JPH0471734B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention enables the angle of a mirror to be adjusted in the left and right direction by remote control from inside a vehicle interior, and also allows the mirror body to be folded forward or backward. Regarding electrically foldable door mirrors that have been made possible.

[Prior Art] Automobile door mirrors whose mirror body tilts when a large external force is applied and returns to its original position when the external force is removed are widely known as impact avoidance type or tilting type mirrors. However, in recent years, due to the need to squeeze the width of the vehicle when entering a parking lot or shipping, there has been an increase in the popularity of foldable mirrors that allow the mirror body to be tilted almost at right angles to the rear of the vehicle from its normal position and maintained in that position. It is used. Each of the mirrors is provided with a mirror reflection angle adjustment mechanism that is tiltably supported within the mirror body and can be remotely operated from inside the vehicle.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] There are two methods for remotely adjusting the reflection angle of the mirror: manual adjustment and electrical adjustment. In the case of a manual type, it is relatively inexpensive because it uses an adjustment link, but it is difficult to provide a link mechanism that will not be damaged even by large movements when the mirror body is collapsed. Even if this difficulty is resolved,
When the mirror body is rotated to lie down, the reflection angle adjustment mechanism of the mirror is also moved, so when the mirror body is returned from the lied down position to the upright position (neutral position), the set angle of the mirror must be readjusted each time. The point was hot. On the other hand, the electric type only has a reduction mechanism and motor built into the shaft, so only a relatively small reduction gear and motor can be built into it, resulting in insufficient torque output and slip action during overload. Also, in addition to driving the tilting shaft, it is necessary to incorporate one or two motors into the mirror body to adjust the tilt angle of the mirror vertically and horizontally, making the control relationship complicated and expensive. I had no choice but to do so. Furthermore, as the mirror body becomes larger, the increased weight tends to cause the mirror to wobble, making it difficult to provide a back mirror with a stable mirror surface. Here, the present invention has sufficient torque output and has a slip action during overload,
The aim is to provide a low-cost electrically foldable mirror.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a door mirror in which a shaft is fixed to upper and lower brackets projecting outward from a base, and a mirror body is attached so as to be freely foldable by driving a motor. , extending supporting arms above and below near the shaft of the support plate inside the mirror body, forming a cylindrical wrapping part at the tip thereof, and interposing a bush on the outer periphery of the shaft at each upper part of the bracket; The cylindrical winding portion is wrapped around the support plate, and an actuator incorporating a high reduction gear train having a transmission axis parallel to the shaft is attached to the support plate, and an end of the high reduction gear train is installed on the outer periphery of the shaft between the brackets. A gear that substantially meshes with the gear is inserted, and a clutch mechanism is provided on the upper surface of the gear to prevent overload from being applied to the actuator when the mirror body is collapsed.

The rotational torque of the mirror body is set by the overload load of the ball of the clutch mechanism and the tightening load of the shaft, and the gear that meshes with the end gear of the high reduction gear train of the actuator is set by the cylindrical wrapping part. The play caused by the backlash is absorbed by the shaft tightening torque.

[Operation] When the actuator is operated by operating a switch in the vehicle interior, the end gear of the high reduction gear train rotates with a large rotational torque and revolves while meshing with the clutch gear. This revolution causes the mirror body to rotate slightly forward or backward around the shaft, allowing the mirror's horizontal angle to be adjusted. As long as the output of the actuator is smaller than the spring pressing force of the clutch, the clutch will not disengage, but if a load greater than the spring pressing force is applied, the clutch mechanism will operate and cause the clutch gear to idle relative to the shaft. If the actuator continues to rotate beyond the angle adjustment of the mirror, the mirror body will rotate to the limit of the stopper's regulation angle and will be in a state where it can be tilted forward or backward. When a shock is applied manually or externally, the forced rotation of the mirror body suddenly applies a rotational force greater than the spring pressing force, which activates the clutch mechanism and causes the clutch gear to idle, causing an overload on the actuator. is prevented.

[Example] In the following example, a left side door mirror will be described, and illustrations and descriptions of a right side door mirror will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the door mirror of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the actuator unit and clutch mechanism, and FIG. 3 is a plan view taken along the - line in FIG. 2.

In Fig. 1, 1 is a base fixed to the vehicle outer panel or window corner, 2a and 2b are upper and lower brackets projecting outward from the base 1, 3 is a mirror body, and 4 is fixed to the inside of the mirror body 3. 5a and 5b are a pair of upper and lower supporting arms projecting to the sides of the support plate 4, 6 is a center pivot, 7 is a mirror supported by the pivot 6, and 8 is a bracket 2a, 2b.
9 is an actuator incorporating a high reduction gear train having a transmission axis parallel to the shaft 8; 10 is a shaft 8 to prevent an overload from being applied to the actuator 9 when the mirror body is rotated to fall down; This is a clutch mechanism provided on the outer periphery of the

As shown in FIG. 2, the brackets 2a and 2b are provided with shaft holes that open in the vertical direction, through which a hollow shaft 8, which is the movable center of the mirror body 3, is inserted. A tapered ring 40 is interposed on the upper edge of the shaft hole of the upper bracket 2a to prevent rattling. Supporting arms 5 are installed by interposing bushes 11 directly above the shaft holes.
The cylindrical winding portions 12 formed at the tips of portions a and 5b are wound around the shaft 8 and tightened using screws 13. Furthermore, stoppers 15a and 15b are provided on the upper surface of the boss 14 of the lower support bracket 2b for regulating the forward and backward tilting angles of the mirror body 3, while stoppers 15a and 15b abut against the lower part of the lower supporting arm 5b. The piece 16 is made to protrude (FIG. 4). However, when only rearward tilting is performed by transmission or manual operation, the stopper 15a for regulating the forward tilting position is replaced with a stopper for the upright position (neutral position).

Details of the actuator 10 are shown in FIGS. 2 and 5.
As shown in the figure. This actuator is composed of a motor and a high-reduction gear train, and the transmission axis 50 extends from the output shaft of the motor to the end gear of the gear train.
is the shaft 8 which is the center of rotation of the mirror body 3.
It is characterized by being placed parallel to the

The actuator housing 17 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and has a motor 18 fixed to its upper part and an internal gear 20 of a reduction gear train fixed to its lower part. Inside the internal gear 20, first to fifth gears 21, 22 with planetary gears are provided.
. . 25 are superimposed so as to be rotatable in opposite directions, and a pin 31 is set up at the upper eccentric position of the discs 21 a, 22 a . . . 25 a formed in each gear to form a common internal gear 2
The planetary gears 26, 27...30 meshing with each other are supported. The first planetary gear 26 meshes with the internal gear 20 and also meshes with a pinion 19 fixed to the motor output shaft 18a. First to fourth gears 21, 22...2
4 are planetary gears 27, 28, 29 of the next stage, respectively.
30, and the final gear 25 is intermediate gear 3.
Clutch gear 3 attached to shaft 8 via 2
It meshes with 3. However, the intermediate gear 32 may be omitted and the gear 25 and clutch gear 33 may be directly engaged with each other. When the pinion 19 is driven by the motor 18 and rotates in the direction of the solid arrow 41 in FIG. 5, it is highly decelerated (for example, 1/2000) through the five-stage planetary gear, and rotates the end gear with a large torque. , the mirror body 3 can be tilted in the direction of the arrow 42 in FIG. 3, and can be further lowered to the rearward limit. If the mirror is rotated in the opposite direction 43, the mirror can be tilted in the direction of arrow 44 in FIG. 3, or the mirror body can be rotated to the forward tilting limit.

A bracket 1 is provided on the side of the housing 17.
7a and 17b are provided, and the shaft 8 is passed through the upper part of the brackets 5a and 5b on the mirror support side.
To support the reaction force generated in the actuator when the mirror is collapsed. The shaft 8 is hollow and the harness 34 of the actuator 9 is inserted into the lower bracket 2.
The stay 1 is passed through via b (FIGS. 1 and 2).

On the outer periphery of the shaft 8 between the upper bracket 2a and the lower bracket 17b of the actuator housing, there is a helical spring 35, a spring holding cylinder 36, a clutch gear 33, and an opposing end surface between the spring holding cylinder 36 and the clutch gear 33. A clutch mechanism 10 consisting of several steel balls 37 inserted between them is installed. The spring retaining cylinder 36 is surrounded by an outer cylinder 38 extending vertically from the lower surface of the upper bracket 2a, and is engaged with splines formed on opposing walls of the outer cylinder 38 and the spring retaining cylinder 36. Therefore, the spring holding cylinder 35 is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction relative to the shaft 8.

On the other hand, the clutch gear 33 is rotatable with respect to the shaft 8, but the clutch gear 33 is rotatable with respect to the shaft 8.
Since the ball 7 is fitted into the recess 39 by the elasticity of the spring, rotation is prevented, and the steel ball 37 is allowed to roll from the recess 39 only when a torque larger than the pressure of the spring 35 is transmitted. The actuator 9 is provided to allow rotation relative to the shaft 8 and to prevent excessive load from being applied to the actuator 9. The rotation torque of the mirror body is
It is set by the overload load of the balls of the clutch mechanism 10 and the tightening load of the cylindrical winding parts 12, 12 on the shaft 8. Furthermore, although the intermediate gear 32 and the clutch gear 33 have a relatively large backlash, this is absorbed by the shaft tightening force.

Next, the operation of the above device will be explained.

1 to 3 show the left side door mirror in an upright position, that is, in a neutral position. In this state, when a switch (not shown) inside the vehicle is operated to energize the motor 18, the gear train 21 from the pinion 19 to the first stage planetary gear 26 and below
... 30, an intermediate gear 32 is driven. Now, when the pinion 19 rotates to the right as indicated by an arrow 41 in FIG. 5, the intermediate gear 32 is rotated in the same direction. When the intermediate gear 32 rotates around the shaft axis while meshing with the clutch gear 33, the mirror body 3 integrated with the actuator 9 rotates in the direction of the arrow 42, thereby adjusting the left and right tilt angle of the mirror. It can be changed significantly. When the mirror is further rotated, it rotates in the same direction and the mirror is tilted backwards, and at the same time, the stopper piece 16 shown in FIG. 4 comes into contact with the stopper 15a to prevent further rotation.
Note that when the motor 18 is reversed, it returns to the original neutral position. Further, by rotating in the opposite direction (arrow 43) before the neutral position, the left and right tilt of the mirror body 3 can be adjusted to a smaller value, and by further rotating it, the stopper piece 16 comes into contact with the other stopper 15a. This prevents the mirror from rotating.

Note that when the mirror body 3 is manually tilted forward or backward, the mirror body 3 is forcibly rotated about the shaft 8 by an external force. When rotation begins due to an external force, the spring holding cylinder 36 rises while resisting the elasticity of the spring and the steel ball 3
7 comes out of the recess 39 and releases the clutch, so it can be freely lowered until the external force is removed. Again, the steel balls 37 fit into the respective recesses 39, and the clutch is turned on to maintain the normal posture of the mirror body.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention raises and lowers the mirror body electrically, so when entering a narrow parking lot, etc., it can be folded down by remote control from inside the vehicle. . The actuator in the tilting mechanism is equipped with a high reduction gear train whose transmission axis is parallel to the shaft, which is the rotation center of the mirror body, so there is no play and it is possible to raise and lower the mirror body with a large torque. . The support plate integrated with the mirror body has the wrapping part at the end of the supporting arm extending from the top and bottom wrapped around the outer periphery of the shaft at the top of each of the brackets, so it can be used for larger door mirrors with a comparatively heavier weight. The mirror can be supported without causing any deflection.
Furthermore, since the shaft is provided with a clutch mechanism, when an overload occurs, regardless of whether it is electric or manual, the transmission to the actuator can be disconnected to prevent damage caused by the overload. Furthermore, since the transmission system of the shaft and reduction gear train is of a parallel two-axis type, it has the advantage that it can be easily used in common with other types of mirrors.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the electrically foldable door mirror of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the actuator and shaft portion, and Fig. 3 is a partially cut away perspective view of the electric folding door mirror of the present invention.
4 is an exploded perspective view of the stopper portion, and FIG. 5 is an exploded assembly view of the high reduction gear train. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Base, 2a, 2b... Bracket, 3... Mirror body, 5a, 5b... Supporting arm, 6... Center pivot, 7... Mirror, 8... Shaft, 9... Actuator, 10... Clutch mechanism,
12...Cylindrical winding part, 15a, 15b...Stopper,
16...Stopper piece, 18...Motor, 19...Pinion, 21-25...Gear, 26-30...Planetary gear,
32... Intermediate gear, 33... Clutch gear, 35... Spring, 36... Spring holding tube, 37... Steel ball, 39... Recess, 40... Ring, 50...
Transmission axis.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a door mirror in which a shaft 8 is fixed to upper and lower brackets 2a, 2b protruding outwardly from a base 1, and a mirror body 3 is attached so as to be freely foldable by driving a motor 18, the interior of the mirror body 3 A support plate 4 is fixed to the brackets 2a, 2b, and supporting arms 5a, 5b are extended above and below the shaft side of the support plate 4, and cylindrical wrapped portions 12, 12 are formed at the ends of the supporting arms 5a, 5b. The cylindrical winding parts 12, 12 are wound around the outer periphery of the shaft at the upper part of each of the shafts, and the support plate 4 is provided with a high reduction gear train having a transmission axis parallel to the shaft 8. A gear 33 that substantially meshes with the end gear of the high reduction gear train is inserted on the outer periphery of the shaft between the brackets 2a and 2b, and the actuator 9 is mounted on the upper surface of the gear 33. 9. An electrically foldable door mirror characterized by being provided with a clutch mechanism 10 for preventing overload applied to the door mirror 9. 2. The electrically foldable door mirror according to claim 1, wherein the shaft 8 is supported using a conical ring 40 in the shaft hole of the upper bracket 2a.