Vehicle Headlight Leveling Device Symmetrical Terminal Layout

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vehicle headlight leveling devices have asymmetrical terminal layouts for left and right headlights, making it difficult to achieve common specifications and designs for connectors and harnesses.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle headlight leveling device with a housing unit, motor, shaft, and driving-force transmitting mechanism, where the motor's output shaft is perpendicular to the shaft, and terminals are symmetrically arranged, allowing for a common design and layout of connectors and harnesses between left and right headlights.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the motor and terminals are arranged on different sides with respect to the virtual surface that includes the shaft, then the leveling device can function properly, but the terminal positions become asymmetrical between left and right headlights, resulting in different connector and harness designs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveleveling device functionVSAvoidconnector and harness design complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies asymmetry principle by intentionally arranging the motor and terminals on different sides of the virtual surface to ensure proper functioning of the leveling device. This asymmetric arrangement is accepted as necessary for functionality, and the patent addresses the resulting asymmetry between left and right headlights through standardized connector and harness designs that can accommodate both configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

2Reliability

If the motor and terminals are arranged on different sides with respect to the virtual surface that includes the shaft, then the leveling device can function properly, but the positions of connectors and lengths of harnesses differ between left and right headlights

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveleveling device functionVSAvoidcommon specification achievement
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality principle by designing connectors and harnesses that can serve both left and right headlights despite the asymmetric arrangement of motor and terminals. The connector and harness designs are made universal so that the same components can be used in both left-side and right-side vehicle headlights, achieving common specifications and simplifying manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If the motor and terminals are arranged on different sides with respect to the virtual surface that includes the shaft, then the leveling device can function properly, but it becomes difficult to have specifications of the left-side headlight and the right-side headlight in common

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveleveling device functionVSAvoiddesign and layout complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies asymmetry principle by intentionally arranging the motor and terminals on different sides of the virtual surface to ensure proper functioning of the leveling device. This asymmetric arrangement is accepted as necessary for functionality, and the patent addresses the resulting asymmetry between left and right headlights through standardized connector and harness designs that can accommodate both configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies universality principle by designing connectors and harnesses that can serve both left and right headlights despite the asymmetric arrangement of motor and terminals. The connector and harness designs are made universal so that the same components can be used in both left-side and right-side vehicle headlights, achieving common specifications and simplifying manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables common specifications for left and right headlight leveling devices, reducing design complexity and size, while ensuring accurate and reliable adjustment of the optical axis.

Implementation Method 1

a worm wheel that engages with either one of the gear or the gear group , being screwed into the housing unit in a direction in which the shaft moves back and forth, the worm wheel moving back and forth with the shaft while rotating with respect to the housing unit by a screw movement

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectScrew movement: Screw

Data Source

PatentEP1925497B1Vehicle headlight leveling device and vehicle headlight equipped with leveling device
Publication Date: 2016.05.04 ICHIKOH IND LTD
  • EP1925497B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP1925497B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP1925497B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An axial direction (V2) of an output shaft (23) of a motor (11) is perpendicular to an axial direction (V1) of a shaft (12) that moves back and forth with respect to a housing unit (9, 10). A plurality of power-supplying terminals (14) is symmetrically arranged with respect to a vertical line (V3) passing through a center of the shaft (12) .