JPH04149902A - Headlight for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To widen the visual field while running at night and improve safety driving by driving a rotary motor to rotate a sub-lens during running, and properly changing the illumination range of a headlight. CONSTITUTION:When a driver transmits a signal to a control unit via an action switch provided in a driver's cab to apply high-frequency voltage to the ultrasonic vibrator 9 of a ultrasonic motor 8 from the control unit, a sub-lens 7 can be rotated to an optional rotation position by the rotor 11 of the ultrasonic motor 8. The light from an electric bulb 6 is refracted in different directions by the thick section 7B and thin section 7C of the sub-lens 7 and reflected by a reflecting plate 3A, and the illumination range of a headlight 1 can be set to the desired illumination range. When the ultrasonic motor 8 is used for a rotary motor, the rotation position of the sub-lens 7 can be finely adjusted.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a vehicle headlamp attached to an automobile, etc., and particularly to a vehicle headlamp that can change the direction of illumination depending on the driving condition of the vehicle. Regarding headlights.

[Conventional technology]

In general, vehicle headlights illuminate the direction in which the vehicle is traveling to ensure safety when driving at night and in tunnels. It consists of auxiliary lights such as fog lamps, spot lamps, and driving lamps that are used depending on the driving conditions.

Here, a headlight will be explained as an example of a headlight. The headlight has a reflector, a headlight body serving as a casing of the headlight, a front lens provided on the front side of the headlight body, and a front lens inserted from the rear side of the headlight body. , a light bulb having two filaments attached to the headlight body so as to protrude into the reflector plate, and the headlight is attached to the front part of the vehicle body.

Then, the headlights are turned ON and OFF by operating a headlight switch installed in the driver's cab, and by selectively applying voltage to each filament of the light bulb, the headlights are turned on and off in order to check for obstacles in the distance. It is now possible to switch between a driving beam (hereinafter referred to as high beam) that illuminates the driver's vehicle, and a diagonal beam (hereinafter referred to as low beam) that illuminates the direction of travel as brightly as possible without dazzling the driver of an oncoming vehicle. In this case, two of the light bulbs
By lighting two filaments alternately or simultaneously, high beam and low beam can be switched.
The lighting range was set to two levels, either high beam or low beam.

Furthermore, in the case of auxiliary lights, only ON/OFF operations were performed using an operation switch provided in the driver's cab, and the illumination range was adjusted in advance depending on the mounting position, and the illumination range was not adjusted while the vehicle was running.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, in the conventional vehicle headlights mentioned above, the illumination range is only changed in two stages by switching between high beam and low beam in the headlight, and subtle adjustments to the illumination range can be made arbitrarily while driving. It is not possible to do so, and adjustments are only made by aligning the optical axis of the headlights during inspections, etc. Furthermore, it was not possible to adjust the illumination range of the auxiliary lights while the vehicle was running.

For this reason, depending on the driving condition, for example, when driving on a road with severe ups and downs, there are many blind spots (which makes it difficult to provide effective lighting). (wall.

Hayashi 1, etc.), there is a problem in that the illuminance of the necessary areas is insufficient because it illuminates a meaningless area.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art described above.
An object of the present invention is to provide a headlamp for a vehicle that can appropriately adjust the illumination range to illuminate the necessary illumination range while the vehicle is running, thereby improving safety when driving at night. shall be.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the configuration adopted by the present invention includes a headlamp main body that has a reflector and a bottomed cylindrical mounting portion on the rear side of the reflector; A front lens is provided on the front side of the headlamp body so as to face the reflector plate of the light body, and a front lens is provided on the base end side or on the mounting part so that the tip side protrudes into the reflector plate of the headlamp body. A light bulb attached to the bottom side, and a polarizing sub that is formed in the shape of a covered tube to cover the tip side of the light bulb and directs the light from the light bulb in different directions depending on the rotational position. It is composed of a lens, and a rotation motor that is provided in the attachment part of the headlamp body and rotates the sub-lens by applying a voltage from the outside.

[Function] With the above configuration, if a voltage is applied to the rotation motor from the outside to rotate the sub-lens, the light from the light bulb can be directed in any direction according to the rotation position of the sub-lens even while the vehicle is running. This makes it possible to obtain an appropriate illumination range that matches the driving conditions.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 3.

1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the invention.

In the figure, 1 indicates a headlight as a vehicle headlight,
The headlights 1 are provided on the front left and right sides of a vehicle (not shown), respectively. Reference numeral 2 denotes a headlight main body serving as a headlamp main body serving as a casing of the headlight 1. The headlight main body 2 includes a main body portion 3 formed in the shape of a cylinder with a large diameter bottom, and a main body portion 3 of the main body portion 3. It is generally composed of a mounting section 4 that is integrally provided on the bottom back surface (rear surface) side and to which a light bulb 6, an ultrasonic motor 8, etc., which will be described later, are mounted. The main body portion 3 has a concave curved shape.
A reflection plate 3A formed by depositing a thin film of aluminum or the like on the inner surface of the front side, a front lens mounting part 3B located at the opening side end and into which a front lens 5 to be described later is fitted, and a bottom side. An insertion opening 3C is provided which is located in the center of the lens and is formed to penetrate from the front side to the rear side, into which the sub-lens 7 is inserted. Furthermore, a motor accommodating part 4A is formed inside the mounting part 4 of the headlight body 2, and is located between the bottom rear surface side of the main body part 3 and accommodates an ultrasonic motor 8, which will be described later. A light bulb attachment opening 4B into which a light bulb 6 is inserted and attached is formed at the center of the bottom of the portion 4. The motor accommodating part 4A is provided with an annular fixing part 4C that is located around the front side of the light bulb mounting opening 4B and protrudes in an annular shape from the bottom of the mounting part 4 to fix an elastic body 10, which will be described later. An annular groove 3D is formed on the bottom rear surface side of the portion 3, in which a disc spring 12, which will be described later, is engaged.

Reference numeral 5 indicates a front lens that covers the main body part 3, and the front lens 5 is attached to the front lens attachment part 3B of the main body part 3.
After being fitted, it is fixed with screws (not shown) or the like. Reference numeral 6 indicates a light bulb serving as a light source of the headlight 1, and the light bulb 6 includes a glass portion 6A formed of a glass material in the shape of a covered cylinder.
and a fixing part 6B provided on the proximal end side of the glass part 6A and having a flange made of a metal material, and the fixing part 6B.
It is generally composed of two flat terminals 6C, 6C projecting from the fixing part 6B so as to be perpendicular to each other.
It extends from the side toward the tip side, and is manufactured by filling the glass portion 6A with halogen gas (for example, iodine). The light bulb 6 is inserted from the rear into the light bulb attachment hole 4B of the attachment portion 4, and is attached by fixing the fixing portion 6B to the light bulb attachment hole 4B with a clip (not shown) or the like, and the tip of the glass portion 6A. The side protrudes into the reflection plate 3A. The light bulb 6 causes the filament to emit light by applying a voltage from the outside, and irradiates this light toward the front of the front lens 5 via a sub-lens 7 and a reflecting plate 3A, which will be described later.

Reference numeral 7 indicates a sub-lens made of a transparent material with high light transmittance and shaped like a closed cylinder.
, a flange 7A located on the opening side and protruding outward in the radial direction, a thick wall portion 7B having different wall thicknesses in the circumferential direction from the flange 7A to the tip end; The thin wall portion 7C has a thin wall thickness.
C, the thick wall portion 7B has an arcuate cross section, and the wall thickness thereof is formed so as to change continuously from the thick wall portion 7B to the thin wall portion 7C. The sub-lens 7 is constructed by fixing the flange 7A to the rotor 11 of the ultrasonic motor 8.
The thick portion 7B is attached to cover the tip side of the light bulb 6.
The thin wall portions 7C are configured to refract and orient the light from the light bulb 6 in different directions due to the difference in wall thickness. That is, when there is a light source O in the sub-lens 7 as shown in FIG. 2, the transmitted light from the sub-lens 7 is
The thick portion 7B refracts in the direction of arrow A, and the thin portion 7C refracts in the direction of arrow B.

Reference numeral 8 indicates an ultrasonic motor as a rotating motor, and the ultrasonic motor 8 includes an ultrasonic vibrator 91, an elastic body 10, and a rotor 11.
and a disc spring 12, and the ultrasonic motor 8 has an elastic body 10 attached to the annular fixing part 4 of the mounting part 4 with each screw 13.
By fixing to C, it is accommodated in the motor accommodating portion 4A. Here, the ultrasonic vibrator 9 is formed into a ring shape from a piezoelectric material such as barium titanate, lead zirconate titanate (PZT), etc., and the ultrasonic vibrator 9 is attached to an outer ring portion of an elastic body 10, which will be described later. 10B by adhesive or other means, and generates ultrasonic vibrations by applying a high frequency voltage from an external control unit (not shown).

Note that the control unit is configured to be manually operated by the driver using an operation switch (not shown) provided in the driver's cab to transmit a rotation signal. Further, the elastic body 10 is formed of a metal material such as brass, copper alloy, or aluminum into a substantially disk shape, is located on the inner circumferential side thereof, and is fixed to the annular fixing portion 4C of the motor accommodating portion 4A with each screw 13. An inner peripheral side fixing part 10A, and an outer peripheral side ring part 1 located on the outer peripheral side and having a substantially trapezoidal cross section.
0B, and a large number of uneven portions 10C are formed over the entire circumference of the outer ring portion 10B. The elastic body 10 resonates with the ultrasonic vibrations of the ultrasonic transducer 9 fixed to the rear side of the outer ring portion 10B, and generates surface waves on the surface of the uneven portion 10C of the outer ring portion 10B. Further, the rotor 11 is formed into a substantially disk shape, the outer circumferential side of which is a rotor portion 11A, and the inner circumferential side of which the flange portion 7A of the sub-lens 7 is fixed. The rotor 11 is pressed against the surface of the uneven portion 10c by a disc spring 12 with a predetermined load, and is rotationally driven by the surface waves of the elastic body 10, causing the lens 7 to rotate.

Thus, in the ultrasonic motor 8, when a high frequency voltage is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 9 of the ultrasonic motor 8 from an external control unit, the ultrasonic vibrator 9 generates ultrasonic vibration, and the elastic body 10 resonates, a surface wave is generated on the surface of the uneven portion 100 of the elastic body 10, and this surface wave causes the rotor 11 in contact with the uneven portion 10C of the elastic body 10 to rotate.
The sub-lens 7 is rotated.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a cover made of a rubber material and covering the light bulb attachment port 4B from the rear side of the attachment part 4, and the cover 14 is designed to prevent foreign matter such as water from entering the headlight 1 from the outside. ing.

The headlight 1 according to the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, and there is no particular difference from the conventional technology in that the light bulb 6 is turned on and off by operating the operating switch in the driver's cab from ON to OFF. .

However, in this embodiment, the light bulb 6 is covered by the bottomed cylindrical sub-lens 7 having the thick walled portion 7B and the thin walled portion 7C, and the light from the light bulb 6 is directed to the thick walled portion 7B side and the thin walled portion of the sub-lens 7. Part 7
While refracting in different directions on the C side, the sub-lens 7
Since it is configured to be rotated by the ultrasonic motor 8, the driver sends a signal to the control unit using the operation switch installed in the driver's cab, and the control unit sends a high frequency signal to the ultrasonic vibrator 9 of the ultrasonic motor 8. By applying a voltage, the sub-lens 7 can be rotated to any rotational position by the rotor 11 of the ultrasonic motor 8, and the sub-lens 7 can be rotated to any desired rotation position.
The light from the light bulb 6 is refracted in different directions by the thick part 7B and thin part 7C, and is reflected by the reflector 3A, so that the illumination range of the headlight 1 can be set to a desired illumination range. In addition, since the ultrasonic motor 8 is used as the rotation motor, the rotation position of the sub-lens 7 can be finely adjusted by the low speed and high torque characteristics of the ultrasonic motor 8, making it possible to finely adjust the illumination range. changes are also possible.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the driver can adjust the illumination range of the headlight 1 according to his needs by rotating the sub-lens 7, and it is possible to adjust the illumination range to suit the road conditions even while driving. .

Therefore, it is possible to reduce blind spots, provide effective lighting, give the driver a clear view of the front of the vehicle, and significantly improve safe driving at night and in tunnels. .

Next, FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and the feature of this embodiment is that a corrugated portion having an uneven shape is provided on the tip side of the sub-lens. In this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their explanations will be omitted. In the figure, 21 is the same as the sub-lens 7 described in the above embodiment The sub-lens 21 has a flange 21A located on the opening side and protrudes outward in the radial direction, and a cylindrical-shaped sub-lens formed from the flange 2LA to the tip. A thin-walled portion 2 that extends to a circumferential direction and is formed with a corrugated portion 21B having a corrugated shape on one side in the circumferential direction.
1C, and the sub-lens 21 is connected to an ultrasonic motor 8.
By fixing the collar portion 21A to the rotor 11 of the bulb 6, the wavy portion 21B is attached so as to cover the tip side of the light bulb 6.
The light from the light bulb 6 is refracted depending on the shape of the thin portion 21C. That is, when there is a light source O in the sub-lens 21, the transmitted light from the sub-lens 21 is diffused and refracted in the direction of arrow C in the wavy portion 21B, and refracted in the direction of arrow B in the other thin portion 21C. I come to do it.

In this way, the refracted transmitted light is diffused in the wavy portion 21B, so it is possible to widen the illumination range. By using it instead of lens 7,
It is possible to configure a head drive 1 with a wide illumination range,
An effective wide field of vision can be secured in front of the vehicle.

Although the above embodiments have been described using the headlight 1 as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can also be applied to auxiliary lights such as fog lamps, spot lamps, and driving lamps.

Further, instead of the ultrasonic motor 8, a rotation motor such as a DC motor may be used via a gear or the like, as long as the sub-lens 7 can be rotated.

Furthermore, the light bulb 6 is a conventional light bulb with two filaments that can be switched between high beam and low beam.
A light bulb with one filament can be used (but in the case of a light bulb with two filaments, the illumination range can be adjusted even in high beam and low beam, so it is possible to adjust the illumination range in a wide area, In the case of a light bulb with one filament, the cost of the light bulb can be reduced.

Furthermore, in each of the embodiments described above, the sub-lens 7.21 is rotated by the driver's manual operation, but not only by the driver's manual operation but also by a signal from a vehicle height sensor etc. not attached to the vehicle. , it is also possible to adjust the illumination range.

Furthermore, the light from the light bulb 6 may be controlled by providing a shade portion inside the arcuate portion on the distal end side of the sub-lens 7.21 in each of the above embodiments to block the light from the light bulb 6.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, a front lens is provided in a headlamp body having a reflector and a mounting portion.

By attaching the light bulb, sub-lens, and rotation motor to form a vehicle headlight, the sub-lens can be used to turn the headlight by driving the rotation motor and rotating the sub-lens even while driving. The illumination range of the headlights can be changed as appropriate, and the illumination range of the headlights can be adjusted. Therefore, the headlight can illuminate the illumination range desired by the driver, improving visibility during night driving, and effectively improving safe driving. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the driver of an oncoming vehicle from being dazzled.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a headlight, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a sub-lens, and FIG. 3 is a second embodiment. FIG. 2... Headlight body (headlight body), 3... Main body, 3A... Reflector, 4... Mounting part, 5... Front lens, 6... Light bulb, 7, 21... Sub-lens, 8... Ultrasonic motor (rotation motor). Patent Applicant Japan Electronics Co., Ltd. Agent Patent Attorney Kazuhiko Hirose Diagram Jl=1 C D

Claims (1)

[Claims] A headlamp body including a reflector and a bottomed cylindrical mounting portion provided on the rear side of the reflector, and a front surface of the headlamp body so as to face the reflector of the headlamp body. a front lens provided on the side; a light bulb whose proximal end is attached to the bottom side of the mounting portion so that the distal end protrudes into the reflector of the headlamp body; and a light bulb that covers the distal end side of the light bulb. A polarizing sub-lens is formed in the shape of a covered cylinder and directs the light from the light bulb in different directions depending on the rotational position, and a polarizing sub-lens is provided within the mounting part of the headlamp body and is configured to receive voltage from the outside. A vehicular headlamp comprising a rotation motor that rotates the sub-lens by applying a voltage to the sub-lens.