Koito Manufacturing Company, Ltd.

Katutada Shirai

Hideharu Mochizuki

Hironori Tsukamoto

Yoshio Suehiro

Takashi Matsunaga

Ken Matsuoka

Masahiro Kusagaya

Hiroyuki Makita

Kihachiro Uchida

Takeyuki Tachiiwa

Osamu Sato

Kenji Tomita

Norihiro Nishitani

Hideki Ohashi

Kenji Miyazawa

Yasushi Ohtsuka

Hideaki Nakazawa

Yosiaki Aiso

Yasushi Ohtuska

A vehicle lamp includes a reflector tiltably supported by an aiming mechanism intervening between the reflector and a lamp body. An aiming fulcrum forming the aiming mechanism is formed with a ball joint including a pivot on the reflector side and a bearing on the lamp body side. The pivot is formed with a shaft portion on the base end side and a ball portion on the front end side. The bearing is formed with a cylindrical ball bearing portion formed on the inner periphery where a ball supporting surface in press-contact with the ball portion opening forward via a ring-like diameter reducing portion. Vertical slits are provided in the open peripheral edge portion of the ball bearing portion. The ball portion is formed into a substantially hemispheric ball portion such that its front side press-fitted into the ball bearing portion has a spherical surface.

Vehicle lamp

A headlamp includes a lamp housing defining a lamp body and a front lens. A reflector is accommodated in the lamp housing and a light source is attached thereto. An aiming mechanism tiltably supports the reflector relative to the lamp body, and includes an aiming fulcrum, aiming screws, and nut members attached to the reflector. The nut members are guided by sliding guides in the lamp body, and stress releasing devices having a ball-and-socket joint structure are provided in an attachment portion of the nut members and brackets. A ball portion of a ball-and-socket joint is formed in a nut member body itself provided with a female screw portion, a slider supported by the sliding guides is formed integrally with a side of the ball portion, and the ball portion is supported on a ball receiving portion of bearings attached to the brackets.

Movable reflector type headlamp having nut sliding guide

A headlamp for an automobile includes a lamp body, a light source, a reflector, and an aiming mechanism. The aiming mechanism includes a screw insertion hole and an aiming screw operable to move the reflector by pivoting the aiming screw. The aiming screw includes a supported portion supported by the screw insertion hole, a male screw portion forward from the supported portion, and a pivotal movement operating force transmitted portion rearward from the supported portion. A front end side of the supported portion includes an elastic locking portion operable to pass through the screw insertion hole by being deformed elastically to an inner side in a radial direction, and a rear end side of the supported portion is integrally formed with an elastic rib brought into press contact with a peripheral edge portion on a rear end side of the screw insertion hole to fixedly position the aiming screw.

Headlamp for automobile with aiming screw having locking portion

A reflector movable type headlamp for an automobile includes a lamp body, a reflector, and an aiming mechanism. The aiming mechanism includes: a screw insertion hole; an aiming fulcrum constituting an inclining fulcrum of the reflector; an aiming screw; a bracket formed at the reflector; a nut member operable to be extracted and retracted in a front and rear direction in cooperation with the pivotal movement of the aiming screw; and a nut sliding guide integrally and extendedly formed with the lamp body. A mounting portion of the nut member and the bracket is provided with stress relieving means. The stress relieving means includes a ball and socket joint structure. The nut sliding guide is provided at a position offset to a side position of a position of arranging the aiming screw on a side opposed to the aiming fulcrum.

Reflector movable type headlamp for automobile

A head lamp with a movable reflector. The headlamp includes a lamp body, a reflector with a light source mounted thereon, and an aiming mechanism interposed between the lamp body and the reflector ( ) for tiltably supporting the reflector ( ) with respect to the lamp body. The reflector tilts by the rotational movement of the aiming screw which is rotatably supported in a screw insertion hole formed on the lamp body. The screw insertion hole is formed by a tubular portion, and the front portion of the tubular portion includes divided swinging strips ( ) which are resiliently deformable in the radial direction. The swinging strips engage with an engaging groove formed on the aiming screw to prevent the aiming screw from being detached from the lamp body. The aiming screw includes a rotatably supported portion formed of resin, a male screw portion, and a gear portion behind the rotatably supported portion. Further, the rotatably supported portion is unitarily formed with a skirt type resilient watertight rib ( ) in pressurized contact, and sliding contact, with the end surface of the backward extension of the tubular portion to ensure the resilient support of the aiming screw in the forward and backward direction and to ensure watertightness at the rotatably supported portion.

Head lamp for automotive vehicle with movable reflector

A vehicle headlamp of a movable reflector type comprising a lamp body, a reflector having a lamp, and an aiming mechanism disposed between the lamp body and the reflector and structured so as to support the reflector and adjust the angle of the reflector with respect to the lamp body when aiming screws mounted in screw insertion holes of the lamp body are turned; and a portion of each of the aiming screws which is installed in and supported by the screw insertion hole is made of plastic, and annular elastic waterproofing ribs are formed on the plastic portion of the aiming screw so as to be brought into a sliding contact with the inner surface of the screw insertion hole, thus securing a waterproofing capability for the vehicle headlamp.

Vehicle headlamp of a movable reflector type

In a vehicular head lamp wherein a synthetic resin reflector having a light source is tiltably supported in a synthetic resin lamp body by an aiming mechanism interposed between the reflector and the lamp body, an elastic engagement strip which projects forwards and has a side surface provided with an engagement concave portion, is formed integrally with an interior of the lamp body, and an engagement convex portion that can engage the engagement concave portion of the lamp body is formed integrally with a back face of the reflector. The engagement convex portion is brought to engage the engagement concave portion so that the engaged engagement convex and concave portions constitute an aiming fulcrum.

Vehicular head lamp

A reflector,installed in a lamp body,of a headlamp is supported by an aiming mechanism E,in such a way as to adjustably tilt the reflector,. The aiming mechanism E,includes one ball joint,which is held between the reflector,and the lamp body,, two aiming screws,and,which are each rotatably supported by the lamp body,, and nut members,and,which are each screwed onto the aiming screws,and,and integrally fitted to the reflector,. The reflector,is fitted with a light-distribution switching mechanism F,for alternatively switching between light distribution for a low beam and light distribution for a high beam. Each of the nut members,and,is carried by a pair of vertically opposed horizontal ribs,and,extendedly formed in the lamp body,so that a reflector-side load (weight) acting on the aiming mechanism E,is reduced to ensure smooth aiming and the formation of adequate light distribution.

Automobile headlamp having light distribution switching mechanism

An automobile headlamp is equipped with a lamp body that can deal with different aiming specifications. An automobile headlamp such that a light source unit in a lamp body is made tiltable vertically and horizontally by an aiming mechanism, and rotatable portions of a vertical and a horizontal aiming screw as members of the aiming mechanism, are provided outside the lamp body, so that these rotatable portions are turned to adjust the light source unit by tilting the light source vertically and horizontally. A cap can be fitted to the rotatable portion of at least the horizontal adjustable aiming screw in order to cover the rotatable portion thereof where horizontal aiming is unnecessary according to specifications applicable to the headlamp. Thus, horizontal aiming is made ineffective by not allowing a rotatable tool to engage with the rotatable portion of the horizontal aiming screw.

Automobile headlamp

In an automobile headlamp, a light source unit in a lamp body is inclined vertically and horizontally with an aiming mechanism, the rotating operation sections of a vertical aiming screw and a horizontal aiming screw which form the aiming mechanism are provided outside of the lamp body, and the rotating operation sections are turned to incline the light source unit vertically and horizontally. In the automobile headlamp, a protruding wall is extended at least at the horizontal aiming screw in such a manner as to surround the rotating operation section of the horizontal aiming screw, and a part of the protruding wall extending end portion is integrated through a thin hinge with a lid, namely, a tongue-shaped plate in such a manner that the latter is extended in the same direction as the protruding wall. As for a specification that requires no horizontal aiming operation, the tongue-shaped plate is folded along the thin hinge and locked in such a manner as to close the opening of the protruding wall, to close the rotating operation section in the protruding wall with the tongue-shaped plate, thereby to make it impossible to perform the horizontal aiming operation.

An outer lens attachment structure in which a lamp body is integrally formed with an engagement device having an engagement piece member which is bent inwardly of an opening part of the lamp body to be engaged therewith, and when the engagement piece member is depressed to be bent inwardly, the engagement piece member urges the peripheral part of the outer lens against the opening periphery of the lamp body so that the peripheral part of the outer lens is securely held between the engagement piece member and the opening periphery of the lamp body.

Outer lens attachment structure for vehicular lamps

The headlamp is structured such that a reflector 4 is supported within a lamp body 2 so as to be inclinable with respect to the lamp body 2 and, by rotatively operating an aiming screw 20 which extends through and forwardly of the lamp body 2 and is supported rotatable in the extend-through portion thereof, the reflector 4 is inclined right and left with respect to the lamp body 2 by an amount equivalent to the amount of rotation of the aiming screw 20 to thereby be able to adjusted the right and left illumination angle of the headlamp. In the headlamp, there is formed in the aiming screw 20 a male screw portion 20a which extends out backwardly of the lamp body 2, there is provided in the lamp body 2 a guide element 60 which extends in parallel to the male screw portion 20a, between the male screw portion 20a and guide element 30, there is disposed an inclination measuring device including a nut element 50 which is threadedly engageable with the male screw portion 20a and is advanceable and retreatable along the guide element 60 in linking with the rotation of the aiming screw 20, a cursor 74 provided in the nut element 50, and a linear scale 63 provided in the guide element 60, and there is formed in the root position of the male screw portion 20a a crown gear 23 which is engageable with the tip edge D.sub.1 of a driver D inserted from a direction at right angles to the aiming screw 20, thereby facilitating the rotative operation of the aiming screw 20.

Headlamp for use in a vehicle

A self-locking nut fitted into a fitting hole of a reflector with which an aiming screw engages for adjusting an inclination angle of a reflector of a vehicular lamp, the self-locking nut comprising: a nut leading portion having slits extending in radius direction; a flange arranged below said nut leading portion; a fitting portion formed below said flange, said fitting portion having slits extending in radius direction and a pair of legs for fitting into the fitting hole of the reflector, said pair of legs being elastically expandable and having a wedge shape; a shaft hole having an inner surface, said shaft hole passing through the nut leading portion, the flange and the fitting portion in vertical direction; and a threaded portion formed on the inner surface of said shaft hole engageable with the aiming screw, the threaded portion comprising: first grooves extending from said slit of said fitting portion; second grooves positioned perpendicular to said slit of said fitting portion; a divided circumferential portion divided in the circumferential direction by said first and second grooves; and an entire circumferential portion having a circular shape in section, said entire circumferential portion being positioned at said fitting portion, wherein a pitch diameter of said entire circumferential portion being slightly smaller than that of the aiming screw.

Self-locking nut having divided and undivided circumferential portions

A reflector with an electric lighting bulb mounted thereto is coupled to a lamp body via a ball-and-socket connection and a vertical and a horizontal aiming screw. Each aiming screw comprises a threaded shank engaged with a nut on the back of the reflector, a journal joined to the threaded shank and rotatably received in a bearing sleeve formed on the lamp body, and a head portion joined to the journal and projecting rearwardly from the bearing sleeve. The aiming screw is formed to include two collars for engaging the bearing sleeve therebetween and so the aiming screw is restrained from axial displacement relative to the sleeve. The diameters of the various parts of the aiming screw and of the bearing sleeve are so determined in relation to one another that, in the assemblage of the headlamp, the aiming screw can be inserted, with its head portion foremost, into and through the bearing sleeve from inside the lamp body, either before or after coupling the aiming screw to the reflector via the nut.

Easy-to-assemble aiming mechanism for vehicle lamps

An automotive headlamp having a tilt measuring device for measuring an amount of horizontal tilt of a reflector is mounted between an aiming screw and a guide member extending parallel to the aiming screw. The aiming screw is supported by a lamp body. By turning (or moving back and forth) the aiming screw, the reflector is tilted in the horizontal direction. The tilt measuring device includes a slide member loosely coupled to the aiming screw and slidable along a guide member, a screw holding member functioning such that when the screw holding member grasps the aiming screw in proximity to the slide member, the sliding motion of the slide member is associated with the rotation (or the back and forth movement) of the aiming screw, and when the screw holding member is retracted to the side of the aiming screw, the coupling of the slide member with the aiming screw is released, a cursor provided on the slide member, and a scale provided on the guide member.

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Shizuoka, Japan

Katutada Shirai