阅读说明：本技术 车辆用灯具 (Vehicle lamp ) 是由 田岛计一 于 2020-05-14 设计创作，主要内容包括：车辆用灯具(1)具备：促动器(50),具有能够沿与轴(60a)方向不同的方向平行移动的输出轴(60)；以能够摆动的方式被支承的灯具单元(20)；连结于输出轴(60)以及灯具单元(20)的传递部件(80),传递部件(80)由轴(85)支承,通过输出轴(60)移动而以轴(85)为轴摆动。(A vehicle lamp (1) is provided with: an actuator (50) having an output shaft (60) that is movable in parallel in a direction different from the direction of the shaft (60 a); a lamp unit (20) supported so as to be capable of swinging; and a transmission member (80) connected to the output shaft (60) and the lamp unit (20), wherein the transmission member (80) is supported by a shaft (85) and swings around the shaft (85) as the shaft moves by the output shaft (60).)

1. A vehicle lamp is characterized by comprising:

an actuator having an output shaft that is movable in parallel in a direction different from the axial direction;

a lamp unit supported to be swingable; and

a transmission member connected to the output shaft and the lamp unit,

the transmission member is supported by a shaft, and the output shaft moves and swings about the shaft.

2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1,

the first connecting portion of the transmission member connected to the lamp unit, the second connecting portion of the transmission member connected to the output shaft, and the shaft are located on a predetermined straight line when viewed from an extending direction of the shaft.

3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 2,

the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are located on a predetermined circumference around a central axis of the shaft when viewed from an extending direction of the shaft.

4. The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the first connecting portion of the transmission member connected to the lamp unit, the second connecting portion of the transmission member connected to the output shaft, and the shaft intersect a predetermined plane perpendicular to an extending direction of the shaft.

5. The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the transmission member has a recess that is recessed from one side to the other side beyond a predetermined line segment that connects a first connection portion of the transmission member to the lamp unit and the shaft, the predetermined line segment being a reference line when viewed from the extending direction of the shaft.

6. The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

further comprises a bracket for fixing the actuator,

the bracket has a bearing portion that supports the shaft.

7. The vehicular lamp according to claim 6,

further comprises a bracket fixing member for fixing the bracket,

the bracket has at least two fixing portions fixed to the bracket fixing member,

at least a portion of the bearing portion is located between a first plane perpendicular to a particular straight line passing through the at least two fixing portions and passing through a particular fixing portion of the at least two fixing portions and a second plane parallel to the first plane and passing through the fixing portion of the at least two fixing portions different from the particular fixing portion.

8. The vehicular lamp according to claim 6 or 7,

further comprises a bracket fixing member for fixing the bracket,

the shaft is inserted into a hole formed in the bearing portion and supported by the bearing portion,

the bracket fixing member has a retaining portion that overlaps at least a part of the hole when viewed in the direction in which the shaft extends, and prevents the shaft from coming off the hole.

9. A vehicle lamp is characterized by comprising:

an actuator having an output shaft that is movable in parallel in a direction different from the axial direction;

a lamp unit supported to be swingable; and

a transmission member that is coupled to the output shaft and the lamp unit and is movable in a direction parallel to a moving direction of the output shaft,

a first connecting portion of the transmission member, which is connected to the lamp unit, is spaced from a first plane including an axis of the output shaft and having an in-plane direction along a moving direction of the output shaft.

10. The vehicular lamp according to claim 9,

the shaft of the output shaft extends in a horizontal direction.

11. The vehicular lamp according to claim 9 or 10,

further comprises a shaft extending in a direction parallel to the moving direction of the output shaft and supporting the transmission member,

the first connecting portion is located on a side with reference to a second plane parallel to the first plane and passing through the shaft,

a second connecting portion of the transmission member connected to the output shaft is located on the other side with respect to the second plane.

12. The vehicular lamp according to claim 11,

the distance between the first connecting part and the second plane is greater than the distance between the second connecting part and the second plane.

13. The vehicular lamp according to claim 11 or 12,

the first connecting portion intersects with a third plane that is perpendicular to an axial direction of the output shaft and that includes a center axis of the shaft.

14. The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 9 to 13,

the transmission member is provided as a plate-like member extending in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the output shaft,

a hole into which the output shaft is inserted is formed in the thickness direction of the transmission member.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp.

Background

As a vehicle lamp, a lamp having a function of changing a direction of emitted light is known, and the following patent document 1 discloses a vehicle lamp having the function.

The vehicle lamp described in patent document 1 includes: an actuator having an output shaft that is movable in parallel in a direction different from the axial direction; a swingably supported lamp unit; and a transmission member connected to the output shaft and the lamp unit. Patent document 1 listed below describes a system in which the transmission member is supported by a shaft extending in a direction parallel to the movement direction of the output shaft so as to be movable along the shaft. In the vehicle lamp of this aspect, the output shaft of the actuator moves, so that the transmission member connected to the output shaft moves, and the lamp unit swings. Then, the direction of light emitted from the vehicle lamp of this embodiment is changed.

Further, patent document 1 below also describes another mode in which the transmission member is movable in a direction parallel to the movement direction of the output shaft. In the other aspect, the connection portion of the transmission member connected to the lamp unit intersects with a plane including an axis of the output shaft and having an in-plane direction along a moving direction of the output shaft. In the vehicle lamp according to the other aspect, the output shaft of the actuator moves to move the transmission member connected to the output shaft, and the lamp unit swings to change the direction of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2018-052359

Disclosure of Invention

A vehicle lamp according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: an actuator having an output shaft that is movable in parallel in a direction different from the axial direction; a lamp unit supported to be swingable; and a transmission member coupled to the output shaft and the lamp unit, the transmission member being supported by a shaft, the output shaft moving and swinging about the shaft.

In the vehicle lamp according to the first aspect, the output shaft of the actuator moves so that the transmission member connected to the output shaft swings about the shaft, and the lamp unit to which the transmission member is connected swings. As a result, the direction of light emitted from the vehicle lamp is changed. Here, generally, energy of friction between the shaft and the member generated when the member swingably supported by the shaft is swung tends to be smaller than energy of friction between the shaft and the member generated when the member supported by the shaft so as to be movable along the shaft is moved. In the vehicle lamp according to the first aspect, the transmission member is swingably supported by the shaft as described above. Therefore, as compared with the case where the transmission member is supported by the shaft so as to be movable along the shaft, the energy of friction between the shaft and the transmission member generated when the lamp unit is swung can be reduced. Therefore, the driving force for moving the output shaft of the actuator can be reduced, and the actuator and thus the vehicle lamp can be reduced in size. In this way, the vehicle lamp of the first aspect can be miniaturized while changing the direction of the emitted light.

In the vehicle lamp according to the first aspect, the first connecting portion of the transmission member connected to the lamp unit, the second connecting portion of the transmission member connected to the output shaft, and the shaft may be located on a predetermined straight line when viewed from the extending direction of the shaft.

With this configuration, the driving force for moving the output shaft can be efficiently transmitted to the lamp unit. Therefore, the driving force for moving the output shaft can be reduced, the actuator can be further downsized, and the vehicle lamp can be further downsized.

In this case, the first connection portion and the second connection portion may be located on a predetermined circumference around a central axis of the shaft when viewed from an extending direction of the shaft.

With this configuration, the lamp unit can be swung with substantially the same force as the driving force for moving the output shaft.

In the vehicle lamp according to the first aspect, the first connecting portion of the transmission member connected to the lamp unit, the second connecting portion of the transmission member connected to the output shaft, and the shaft may intersect a predetermined plane perpendicular to an extending direction of the shaft.

With this configuration, the transmission member is prevented from being acted upon by a force that twists the transmission member, and the driving force that moves the output shaft can be efficiently transmitted to the lamp unit. Therefore, the driving force for moving the output shaft can be reduced, and the actuator can be further downsized to further downsize the vehicle lamp.

In the vehicle lamp according to the first aspect, the transmission member may have a recess that is recessed from one side to the other side beyond a predetermined line segment that is based on the predetermined line segment and that connects a first connection portion of the transmission member that is connected to the lamp unit and the shaft, when viewed from the direction in which the shaft extends.

The vehicle lamp according to the first aspect may further include a bracket to which the actuator is fixed, the bracket including a bearing portion that supports the shaft.

In the vehicle lamp according to the first aspect, the bracket also serves as a bearing portion for the support shaft, and therefore the number of components can be prevented from increasing.

In the case where the vehicle lamp according to the first aspect includes the bracket, the vehicle lamp may further include a bracket fixing member to which the bracket is fixed, the bracket may include at least two fixing portions fixed to the bracket fixing member, at least a part of the bearing portion may be located between a first plane perpendicular to a specific straight line passing through the at least two fixing portions and passing through a specific fixing portion of the at least two fixing portions, and a second plane parallel to the first plane and passing through a different fixing portion of the at least two fixing portions from the specific fixing portion.

Since the bearing portion of the support shaft receives a force from the shaft, the periphery of the bearing portion in the bracket tends to be easily deformed. However, with the above configuration, the rigidity of the bracket around the bearing portion can be increased, and deformation of the bracket can be suppressed.

In the case where the vehicle lamp according to the first aspect includes the bracket, the vehicle lamp may further include a bracket fixing member to which the bracket is fixed, the shaft may be inserted into a hole formed in the bearing portion and supported by the bearing portion, and the bracket fixing member may include a coming-off preventing portion that overlaps at least a part of the hole when viewed in an extending direction of the shaft and prevents the shaft from coming off the hole.

In the vehicle lamp according to the first aspect, the bracket fixing member also serves as the coming-off preventing portion that prevents the shaft from coming off the hole, and therefore the number of components can be suppressed from increasing.

A vehicle lamp according to a second aspect of the present invention includes: an actuator having an output shaft that is movable in parallel in a direction different from the axial direction; a lamp unit supported to be swingable; and a transmission member that is coupled to the output shaft and the lamp unit and is movable in a direction parallel to a movement direction of the output shaft, wherein a first connection portion of the transmission member, which is connected to the lamp unit, is separated from a first plane that includes an axis of the output shaft and has an in-plane direction along the movement direction of the output shaft.

In the vehicle lamp according to the second aspect, the output shaft of the actuator moves so that the transmission member connected to the output shaft moves in a direction parallel to the movement direction of the output shaft, and the lamp unit to which the transmission member is connected swings. As a result, the direction of light emitted from the vehicle lamp is changed. In the vehicle lamp according to the second aspect, as described above, the first connecting portion is spaced from the first plane including the axis of the output shaft and having the in-plane direction along the moving direction of the output shaft. Therefore, the position of the first connecting portion with respect to the actuator is less restricted than in the case where the first connecting portion intersects the first plane as in the vehicle lamp of the other aspect described in patent document 1. Therefore, as compared with this case, the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the actuator can be increased, and the degree of freedom in the design of the vehicle lamp can be increased.

In the vehicle lamp according to the second aspect, the shaft of the output shaft may extend in a horizontal direction.

The vehicle lamp according to the second aspect may further include a shaft extending in a direction parallel to a moving direction of the output shaft and supporting the transmission member, wherein the first connection portion is located on one side with respect to a second plane parallel to the first plane and passing through the shaft, and the second connection portion of the transmission member connected to the output shaft is located on the other side with respect to the second plane.

With this configuration, it is possible to suppress a force acting on the shaft to bend the shaft, and it is possible to efficiently transmit the driving force for moving the output shaft to the lamp unit. Therefore, the driving force for moving the output shaft can be reduced, and the actuator and thus the vehicle lamp can be reduced in size.

In the case where the vehicle lamp of the second aspect includes the shaft, the distance between the first connecting portion and the second plane may be greater than the distance between the second connecting portion and the second plane.

With this configuration, the portion of the transmission member between the second connection portion and the shaft can be suppressed from flexing. Therefore, the vehicle lamp according to the second aspect can suppress the driving force that moves the output shaft from acting on the shaft, and can efficiently transmit the driving force to the lamp unit.

In the case where the vehicle lamp of the second aspect includes the shaft, the first connecting portion may intersect a third plane that is perpendicular to the axial direction of the output shaft and includes a center axis of the shaft.

With this configuration, the transmission member can be prevented from being bent at a portion between the first connecting portion and the shaft, as compared with a case where the first connecting portion does not intersect the third plane. Therefore, the vehicle lamp according to the second aspect can efficiently transmit the driving force for moving the output shaft to the lamp unit.

In the vehicle lamp according to the second aspect, the transmission member may be a plate-shaped member extending in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the output shaft, and a hole into which the output shaft is inserted may be formed in the transmission member in a thickness direction.

With this configuration, the width of the transmission member in the axial direction of the output shaft can be reduced, and the vehicle lamp can be downsized.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a view showing a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the actuator, the bracket, and the transmission member.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the actuator, the bracket, and the transmission member shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the actuator, the carrier, and the transmission member shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the first bearing holding member.

Fig. 8 is a view showing a state of the vehicle lamp in which the output shaft of the actuator is moved forward in the same manner as fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a view showing a state of the vehicle lamp in which the output shaft of the actuator is moved rearward in the same manner as in fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a front view schematically showing a vehicle lamp according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI of fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII of fig. 10.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the actuator, the bracket, and the transmission member.

Fig. 14 is a front view of the actuator, the carrier, and the transmission member shown in fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the actuator, the bracket, and the transmission member shown in fig. 13.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged view of the actuator shown in fig. 13.

Fig. 17 is a side view of the actuator, the carrier, and the transmission member shown in fig. 13.

Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII of fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is an enlarged view of the bracket shown in fig. 13.

Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX-XX of fig. 14.

Fig. 21 is a sectional view of the first bearing holding member.

Fig. 22 is a view showing a state of the vehicle lamp in which the output shaft of the actuator is moved forward in the same manner as in fig. 12.

Fig. 23 is a view showing a state of the vehicle lamp in which the output shaft of the actuator is moved rearward in the same manner as in fig. 12.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a mode of a vehicle lamp for implementing the present invention is exemplified together with attached drawings. The following embodiments are provided for easy understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be modified and improved from the following embodiments without departing from the gist thereof. In the drawings referred to below, reference numerals are sometimes shown by changing the dimensions of the respective members and omitted for easy understanding.

(first embodiment)

A first embodiment as a first aspect of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a view showing a vehicle lamp according to the present embodiment, and is a view schematically showing a cross section in a vertical direction of the vehicle lamp. The vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment is provided as a vehicle headlamp that emits light toward the front of a vehicle. As shown in fig. 1, the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment includes a housing 10, a lamp unit 20, an actuator 50, a bracket 70, and a transmission member 80 as main components.

The housing 10 of the present embodiment includes a lamp housing 11 and a front cover 12. The lamp housing 11 is configured in a box shape having one opening at the front by a cylindrical frame wall 13 extending in the front-rear direction and a rear wall 14 closing the opening at the rear side of the frame wall 13. The front cover 12 is fixed to the frame wall 13 so as to close the opening of the lamp housing 11. A space formed by the lamp housing 11 and the front cover 12 closing the front opening of the lamp housing 11 is a lamp chamber R, and the lamp unit 20, the actuator 50, the bracket 70, and the transmission member 80 are housed in the lamp chamber R.

The lamp unit 20 is configured to be swingably supported by the housing 10 and to emit light. The lamp unit 20 of the present embodiment includes a light emitting portion 21 for emitting light and a support portion 40 as main components. The light emitting unit 21 of the present embodiment mainly includes a light source 22, a heat sink 24, a reflector 27, a projection lens 28, and a lens holder 30.

The light source 22 is a light Emitting element that emits light, and the light source 22 of the present embodiment is an led (light Emitting diode) that emits white light and is mounted on the substrate 23. In addition, the kind of the light source 22 is not particularly limited. As the Light source 22, for example, ld (laser Diode), OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode), or the like can be used. The number of light sources 22 and the color of light emitted from the light sources 22 are not particularly limited.

The heat sink 24 includes a metal main plate 25 extending in a substantially horizontal direction, and a plurality of fins 26 are provided integrally with the main plate 25 on a lower surface side of the main plate 25. A substrate 23 is mounted on the upper surface of the main board 25 of the heat sink 24. A part of the heat emitted from the light source 22 is transferred to the heat sink 24 via the substrate 23, and is released from the heat sink 24.

The reflector 27 is formed of a curved plate-like member, and is fixed to the heat sink 24 so as to cover the light source 22 from above. The surface of the reflector 27 on the light source 22 side is a reflection surface 27r that reflects light emitted from the light source 22. The reflecting surface 27r is curved so as to be concave toward the side opposite to the light source 22 side, and reflects at least a part of the light emitted from the light source 22 toward the projection lens 28 side. In the present embodiment, the reflecting surface 27r is a curved surface having a shape mainly including a rotationally elliptic curved surface, and the first focal point of the elliptic curved surface is located on or near the emission surface of the light source 22. That is, the light source 22 and the reflector 27 are arranged so as to have such a positional relationship.

The projection lens 28 is positioned on the front side of the light source 22 and the reflector 27, and at least a part of the light emitted from the light source 22 and reflected by the reflector 27 passes through the projection lens 28 and is emitted from the light emitting portion 21. The projection lens 28 of the present embodiment is an aspherical plano-convex lens, the incident surface, which is the surface on which light reflected by the reflector 27 is incident, is a planar surface, and the emission surface, which is the surface on which the light is emitted, is a convex surface that bulges in the light emission direction. A flange 29 is formed on the outer periphery of the projection lens 28. In addition, the projection lens 28 is disposed so that the focal point on the reflector 27 side is located at or near the second focal point of the reflection surface 27r of the reflector 27. That is, the light emitting section 21 of the present embodiment is a pes (projector elipsoid system) optical system. The light emitted from the light emitting portion 21 is irradiated to the front of the vehicle via the front cover 12.

The lens holder 30 is a member that holds the projection lens 28. In the present embodiment, the flange 29 of the projection lens 28 is fixed to one end of the lens holder 30, and the end of the lens holder 30 opposite to the projection lens 28 is fixed to the heat sink 24 and the reflector 27.

The support portion 40 is a member that supports the light emitting portion 21. The support portion 40 of the present embodiment is a plate-like member extending in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The heat sink 24 is fixed to the support 40 so that the projection lens 28 is positioned on the front side of the support 40. By fixing the heat sink 24 to the support 40 in this manner, the light emitting portion 21 is fixed to the support 40. A through hole is formed in the support portion 40 above the light emitting portion 21, and the first bearing holding member 41 is fitted into the through hole. A first connecting portion of a transmission member 80 described later is connected to the first bearing holding member 41.

Further, a through hole is formed in the support portion 40 on the lower side of the light emitting portion 21, and a cylindrical second bearing holding member 42 is fitted into the through hole. A screw support member 43 is connected to the second bearing holding member 42. The screw support member 43 of the present embodiment includes a main body portion 43a extending in the front-rear direction and an abutting portion 43b extending downward from a rear end portion of the main body portion 43 a. The contact portion 43b contacts the frame wall 13 of the lamp housing 11 of the housing 10, and the screw receiving member 43 is placed on the inner peripheral surface of the frame wall 13. The distal end portion of the body portion 43a is formed in a partially spherical shape in which a part of a spherical body is cut out in a flat surface, and the flat surface portion of the cut-out spherical body is set as the distal end surface of the body portion 43 a. The inner peripheral surface of the rear end portion of the cylindrical second bearing holding member 42 located on the rear side of the support portion 40 is a curved surface corresponding to the partial sphere of the front end portion of the main body portion 43 a. The front end portion of the body portion 43a is fitted into the rear end portion of the second bearing holding member 42, and the second bearing holding member 42 and the screw supporting member 43 are connected to each other. The second bearing holding member 42 swings within a predetermined range with respect to the screw supporting member 43 with the distal end portion of the main body portion 43a as a fulcrum. Therefore, the support portion 40 is supported by the screw support member 43 so as to swing within a predetermined range with the distal end portion of the main body portion 43a of the screw support member 43 as a fulcrum.

Further, a screw hole penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed in the main body portion 43a, and an alignment adjustment screw 44 is screwed into the screw hole. The aligning adjustment screw 44 passes through the inner space of the cylindrical second bearing holding member 42, and one end of the aligning adjustment screw 44 is positioned forward of the second bearing holding member 42. The other end of the calibration adjustment screw 44, i.e., the head 45, is exposed outside the lamp chamber R. Further, the calibration adjustment screw 44 is supported in the rear wall 14 of the lamp housing 11 to be rotatable about the shaft and immovable in the axial direction. Therefore, by rotating the leveling screws 44, the screw support members 43 are moved relative to the housing 10 in the axial direction of the leveling screws 44, i.e., in the front-rear direction. Here, as described above, the support portion 40 is supported by the screw support member 43 so as to swing within a predetermined range with the distal end portion of the main body portion 43a of the screw support member 43 as a fulcrum, and the light emitting portion 21 is fixed to the support portion 40. Therefore, the lamp unit 20 is swingably supported by the housing 10, and the position of the swing fulcrum of the lamp unit 20 can be changed in the front-rear direction.

The actuator 50 includes an output shaft 60 and a drive unit 51. In fig. 1, the internal structure of the driving unit 51 is not shown. In the present embodiment, the actuator 50 is disposed on the rear side of the support portion 40. The driving unit 51 is fixed to a bracket 70 described later, and a transmission member 80 described later is connected to the output shaft 60.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the actuator 50, the carrier 70, and the transmission member 80, and is a perspective view of these from the front side and the upper side. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the actuator 50, the bracket 70, and the transmission member 80 shown in fig. 2. Fig. 3 also shows a part of the lamp housing 11. Fig. 4 is a front view of the actuator 50, the carrier 70, and the transmission member 80 shown in fig. 2, and is a front view of these from the front side.

As shown in fig. 2 to 4, the driving unit 51 includes a housing 52 and a driving mechanism not shown. The housing 52 includes a housing main body 53 and a cover 54. The housing main body 53 is formed in a box shape having one opening by a substantially rectangular tubular frame wall 55 and a bottom wall 56 closing one opening of the frame wall 55. The bottom wall 56 is formed in a flat plate shape substantially perpendicular to the extending direction of the frame wall 55. The frame wall 55 is provided with a pair of attached pieces 53a and 53a projecting outward. The pair of attached pieces 53a and 53a are formed with through holes penetrating in a direction substantially parallel to the extending direction of the frame wall 55.

The lid member 54 is a plate-like member that closes the opening of the housing main body 53, and is fixed to the frame wall 55 by a lock mechanism. Therefore, a part of the lock mechanism is formed in the cover member 54, and the other part of the lock mechanism is formed in the frame wall 55. The drive mechanism is housed in a space formed by the housing main body 53 and a lid member 54 that closes an opening of the housing main body 53. The lid member 54 is provided with attached pieces 54a, 54a that overlap the attached pieces 53a, 53a when fixed to the frame wall 55. The mounted pieces 54a and 54a are formed with through holes that penetrate in a direction substantially parallel to the extending direction of the frame wall 55, and the through holes overlap with the through holes of the mounted pieces 53a and 53 a.

The cover member 54 has a flat region 54b extending substantially parallel to the bottom wall 56 of the housing main body 53, and a through hole 54h penetrating in the thickness direction and into which the output shaft 60 can be inserted is formed in the flat region 54 b. The through-hole 54h of the present embodiment is formed in an elliptical orbit shape in which a pair of short sides of a rectangle are arcs curved outward. That is, the diameter of the through hole 54h is long in a predetermined direction. The through hole 54h is located on the other mounted piece 54a side of the one mounted piece 54a and on the one mounted piece 54a side of the other mounted piece 54 a.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of fig. 4, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60 and taken perpendicular to the extending direction of the shaft 85 supporting the transmission member 80 described later. In fig. 5, the internal structure of the driving portion 51 is not illustrated, and the first bearing holding member 41 attached to the support portion 40 is also illustrated. As shown in fig. 3 and 5, the output shaft 60 has a coupling convex portion 61 at one end. In the present embodiment, the shape of the connecting projection 61 on the cross section along the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60 is formed in an elliptical orbit shape in which a pair of short sides of a rectangle having a long dimension in a direction substantially perpendicular to the shaft 60a are arcs curved outward. The output shaft 60 is inserted into the through hole 54h of the cover member 54 so that the other end portion on the opposite side of the connecting projection 61 is positioned in the internal space of the housing 52, and a portion including at least the connecting projection 61 protrudes from the through hole 54h to the outside of the drive unit 51. The shaft 60a of the output shaft 60 is substantially perpendicular to the flat region 54b of the cover member 54.

The driving mechanism is configured to transmit power to the output shaft 60 and move the output shaft 60 in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the diameter of the through hole 54 h. As described above, the output shaft 60 is inserted into the through hole 54h such that the shaft 60a is substantially perpendicular to the flat region 54b of the cover member 54. Therefore, the drive mechanism can be understood as moving the output shaft 60 in parallel in the direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the shaft 60a within the through hole 54h, and the actuator 50 can be understood as having the output shaft 60 that can move in parallel in a direction different from the direction of the shaft 60 a. As such a driving mechanism, for example, a configuration including a motor and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting a driving force of the motor to the output shaft 60 through a plurality of gears or the like is exemplified. In the present embodiment, the width of the driving unit 51 in the direction of the shaft 60a is smaller than the width of the driving unit 51 in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the shaft 60a, and the width of the actuator 50 in the direction of the shaft 60a is smaller than the width of the actuator 50 in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the shaft 60 a.

The bracket 70 is a member to which the actuator 50 is fixed. Examples of the material constituting the bracket 70 include resin. The bracket 70 of the present embodiment includes an attachment plate 71 and a support plate 72. The attachment plate 71 extends along the cover 54 on the side of the housing 52 opposite to the housing main body 53 side with respect to the cover 54. The attachment plate 71 has bosses 73, 73 projecting toward the cover member 54 and abutting the attached pieces 54a, 54 a. Screw holes extending from the end surfaces along the bosses 73, 73 are formed at the distal ends of the bosses 73, 73. The screw hole is located more inward than the outer peripheral edge of the through hole formed in the attached piece 53a, 54a and more inward than the outer peripheral edge of the through hole formed in the attached piece 54a, 54a when viewed from the extending direction of the screw. The mounting plate 71 is formed with a through hole 71h that penetrates in the thickness direction, and the through hole 54h of the cover member 54 is located inside the outer peripheral edge of the through hole 71h when viewed from the shaft 60a direction of the output shaft 60. The through-hole 71h of the present embodiment is formed in a substantially rectangular shape having a long dimension in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the diameter of the through-hole 54 h. The attachment plate 71 is provided with a rib 77 that protrudes toward the cover 54 and abuts against the flat region 54b of the cover 54.

The support plate 72 extends from the attachment plate 71 to the side opposite to the cover member 54 side by a predetermined length and is formed integrally with the attachment plate 71. The support plate 72 is located on the side with respect to the center of the through hole 54h in the direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the diameter of the through hole 54 h. A part of the connection portion between the support plate 72 and the attachment plate 71 is along a part of the outer peripheral edge of the through hole 71h formed in the attachment plate 71, and a part of the through hole 71h is defined by the part of the support plate 72. The support plate 72 has a pair of through holes 72h1 and 72h1 penetrating in the thickness direction. The pair of through holes 72h1 and 72h1 in the present embodiment intersect a predetermined plane perpendicular to the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60. Further, other through holes 72h2 and 72h2 penetrating in the thickness direction are formed in the vicinity of the through holes 72h1 and 72h1 of the support plate 72. In the present embodiment, one through hole 72h2 is formed in a substantially circular shape, and the other through hole is formed in an elliptical orbit shape having a long dimension in a predetermined direction. In the support plate 72, a bearing portion 74 for supporting a shaft 85 described later is provided on the output shaft 60 side.

As shown in fig. 3, the actuator 50 is fixed to the bracket 70 by bolts 17a and 17 a. Specifically, the actuator 50 is fixed to the bracket 70 by inserting the bolt 17a into the through hole of the attached pieces 53a and the attached pieces 54a and 54a in the driving portion 51 of the actuator 50 and screwing the bolt 17a into the screw hole of the bosses 73 and 73 in the attachment plate 71. Here, as described above, the mounting plate 71 is provided with the rib 77 that abuts the flat region 54b of the cover member 54. Therefore, the actuator 50 is supported by the bracket 70 in a state where the pair of attached pieces 54a and a part of the flat region 54b contact the bracket 70, that is, in a state where they contact 3 locations.

The transmission member 80 is coupled to the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 and the lamp unit 20. Examples of the material constituting the transmission member 80 include resin. The transmission member 80 of the present embodiment includes a base portion 81, a columnar arm portion 82 having a first connection portion 83, and a second connection portion 84.

The base portion 81 is a plate-like member elongated in a predetermined direction, and has a through hole 81h formed therethrough in the thickness direction. Further, the base portion 81 is provided with a narrow portion 81a cut in the width direction from one end of the through hole 81h to a predetermined length in the extending direction. The width of the narrow portion 81a is smaller than the width of the portion where the through hole 81h is provided.

The arm portion 82 is a columnar member extending from an end portion of the narrow portion 81a, which is one end portion of the base portion 81, on the side opposite to the through hole 81h side, substantially parallel to the width direction of the base portion 81 toward the cut side of the base portion 81, and is formed integrally with the base portion 81. Therefore, the portion of the transmission member 80, which is formed by the narrow portion 81a of the base portion 81 and the arm portion 82, is formed in a substantially L-shape, and the transmission member 80 has a recess 80a recessed in the width direction of the base portion 81. The arm portion 82 has a substantially spherical first connection portion 83 at the distal end portion. A hole 82h is formed in the arm portion 82 from a first connection portion 83 as a leading end portion of the arm portion 82 in an extending direction of the arm portion 82.

The second connecting portion 84 is integrally formed with the base portion 81, like the arm portion 82. The second connection portion 84 includes a cylindrical frame wall 84a extending from the other end portion of the base portion 81 in a direction parallel to the extending direction of the base portion 81, and a bottom wall 84b closing the opening of the frame wall 84a on the base portion 81 side. Therefore, an opening 84h is formed in the frame wall 84a of the second connection portion 84 on the side opposite to the base portion 81 side. The inner diameter of the frame wall 84a is set to be substantially the same as the maximum diameter of the connecting projection 61 of the output shaft 60.

The transmission member 80 is supported by a shaft 85 inserted into the through hole 81h of the base portion 81 so as to be pivotable about the shaft 85. The shaft 85 is supported by the bearing portion 74 provided in the support plate 72 of the bracket 70. That is, the transmission member 80 is supported by the bracket 70 so as to pivot the shaft 85.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of fig. 4, and is a sectional view taken along the shaft 85, and is a section perpendicular to the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60. Fig. 6 also shows a part of the lamp housing 11. As shown in fig. 6, in the present embodiment, the bearing portion 74 includes a first receiving portion 75 and a second receiving portion 76 that protrude from the support plate 72 toward the side where the output shaft 60 is located. The first receiving portion 75 and the second receiving portion 76 are spaced apart from each other by an interval substantially equal to the thickness of the base portion 81 of the transmission member 80 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the output shaft 60. The first receiving portion 75 is formed with a through hole 75h that penetrates in a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the output shaft 60. The second receiving portion 76 is formed with a hole 76h that extends from the surface on the first receiving portion 75 side in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the output shaft 60 and overlaps the through hole 75h of the first receiving portion 75 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the output shaft 60. The shaft 85 is inserted into the through hole 75h of the first receiving portion 75, the through hole 81h of the base portion 81 of the transmission member 80, and the hole 76h of the second receiving portion 76 in this order, and is supported by the bracket 70. The shaft 85 supported by the bracket 70 in this manner extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the output shaft 60 and the direction of the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60. Therefore, the transmission member 80 is supported by the shaft 85 so as to swing in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the output shaft 60.

The first connecting portion 83 of the transmission member 80 is connected to the first bearing holding member 41 attached to the support portion 40. Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the first bearing holding member 41, and is a sectional view of the first bearing holding member 41 in the horizontal direction. In fig. 7, a part of the transmission member 80 is also shown. As shown in fig. 7, the first bearing holding member 41 has a main body portion 46 fitted to the first connecting portion 83 and a mounting portion 47. The body 46 includes a pair of side walls 46a and a bottom wall 46b, and the horizontal cross-section of the body 46 is substantially コ -shaped. Side walls 46a are connected to the left and right edges of a flat bottom wall 46b substantially perpendicularly to the bottom wall 46 b. An end portion of each side wall 46a on the side opposite to the bottom wall 46b side is provided with an abutting piece 46c protruding from the end portion toward the inside and the bottom wall 46b side. A recess corresponding to the tip of the first connection portion 83 is formed in the side wall 46a of the bottom wall 46 b. The mounting portion 47 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending from the bottom wall 46b of the body portion 46 to the side opposite to the side wall 46 a. The mounting portion 47 is fitted into the through hole of the support portion 40 from the side opposite to the light emitting portion 21 side, so that the first bearing holding member 41 is mounted to the support portion 40.

Further, a substantially spherical first connection portion 83 is inserted between the pair of side walls 46a of the body portion 46 from an opening on the opposite side to the bottom wall 46b side. At this time, the first connecting portion 83 is pressed between the pair of side walls 46a while bending the abutting piece 46c, and the tip end portion of the first connecting portion 83 is fitted into the recess provided in the bottom wall 46 b. In this way, in the state where the first connection portion 83 is inserted into the body portion 46, the tip of the abutment piece 46c abuts against a portion of the substantially spherical first connection portion 83 on the opposite side of the bottom wall 46b side from the center of the first connection portion 83. That is, the contact piece 46c is formed as described above when the first connection portion 83 is inserted into the main body portion 46. In the main body portion 46, the contact piece 46c prevents the first connecting portion 83 from coming off, the first bearing holding member 41 and the transmission member 80 are connected to each other, and the transmission member 80 is connected to the lamp unit 20. The first bearing holding member 41 connected to the transmission member 80 in this manner can swing within a predetermined range with respect to the transmission member 80 about the first connecting portion 83 as a fulcrum.

As shown in fig. 5, the connection projection 61 of the output shaft 60 is inserted into the cylindrical frame wall 84a of the second connection portion 84 of the transmission member 80, and a part of the connection projection 61 abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the frame wall 84 a. The outer peripheral surface of the coupling protrusion 61 is curved in an arc shape so as to protrude outward in the direction of the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60, and the transmission member 80 is swingable within a predetermined range with respect to the output shaft 60 with the coupling protrusion 61 as a fulcrum.

Here, fig. 5 is a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction of the shaft 85 supporting the transmission member 80, and is a view seen from the extending direction of the shaft in fig. 5. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, when viewed from the extending direction of the shaft 85, the first connection portion 83 of the transmission member 80 connected to the lamp unit 20, the second connection portion 84 of the transmission member 80 connected to the output shaft 60, and the shaft 85 are positioned on the first straight line L1. In addition, these components may not be located on the first straight line L1. When viewed from the extending direction of the shaft 85, the first connection portion 83 and the second connection portion 84 are located on a circumference C1 centered on the central axis of the shaft 85. The first connection portion 83 and the second connection portion 84 may not be located on the circumference C1. In addition, the first connection portion 83, the second connection portion 84, and the shaft 85 intersect a plane perpendicular to the extending direction of the shaft 85. Further, these members may not intersect a plane perpendicular to the extending direction of the shaft 85. When viewed from the extending direction of the shaft 85, the recess 80a of the transmission member 80 is located between the first connection portion 83 and the shaft 85. The recess 80a is recessed from one side to the other side beyond the line segment SL1 with respect to the line segment SL1 connecting the first connection portion 83 and the shaft 85. In the present embodiment, the recess 80a is adjacent to the first connection portion 83, and a part of the first bearing holding member 41 is located in the recess 80 a.

The bracket 70, to which the actuator 50 is attached and which supports the transmission member 80 as described above, is disposed on the rear side of the support portion 40 so that the moving direction of the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 is the front-rear direction, and is fixed to the lamp housing 11. That is, the lamp housing 11 is a bracket fixing member to which the bracket 70 is fixed, and the actuator 50 is fixed to the lamp housing 11 via the bracket 70. Specifically, as shown in fig. 3 and 6, a pair of bosses 15, 15 protruding toward the front side and a stopper 16 are provided on the rear wall 14 of the lamp housing 11. Screw holes 15a, 15a extending from the end surfaces along the bosses 15, 15 are formed at the distal end portions of the bosses 15, 15. Further, the bosses 15, 15 are provided with positioning ribs 15b, 15b projecting from the end surfaces in a direction substantially parallel to the extending direction of the bosses 15, 15. The bracket 70 is fixed to the lamp housing 11 by inserting the positioning ribs 15b, 15b into the through holes 72h2, 72h2 of the support plate 72 of the bracket 70, inserting the bolts 17b, 17b into the through holes 72h1, 72h1 of the support plate 72, and screwing the bolts 17b, 17b into the screw holes 15a, 15a of the bosses 15, 15. At this time, the fixing portion of the bracket 70, which is a portion fixed to the lamp housing 11, is a portion of the support plate 72 that abuts against the heads of the bolts 17b, and is the peripheral edge portions 72a, 72a of the through holes 72h1, 72h 1. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, the entire bearing portion 74 of the support shaft 85 is located between a first plane P1 that is perpendicular to a second straight line L2 passing through the peripheral portions 72a, 72a and passes through one of the peripheral portions 72a, and a second plane P2 that is parallel to the first plane P1 and passes through the other peripheral portion 72 a.

The tip end of the retaining portion 16 is located near the first receiving portion 75 of the bearing portion 74. The tip end of the retaining portion 16 overlaps at least a part of the through hole 75h and the hole 76h in the bearing portion 74 when viewed from the extending direction of the shaft 85. Further, the distance between the portion of the retaining portion 16 that overlaps at least a part of the through hole 75h and the hole 76h and the opening of the first receiving portion 75 on the retaining portion 16 side of the through hole 75h is smaller than the depth of the hole 76h of the second receiving portion 76. Therefore, when the shaft 85 moves in the axial direction, the shaft 85 abuts against the stopper portion 16 before coming off the hole 76h of the second receiving portion 76. That is, the coming-off preventing portion 16 prevents the shaft 85 from coming off the hole 76h of the bearing portion 74.

Next, the operation of leveling adjustment for adjusting the emission direction of light in the vehicle lamp 1 up and down will be described.

The leveling adjustment is performed by moving the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50, and the driving force for moving the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 is transmitted to the lamp unit 20 via the transmission member 80. Here, the vehicle lamp 1 shown in fig. 1 is in an initial state in which the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 is not moved in the front-rear direction. When the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 moves forward from this initial state, as shown in fig. 8, the transmission member 80 swings about the shaft 85, the second connection portion 84 moves forward, and the first connection portion 83 moves rearward. When the first connecting portion 83 moves rearward, the support portion 40 swings rearward while inclining rearward about the front end portion of the main body portion 43a of the screw support member 43 as a fulcrum, and the light emission direction of the light emission portion 21 is changed upward from the initial state.

On the other hand, when the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 moves rearward from the initial state, as shown in fig. 9, the transmission member 80 swings about the shaft 85, the second connecting portion 84 moves rearward, and the first connecting portion 83 moves forward. The first connection portion 83 moves forward, and the support portion 40 swings forward while inclining backward with the front end portion of the main body portion 43a of the screw support member 43 as a fulcrum, and the light emission direction of the light emission portion 21 is changed to be downward from the initial state.

However, in general, an actuator for swinging the lamp unit has a certain size because it includes a driving unit having a motor or the like for moving an output shaft. Therefore, as in the vehicle lamp described in patent document 1, the vehicle lamp including the actuator tends to be large.

Therefore, the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment includes: an actuator 50 having an output shaft 60 movable in parallel in a direction different from the direction of the shaft 60 a; a lamp unit 20 supported swingably; and a transmission member 80 coupled to the output shaft 60 and the lamp unit 20. The transmission member 80 is supported by a shaft 85, and the output shaft 60 moves and swings about the shaft 85.

In the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 moves so that the transmission member 80 connected to the output shaft 60 swings about the shaft 85, and the lamp unit 20 to which the transmission member 80 is connected swings. As a result, the direction of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 1 is changed. Here, generally, energy of friction between the shaft and the member generated when the member swingably supported by the shaft is swung tends to be smaller than energy of friction between the shaft and the member generated when the member supported by the shaft so as to be movable along the shaft is moved. In the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the transmission member 80 is swingably supported by the shaft 85. Therefore, as compared with the case where the transmission member 80 is supported by the shaft 85 so as to be movable along the shaft 85, the energy of friction between the shaft 85 and the transmission member 80 generated when the lamp unit 20 is swung can be reduced. Therefore, the driving force for moving the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 can be reduced, and the actuator 50 and the vehicle lamp 1 can be downsized. As described above, the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment can be downsized while changing the direction of the emitted light.

In the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment, when viewed from the extending direction of the shaft 85, the first connecting portion 83 of the transmission member 80 connected to the lamp unit 20, the second connecting portion 84 of the transmission member 80 connected to the output shaft 60, and the shaft 85 are positioned on the first straight line L1. Therefore, the driving force for moving the output shaft 60 can be efficiently transmitted to the lamp unit 20. Therefore, the driving force for moving the output shaft 60 can be reduced, and the actuator 50 and the vehicle lamp 1 can be further miniaturized.

In the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment, the first connecting portion 83 and the second connecting portion 84 are located on the circumference C1 centered on the central axis of the shaft 85 when viewed from the extending direction of the shaft 85. Therefore, the lamp unit 20 can be swung with substantially the same force as the driving force for moving the output shaft 60. Further, when the second connecting portion 84 is located outside the circumference C1 passing through the first connecting portion 83 about the center axis of the shaft 85, the lamp unit 20 can be swung with a force larger than the driving force for moving the output shaft 60. On the other hand, when the second connection portion 84 is located inside the circumference C1 passing through the first connection portion 83 about the center axis of the shaft 85, the moving distance of the output shaft 60 for swinging the lamp unit 20 by a predetermined angle can be shortened.

In the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment, the first connection portion 83, the second connection portion 84, and the shaft 85 intersect with a plane perpendicular to the extending direction of the shaft 85. Therefore, the transmission member 80 can be prevented from being acted upon by a force that twists the transmission member 80, and the driving force that moves the output shaft 60 can be efficiently transmitted to the lamp unit 20. Therefore, the driving force for moving the output shaft 60 can be reduced, and the actuator 50 can be further downsized to further downsize the vehicle lamp 1.

The vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment further includes a bracket 70 to which the actuator 50 is attached. The bracket 70 has a bearing portion 74 that supports a shaft 85. In the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the bracket 70 also serves as the bearing portion 74 of the support shaft 85, and therefore the number of components can be suppressed from increasing.

The vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment further includes a lamp housing 11 as a bracket fixing member to which the bracket 70 is fixed. The peripheral edges 72a, 72a of the two through holes 72h1, 72h1 of the bracket 70 are fixed to the lamp housing 11. That is, it can be understood that the bracket 70 has two fixing portions fixed to the lamp housing 11. The entire bearing portion 74 of the support shaft 85 is located between a first plane P1 perpendicular to a second straight line L2 passing through the two peripheral edge portions 72a, 72a as the fixed portions and passing through one peripheral edge portion 72a, and a second plane P2 parallel to the first plane P1 and passing through the other peripheral edge portion 72 a. Since the bearing portion 74 of the support shaft 85 receives a force from the shaft 85, the periphery of the bearing portion 74 in the bracket 70 tends to be easily deformed. However, with the above configuration, the rigidity of the bracket 70 around the bearing portion 74 can be increased, and deformation of the bracket 70 can be suppressed. In order to suppress deformation of the bracket 70, at least a part of the bearing portion 74 may be located between the first plane P1 and the second plane P2. However, as described above, bearing portion 74 is preferably located between first plane P1 and second plane P2.

In the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment, the shaft 85 is inserted into the through hole 75h and the hole 76h formed in the bearing 74 and supported by the bearing 74. The lamp housing 11 as a bracket fixing member to which the bracket 70 is fixed has a retaining portion 16 that overlaps at least a part of the through hole 75h and the hole 76h when viewed from the extending direction of the shaft 85 and prevents the shaft 85 from coming off the hole 76 h. Therefore, the lamp housing 11 also serves as the retaining portion 16 for preventing the shaft 85 from coming out of the hole 76h, and thus the number of components can be prevented from increasing.

The first embodiment has been described above by way of example, but the first embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, in the first embodiment, the swing fulcrum of the lamp unit 20 is located below the light emitting portion 21. However, in the first embodiment, the lamp unit 20 may be supported swingably. For example, the swing fulcrum of the lamp unit 20 may be located above the light emitting portion 21. In this case, the transmission member 80 is preferably coupled to the lamp unit on the lower side of the light emitting portion 21.

In the first embodiment, the vehicle lamp 1 capable of changing the light emission direction in the vertical direction is described as an example. However, the direction of changing the light emission direction in the vehicle lamp 1 according to the first embodiment is not particularly limited, and the vehicle lamp 1 may be configured to be changeable in the left-right direction, for example. As such a vehicle lamp, for example, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the first embodiment, a configuration is given in which the first bearing holding member 41 and the first connecting portion 83 are disposed on one side in the left-right direction with respect to the light emitting portion 21, and the second bearing holding member 42 and the screw supporting member 43 are disposed on the other side in the left-right direction with respect to the light emitting portion 21.

In the first embodiment, the bracket 70 is fixed to the lamp housing 11 by two bolts 17b and 17 b. However, in the first aspect, the configuration of the bracket for fixing the bracket 70 to the lamp housing 11 is not particularly limited, and the number of fixing portions of the bracket 70, which are portions fixed to the lamp housing 11, may be three or more, or may be one. In the case where the number of the fixing portions is three or more, from the viewpoint of suppressing deformation of the bracket 70, it is preferable that at least a part of the bearing portion 74 is located between a first plane perpendicular to a specific straight line passing through the at least two fixing portions and passing through a specific fixing portion of the at least two fixing portions, and a second plane parallel to the first plane and passing through a fixing portion different from the specific fixing portion of the at least two fixing portions. The bracket fixing member to which the bracket 70 is fixed is not particularly limited, and the bracket 70 may be fixed to another member of the vehicle.

In the first embodiment, the actuator 50 is fixed to the bracket 70 by two bolts 17a and 17 a. However, in the first aspect, the structure for fixing the actuator 50 to the bracket 70 is not particularly limited. In the first embodiment, the bracket 70 is fixed to the lamp housing 11 so that the actuator 50 is fixed to the lamp housing 11. However, the actuator 50 may be fixed to the lamp housing 11 without the bracket 70, and the actuator 50 may be fixed to another member of the vehicle without the bracket 70.

In the first embodiment, the actuator 50 moves the output shaft 60 in parallel in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the shaft 60 a. However, in the first embodiment, the actuator 50 may be configured to move the output shaft 60 in parallel in a direction different from the direction of the shaft 60 a.

In the first embodiment, the transmission member 80 and the lamp unit 20 are coupled by coupling the substantially spherical first coupling portion 83 and the main body portion 46 having a substantially コ -shaped cross section. The transmission member 80 is coupled to the output shaft 60 by coupling the cylindrical second coupling portion 84 having a bottom and the coupling convex portion 61 having an elliptical orbit shape in cross section. However, in the first aspect, these members may be connected to each other so as to be swingable within a predetermined range, and the configuration of the connecting members is not particularly limited.

In the first embodiment, the transmission member 80 has the recess 80 a. However, in the first embodiment, the shape of the transmission member 80 is not particularly limited, and the transmission member 80 may not have the recess 80 a.

In the first embodiment, the light emitting unit 21 is a PES optical system. However, in the first embodiment, the configuration of the light emitting section 21 is not particularly limited. Further, the lamp unit 20 may include a plurality of light emitting portions 21.

(second embodiment)

Next, a second embodiment, which is a second embodiment of the present invention, will be described. The same or equivalent components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and redundant description thereof is omitted, except for the case where they are specifically described. In the second embodiment, the configuration of the actuator 50 is different from that in the first embodiment. The vehicle lamp 1 according to the second embodiment includes a bracket 170 and a transmission member 180 instead of the bracket 70 and the transmission member 80 according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a front view schematically showing the vehicle lamp according to the present embodiment. Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI of fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XII-XII of fig. 10.

In the present embodiment, a through hole is formed in the support portion 40 on the upper side and the left side of the light emitting portion 21, and the first bearing holding member 41 is fitted into the through hole. In the present description, the right side and the left side are referred to as the right and left sides, respectively, in the traveling direction of the vehicle. A first connecting portion of a transmission member 180 described later is connected to the first bearing holding member 41.

In the present embodiment, through holes are formed in the left and right sides of the support portion 40 below the light emitting portion 21, and cylindrical second bearing holding members 42 and 42 are fitted into the through holes. The left second bearing holding member 42 is located substantially below the first bearing holding member 41. Screw support members 43, 43 are connected to these second bearing holding members 42, 42. The support portion 40 is supported by the screw support members 43, 43 so as to swing within a predetermined range with the distal end portions of the main body portions 43a of the screw support members 43, 43 as fulcrums.

In the present embodiment, screw holes penetrating in the front-rear direction are formed in the body portions 43a of the screw support members 43, and the leveling screws 44, 44 are screwed into the screw holes. These calibration adjustment screws 44, 44 are supported by the rear wall 14 in the lamp housing 11 so as to be rotatable about an axis and immovable in the axial direction. Therefore, by rotating the leveling screws 44, the screw support members 43, 43 are moved relative to the housing 10 in the axial direction of the leveling screws 44, i.e., in the front-rear direction. Here, as described above, the support portion 40 is supported by the screw support members 43, 43 so as to swing within a predetermined range with the distal end portions of the main body portions 43a, 43a of the screw support members 43, 43 as fulcrums, and the light emitting portion 21 is fixed to the support portion 40. Therefore, the lamp unit 20 is swingably supported by the housing 10, and the position of the swing fulcrum of the lamp unit 20 can be changed in the front-rear direction.

In the present embodiment, the actuator 50 is disposed on the rear side of the support portion 40 and on the left side of the light emitting portion 21. The driving unit 51 is fixed to a bracket 70 described later, and a transmission member 180 described later is connected to the output shaft 60.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the actuator 50, the bracket 170, and the transmission member 180, and is a perspective view of these from above and from behind. Fig. 14 is a front view of the actuator 50, the bracket 170, and the transmission member 180 shown in fig. 13, and is a front view of these from the front side. Fig. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the actuator 50, the bracket 170, and the transmission member 180 shown in fig. 13. Fig. 15 also shows a part of the lamp housing 11. Fig. 16 is an enlarged view of the actuator 50 shown in fig. 13. Fig. 17 is a side view of the actuator 50, the bracket 170, and the transmission member 180 shown in fig. 13, and is a side view of these from the light emitting section 21 side. Fig. 18 is a sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII of fig. 17, and is a sectional view taken along the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60. In fig. 18, the internal structure of the driving unit 51 and the bracket 170 are not shown.

The bracket 170 of the present embodiment is a member for fixing the actuator 50, as in the bracket 70 of the first embodiment. Examples of the material constituting the bracket 70 include resin. Fig. 19 is an enlarged view of the bracket 170 shown in fig. 13. As shown in fig. 15 and 19, the bracket 170 of the present embodiment includes a main body portion 171, a first fixing portion 172, a second fixing portion 173, and a sliding member fixing portion 174. The body 171 is a substantially rectangular tubular member. Specifically, the body 171 includes a flat bottom wall 171a, a flat top wall 171b facing the bottom wall 171a, and a pair of flat side walls 171c and 171d that are continuous with an edge of the bottom wall 171a and an edge of the top wall 171b and face each other. The bottom wall 171a is substantially parallel to the top wall 171b, and the pair of side walls 171c, 171d are substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall 171 a. The distance between the bottom wall 171a and the top wall 171b is smaller than the distance between the pair of side walls 171c and 171 d. Therefore, the openings at both ends of the main body 171 are substantially rectangular. The body 171 is disposed on the opposite side of the cover 54 from the housing main body 53 of the housing 52 such that a bottom wall 171a faces the cover 54 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the diameter of the through hole 54h, which is the moving direction of the output shaft 60.

The bottom wall 171a is formed with a through hole 171h that penetrates in the thickness direction, and the through hole 54h of the lid member 54 is located inward of the outer peripheral edge of the through hole 171h when viewed from the shaft 60a direction of the output shaft 60. In the present embodiment, a part of the through hole 171h is defined by the pair of side walls 171c and 171d, and most of the through hole 171h is covered by the ceiling wall 171b when viewed from the axis 60a direction of the output shaft 60. In addition, although described in detail, main body 171 is provided with a bearing portion for supporting shaft 185 described later.

As shown in fig. 14, the bottom wall 171a has bosses 175, 175 protruding toward the cover member 54 and abutting the attached pieces 54a, 54 a. Screw holes extending from the end surfaces along the bosses 175, 175 are formed at the front end portions of the bosses 175, 175. The screw hole is located more inward than the outer peripheral edge of the through hole formed in the attached piece 53a, 54a and more inward than the outer peripheral edge of the through hole formed in the attached piece 54a, 54a when viewed from the extending direction of the screw. The end of the side wall 171d opposite the top wall 171b abuts the flat region 54b of the cover member 54.

As shown in fig. 15 and 19, the first fixing portion 172 protrudes from the bottom wall 171a at the one end of the body 171 toward the cover member 54 side and is formed integrally with the body 171. The first fixing portion 172 is formed with two through holes 172h1, 172h2 penetrating in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the output shaft 60. The second fixing portion 173 protrudes from the side wall 171c at the other end of the body 171 along the extending direction of the body 171, and is formed integrally with the body 171. The second fixing portion 173 is connected to the bottom wall 171 a. The second fixing portion 173 is formed with two through holes 173h1, 173h2 penetrating in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the output shaft 60.

The sliding member fixing portion 174 is a member having a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction and a shape of approximately コ. Specifically, the sliding member fixing portion 174 includes a flat bottom wall 174a and flat side walls 174b and 174b connected to both side edges of the bottom wall 174a substantially perpendicularly to the bottom wall 174 a. The sliding member fixing portion 174 extends from one end portion of the main body portion 171 outward in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the output shaft 60, and is formed integrally with the main body portion 171. Specifically, the bottom wall 174a is substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall 171a of the body 171, and is connected to the edge of the side wall 171d of the body 171. The side walls 174b, 174b are substantially parallel to the bottom wall 171a of the body 171, and one side wall 174b is connected to the bottom wall 171 a. Fitting recesses 174c and 174c that open toward the bottom wall 174a and extend in the extending direction of the sliding member fixing portion 174 are formed in the end portions of the side walls 174b and 174b on the side opposite to the bottom wall 174 a.

A slide member 176 is attached to the slide member fixing portion 174. The sliding member 176 of the present embodiment has a cross section perpendicular to the extending direction and has a shape of approximately コ. Specifically, the slide member 176 includes a flat bottom wall 176a and flat side walls 176b and 176b connected to both side edges of the bottom wall 176a substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall 176 a. Fitting recesses 176c, 176c that are open opposite to each other and extend in the extending direction of the slide member 176 are formed in the side walls 176b, 176 b. The sliding member 176 is attached to the sliding member fixing portion 174 such that the end portions of the side walls 176b and 176b opposite to the bottom wall 176a are inserted into the fitting recesses 174c and 174c of the sliding member fixing portion 174. Here, as described above, the sliding member fixing portion 174 protrudes outward from the one end portion of the main body portion 171 in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the output shaft 60. Therefore, the fitting recesses 176c, 176c in the slide member 176 attached to the slide member fixing portion 174 extend in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the output shaft 60.

As shown in fig. 15, the actuator 50 is fixed to the bracket 170 by bolts 17a and 17 a. Specifically, the actuator 50 is fixed to the bracket 170 by inserting the bolt 17a into the through-hole of the attached pieces 53a and the attached pieces 54a and 54a in the driving portion 51 of the actuator 50 and screwing the bolt 17a into the screw hole of the bosses 175 and 175 in the main body portion 171. Here, as described above, the end portion of the side wall 171d opposite to the top wall 171b side abuts on the flat region 54b of the cover member 54. Therefore, the actuator 50 is supported by the bracket 170 in a state where the pair of attached pieces 54a and a part of the flat region 54b contact the bracket 70, that is, in a state where they contact 3 locations.

The transmission member 180 of the present embodiment is a member coupled to the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 and the lamp unit 20, as in the case of the bracket 70 of the first embodiment. Examples of the material constituting the transmission member 180 include resin. Fig. 20 is a sectional view taken along line XX-XX in fig. 14, and is a sectional view substantially perpendicular to the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60 and taken along the central axis of a shaft 185 to be described later. Fig. 20 also shows the first bearing holding member 41 attached to the support portion 40 and a part of the lamp housing 11. As shown in fig. 15 and 20, the transmission member 180 includes a base portion 181, a columnar arm portion 182 having the first connection portion 83, and a second connection portion 184.

The base portion 181 is a plate-like member having a length in a predetermined direction, and a through hole 181h is formed to penetrate through the base portion 181 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the thickness direction and substantially parallel to the width direction. The width direction of the base portion 181 is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the base portion 181. Further, the base portion 181 is provided with a narrow portion 181a cut in the width direction from one end of the through hole 181h to a predetermined length in the extending direction. The width of the narrow portion 181a is smaller than the width of the portion of the base portion 181 where the through hole 181h is provided.

The arm portion 182 is a plate-like member parallel to the base portion 181. The arm portion 182 extends from one end of the base portion 181, that is, an end of the narrow portion 181a opposite to the through hole 181h, and substantially parallel to the width direction of the base portion 181, on the opposite side to the side cut by the base portion 181, and is formed integrally with the base portion 181. Therefore, the portion of the transmission member 180 constituted by the base portion 181 and the arm portion 182 is formed in a substantially L-shape. Further, a substantially columnar stay portion 182a protruding in the extending direction of the arm portion 182 is provided at the tip of the arm portion 182, and the stay portion 182a has a substantially spherical first connection portion 83 at the tip. A hole 182h is formed in the pillar portion 182a from the first connection portion 83, which is the distal end portion of the pillar portion 182a, in the extending direction of the pillar portion 182 a. As shown in fig. 14 and 15, ribs 182b, 182b extending linearly along the edge of the base portion 181 of the arm portion 182 and protruding to both sides in the plate thickness direction of the arm portion 182 are formed. The extending direction of each of the ribs 182b, 182b is substantially parallel to the extending direction of the through hole 181h in the base portion 181.

As shown in fig. 15 and 20, the second connecting portion 184 is a cylindrical member extending from the other end portion of the base portion 181 in a direction parallel to the plate thickness direction of the base portion 181, and is formed integrally with the base portion 181. The second connecting portion 184 is open at both ends. Therefore, it can be understood that the base portion 181 of the transmission member 180 is formed with a through hole 184h defined by the second connection portion 184 and penetrating in the plate thickness direction of the base portion 181. The inner diameter of the second coupling portion 184, that is, the diameter of the through hole 184h is set to be substantially the same as the maximum diameter of the coupling convex portion 61 of the output shaft 60.

Such a transmission member 180 is inserted into the main body portion 171 such that at least a portion of the base portion 181 on the second connection portion 184 side is positioned in the internal space of the main body portion 171 of the bracket 170. The transmission member 180 is supported by a shaft 185 inserted into the through hole 181h of the base portion 181 so as to be movable in parallel along the shaft 185. The shaft 185 is supported by a bearing portion provided in the body 171 of the bracket 170. That is, the transmission member 180 is supported by the bracket 170 so as to move in parallel along the shaft 185. By supporting the transmission member 180 on the bracket 170 in this manner, the plate-like base portion 181 and the arm portion 182 of the transmission member 180 extend in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60. Most of the transmission member 180 is composed of a plate-shaped base portion 181 and arm portions 182, and a through hole 184h into which the output shaft 60 is inserted is formed in the base portion 181. Therefore, the transmission member 180 is a plate-like member extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60, and it is understood that a through hole 184h into which the output shaft 60 is inserted is formed in the transmission member 180.

As shown in fig. 20, the bracket 170 of the present embodiment includes, as a bearing portion for the support shaft 185, a first receiving portion 178 protruding outward from one side wall 171c of the body portion 171 of the bracket 170 and a second receiving portion 179 protruding outward from the other side wall 171 d. The first receiving portion 178 is formed with a through hole 178h that penetrates in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the output shaft 60. The second receiving portion 179 is formed with a hole 179h extending from the surface on the first receiving portion 178 side in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the output shaft 60. The hole 179h overlaps the through hole 178h of the first receiving portion 178 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the output shaft 60. The shaft 185 is inserted into the through hole 178h of the first receiving portion 178, the through hole 181h of the base portion 181 of the transmission member 180, and the hole 179h of the second receiving portion 179 in this order, and is supported by the bracket 170. The shaft 185 supported by the bracket 170 in this manner extends in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the output shaft 60. Thus, the transmission member 180 is supported by the shaft 185 to move in parallel in a direction substantially parallel to the moving direction of the output shaft 60.

The first connecting portion 83 of the transmission member 180 in the present embodiment has the same configuration as the first connecting portion 83 of the first embodiment, and is connected to the first bearing holding member 41 attached to the support portion 40. Fig. 21 is a sectional view of the first bearing holding member 41, and is a sectional view of the first bearing holding member 41 in the horizontal direction. In fig. 21, a part of the transmission member 80 is also shown. The first bearing holding member 41 connected to the transmission member 180 is swingable within a predetermined range with respect to the transmission member 180 about the first connection portion 83 as a fulcrum. As shown in fig. 18, the connecting projection 61 of the output shaft 60 is inserted into the cylindrical second connecting portion 184 of the transmission member 180, and a part of the connecting projection 61 abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the second connecting portion 84. That is, the connecting projection 61 is inserted into the through hole 184h defined by the cylindrical second connecting portion 184. The outer peripheral surface of the coupling protrusion 61 is curved in an arc shape so as to protrude outward in the direction of the axis 60a of the output shaft 60, and the transmission member 180 is swingable within a predetermined range with respect to the output shaft 60 with the coupling protrusion 61 as a fulcrum. The end of the cylindrical second connecting portion 184 on the side of the driving portion 51 is located on the side of the driving portion 51 with respect to the base portion 181 of the transmission member 180, but is spaced apart from the driving portion 51.

Here, fig. 20 shows a first plane P11 including the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60 and having an in-plane direction along the moving direction of the output shaft 60. In the present embodiment, the first plane P11 extends in the longitudinal direction of the diameter of the through hole 54h of the cover member 54. The first connection portion 83 of the present embodiment is spaced apart from the first plane P11, and the shaft 185 is also spaced apart from the first plane P11. The first connection portion 83 is located on one side with reference to a second plane P12 parallel to the first plane P11 and passing through the shaft 185, and the second connection portion 184 is located on the other side with reference to the second plane P12. The first connection portion 83 and the second connection portion 184 may be located on the same side with respect to the second plane P12. In addition, the distance between the first connection portion 83 and the second plane is larger than the distance between the second connection portion 184 and the second plane. The distance between the first connection portion 83 and the second plane may be the same as the distance between the second connection portion 184 and the second plane P12, or may be smaller than the distance between the second connection portion 184 and the second plane. As described above, fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view substantially perpendicular to the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60 and a cross-sectional view along the central axis of the shaft 185. Also, a part of the first connection portion 83 is shown in fig. 20. Therefore, it can be understood that the first connection portion 83 intersects a third plane perpendicular to the shaft 60a direction of the output shaft 60 and including the center axis of the shaft 185. That is, the first connection portion 83 overlaps the central axis of the shaft 185 in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60. In addition, the first connection portion 83 may not intersect with a third plane perpendicular to the axis 60a direction of the output shaft 60 and including the center axis of the shaft 185. That is, the central axes of the first connecting portion 83 and the shaft 185 may not overlap in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60.

As shown in fig. 14, the ribs 182b, 182b of the arm portion 182 of the transmission member 180 are inserted into the fitting recesses 176c, 176c of the slide member 176. Therefore, rattling in the transmission member 180 in the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the output shaft 60 can be suppressed.

The bracket 170, which is attached with the actuator 50 and supports the transmission member 180 as described above, is disposed on the rear side of the support portion 40 so that the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60 extends in the horizontal direction and the moving direction of the output shaft 60 is the front-rear direction. The bracket 170 is fixed to the lamp housing 11. That is, the lamp housing 11 is a bracket fixing member to which the bracket 170 is fixed, and the actuator 50 is fixed to the lamp housing 11 via the bracket 170. Specifically, as shown in fig. 12 and 15, a pair of bosses 15, 15 protruding toward the front side are provided on the rear wall 14 of the lamp housing 11. Screw holes extending from the end surfaces along the bosses 15, 15 are formed at the distal ends of the bosses 15, 15. Further, the bosses 15, 15 are provided with positioning ribs protruding from the end surfaces in a direction substantially parallel to the extending direction of the bosses 15, 15. One positioning rib is inserted into the through hole 172h2 of the first fixing portion 172 in the main body portion 171 of the bracket 170, and the other positioning rib is inserted into the through hole 173h2 of the second fixing portion 173, whereby the bracket 170 is positioned with respect to the lamp housing 11. Then, the bolts 17b and 17b are inserted into the through holes 172h1 of the first fixing portion 172 and the through holes 173h1 of the second fixing portion 173, and the bolts 17b and 17b are screwed into the screw holes of the bosses 15 and 15, thereby fixing the bracket 170 to the lamp housing 11. That is, the screw holes and the positioning ribs in one boss 15 correspond to the through holes 172h1 and 172h2 of the first fixing portion 172, and the screw holes and the positioning ribs in the other boss 15 correspond to the through holes 173h1 and 173h2 of the second fixing portion 173. In the present embodiment, the through holes 172h1 and 172h2 of the first fixing portion 172 and the through hole 173h1 of the second fixing portion 173 are formed in a substantially circular shape, and the through hole 173h2 of the second fixing portion 173 is formed in an elliptical orbit shape having a long dimension in a predetermined direction.

Next, the operation of leveling adjustment for adjusting the emission direction of light in the vehicle lamp 1 up and down will be described.

The leveling adjustment is performed by moving the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50, and the driving force for moving the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 is transmitted to the lamp unit 20 via the transmission member 180. Here, the vehicle lamp 1 shown in fig. 11 and 12 is in an initial state in which the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 is not moved in the front-rear direction. When the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 moves forward from this initial state, the transmission member 180 moves forward in parallel along the shaft 185 as shown in fig. 22. The transmission member 180 moves forward so that the first bearing holding member 41 to which the first connection portion 83 is connected is pushed forward. Then, the support portion 40 swings forward with the front end portion of the body portion 43a of the screw support member 43 serving as a fulcrum, and the light emission direction of the light emission portion 21 is changed to be downward from the initial state.

On the other hand, when the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 moves rearward from the initial state, the transmission member 180 moves rearward in parallel along the shaft 185 as shown in fig. 23. The transmission member 180 is moved rearward so that the first bearing holding member 41 connected to the first connection portion 83 is pulled rearward. Then, the support portion 40 swings backward with the front end portion of the main body portion 43a of the screw support member 43 as a fulcrum, and the light emission direction of the light emission portion 21 is changed to be upward from the initial state.

However, as described above, in general, the actuator for swinging the lamp unit has a certain size. Therefore, the arrangement of the actuator in the vehicle lamp greatly affects the design of the vehicle lamp, and it is required to improve the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the actuator and the degree of freedom in the design of the vehicle lamp.

Therefore, the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment includes the actuator 50, the lamp unit 20, and the transmission member 180. The actuator 50 has an output shaft 60 movable in parallel in a direction different from the direction of the shaft 60 a. The lamp unit 20 is swingably supported. The transmission member 180 is coupled to the output shaft 60 and the lamp unit 20 and is movable in a direction parallel to the movement direction of the output shaft 60. The first connection portion 83 of the transmission member 180 connected to the lamp unit 20 is spaced from a first plane P11 including the axis 60a of the output shaft 60 and having an in-plane direction along the moving direction of the output shaft 60.

In the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the output shaft 60 of the actuator 50 moves so that the transmission member 180 connected to the output shaft 60 moves in a direction parallel to the movement direction of the output shaft 60, and the lamp unit 20 to which the transmission member 180 is connected swings. As a result, the direction of the light emitted from the vehicle lamp 1 is changed. In the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment, as described above, the first connection portion 83 is spaced from the first plane P11 that includes the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60 and has the in-plane direction along the moving direction of the output shaft 60. Therefore, the position of the first connection portion 83 with respect to the actuator 50 is less restricted than in the case where the first connection portion 83 intersects with the first plane P11. Therefore, as compared with this case, the degree of freedom in the arrangement of the actuator 50 can be increased, and the degree of freedom in the design of the vehicle lamp 1 can be increased.

The vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment further includes a shaft 185 that extends in a direction parallel to the movement direction of the output shaft 60 and supports the transmission member 180. The first connecting portion 83 is located on one side with reference to a second plane P12 parallel to the first plane P11 and passing through the shaft 185, and the second connecting portion 184 of the transmission member 180 connected to the output shaft 60 is located on the other side with reference to the second plane P12. Therefore, the shaft 185 can be prevented from being subjected to a force that bends the shaft 185, and the driving force that moves the output shaft 60 can be efficiently transmitted to the lamp unit 20. Therefore, the driving force for moving the output shaft 60 can be reduced, and the actuator 50 and thus the vehicle lamp 1 can be reduced in size.

In the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment, the distance between the first connecting portion 83 and the second plane P12 is greater than the distance between the second connecting portion 184 and the second plane P12. Therefore, the transmission member 180 can be prevented from being bent at a portion between the second connection portion 184 and the shaft 185. Therefore, the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment can suppress the driving force that moves the output shaft 60 from acting on the shaft 185, and can efficiently transmit the driving force to the lamp unit 20.

In addition, with the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment, the first connecting portion 83 intersects with a third plane that is perpendicular to the direction of the axis 60a of the output shaft 60 and that includes the center axis of the shaft 85. Therefore, the portion of the transmission member 180 between the first connection portion 83 and the shaft 185 can be suppressed from being bent, as compared with the case where the first connection portion does not intersect the third plane. Therefore, the vehicle lamp 1 of the present embodiment can efficiently transmit the driving force for moving the output shaft 60 to the lamp unit 20.

In the vehicle lamp 1 according to the present embodiment, the transmission member 180 is a plate-like member extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60, and the transmission member 80 has a through hole 184h formed in the thickness direction thereof, into which the output shaft 60 is inserted. Therefore, the width of the transmission member 80 in the direction of the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60 can be reduced, and the vehicle lamp 1 can be downsized.

The second embodiment of the present invention has been described above by way of example, but the second embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, in the second embodiment, the actuator 50 is disposed on the left side of the light emitting portion 21. However, the arrangement of the actuator 50 is not particularly limited. For example, the actuator 50 may be disposed on the right side of the light emitting portion 21, may be disposed on the upper side of the light emitting portion 21, may be disposed on the lower side of the light emitting portion 21, or may be disposed at a position overlapping the light emitting portion 21 in the front-rear direction.

In the second embodiment, the swing fulcrum of the lamp unit 20 is located below the light emitting portion 21. However, the lamp unit 20 may be supported to be swingable. For example, the swing fulcrum of the lamp unit 20 may be located above the light emitting portion 21. In this case, the transmission member 80 is preferably coupled to the lamp unit on the lower side of the light emitting portion 21.

In the second embodiment, the vehicle lamp 1 capable of changing the light emission direction in the vertical direction is described as an example. However, the direction of changing the light emission direction in the vehicle lamp 1 is not particularly limited, and the vehicle lamp 1 may be configured to be changeable in the left-right direction, for example. As such a vehicle lamp, for example, in the vehicle lamp 1 of the second embodiment, there is a configuration in which the first bearing holding member 41 and the first connecting portion 83 are disposed on one side in the left-right direction with respect to the light emitting portion 21, and the second bearing holding member 42 and the screw supporting member 43 are disposed on the other side in the left-right direction with respect to the light emitting portion 21.

In the second embodiment, the bracket 170 is fixed to the lamp housing 11 by two bolts 17b and 17 b. However, the structure for fixing the bracket 170 to the lamp housing 11 is not particularly limited, and the number of fixing portions of the bracket 170, which are portions fixed to the lamp housing 11, may be three or more, or may be one. The bracket fixing member to which the bracket 170 is fixed is not particularly limited, and the bracket 170 may be fixed to another member of the vehicle.

In the second embodiment, the actuator 50 is fixed to the bracket 70 by two bolts 17a and 17 a. However, the structure for fixing the actuator 50 to the bracket 70 is not particularly limited. In the second embodiment, the bracket 170 is fixed to the lamp housing 11 so that the actuator 50 is fixed to the lamp housing 11. However, the actuator 50 may be fixed to the lamp housing 11 without the bracket 170, and the actuator 50 may be fixed to another member of the vehicle without the bracket 170.

In the second embodiment, the actuator 50 moves the output shaft 60 in parallel in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the shaft 60 a. However, the actuator 50 may be configured to move the output shaft 60 in parallel in a direction different from the direction of the shaft 60 a.

In the second embodiment, the transmission member 180 is coupled to the lamp unit 20 by coupling the substantially spherical first coupling portion 83 and the main body portion 46 having a substantially コ -shaped cross section. The transmission member 180 is coupled to the output shaft 60 by coupling the cylindrical second coupling portion 184 to the coupling convex portion 61 having an elliptical orbit shape in cross section. However, these members may be connected to each other so as to be swingable within a predetermined range, and the structure of the connecting members is not particularly limited.

In the second embodiment, the transmission member 180 is a plate-like member extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60. However, the shape of the transmission member 180 is not particularly limited, and may not be a plate-like member. In order to reduce the size of the vehicle lamp 1, the transmission member 180 is preferably a plate-like member extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the shaft 60a of the output shaft 60, as described above. The hole of the transmission member 180 into which the output shaft 60 is inserted may not be a through hole. That is, the opening of the through hole 184h on the side opposite to the output shaft 60 side may be closed.

In the second embodiment, the light emitting unit 21 is a PES optical system. However, the configuration of the light emitting section 21 is not particularly limited. Further, the lamp unit 20 may include a plurality of light emitting portions 21.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp that can change the direction of emitted light and can be miniaturized, and according to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp that can improve the degree of freedom in design, and it is possible to be used in the field of vehicle lamps for automobiles and the like.