ADJUSTING INSTRUMENT FOR AN EXTERIOR VISION UNIT FOR A VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to an adjusting instrument for an exterior vision unit for a vehicle, comprising a base shaft and a housing surrounding the base shaft which is pivotable around a longitudinal axis adjustment range between at least a park position and a drive position. The adjusting instrument further comprises a driving gearwheel, a gearwheel body, and a spring. The driving gearwheel includes a face provided with an outer toothing surrounding the base shaft, defining a face height within which a web part of the gearwheel body extends in a transverse plane with respect to the base shaft. The spring surrounds the base shaft and is supported on a support surface of the gearwheel body, exerting a force on the driving gearwheel along the longitudinal axis. The support surface lies recessed in an axial direction with respect to the transverse plane, such that the spring reaches through the transverse plane.

Claims

1. An adjusting instrument for an exterior vision unit for a vehicle, comprising: a base shaft; a housing which surrounds the base shaft and which is pivotable around a longitudinal axis of the base shaft in an adjustment range, between at least a park position and a drive position; a driving gearwheel comprising a face provided with an outer toothing which surrounds the base shaft, and a gearwheel body, with the face defining a face height within which a web part of the gearwheel body extends substantially in a transverse plane with respect to the base shaft, between the base shaft and the face; and a spring which surrounds the base shaft, the spring being supported on a support surface of the gearwheel body for exerting a spring force on the driving gearwheel along the longitudinal axis, wherein the support surface is located recessed in axial direction with respect to the transverse plane in which the web part substantially extends, such that the spring reaches through the transverse plane.

2. An adjusting instrument for an exterior vision unit for a vehicle, comprising: a base shaft a housing which surrounds the base shaft and which is pivotable around a longitudinal axis of the base shaft in an adjustment range, between at least a park position and a drive position; a driving gearwheel comprising a face provided with an outer toothing which surrounds the base shaft, and a gearwheel body, with the face defining a face height within which a web part of the gearwheel body extends substantially in a transverse plane with respect to the base shaft, between the base shaft and the face; a spring which surrounds the base shaft, the spring being supported on a support surface of the gearwheel body for exerting a spring force on the driving gearwheel along the longitudinal axis, wherein the support surface is located recessed in axial direction with respect to the transverse plane in which the web part substantially extends, such that a center of the spring is located within the face height.

3. The adjusting instrument according to claim 1, wherein the support surface is located outside the face height, and the spring reaches through the driving gearwheel.

4. The adjusting instrument according to claim 1, wherein the driving gearwheel comprises a bearing face which surrounds the base shaft, wherein a height of the bearing face, in axial direction, is greater than the face height of the driving gearwheel.

5. The adjusting instrument according to claim 1, further comprising two or more cam rings surrounding the base shafts, and which are each provided with at least one force transmission cam that can cooperate mutually, with the driving gearwheel and/or with the housing, wherein the two or more cam rings are positioned radially with respect to each other.

6. The adjusting instrument according to claim 5, wherein the support surface is located between the base shaft and the cam rings.

7. The adjusting instrument according to claim 1, further comprising an electric motor coupled with the housing and having an output shaft, for pivoting the housing around the longitudinal axis of the base shaft, with the output shaft of the electric motor extending transversely to the longitudinal axis.

8. The adjusting instrument according to claim 1, wherein a ratio between a diameter of the base shaft and a diameter of the driving gearwheel is between 0.15 and 0.5.

9. The adjusting instrument according to claim 1, wherein a ratio between a width of the housing and a height of the housing is between 0.15 and 0.5.

10. The adjusting instrument according to claim 1, wherein the base shaft comprises a receiving provision for receiving a screw in the base shaft.

11. The adjusting instrument according to claim 1, comprising one or more positioning cams and/or positioning recesses for cooperation with one or more complementary positioning recesses and/or positioning cams of a base part of the vehicle on which the adjusting instrument can be mounted, for positioning the adjusting instrument with respect to the base part.

12. The adjusting instrument according to claim 1, wherein the base shaft, in mounted condition, extends from a base part along a longitudinal axis of the base shaft up to a free end, wherein the housing is bearing-mounted around the base shaft at the free end of the base shaft.

13. The adjusting instrument according to claim 12, wherein the free end of the base shaft is an open end, wherein a bearing part of the housing reaches through the open end into the hollow base shaft so as to bearing-mount the housing with the base shaft on an internal side of the base shaft.

14. The adjusting instrument according to claim 12, wherein the free end of the base shaft is covered by a part of the housing.

15. An exterior vision unit for a vehicle, comprising an adjusting instrument according to claim 1, and a mirror, display and/or camera coupled with the housing.

16. The adjustment instrument according to claim 2, wherein the support surface is located outside the face height, and the spring reaches through the driving gearwheel.

17. The adjusting instrument according to claim 2, wherein the driving gearwheel comprises a bearing face which surrounds the base shaft, wherein a height of the bearing face, in axial direction, is greater than the face height of the driving gearwheel.

18. The adjusting instrument according to claim 2, further comprising two or more cam rings surrounding the base shaft, and which are each provided with at least one force transmission cam that can cooperate mutually, with the driving gearwheel and/or with the housing, wherein the two or more cam rings are positioned radially with respect to each other.

19. The adjusting instrument according to claim 18, wherein the support surface is located between the base shaft and the cam rings.

20. The adjusting instrument according to claim 2, further comprising an electric motor coupled with the housing and having an output shaft, for pivoting the housing around the longitudinal axis of the base shaft, with the output shaft of the electric motor extending transversely to the longitudinal axis.

Description

[0029] The invention will be further elucidated on the basis of an exemplary embodiment of an adjusting instrument which is shown in the drawings. In the drawings:

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross section of the adjusting instrument;

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective exploded view of an adjusting instrument.

[0032] The figures are shown only by way of exemplary embodiment and should not in any way be regarded as limiting.

[0033] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show an adjusting instrument 1 for an exterior vision unit of a vehicle. The adjusting instrument 1 comprises a base shaft 2 which extends along a longitudinal axis A, and a housing 3. The housing 3 is made up of at least a first and second housing part 3a and 3b which are connected with each other, for instance with the aid of screws 26a-26f. The housing 3 is pivotable around the longitudinal axis A of the base shaft 2 in an adjustment range, between at least a park position and a drive position. Optionally, it is possible to pivot yet further from the drive position to an overfold position where the supporting frame is situated substantially alongside the vehicle, in the case of an exterior mirror unit with the mirror side facing away from the vehicle. The housing 1 is mounted on a base part 8 of for instance a body of a motor vehicle, for example a car. The base shaft 2 is here implemented as a hollow shaft which extends from a foot 7 of the base shaft 2 along the longitudinal axis A up to a free open end 21. In mounted condition, the base shaft extends at least substantially transversely to a supporting surface of the base part 8. The second housing part 3b forms a lid of the adjusting instrument 1, which covers the free end 21 of the base shaft 2. The adjusting instrument 1 is thus largely enclosed by the housing 3. The spring 10 is for instance located wholly within the housing 3. Also, the base shaft 2 extends within the housing 3, from the foot 7 to the free end 21.

[0034] Further, the second housing part 3b comprises a bearing part 22 which reaches through the open end 21 of the base shaft 2 into the interior of the base shaft 2, with the bearing part 22 forming a bearing face 23 which bears against an inner wall of the hollow base shaft 2. This bearing of the housing 3 within the base shaft 2 is particularly stable, and ensures a particularly accurate alignment of the housing 3 around the base shaft 2.

[0035] The adjusting instrument 1 further comprises a driving gearwheel 4 which is received within the housing 3, the driving gearwheel 4 comprising a so-called face 5 and a gearwheel body 20. The face 5 is provided with an outer toothing 6 which surrounds the base shaft 2, the face 5 defining a face height H within which a web part 6 of the gearwheel body 20 extends substantially in a transverse plane with respect to the base shaft, between the base shaft 2 and the face 5. The driving gearwheel 4 comprises a central opening 9 through which the base shaft 2 is arranged.

[0036] Further, the adjusting instrument 1 comprises a spring 10, here implemented as a helical spring, which surrounds the base shaft 2. The spring 10 is supported on a support surface 11 of the gearwheel body 20 and exerts a spring force on the driving gearwheel along the longitudinal axis A. The spring 10, in mounted condition of the adjusting instrument, is compressed between on one side the support surface 11 and on the other side an upper fastening ring 12, here implemented as a set ring. The spring 10 is brought into a compressed condition between the support surface 11 and the upper fastening ring 12 by coupling the first housing part 3a and the second housing part 3b to each other with the aid of the screws 26a-26f.

[0037] The adjusting instrument 1 can be mounted as a whole on the base part 8 by a single screw 24 which cooperates with a receiving provision of the hollow base shaft 2. The receiving provision is here formed by the base shaft 2 itself. The screw 24 is fitted axially in the hollow base shaft 2, such that the longitudinal direction of the screw 24 corresponds to the direction of the longitudinal axis A. The adjusting instrument 1 can be mounted on the base part 8 in a simple manner by inserting the screw 24 from below through an opening in the base part 8 and into the hollow base shaft 2, whereby the screw 24, by an external thread thereof, engages an internal thread of the base shaft 2, so that upon tightening of the screw 24, the base shaft 2 is pulled against the base part 8. A lower fastening ring 27, here a set ring, is provided for coupling of the base shaft 2 with a base ring 28 of the adjusting instrument 1, such that the base ring 28, by tightening of the screw 24, is clamped against the base part 8 of the vehicle. In mounted condition, the screwhead 25 of the screw 24 then abuts, on a lower side of the adjusting instrument 1, against the base part 8. The base ring 28 is rotation-locked with the base shaft 2, here by means of the triangle-shaped foot 7 of the base shaft 2 being received in a complementary receiving provision in the base ring 28.

[0038] The base ring 28 is, on a side facing the base part 8, further provided with three positioning recesses which cooperate with three complementary positioning cams of the base part 8. The positioning cams and positioning recesses are provided for the positioning and fixing of the adjusting instrument 1 with respect to the base part 8. The positioning cams and positioning recesses provide in particular for the fixation of the adjusting instrument at least in lateral and rotational direction with respect to the base part 8 on which the adjusting instrument 1 is mounted. The base ring 28 is manufactured of a plastics material, so that the positioning recesses in the base ring 28 can be pulled over the respective complementary positioning cams of the base part 8, with the plastics material of the base ring 28 being able to deform. In fact, the base part 8 is normally manufactured of a sintered material having a relatively great hardness. The base ring 28 manufactured of plastic can thus accommodate dimensional tolerances between the positioning cams and positioning recesses. In particular, the base ring 28 comprises a cylindrical positioning recess, a positioning recess elongated in a radial direction, and a positioning recess elongated in a circumferential direction; and the base part 8 complementarily comprises a cylindrical positioning cam, a positioning cam elongated in a radial direction, and a positioning cam elongated in a circumferential direction.

[0039] The support surface 11 is located recessed in axial direction, along the longitudinal axis A, with respect to the transverse plane in which the web part 6 of the gearwheel body 20 substantially extends. A center M of the spring 10 is located within the face height H. The center M in this case is a geometric center of the spring 10 in mounted condition. The center M of the spring 10 lies, in particular, at least substantially in the same location as a center N of the driving gearwheel 4. The spring 10 here reaches through the transverse plane in which the web part 6 substantially extends. The support surface 11, in the configuration shown, lies below the transverse plane. More specifically, the support surface 11 lies outside the face height H, so that the spring 10 reaches effectively through the driving gearwheel 4, beyond the face height H, whereby a compact and stable adjusting instrument 1 is obtained. In particular, in this manner, a considerable dimensional reduction of the adjusting instrument 1 in axial direction can be realized, vis-à-vis conventional adjusting instruments where the spring 10 is not arranged recessed in the driving gearwheel 4 but is supported on top of the web part 6 of the driving gearwheel. Moreover, the axial dimension reduction is realized while the geometry of the spring 10 can remain substantially unchanged with respect to the conventional adjusting instruments, and so can be made of a sufficiently forceful design.

[0040] The driving gearwheel 4 is provided with a recessed portion 13 in which the spring 10 is received, the recessed portion 13 at a bottom side thereof defining the support surface 11. Between the spring 10 and the support surface 11, additionally a bearing ring 19 is arranged, for facilitating the rotation of the driving gearwheel 4 around the base shaft 2 relative to the spring 10. A side of the recessed portion 13 that abuts on the base shaft 2 forms a bearing face 14. The bearing face 14 surrounds the base shaft 2, and has a bearing height L which is greater than the face height H of the face 5, which provides for a stable guiding and aligning of the driving gearwheel 4 around the base shaft 2.

[0041] The adjusting instrument 1 further comprises two or more cam rings 15 which surround the base shaft 2 and which are each provided with at least one force transmission cam which can cooperate mutually, with the driving gearwheel 4 and/or with the housing 3. The cam rings 15 are positioned radially with respect to each other, so that a further saving of space can be realized. More particularly, the cam rings 15 and the base shaft 2 define a mutual distance, with the support surface 11 located between the cam rings 15 and the base shaft 2.

[0042] The adjusting instrument 1 further comprises an electric motor 16, coupled with the housing 3 and having an output shaft 17, for pivoting the housing 3 around the longitudinal axis A of the base shaft 2. To minimize a height of the housing, the electric motor 16 is coupled with the housing 3 in a lying configuration, with the output shaft 17 of the electric motor 16 extending transversely to the longitudinal axis A. The output shaft 17 is connected with the driving gearwheel 4 via a driveline 18.

[0043] The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments represented here. Many variations will be clear to a person skilled in the art and are understood to be within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.