Optical member and optical axis adjustment mechanism

Abstract

To provide a new optical member that can reduce cost.SOLUTION: An optical member is used in a vehicular lighting fixture, and comprises an optical surface contributing to the formation of a light distribution pattern, and a rotation shaft part provided in a surface on the side opposite to the optical surface. The optical member is an integrally molded product including the optical surface and the rotation shaft part, and wholly made of resin.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical member used in a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, automotive headlamps, fog lamps, and the like have been provided with optical axis adjustment mechanisms for adjusting the optical axes of light sources and reflectors relative to a lamp body fixed to the vehicle body. For example, one known optical axis adjustment mechanism has a ball pivot attached to the back side of the reflector, a ball pivot supported by a ball seat provided in the lamp body, screws with rotation axes supported at positions offset vertically and horizontally from the ball seat, and the screws are screwed into nuts fixedly supported at predetermined locations on the reflector (see Patent Document 1). When adjusting the optical axis, this optical axis adjustment mechanism rotates the screws to move the reflector forward and backward relative to the lamp body, thereby tilting the reflector vertically and horizontally to adjust the optical axis. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-7405 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the optical axis adjustment mechanism described above, the spherical pivot is a separate member from the reflector and lamp body, and there is room for further improvement in terms of increased costs due to an increase in the number of parts and assembly steps.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of its exemplary purposes is to provide a new optical member that enables cost reduction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an optical element according to one aspect of the present invention is an optical element for use in a vehicle lamp, and has an optical surface that contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern, and a rotation shaft portion provided on a surface opposite to the optical surface, wherein the entire optical element including the optical surface and the rotation shaft portion is an integrally molded resin part.

[0007] According to this embodiment, a separate part for supporting the rotating shaft is not required, and the reduction in parts enables cost reduction.

[0008] The rotation shaft is a pivot with a spherical tip, and when viewed from the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, slits are formed on the upper and lower sides of the pivot, but no slits are formed on the left or right sides of the pivot. This makes it possible to manufacture an optical element having a rotation shaft using a mold that slides up and down, without using a mold that slides left and right.

[0009] The pivot may have a locking portion that prevents the pivot from coming loose when fitted into a bearing portion provided on another component. The locking portion is formed on the upper and lower sides of the pivot when viewed from the front in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, but is not formed on the left or right sides of the pivot. This makes it possible to manufacture an optical element having a pivot with a locking portion using a mold that slides up and down without using a mold that slides left and right.

[0010] A space that is open upward or downward may be formed between the optical surface and the rotating shaft, which can suppress deformation of the rotating shaft due to sink marks when manufacturing the optical member using a mold and improve the dimensional accuracy of the rotating shaft.

[0011] The rotation shaft may have a plate-shaped base portion facing the back surface of the optical surface and a cross-shaped rib extending from the base portion toward the pivot, thereby making the base portion less likely to deform due to the force applied to the pivot.

[0012] A convex or concave portion may be provided in an area adjacent to the rotary shaft in the left-right direction of the vehicle, which abuts against a concave or convex portion of another component to regulate the position in the up-down direction of the vehicle. This makes it difficult for the optical component and the other component to be misaligned in the up-down direction.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is an optical axis adjustment mechanism. This optical axis adjustment mechanism includes the optical member described above, a nut member attached to an opening formed in the optical member, a male screw member inserted into a through hole of the nut member, and a lamp body provided with a bearing and rotatably holding the male screw member. In the optical axis adjustment mechanism, the nut member moves in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle due to rotation of the male screw member, thereby tilting the optical member relative to the lamp body.

[0014] According to this aspect, it is possible to realize an optical axis adjusting mechanism that includes an optical member that is a part of the rotation shaft portion and is an integrally molded resin product.

[0015] The rotation axis portion is a pair of fulcrum portions provided on both sides of an opening provided in the center of the vehicle lamp in the left-right direction, and the optical element may be configured to be tiltable in the vertical direction with a straight line connecting the pair of fulcrum portions as the rotation axis.

[0016] Any combination of the above components, and conversion of the present invention between a manufacturing method, a lighting fixture or lighting device, a light emitting module, a light source, etc. are also valid aspects of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, a new optical member that allows cost reduction can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic view of a reflector constituting a vehicle lamp, viewed from behind the lamp. FIG. [Figure 3]2 is a schematic view of a lamp body constituting a vehicle lamp, as viewed from the front of the lamp. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along a horizontal plane including a fulcrum portion. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along a vertical plane including a nut member. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a front view of the nut member according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 7 is a side view of the nut member shown in FIG. 6 as viewed from the direction A. FIG. [Figure 8] 7 is a bottom view of the nut member of FIG. 6 as viewed from the direction B. FIG. [Figure 9] 7 is a top view of the nut member of FIG. 6 as viewed from the C direction. [Figure 10] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the nut member of FIG. 7 taken along the line DD. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] 12 is a cross-sectional view of the fulcrum shown in FIG. 11 . [Figure 13] 12 is a cross-sectional view of the fulcrum shown in FIG. 11 . [Figure 14] 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along a vertical plane including a fulcrum portion. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the reflector shown in FIG. 2 taken along line JJ. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing will be given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted where appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

[0020] (vehicle lighting fixtures) FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a reflector constituting the vehicle lamp, viewed from behind the lamp. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a lamp body constituting the vehicle lamp, viewed from in front of the lamp. The vehicle lamp 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a vehicle headlamp for two-wheeled vehicles. The vehicle lamp according to this embodiment may be any lamp having a function of adjusting the optical axis. The vehicle lamp 10 comprises a lens 12, a reflector 14 which is an optical member, and a lamp body 16. A substrate 18, on the underside of which an LED (not shown) which serves as a light source, is mounted, is fixed to the reflector 14 with screws 20.

[0021] The reflector 14 has a reflective surface 15 as an optical surface that reflects light emitted downward from the LED toward the front of the lamp. The light reflected by the reflective surface 15 passes through the lens 12 and is projected in a predetermined orientation pattern toward the front of the vehicle. The nut member 22 is attached to a rectangular opening 14a provided in the lower part of the reflector 14. The reflector 14 further has a pair of fulcrum portions 14b provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle lamp 10. In other words, the pair of fulcrum portions 14b are provided on both sides of the opening 14a provided in the center of the vehicle lamp 10 in the left and right direction.

[0022] The lamp body 16 has a through-hole 16a into which an adjusting screw 24, which is a male threaded member, is inserted and which rotatably holds the adjusting screw 24. The lamp body 16 has a pair of recesses 16b in which a pair of fulcrum portions 14b are rotatably held. The fulcrum portions 14b have spherical protrusions at their tips, and are configured to tilt at least in the vertical direction while held in the recesses 16b.

[0023] 4 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 10 cut along a horizontal plane including the fulcrum portions 14b. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the reflector 14 is configured to be tiltable in the vertical direction around a rotation axis R1 that is a straight line connecting the pair of fulcrum portions 14b.

[0024] 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 10 cut along a vertical plane including the nut member. The optical axis adjustment mechanism 100 according to this embodiment enables adjustment of the optical axis by interlocking the nut member 22, which is a female thread member, and the adjusting screw 24, which is a male thread member, and tilting the reflector 14 relative to the lamp body 16. The nut member 22 according to this embodiment is a resin-molded part.

[0025] Specifically, the adjusting screw 24 is inserted into the through-hole 16a of the lamp body 16 with the O-ring 26 fitted in the outer circumferential groove. At this time, the threaded tip of the adjusting screw 24 is screwed in until the nut member 22 reaches a predetermined position (the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 5 ). From this state, when the adjusting screw 24 is rotated in the X1 direction using an adjustment tool (such as a screwdriver), the nut member 22, which has a threaded inner periphery of the central through-hole, moves in the direction of arrow Y1. As a result, the entire reflector 14 to which the nut member 22 is attached tilts in the Z1 direction. On the other hand, when the adjusting screw 24 is rotated in the X2 direction, the nut member 22 moves in the direction of arrow Y2. As a result, the entire reflector 14 to which the nut member 22 is attached tilts in the Z2 direction. In this way, the optical axis adjustment mechanism 100 according to this embodiment can adjust the orientation of the optical axis by rotating the adjusting screw 24 threaded into the nut member 22 with the adjustment tool.

[0026] (nut material) Next, the details of the nut member according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a front view of the nut member according to this embodiment. Fig. 7 is a side view of the nut member shown in Fig. 6, seen from direction A. Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the nut member of Fig. 6, seen from direction B. Fig. 9 is a top view of the nut member of Fig. 6, seen from direction C. Fig. 10 is a DD cross-sectional view of the nut member of Fig. 7.

[0027] 10, the nut member 22 includes a flange portion 22a that contacts the reflector 14 from one side E (rearward of the vehicle) of the opening 14a, and a pair of opposing protrusions 22b that protrude from the flange portion 22a toward the other side F (frontward of the vehicle) of the opening 14a. The protrusions 22b include a locking portion 22c that is inserted into the opening 14a in a bent state and that locks with the reflector 14 after protruding from the opening 14a, and a flat portion 22d that comes into contact with an inner peripheral surface 14d of the vertical side 14c of the opening 14a in the locked state. The flange portion 22a has a convex surface 22e that contacts the reflector 14.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 5, in the optical axis adjustment mechanism 100 according to this embodiment, the opening 14a is a rectangle that is long in the vertical direction so that the nut member 22 can move up and down relative to the opening 14a as the adjusting screw 24 rotates (in other words, so that the reflector 14 can move up and down relative to the nut member) (see Fig. 9). For example, as described above, when the adjusting screw 24 is rotated in the X1 direction, the nut member 22 moves in the Y1 direction, and the opening 14a is displaced downward, causing the optical axis of the reflector 14 to tilt downward. Conversely, when the adjusting screw 24 is rotated in the X2 direction, the nut member 22 moves in the Y2 direction, and the opening 14a is displaced upward, causing the optical axis of the reflector 14 to tilt upward.

[0029] Thus, the opening 14a is shaped so that the protrusion 22b of the nut member 22 can move up and down while locked. Therefore, when the nut member 22 moves up and down in the opening 14a due to vibration, the nut member 22 may be worn down due to sliding with the inner circumferential surface 14d of the opening 14a. Therefore, in the nut member 22 according to this embodiment, the portion that contacts the inner circumferential surface 14d of the opening 14a of the reflector 14 when the protrusion 22b is locked is the flat portion 22d, so that the protrusion 22b and the inner circumferential surface 14d of the opening 14a are likely to come into surface contact. Therefore, even if the reflector 14 and the nut member 22 slide due to vibration, they are less likely to be worn down. Note that the pair of protrusions 22b are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, which can suppress left-right vibration of the nut member 22 caused by vehicle vibration.

[0030] Furthermore, because the nut member 22 can only move in the axial direction of the adjusting screw 24, it hardly tilts relative to the lamp body 16. However, the opening 14a tilts due to the tilting of the reflector 14. Therefore, if the portion of the flange portion 22a that abuts against the reflector 14 from one side E of the opening 14a were completely flat, the entire flange portion 22a would abut against the edge of the opening 14a at a reference position where the opening 14a and the flange portion 22a are completely parallel, but if the reference position is shifted, the position of the flange portion 22a abutting against the edge of the opening 14a would not be constant. Therefore, by providing a convex surface 22e at the portion where the flange portion 22a abuts against the reflector 14, the nut member 22 can tilt relative to the reflector 14 without changing the abutment position between the flange portion 22a of the nut member 22 and the reflector 14. The convex surfaces 22e are provided on both left and right sides of the opening 14a.

[0031] 9, the nut member 22 further includes a funnel-shaped guide portion 22f that guides the tip of the adjusting screw 24, and a through hole 22h that extends from a bottom 22g of the guide portion 22f toward the gap between the pair of protrusions 22b. A thread groove 22m is formed in part of the inner surface of the through hole 22h. This makes it easier to guide the tip of the adjusting screw 24 into the through hole 22h when assembling the adjusting screw 24 to the nut member 22 attached to the opening 14a of the reflector 14.

[0032] Guide portion 22f has a pair of flat portions 22j along one side 14c (long side) of opening 14a and a pair of inclined surfaces 22k along the other side 14e (short side) of opening 14a, which simplifies the shape of guide portion 22f and allows for vertical guidance of the tip of adjusting screw 24.

[0033] The optical axis adjustment mechanism 100 according to this embodiment includes the above-mentioned nut member 22, a reflector 14 that has an opening 14a into which the nut member 22 is attached and that contributes to forming a light distribution pattern, an adjusting screw 24 that is inserted into the through hole 22h of the nut member 22, and a lamp body 16 that rotatably holds the adjusting screw 24. The nut member 22 moves in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle as the adjusting screw 24 rotates, thereby tilting the reflector 14. This makes it possible to realize an optical axis adjustment mechanism 100 that includes a nut member 22 that is less susceptible to scraping.

[0034] (fulcrum part) The fulcrum portion 14b according to this embodiment functions as a rotation axis portion. The fulcrum portion 14b is provided on the surface opposite the reflecting surface 15, and the entire reflector 14, including the reflecting surface 15 and the fulcrum portion 14b, is an integrally molded resin product. An example of the resin is polycarbonate. This eliminates the need for a separate part for the fulcrum portion 14b, enabling cost reductions due to fewer parts. Furthermore, it is possible to realize an optical axis adjustment mechanism 100 including a reflector 14 that is an integrally molded resin product, of which the fulcrum portion 14b is a part.

[0035] Fig. 11 is a front view of the vicinity of fulcrum portion 14b. Fig. 12 is a GG cross-sectional view of fulcrum portion 14b shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is an HH cross-sectional view of fulcrum portion 14b shown in Fig. 11. Fulcrum portion 14b is a pivot 14f with a spherical tip. As shown in Fig. 11, when viewed from the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction, fulcrum portion 14b has slits 14g formed on the upper and lower sides of pivot 14f, but no slits are formed on the left and right sides of pivot 14f. This makes it possible to manufacture an optical element having fulcrum portion 14b using a mold that slides up and down, without using a mold that slides left and right.

[0036] Fig. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp taken along a vertical plane including a fulcrum portion. The pivot 14f has a locking portion 14h that prevents the pivot 14f from coming off when fitted into a recess 16b that serves as a bearing provided in the lamp body 16. The locking portion 14h is formed on the upper and lower sides of the pivot 14f when viewed from the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction, but is not formed on the left or right sides of the pivot 14f (see Fig. 13). This makes it possible to manufacture a reflector 14 that includes a pivot 14f having a locking portion 14h using a mold that slides up and down without using a mold that slides left and right.

[0037] 14, the reflector 14 has an upwardly open space S formed between the reflecting surface 15 and the fulcrum portion 14b. This prevents deformation of the fulcrum portion 14b due to sink marks when manufacturing the reflector 14 using a mold, and improves the dimensional accuracy of each part of the fulcrum portion 14b. Note that the space S may also be downwardly open.

[0038] The fulcrum portion 14b has a plate-shaped base portion 14j facing the back surface of the reflecting surface 15, and a cross-shaped rib 14k (see FIG. 11) provided from the base portion 14j toward the pivot 14f. This makes the base portion 14j less likely to deform due to the force applied to the pivot 14f.

[0039] Figure 15 is a J-J cross-sectional view of the reflector 14 shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, a protrusion 14m is provided in an area adjacent to the fulcrum portion 14b in the left-right direction of the vehicle, which abuts against a recess 16c of the lamp body 16 to restrict the position in the vertical direction of the vehicle. This makes it difficult for the reflector 14 and the lamp body 16 to shift from each other's positions in the vertical direction. Note that the recess may be provided on the reflector 14 side, and the protrusion may be provided on the lamp body 16 side.

[0040] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and suitable combinations and substitutions of the configurations of the embodiments are also included in the present invention. Furthermore, it is possible to suitably rearrange the combinations and processing orders in the embodiments based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and to make modifications to the embodiments such as various design changes, and such modified embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10 vehicle lamp, 14 reflector, 14a opening, 14b fulcrum portion, 14c edge, 14d inner peripheral surface, 14e edge, 14f pivot, 14g slit, 14h locking portion, 14j base, 14k rib, 14m convex portion, 15 reflective surface, 16 lamp body, 16a through hole, 16b concave portion, 22 nut member, 24 adjusting screw, 26 O-ring, 100 optical axis adjustment mechanism.

Claims

1. An optical member used in a vehicle lamp, an optical surface that contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern; a rotation shaft portion provided on a surface opposite to the optical surface, An optical member characterized in that the entire optical member, including the optical surface and the rotation shaft portion, is an integrally molded resin product.

2. The rotating shaft portion is The tip is a spherical pivot, 2. The optical element according to claim 1, wherein, when viewed from the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction, slits are formed on the upper and lower sides of the pivot, and no slits are formed on the left and right sides of the pivot.

3. The pivot has a locking portion that prevents the pivot from coming off when fitted into a bearing portion provided on another component, 3. The optical element according to claim 2, wherein the engaging portions are formed above and below the pivot when viewed from the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and are not formed on the left and right sides of the pivot.

4. 2. The optical member according to claim 1, wherein a space that is open upward or downward is formed between the optical surface and the rotation shaft portion.

5. The optical element according to claim 2, wherein the rotation shaft portion has a plate-shaped base portion facing the back surface of the optical surface, and a cross-shaped rib extending from the base portion toward the pivot.

6. The optical element according to claim 1, characterized in that a convex or concave portion is provided in an area adjacent to the rotating shaft portion in the left-right direction of the vehicle, the convex or concave portion being abutted against a concave or convex portion of another component to regulate its position in the up-down direction of the vehicle.

7. The optical member according to claim 3; a nut member that is attached to an opening formed in the optical member; a male screw member inserted into the through hole of the nut member; a lamp body provided with the bearing portion and rotatably holding the male screw member, The optical axis adjusting mechanism is characterized in that the nut member moves in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle by rotation of the male screw member, thereby tilting the optical member relative to the lamp body.

8. the rotation shaft portion is a pair of fulcrum portions provided on both sides of the opening portion provided in the center portion of the vehicle lamp in the left-right direction, 8. The optical axis adjusting mechanism according to claim 7, wherein the optical member is configured to be tiltable in the vertical direction around a straight line connecting the pair of fulcrum portions as a rotation axis.

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