism, and a second elastic member that provides front-to-back elastic support between the stop and the lamp holder mechanism. The stop allows the beam pattern plate, which pivots towards the low beam position, to rest against it. The adjusting bolt can be rotated to move the stop back and forth relative to the lamp holder mechanism, thereby adjusting the resting angle of the beam pattern plate against the stop. The design of this beam pattern switching mechanism and the beam pattern fine-tuning mechanism facilitates small-amplitude adjustments to the generated low beam pattern, improving the ease of assembly and manufacturing of vehicle lights.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a component for vehicle lights, and more particularly to a high / low beam switching device for switching the patterns of high and low beams. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the high beams and low beams used in vehicles such as cars and motorcycles are mainly controlled by a high beam switching device in conjunction with the light source. This high beam switching device has a light pattern plate set in front of the light source, and the high beam pattern and low beam pattern are switched by rotating the light pattern plate.

[0003] However, when this type of high / low beam switching device is used, structural errors in the light pattern plate itself and related mechanisms, as well as errors in the assembly and manufacturing of the vehicle headlights, can easily lead to the low beam cutoff line not meeting the specifications. This can cause the manufactured headlights to fail inspection, requiring a redesign of the structure, which significantly increases manufacturing costs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a high / low beam switching device that can improve upon at least one of the disadvantages of prior art.

[0005] This invention relates to a high / low beam switching device, suitable for use with a light source. The high / low beam switching device includes a lamp holder mechanism for mounting the light source, a beam pattern switching mechanism, and a beam pattern fine-tuning mechanism.

[0006] The lamp holder mechanism defines a reflective space for reflecting light generated by the light source, and a light outlet for allowing light from the reflective space to pass forward. The light pattern switching mechanism includes a light pattern plate pivotally mounted axially on the lamp holder mechanism and partially obscuring the light outlet, a drive unit mounted on the lamp holder mechanism and linked to the light pattern plate, and a first elastic member. The light pattern plate can be driven by the drive unit to pivotally switch from a low beam position to a high beam position. The first elastic member constantly possesses a spring force that drives the light pattern plate to pivot towards the low beam position.

[0007] The light pattern fine-tuning mechanism includes a stop that can move back and forth relative to the lamp holder mechanism, an adjusting bolt that extends through the stop and is screwed into the lamp holder mechanism, and a second elastic member that provides front and rear elastic support between the stop and the lamp holder mechanism. The stop can limit the position of the light pattern plate pivoting towards the low beam position. The adjusting bolt can force the stop to elastically squeeze the second elastic member and can be rotated back and forth to adjust the stop relative to the lamp holder mechanism, thereby adjusting the tilting angle of the light pattern plate when it pivots against the stop.

[0008] The high / low beam switching device of the present invention further includes a lampshade that is disposed in front of the lamp holder mechanism with the opening facing backward, and allows light from the light outlet to pass forward.

[0009] The high / low beam switching device of the present invention includes a lamp cover comprising an annular cover axially mounted around the lamp holder mechanism, and a lens mounted on the front end of the cover. The cover and one of the left and right sides of the lamp holder mechanism cooperate to define a working area with the opening facing backward. The lamp holder mechanism has a mounting part exposed in the working area for the adjustment bolt to be screwed on.

[0010] The high / low beam switching device of the present invention includes a lamp holder mechanism comprising a base for mounting the light source and having the mounting portion, and a reflector mounted on the top side of the base and cooperating with the base to define the reflective space and the light outlet, wherein the light pattern switching mechanism is mounted on the base.

[0011] The high / low beam switching device of the present invention includes a base having a notch recessed vertically at its front end and located on the bottom side in front of the light outlet. The light pattern plate has a light pattern adjustment part located above the base for blocking light rays passing through the light outlet, a pivot part pivotally mounted on the base in the left and right directions, and a lug protruding downward from the bottom surface of the light pattern adjustment part toward the notch. The driving unit includes a driver installed in the notch and a driving rod installed on the driver and connected to the lug. The driver can be activated to drive the driving rod to pull the lug downward, thereby driving the light pattern adjustment part to swing downward toward the base, so that the light pattern plate pivots from the low beam position to the high beam position. The first elastic member is driven by the pivoting of the light pattern plate to accumulate a refractive elastic force, and when the driving rod no longer pulls down the lug, it drives the light pattern plate to pivot in the opposite direction to the low beam position against the stop member.

[0012] The high / low beam switching device of the present invention has a through hole extending from left to right in the lug portion, and the drive rod is hooked into the through hole in the lug portion, so as to pull the lug portion downward.

[0013] In the high / low beam switching device of the present invention, the perforation of the lug is an upward and downward extending strip, and the driving rod has a main rod portion that extends upward and downward and is disposed in the driver, and a crossbar portion that extends laterally outward from the top of the main rod portion and can be displaced vertically and passes through the perforation.

[0014] In the high / low beam switching device of the present invention, the second elastic element is an elastic pad that can be elastically clamped and deformed by the stop and the lamp holder mechanism.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: through the design of the light pattern switching mechanism and the light pattern fine adjustment mechanism, the leaning angle of the forward-leaning stop can be slightly adjusted by slightly turning the adjusting bolt, thereby slightly adjusting the brightness cutoff line of the low beam pattern produced by the light passing through the light pattern plate, so that the low beam pattern meets the specifications, which helps to improve the convenience of vehicle lamp assembly and manufacturing. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the drawings, wherein:

[0017] Figure 1 This is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of the high / low beam switching device of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is an exploded 3D view illustrating the structure of this embodiment;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a top sectional view illustrating the structure of this embodiment;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a side sectional view illustrating the situation where a light pattern plate of this embodiment is located in the position of a low beam lamp;

[0021] Figure 5 It is similar Figure 4 The view illustrates the situation when the light pattern is positioned as a high beam headlight; and

[0022] Figure 6 It is similar Figure 4 The view illustrates the situation where a second elastic element is elastically compressed, causing a stop that the light plate rests against to move forward relatively. Detailed Implementation

[0023] See Figure 1 , 2 3. One embodiment of the high / low beam switching device of the present invention is suitable for use with a light source 900 and can be used to manufacture vehicle lights. The high / low beam switching device includes a lamp holder mechanism 3 for mounting the light source 900, a lamp cover 4 that is rearwardly mounted on the front end of the lamp holder mechanism 3, and a beam pattern switching mechanism 5 and a beam pattern fine-tuning mechanism 6 that are mounted on the lamp holder mechanism 3 covered by the lamp cover 4.

[0024] The lamp holder mechanism 3 includes a base 31 for mounting the light source 900 and a reflector 32 disposed on the top side of the base 31. The reflector 32 cooperates with the base 31 to define a reflective space 301 for reflecting the light generated by the light source 900, and a light outlet 302 for allowing the light from the reflective space 301 to pass forward and be directed toward the lamp holder 4.

[0025] The base 31 has a notch 311 that runs vertically through the light outlet 302 and is located on the bottom front side. It also has a mounting portion 312 located in front of the reflector 32 and protruding laterally beyond one of the left or right edges of the reflector 32. In this embodiment, the mounting portion 312 protrudes beyond the right edge of the reflector 32, but in practice, it can also protrude beyond the left edge of the reflector 32.

[0026] The lampshade 4 includes an annular cover 41 that is looped around the front end of the lamp holder mechanism 3, and a lens 42 that is disposed on the cover 41 and closes the front opening of the cover 41. The lateral width of the inner circumferential surface of the cover 41 is greater than the lateral width of the reflector 32, and its inner circumferential surface and the lateral edges of the reflector 32 define two rearward-facing working areas 40. The lens 42 allows light to pass forward to form a near beam or a high beam pattern. The mounting portion 312 of the base 31 is exposed in the right-side working area 40.

[0027] See Figure 2 , 4 5. The light pattern switching mechanism 5 includes a light pattern plate 51 that is pivotally mounted on the base 31 and located directly above the notch 311, a drive unit 52 that is embedded and fixed in the notch 311 and connected to the light pattern plate 51, and a first elastic member 53 disposed between the light pattern plate 51 and the drive unit 52.

[0028] The light-shading plate 51 partially blocks the light outlet 302, thus blocking light passing forward from the light outlet 302. The light-shading plate 51 has a light-shading adjustment part 511 for blocking light, a pivot part 512 pivotally mounted on the base 31 along its left and right axes, and a lug part 513 protruding downwards from the bottom surface of the light-shading adjustment part 511 toward the notch 311. The lug part 513 has a strip-shaped perforation 514 that extends horizontally and vertically.

[0029] The light pattern plate 51 can be driven by the drive unit 52, and in a position where it is positioned forward against the low beam headlight of the light pattern fine-tuning mechanism 6 (e.g., Figure 4 As shown), and a high beam position that is tilted backward and downward away from the light pattern fine-tuning mechanism 6 (as shown). Figure 5(As shown) the pivoting change. When the light pattern plate 51 is in the low beam position, it will cause the light passing through and penetrating the lamp cover 4 to produce the low beam pattern. When the light pattern plate 51 is in the high beam position, it will swing down towards the base 31, which will reduce the degree of obstruction to the light outlet 302, increase the amount of light shining forward towards the lamp cover 4, and cause the light passing through and penetrating the lamp cover 4 to produce the high beam pattern.

[0030] The drive unit 52 includes a driver 521 mounted on the base 31 and located in the notch 311, and a drive rod 522 that is vertically movable and inserted into the driver 521 and connected to the lug 513. The drive rod 522 has a main rod portion 523 that extends vertically and can be vertically movable and inserted downward into the driver 521, and a crossbar portion 524 that extends laterally outward from the top of the main rod portion 523 and passes through the through hole 514 in the lug 513. The outer diameter of the crossbar portion 524 is smaller than the diameter of the through hole 514, and it can be used to hook the lug 513 downward.

[0031] The actuator 521 can be controlled to activate, causing the drive rod 522 to retract downwards, thereby pulling the beam pattern plate 51 downwards relative to the base 31, causing the beam pattern plate 51 to pivot downwards from the low beam position to the high beam position. In this embodiment, the actuator 521 is a solenoid valve, which can be energized to generate a magnetic force to attract the drive rod 522 downwards, and stops pulling the drive rod 522 when controlled to close.

[0032] The first elastic element 53 is a torsion spring, coaxially disposed below the light pattern plate 51 with the pivot axis of the pivot portion 512, and elastically abuts against the light pattern plate 51 and the driver 521. It constantly has a spring force that drives the light pattern plate 51 to swing upward away from the driver 521, and thus constantly drives the light pattern plate 51 to change towards the low beam position. Therefore, when the driver 521 stops driving the drive rod 522 to pull the light pattern plate 51 downward, the spring force of the first elastic element 53 will drive the light pattern plate 51 to pivot upward relative to the base 31 and return to the low beam position.

[0033] In other embodiments of the present invention, the first elastic member 53 may also be disposed between the light-shaped plate 51 and the lamp holder mechanism 3, and can also be used to drive the light-shaped plate 51 to pivot constantly toward the low beam position. Since there are many types and arrangements of the first elastic member 53 that can be used to drive the light-shaped plate 51 to pivot toward the low beam position, the implementation is not limited to the above-described arrangements.

[0034] like Figure 2 , 34. The optical fine-tuning mechanism 6 has a stop 61 disposed rearward and rearward on the mounting portion 312 of the base 31, an adjusting bolt 62 extending through the stop 61 and screwed onto the mounting portion 312, and a second elastic member 63 elastically supporting the stop 61 and the mounting portion 312. The second elastic member 63 constantly has a spring force that elastically pushes the stop 61 rearward relative to the mounting portion 312. In this embodiment, the second elastic member 63 is an elastic washer; however, in other embodiments of the present invention, it may be replaced with a spring, and is not limited to the above embodiments.

[0035] The stop 61 has a stacking portion 611 that rests downward against the top surface of the mounting portion 312, and a limiting stop portion 612 that extends downward from the rear edge of the stacking portion 611 and faces the mounting portion 312 at a distance from front to back. The limiting stop portion 612 allows the light pattern plate 51 to be tilted forward and limited to the position of the low beam headlight.

[0036] The adjusting bolt 62 passes through the limiting stop 612 and the second elastic member 63, and drives the limiting stop 612 to elastically abut against the second elastic member 63. When the adjusting bolt 62 is driven to rotate and rotate relative to the mounting part 312, it synchronously drives the stop 61, which is elastically pushed backward by the second elastic member 63, to move back and forth relative to the mounting part 312. This allows for adjustment of the angle of the light pattern plate 51 that is leaning forward against the stop 61, that is, adjustment of the height of the top edge of the light pattern adjustment part 511 of the light pattern plate 51. This allows for adjustment of the near light pattern formed by the light passing through the light pattern plate 51 and penetrating the lampshade 4.

[0037] See Figure 2 , 4 5. When the high / low beam switching device of the present invention is used in a vehicle lamp, when the drive unit 52 is not activated, the light pattern plate 51 is driven by the first elastic member 53 and maintained at the low beam position where it is tilted forward against the stop member 61. The light generated by the light source 900 and passing forward through the light pattern plate 51 penetrates the lamp cover 4 and projects to produce the low beam pattern. When the driver 521 of the drive unit 52 is activated, the driver 521 drives the drive rod 522 to pull the light pattern plate 51 downward, causing the light pattern plate 51 to pivot downward from the low beam position to the high beam position, so that the light passing forward through the light pattern plate 51 and penetrating the lamp cover 4 projects to produce the high beam pattern. At this time, the first elastic member 53 is driven to deform elastically and accumulate a restoring elastic force. When the driver 521 is turned off, the reset force of the first elastic member 53 will drive the light pattern plate 51 to pivot upwards until it moves forward against the stop member 61 and resets to the low beam position.

[0038] See Figure 3 ,4 6. When the low beam pattern produced by the vehicle headlight does not meet the specifications due to manufacturing errors in the overall components or assembly manufacturing errors, such as the distribution position of the cut-off line of the low beam pattern not meeting the specifications, the position of the stop member 61 can be slightly adjusted by inserting a screwdriver (not shown) forward into the corresponding working area 40 and slightly turning the adjusting bolt 62. For example, the stop member 61 can be driven forward to elastically compress the second elastic member 63, and the stop member 61 can be slightly adjusted forward to slightly adjust the angle at which it rests against the stop member 61. In this way, the cut-off line of the low beam pattern produced by the light passing through the light pattern plate 51 can be slightly adjusted so that the low beam pattern meets the specifications.

[0039] In summary, through the structural design of the light pattern switching mechanism 5 and the light pattern fine-tuning mechanism 6, the position of the stop 61 can be slightly adjusted forward and backward by slightly rotating the adjusting bolt 62. This allows for slight adjustment of the tilting angle of the light pattern plate 51, which rests against the stop 61, thereby slightly adjusting the cutoff line of the low beam pattern produced by the light passing through the light pattern plate 51. This ensures that the low beam pattern conforms to specifications, eliminating the need to replace headlight components or disassemble and reassemble the headlights for beam pattern adjustments. Therefore, the high / low beam switching device of this invention effectively improves the convenience of headlight assembly and manufacturing. Thus, the objective of this invention is indeed achieved.

[0040] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims and description of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A high / low beam switching device, suitable for use with a light source, the high / low beam switching device comprising a lamp holder mechanism for mounting the light source, and a beam pattern switching mechanism, the lamp holder mechanism defining a reflective space for reflecting light generated by the light source, and a light outlet for allowing light from the reflective space to pass forward, the beam pattern switching mechanism comprising a beam pattern plate pivotally mounted axially on the lamp holder mechanism and partially obstructing the light outlet, a drive unit mounted on the lamp holder mechanism and connected to the beam pattern plate, and a first elastic member, the beam pattern plate being driven by the drive unit to pivotally switch from a low beam position to a high beam position, the first elastic member constantly having a spring force to drive the beam pattern plate to pivot towards the low beam position, characterized in that: The high / low beam switching device also includes a beam pattern fine-tuning mechanism. The beam pattern fine-tuning mechanism includes a stop that can move back and forth relative to the lamp holder mechanism, an adjusting bolt that extends back and forth through the stop and is screwed into the lamp holder mechanism, and a second elastic member that provides front and rear elastic support between the stop and the lamp holder mechanism. The stop can limit the beam pattern plate that pivots towards the low beam position. The adjusting bolt can force the stop to elastically squeeze the second elastic member and can be rotated back and forth to adjust the stop relative to the lamp holder mechanism, thereby adjusting the tilting angle of the beam pattern plate when it pivots against the stop.

2. The high / low beam switching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a lampshade that has a rearward opening and covers the front of the lamp holder mechanism, allowing light from the light outlet to pass forward.

3. The high / low beam switching device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lamp cover includes an annular cover that is axially mounted around the lamp holder mechanism, and a lens mounted on the front end of the cover. The cover and one of the left and right sides of the lamp holder mechanism cooperate to define a working area with the opening facing backward. The lamp holder mechanism has a mounting part exposed in the working area for the adjusting bolt to be screwed on.

4. The high / low beam switching device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lamp holder mechanism includes a base for mounting the light source and having the mounting portion, and a reflector mounted on the top side of the base and cooperating with the base to define the reflective space and the light outlet. The light pattern switching mechanism is mounted on the base.

5. The high / low beam switching device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The base has a notch recessed vertically at its front end and located on the bottom side in front of the light outlet. The light pattern plate has a light pattern adjustment part located above the base for blocking light rays passing through the light outlet, a pivot part pivotally mounted on the base in the left and right directions, and a lug protruding downward from the bottom surface of the light pattern adjustment part toward the notch. The drive unit includes a driver installed in the notch and a drive rod installed on the driver and connected to the lug. The driver can be activated to drive the drive rod to pull the lug downward, thereby driving the light pattern adjustment part to swing downward toward the base, so that the light pattern plate pivots from the low beam position to the high beam position. The first elastic member is driven by the pivoting of the light pattern plate to accumulate refractive elastic force, and when the drive rod no longer pulls down the lug, it drives the light pattern plate to pivot in the opposite direction to the low beam position against the stop.

6. The high / low beam switching device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lug has a through hole running from left to right, and the drive rod is hooked into the through hole of the lug, so as to pull the lug downward.

7. The high / low beam switching device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The perforation of the lug is in the shape of an upward and downward extending strip. The drive rod has a main rod portion that extends upward and downward and is disposed on the drive unit, and a crossbar portion that extends laterally outward from the top of the main rod portion and can be displaced upward and downward and passes through the perforation.

8. The high / low beam switching device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second elastic element is an elastic pad that can be elastically clamped and deformed by the stop and the lamp holder mechanism.

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