Exterior Mirror Folding Device Axial Play Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Folding devices in exterior vehicle mirrors experience high operating currents due to axial seizing when the space between the motor carrier and housing element is too small, leading to noise issues when the motor shaft changes direction.
Innovation Solution
A folding device with a carrier-connected motor and output drive, utilizing a gear mechanism and a pressure piece to optimize the axial play of the motor shaft, reducing noise and current consumption by adjusting the pressure on the motor shaft via an adjustment screw or spindle until a measured current intensity is achieved.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the space between motor carrier and housing element is reduced to minimize installation space, then the compactness is improved, but axial seizing occurs causing high operating current
Solution Approach 1:
A pressure piece is introduced as an intermediary component between the motor shaft and the housing element. This pressure piece can be adjusted to provide optimal preloading force, ensuring sufficient contact pressure for power transmission while preventing excessive axial seizing that would increase operating current. The pressure piece acts as a mediator that decouples the direct relationship between installation space constraints and motor shaft axial play.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the space between motor carrier and housing element is increased to reduce axial seizing, then operating current is reduced, but noise is produced on rotation direction changes
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure piece serves as an adjustable intermediary that allows precise control of the axial preloading force on the motor shaft. By optimizing the pressure piece's position and force, the system achieves sufficient contact pressure to minimize noise during rotation direction changes while maintaining appropriate clearance to prevent excessive axial seizing and reduce operating current.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention allows adjustment of the axial play parameter of the motor shaft through the pressure piece. By changing the preloading force parameter applied by the pressure piece, the system optimizes the balance between noise reduction (requiring sufficient contact pressure) and operating current reduction (requiring adequate clearance to prevent axial seizing).
3Ease of manufacture
If the axial play of motor shaft is not optimized, then manufacturing tolerances are easier to accommodate, but noise and current consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure piece acts as an adjustable intermediary component that decouples the manufacturing tolerance requirements from the final axial play specification. Instead of requiring tight manufacturing tolerances on the motor carrier and housing element, the pressure piece can be adjusted during assembly to achieve the optimal axial play, thereby maintaining ease of manufacture while eliminating noise and excessive current consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
A folding device to move a mirror head relative to a mirror foot of a motor vehicle exterior mirror. The folding device includes a carrier operatively connected to one of the mirror head or the mirror foot, a motor attached to the carrier, the motor having a motor shaft, an output drive operatively connected to one of the mirror head or the mirror foot, a gear mechanism to operatively connect the output drive to the motor shaft, and a pressure device operatively connected to the carrier to engage and press the motor shaft against the motor.