Angular adjustment mechanism
AssigneeAccurate Threaded Fasteners, Inc.
InventorsJohn E. Burton, Thomas M. Witt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
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.
Claims30
An improved angular adjusting mechanism for a headlamp or a like assembly including a molded gear housing having a substantially rigid two piece press fit assembly, at least two angularly disposed intersecting axes bores disposed in spaced relation in sidewalls of said assembly, an integral drive shaft and drive gear means, said drive shaft journaled in and projecting outwardly of one of said sidewall bores with said integral drive gear means projecting in the opposite direction within said housing while bearing on said one sidewall adjacent said bore, a one-piece tubular nut and adjusting gear means journaled at one end in a second sidewall bore with said adjusting gear means engaging said drive gear means internally of said housing, adjusting means carried by said tubular nut and having means for providing axial movement of said adjusting means when said tubular nut is rotated.
An improved housing for an angular adjusting mechanism, said housing having a substantially rigid two piece press fit assembly, the first piece of said assembly being an integral box-like housing having opposed generally flat sidewalls having a predetermined height, said sidewalls taper in curving fashion along one edge to connect with a reduced width end wall having an aperture therethrough, an opposite integral partial flat end wall extending between and connecting the opposite flat edge of said opposed sidewalls, a substantially flat top end integrally interconnecting both the flat and curving portions of said side walls as well as said two end walls, a central through bore in said top end, a partial U-shaped open-sided frusto-cylindrical bearing means extending axially outwardly from said partial flat end wall and said open-side opening through the free edge of said end wall away from said interconnecting flat top end, said partial bearing means being coaxial with said aperture through said narrow end wall, said first piece thereby forming an open ended box-like structure having a generally square cross-sectional configuration with said sidewalls being curved inwardly toward said narrow end wall at one edge thereof, the flat portion of said sidewalls being reinforced on the exterior thereof, the second piece of said assembly including a substantially flat bottom end member adapted to close the open end by providing means for engaging the free ends of said two opposing sidewall members and the reduced width end wall, an upstanding wall along one edge of said flat bottom end member including a through bore capable of embracing and accepting said frusto-cylindrical partial bearing means of said first piece to form a complete cylindrical bearing coaxial to the aperture in said reduced width end wall, means for reinforcing the rigidity of said upstanding wall and adapted to complete said partial flat end wall, and locking means for locking said second piece in assembled relation to said first piece.
An improved angular adjusting mechanism including a substantially rigid two piece manually slidably assemblable press fit housing having appropriate inner surfaces and intersecting bearing bores to accommodate and cooperate with an integral metallic drive shaft and drive gear, an integral plastic tubular nut and adjustment gear, and a threaded adjustment rod cooperatively accepted within said tubular nut, said rod including means for restraining rotation thereof whereby rotation of said drive shaft will cause said drive gear to drive said adjustment gear for rotation of said tubular nut resulting in axial movement of said adjustment rod without rotation thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.