Aiming mechanism for vehicle lighting unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9327637-B2
Application number	US-201414218390-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2014
Priority date	Mar 19, 2013
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A vehicle lighting unit can have an aiming mechanism with a pivot holder structure such that a pivot attached to a reflector that holds a bulb is supported by a pivot holder integrally formed with a housing while the pivot is rotatable and an adjustment bolt is provided, so that the rotation of the adjustment bolt can achieve adjustment of an optical axis by inclining the reflector. The pivot holder can include a reception seat extending in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the pivot is inserted and having an arc-like curved surface for receiving a ball of the pivot, and a pair of claws extending in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the pivot is inserted so as to be parallel with each other and configured to support the ball, the pair of claws being coupled to each other by an arc-shaped bridge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An aiming mechanism for a vehicle lighting unit, comprising a reflector that holds a light source, a housing, an adjustment bolt provided to connect the reflector and the housing so as to be rotatable, a pivot attached to the reflector, and a pivot holder that is integrally formed with the housing and supports the pivot while the pivot is rotatable, so that the rotation of the adjustment bolt can achieve adjustment of an optical axis by inclining the reflector with respect to the housing, wherein
the pivot holder includes a reception seat extending in a first direction substantially perpendicular to a second direction in which the pivot supported by the pivot holder extends and having an arc-like curved surface for receiving part of a ball provided to a tip end of the pivot, and a pair of claws entirely extending in the first direction so as to be parallel with each other and configured to support the ball of the pivot, the pair of claws being coupled to each other by an arc-shaped bridge at their ends in a lengthwise direction of the claws.

2. The aiming mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the arc-shaped bridges each have an arc shape spreading in the second direction.

3. The aiming mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the pair of claws are configured to be elastically deformed and have a width inclined and narrowing toward the reception seat.

4. The aiming mechanism according to claim 1 , herein tip ends of the claws are spaced apart from each other to define a gap, the gap being smaller than an outer diameter of the ball of the pivot, such that the claws elastically deform when the ball is inserted through the gap.

Assignees

• Stanley Electric Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kondo Hidetaka

Classifications

• B60Q1/0683 Primary

  Adjustable by rotation of a screw · CPC title

• F16C2326/01

  Parts of vehicles in general · CPC title

• B60Q2200/32

  Ball-joints · CPC title

• F16C11/0657

  the socket member being mainly made of plastics · CPC title

• F21S41/39

  Attachment thereof (achieving variable light distribution by movable reflectors F21S41/675) · CPC title