Optical member and optical axis adjustment mechanism

Abstract

Provided is a novel optical member capable of reducing cost. The optical member is used for a vehicle lamp and has an optical surface that contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern, and a rotary shaft portion that is provided to a surface on the opposite side of the optical surface. The optical member is an integrally molded article made entirely of resin, including the optical surface and the rotary shaft portion.

Description

Optical components and optical axis adjustment mechanism

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

[0002] Conventionally, automotive headlamps, fog lamps, and the like have been provided with optical axis adjustment mechanisms for adjusting the optical axes of a light source and a reflector relative to a lamp body fixed to the vehicle body. For example, one known optical axis adjustment mechanism includes a ball pivot attached to the rear side of the reflector, a ball pivot supported by a ball seat provided in the lamp body, screws with rotation axes supported at positions vertically and horizontally offset 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.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-7405

[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.

[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.

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

[0018] 11. An exploded perspective view of a vehicle lamp according to the present embodiment. 12. A schematic view of a reflector constituting the vehicle lamp, as seen from behind the lamp. 13. A schematic view of a lamp body constituting the vehicle lamp, as seen from in front of the lamp. 14. A horizontal cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along a horizontal plane including the fulcrum portion. 15. A vertical cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along a vertical plane including the nut member. 16. A front view of a nut member according to the present embodiment. 17. A side view of the nut member shown in FIG. 6, as seen from direction A. 18. A bottom view of the nut member shown in FIG. 6, as seen from direction B. 19. A top view of the nut member shown in FIG. 6, as seen from direction C. 19. A D-D cross-sectional view of the nut member shown in FIG. 7. 20. A front view of the vicinity of the fulcrum portion. 21. A G-G cross-sectional view of the fulcrum portion shown in FIG. 22. 22. A H-H cross-sectional view of the fulcrum portion shown in FIG. 23. 23. A vertical cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along a vertical plane including the fulcrum portion. 24. A J-J cross-sectional view of the reflector shown in FIG. 2.

[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 Lamp) 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 for 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 both sides of the opening 14a, which is provided in the left-right direction of the vehicle lamp 10. In other words, the pair of fulcrum portions 14b are provided on both sides of the opening 14a, which is provided in the center of the vehicle lamp 10 in the left-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 taken 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 taken 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-threaded member, with the adjusting screw 24, which is a male-threaded 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 is threaded on the inner periphery of the central through-hole, moves in the Y1 direction. 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 Y2 direction. 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 member) Next, 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 cross-sectional view taken along line D-D 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 have a locking portion 22c that is inserted into the opening 14a in a bent state and locks with the reflector 14 after protruding from the opening 14a, and a flat portion 22d that comes into contact with the inner circumferential 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] As described above, the opening 14a is shaped so that the protruding portion 22b of the nut member 22 can move up and down while the protruding portion 22b is engaged. Therefore, when the nut member 22 moves up and down within the opening 14a due to vibration, the nut member 22 may be worn down due to sliding against the inner circumferential surface 14d of the opening 14a. Therefore, in the nut member 22 according to the present embodiment, the portion that contacts the inner circumferential surface 14d of the opening 14a of the reflector 14 when the protruding portion 22b is engaged is the flat portion 22d, so that the protruding portion 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. The pair of protruding portions 22b are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, which can suppress left-right oscillation of the nut member 22 in response to 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, but 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 for guiding the tip of the adjusting screw 24, and a through hole 22h formed from a bottom portion 22g of the guide portion 22f toward the gap between the pair of protrusions 22b. A thread groove 22m is formed on 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] The guide portion 22f has a pair of flat surfaces 22j along one side 14c (long side) of the opening 14a and a pair of inclined surfaces 22k along the other side 14e (short side) of the opening 14a, thereby simplifying the shape of the guide portion 22f and realizing the vertical guidance of the tip of the 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 the formation of a light distribution pattern, an adjusting screw 24 that is inserted into a 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 due to rotation of the adjusting screw 24, 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 Portion) 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 the fulcrum portion 14b. FIG. 12 is a G-G cross-sectional view of the fulcrum portion 14b shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is an H-H cross-sectional view of the fulcrum portion 14b shown in FIG. 11. The fulcrum portion 14b is a pivot 14f having a spherical tip. As shown in FIG. 11, when viewed from the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the fulcrum portion 14b has slits 14g formed on the upper and lower sides of the pivot 14f, but no slits are formed on the left and right sides of the pivot 14f. This makes it possible to manufacture an optical element having the 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 the vehicle lamp taken along a vertical plane including the fulcrum. The pivot 14f has a locking portion 14h that prevents the pivot 14f from coming loose when fitted into a recess 16b that serves as a bearing provided in the lamp body 16. The locking portions 14h are formed on the upper and lower sides of the pivot 14f when viewed from the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction, but are 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 with locking portions 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 reflective 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 cross-sectional view taken along the line J-J 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 up-down direction of the vehicle. This makes it difficult for the reflector 14 and the lamp body 16 to become misaligned in the up-down 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.

[0041] This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-036370, filed on March 8, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0042] The above descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms described. Numerous modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the above description.

[0043] 10 Vehicle lighting fixture, 14 Reflector, 14a Opening, 14b Fulcrum portion, 14c Side, 14d Inner peripheral surface, 14e Side, 14f Pivot, 14g Slit, 14h Locking portion, 14j Base, 14k Rib, 14m Convex portion, 15 Reflecting surface, 16 Lamp body, 16a Through hole, 16b Convex portion, 22 Nut member, 24 Adjusting screw, 26 O-ring, 100 Optical axis adjustment mechanism.

Claims

1. An optical component used in a vehicle lamp, comprising: an optical surface that contributes to the formation of a light distribution pattern; and a rotation shaft portion provided on the surface opposite to said optical surface; and the entire optical component, including said optical surface and said rotation shaft portion, is a one-piece molded product made of resin.

2. The optical element according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotating shaft portion 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 and right sides of the pivot.

3. The optical element described in claim 2, characterized in that the pivot has a locking portion that prevents the pivot from coming loose when fitted into a bearing portion provided on another component, and 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 side of the pivot.

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

5. The optical element described in claim 2, characterized in that 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. An optical element as described in 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 convex portion abutting against a concave or convex portion of another component to regulate its position in the up-down direction of the vehicle.

7. An optical axis adjustment mechanism comprising: an optical element as defined in claim 3; a nut element attached to an opening formed in said optical element; a male screw element inserted into a through-hole of said nut element; and a lamp body provided with said bearing portion and rotatably holding said male screw element, wherein the nut element moves in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle due to rotation of said male screw element, thereby tilting said optical element relative to said lamp body.

8. The optical axis adjustment mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that the rotation axis portion is a pair of fulcrum portions provided on both sides of the opening provided in the center of the vehicle lamp in the left-right direction, and the optical element is configured to be tiltable in the vertical direction with a straight line connecting the pair of fulcrum portions as the rotation axis.

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