Headlight structure for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a headlight structure for a vehicle capable of adjusting an optical axis without damaging peripheral components provided close to a periphery of a housing of a headlight.SOLUTION: A headlight structure for a vehicle includes: a housing 102 that accommodates a headlight 100; an aiming screw 104 that is disposed in the housing 102 and is operated by a driver 106 to adjust an optical axis of the headlight 100; an electrical component 108 that is arranged close to the periphery of the housing 102; and a guide member 110 that is fixed to the housing 102 between the housing 102 and the electrical component 108, guides a tip portion 106A of the driver 106 to the aiming screw 104, and is long in a vertical direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle headlight structure. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, according to Patent Document 1, an aiming screw for adjusting the optical axis of the headlamp is provided on the rear wall of the lamp body of a vehicle headlamp. The optical axis adjustment is performed by inserting a screwdriver along the rear wall of the lamp body from above the headlamp. A bulging wall that bulges above the aiming screw is provided on the rear wall of the lamp body, and this functions as a screwdriver insertion guide that guides the screwdriver to the aiming screw. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-260978 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, peripheral parts may be located behind and close to the housing. In such cases, a tool must be inserted into the narrow gap between the housing and the peripheral parts when adjusting the headlight beam axis, and there is a risk that the tool may damage the peripheral parts, making it difficult to get the tool close to the aiming screw. It is possible to provide an extension structure to the aiming screw to a location where the tool can easily access it, but this would increase weight and costs.

[0005] Also, depending on the shape of the headlight housing, it may not be possible to approach the aiming screw from above with a tool. In such cases, it may be necessary to insert the tool into the rear of the housing from the side (the right side for a left headlight).

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle headlight structure that enables adjustment of the optical axis without damaging peripheral components arranged in close proximity to the periphery of the headlight housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a representative configuration of a vehicle headlight structure according to the present invention is characterized in that it includes a housing that accommodates a vehicle headlight, a beam axis adjustment unit that is disposed in the housing and operated by a predetermined tool to adjust the beam axis of the headlight, predetermined electrical components that are disposed in close proximity to the periphery of the housing, and a vertically elongated guide member that is fixed to the housing between the housing and the electrical components and that guides the tip of the tool to the beam axis adjustment unit. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle headlight structure that allows the optical axis to be adjusted without damaging peripheral components provided in close proximity to the periphery of the headlight housing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a vehicle headlight structure according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the vehicle headlight structure of FIG. 1 as viewed from the inside (right side) in the vehicle width direction. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the vehicle headlight structure of FIG. 1 as seen from the rear. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the guide member of FIGS. 1 to 3. [Diagram 5] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle headlight structure shown in FIG. 2 along the line AA. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the vehicle headlight structure of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the guide member of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the guide member of FIG. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] One embodiment of a vehicle headlight structure according to the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a housing that accommodates a vehicle headlight, a beam axis adjustment unit that is disposed in the housing and operated by a predetermined tool to adjust the beam axis of the headlight, predetermined electrical components disposed in close proximity to the periphery of the housing, and a vertically elongated guide member that is fixed to the housing between the housing and the electrical components and that guides the tip of the tool to the beam axis adjustment unit.

[0011] According to the present invention, the tip of the tool can be brought into contact with the guide member that is elongated in the vertical direction and slid downward along the guide member, so that the tool can be easily brought close to the optical axis adjustment unit. Therefore, even if there are components such as the above-mentioned electrical components that are provided close to the periphery of the housing, the optical axis can be adjusted without damaging them, and the workability of the optical axis adjustment can be improved.

[0012] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the optical axis adjustment can be easily performed without moving electrical components located close to the housing, thereby making effective use of the space in the engine compartment and improving the freedom of design of the headlight shape and the freedom of component layout in the engine compartment.

[0013] Furthermore, by fixing such a guide member to the housing, the housing is reinforced and the rigidity of the housing is improved, which leads to improved accuracy in the optical axis adjustment of the light source device.

[0014] The vehicle headlight structure further includes a guide shape formed in the housing, extending from the vicinity of the guide member to the beam axis adjustment portion and guiding a tip of a tool to the beam axis adjustment portion, the tool approaches the beam axis adjustment portion from the inside in the vehicle width direction and is guided by the guide member, the guide member has a side wall located rearward of the guide shape and extending in the vertical direction from a position higher than the electrical components over a predetermined range on the inside in the vehicle width direction, and a U-shaped rib that protrudes forward continuously from the lower end of the side wall and wraps around to the upper side to terminate, and the U-shaped rib is adjacent to the guide shape so as to be connected to the guide shape of the housing.

[0015] According to the above configuration, the tip of the tool can be easily guided to the optical axis adjustment unit by sliding the tip of the tool downward along the side wall, aligning it with the U-shaped guide to reach the guide shape, and then moving it further along the guide shape. In addition, since the tip of the tool is received by the U-shaped rib, it will not slip out of the guide shape, such as forward, and the tip of the tool can be reliably guided to the guide shape.

[0016] Furthermore, by having such a shape, the rigidity of the guide member is improved, which can further contribute to improving the rigidity of the housing.

[0017] The side wall is preferably located on the outer side of the electrical components in the vehicle width direction, and the side wall extends inward in the vehicle width direction while inclining toward the front of the vehicle so that its extension does not intersect with the electrical components when viewed from above.

[0018] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the side wall of the guide member is inclined in a direction that prevents the tool from contacting the electrical components. By aligning the tip of the tool with the side wall, the tool can be easily prevented from contacting the surrounding components in the engine room, improving workability. In addition, damage to the electrical components can be prevented, making it easier to ensure quality.

[0019] The upper and lower ends of the guide member are fixed to the upper end and central portion of the housing, respectively, when viewed from the front-rear direction, and the lower end of the guide member preferably overlaps with the light source device of the headlight when viewed from the front-rear direction.

[0020] According to the above-described configuration, the rigidity of the housing is improved, and therefore the precision of the optical axis adjustment performed by the light source device is improved. EXAMPLES

[0021] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values ​​shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid repeated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0022] Fig. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a vehicle headlight structure according to the present invention. In Fig. 1 and all other drawings, the front-rear direction of the vehicle is indicated by arrows F (Forward) and B (Backward), the left and right directions in the vehicle width direction are indicated by arrows L (Leftward) and R (Rightward), and the up-down direction is indicated by arrows U (Upward) and D (Downward).

[0023] (housing) Fig. 1 shows a headlight 100 on the left side of a vehicle. Since the left and right headlights have a symmetrical structure, hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle headlight structure will be described using the left headlight 100. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle headlight structure includes a housing 102 that accommodates the rear side and the inside (right side) of the headlight 100 in the vehicle width direction.

[0024] (Aiming screw) Fig. 2 is a side view of the vehicle headlight structure of Fig. 1 as seen from the inside (right side) in the vehicle width direction, and Fig. 3 is a rear view of the vehicle headlight structure of Fig. 1 as seen from the rear. As shown in Fig. 3, on the outer side of the rear surface of the housing 102 in the vehicle width direction, a light axis adjustment part (aiming screw 104) for adjusting the light axis of the headlight 100 is disposed slightly below the center of the housing 102 in the up-down direction.

[0025] The aiming screw 104 adjusts the optical axis of the headlight 100 by being operated with a tool (driver 106 in FIG. 6) described later. However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a protruding portion 102A that protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle is formed on the upper portion of the housing 102. Therefore, a tool cannot be brought close to the aiming screw 104 on the back surface of the housing 102 shown in FIG. 3 from above. In addition, since a vehicle body panel (not shown) is present on the outer side (left side) of the housing 102 in the vehicle width direction, it is necessary to bring the tool close to the aiming screw 104 from the inner side (right side) in the vehicle width direction.

[0026] (Electrical components) 1 and 2, in this embodiment, a predetermined electrical component 108 is disposed adjacent to the right rear of the housing 102. For convenience of illustration, the electrical component 108 is omitted from FIG. 3. Since the electrical component 108 is disposed in this position, the gap between the housing 102 and the electrical component 108 is narrow, making it difficult to approach the aiming screw 104 from the right side of the vehicle. Note that, although the electrical component 108 is used in this embodiment, the peripheral components disposed adjacent to the housing 102 may be any type of components.

[0027] (Guide material) 1 to 3, the vehicle headlight structure includes a guide member 110 that is elongated in the up-down direction and fixed to the housing 102 between the housing 102 and an electrical component 108. The guide member 110 is fixed to the housing 102 by a protrusion 111 (FIG. 6) that extends rearward from the housing 102. The guide member 110 is a member that guides the tip of a driver 106 (described later) to an aiming screw 104.

[0028] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the guide member 110 of Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the guide member 110 has a side wall 114 that is located rearward of a groove 120 (Fig. 3) described below and extends downward over a predetermined range in the vehicle width direction. As is clear from Fig. 2, this side wall 114 extends downward from a position higher than the electrical component 108, and extends at least halfway through the vertical range of the electrical component 108.

[0029] The guide member 110 also has a U-shaped rib 118 that protrudes forward continuously from the lower end of the side wall 114 and wraps around upward to a position higher than the lower end of the side wall 114. As is clear from Figure 4, the U of the U-shaped rib 118 is open upward.

[0030] (groove) As shown in Fig. 3, the vehicle headlight structure further includes a guide shape (groove 120) formed on the back surface of the housing 102. The groove 120 extends from the vicinity of the U-shaped rib 118 of the guide member 110 to the aiming screw 104, and guides the tip 106A of the driver 106 to the aiming screw 104. The U-shaped rib 118 of the guide member 110 shown in Fig. 4 is adjacent to the groove 120 so as to communicate with the groove 120, as shown in Fig. 3. Specifically, the U-shaped rib 118 has a bottom 118A, and the bottom 118A is inclined so as to coincide with the extension direction of the groove 120 of the housing 102 and communicates with the groove 120.

[0031] (Optical axis adjustment work) Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the vehicle headlight structure of Fig. 2. As already mentioned and as shown in Fig. 5, the driver 106 needs to approach the aiming screw 104 provided on the rear surface of the housing 102 from the inside (right side) in the vehicle width direction. However, since the electrical component 108 is located close to the housing 102, the driver 106 needs to be inserted into the narrow gap between the housing 102 and the electrical component 108 as shown in Fig. 5, making it difficult to approach the aiming screw 104. In addition, there is a risk that the electrical component 108 may be damaged by the driver 106.

[0032] Fig. 6 is a partially enlarged view of the vehicle headlight structure of Fig. 1, and is a plan view showing how the driver 106 approaches the aiming screw 104 provided on the back surface of the housing 102 from the right side of the vehicle. According to this embodiment, it is possible to solve the above-mentioned problem of bringing the driver 106 close to the aiming screw 104 without damaging the electrical components 108. That is, by guiding the driver 106 with a guide member 110, it is possible to make the driver 106 easily reach the aiming screw 104.

[0033] 7 and 8 are perspective views of the guide member 110 of FIG. 6, showing the guide member 110 viewed from different directions. As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, an operator can align the driver 106 with the guide shape (groove 120) formed in the housing 102 by a simple operation of sliding the tip 106A of the driver 106 downward along the lateral wall 114.

[0034] As already described, the side wall 114 of the guide member 110 extends downward from a position higher than the electrical component 108. Therefore, the worker can bring the tip 106A of the driver 106 into contact with the side wall 114 of the guide member 110 without contacting the electrical component 108.

[0035] The tip 106A of the driver 106 is received by the U-shaped rib 118 and does not slide below the guide shape (groove 120), so that the driver 106 can be reliably aligned with the guide shape (groove 120). As described with reference to FIG. 3, the U-shaped rib 118 is adjacent to the groove 120 so that the bottom 118A thereof communicates with the groove 120 of the housing 102. The bottom 118A of the U-shaped rib 118 is inclined so as to coincide with the extension direction of the groove 120 of the housing 102. Therefore, the tip 106A of the driver 106 can be smoothly moved from the U-shaped rib 118 to the groove 120.

[0036] Thus, according to this embodiment, the tip 106A of the driver 106 is brought into contact with the guide member 110 which is elongated in the vertical direction, slid downward along the guide member 110, moved into the groove 120, and further moved along the groove 120, whereby the driver can be easily guided to the aiming screw 104. Therefore, the optical axis can be adjusted without damaging components such as the electrical components 108 which are provided in close proximity to the periphery of the housing 102, and the workability of the optical axis adjustment can be improved.

[0037] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the optical axis adjustment can be easily performed without moving the electrical components 108 located close to the housing 102, making it possible to effectively utilize the space in the engine compartment and improving the freedom of design of the shape of the headlight 100 and the freedom of component layout in the engine compartment.

[0038] Furthermore, the guide member 110 has a three-dimensional shape including the side wall 114 and the U-shaped rib 118, and by fixing the guide member 110 to the housing 102, the housing 102 is reinforced and the rigidity of the housing 102 is also improved.

[0039] In this embodiment, a component known as a guide member 110 is added to the headlight, but compared to the case where an extension structure also made of metal is provided from the aiming screw 104, the increase in weight is minimal because the guide member is made of resin.

[0040] (Side wall of guide member) 5, the side wall 114 of the guide member 110 is located outboard in the vehicle width direction (on the left side of the vehicle) relative to the electrical component 108. As shown in FIG. 5, the side wall 114 extends inward in the vehicle width direction (on the left side of the vehicle) while inclining toward the front of the vehicle so that an extension line L of the side wall 114 does not intersect with the electrical component 108 in a top view.

[0041] According to the above configuration, the side wall 114 of the guide member 110 is inclined in a direction that prevents the driver 106 from contacting the electrical component 108. By aligning the tip 106A of the driver 106 with the side wall 114, it becomes easier to prevent the driver 106 from contacting the electrical component 108 in the engine compartment, improving workability. In addition, damage to the electrical component 108 can be prevented, making it easier to ensure quality.

[0042] 3, an upper end 110A and a lower end 110B of the guide member 110 are fixed to an upper end and a central portion, respectively, of the housing 102 when viewed from the front-rear direction. The lower end 110B of the guide member 110 overlaps with the light source device 100A of the headlight 100 when viewed from the front-rear direction.

[0043] According to the above-described configuration, the rigidity of the housing 102 is improved, and therefore the accuracy of the optical axis adjustment performed on the light source device 100A is also improved.

[0044] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can think of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0045] Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented by freely combining the inventions described in the claims and examples, regardless of the dependent relationships of the claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0046] The present invention can be used in a vehicle headlight structure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 100 ... Headlight 100A...Headlight light source device 102 …Housing 104 ... Aiming screw 106 ... Driver 106A … Driver tip 108 ... Electrical components 110 ... Guide member 110A … Upper end of guide member 110B ... Lower end of guide member 111...protrusion 114 ... Side wall 118 ... U-shaped rib 118A … Bottom of U-shaped rib 120…Groove

Claims

1. a housing for accommodating a vehicle headlight; a light axis adjustment unit that is disposed in the housing and that adjusts a light axis of the headlight by being operated by a predetermined tool; a predetermined electrical component disposed adjacent to the periphery of the housing; a guide member elongated in a vertical direction, the guide member being fixed to the housing between the housing and the electrical component, for guiding a tip of the tool to the light axis adjustment portion.

2. The vehicle headlight structure further includes a guide shape formed in the housing, extending from a vicinity of the guide member to the optical axis adjustment portion and guiding a tip of the tool to the optical axis adjustment portion, The tool approaches the optical axis adjustment portion from the inside in the vehicle width direction and is guided by the guide member, The guide member is a lateral wall that is located rearward of the guide shape and extends in a vertical direction from a position higher than the electrical component over a predetermined range on the inner side in the vehicle width direction; a U-shaped rib that is continuous with the lower end of the side wall, protrudes forward, wraps around to the upper side, and terminates; 2. The vehicle headlight structure according to claim 1, wherein the U-shaped rib is adjacent to the guide shape of the housing so as to communicate with the guide shape.

3. The side wall is located on the outer side of the electrical component in the vehicle width direction, 3. The vehicle headlight structure according to claim 2, wherein the lateral wall extends inward in a vehicle width direction while inclining toward a front of the vehicle so that an extension line of the lateral wall does not intersect with the electrical component in a top view.

4. an upper end and a lower end of the guide member are fixed to an upper end and a central portion of the housing, respectively, when viewed from the front-rear direction; 4. The vehicle headlight structure according to claim 1, wherein a lower end of the guide member overlaps with a light source device of the headlight when viewed from the front-rear direction.

Images