A lifting structure for an outside mirror folding device

Abstract

The application discloses a lifting structure for an outside rearview mirror folding device and relates to the technical field of automobile parts.The lifting structure comprises a driving unit arranged on a shell, a gear body rotatably arranged on the shell and a transmission member coaxially arranged on a mounting shaft; the inner ring surface of the gear body is provided with a guide column, and the outer ring surface of the transmission member is provided with a guide groove; the upper side of the gear body and the shell and / or the lower side of the gear body and the shell are provided with elastic members; the guide groove is composed of an inclined section, and the guide column is slidingly matched with the inclined section. The guide groove composed of the inclined section and the elastic members are adopted to eliminate the axial gap between the gear body and the shell, so that the lifting structure for the outside rearview mirror folding device runs more smoothly, the running noise is low, and the service life is long.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automotive parts technology, and in particular to a lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device. Background Technology

[0002] During normal driving, the exterior rearview mirrors are usually in the open position. At this time, there is no gap between the mirror bracket and the mirror base plate to prevent the exterior rearview mirror from shaking and generating wind noise. When it is necessary to fold the exterior rearview mirrors (usually when parking or driving at low speed on narrow roads), the relative sliding between the cam assembly creates a millimeter-level gap between the mirror bracket and the mirror base plate, thereby reducing the rotational resistance between the mirror bracket and the mirror base plate. Since the folding function is usually used when the car is parked or driving at low speed, the gap generated at this time will not generate wind noise.

[0003] To achieve the above functions, Chinese Patent No. CN120251671B discloses a transmission gear structure and a folding device for a vehicle vision device. When the guide post on the gear body slides into the first horizontal section of the guide groove on the transmission component, it is used to put the mirror bracket in an unfolded state. When the drive unit drives the gear body to rotate, causing the guide post to slide from the first horizontal section to the inclined section of the guide groove on the transmission component and continue to slide, it is used to lift the transmission gear structure, drive unit, housing, and mirror bracket upward. When the guide post slides to the end of the inclined section and continues to drive, it is used to fold the mirror bracket.

[0004] However, the above-mentioned prior art still has the following defects: (1) Since the internal space of the car exterior rearview mirror is very small, the actual size of the exterior rearview mirror folding device cannot be designed to be large enough. The transmission component is only one of the components of the folding device. Therefore, the actual size of the first horizontal section and the inclined section of the guide groove on the transmission component is even smaller. Under this smaller size specification, even if the prior art uses an arc section to make a smooth transition between the first horizontal section and the inclined section, when the guide column slides from the first horizontal section to the inclined section, especially when it is affected by the processing technology and thermal expansion and contraction, there will still be phenomena such as running jamming, stuttering, and abnormal noise. This will lead to problems such as the folding device not running smoothly and having a lot of noise. It will also aggravate the wear between the guide column and the guide groove and reduce the service life of the folding device.

[0005] (2) When rotating the gear body and the housing, only rotation limit and lubrication effect are usually considered. However, due to the limitations of the processing technology and the effects of thermal expansion and contraction, it is difficult to completely avoid the existence of errors in the actual process. This results in an unavoidable gap between the gear body and the housing. In addition to the degree of freedom of the gear body's rotation, the gap between the gear body and the housing will also cause shaking. This will easily lead to uneven force on the gear body, jerking, jamming, noise and other phenomena during the lifting process. It will also aggravate irregular wear and shorten the service life. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device that operates smoothly, has low noise, and has a long service life.

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention can be achieved through the following technical solution: a lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device, comprising a drive unit disposed in a housing, a gear body rotatably disposed in the housing, and a transmission component coaxially disposed on a mounting shaft; a guide post protrudes from the inner ring surface of the gear body, and a guide groove is provided on the outer ring surface of the transmission component; an elastic element is provided between the upper side of the gear body and the housing and / or between the lower side of the gear body and the housing; the guide groove is composed of an inclined section, and the guide post is slidably engaged with the inclined section; when the drive unit drives the gear body to rotate forward, the guide post slides upward along the bottom of the inclined section, and the vertical component of the force exerted by the inclined section on the guide post is used to make the gear body, the drive unit, and the housing rise vertically; when the guide post slides to the upper part of the inclined section, it is used to restrict the gear body from continuing to rotate forward.

[0008] Preferably, the transmission component is provided with a guide groove with a guide surface, and the gear body is provided with guide teeth; when the guide post slides along the inclined section, the guide teeth slide into the guide surface.

[0009] Preferably, there are multiple guide teeth, and each guide tooth is arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the gear body.

[0010] Preferably, when the guide post slides up along the bottom of the inclined section to contact the upper part of the inclined section or before contact, the guide tooth slides along the guide surface to engage with the guide groove, thereby limiting the gear body from continuing to rotate in the forward direction.

[0011] Preferably, the guide tooth and the guide surface are in line contact.

[0012] Preferably, a lubricating washer is provided between the upper side of the gear body and the housing, and an elastic element is provided between the lower side of the gear body and the housing; or an elastic element is provided between the upper side of the gear body and the housing, and a lubricating washer is provided between the lower side of the gear body and the housing.

[0013] Preferably, the upper end face of the gear body has a protruding positioning part for cooperating and positioning the lubricating washer.

[0014] Preferably, the number of guide posts is 3-6, and each guide post is arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the gear body.

[0015] Preferably, the gear body has an internal skeleton.

[0016] Preferably, the elastic element is a wave spring.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this application are as follows: By eliminating the horizontal section of the guide groove in the prior art, the guide groove consists only of inclined sections, thus avoiding phenomena such as running jamming, jerking, and abnormal noise caused by the guide post needing to slide between the horizontal and inclined sections; and by using elastic elements to eliminate the axial clearance between the gear body and the housing, the gear body is subjected to more uniform force during the lifting process, and the gear body generates a damping effect when rotating, thereby also avoiding phenomena such as jerking, jamming, and noise. In summary, by using a guide groove consisting only of inclined sections and cooperating with elastic elements to eliminate the axial clearance between the gear body and the housing, the present invention makes the lifting structure of the exterior rearview mirror folding device operate more smoothly, with lower operating noise and a longer service life. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a transmission component provided by the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This invention provides Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the installation of a transmission component.

[0020] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the mounting structure of a gear body provided by the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 This invention provides Figure 3 Enlarged view of the gear body.

[0022] Figure 5 This invention provides Figure 3 Enlarged view of the lubricating washer.

[0023] Figure 6 This invention provides Figure 3Enlarged view of the elastic element.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the gear body provided by the present invention.

[0025] Figure 8 This is the present invention. Figure 7 A magnified view of a portion of point A in the middle.

[0026] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the installation between the transmission component and the gear body provided by the present invention.

[0027] Figure 10 This is the present invention. Figure 9 A magnified view of a section at point B in the middle.

[0028] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 100, transmission component; 101, guide groove; 102, guide slot; 103, guide surface; 200, housing; 201, mounting groove; 300, gear body; 301, guide post; 302, guide tooth; 303, positioning part; 304, frame; 400, drive unit; 500, mounting shaft; 600, elastic element; 700, lubrication washer. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The present application will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be noted that, without conflict, the various embodiments or technical features described below can be arbitrarily combined to form new embodiments.

[0030] Example 1 Reference Figures 1 to 8This embodiment provides a lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device, including a drive unit 400 disposed in a housing 200, a gear body 300 rotatably disposed in the housing 200, and a transmission member 100 coaxially disposed on a mounting shaft 500; a guide post 301 protrudes from the inner ring surface of the gear body 300, and a guide groove 101 is provided on the outer ring surface of the transmission member 100; an elastic member 600 is provided between the upper side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200 and / or between the lower side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200 (i.e., an elastic member 600 is provided between the upper side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200, or between the lower side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200). An elastic element 600 is provided between the gear body 300 and the housing 200, or an elastic element 600 is provided between the upper side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200, and between the lower side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200. The guide groove 101 is composed of an inclined section, and the guide post 301 is slidably engaged with the inclined section. When the drive unit 400 drives the gear body 300 to rotate in the forward direction, the guide post 301 slides and rises along the bottom of the inclined section. The vertical component of the force exerted by the inclined section on the guide post 301 is used to make the gear body 300, the drive unit 400 and the housing 200 rise vertically. When the guide post 301 slides to the upper part of the inclined section, it is used to limit the gear body 300 from continuing to rotate in the forward direction.

[0031] Working Principle: By omitting the horizontal section of the guide groove 101 in existing technologies, the guide groove 101 consists only of an inclined section, thus avoiding phenomena such as jamming, jerking, and abnormal noise caused by the guide post 301 needing to slide between the horizontal and inclined sections. Furthermore, the elastic element 600 eliminates the axial clearance between the gear body 300 and the housing 200, resulting in more even force distribution on the gear body 300 during lifting and damping during rotation, thereby preventing jerking, jamming, and noise. In addition, with the elastic element 600 between the upper side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200, at the moment of startup when the drive unit 400 drives the gear body 300 to rotate forward, the elastic element 600 on the upper side of the gear body 300 can be further compressed, causing the gear body 300 to rise vertically before the drive unit 400 and the housing 200, thus reducing the load on the drive unit 400 at startup.

[0032] The core improvement of this embodiment is that by using a guide groove 101 consisting only of inclined sections and a matching elastic element 600 to eliminate the axial gap between the gear body 300 and the housing 200, the folding device of the exterior rearview mirror operates more smoothly with a lifting structure, has low operating noise, and a long service life.

[0033] It should be noted that when the guide groove 101 consists only of an inclined section, since the horizontal section in the prior art is omitted, the drive unit 400 needs to drive the guide post 301 on the gear body 300 to slide upward along the inclined section at the moment of startup. This is equivalent to lifting the entire exterior rearview mirror at the moment of startup, which leads to an increase in the load on the drive unit 400 at the moment of startup. In this regard, when there is an elastic element 600 between the upper side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200, the vertical component of the force exerted by the inclined section on the guide post 301 at the moment of startup will cause the gear body 300 to be lifted vertically upward before the drive unit 400 and the housing 200 (that is, the elastic element 600 between the upper side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200 is compressed), thus playing a buffering role at the moment of startup, avoiding the need to lift the entire exterior rearview mirror at the moment of startup, greatly reducing the startup load and energy consumption of the drive unit 400, and improving the low-temperature startup reliability and long-term stability of the drive unit 400.

[0034] Example 2 Due to limitations in processing technology and the effects of thermal expansion and contraction, errors inevitably occur between the guide post 301 and the guide groove 101. These errors create gaps between the guide post 301 and the guide groove 101. These gaps cause the guide post 301 to wobble up and down within the guide groove 101 during operation, especially at the moment the drive unit 400 starts. This results in uneven force on the guide post 301, leading to problems such as jamming, jerking, and noise. It also accelerates wear and shortens its service life.

[0035] Therefore, the difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that, referring to... Figure 2 , Figure 4 , Figure 9 and Figure 10 The transmission component 100 is provided with a guide groove 102 with a guide surface 103, and the gear body 300 is provided with a guide tooth 302; when the guide post 301 slides along the inclined section, the guide tooth 302 slides in cooperation with the guide surface 103.

[0036] The core improvement of this embodiment is that during the upward sliding of the guide post 301 along the guide groove 101, the lower side of the guide post 301 comes into contact with the guide groove 101 (i.e., the guide post 301 is lowered by the lower surface of the guide groove 101), and the guide tooth 302 comes into contact with the guide surface 103 (i.e., the guide tooth 302 is uppered by the guide surface 103. Since the guide tooth 302 and the guide post 301 are both located on the gear body 300, it is equivalent to the guide post 301 being uppered by the guide surface 103). This is equivalent to restricting the guide post 301 to only slide relative to the guide groove 101 and not to wobble in the up and down direction, thereby making the guide post 301 uniformly stressed, improving the smoothness of operation, reducing noise, and extending service life.

[0037] It should be noted that there can be multiple guide teeth 302, and the specific number is not limited. They can be arranged reasonably according to the size of the rearview mirror of the vehicle model. Each guide tooth 302 can be arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the gear body 300.

[0038] It should be understood that in the above scheme, when the guide post 301 slides to the upper part of the inclined section, the inclined section restricts the guide post 301 (i.e., the gear body 300) from rotating in the forward direction. At this time, the drive unit 400 and the housing 200 rotate around the gear body 300, thereby realizing the folding action of the exterior rearview mirror. During this process, the guide post 301 and the inclined section need to withstand a large force. In order to share or fully bear the force of the guide groove 101 on the guide post 301, in some embodiments of this application, when the guide post 301 slides up along the bottom of the inclined section to contact the upper part of the inclined section or before contact, the guide tooth 302 slides along the guide surface 103 to engage with the guide groove 102, thereby restricting the gear body 300 from continuing to rotate in the forward direction. For example, when the guide post 301 slides up along the bottom of the inclined section to contact the upper part of the inclined section, the guide tooth 302 slides along the guide surface 103 to engage with the guide groove 102. At this time, the guide groove 102 and the guide tooth 302 can share part of the force exerted by the guide groove 101 on the guide post 301. Alternatively, before the guide post 301 slides up along the bottom of the inclined section to contact the upper part of the inclined section, the guide tooth 302 has already slid along the guide surface 103 to engage with the guide groove 102. At this time, the guide groove 102 and the guide tooth 302 can completely share the force exerted by the guide groove 101 on the guide post 301. Since the guide post 301 is radially arranged on the inner ring surface of the gear body 300, only the root of the guide post 301 is connected to the inner ring surface of the gear body 300. Its connection strength is limited, and it is easy to break at the root of the guide post 301 when subjected to excessive force. On the other hand, the guide tooth 302 is formed by removing a part of the material from the upper side of the inner ring surface of the gear body 300. It is equivalent to the guide tooth 302 being integrated with the gear body 300, with higher strength, and is less likely to be damaged when it replaces the guide post 301 under force.

[0039] In some embodiments of this application, the guide tooth 302 and the guide surface 103 are preferably in line contact. Line contact provides a sliding fit with lower operating resistance.

[0040] Reference Figure 3 , Figure 7 and Figure 8In some embodiments of this application, a lubrication washer 700 is provided between the upper side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200, and an elastic element 600 is provided between the lower side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200. The lubrication washer 700 can improve the lubrication effect on the gear body 300, and the elastic element 600 can eliminate the axial clearance between the gear body 300 and the housing 200. This makes the force on the gear body 300 more uniform during the lifting process and generates a damping effect when the gear body 300 rotates. This can further reduce jerking, jamming, noise, etc., making the operation smoother and the noise lower, and also helps to reduce wear and extend service life.

[0041] It should be understood that the positions of the lubrication washer 700 and the elastic element 600 on the upper and lower sides of the gear body 300 can also be interchanged. That is, the elastic element 600 is provided between the upper side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200, and the lubrication washer 700 is provided between the lower side of the gear body 300 and the housing 200.

[0042] Reference Figure 4 In some embodiments of this application, the upper end face of the gear body 300 has a protruding positioning part 303 for engaging and positioning the lubrication washer 700. The positioning part 303 can be used to position the lubrication washer 700, thereby further improving the positioning accuracy between the gear body 300, the lubrication washer 700 and the housing 200, and eliminating radial clearance.

[0043] This application does not limit the specific structure of the positioning part 303. For example, the positioning part 303 can be a ring-shaped structure, with the outer ring surface of the ring-shaped structure slidingly engaging with the inner ring surface of the lubrication washer 700. Alternatively, the positioning part 303 can include multiple arc-shaped structures spaced apart along the circumference of the gear body 300, with the outer ring surfaces of each arc-shaped structure slidingly engaging with the inner ring surface of the lubrication washer 700. Multiple arc-shaped structures can save material costs compared to a ring-shaped structure.

[0044] Reference Figure 4 In some embodiments of this application, the number of guide posts 301 is 3-6, and each guide post 301 is arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the gear body 300.

[0045] It should be noted that this application does not limit the specific structure of the elastic element 600; for example, it can be elastic rubber, a spring, a disc spring, etc. (See reference...) Figure 6 The elastic element 600 is a wave spring. Besides eliminating axial backlash, the wave spring reduces the contact area between the gear body 300 and the wave spring, as well as between the wave spring and the housing 200, thereby reducing running resistance. When both the upper and lower sides of the gear body 300 are elastic elements 600, one or both elastic elements 600 are preferably wave springs.

[0046] Reference Figure 8 In some embodiments of this application, a skeleton 304 is provided inside the gear body 300. The gear body 300 is generally an injection molded part, and the skeleton 304 inside it helps to further improve the strength of the gear body 300.

[0047] Reference Figure 8 In some embodiments of this application, the housing 200 is provided with a mounting groove 201, which facilitates the convenient installation of the elastic element 600.

[0048] The basic principles, main features, and advantages of this application have been described above. Those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely the principles of this application. Various changes and modifications can be made to this application without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the claimed application.

Claims

1. A lifting structure for a rearview mirror folding device, comprising a drive unit disposed in a housing, a gear body rotatably disposed in the housing, and a transmission component coaxially disposed on a mounting shaft; wherein a guide post protrudes from the inner ring surface of the gear body, and a guide groove is provided on the outer ring surface of the transmission component; characterized in that, An elastic element is provided between the upper side of the gear body and the housing and / or between the lower side of the gear body and the housing; The guide groove is composed of an inclined section, and the guide post is slidably engaged with the inclined section. When the drive unit drives the gear body to rotate in the forward direction, the guide post slides and rises along the bottom of the inclined section. The vertical component of the force exerted by the inclined section on the guide post is used to make the gear body, the drive unit, and the housing rise vertically. When the guide post slides to the upper part of the inclined section, it is used to restrict the gear body from continuing to rotate in the forward direction.

2. The lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission component is provided with a guide groove with a guide surface, and the gear body is provided with guide teeth; when the guide post slides along the inclined section, the guide teeth slide into the guide surface.

3. The lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The number of guide teeth is multiple, and each guide tooth is arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the gear body.

4. The lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the guide post slides up along the bottom of the inclined section to contact the upper part of the inclined section or before contact, the guide tooth slides along the guide surface to engage with the guide groove, thereby limiting the gear body from continuing to rotate in the forward direction.

5. A lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The guide teeth and the guide surface are in line contact.

6. The lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A lubricating washer is provided between the upper side of the gear body and the housing, and an elastic element is provided between the lower side of the gear body and the housing; or an elastic element is provided between the upper side of the gear body and the housing, and a lubricating washer is provided between the lower side of the gear body and the housing.

7. A lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The upper end face of the gear body has a protruding positioning part for fitting and positioning the lubricating washer.

8. The lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of guide posts is 3-6, and each guide post is arranged at equal intervals along the circumference of the gear body.

9. A lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gear body has an internal skeleton.

10. A lifting structure for an exterior rearview mirror folding device according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The elastic element is a wave spring.

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