Lamp fitting for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a lamp fitting for vehicle capable of precise adjustment of an optical axis of a light source unit.SOLUTION: An aiming part 30 has: a mount ring 31 provided for a bracket; an adjusting nut 32 freely slidably supported with respect to a housing while connected via the mount ring 31 and a pivot part 35; and an adjusting bolt 33 which includes a male screw part 33a screwed with a female screw part 32a provided for the adjusting nut 32 and is freely rotatably supported with respect to the housing around the axis. The pivot part 35 has a spherical surface recess 36 provided for an inner surface of the mount ring 31 and a spherical surface projection 37 provided on an outer surface of the adjusting nut 32. With the spherical surface projection 37 engaged with spherical surface recess 36, the mount ring 31 is freely tiltably fitted to the adjusting nut 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, vehicle lighting fixtures such as vehicle headlights (headlamps) have been provided with a lighting unit that emits light toward the front of the vehicle, located inside a lamp body composed of a housing with an opening at the front and an outer lens that covers the opening of the housing, and with an optical axis adjustment mechanism that adjusts the optical axis of the light emitted from this lighting unit toward the front of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

[0003] In vehicle lamps equipped with such optical axis adjustment mechanisms, the optical axis of the light emitted from the lamp unit toward the front of the vehicle is adjusted by an aiming operation that adjusts the left-right and up-down tilt of the lamp unit.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a nut member having a fitting portion that fits into a fitting hole provided in an object, and a female thread portion into which a screw is inserted and which is screwed into the male thread portion of the screw, wherein the fitting portion and the female thread portion are formed at different axial positions of the nut member, the fitting portion has a pair of elastically deformable leg pieces that are arranged opposite each other in the radial direction of the female thread portion, and these leg pieces have fitting grooves on their outer radial surfaces that fit into the fitting hole, and each leg piece has a cavity in the inner region of the groove bottom of the fitting groove. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6062178 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the invention described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the fitting portion is composed of a pair of elastically deformable leg pieces, and fitting grooves are provided in these leg pieces, and a cavity is provided on the inside of the bottom surface of the fitting groove, so that the fitting portion elastically abuts against the fitting hole.

[0007] However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, although the mating portion elastically abuts against the mating hole, which can absorb the rattle between the mating hole and the mating groove, the mating portion will become misaligned with respect to the mating hole due to the elastic deformation of the mating portion.

[0008] Therefore, in such a configuration, vibrations and the like while the vehicle is traveling may cause the support position of the light source unit by the optical axis adjustment mechanism to become unstable, or the optical axis adjustment by the optical axis adjustment mechanism may become misaligned.

[0009] The present invention has been proposed in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle lamp that can support a light source unit in a stable state and that enables the optical axis of the light source unit to be adjusted with high precision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means. [1] A vehicle lamp having a light source unit disposed on the front side of a housing having an opening at the front, and an optical axis adjustment mechanism for adjusting the optical axis of light emitted from the light source unit toward the front of the vehicle, the optical axis adjustment mechanism includes a bracket that supports the light source unit and an aiming portion that adjusts the inclination of the bracket with respect to the housing, The aiming portion includes a mount ring provided on the bracket; an adjustment nut that is connected to the mount ring via a pivot portion and supported so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction relative to the housing; an adjustment bolt including a male thread portion that is threadedly engaged with a female thread portion provided on the adjustment nut, and supported rotatably about an axis relative to the housing; The pivot portion has a spherical recess provided on the inner surface of the mount ring and a spherical convex portion provided on the outer surface of the adjustment nut, and the mount ring is attached so as to be freely tiltable relative to the adjustment nut with the spherical convex portion fitted into the spherical recess. [2] The adjusting nut has a plurality of elastic pieces that sandwich the adjusting bolt, The spherical convex portions are provided on the outer surfaces of the plurality of elastic pieces, The vehicular lamp described in [1] is characterized in that, with the adjustment bolt passing through the inside of the plurality of elastic pieces, the plurality of elastic pieces are elastically deformed and pushed outward, so that the spherical convex portion is fitted into the spherical concave portion. [3] The spherical recess is divided into a front spherical portion and a rear spherical portion on the inner surface of the mount ring, and the plurality of front spherical portions aligned in the circumferential direction of the mount ring and the plurality of rear spherical portions aligned in the circumferential direction of the mount ring are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction of the mount ring, and the front spherical portion and the rear spherical portion as a whole form a single concave spherical surface, an inner surface of the mount ring is provided with front straight recesses that are cut out in the front-rear direction between the front spherical portions that are aligned in the circumferential direction of the mount ring, and rear straight recesses that are cut out in the front-rear direction between the rear spherical portions that are aligned in the circumferential direction of the mount ring, the front straight recess is provided by cutting out an inner surface of the mount ring from the front end of the mount ring to the front end of the rear spherical portion in the front-to-rear direction, with an outer shape that is the same as or larger than the outer shape of the front end of the rear spherical portion, The rear straight recess is formed by cutting out the inner surface of the mount ring from the rear end of the mount ring to the rear end of the front spherical portion in the fore-and-aft direction with an outline that is the same as or larger than the outline of the rear end of the front spherical portion. [4] The adjusting nut has a base portion located below the plurality of elastic pieces and a spring portion located on the underside of the base portion and elastically deformable in the up-down direction, and is supported slidably in the front-rear direction relative to the housing with the base portion and the spring portion engaged with slide grooves provided in the housing, The vehicle lamp described in [2] is characterized in that when the mount ring is tilted up or down relative to the adjustment nut, the mount ring abuts against the base portion, and the base portion is pressed downward, causing the spring portion to elastically deform. [5] The vehicle lamp according to [1], characterized in that the inclination of the light source unit supported by the bracket is adjusted by rotating the adjustment bolt to slide the adjustment nut in the forward / backward direction. [6] The optical axis adjustment mechanism has three support points for supporting the bracket relative to the housing, and includes a fixed support part located at a first support point and supporting the bracket so as to be tiltable while fixing the position of the bracket relative to the housing, a first aiming part located at a second support point and adjusting the tilt of the bracket in the left-right direction relative to the housing, and a second aiming part located at a third support point and adjusting the tilt of the bracket in the up-down direction relative to the housing, The vehicle lamp according to [1], wherein at least one of the first aiming portion and the second aiming portion is constituted by the aiming portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] As described above, according to the present invention, a vehicle lamp is provided that can support a light source unit in a stable state and also enables the optical axis of the light source unit to be adjusted with high precision. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a configuration of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a light axis adjusting mechanism provided in the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of an aiming unit included in the optical axis adjustment mechanism shown in FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the aiming unit shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the aiming unit shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1A is a front view of a mount ring, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the mount ring and an adjustment nut. [Figure 8] FIG. 1A is a rear view of the mount ring, and FIG. 1B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the mount ring and the adjustment nut. [Figure 9] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the aiming portion when the aiming bracket is inclined upward relative to the housing. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the aiming portion when the aiming bracket is inclined downward relative to the housing. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, the dimensions of the components may be shown at different scales to make them easier to see, and the dimensional ratios of the components may not necessarily be the same as in reality.

[0014] As one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle lamp 1 equipped with a light axis adjusting mechanism 20 shown in, for example, FIGS. 1 to 10 will be described. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 1 taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 provided in the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the aiming unit 30 provided in the optical axis adjustment mechanism 20. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the aiming unit 30. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the aiming unit 30. FIG. 7(A) is a front view of the mount ring 31. FIG. 7(B) is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the mount ring 31 and the adjusting nut 32. FIG. 8(A) is a rear view of the mount ring 31. FIG. 8(B) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the mount ring 31 and the adjusting nut 32. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the aiming unit 30 when the aiming bracket 21 is tilted upward relative to the housing 2. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the aiming unit 30 when the aiming bracket 21 is tilted downward relative to the housing 2.

[0015] In addition, in the drawings shown below, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is set up, with the X-axis direction representing the front-to-rear direction (length direction) of the vehicle lighting fixture 1, the Y-axis direction representing the left-to-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle lighting fixture 1, and the Z-axis direction representing the up-to-down direction (height direction) of the vehicle lighting fixture 1.

[0016] The vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment is an application of the present invention to a vehicle headlamp mounted on both corners on the front end side of a vehicle (not shown), for example.

[0017] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, this vehicle lamp 1 has a structure in which a light source unit 4 that projects light toward the front of the vehicle (in the +X-axis direction) is arranged inside a lamp body 3 that is composed of a housing 2 that is open at the front and a transparent outer lens (not shown) that covers the opening of the housing 2.

[0018] The light source unit 4 includes, for example, a light source 5 that emits white light (hereinafter simply referred to as light) L, a reflector 6 that reflects the light L emitted upward from the light source 5 toward the front of the vehicle, a shade 7 that blocks (cuts) a portion of the light L reflected by the reflector 6, a projection lens 8 that projects the light L that has been cut by the shade 7 toward the front of the vehicle, a substrate 9 on one side (the top side in this embodiment) of which the light source 5 is mounted, and a heat sink 10 that dissipates heat emitted by the light source 5 while in contact with the other side (the bottom side in this embodiment) of the substrate 9.

[0019] In the light source unit 4, a low beam light distribution pattern including a cutoff line at the upper end is formed as a passing beam (low beam) by inverting and projecting the light source image defined by the front end of the shade 7 using the projection lens 8.

[0020] The light source unit 4 may be configured such that a cooling fan (not shown) is attached to the rear side of the light source unit 4. The light source 5 may be a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode (LD). Furthermore, the number of light emitting elements is not limited to one, and may be multiple.

[0021] In addition, the light source unit 4 may be configured such that another light source (not shown) is disposed below the shade 7 as a driving beam (high beam), and the light emitted from this light source is projected by the projection lens 8 in the direction of travel of the vehicle, thereby forming a high beam light distribution pattern above the low beam light distribution pattern.

[0022] The light source unit 4 is not necessarily limited to a projector-type light source unit that projects light L toward the front of the vehicle using the above-mentioned projection lens 8, but may be, for example, a reflector-type light source unit that omits the projection lens and projects light L toward the front of the vehicle using a reflector including multiple reflective surfaces, or a light-guiding lens-type light source unit that projects light L toward the front of the vehicle using a light-guiding lens.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment includes an optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 that adjusts the optical axis of light L emitted from the light source unit 4 toward the front of the vehicle.

[0024] The optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 includes an aiming bracket 21 that holds the light source unit 4, and this aiming bracket 21 is supported so as to be able to tilt freely relative to the housing 2 via a fixed support portion 22, a first aiming portion 23, and a second aiming portion 24.

[0025] Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, this optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 has three support points S1, S2, and S3 that support the aiming bracket 21 relative to the housing 2. Of these, a fixed support part 22 is located at the first support point S1 and supports the aiming bracket 21 so that it can tilt freely while fixing the position of the aiming bracket 21 relative to the housing 2, a first aiming part 23 is located at the second support point S2 and adjusts the left-right tilt of the aiming bracket 21 relative to the housing 2, and a second aiming part 24 is located at the third support point S3 and adjusts the up-down tilt of the aiming bracket 21 relative to the housing 2.

[0026] Furthermore, when the light source unit 4 is viewed from the front, the first support point S1 and the second support point S2 are located above the optical axis center O of the light source unit 4, and a line LH12 connecting the first support point S1 and the second support point S2 is parallel to a horizontal line LH passing through the optical axis center O. Furthermore, the third support point S3 is located below the optical axis center O of the light source unit 4, and a line LV23 connecting the second support point S1 and the third support point S3 is parallel to a vertical line LV passing through the optical axis center O. Furthermore, the optical axis center O of the light source unit 4 is located inside an area E surrounded by the first support point S1, the second support point S2, and the third support point S3. Note that the arrangement of the three support points S1, S2, and S3 is not limited to this arrangement and can be changed as appropriate.

[0027] In the vehicle lamp 1 equipped with the optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 of this embodiment, the optical axis of the light L emitted from the light source unit 4 toward the front of the vehicle can be adjusted by an aiming operation that adjusts the left-right tilt and up-down tilt of the light source unit 4.

[0028] That is, in the optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 of this embodiment, by rotating the adjuster of the first aiming portion 23, the first aiming portion 23 slides the second support point S2 of the aiming bracket 21 in the front-to-rear direction. At this time, the aiming bracket 21 swings left and right with the fixed support portion 22 (first support point S1) as the fulcrum. This makes it possible to adjust the tilt of the light source unit 4 in the left and right direction.

[0029] On the other hand, in the optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 of this embodiment, by rotating the adjuster of the second aiming portion 24, the second aiming portion 24 slides the third support point S3 of the aiming bracket 21 in the front-to-rear direction. At this time, the aiming bracket 21 swings up and down with the fixed support portion 22 (first support point S1) as the fulcrum. This makes it possible to adjust the tilt of the light source unit 4 in the up and down direction.

[0030] In addition, the optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 of this embodiment is configured to support the aiming bracket 21 that holds the above-mentioned light source unit 4 so that it can be tilted freely. However, for example, in a light source unit that includes a light source and a reflector that reflects light emitted from the light source and irradiates the light reflected by the reflector toward the front of the vehicle, the aiming bracket 21 attached to the back side of the reflector may be supported so that it can be tilted freely via the fixed support part 22, the first aiming part 23, and the second aiming part 24, thereby adjusting the optical axis of the light L irradiated from the light source unit 4 toward the front of the vehicle.

[0031] In the optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 of this embodiment, at least one of the first aiming section 23 and the second aiming section 24 (in this embodiment, the second aiming section 24) is configured by an aiming section 30 to which the present invention is applied.

[0032] Specifically, as shown in Figures 3 to 6, this aiming section 30 has a mount ring 31 provided on the aiming bracket 21, an adjustment nut 32 supported so as to be able to slide freely in the forward and backward directions relative to the housing 2, and an adjustment bolt 33 supported so as to be able to rotate freely around an axis relative to the housing 2.

[0033] The mount ring 31 is provided to protrude downward from the outer periphery of the aiming bracket 21. The mount ring 31 has a hole 31a that penetrates in the front-rear direction, and is formed in a generally cylindrical shape as a whole.

[0034] The adjustment nut 32 is made of a resin molded body made of synthetic resin with excellent wear resistance, and has an approximately cylindrical nut body 32b on which a female thread portion 32a is formed, multiple (four in this embodiment) elastic pieces 32c protruding forward from the front side of the nut body 32b, a base portion 32d located below the nut body 32b and the multiple elastic pieces 32c and supporting the nut body 32b, and a spring portion 32e located on the underside of the base portion 32d and elastically deformable in the vertical direction.

[0035] The adjusting nut 32 is supported so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction relative to the housing 2 with the base portion 32d and the spring portion 32e engaged in a slide groove 34 provided in the housing 2.

[0036] The spring portions 32e of this embodiment have a curved spring plate shape, and are provided on the lower surface of the base portion 32d with two symmetrically arranged on the front side and two symmetrically arranged on the rear side.

[0037] The adjustment bolt 33 is made of a resin molded body made of synthetic resin with excellent wear resistance and is formed into an elongated shaft shape as a whole. The adjustment bolt 33 has a screw shaft 33b formed with a male thread portion 33a that screws into the female thread portion 32a, and an adjustment dial 33c that serves as an adjuster at the rear end of the screw shaft 33b.

[0038] The adjustment bolt 33 is supported by the housing 2 so as to be rotatable about its axis, with the rear end side of the screw shaft 33b engaged with a shaft hole (not shown) provided in the housing 2.

[0039] The mount ring 31 is connected to the tip side of the adjusting nut 32 via a pivot portion 35. The pivot portion 35 has a spherical recess 36 provided on the inner surface of the mount ring 31 and a spherical protrusion 37 provided on the outer surface of the adjusting nut 32. The pivot portion 35 has a structure in which the mount ring 31 is attached to the adjusting nut 32 so that it can tilt (swing) freely, with the spherical protrusion 37 fitted into the spherical recess 36.

[0040] Specifically, in this pivot portion 35, multiple elastic pieces 32c are arranged at equal intervals around the screw shaft 33b of the adjustment bolt 33, and are each cantilevered forward from the front side of the nut body 32b so as to sandwich the tip side of the screw shaft 33b.

[0041] The spherical convex portions 37 are provided separately on the outer surfaces of the plurality of elastic pieces 32c, and together form one convex spherical surface.

[0042] On the other hand, the spherical recess 36 is divided into a front spherical portion 36a and a rear spherical portion 36b on the inner surface of the hole 31a (mount ring 31), and together they form a single spherical recess.

[0043] The front spherical surface portions 36a and the rear spherical surface portions 36b are arranged in multiple rows in the circumferential direction of the hole 31a (mount ring 31). Furthermore, the front spherical surface portions 36a and the rear spherical surface portions 36b arranged in the circumferential direction of the hole 31a are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction of the hole 31a. As a result, the front spherical surface portions 36a and the rear spherical surface portions 36b together form a single concave spherical surface as the spherical recess 36.

[0044] Specifically, in this embodiment, two front spherical portions 36a are provided at positions facing each other in the left-right direction of hole 31a, as shown in Figures 7(A) and (B), while two rear spherical portions 36b are provided at positions facing each other in the up-down direction of hole 31a, as shown in Figures 8(A) and (B).

[0045] The inner surface of the hole 31a is provided with front straight recesses 38a that are cut out in the front-to-rear direction between each of the front spherical portions 36a that are lined up circumferentially around the hole 31a, and rear straight recesses 38b that are cut out in the front-to-rear direction between each of the rear spherical portions 36b that are lined up circumferentially around the hole 31a.

[0046] That is, in this embodiment, two straight recesses 38a on the front side are provided at positions opposite to each other in the vertical direction of the hole 31a, as shown in Figures 7(A) and (B), while two straight recesses 38b on the rear side are provided at positions opposite to each other in the horizontal direction of the hole 31a, as shown in Figures 8(A) and (B).

[0047] That is, the front straight recesses 38a and the rear straight recesses 38b are arranged in multiple rows in the circumferential direction of the hole 31a. Furthermore, the front straight recesses 38a and the rear straight recesses 38b arranged in the circumferential direction of the hole 31a are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction of the hole 31a.

[0048] As shown in Figures 7(A) and (B), the front straight recess 38a is provided by cutting out the inner surface of the hole 31a, which extends from the front end of the mount ring 31 to the front end of the rear spherical portion 36b, in the front-to-rear direction with an outer shape that is the same as or larger than the outer shape of the front end of the rear spherical portion 36b.

[0049] 7A, when the mount ring 31 is viewed from the front side, the hole 31a opens in a circular shape as a whole, with the front spherical surface portion 36a and the rear spherical surface portion 36b aligned in the circumferential direction. When the mount ring 31 is viewed from the front side, the front straight recess 38a opens in a circular shape as a whole, with a diameter larger than that of the hole 31a.

[0050] On the other hand, in the cross section of the mount ring 31 shown in Figure 7(B), the hole portion 31a is narrowed in diameter toward the rear end of the mount ring 31 by the rear spherical portion 36b, while the front straight recess 38a opens toward the front end of the mount ring 31 with the same diameter as the front end of the rear spherical portion 36b.

[0051] The front straight recess 38a is not limited to having the same diameter as the front end of the rear spherical portion 36b, but may have a larger diameter than the front end of the rear spherical portion 36b, or may increase in diameter from the front end of the rear spherical portion 36b toward the front end of the mount ring 31.

[0052] This allows the mold that forms the front side of the mount ring 31 to be removed from the hole 31a after the mount ring 31 has been molded.

[0053] On the other hand, as shown in Figures 8(A) and (B), the rear straight recess 38b is provided by cutting out the inner surface of the hole 31a, which extends from the rear end of the mount ring 31 to the rear end of the front spherical portion 36a, in the front-to-rear direction with an outer shape that is the same as or larger than the outer shape of the rear end of the front spherical portion 36a.

[0054] 8(A), when the mount ring 31 is viewed from the rear side, the hole 31a opens in a circular shape as a whole, with the front spherical surface portion 36a and the rear spherical surface portion 36b aligned in the circumferential direction. When the mount ring 31 is viewed from the rear side, the rear straight recess 38b opens in a circular shape as a whole, with a diameter larger than that of the hole 31a.

[0055] On the other hand, in the longitudinal cross section of the mount ring 31 shown in Figure 8(B), the hole portion 31a is narrowed in diameter toward the front end of the mount ring 31 by the front spherical portion 36a, while the rear straight recess 38b opens toward the rear end of the mount ring 31 with the same diameter as the rear end of the front spherical portion 36a.

[0056] The rear straight recess 38b does not have to have the same diameter as the rear end of the front spherical portion 36a, but may have a larger diameter than the rear end of the front spherical portion 36a, or may increase in diameter from the rear end of the front spherical portion 36a toward the rear end of the mount ring 31.

[0057] This allows the mold that forms the back side of the mount ring 31 to be removed from the hole 31a after the mount ring 31 has been molded.

[0058] 6, in the pivot portion 35, with the screw shaft 33b of the adjustment bolt 33 passing through the inside of the multiple elastic pieces 32c, the multiple elastic pieces 32c are elastically deformed and pushed outward, so that the spherical convex portion 37 is fitted into the spherical concave portion 36. In this way, the mount ring 31 is attached to the tip side of the adjustment nut 32 so as to be able to tilt (swing) freely.

[0059] In the aiming unit 30, the adjustment bolt 33 rotates around its axis by rotating the adjustment dial 33c located on the back side of the housing 2. When the adjustment bolt 33 rotates, the adjustment nut 32 slides in the front-to-rear direction due to the engagement between the male thread portion 33a and the female thread portion 32a. Depending on the direction of rotation of the adjustment dial 33c, the adjustment nut 32 can be advanced or retreated.

[0060] As a result, in the aiming section 30, the aiming bracket 21 is swung by sliding the adjustment nut 32 connected to the mount ring 31 in the forward and backward directions, and the inclination of the light source unit 4 supported by this aiming bracket 21 is adjusted.

[0061] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 9, by moving the adjusting nut 32 forward, it is possible to tilt the aiming bracket 21 including the mount ring 31 upward relative to the adjusting nut 32. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 10, by moving the adjusting nut 32 backward, it is possible to tilt the aiming bracket 21 including the mount ring 31 downward relative to the adjusting nut 32.

[0062] In the optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 of this embodiment, in the aiming section 30 described above, the spherical convex portion 37 on the adjustment nut 32 side is fitted into the spherical concave portion 36 on the mount ring 31 side that constitutes the pivot section 35, and the mount ring 31 is attached so as to be able to tilt (swing) freely relative to the adjustment nut 32.

[0063] As a result, in the optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent positional misalignment in the front-to-back, up-down, and left-to-right directions between the mount ring 31 and the adjustment nut 32 without causing any play in the connection between the mount ring 31 and the adjustment nut 32.

[0064] Furthermore, in the optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 of this embodiment, when the mount ring 31 is tilted up or down relative to the adjustment nut 32, it is possible to reduce distortion that occurs between the mount ring 31 and the adjustment nut 32.

[0065] Furthermore, in the optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 of this embodiment, when the mount ring 31 is tilted up or down relative to the adjustment nut 32, the mount ring 31 comes into contact with the base portion 32d of the adjustment nut 32, and the base portion 32d is pressed downward. At this time, the four spring portions 32e located on the underside of the base portion 32d described above elastically deform independently in accordance with the load applied to the base portion 32d.

[0066] As a result, in the optical axis adjusting mechanism 20 of this embodiment, the load applied to the base end portions of the multiple elastic pieces 32c that sandwich the screw shaft 33b can be reduced, and damage to the pivot portion 35 can be prevented.

[0067] As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the light source unit 4 held by the aiming bracket 21 can be supported in a stable state without being affected by vibrations etc. when the vehicle is traveling, and further, the optical axis of the light source unit 4 can be adjusted with high precision by the aiming portion 30 of the optical axis adjustment mechanism 20 described above.

[0068] The present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0069] For example, the above-mentioned vehicle lamp 1 illustrates an example in which the configuration of the aiming section 30 of the present invention is applied to the second aiming section 24 described above, but the configuration of the aiming section 30 of the present invention may also be applied to the first aiming section 23, and it is also possible to apply the configuration of the aiming section 30 of the present invention to each of the first and second aiming sections 23, 24. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1...vehicle lamp 2...housing 3...lamp body 4...light source unit 5...light source 6...reflector 7...shade 8...projection lens 9...board 10...heat sink 20...optical axis adjustment mechanism 21...aiming bracket 22...fixed support portion 23...first aiming portion 24...second aiming portion 30...aiming portion 31...mount ring 32...adjusting nut 32a...female thread portion 32c...elastic piece 32e...spring portion 33...adjusting bolt 33a...male thread portion 34...slide groove 35...pivot portion 36...spherical concave portion 36a...front spherical portion 36b...rear spherical portion 37...spherical convex portion 38a...front straight concave portion 38b...rear straight concave portion

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp having a light source unit disposed on the front side of a housing having an open front surface, and an optical axis adjustment mechanism for adjusting the optical axis of light emitted from the light source unit toward the front of the vehicle, the optical axis adjustment mechanism includes a bracket that supports the light source unit and an aiming portion that adjusts the inclination of the bracket with respect to the housing, The aiming portion includes a mount ring provided on the bracket; an adjustment nut that is connected to the mount ring via a pivot portion and supported so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction relative to the housing; an adjustment bolt including a male thread portion that is threadedly engaged with a female thread portion provided on the adjustment nut, and supported rotatably about an axis relative to the housing; The pivot portion has a spherical recess provided on the inner surface of the mount ring and a spherical convex portion provided on the outer surface of the adjustment nut, and the mount ring is attached so as to be freely tiltable relative to the adjustment nut with the spherical convex portion fitted into the spherical recess.

2. The adjustment nut has a plurality of elastic pieces that sandwich the adjustment bolt, The spherical convex portions are provided on the outer surfaces of the plurality of elastic pieces, 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein, with the adjustment bolt passing through the inside of the plurality of elastic pieces, the plurality of elastic pieces are elastically deformed and pushed outward, so that the spherical convex portion is fitted into the spherical concave portion.

3. the spherical recess is divided into a front spherical portion and a rear spherical portion on the inner surface of the mount ring, the plurality of front spherical portions aligned in the circumferential direction of the mount ring and the plurality of rear spherical portions aligned in the circumferential direction of the mount ring are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction of the mount ring, and the front spherical portion and the rear spherical portion as a whole form a single concave spherical surface, an inner surface of the mount ring is provided with front straight recesses that are cut out in the front-rear direction between the front spherical portions that are aligned in the circumferential direction of the mount ring, and rear straight recesses that are cut out in the front-rear direction between the rear spherical portions that are aligned in the circumferential direction of the mount ring, the front straight recess is provided by cutting out an inner surface of the mount ring from the front end of the mount ring to the front end of the rear spherical portion in the front-to-rear direction, with an outer shape that is the same as or larger than the outer shape of the front end of the rear spherical portion, 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the rear straight recess is formed by cutting out the inner surface of the mount ring from the rear end of the mount ring to the rear end of the front spherical portion in the fore-and-aft direction with an outline that is the same as or larger than the outline of the rear end of the front spherical portion.

4. the adjusting nut has a base portion located below the plurality of elastic pieces and a spring portion located on the underside of the base portion and elastically deformable in the up-and-down direction, and is supported slidably in the front-and-rear direction relative to the housing with the base portion and the spring portion engaged in a slide groove provided in the housing, 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein when the mount ring is tilted vertically relative to the adjustment nut, the mount ring abuts against the base portion, and the base portion is pressed downward, thereby elastically deforming the spring portion.

5. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment nut slides in the front-rear direction by rotating the adjustment bolt, thereby adjusting the inclination of the light source unit supported by the bracket.

6. the optical axis adjustment mechanism has three support points for supporting the bracket on the housing, and includes a fixed support part located at a first support point and supporting the bracket so as to be tiltable while fixing the position of the bracket with respect to the housing, a first aiming part located at a second support point and adjusting the tilt of the bracket in the left-right direction with respect to the housing, and a second aiming part located at a third support point and adjusting the tilt of the bracket in the up-down direction with respect to the housing, 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first aiming portion and the second aiming portion is formed by the aiming portion.

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