An adjustment gear mechanism utilizing a plastic adjustment gear and integrally formed structures which securely retain a drive member. The plastic gear is formed to provide both a gear tooth arrangement which cooperatively meshes with a drive gear and an integrally formed adjustment member bore which provides prevailing torque for an adjustment member. The gear tooth arrangement on the plastic gear is formed to cooperatively mesh with a metal drive gear and withstand the tooth load and deflection applied by the metal drive gear. The drive member is non-adhesively retained by the integrally formed structures which maintain operative engagement between the drive member and the drive gear which it rotates. The structure and materials of the mechanism also provide adjustment-retaining purchase such that when a desired adjustment is achieved using the adjustment mechanism the adjustment resists disturbance by accidental, vibrational or other forces exerted upon either the drive member or the adjustment member.
A vehicular headlamp component is pivotally adjusted in response to back or forth movement of an adjusting link extending through an opening in one wall of a two-component housing of an adjusting device. Back and forth movement of the link is produced by a gear driven bushing which is threaded onto the link. An O-ring encircles the link between the bushing and the housing wall and is adapted to be compressed against the wall and the link thereby to seal the opening in the wall and prevent contamination from passing through the opening and into the housing of the headlamp. Compression of the O-ring is effected by camming the bushing toward the housing wall as an incident to assembly of the two housing components with one another.
A linear actuator includes a driven spindle (10) of metal having a nut (12) of polymeric material which further is connected to the expelling rod (14) of the actuator. The nut and expelling rod are joined to each other by intermeshing embossing mate for contemporary transfer of axial forces and torques. With a polymeric nut a number of advantages are obtained such as low friction, lifetime lubrication, low noise level, low production and maintenance costs. Furthermore, a possibility is provided for in a simple manner to provide the actuator with a safety nut connected to the main nut (12) with breakable entrainment means.
A headlamp adjuster is provided which, in a preferred embodiment, includes a mounting panel connected to the vehicle with an aperture and upper and lower ends providing linearly aligned cylindrical surfaces facing the vehicle; a housing fixably connected with upper and lower rods for pivotal entrapment in the cylindrical surfaces of the mounting panel, allowing pivotal movement of the housing with respect to the vehicle panel; a drive screw mounted by the housing and projecting therefrom having an end with a ball pivotally connected to the headlamp in a nonrotational fashion; a first gear with a connected bushing mounted within the housing, the first gear threadably encircling the drive screw being formulated from a nonmetallic material having a bore providing an interference fit with the drive screw, the rotation of the first gear causing translational movement of the drive screw; and a second gear mounted within the housing and held in position by the bushing of the first gear, the second gear being enmeshed with the first gear for imparting a torque to the first gear and the second gear having fixably attached thereto an input shaft extending from the housing for receipt of torsional input to the second gear.
An angular adjusting mechanism for a headlamp assembly having a rigid two piece press fit molded gear housing assembly. The housing accepts a pair of angularly disposed bevel gears including a drive shaft and drive gear with the drive shaft journaled in a bore in one of the housing sidewalls and the drive gear positioned within the housing and bearing on the interior of the housing sidewall. A tubular nut and an adjusting gear engaging said drive gear with the tubular nut journaled in a second sidewall bore and said nut telescopically accepting an elongated adjusting screw which is axially adjusted when the tubular nut is rotated by the adjusting gear.
A vehicle headlamp assembly is provided including a horizontal adjustment device for adjusting the position of a reflector, the adjustment device including a housing having an open bottom, a front wall and a rear wall, the front and rear walls having an aligned bore, the housing also having a top with a slot intersecting one of the walls, the wall intersected by the top slot having a horizontal slot adjacent the top slot greater than the top slot; a top gear having a head which is passable through the horizontal slot, the top gear also having a shaft slidable into the top slot; and a sleeve gear insertable through the housing bottom, the sleeve gear having a head for meshing engagement with the top gear, the sleeve gear having connected to the head a barrel body for supporting the head of the top gear.
