Multiple Lamp Element Adjuster for a Vehicle

• US 20140029288A1
• Filed: 07/26/2012
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OSRAM Sylvania Inc. (Ams-Osram AG), Valeo North America Incorporated (Valeo SE)
• Original Assignee: Valeo-Sylvania LLC (Valeo SE)
• Inventors: King, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,102,264 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/523
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/0683 Adjustable by rotation of a screw
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2200/36 Conjoint adjustments, i.e. a mechanical link allows conjoint adjustment of several units
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49718 Repairing

Abstract

A vehicular lighting adjustment system (10) has a housing (12) with at least two headlamp adjusters (14), each headlamp adjuster (14) comprising a rocker arm (16) pivotally mounted about a pivot axis (X). A common adjuster (30) is mounted to the housing (12) for rotational displacement. Respective elevation tuning adjusters (34) bear on rocker arms (16) and are displaceable along the common adjuster (30) from an initial axial position to an adjusted axial position whereby each rocker arm (16) deflects about its pivot axis (X). The elevation tuning adjusters (34) are selectively fixed to the adjustment rod (30) in the adjusted axial position. After each elevation tuning adjuster (34) is fixed in its adjusted axial position to the common adjuster (30), displacement of the common adjuster (30) simultaneously displaces the headlamp adjusters (14) by pivotal motion of the rocker arms (16) about their respective said pivot axes (X).

Claims

1. A vehicular lighting adjustment system (10), comprising:

a housing (12)

at least two headlamp adjusters (14), each headlamp adjuster (14) comprising a rocker arm (16) pivotally mounted about a pivot axis (X),

each said rocker arm (16) comprising a proximal end (18) configured for connection to a headlamp optical element (26) and a distal end (20) having a bearing surface (24),

a common adjuster (30) mounted to said housing (12) for displacement relative said housing (12),

a plurality of elevation tuning adjusters (34) connected to said common adjuster (30),

each said bearing surface (24) receiving a respective one of said plurality of elevation tuning adjusters (34),

each said elevation tuning adjuster (34) mounted for displacement along said common adjuster (30) from an initial position to an adjusted position whereby each respective said rocker arm (16) is caused to be deflected about its said pivot axis (X), each said elevation tuning adjuster (34) being adapted to be selectively fixed to said adjustment rod (30) in said adjusted position, and

whereby after each elevation tuning adjuster (34) is fixed in said adjusted position to said common adjuster (30), displacement of said common adjuster (30) relative to said housing (12) is transmitted by said elevation tuning adjusters (34) to simultaneously displace said at least two headlamp adjusters (14) by pivotal motion of said rocker arms (16) about their respective said pivot axes (X).

2. The headlamp adjusting system (10) of claim 1, wherein said headlamp adjusters (14) are displaceably mounted in said housing (12) and said rocker arm (16) pivot axes (X) are connected to said housing (12)

3. The lighting system (10) of claim 1, wherein said common adjuster (30) defines a rod mounted for rotational displacement relative said housing (12).

4. The lighting system (10) of claim 3, wherein said common adjuster rod (30) extends along a rotational axis perpendicular to said rocker arm pivot axis (X);

said common adjuster rod (30) includes at least one threaded section (32) and each said elevation tuning adjuster (34) comprises a mating threaded portion (33) operatively connected to said rod threaded section (32) and having an abutment surface (36) engaging said rocker arm bearing surface (24).

5. The lighting system (10) of claim 1, wherein each said rocker arm bearing surface (24) comprises a yoke (38), and each said elevation tuning adjuster (34) comprises an abutment surface (36) received in a respective said yoke (38).

6. The lighting system (10) of claim 4, wherein said adjuster rod (30) has a plurality of threaded sections (32) each in cooperative engagement with respective said threaded portions (33).

7. The lighting system (10) of claim 1, wherein said headlamp optical element (26) comprises a lamp reflector.

8. The lighting system (10) of claim 1, wherein at least one said tuning adjuster (34) defines a latching structure (40) lockingly engageable to a corresponding latch receiving portion (42) formed on said distal end (20) of said rocker arm (16).

9. The lighting system (10) of claim 8, wherein said latching structure (40) and said latch receiving portion (42) are teethed.

10. The lighting system (10) of claim 1, wherein the displacement of said tuning adjuster (34) is axial along said common adjuster (30), said initial position being an initial axial position and said adjusted position being an adjusted axial position.

11. A method of adjusting a headlamp component in a lighting system (10) having multiple headlamp optical elements (26), comprising:

providing a plurality of independently adjustable headlamp optical elements (26);

connecting each of the plurality of headlamp optical elements (26) to a common adjuster (30);

adjusting each of said plurality of headlamp optical elements (26), independently of another of said plurality of headlamp optical elements (26), relative the common adjuster (30) to a respective first orientation;

after said individually adjusting the plurality of headlamp optical elements (26), thereafter adjusting said common adjuster (30) to simultaneously aim all of said plurality of headlamp optical elements (26) from respective first orientations to respective second orientations.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, after said individually adjusting and previous to said adjusting said common adjuster (30),

latching each of said plurality of headlamp optical elements (26) in said first orientations.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising

providing said plurality of adjustable headlamp optical elements (26) pivotally mounted to a housing (12), and

displaceably mounting said common adjuster (30) to said housing (12).

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said displaceably mounting comprises rotationally mounting said common adjuster (30).