Electric folding device for outside rear-view mirror of automobile

Abstract

The invention discloses an automobile outside rear-view mirror electric folding device which comprises a motor shell, a linear motor and a driving piston are arranged in a cavity on one side of the motor shell, and a rotary piston, a main shaft and a riveting pipe are arranged in a cavity on the other side of the motor shell. A driving hydraulic cylinder A and a driving hydraulic cylinder B are arranged above and below the driving piston, a lifting and folding hydraulic cylinder and a resetting and descending hydraulic cylinder are arranged above and below the rotating piston, the lifting and folding hydraulic cylinder is communicated with the driving hydraulic cylinder A through a first hydraulic pipeline, and the resetting and descending hydraulic cylinder is communicated with the driving hydraulic cylinder B through a second hydraulic pipeline; a curved groove is formed in the surface of the rotary piston, the groove is matched with the ball to achieve rotation of the motor shell, and meanwhile locking and unlocking between the rotary piston and the main shaft are achieved through a lock pin structure. According to the invention, low-noise work can be realized, the lifting height and the output torque are relatively large, and the working reliability in low-temperature, high-temperature and high-humidity environments can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an electric folding device for automotive exterior rearview mirrors, belonging to the field of automotive exterior rearview mirrors. Background Technology

[0002] Existing electric folding mechanisms for automotive exterior rearview mirrors, such as Figure 1 As shown, the existing device structure has the following drawbacks:

[0003] (1) Excessive noise and abnormal sounds during operation. The core principle of existing electric folding rearview mirror devices is: a DC motor drives a gear + worm gear reducer to lift and fold the rearview mirror lens. During operation, both the DC motor and the reduction mechanism generate significant noise, and this noise spectrum is often discontinuous, exhibiting sharp frequency bands. Manufacturing errors in the reduction mechanism further amplify this defect. In the context of the widespread adoption of new energy passenger vehicles, this defect becomes even more prominent because the overall background noise of the vehicle is much lower than that of traditional internal combustion engine passenger vehicles.

[0004] (2) Poor reliability in low temperature, high temperature and humidity environments. Because existing electric folding mechanisms for exterior rearview mirrors commonly use plastic gears and housings, in low temperature, high temperature and humidity environments, the plastic parts undergo dimensional changes due to thermal expansion and contraction and moisture absorption. These changes alter the fit accuracy of the gears and worm gears, leading to increased friction and excessive wear of moving parts. All of these factors ultimately cause problems such as occasional failure to fold and abnormal folding noises when the exterior rearview mirror is electrically folded.

[0005] (3) Poor tolerance to foreign objects. The existing electric folding device of the exterior rearview mirror uses a cam structure to achieve the lifting function, which limits the lifting height (not more than 1.5mm). The insufficient lifting height means that the folding gap between the exterior rearview mirror lens and the mirror base cannot be made larger during folding. If there is a lot of dust in the gap, or if the plastic parts of the rearview mirror are out of tolerance, the electric folding function cannot work reliably.

[0006] (4) Poor ice-breaking ability in winter. Since the reduction mechanism of the existing electric folding device of the exterior rearview mirror is essentially a gear + worm gear reducer, most of the parts are plastic. At low temperatures, due to the change in size, the folding torque decreases. When there is ice between the lens and the mirror mount of the exterior rearview mirror, it often cannot work reliably and the ice needs to be removed manually to restore the electric folding function of the exterior rearview mirror.

[0007] (5) High manufacturing difficulty and high manufacturing cost. Since the reduction mechanism of the existing electric folding device of the exterior rearview mirror is essentially a gear + worm gear reducer, the manufacturing precision of the gear, worm, worm and reduction gearbox will inevitably determine the performance and life of the assembly. Therefore, strict dimensional control and a large number of high-precision manufacturing equipment and molds are required. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide an electric folding device for automotive exterior rearview mirrors that can achieve low-noise operation, a large lifting height and output torque, low manufacturing cost, size not exceeding that of existing electric folding mechanisms, and no change to the overall vehicle control method, thus achieving compatibility.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: an electric folding device for automotive exterior rearview mirrors, comprising a motor housing, wherein the motor housing has two chambers, one chamber housing a linear motor and a drive piston, and the other chamber housing a rotary piston, a main shaft, and a rivet tube; the linear motor drives the drive piston to move, and the upper and lower parts of the drive piston respectively serve as drive hydraulic cylinder A and drive hydraulic cylinder B; the rotary piston is vertically mounted on the main shaft, and the main shaft is rotatably mounted on the rivet tube, which passes through the entire chamber; the upper and lower parts of the rotary piston respectively serve as a lifting and folding hydraulic cylinder and a resetting and lowering hydraulic cylinder; the lifting and folding hydraulic cylinder and drive hydraulic cylinder A are connected by a first hydraulic line, and the resetting and lowering hydraulic cylinder and drive hydraulic cylinder B are connected by a second hydraulic line; the surface of the rotary piston is provided with a curved groove, which cooperates with a ball bearing to realize the rotation of the motor housing; at the same time, the rotary piston and the main shaft are locked and unlocked by a locking pin structure; in the locked state, the motor housing moves up and down, and in the unlocked state, the motor housing rotates.

[0010] Furthermore, a motor housing insert is provided inside the upper port of the motor housing. The motor housing insert is used to close the lifting and folding hydraulic cylinder. At the same time, a limiting block is provided at the lower end of the motor housing insert to block the end of the pin.

[0011] Furthermore, the locking pin structure includes a pin, a return spring, and a main shaft groove. The pin and the return spring are disposed in the pin hole of the rotating piston. The front end of the pin cooperates with the limiting block. In the locked state, the limiting block contacts the front end of the pin, the return spring is compressed, and the rear end of the pin is inserted into the main shaft groove. In the unlocked state, the limiting block separates from the front end of the pin, the return spring is reset, and the rear end of the pin disengages from the main shaft groove.

[0012] Furthermore, both the main shaft and the rivet tube are hollow structures, and the upper end port of the main shaft and the upper and lower end ports of the rivet tube are outwardly flanged structures.

[0013] Furthermore, a spring assembly is provided between the upper port of the spindle and the upper port of the rivet tube, the spring assembly including a disc spring and spring washers located at the upper and lower ends of the disc spring.

[0014] Furthermore, a spindle plastic coating is installed at the lower end of the spindle, and a base is provided below the spindle plastic coating. The spindle plastic coating and the base are engaged with each other through interlocking inclined surfaces of a concave-convex structure.

[0015] Furthermore, the ball bearing is fixed by a set screw, which is installed inside a threaded sleeve, which is located inside the motor housing.

[0016] Furthermore, an anti-rotation mechanism is provided between the rotary piston and the main shaft. This anti-rotation mechanism consists of an anti-rotation plane A on the outer circular wall of the main shaft and an anti-rotation plane B on the inner circular wall of the rotary piston.

[0017] Furthermore, steel cylinder liners are installed on the inner walls of both the left and right chambers.

[0018] Furthermore, the lower end of the motor housing is fixedly connected to the lower cylinder cover, and a lower cylinder cover insert for sealing the reset and lowering hydraulic cylinder is provided inside the lower cylinder cover. A dust cover is installed outside the lower cylinder cover, and the dust cover is also interference-fitted with the base.

[0019] Furthermore, the upper end of the motor housing is equipped with a motor cover, and a rib is provided on the outer periphery of the cover body located on the side of the rivet tube to cooperate with the outer rearview mirror lens base plate.

[0020] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] (1) Eliminate noise and completely eliminate the problem of abnormal noise when folding the exterior rearview mirror.

[0022] (2) Achieve a large lifting height. This allows the design gap between the exterior rearview mirror lens and the mirror mount to be less than 0.5mm. The small gap helps to eliminate wind noise from the exterior rearview mirror; and when folding, since it can be raised by 0~4mm, folding interference can be avoided.

[0023] (3) The effect of foreign objects and winter ice on the folding function can be eliminated by raising the height.

[0024] (4) Larger lifting force and folding torque. By optimizing the design of the electromagnet attraction force and the hydraulic cylinder diameter, it is possible to achieve a lifting force and output torque that exceeds those of existing folding motors, which can effectively overcome the reliability problems in low temperature, high temperature and high humidity environments.

[0025] (5) It simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces manufacturing difficulty. Except for the rotating piston, which requires control of the groove shape tolerance, other core components only need to control the diameter tolerance, roundness tolerance, and concentricity; it is basically a single-dimensional control. In contrast, traditional folding motors have components such as gears and worm gears, so they need to control more characteristic tolerances, such as tooth profile, tooth center distance, and worm gear meshing, which is extremely difficult.

[0026] (6) The entire motor system has high rigidity and can withstand greater lens weight. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an existing electric folding device for automotive exterior rearview mirrors;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a main cross-sectional view of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the lifting / folding principle structure of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a top view schematic diagram of the lifting / folding structure of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating piston anti-rotation principle structure of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the pin locking state of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the pin unlocking state of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the spindle and the spindle-coated part of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the disc spring assembly of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the manual folding principle structure of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the dustproof structure of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting hole positions for the invention and the rearview mirror. Figure 1 ;

[0040] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting hole positions for the invention and the rearview mirror. Figure 2 ;

[0041] Figure 15 This is a product assembly diagram of the present invention.

[0042] The markings in the diagram are as follows: 1-Motor housing, 2-Motor cover, 3-Linear motor, 4-Piston connecting screw, 5-Drive piston, 6-Drive hydraulic cylinder A, 7-Drive hydraulic cylinder B, 8-Cylinder liner, 9-First hydraulic line, 10-Second hydraulic line, 11-Rotary piston, 12-Lifting and folding hydraulic cylinder, 13-Reset and lowering hydraulic cylinder, 14-Spindle, 15-Rivet tube, 16-Motor housing insert, 17-Lower cylinder head, 18-Lower cylinder head insert, 19-Spindle plastic coating, 20-Base, 21-Dust cover, 22-Plug, 23-Spring assembly, 24-Wire 25-Drive cylinder cover plate, 26-Dust cover soft rubber, 27-Dust cover frame, 28-Curved groove, 29-Ball bearing, 30-Set screw, 31-Threaded sleeve, 32-Butterfly spring, 33-Spring washer, 34-Pin cover, 35-Pin, 36-Reset spring, 37-Main shaft groove, 38-Limit block, 39-Anti-rotation plane B, 40-Anti-rotation plane A, 41-Meshing inclined plane A, 42-Meshing inclined plane B, 43-Protruding rib, 44-Exterior rearview mirror base connecting screw hole, 45-Exterior rearview mirror lens base plate connecting screw hole, E-Lifting distance. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0044] like Figures 2 to 15As shown, an electric folding device for automotive exterior rearview mirrors includes a motor housing 1. The motor housing has two chambers, left and right. One chamber houses a linear motor 3 and a drive piston 5, while the other chamber houses a rotary piston 11, a main shaft 14, and a rivet tube 15. The output end of the linear motor 3 is connected to the drive piston 5 via a piston connecting screw 4, which pushes the drive piston 5 to move up and down. The upper and lower portions of the drive piston 5 serve as drive hydraulic cylinders A6 and B7, respectively. The rotary piston 11 is rotatably mounted on the main shaft 14, which is rotatably mounted on the rivet tube 15. The rivet tube 15 passes through the entire left chamber, and the upper and lower portions of the rotary piston 11 serve as lifting and folding hydraulic cylinders 12 and resetting and lowering hydraulic cylinders, respectively. The lowering hydraulic cylinder 13 is connected to the lifting and folding hydraulic cylinder 12 and the driving hydraulic cylinder A6 via a first hydraulic line 9, and the resetting and lowering hydraulic cylinder 13 and the driving hydraulic cylinder B7 are connected via a second hydraulic line 10. A curved groove 28 is formed on the outer surface of the rotating piston 11. The groove 28 cooperates with the ball bearing 29 to realize the rotation of the motor housing 1. The ball bearing 29 is fixed by a set screw 30, which is installed in a threaded sleeve 31. The threaded sleeve 31 is set inside the motor housing 1. At the same time, the rotating piston 11 and the main shaft 14 are locked and unlocked by a locking pin structure. In the locked state, the motor housing 1 can move up and down. In the unlocked state, the motor housing 1 can rotate.

[0045] In this embodiment, a motor housing insert 16 is provided inside the upper port of the motor housing 1. The motor housing insert 16 is used to close the lifting and folding hydraulic cylinder 12. At the same time, a limiting block 38 is provided at the lower end of the motor housing insert 16 to block the end of the pin. The locking pin structure includes a pin 35, a return spring 36, and a main shaft groove 37. The pin 35 and the return spring 36 are disposed in the pin hole of the rotating piston. The front end of the pin 35 cooperates with the limiting block 38. In the locked state, the limiting block 38 contacts the front end of the pin 35, the return spring 36 is compressed, and the rear end of the pin 35 is inserted into the main shaft groove 37. In the unlocked state, the limiting block 38 separates from the front end of the pin 35, the return spring 36 is reset, and the rear end of the pin 35 disengages from the main shaft groove 37.

[0046] In this embodiment, both the main shaft 14 and the rivet tube 15 are hollow structures, and the upper end of the main shaft 14 and the upper and lower ends of the rivet tube 15 are outwardly flanged. A spring assembly 23 is provided between the upper end of the main shaft 14 and the upper end of the rivet tube 15. The spring assembly includes a disc spring 32 and spring washers 33 located at the upper and lower ends of the disc spring 32. In addition, a main shaft plastic-coated part 19 is installed at the lower end of the main shaft 14. To ensure a firm connection between the main shaft 14 and the main shaft plastic-coated part 19, a toothed feature is punched on the lower end face of the main shaft. A base 20 is provided below the main shaft plastic-coated part 19, and the main shaft plastic-coated part 19 and the base 20 are engaged by a convex-concave structure with interlocking inclined surfaces. The function of the spring assembly and the interlocking inclined surfaces is to ensure that the folding motor has a manual folding function, that is, even when the motor is not powered on, the rearview mirror lens can be folded by hand.

[0047] In this embodiment, an anti-rotation mechanism is provided between the rotary piston 11 and the main shaft 14. This anti-rotation mechanism consists of four anti-rotation planes A40 on the outer circular wall of the main shaft and an anti-rotation plane B39 on the inner wall of the rotary piston. This structure ensures that the rotary piston and the main shaft can only move up and down, and cannot rotate.

[0048] In this embodiment, the lower end of the motor housing 1 is fixedly connected to the lower cylinder cover 17, and a lower cylinder cover insert 18 for sealing the reset and lowering hydraulic cylinder 13 is provided inside the lower cylinder cover 17. Considering the dustproof function of the folding motor, a dust cover 21 is provided at the lower end of the housing. The dust cover 21 is composed of a dust cover frame 26 and a dust cover soft rubber 26 using a two-color injection molding process. The dust cover frame 26 is installed on the lower cylinder cover insert 18, and the dust cover soft rubber 26 is interference-fitted with the base.

[0049] In this embodiment, considering that the entire arc surface is too difficult to fit and requires a great pressing force, a rib 43 is used for fitting. A rib 43 is provided on the outer periphery of the cover body located on the side of the rivet tube to fit with the outer rearview mirror lens substrate, so as to reduce the contact surface that needs to be deformed.

[0050] In this embodiment, the main shaft 14 is made of steel, and the motor housing 1 is made of plastic. During the injection molding of the motor housing 1, a steel cylinder liner 8 is provided on the inner wall of the cavity, as well as a motor housing insert 16 and a lower cylinder head insert 18 as wear-resistant and load-bearing components. Copper-based powder alloy steel rings are used. This structural design can ensure both low motion resistance and the overall rigidity and vibration resistance of the folding motor.

[0051] In this embodiment, sealing rings are provided on the inner walls of components such as the motor housing insert 16, the lower cylinder head insert 18, the rotary piston 11, and the drive piston 5 to improve the overall sealing performance and prevent hydraulic oil leakage.

[0052] The working principle of this device is as follows:

[0053] 1) After the folding motor is powered on, the linear motor drives the drive piston. 2) Hydraulic oil in drive hydraulic cylinder A enters the lifting and folding hydraulic cylinder along the first hydraulic line; at this time, because the pin is locked, the movement of the rotating piston is restricted, so the motor housing will move upward first, thereby driving the exterior rearview mirror lens upward. 3) When the motor housing moves to the set position (E lifting distance), the pin unlocks. At this time, the rotating piston moves downward while driving the motor housing and lens to rotate, that is, the exterior rearview mirror begins to fold until the exterior rearview mirror is folded to the desired position. The exterior rearview mirror reset is the reverse of the above process.

[0054] like Figures 4 to 8 Under hydraulic pressure, due to the locking pin structure, when the pin is engaged in the main shaft groove, the piston cannot move up and down. This forces the motor housing insert and the motor housing to move upwards. When the motor housing insert and the motor housing move upwards a certain distance (this distance is the lifting distance E), the limiting block on the motor housing insert will release the pin, causing the rotating piston to move downwards. Because the rotating piston and the main shaft have an anti-rotation feature (see...),... Figure 6 Therefore, the curved groove will force the balls to move along the groove, and the final motion phenomenon is: the main shaft is fixed, the rotating piston moves downward along the main shaft, and at the same time, the four steel balls force the motor housing to rotate along the groove, that is: the rearview mirror lens first rises and then rotates (the reverse motion is: the rearview mirror lens first rotates and then falls).

[0055] like Figures 9 to 11 Both the main shaft and the base have meshing inclined surfaces, which are normally engaged. Due to the presence of the disc spring force, the engagement is relatively firm, and there will be no loosening during normal vehicle operation. When the torque manually applied to the exterior rearview mirror lens (this torque will ultimately be transmitted to the motor housing) exceeds a certain value, the axial component of the force generated by the meshing inclined surfaces of the main shaft and the base exceeds the disc spring force. At this point, the meshing surfaces disengage, and the motor housing + main shaft and base will rotate around the rivet pipe, resulting in the manual folding of the exterior rearview mirror.

[0056] like Figure 13 and 14 The folding motor is connected to the lens mount using three M3.5 screws, and to the lens base plate using four ST2.9 self-tapping screws. When the lens is lightweight (<900g), the lens base plate only needs to maintain an interference fit of 0.1mm with the rib on the head of the folding motor; when the lens is heavy (>900g), it is recommended to install four more ST2.9 self-tapping screws.

[0057] In the specific production implementation of this device, the following requirements can be referenced:

[0058] (1) Power supply requirements of the device for the whole vehicle: The power supply requirement of this folding motor is 9~16V, 1.2~1.5A DC power supply; the power supply time for a single power supply is ≤15S.

[0059] (2) Selection of linear motor: It is better to set the reciprocating thrust of the linear motor in the range of 300N~600N.

[0060] (3) Selection of hydraulic oil: It is recommended to select hydraulic oil that meets the DOT5.1 standard.

[0061] (4) Safe working pressure of hydraulic system: 2~3MPa.

[0062] (5) Effective sealing: The installed sealing ring should be able to ensure that the hydraulic oil does not leak in an environment of -40℃ to 90℃.

[0063] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the above embodiments do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention in any way, and all technical solutions obtained by equivalent substitution or other means fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Parts not covered in this invention are the same as or can be implemented using existing technology.

Claims

1. An electric folding device for an automobile outside mirror, comprising a motor housing, characterized in that, The motor housing is provided with two chambers, one of which is provided with a linear motor and a driving piston, and the other of which is provided with a rotary piston, a main shaft and a rivet pipe; the linear motor drives the driving piston to move, the upper and lower spaces of the driving piston are respectively used as a driving hydraulic cylinder A and a driving hydraulic cylinder B, the rotary piston is sleeved on the main shaft in an up-down manner, the main shaft is rotatably sleeved on the rivet pipe, the rivet pipe penetrates through the whole chamber, and the upper and lower spaces of the rotary piston are respectively used as a lifting and folding hydraulic cylinder and a resetting and descending hydraulic cylinder, the lifting and folding hydraulic cylinder and the driving hydraulic cylinder A are communicated through a first hydraulic pipeline, and the resetting and descending hydraulic cylinder and the driving hydraulic cylinder B are communicated through a second hydraulic pipeline; a curved groove is formed in the surface of the rotary piston, the groove is matched with a ball to realize the rotation of the motor housing, and the rotary piston and the main shaft are locked and unlocked through a locking pin structure; in the locked state, the motor housing moves up and down, and in the unlocked state, the motor housing rotates.

2. The power folding device of an automobile outside mirror according to claim 1, wherein A motor housing insert is arranged in the upper port of the motor housing, and the motor housing insert is used to close the lifting and folding hydraulic cylinder, and a limiting block for blocking the end of the pin shaft is arranged at the lower end of the motor housing insert.

3. The power folding mirror assembly of claim 2, wherein: The locking pin structure comprises a pin shaft, a resetting spring and a main shaft groove, the pin shaft and the resetting spring are arranged in the pin shaft hole of the rotary piston, the front end of the pin shaft is matched with the limiting block, the limiting block is in contact with the front end of the pin shaft in the locked state, the resetting spring is compressed, and the rear end of the pin shaft is clamped into the main shaft groove, the limiting block is separated from the front end of the pin shaft in the unlocked state, the resetting spring is reset, and the rear end of the pin shaft is separated from the main shaft groove.

4. The power folding mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein: The main shaft and the rivet pipe are both hollow structures, and the upper end port of the main shaft and the upper and lower end ports of the rivet pipe are all flange structures.

5. The power folding mirror assembly of claim 1, wherein: A spring assembly is arranged between the upper end ports of the main shaft and the rivet pipe, the spring assembly comprises a disc spring and spring washers arranged at the upper and lower ends of the disc spring, a main shaft plastic cover is arranged at the lower end of the main shaft, a base is arranged below the main shaft plastic cover, and the main shaft plastic cover and the base are matched with each other through the engagement inclined surfaces of the concave-convex structures.

6. The electric folding device of an automobile rearview mirror according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The ball is fixed through a clamping screw, and the clamping screw is arranged in a threaded sleeve, and the threaded sleeve is arranged in the motor housing.

7. An electric folding device for an automobile outside mirror according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein A rotation stopping mechanism is arranged between the rotary piston and the main shaft, and the rotation stopping mechanism comprises a rotation stopping plane A arranged on the circular outer wall of the main shaft and a rotation stopping plane B arranged on the circular inner wall of the rotary piston.

8. An electric folding device for an automobile outside mirror according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein Steel cylinder sleeves are arranged on the inner walls of the two chambers.

9. An electric folding device for an automobile rearview mirror according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein A lower cylinder cover is fixedly connected to the lower end of the motor housing, a lower cylinder cover insert for closing the resetting and descending hydraulic cylinder is arranged in the lower cylinder cover, and a dust cover is arranged on the outer wall of the lower cylinder cover and is in interference fit with the base.

10. An electric folding device for an automobile outside mirror according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein A motor cover is arranged at the upper end of the motor housing, and a convex rib matched with the lens base plate of the outside rearview mirror is arranged on the periphery of the cover body on the side of the motor cover relative to the rivet pipe.

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