JPS63162388A - Head lamp for car - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The vehicle headlamp of the present invention will be explained according to the following items.

A. Industrial field of application B1 Overview of the invention C1 Prior art a. General background [Figures 10 to 12 (b) Means for correcting the inclination of light distribution in a conventional vehicle headlamp 1 The invention solves the problem Problem E1 Means for solving problem F, Example a, Headlight [Fig. 1 to Fig. 4 Ko a-1, Lamp body [Fig. 1 to Fig. 3] a-21 Reflection Mirror, cover lens [Figures 1 to 3, a-3, valve [Figure 1, second factor] a-4, control lens [Figures 1 and 4] a-5, lens drive section [Figures 1 and 4] a-5-a, configuration a-5-b, operation a-6, lamp body drive section [Figures 2 and 3] a-6-a, configuration a-6 -b, Working vehicle body tilt detector [Figs. 5 to 8 b-1, Case [Figs. 6 to 8] b-2, Gimbal [Figs. 5 to 8] b-3 , motor, rotating body [Figures 5 to 8 b-4, potentiometer [Figures 5 to 8] b-5, operation C0 control circuit [Figure 9 d, irradiation angle correction operation G1 of the invention] Effects (A. Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a novel vehicle headlamp. Specifically, the present invention relates to a headlamp that corrects the inclination of light distribution by changing the direction of an optical member that defines the inclination of light distribution, and improves the means for changing the direction of the optical member. By doing so, the present invention aims to provide a novel vehicle headlamp that can be configured to be compact and lightweight, and has excellent operability.

(B. Summary of the Invention) The vehicle headlamp of the present invention is a vehicle headlamp that corrects the inclination of light distribution by changing the direction of the optical member. can be performed by changing the direction of one optical member, thereby making it possible to make the headlight smaller and lighter, and requiring less driving force to move the optical member, and This allows the operation of correcting the inclination of light distribution to be performed stably.

(C. Prior Art) (a. General Background) [Figures 10 to 12 B] Vehicle lamps are required to have a predetermined light distribution. For example, the so-called passing beam distribution in automobile headlights is required. Light is usually the first
A light distribution such as light distribution a shown in FIG. 0 is required. Note that blb is the road shoulder, C is the center line, d is the driving lane, and e is the oncoming lane.

In this figure and other figures showing light distribution, V-V is a vertical line perpendicular to the travel path, and H-H is a horizontal line.

By the way, when a two-wheeled vehicle such as a motorcycle passes through a curved road or changes course, in other words, when changing the direction of travel, the vehicle body is tilted to the left or right to resist the centrifugal force generated on the vehicle body. Since the car body is tilted, the headlight device also tilts in the same direction, and therefore the light distribution by the headlight device, for example,
The light distribution a shown in FIG. 10 is tilted left and right.

In other words, when a two-wheeled vehicle passes through a road that curves to the left, the driver moves the center of gravity at least from the point immediately before entering the curve to angle the vehicle body to the left as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 11. If the vehicle body leans to the left in this way, the light distribution from the headlights will also change to the light distribution f shown by the solid line in Figure 12.
It will be tilted downward to the left like this. Furthermore, when passing through a road that curves to the right, the vehicle body will be tilted to the right at an angle β as shown by the dashed line in Figure 11, and as a result, the light distribution from the headlights will also change to the angle β shown in Figure 12. The light distribution is tilted downward to the right as shown by the dotted chain line g.

If the light distribution from the headlights is tilted downward to the left as shown in the light distribution f above, the light distribution will illuminate a point further in front of the driving lane, making it difficult to obtain good visibility. At the same time, the oncoming lane will be illuminated at a higher level than the horizontal line H-H, which will dazzle the oncoming vehicle, and the light distribution by the headlights will be similar to the above-mentioned light distribution g. Even if the vehicle is tilted downward to the right, the light distribution will illuminate a point further in front of the driving lane, making it difficult to obtain good visibility.

(b. Means for correcting the inclination of light distribution in a conventional vehicle headlamp) Therefore, conventional methods have been used to detect the left and right inclination of the vehicle body of a two-wheeled vehicle, and to adjust the posture of the member that defines the illumination angle when the vehicle body is tilted. It has been proposed to correct the inclination of light distribution by a headlamp device, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 56
There is one shown in Japanese Patent No.-18430. This supports the reflector, control lens, etc. of the optical block (headlight unit) in a light casing so that it can rotate freely around its optical axis, and also allows the vehicle body to tilt to the left or right. The movement of the gravitational body that tilts against the light rotates the reflecting mirror, control lens, etc., thereby correcting the inclination of the light distribution by the front device.

(D Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, such a headlight device is configured so that the reflector, lens, and light bulb are moved together in order to correct the inclination of light distribution. , the movable part becomes large, and for this reason, it is necessary to use a complicated support structure such as supporting the reflecting mirror with a plurality of rollers provided on the light casing side.

Therefore, as the shape of the headlamp device becomes larger, the weight also increases, a large driving force is required to move the movable parts, and furthermore, the movement of the movable parts tends to be unstable (as a result, the light distribution is disturbed). There are problems such as making it easier.

(E. Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the vehicle headlamp of the present invention has the following features: In the specified vehicle headlamp, a lens is supported by a lamp body so as to be rotatable around its optical axis, and a drive unit for rotating the lens is provided on the lamp body.

Therefore, according to the vehicle headlight of the present invention, the only optical member that needs to be moved to correct the inclination of light distribution is the lens, so there is no need to move a reflector or the like. This type of headlamp is suitable because the supporting means for supporting the member so that it can freely move in a predetermined direction can be of a simple structure, and the driving force for moving the optical member is small. It can be configured to be more compact and lightweight, and since the movement of the optical member is stable, the operation for correcting the inclination of light distribution can be performed extremely stably.

(F. Embodiment) Details of the vehicle headlamp of the present invention will be described below according to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

Note that this embodiment is configured so that the vertical inclination of the light distribution can also be corrected.

(a, headlight) [Figures 1 to 4 1 is a headlight.

(a-1, lamp body) [Figures 1 to 3] 2 is a lamp body. The opening surface of the lamp body 2 is the front side (the direction facing left in FIG. 2 is referred to as the front side, the direction facing rightward is referred to as the rear side, and the direction facing downward in the same figure is referred to as the left side, and the direction facing upward in the figure is referred to as the front side. The direction is the right side.Hereinafter, when referring to the direction in the description of the headlight device 2, this direction will be used.
and a substantially annular rim 4 attached to the opening of the main part 3, and a substantially circular rim 4 when viewed from the side is located on both sides of the main part 3 at a position slightly rearward from the front opening of the main part 3. A protrusion 5.5' is formed, and an arm 6.6' is formed which projects rearward from the protrusion 5.5' substantially horizontally, and the arm 6.6'
A rack 7.7' extending vertically is formed on the distal end surface of the rack 7.7'.

Reference numeral 8.8' denotes a support arm that projects forward from the front end of the vehicle body frame (not shown) in a substantially parallel manner and spaced apart from side to side. A support shaft 9.9' whose axial direction parallels the left-right direction is provided protrudingly, and the lamp body 2 has protrusions 5.5' provided at both left and right ends of the lamp body 2, which are rotatable to the support @9.9'. By being supported by the vehicle body, the vehicle body is supported so as to be tiltable in a downward direction on the road.

(a-2, Reflector, Cover Lens) [Figures 1 to 3 10 is a reflector having a reflection surface 10a forming a paraboloid of revolution, and the front end of the reflector 10 has this part. A substantially annular lens support portion 11.12 is formed by successively expanding the diameter in two steps, and a circular hole 13 is formed in the center of the top portion of the lens support portion 11.12. A valve mounting cylinder 14 is formed that projects rearward from the edge.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a mounting ring having a substantially annular shape, and coupling pieces 16, 16, . ing.

Further, reference numeral 17 denotes a retaining ring having a substantially annular shape and having approximately the same size as the mounting ring 15, and a lens ridge 18 bent inward is formed at the front end of the retaining ring 17. At the same time, the front end portion thereof is fixed to the reflecting mirror 10 with its front end fitted onto the lens support portion 11 on the front side of the reflecting mirror 1o.

Therefore, a groove 19 extending in an annular shape is formed by the front lens support portion 11 of the reflecting mirror 10 and the lens ridge 18 of the retaining ring 17, and the outer peripheral edge of the cover lens 20 is formed in this groove 19. Fitted and fixed.

The mounting ring 15 is fitted onto the front end of the reflector 10, and its connecting piece 16.
6, . . . are fixed to the rear end of the retaining ring 17 by welding or the like, and the cover lens 20 is positioned so as to close the front opening of the lamp body 2.

The rim 4 is connected to the main portion 3 of the lamp body 2 after the mounting ring 15 is attached thereto.

(a-3 valve) [Fig. 1, Fig. 2] 21 is a valve.

22 is a base of the bulb 21; 23 is a glass bulb positioned so as to protrude forward from the base 22; inside the glass bulb 23 is a main filament 2 which is the light source of the traveling beam;
4 and the sub-filament 25 which is the light source of the beam for passing each other.
The sub-filament 25 is located slightly above the main filament 24.

Reference numeral 26 denotes a flange portion fixed to be fitted onto the base 22, and the flange portion 26 consists of a cylindrical portion 28a and an engagement piece 26b formed at the rear end of the cylindrical portion 26a.

In the valve 21, the cylindrical portion 26a of the flange 26 is fitted into the valve mounting tube 14 of the reflecting mirror 10, and the engaging piece 26b engages with an engaging portion (not shown) provided at the rear end of the valve mounting tube 14. As a result, the main filament 24 is attached to the reflecting mirror 1o while being positioned in the axial direction with respect to the reflecting mirror 10, and the optical axis of the bulb 21 and the optical axis of the reflecting mirror 10 are aligned, and the main filament 24 is attached to the reflecting mirror 10 in a position around the axis. 1o at the focal point F (see Figure 1), and therefore,
The subfilament 25 will be located slightly above the focal point F.

(a-4, control lens) [FIGS. 1 and 4, 27 is a control lens, and the mNH lens 27 is
7a, that is, the portion that performs light control, is formed to have a substantially circular shape when viewed from the front and rear directions.

This control lens 27 is connected to the filament 24 of the bulb 21.
．． 25 and enters this control lens 27, and reflected light that enters this control lens 27 after being reflected at the reflecting surface 10a of the reflecting mirror 10, these lights are directed toward the front of the headlamp 1. It is a lens for giving a predetermined directivity so that light can be distributed in a predetermined pattern, and its main portion 27a includes a large number of lens elements 28, 28, . . . having the above-mentioned light control function. It is formed.

Reference numeral 29 denotes a guided portion formed to extend annularly along the outer periphery of the rear surface of the main portion 27a;
A rack 30, 30' extending along the direction in which the guided part 29 extends is formed at a portion of the inner circumferential surface located on the upper and lower opposite sides with the center of the guided part 29 interposed therebetween. An annular sliding protrusion 31 is formed on.

The control lens 27 has the sliding protrusion 31 attached to the rear lens support portion 12 formed on the reflecting mirror 10.
The main portion 2 is slidably engaged with an annular groove 32 formed by the rear surface of the outer circumferential portion of the cover lens 20.
The protrusion 20a formed on the rear surface of the center portion of the cover lens 20 is rotatably engaged with the recess 33 formed on the center portion of the front surface of the lens 7a, so that the projection 20a is rotatably supported by the reflecting mirror 10 and the cover lens 20. Ru.

Note that the cover lens 20 is attached to the sliding protrusion 3 of the control lens 27.
1 is placed on the lens support portion 12 of the reflecting mirror 10 and then attached to the reflecting mirror 10.

(a-5, Lens Drive Section) [FIGS. 1 and 4 34 is a lens drive section for rotating the control lens 27.

(a-5-a, configuration) Reference numeral 35 denotes a support plate attached to the reflecting mirror 10 so as to cover a portion of the outer surface thereof facing diagonally downward toward the rear, and the supporting plate 35 is attached to the reflecting mirror 10 by welding or the like. It is fixed by a fixing means, and its lower end is formed to slightly protrude rearward, and the first motor 36 is supported at this part in a direction extending along the axial direction or the front-rear direction. . In addition, 36
a is a deceleration section of the first motor 36.

Reference numeral 37 denotes a bearing member fixed to the lower part of the reflecting mirror 10 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction at a position facing the first motor 36 from the front.

Reference numeral 38 denotes a rotating shaft protruding from the speed reduction part 36a of the first motor 36. The rotating shaft 38 is rotatably supported by the bearing member 37 at a substantially middle portion thereof, and has a gear 39 at its tip. A lower rack 30 is fixed, and the gear 39 is formed on the guided portion 29 of the control lens 27.
” is engaged.

Further, 40 is a first tilting angle detector, and the first tilting angle detector 40 is located at a position close to the lens support portion 12 on the rear side of a portion substantially directly above the reflecting surface 10a of the reflecting mirror 10. A gear 42 attached to the rotor shaft 41 is engaged with an upper rack 30 formed on the guided portion 29 of the control lens 27.

Incidentally, this tilt angle detector 40 uses a potentiometer whose resistance value changes according to the rotation of the rotor shaft.

(a-5-b, operation) When the first motor 36 rotates, the gear 39 provided on the rotating shaft 38 sends the lower rack 30' formed on the control lens 27. Therefore, the control lens 27 is rotated in the direction around its optical axis XX, and thereby the irradiation angle is changed in the left-right direction.

When the control lens 27 rotates, the upper rack 30 rotates the gear 42 of the first tilt angle detector 40, so that the terminal voltage of the first tilt angle detector 40 changes. Therefore, by detecting the terminal voltage, the tilt angle of the control lens 27 in the left-right direction is detected.

(a-6, lamp body drive unit) [FIGS. 2 and 3] 43 is a lamp body drive unit for rotating the lamp body 2 in the vertical direction.

(a-6-a, configuration) 44 is a second motor, and the second motor 44 is fixed to the left side surface of the right support arm 8' with its rotating shaft 45 extending in the vertical direction. At the same time, a worm 46 is fixed to the rotating shaft 45, and this worm 4
6 is engaged with a rack 7' formed on the right arm 6'.

Further, a second tilt angle detector 47 is fixed to the right side surface of the left support arm 8, and the second tilt angle detector 47
A gear 49 fixed to a rotor shaft 48 is meshed with a rack 7 formed on the left arm 6.

Incidentally, this tilt angle detector 47 also uses a potentiometer whose resistance value changes according to the rotation of the rotor shaft.

(a-6-b. Operation) When the second motor 44 rotates, the tip of the right arm 6' of the lamp body 2 is moved in the vertical direction. , the valve 21, the control lens 27, the lens driving section 34, etc., are tilted in the vertical direction, and thereby the control lens 2
7. The direction in which the optical axis xx of the bulb 21 and the reflecting mirror 10 extends is changed in the vertical direction.

When the lamp body 2 tilts in the vertical direction in this manner, the rack 7 of the left arm 6 rotates the gear 49 of the second tilt angle detector 47 by an amount corresponding to the amount of tilt. The terminal voltage of the second tilting angle detector 47 changes, and therefore, by detecting the terminal voltage, the vertical tilting angle of the headlamp device 1 with respect to the vehicle body is detected.

(b. Vehicle body tilt detector) [FIGS. 5 to 8] FIGS. 5 to 8 show the vehicle body tilt detector 50. still,
FIG. 5 shows the principle of the vehicle body inclination detector 50, and among the parts shown in this figure, the same reference numerals are given to the parts that are functionally the same as those shown in other drawings.

(b-1, Case) [Figs. 6 to 8] Reference numeral 51 is a case of the vehicle body inclination detector 50, and the case 51 is fixed approximately at the center of the vehicle body.

The case 51 is made up of a lid 52 and a substrate 53 to which the lid 52 is attached, and a support wall 54 is formed from a portion of the substrate 53 near the outer periphery of the substrate 53 from approximately the front and rear positions across the center thereof.
．． 54' are erected parallel to each other and facing each other, and support holes 55, 55' extending in the front-rear direction are formed near the upper ends of these support walls 54, 54'.

(b-2, gimbal) [Figs. 5 to 8] 56 is an outer gimbal. The outer gimbal 56 is formed into a substantially annular shape with a certain width in the vertical direction, and the axis 57 extends from the front and rear ends of its outer circumferential surface, that is, from the position where a straight line extending in the front and back direction passes through the center of the outer gimbal 56. 57' horizontally protrudes outward, and support holes 58, 58' are formed at both left and right end positions, that is, at positions where a straight line extending in the left-right direction passes through the center of the outer gimbal 56. Furthermore, a projecting piece 59 is formed that projects downward from a portion of the lower surface of the support hole 58 located below the left support hole 58 .

The outer gimbal 56 has a shaft 57.57' rotatably supported in a support hole 55.55' formed in the support wall 54.54'.

60 is an inner gimbal. The inner gimbal 60 has a bottom plate portion 6 having a slightly smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the outer gimbal 56.
0a and an outer circumferential wall 60b rising from the outer periphery of the bottom plate portion 60a are integrally formed, and the protrusion 61 has a substantially cylindrical shape that opens downward at the center and has a closed upper surface. are formed, and shafts 62 and 62' protrude outward from the positions of both left and right ends of the outer circumferential wall 60b, that is, the positions where a straight line extending in the left-right direction passes through the center of the inner gimbal 60. The shaft 62, 62' is rotatably supported in the support hole 58, 58' formed in the outer gimbal 56.

(b-3 Motor, rotating body) [Figures 5 to 8 The roller 3 is a motor, and the motor 63 is fitted inside the protrusion 61 provided on the road side half or the inner gimbal 60. The motor mounting bracket 64 , which is located at the same time as the lower half of the motor mounting bracket 64 is positioned in an internally fitted manner, is attached to the bottom plate portion 60 a of the inner gimbal 60 .
It is fixed to the inner gimbal 60 by being fixed to the lower surface of the protrusion 61, and its rotating shaft 63a projects upward from the protrusion 61 through a hole 61a formed at the upper end of the protrusion 61.

65 is a rotating body. The rotating body 65 is an inner gimbal 60
It is formed into a substantially disk shape having a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the outer circumferential wall 60b, and a relatively large recess 66 is formed in the center of the lower surface thereof, and the center of the top surface of the recess 66 is formed. A press-fit hole 67 is formed in the rotating body 65.
The upper end of the rotating shaft 63a of the motor 63 is press-fitted into the press-fitting hole 67 with the protrusion 61 of the inner gimbal 60 positioned with a slight margin in the recessed part 66. 63a.

Therefore, when the motor 63 rotates, the rotating body 65 is rotated about the axis of the rotating shaft 63a of the motor 63.

Therefore, as mentioned above, the inner gimbal 60 is
1, that is, with respect to the vehicle body, the motor 63 is fixed to the inner gimbal 60 provided in this way, so that the rotating body 65 The centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the motor 63 acts as a force that constantly holds the rotating shaft 83a of the motor 63 in a posture extending along the direction of gravity, that is, in a vertical posture. Therefore, while the rotating body 65 is rotating, the motor 63 is held in a position in which its axis always extends in the vertical direction, so that even if the vehicle body is tilted, the inner gimbal 60 is The posture will always be maintained horizontally.

(b-4, Potentiometer) [Figures 5 to 8] 68 is a first potentiometer. The first potentiometer 68 is fixed to one support wall 54', and a gear 70 is fixed to the tip of the rotor shaft 69, and the gear 70 is connected to one shaft 57' of the outer gimbal 56.
It is meshed with a gear 71 fixed to a portion of one of the support walls 54' that protrudes from the support hole 55'.

Further, 72 is a second potentiometer, and the second potentiometer 72 is fixed to the protrusion 59 formed on the outer gimbal 56, and a gear 74 is fixed to the tip of the rotor shaft 73. , the gear 74'' is connected to the outer gimbal 56 of one shaft 62 of the inner gimbal 60.
It is meshed with a gear 75 fixed to a portion protruding from the support hole 58.

The potentiometer 68.72 is provided with a resistor 76.77 (see FIG. 5) in its casing, and a contact 78.7 provided on its rotor shaft 69.73.
9 (see FIG. 5) are provided in sliding contact with the resistors 76 and 77.

(b-5, Operation) Therefore, the vehicle body tilt detection operation by the vehicle body tilt detector 50 configured as described above is performed as follows.

That is, from the state in which the rotating body 65 is rotating, that is, the state in which the attitude of the inner gimbal 60 is always maintained horizontally,
When the vehicle body tilts in the front-rear direction, that is, when the front and rear parts of the vehicle body move up and down, resulting in a halted forward position or a bowed posture, the outer gimbal 56 will tilt in the front-rear direction. gear 75 fixed to
will rotate relative to the outer gimbal 56, thereby causing the gear 75 to rotate the gear 74 fixed to the rotor shaft 73 of the second potentiometer 72. As a result, the contact position of the contact 79 provided on the rotor shaft 73 with respect to the resistor 77 changes, so the resistance value of the resistor 77 changes and the terminal voltage of the second potentiometer 72 changes. ,
Therefore, by detecting this voltage, the longitudinal direction and angle of inclination of the vehicle body can be detected.

Furthermore, when the vehicle body is tilted to the left or right, the outer gimbal 56 is also held in a horizontal position, so in this case, the gear 71 fixed to the shaft 57' of the outer gimbal 56 is The gear 71 rotates, thereby causing the gear 71 to rotate around the rotor shaft 6 of the first potentiometer 68.
The gear 70 fixed to the gear 9 is rotated. As a result, the contact position of the contact 78 provided on the rotor shaft 69 with respect to the resistor 76 changes, so that the resistor 76
As the resistance value changes, the terminal voltage of the first potentiometer 68 changes, and by detecting this voltage, the left and right tilt direction of the vehicle body and its tilt angle can be detected.

Note that when the vehicle body tilts forward and backward and left and right, the direction and angle of inclination for both directions can be detected using the potentiometer 68.
．． The same will be done by 72.

(c, control circuit) [Figure 9] Next, the control circuit 80 will be explained.

Reference numeral 81 denotes a first comparison circuit, which compares the terminal voltage of the first potentiometer 68, that is, the signal indicating the horizontal tilt angle of the vehicle body, the reference voltage output from the reference voltage generation circuit 82,
That is, the terminal voltage of the first potentiometer 68 when the vehicle body is not tilted in the left-right direction is compared with a voltage having the same value, and if there is a difference, the difference is calculated. A drive signal corresponding to the direction is output to the first motor drive circuit 83 that drives the first motor 36, so that the first motor 36 rotates in either the forward direction or the reverse direction. The control lens 27 is rotated in the direction
is forced to tilt in either the left or right direction.

84 is a second comparison circuit, and the first tilt angle detector 40
, that is, a signal indicating the tilt angle of the control lens 27 in the left-right direction with respect to the vehicle body, and the reference voltage generation circuit 8
5, that is, the voltage to be output from the first tilt angle detector 40 according to a predetermined correction angle, is compared in this second comparator circuit 84, and When the two voltages match, a stop signal is output to the first motor drive circuit 83, thereby stopping the rotation of the first motor 36.

Therefore, when the vehicle body is tilted in the left-right direction, the first motor 36 is rotated until the direction of the control lens 27 in the left-right direction is changed by the amount that should be corrected.

Further, 86 is a third comparison circuit, which combines the terminal voltage of the second potentiometer 72, that is, a signal indicating the tilt angle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the reference voltage output from the reference voltage generation circuit 82, that is, the terminal voltage of the second potentiometer 72, that is, the signal indicating the tilt angle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The terminal voltage of the second potentiometer 72 when it is not tilted in the front-rear direction is compared with the voltage of the same value in this third comparison circuit 86, and if there is a difference therebetween, the voltage is adjusted according to the direction of the difference. a second motor drive circuit 8 whose drive signal drives the second motor 44;
7, thereby causing the second motor 44 to rotate in the forward or reverse direction, thereby tilting the headlight 1 either up or down.

88 is a fourth comparison circuit, and the second tilt angle detector 47
, i.e., the voltage indicating the inclination angle of the headlamp 1 in the vertical direction with respect to the vehicle body, and the reference voltage output from the reference voltage generation circuit 85, i.e., the angle to be corrected in the vertical direction of the headlamp 1. The fourth comparison circuit 8 compares the voltage corresponding to The motor 44 will stop rotating.

Therefore, when the vehicle body is tilted in the longitudinal direction, the second motor 44 is rotated until the vertical direction of the headlight 1 is changed by a predetermined amount.

(d. Illumination angle correction operation) The illumination angle inclination correction operation by the headlamp 1, vehicle body inclination detector 50, and control circuit 80 configured as described above is performed, for example, as follows.

That is, when the vehicle body is not tilted in either the longitudinal direction or the horizontal direction, the terminal voltage of the potentiometer 72 of the vehicle body tilt detector 50 and the voltage output from the reference voltage generation circuit 82 of the control circuit 80 are equal to each other. Since they are the same value, the first
Neither the motor 36 nor the second motor 44 rotate.

Then, when the vehicle body tilts to the left or right, the light distribution changes, for example, to the 12th
As shown in the figure, it will tilt left and right. In this case, since the outer gimbal 56 of the vehicle body tilt detector 50 is tilted to the left and right relative to the vehicle body, the terminal voltage of the first potentiometer 68 becomes a value different from the reference voltage, thereby causing the first comparison. A drive signal is output from the circuit 81 to the first motor drive circuit 83, the first motor 36 rotates, the control lens 27 is tilted in the direction around the optical axis XX, and the control lens 27 is moved to a predetermined position. The rotation of the first motor 36 is stopped when the first motor 36 is tilted by the correction amount.

Further, when the vehicle body tilts in the front-back direction, the illumination angle changes upward or downward, and the light distribution shifts in the vertical direction. In this case, since the outer gimbal 56 of the vehicle body tilt detector 50 tilts in the front-rear direction, the terminal voltage of the second potentiometer 72 differs from the reference voltage. A drive signal is output to the motor drive circuit 87 of the second motor 44.
rotates, and when the headlamp 1 is tilted by a predetermined correction amount, the second motor 44 stops rotating.

Incidentally, when the vehicle body is tilted forward and backward and left and right at the same time, the first motor 36 and the second motor 44 are rotated simultaneously, and the vertical and horizontal inclinations of the irradiation angle are corrected at the same time.

Also, if the vehicle body no longer tilts, the terminal voltage of each potentiometer 68.72 will return to its original state, so each motor 36.44 will rotate in the opposite direction to the previous state, returning to the state before correction. It turns out.

In addition, when the vehicle body is tilted, the correction can be made not only by a predetermined correction angle, but also by adjusting the angle according to the tilt angle of the vehicle body, or by dividing it into several stages. It may be something to be corrected.

(G. Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, the vehicle headlamp of the present invention is suitable for vehicles in which the inclination of the light distribution in the left-right direction is defined by the rotation of the optical axis of the lens in the axial direction. This headlamp is characterized in that a lens is supported by a lamp body so as to be rotatable in a direction around its optical axis, and a driving part for rotating the lens is provided in the lamp body.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the only optical member that needs to be moved to correct the inclination of light distribution is the lens, so there is no need to move a reflector or the like. The support means for supporting the headlight so that it can move freely can be of an extremely simple structure, and the driving force required to move the optical member can be small, making this type of headlamp smaller and lighter. can be configured to,
Furthermore, since the movement of the optical member is stabilized, the operation for correcting the inclination of light distribution can be performed extremely stably.

In the above embodiment, the lens is rotatably supported directly on the reflecting mirror, but the structure for rotatably supporting the lens in the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the lens may be rotatably supported by the lamp body or a member fixed to the lamp body, or the lens may be provided with some kind of guided member whose rotational direction is guided. The member may be supported by a lamp body or the like.

Furthermore, the drive unit that rotates the lens is not limited to one that directly drives the lens as shown in the embodiment, but may also have a structure that fixes some driven member to the lens and drives the driven member. Anything is fine.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 4 show an example of the implementation of the vehicle headlamp of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along line I-1 in FIG. 2, FIG. Figure 3 is a side view, Figure 4 is a diagram showing the control lens cut along the +v-rv line in Figure 1, and Figure 5 is a side view.
9 to 9 show examples of use of the vehicle headlamp of the present invention, of which FIGS. 5 to 8 show a vehicle body inclination detector;
The figure is a principle diagram, Figure 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view, and Figure 7 is the same as Figure 6.
- Figure 8 is a partially cutaway enlarged perspective view of the main parts, Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the control circuit, Figure 10 is the basic diagram required for vehicle headlights. A diagram showing an outline of light distribution,
FIG. 11 is a rear view of the two-wheeled vehicle when the vehicle body is tilted in the left-right direction, and FIG. 12 is a diagram showing light distribution when the two-wheeled vehicle is tilted in the left-right direction. Code explanation 1...Vehicle headlight,

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A vehicle headlamp in which the horizontal inclination of light distribution is defined by the rotation of the optical axis of the lens in the axial direction, the lens being freely rotatable in the axial direction of the optical axis. A vehicle headlamp characterized in that the lamp body is supported by a lamp body, and the lamp body is provided with a drive unit that rotates the lens.