Vehicle lighting tool

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lighting tool having an aiming mechanism which can control a light distribution at high accuracy even when configured of an easily-formed component.SOLUTION: A vehicle lamp includes an aiming mechanism 5 for adjusting an optical irradiation axis of a lamp unit 3 by inclining the lamp unit 3 installed in a lamp body 11 (lamp housing 1). The aiming mechanism 5 includes: a restriction piece 54 (projection end part 541) provided on one of the lamp unit 3 and the lamp body 11; and a restriction body 56 (restriction recess part 561) provided on the other and which engages with the restriction piece 54. The restriction piece 54 and the restriction body 56 are in contact on an aiming axis Ex as an inclination support point of the lamp unit 3, a contact position of the restriction body 56 and the restriction piece 54 are restricted during inclination of the lamp unit 3, and the axial position of the aiming axis Ex is maintained.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp including an aiming mechanism for adjusting the light irradiation direction of a lamp, that is, the direction of the lamp optical axis.

Background Art

[0002] In lighting lamps such as automobile headlamps, an aiming mechanism for adjusting the direction of the lamp optical axis is provided in order to achieve suitable lighting without dazzling other vehicles. As such an aiming mechanism, for example, in a reflector-type lamp that reflects the light of a light source as in Patent Document 1 and irradiates the light with a required light distribution, fulcrum portions for constituting an aiming axis are provided at two locations of the reflector, and there is an aiming mechanism provided with an adjustment portion having an aiming screw at another location. By adjusting the aiming screw, this aiming mechanism tilts the reflector around the aiming axis and adjusts the optical axis direction of the irradiated light.

[0003] In such an aiming mechanism, parts for constituting the fulcrum portion and parts including the aiming screw for constituting the adjustment portion are required, the number of parts is large, and problems arise in achieving miniaturization and weight reduction of the lamp. In particular, in small four-wheel vehicles, two-wheel vehicles, etc., it is difficult to ignore such problems due to the demand for miniaturization and weight reduction of the aiming mechanism. Therefore, it is conceivable to use resin molded products for the parts constituting the aiming mechanism. In Patent Document 1, the member related to the aiming nut screwed onto the aiming screw is constituted by a resin molded product, but it is also conceivable to constitute the ball socket constituting the ball joint as the fulcrum portion by a resin molded product.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When the components constituting the aiming mechanism are made of resin molded products in this way, the balance between the ease of molding and the mechanical strength in the resin molded products becomes a problem. For example, when resin-molding a ball socket, in order to simplify the mold and facilitate molding, if the molded product is forced to be released from the mold (forced ejection), a resin material that can be deformed to some extent is adopted. Therefore, the ball socket formed of such a resin material may be deformed when an external force is applied during aiming, and the fulcrum position may be displaced. Therefore, it becomes difficult to perform aiming adjustment with high precision, and there arises a problem that a lamp with high light distribution accuracy cannot be obtained.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp provided with an aiming mechanism that can control light distribution with high precision while having constituent parts that are easy to mold.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The present invention is a vehicle lamp provided with an aiming mechanism for tilting a lamp unit installed inside a lamp housing to adjust the irradiation optical axis of the lamp unit. The aiming mechanism includes a regulating piece provided on one of the lamp unit and the lamp housing, and a regulating body provided on the other and engaged with the regulating piece. The regulating piece and the regulating body are in contact with each other on the axis of the aiming axis that becomes the tilting fulcrum of the lamp unit, and the contact position between the regulating body and the regulating piece is position-regulated when the lamp unit tilts.

[0008] For example, the regulating body includes a regulating recess into which the regulating piece is inserted, the inner bottom surface of the regulating recess is arranged on the axis of the aiming axis, and the convex end portion of the regulating piece is in contact with the inner bottom surface. Further, the inside of the regulating recess is formed in a tapered shape, and the state where the convex end portion of the regulating piece is in contact with the inner bottom surface of the regulating recess is maintained when the lamp unit tilts. In this case, it is preferable that the regulating piece is provided on the lamp unit and the regulating body is provided on the lamp housing.

[0009] In the present invention, as the configuration of the aiming mechanism, it is preferable that the lamp unit is supported by the lamp housing via two ball joints, and the aiming axis coincides with the line connecting these two ball joints. In this case, the ball joint is composed of a ball stud provided on one of the lamp unit or the lamp housing and a ball socket provided on the other, and at least the ball socket is preferably formed of resin.

Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, since the regulating body and the regulating piece that are in contact on the axis of the aiming axis that serves as the tilting fulcrum of the lamp unit are configured such that the contact position is position-regulated when the lamp unit tilts, even when the components constituting the fulcrum portion are deformed during tilting, the axial position of the aiming axis can be maintained. Thereby, even in an aiming mechanism provided with components that are easy to mold, a vehicle lamp capable of controlling the lamp light distribution with high precision can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a motorcycle equipped with the lamp of the present invention. In a cowl CwL provided at the front part of the body of the motorcycle AM, a composite front lamp CFL is disposed at the central front end thereof, and left and right turn signal lamps TSL are disposed on the left and right sides above the composite front lamp CFL. Further, a windscreen WS is disposed in a region from above the composite front lamp CFL toward the rear in the cowl CwL. Hereinafter, the front-rear direction and the up-down direction shall be the same as the front-rear direction and the up-down direction of the motorcycle AM and the composite front lamp CFL.

[0013] The left and right turn signal lamps TSL each function as a winkler lamp that lights up when the motorcycle AM changes its traveling direction. Each turn signal lamp TSL is composed of an existing single-type lamp and has little relation to the composite front lamp CFL to which the present invention is applied, so detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0014] The composite front lamp CFL is a lamp related to the present invention, and this composite front lamp CFL has a configuration in which a headlamp HL and a positioning lamp PL are integrally incorporated into one lamp housing 1. The headlamp HL is composed of three lamps arranged in the left-right direction, the central lamp is configured as a high beam lamp HiL, and the two lamps sandwiching this high beam lamp HiL on the left and right are configured as low beam lamps LoL. Further, the positioning lamp PL is composed of two line-type lamps extending from both the left and right sides of the central high beam lamp HiL to the left and right obliquely upper regions.

[0015] Figure 2 is a front view of a composite front lamp CFL with a part broken away. Further, Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken along line III-III of Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of the main part disassembled. In these figures, the lamp housing 1 of the composite front lamp CFL includes a lamp body 11 and an outer cover 12. And an extension 2 is disposed within this lamp housing 1, and a headlamp unit 3 that constitutes a headlamp HL and a positioning lamp unit 4 that constitutes a positioning lamp PL are installed inside. In the embodiment, the headlamp unit 3 is disposed in the lower region inside the lamp housing 1, and the positioning lamp unit 4 is disposed in a region extending from the center of this lower region toward the upper left and right regions respectively.

[0016] The lamp body 11 is formed in a container shape with an open front surface, and its front shape is made to match the shape when the cowl CwL of the motorcycle AM is viewed from the front side, and it is attached to the front portion of the cowl CwL.

[0017] The outer cover 12 is also referred to as an outer lens, and is formed of a light-transmissive material, for example, a transparent resin, and is attached so as to cover the front opening of the lamp body 11. The outer cover 12 has a curved surface shape that protrudes forward, and in particular, the curved surface shape of the light-transmissive portion (the region excluding the dotted area) shown in Figure 3 is formed so as to constitute a continuous curved surface with the curved surface shape of the cowl CwL. The peripheral wall of the outer cover 12 extends rearward as a leg portion 13, and by adhering or welding this leg portion 13 to the front opening edge portion 14 of the lamp body 11, the inside of the lamp housing 1 is sealed.

[0018] The extension 2 has an outer shape corresponding to the front opening of the lamp body 11, and is formed of a plate-like member bent in the plate thickness direction. It is supported by the lamp body 11 in a state of being disposed along the inner surface of the outer cover 12. Three light-emitting windows 21 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction at the lower part of the extension 2, and the above-described headlamp unit 3 is disposed on the rear side of these light-emitting windows 21. Further, on the front surface of the extension 2, two linear recesses 22 are formed in a region extending from both sides of the central light-emitting window 21 to the upper left and right extensions, and positioning lamp units 4 are respectively assembled in these recesses 22.

[0019] The extension 2 is formed of resin or the like, and a surface treatment such as aluminum vapor deposition is applied to the front surface directed toward the front of the lamp. In FIGS. 2 and 4, this aluminum vapor deposition surface is depicted by dotted lines. By applying this aluminum vapor deposition, a metallic feeling when the extension 2 is observed from the outside through the outer cover 12 is obtained, and the design effect of the composite front lamp CFL is enhanced. Further, when the positioning lamp units 4 are assembled in the two linear recesses 22, the aluminum vapor deposition surface of the recess 22 functions as a pseudo reflector in the positioning lamp unit 4.

[0020] The two positioning lamp units 4 have a symmetric configuration. In FIG. 2, one (right side in the figure) positioning lamp unit 4 is shown with a partial break, and in FIG. 4, it is shown disassembled. Each positioning lamp unit 4 includes a rod-shaped light guide (light conductor) 42 installed in the linear recess 22 formed in the extension 2, and a positioning lamp LED (hereinafter, P-LED) 41 installed in the same recess 22 and for making light incident from one end surface of the light guide 42. Then, on the front side of this recess 22, a gutter-shaped inner lens 43 having a lens step formed for diverging or diffusing and transmitting light is attached so as to cover the recess 22.

[0021] In the positioning lamp unit 4, when the P-LED 41 emits light, the emitted light, for example, white light, is incident on one end face of the light guide 42, and while being guided in the length direction within the light guide 42, it is emitted from the circumferential surface. The emitted light is diverged or diffused and transmitted by the inner lens 43, and further transmitted through the outer cover 12 and irradiated forward. It is preferable that the presence of the light guide 42 cannot be discriminated from the outside due to the lens steps provided on the inner lens 43. Further, the inner lens 43 may be formed of a colorless and transparent material, but may be thinly colored with an appropriate color in order to enhance the design effect in terms of color when the positioning lamp PL is not lit.

[0022] As described above, the headlamp unit 3 is disposed in the lower region within the lamp housing 1, behind the extension 2, and is supported by the lamp body 11 by the aiming mechanism 5. The headlamp unit 3 is shown in FIG. 4, and an enlarged exploded perspective view is shown in FIG. 5. The headlamp unit 3 is configured to include a light source unit 31 and a multi-reflector 32 that reflects the light emitted from the light source unit 31 and performs light irradiation with required light distribution characteristics.

[0023] The multi-reflector 32 has a planar top plate 33 having a required length in the left-right direction. Three reflectors 34L, 34H, 34L that extend downward and forward from the rear edge of the top plate 33 and are partitioned in the left-right direction are integrally formed. The left and right reflectors 34L, 34L constitute the low beam lamp LoL, and the central reflector 34H constitutes the high beam lamp HiL. That is, the left and right reflectors 34L, 34L are configured as low beam reflectors (hereinafter referred to as L reflectors) having light reflecting surfaces for forming low beam light distribution. The central reflector 34H is configured as a high beam reflector (hereinafter referred to as H reflector) having a light reflecting surface for forming high beam light distribution, but it is also possible to form low beam light distribution.

[0024] The left and right L reflectors 34L and 34L have shapes that are nearly symmetrical, and are arranged at approximately the same position in the front-rear direction of the lamp. The central H reflector 34H is arranged at a position somewhat forward of the left and right reflectors 34L and 34L. And the three L reflectors 34L, 34L and the H reflector 34H are respectively arranged opposite to three light-emitting windows 21 that are opened at the lower part of the extension 2. Also, on the top plate 33, three light-incident windows 37 are provided at positions corresponding to the L reflectors 34L, 34L and the H reflector 34H respectively.

[0025] The light-reflecting surfaces of the L reflectors 34L, 34L and the H reflector 34H are each configured based on a paraboloid of revolution. That is, taking the virtual line shown by the chain line extended in the front-rear direction in FIG. 3 as the axis Ax, with a paraboloid of revolution having a predetermined position on this axis Ax as the focus as the basis, the region of the paraboloid of revolution below this axis Ax is configured as the light-reflecting surface. Also, in the embodiment, as shown in an enlarged view of the light-reflecting surfaces of the L reflector 34L and the H reflector 34H in FIG. 5, each light-reflecting surface is configured as a surface approximated to a paraboloid of revolution by arranging unit light-reflecting surfaces each consisting of a plurality of small-area planes or surfaces close to this in a mosaic pattern.

[0026] FIG. 6(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the L reflectors 34L, 34L. Since the cross-sectional shapes of the left and right L reflectors 34L are substantially the same, one of the L reflectors 34L will be described. The light-reflecting surface of the L reflector 34L is a reflecting surface based on a substantially single paraboloid of revolution, and is configured as a low-beam reflecting surface (hereinafter, L reflecting surface) 341 that reflects light with a low-beam light distribution over substantially the entire area. Also, at the front edge of this L reflecting surface 341, an overhead reflecting surface (hereinafter, OH reflecting surface) 343 that diffusely reflects light upward and in the left-right direction is integrally formed. Here, this OH surface 342 has a configuration in which a plurality of minute cylindrical steps (cylindrical surface steps) are arranged in the left-right direction.

[0027] FIG. 6(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the central H reflector 34H. The light reflecting surface of the H reflector 34H is partitioned into three regions along the front-rear direction. The rear region is configured as a high beam reflecting surface (hereinafter, H reflecting surface) 343 formed based on a paraboloid of revolution having a shorter focal length (the distance between the focus and the vertex of the reference paraboloid of revolution) than the L reflector. The middle region is configured as a low beam reflecting surface (L reflecting surface) 344 formed based on a paraboloid of revolution having a longer focal length than this. The front region is configured as an overhead reflecting surface (OH reflecting surface) 345 that diffusely reflects light upward and in the left-right direction.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 5, the light source unit 31 includes a light source substrate 35 fixedly supported on the top plate 33 of the multi-reflector 32. The light source substrate 35 is formed in a flat plate shape extending in the left-right direction of the multi-reflector 32, and a plurality of light emitting elements 36 are mounted on the surface facing downward with their light emitting surfaces facing downward. In the embodiment, LEDs (light emitting diodes) are adopted as the light emitting elements 36, and one LED 36L, 36L is mounted at a position closer to the left and right of the light source substrate 35, and two LEDs 36HL, 36HH are mounted spaced apart in the front-rear direction at the center. Each LED 36 is arranged facing the light incident window 37 provided in the substrate 33 of the multi-reflector 32, and faces each reflector 34L, 34H, 34L through the light incident window 37. Although a light emitting circuit for causing each mounted LED 36 to emit light is constructed on the light source substrate 35, illustration and description of this light emitting circuit are omitted.

[0029] Among the plurality of LEDs 36, the two LEDs 36L and 36L mounted on the left and right sides are LEDs (hereinafter referred to as L-LEDs) serving as the light sources of the low beam lamp LoL, and are arranged at the focal positions or near the focal positions of the respective left and right L-reflectors 34L and 34L. The two central LEDs 36HL and 36HH are LEDs serving as the light sources of the high beam lamp HiL. The front-side LED 36HL is an LED for low beam light distribution (hereinafter referred to as HL-LED), and the rear-side LED 36HH is an LED for high beam light distribution (hereinafter referred to as HH-LED). The HL-LED 36HL is arranged at the focal point or near the focal point of the L reflecting surface 344 of the H-reflector 34H, and the HH-LED 36HH is arranged at the focal point or near the focal point of the H reflecting surface 343.

[0030] Here, the power supplied to the central HL-LED 36HL is set to be lower than the power supplied to each of the left and right L-LEDs 36L. For example, with respect to the power of the left and right L-LEDs 36L, the power of the central HL-LED 36HL is set to about 1 / 10 to 1 / 12. For the HH-LED 36HH, it is set to be supplied with normal power.

[0031] The aiming mechanism 5 that supports the headlamp unit 3 on the lamp body 11 is for tilting and adjusting the optical axis of the headlamp unit 3 in the vertical direction. Although various configurations of the aiming mechanism 5 have been proposed, here, as shown in the schematic configuration viewed from the rear in FIG. 7, two positions at the upper left and right ends of the multi-reflector 32 on both sides of the headlamp unit 3 are used as the fulcrum portions PS, and the lower left and right centers of the multi-reflector 32 are used as the adjustment portion PM. That is, by operating the adjustment portion PM to displace the lower part of the multi-reflector 32 in the front-rear direction, the multi-reflector 32 is configured to tilt in the vertical direction with the fulcrum portions PS on both sides of the upper part as axes.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 7, fulcrum brackets 51 protruding outwardly to the left and right are provided at the left and right upper ends of the multi-reflector 32 respectively at the fulcrum portion PS of the aiming mechanism 5. Further, an adjustment bracket 52 protruding rearward from the rear surface of the H-reflector 34C of the multi-reflector 32 is provided at the adjustment portion PM.

[0033] Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the fulcrum portion PS, and Figs. 9(a) and (b) are its horizontal sectional view and elevation view. These figures show the left fulcrum portion PS as viewed from the front of the lamp, and since the right fulcrum portion PS has a symmetric configuration with respect to this, the same reference numerals are assigned to each part. The fulcrum bracket 51 has both sides facing in the front-rear direction, and a hole having a required diameter dimension is opened in this fulcrum bracket 51, and a ball stud 53 is inserted and supported in this hole. This ball stud 53 is provided with a ball 531 at its tip, and is supported by a snap portion 532 provided at its base end being inserted and fitted into the hole of the fulcrum bracket 51. The ball 531 of the ball stud 53 faces rearward when it is supported.

[0034] Further, on the outer edge portions in the left-right direction of the fulcrum bracket 51, restricting pieces 54 protruding rearward with both sides facing in the up-down direction are formed. The convex end portion 541 facing rearward of this restricting piece 54 is positioned on the line of the aiming axis Ex. This aiming axis Ex is a line that becomes the axis when the multi-reflector 32 is tilted as will be described later, and is a line connecting the centers of the respective balls 531 of the ball studs 53 respectively disposed at the left and right fulcrum portions PS of the multi-reflector 32.

[0035] On the other hand, ball sockets 55 protruding forward are integrally formed at positions facing the left and right fulcrum brackets 51 respectively on the inner surface of the rear wall of the lamp body 11. This ball socket 55 is formed integrally with the lamp body 11 by resin molding. Each ball socket 55 is formed in a cylindrical shape and includes a plurality of engaging pieces 551 divided in the circumferential direction by slits provided at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction, and a spherical inner chamber is defined inside the space surrounded by these engaging pieces 551.

[0036] Also, on the inner surface of the rear wall of the lamp body 11, restricting bodies 56 are respectively formed at the outer positions of the left and right ball sockets 55, that is, at the positions where the restricting pieces 54 of the fulcrum brackets 51 face each other. These restricting bodies 56 include restricting recesses 561 that are tapered and open in the vertical direction from the inner bottom surface forward, and restricting walls 562 disposed outside the restricting recesses 561. The inner bottom surface of each restricting recess 561 is arranged on an imaginary axis passing through the centers of the inner chambers of the left and right ball sockets 55, and this axis coincides with the axis corresponding to the aiming axis Ex. Also, the outside of each restricting recess 561 is blocked by the restricting wall 562.

[0037] When supporting the multi-reflector 32 on the lamp body 11, at the left and right fulcrum portions PS, the balls 531 of the ball studs 53 directed rearward are inserted into the ball sockets 55. The ball 531 is inserted into the inner chamber while elastically deforming the engaging pieces 551 of the ball socket 55 to the outer diameter side, and after being inserted, it is clamped by the engaging pieces 551. Thereby, a ball joint is formed by the ball stud 53 and the ball socket 55, and the multi-reflector 32 can tilt in the axial rotation direction, that is, tilt in the vertical direction, with the aiming axis Ex extending in the left-right direction connecting the balls 531 of the left and right ball joints 53 as a fulcrum.

[0038] At the same time, the left and right restricting pieces 54 are inserted into the corresponding restricting recesses 561 from the front. When the restricting piece 54 is inserted into the restricting recess 561, the convex end portion 541 of the restricting piece 54 abuts against the inner bottom surface of the restricting recess 561, and the outer end portions in the left-right direction of the restricting piece 54 are in contact with or disposed close to the restricting wall 562. In this way, since the left and right restricting pieces 54 are respectively inserted into the left and right restricting recesses 561, the restricting piece 54 is restricted from moving in the left-right direction by the restricting wall 562, and the movement in the rearward direction is restricted by the inner bottom surface of the restricting recess 561. Note that since the restricting recess 561 is tapered, the tilting of the restricting piece 54, that is, the tilting of the multi-reflector 32, is allowed.

[0039] On one side, in the adjustment bracket 52 of the adjustment part PM provided at the center of the rear surface of the multi-reflector 32, as shown in Fig. 3, holes with required diameter dimensions are opened, and an aiming nut 57 with a grommet structure is fitted and supported in this hole. Further, on the rear wall of the lamp body 11, a boss 111 having a shaft hole is formed at a position facing the adjustment bracket 52. The shaft hole of this boss 111 penetrates the inside and outside of the lamp body 11 in the front-rear direction, and an aiming screw 58 is inserted and supported rotatably in this shaft hole. The outer end portion of this aiming screw 58 is configured as an operation portion 581 for rotating the aiming screw 58, and the inner end portion is configured as a screw portion 582 that is screwed into the aiming nut 57. This aiming screw 58 can be formed by resin molding.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 3, in the aiming mechanism 5 with this configuration, by rotating the aiming screw 58 on the rear surface side of the lamp body 11, the aiming nut 57 screwed into the aiming screw 58 is moved in the front-rear direction, and the adjustment bracket 52 is integrally moved in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the lower part of the multi-reflector 32 having the adjustment bracket 52 is moved in the front-rear direction, and the multi-reflector 32 is tilted in the vertical direction with the aiming axis Ex connecting the left and right fulcrum portions PS as a fulcrum, enabling vertical aiming adjustment of the multi-reflector.

[0041] As described above, the headlamp unit 3 is disposed and supported by the aiming mechanism 5 in the region behind the extension 2 inside the lamp body 1. In the disposed state, the three reflectors 34L, 34H, 34L of the multi-reflector 32 are respectively positioned facing the three light-emitting windows 21 opened in the extension 2. That is, each reflector 34L, 34H, 34L is in a state of being exposed through the corresponding light-emitting window 21 and through the outer cover 12. Therefore, light distribution is performed by the light emitted from each reflector 34L, 34H, 34L and irradiated from the outer cover 12.

[0042] The composed composite front lamp 1 is attached to the cowl CwL of the motorcycle AM. The dotted area of the outer cover 12 shown in FIG. 3 is covered by the cowl CwL, the windshield WS, etc. Further, electrical connections are made to the power supply circuit on the vehicle body side for the positioning lamp unit 4 and the headlamp unit 3.

[0043] Then, each lamp unit is controlled to light up by a key operation or a switch operation by the rider of the motorcycle. For example, when the positioning lamp unit 4 is controlled to light up, the P-LED 41 emits light. The light emitted by the P-LED 41 is incident on one end face of the light guide 42, and while being guided in the length direction inside the light guide 42, it is emitted from the peripheral surface. The emitted light is transmitted through the inner lens 43 and further through the outer cover 12. When passing through the inner lens 43, it is diverged or diffused by the lens step and controlled to have the required light distribution, and is irradiated forward of the motorcycle AM.

[0044] When the headlamp unit 3 is controlled to light up with a low beam light distribution by the rider's switch operation, the left and right L-LEDs 36L and the central HL-LED 36HL emit light. In the left and right L reflectors 34L, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the light emitted from the L-LED 36L is reflected by the L reflecting surface 341 of the L reflector 34L, passes through the outer cover 12, and is irradiated forward of the motorcycle AM with a predetermined light distribution (low beam light distribution). Also, a part of the light of the L-LED 36L is directed upward and reflected by the OH reflecting surface 342, and functions as overhead sign light for illuminating the overhead sign.

[0045] In the central H reflector 34H, as shown in Fig. 6(b), most of the light emitted from the HL-LED 36HL is reflected by the L reflecting surface 344 and irradiated through the outer cover 12. This light is combined with the light emitted from the left and right L reflectors 34L and functions as part of the low beam light distribution. Also, a part of the light emitted from the HL-LED 36HL is reflected by the H reflecting surface 343, but this reflected light is directed upward and blocked by the extension 2, preventing it from dazzling oncoming vehicles. Furthermore, a part of the light of the HL-LED 36HL is reflected upward by the OH reflecting surface 345 and functions as overhead sign light for illuminating the overhead sign.

[0046] When the headlamp unit 3 is controlled to light up with the low beam light distribution in this way, as shown in Fig. 10(a), in the left and right L reflectors 34L, the light reflected by the L reflecting surface 341 is in a light-emitting state where light is irradiated from the entire area of the light irradiation window 21. Also, in the central H reflector 34H, the light reflected by the L reflecting surface 344 is in a light-emitting state where light is irradiated from the lower area of the light irradiation window 21. In the figure, the dotted area is the surface in the light-emitting state.

[0047] As a result, the light-emitting regions of the left and right L reflectors 34L, 34L are connected in the left-right direction through the light-emitting region of the central H reflector 34H, presenting an appearance of a lighting state. That is, even if the left and right low beam lamps LoL are spaced apart with the high beam lamp HiL in between, when the left and right low beam lamps LoL are lit, each light-emitting surface is connected through a partial light-emitting surface in the lighting state of the high beam lamp HiL, and these form the appearance of one lamp. Therefore, the design effect of the headlamp HL when the motorcycle AM is observed from the front direction is enhanced, and it becomes possible to meet the requirements for the headlamp HL.

[0048] Here, as described above, the luminous intensity (luminous flux) of the high-beam lamp HiL's HL-LED36HL is set to be significantly lower than that of the L-LED36L. Therefore, even when the HL-LED36HL emits light during low-beam lighting, the contribution of the light irradiation in the low-beam light distribution is low. That is, since the luminous flux of the HL-LED36HL is small compared to the L-LED36L, even if a part of the light of the HL-LED36HL is reflected by the H reflecting surface 343 in the H reflector 34H and irradiated toward oncoming vehicles or the like, it is possible to prevent dazzling the oncoming vehicles.

[0049] When the headlamp unit 3 is controlled to light in high-beam light distribution, the central HH-LED36HH emits light together with the left and right L-LED36L. At this time, the central HL-LED36HL may emit light or may be extinguished. When the HH-LED36HH emits light, as shown in FIG. 6(c), most of the light emitted from the HH-LED36HH is reflected by the H reflecting surface 343 of the H reflector 34H, passes through the outer cover 12, and is directed toward the region including the upper side of the low-beam light distribution, and high-beam light irradiation is performed. The appearance of the headlamp unit 3 at this time is, as depicted by dotted lines in FIG. 10(b), the appearance of a single lamp in which the light-emitting surfaces of the left and right low-beam lamps LoL and the high-beam lamp HiL are integrated.

[0050] In the multi-reflector 32 of the embodiment, the light reflecting surfaces of the reflectors 34L and 34H are configured such that a plurality of unit light reflecting surfaces with a small area are arranged in a mosaic pattern. Therefore, by appropriately designing the surface angles of some of the unit light reflecting surfaces, when irradiating light in low-beam light distribution or high-beam light distribution, it is possible to irradiate the light reflected by the some of the unit light reflecting surfaces in a desired direction, and the light distribution can be formed with high accuracy.

[0051] The aiming mechanism 5 is used to adjust the vertical orientation of the multi-reflector 32 so as not to dazzle other vehicles, especially during low-beam lighting. As described above, by axially rotating the aiming screw 58 from the rear side of the lamp body 11, the aiming nut 57 screwed onto the aiming screw 58 is moved in the front-rear direction, and the multi-reflector 32 is tilted with the aiming axis Ex as a fulcrum.

[0052] The aiming axis Ex, which is the fulcrum for tilting the multi-reflector 32, is composed of a ball joint consisting of a ball stud 53 and a ball socket 55. The ball socket 55 is formed by resin molding. When molding this ball socket 55, in order to manufacture the mold at low cost, a mold that does not adopt a complex structure such as a slider and uses the elasticity of the resin for forced demolding (forced ejection) is designed. Therefore, the ball socket 55 molded with such a mold is easily deformed by an external force, and the ball socket 55 may be elastically deformed to some extent by the force generated when tilting the multi-reflector 32 during aiming adjustment. Due to this deformation, a positional displacement may occur in the axial position of the ball joint, that is, the aiming axis Ex, and it is conceivable that the aiming accuracy will decrease.

[0053] In the embodiment, the convex end portions 541 of the regulating pieces 54 of the left and right fulcrum brackets 51 of the multi-reflector 32 are respectively inserted into the regulating recesses 561 of the left and right regulating bodies 56. When the multi-reflector 32 is tilted, the regulating pieces 54 are restricted from moving in the left-right direction by the regulating walls 562 of the regulating bodies 56. Further, when the convex end portions 541 of the regulating pieces 54 contact the inner bottom surface of the regulating recesses 561, the movement in the rear direction is restricted. The convex end portions 541 of the regulating pieces 54 are set on the axis of the aiming axis Ex, and the inner bottom surface of the regulating recesses 561 is set on the axis corresponding to the aiming axis Ex passing through the center of the inner chamber of the ball socket 55. Then, when the multi-reflector 32 is tilted, the convex end portions 541 are tilted while contacting the inner bottom surface of the regulating recesses 561, so that the displacement of the axis position of the aiming axis Ex can be reliably prevented. Thereby, the multi-reflector 32 can be tilted with high accuracy, and high-precision aiming adjustment becomes possible.

[0054] In the embodiment, an aiming mechanism for tilting the multi-reflector is illustrated, but it may be configured as an aiming mechanism for tilting a single reflector. Further, instead of tilting the reflector for aiming adjustment, it may be applied to a lamp unit in which the light source unit and the optical system are integrally configured, for example, a projector-type lamp unit in which the light source unit and the irradiation lens are integrally configured. In this case, the aiming mechanism is configured to perform aiming adjustment on the entire lamp unit.

[0055] In the embodiment, the regulating pieces are provided on the reflector side which is the tilting side, and the regulating recesses are provided on the lamp body which is the fixed side. Conversely, a configuration may be adopted in which the regulating recesses are provided on the reflector side and the regulating pieces are provided on the lamp body side. Further, for the ball stud and the ball socket constituting the ball joint, the ball socket may be provided on the reflector side which is the tilting side, and the ball stud may be provided on the lamp body constituting the lamp housing which is the fixed side.

[0056] The vehicle lamp of the present invention can also be applied to a fog lamp as a vehicle lamp equipped with an aiming mechanism. Further, the vehicle lamp of the present invention is not limited to the application to the motorcycle described in the embodiment, and can be applied to lamps of saddle-riding type vehicles including three-wheeled vehicles, four-wheel buggy vehicles, and the like.

Explanation of Signs

[0057] 1 Lamp housing 2 Extension 3 Headlamp unit 4 Positioning lamp unit 5 Aiming mechanism 11 Lamp body 12 Outer cover 21 Light-emitting window 22 Concave portion 31 Light source unit 32 Multi-reflector 33 Substrate 34(34H, 34L) Reflector 35 Light source substrate 36(36L, 36HL, 36HH) LED 41 P-LED 42 Light guide 43 Inner lens 51 Fulcrum bracket 52 Adjustment bracket 53 Ball stud 54 Regulation piece 541 Convex end portion 55 Ball socket 56 Regulation body 561 Regulation concave portion 57 Aiming nut 58 Aiming screw PS Fulcrum portion PM Adjustment portion

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp including an aiming mechanism for tilting a lamp unit installed inside a lamp housing to adjust the irradiation optical axis of the lamp unit, wherein the aiming mechanism includes a regulating piece provided on one of the lamp unit and the lamp housing, and a regulating body provided on the other and engaged with the regulating piece, the regulating piece and the regulating body are abutted on the axis of an aiming axis that serves as a tilting fulcrum of the lamp unit, and a configuration in which the abutting position between the regulating body and the regulating piece is position-regulated when the lamp unit tilts.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the regulating body includes a regulating recess into which a convex end portion of the regulating piece is inserted, an inner bottom surface of the regulating recess is disposed on the axis of the aiming axis, and the convex end portion of the regulating piece is abutted on the inner bottom surface.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the regulating recess is formed in a tapered shape inside, and a state in which the convex end portion of the regulating piece is abutted on the inner bottom surface of the regulating recess is maintained when the lamp unit tilts.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the regulating piece is provided on the lamp unit, and the regulating body is provided on the lamp housing.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the lamp unit is supported by the lamp housing via two ball joints, and the aiming axis coincides with a line connecting these two ball joints.

6. The vehicle lamp according to claim 5, wherein the ball joint is composed of a ball stud provided on one of the lamp unit or the lamp housing, and a ball socket provided on the other, and at least the ball socket is formed of resin.

7. The lamp unit includes a light source and a reflector that reflects light emitted from the light source, and the aiming mechanism is configured to tilt the reflector. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

8. The reflector is configured as a multi-reflector having a plurality of reflectors integrated, and some of the reflectors are configured as reflectors that perform light irradiation with a low beam distribution. The vehicle lamp according to claim 7.

9. The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is configured as a headlamp of a saddle-type vehicle.

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