Vehicle lamp

By using a light-transmitting member to form an outer lens structure in which a plurality of light-transmitting parts and an opaque member to form an outer lens structure in a vehicle lamp, the problems of high difficulty and high cost are solved, and the cost and lightweight of the outer lens are reduced.

CN120043065APending Publication Date: 2025-05-27KOITO MFG CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202411606693.9
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2023-11-24
Filing Date
2024-11-12
Publication Date
2025-05-27

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the prior art, the forming control of the outer lens is difficult, and uneven resin injection leads to turbulence in the mold, affecting the forming quality, while increasing the amount of light-transmitting resin leads to high costs, and the outer lens is not easy to be lightened.

Method used

By forming a plurality of light-transmitting parts and an outer lens formed by an opaque member, the light-transmitting parts have a flange portion and are connected to each other through the connecting portion. The light-transmitting members are laminated at the flange portion and the connecting portion to achieve two-color forming of the light-transmitting resin and the opaque resin.

Benefits of technology

The light-transmitting part forming control is simplified, the amount of resin is reduced, and the cost and lightweight of the outer lens is realized, avoiding the problems of complexity in the mold structure and high cost.

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Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle lamp, which realizes low cost and light weight of an outer lens in a composite lamp. The outer lens (6) is configured so as to be provided with: a light-tight section (66); and a CL light-transmitting section (61) and an HL light-transmitting section (62) that function as a CL lens section (6C) and an HL lens section (6H). The CL light-transmitting section (61) and the HL light-transmitting section (62) each have flange sections (61f, 62f), and are integrally formed from a light-transmitting resin in a state of being connected to each other by connection sections (64, 65). The opaque resin forming the opaque portion (66) is formed on the opaque resin in a laminated manner at flange portions (61f, 62f) and connection portions (64, 65) excluding the CL opaque portion (61) and the HL opaque portion (62), and is formed coplanar with the opaque resin in a region where the opaque resin is not present.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp having an outer lens, and more particularly to a vehicle lamp suitable for a composite lamp (combination lamp) in which a plurality of lamps are integrally formed. Background Art

[0002] As a vehicle including a motor vehicle, there is a vehicle equipped with a composite lamp in which a plurality of lamps having different functions are integrated. For example, there is a composite headlamp in which a headlamp, a clearance lamp, and a turn signal lamp are combined, or a composite rear lamp in which a tail lamp, a reverse lamp, and a brake lamp are combined. In such a composite lamp, the following structure is adopted: a lamp unit in which a plurality of lamps are installed in one lamp housing, and an outer lens also called a light-transmitting cover is installed on the front surface side of the lamp housing.

[0003] For example, in Patent Document 1, a composite lamp in which a tail lamp, a brake lamp, and a turn signal lamp are integrated is proposed. Moreover, as the outer lens thereof, an outer lens having the following structure is proposed: it is formed by two-color molding of a light-transmitting first cover material and a third cover material corresponding to each lamp, and an opaque second cover material provided in a boundary region and a peripheral region between these first cover material and the third cover material. An example is shown in which the first cover material is configured as an outer lens corresponding to the tail lamp and the brake lamp, and the third cover material is configured as an outer lens corresponding to the turn signal lamp, and these first cover material and the third cover material are configured as a primary molded part, and the second cover material is configured as a secondary molded part.

[0004] Prior Art Documents Patent Documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2023-20396 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the technology of Patent Document 1, the first cover material and the third cover material, which are configured as a primary molded part, are separated into independent molded parts. Thus, when the independent first cover material and the third cover material are simultaneously molded, if the volumes of the first cover material and the third cover material are different, it becomes difficult to control, for example, the control of the injection speed of the resin when appropriately molding each cover material. That is, when injecting resin into the cavity in the mold, it is difficult to inject resin evenly with respect to the first cover material having a large volume and the third cover material having a small volume, and sometimes turbulence of the resin in the mold may occur, which may affect the molding quality. In Patent Document 1, it is presumed that this problem is solved by adopting a direct gate and a side gate, but the mold structure becomes complicated due to this, which is one of the important factors causing high cost.

[0005] In addition, in Patent Document 1, the first cover member is configured as an outer lens corresponding to a taillight and a brake light. In order to make these lights appear as independent lights in terms of appearance, a second cover member is formed in a laminated state in the peripheral area and the boundary area between the first cover member and the third cover member. Therefore, in this peripheral area or boundary area, the resin of light transmissivity and light non-transmissivity is formed in two layers. Correspondingly, the resin amount increases and becomes an important factor of high cost, and also becomes an obstacle to lightening the outer lens.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp that realizes cost reduction and lightening of an outer lens in a lamp.

[0007] Means for Solving the Problem The present invention is a vehicle lamp including an outer lens composed of a plurality of light transmissive portions formed of a light transmissive member and a light non-transmissive portion formed of a light non-transmissive member. Among them, the plurality of light transmissive portions have flange portions and are integrally formed by the light transmissive member in a state of being connected to each other via connecting portions. The light non-transmissive member is laminated on the light transmissive member at the flange portions and the connecting portions, and is formed coplanar with the light transmissive member in a region where the light transmissive member does not exist.

[0008] In the present invention, preferably, the light non-transmissive member is formed with a window portion where a part that is not laminated at the connecting portion is laminated. In addition, in the present invention, preferably, the outer lens is formed by resin molding, the light transmissive portion and the connecting portion are integrally formed as a primary molded article, and the light non-transmissive portion is formed as a secondary molded article by two-color molding.

[0009] A preferred embodiment of the present invention is that the vehicle lamp includes: an outer lens; and a lamp housing including a lamp body for mounting the outer lens, and is configured as a composite vehicle lamp in which a plurality of different lamp units are disposed in the lamp housing. The plurality of light transmissive portions of the outer lens are configured as portions through which light emitted from the plurality of lamp units passes.

[0010] In this embodiment, the lamp housing is mounted on the vehicle body, the plurality of lamp units are configured as independent lamps having different functions respectively, and the plurality of light transmissive portions are configured as lens portions of the respective independent lamps. In addition, the plurality of lamp units may also be configured such that the light transmissive member constituting the lens portion has a plurality of portions, and these plurality of portions are connected to each other via connecting portions. Further, the connecting portion may also be a structure shielded by the vehicle body.

[0011] Advantageous Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, since the outer lens is integrally formed of a light-transmitting member in a state where a plurality of light-transmitting portions are interconnected through connecting portions and each has a flange portion, the forming control during the formation of the plurality of light-transmitting portions becomes easy, and a suitable outer lens can be obtained. In addition, since the light-blocking member is laminated on the light-transmitting member at the flange portion and the connecting portion and is formed coplanar with the light-transmitting member in a region where the light-transmitting member does not exist, the amounts of the light-transmitting member and the light-blocking member used for forming the outer lens can be reduced, achieving cost reduction and weight reduction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a motor vehicle equipped with a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 FIG. 10 is an external perspective view of a vehicle lamp (composite headlamp) according to an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 3 FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part at the position of line III-III of the composite headlamp corresponding to Figure 2 FIG. 16.

[0015] Figure 4 FIG. 20 is Figure 2 a schematic partial exploded perspective view of a main part of the composite headlamp of FIG. 22.

[0016] Figure 5a and Figure 5b FIGS. 28 and 29 are front views of an outer lens, Figure 5a FIG. 30 shows a primary formed part, Figure 5b FIG. 32 shows a secondary formed part.

[0017] Figure 6a and Figure 6b FIGS. 38 and 39 are schematic views for explaining problems during the formation of the primary formed part.

[0018] Figure 7a and Figure 7b FIGS. 44 and 45 are enlarged sectional views taken along line A-A and line B-B of Figure 5b FIG. 46.

[0019] REFERENCE MARK DESCRIPTION 1: Composite headlamp; 2: Clearance lamp; 3: Headlamp; 4: Lamp housing; 5: Lamp body; 6: Outer lens; 6C: CL lens portion (clearance lamp lens portion: light-transmitting portion); 6H: HL lens portion (headlamp lens portion: light-transmitting portion); 20: CL unit (clearance lamp unit); 30: HL unit (headlamp unit); 60A: Primary formed part (light-transmitting member: light-transmitting resin); 60B: Secondary formed part (light-blocking member: light-blocking resin); 61: CL light-transmitting part; 61f: Flange part; 62: HL light-transmitting part; 62f: Flange part; 64: CL connecting part; 65: HL connecting part; 66: Light-blocking part. Detailed implementation mode

[0020] Next, the implementation mode of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 FIG. is a perspective view of a motor vehicle CAR equipped with a compound headlamp 1 having an outer lens according to an implementation mode of the present invention. In the compound headlamp 1, the position lamp 2 and the headlamp 3 are combined and arranged on the left and right sides of the front part of the vehicle body of the motor vehicle CAR. Moreover, in the body panel BP at the front part of the motor vehicle body, on each side, an upper side opening window UW in a U shape opening toward the inner side in the horizontal direction and a lower side opening window LW in a substantially circular shape are opened. The position lamp 2 is arranged inside the upper side opening window UW, and the headlamp 3 is arranged inside the lower side opening window LW. In addition, the position lamp 2 can also be configured to function as a daytime running lamp and a turn signal lamp.

[0021] Figure 2 FIG. is an external view of the compound headlamp 1 arranged at the left front part of the motor vehicle CAR. The compound headlamp 1 is arranged inside the body panel BP, particularly at the rear side of the upper side opening window UW and the lower side opening window LW. The compound headlamp 1 includes a single lamp housing 4 that extends across the area including from the upper side opening window UW to the lower side opening window LW when arranged. Inside the lamp housing 4, each lamp unit of the position lamp 2 and the headlamp 3, that is, the position lamp unit (hereinafter, CL unit) 20 and the headlamp unit (hereinafter, HL unit) 30, are installed. When the compound headlamp 1 is arranged inside the body panel BP, the CL unit 20 is arranged opposite to the upper side opening window UW of the body panel BP, and the HL unit 30 is arranged opposite to the lower side opening window LW.

[0022] Figure 3 FIG. is a longitudinal sectional view of the compound headlamp 1, which is a longitudinal sectional view of the part corresponding to the Figure 2 III-III line. Figure 4It is a schematic exploded perspective view of the main part. The lamp housing 4 includes: a lamp body 5 with an opening on its front surface; and an outer lens 6 mounted on the opening on the front surface of the lamp body 5. Further, a CL unit 20 is disposed in the upper region inside the lamp body 5, and an HL unit 30 is disposed in the lower region. In addition, the outer lens 6 is configured to have a contour lamp lens portion (hereinafter, CL lens portion) 6C corresponding to the CL unit 20 in the upper region, and a headlamp lens portion (hereinafter, HL lens portion) 6H corresponding to the HL unit 30 in its lower region.

[0023] The CL unit 20 includes a reflector 21 disposed across the entire surface region including the upper side opening window UW and supported by the lamp body 5. A groove 21a in a horizontally U shape corresponding to the opening shape of the upper side opening window UW is formed at the front surface position of the reflector 21, and a light guide member (light guide body) 22 is disposed in the groove 21a and supported by the reflector 21. Both ends of the light guide member 22 are configured as light incident surfaces, and LEDs (light emitting diodes) 23 that emit white light or a colored light close thereto are disposed as contour lamp light sources so as to face the light incident surfaces.

[0024] In the CL unit 20, when the LEDs 23 emit light, the emitted light enters the end surfaces of the light incident surfaces configured as the light guide member 22 and is guided along the extension direction of the light guide member 22. Moreover, the light guided in the light guide member 22 is as shown by the solid line L1 in Figure 3 and is emitted from the side surface of the light guide member 22. A part of the emitted light is directly directed toward the outer lens 6, and another part is reflected by the reflector 21 and directed toward the outer lens 6. Alternatively, the light guided in the light guide member 22 is reflected by a light reflection step formed on the rear surface of the light guide member 22 and is emitted from the front surface side of the light guide member 22. These lights pass through the CL lens portion 6C of the outer lens 6 and irradiate the front region of the motor vehicle CAR through the upper side opening window UW.

[0025] The HL unit 30 includes a base 31 having a radiator function, and white light-emitting LEDs 32 configured as headlamp light sources are mounted on the upper surface of the base 31. The light emitting surfaces of the LEDs 32 face upward, and a condenser reflector 33 in a rotating elliptical shape that covers the upper part of the LEDs 32 and reflects the light of the LEDs 32 forward in a condensed state is supported in the base 31. In addition, at the front side portion of the base 31, a lighting lens 34 that irradiates the light of the LEDs 32 condensed by the condenser reflector 33 toward the outer lens 6 and a variable light shielding mechanism 35 that is driven to a position where a part of the condensed light is shielded or not shielded are supported.

[0026] In the HL unit 30, when the LEDs 32 emit light, as in Figure 3It is represented by a solid line L2 in the figure. The emitted light is reflected by the condenser reflector 33 and condensed at a position near the variable light-shielding mechanism 35. When the variable light-shielding mechanism 35 is controlled to the light-shielding position as shown by the solid line, a part of the emitted light is shielded by the variable light-shielding mechanism 35. The light L3 that is not shielded is incident on the illumination lens 34, refracted by the illumination lens 34 and passes through the illumination lens 34, further passes through the HL lens portion 6H of the outer lens 6, and irradiates the front area of the motor vehicle CAR through the lower opening window LW. Thus, the irradiation based on the low beam light distribution is performed. When the variable light-shielding mechanism 35 is tilted and controlled to the non-light-shielding position, most of the reflected light L2 passes through the illumination lens 34, and the light L3 and L4 after passing through are used for the irradiation of the high beam light distribution.

[0027] The outer lens 6 has an outer shape corresponding to the front surface opening of the lamp body 5 and is mounted on the opening edge of the lamp body 5 by bonding or welding at its outer edge portion 63. The CL lens portion 6C and the HL lens portion 6H are configured as light-transmitting portions for transmitting light, and most of the other regions are configured as light-blocking portions that do not transmit light. Moreover, the outer lens 6 is formed by two-color molding of a light-transmitting resin and a light-blocking resin. That is, the light-transmitting portion is composed of a primary molded part 60A formed by primary molding with a transparent and colorless light-transmitting resin, and the light-blocking portion is composed of a secondary molded part 60B formed by secondary molding an opaque resin such as a black resin onto the primary molded part 60A.

[0028] Figure 5a It is a front view of the primary molded part 60A forming each lens portion 61 and 62. In this figure, the horizontally U-shaped CL lens portion 6C and the substantially circular HL lens portion 6H are integrally molded with a light-transmitting resin. The CL lens portion 6C is composed of a horizontally U-shaped CL light-transmitting portion 61, and a flange portion 61f is integrally formed around the CL light-transmitting portion 61. The HL lens portion 6H is composed of a substantially circular HL light-transmitting portion 62, and a flange portion 62f is integrally formed around the HL light-transmitting portion 62. Moreover, in the CL light-transmitting portion 61, two CL connecting portions 64 extending in the vertical direction between the upper edge portion 61a and the lower edge portion 61b are formed with a required gap in the horizontal direction, and the upper edge portion 61a and the lower edge portion 61b are connected to each other through the two CL connecting portions 64 via the flange portion 61f. In addition, the HL light-transmitting portion 62 is connected to the lower edge portion 61b of the CL light-transmitting member 61 via a flange portion 62f by a single HL connecting portion 65 extending in the vertical direction. These CL connecting portions 64 and HL connecting portion 65 are formed of the same light-transmitting resin as the CL light-transmitting portion 61 and the HL light-transmitting portion 62.

[0029] The width dimensions of each of the two CL connecting portions 64 and 65 are shorter than the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the CL light-transmitting portion 61 toward the left and right, that is, the length dimensions of the upper and lower side portions 61a and 61b including the flange portion 61f. In addition, the width dimension of the HL connecting portion 65 in the left-right direction is shorter than the diameter dimension in the left-right direction along the flange portion 62f including the HL light-transmitting portion 62. Therefore, the CL light-transmitting portion 61 and the HL light-transmitting portion 62 are connected at a part of each of them by the CL connecting portion 64 and the HL connecting portion 65. The shortening of the width dimensions of these CL connecting portion 64 and HL connecting portion 65 as much as possible will be described later.

[0030] In addition, in the outer lens 6, as Figure 3 shown in the longitudinal sectional view, the lower side portion 61b of the CL light-transmitting portion 61 is arranged at a position protruding forward toward the lamp by a required dimension compared with the upper side portion 61a. In addition, the HL light-transmitting portion 62 is arranged at a position protruding forward toward the lamp by a required dimension compared with the CL light-transmitting portion 61. That is, a stepped cross-section is formed from the upper side portion 61a of the CL light-transmitting portion 61 toward the HL light-transmitting portion 62. Correspondingly, the CL connecting portion 64 and the HL connecting portion 65 respectively have a cross-sectional shape bent in the thickness direction.

[0031] In this way, in the primary molded article 60A, the upper side portion 61a and the lower side portion 61b of the CL light-transmitting portion 61 are connected by the CL connecting portion 64, and further, the lower side portion 61b and the HL light-transmitting portion 62 are connected by the HL connecting portion 65 and integrated. Therefore, as Figure 6a schematically shown, the mold for molding the primary molded article 60A is constituted by a single continuous cavity C1. And if a gate G1 for injecting resin into a position near the approximate center of the cavity C1 is provided, the flow path lengths of the respective parts in the cavity C1 become almost balanced from the gate G1, and the resin R1 flows into the respective parts of the cavity C1 at a balanced speed and time. Thus, it is not affected by the volume difference between the CL light-transmitting portion 61 including the flange portion 61f and the HL light-transmitting portion 62 including the flange portion 62f, and appropriate resin molding can be performed. That is, it is not necessary to provide a sprue or a side gate as in Patent Document 1, and even with a low-cost mold, appropriate primary molding can be performed. In addition, it is possible to prevent the control during injection of the resin from becoming complicated.

[0032] In addition, as Figure 6bAs shown, if the CL light-transmitting portion 61 and the HL light-transmitting portion 62 are independent structures, resins R2 and R3 are injected into the cavities C2 and C3 that form these portions from the separate gates G2 and G3, respectively. Therefore, if the internal volumes of the cavities C2 and C3 that form the CL light-transmitting portion 61 and the HL light-transmitting portion 62 are different, it is difficult to inject the resins into the two cavities C2 and C3 evenly. For example, if the resins are injected into the respective cavities C2 and C3 at the same speed, the resin will fill the cavity C3 with a smaller volume first, resulting in burrs or the like due to the excess resin, or causing turbulence of the resin within the cavities C2 and C3, reducing the forming quality.

[0033] Here, the CL connecting portion 64 is not formed across the entire length direction of the CL light-transmitting portion 61 including the flange portion 61f, but is composed of two CL connecting portions 64 having a width dimension as short as possible in the left-right direction of the CL light-transmitting portion 61. The width dimension of the CL connecting portion 64 is formed with the minimum width dimension that does not impair Figure 6a the injection of the resin into the cavity C1 and the smooth flow as shown. For the HL connecting portion 65, it is formed with a width dimension as short as possible in the left-right direction diameter dimension of the HL light-transmitting portion 62 including the flange portion 62f, and is formed with the minimum dimension that does not impair the injection of the resin into the cavity C1 of the HL light-transmitting portion 62 and the smooth flow during the first forming.

[0034] In the formed first formed article 60A, the upper edge portion 61a and the lower edge portion 61b of the CL light-transmitting portion 61, which are respectively elongated and extend in the left-right direction, are connected by the CL connecting portion 64, thereby improving the overall mechanical strength of the CL light-transmitting portion 61 and preventing deformation during the second forming. In the HL light-transmitting portion 62, since it is connected to the CL light-transmitting portion 61 through the HL connecting portion 65, the positional change of the HL light-transmitting portion 62 relative to the CL light-transmitting portion 61 during the second forming is suppressed, and the relative position accuracy between the two is improved.

[0035] On the other hand, Figure 5b is a front view of the second formed article 60B, which is a two-color formed article of an opaque resin formed on the first formed article 60A, that is, the outer cover 6. The opaque portion 66 is indicated by a dotted line. The opaque resin is formed of a resin that does not transmit light, such as a black resin. The detailed description of the second formed article 60B is omitted. The second forming is performed by injecting the opaque resin into the second mold after arranging the formed first formed article 60A in the second mold, so that the opaque resin is formed as a two-color formed article integrated on the back side of the light-transmitting resin. In addition, the second formed article 60B has a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the outer lens 6. The outer edge portion 63 is formed into a shape corresponding to the front surface opening of the lamp body 5, and is supported by bonding or welding to the edge of the front surface opening of the lamp body 5 at the outer edge portion 63.

[0036] In the secondary formed member 60B, in the CL light transmissive portion 61 and the HL light transmissive portion 62, the light shielding portion 66 is laminated on the flange portions 61f and 62f other than the CL light transmissive portion 61 and the HL light transmissive portion 62. Thus, the CL lens portion 6C is formed by the CL light transmissive portion 61, and the HL lens portion 6H is formed by the HL light transmissive portion 62. In addition, the light shielding portion 66 is formed of a light shielding resin provided in a region straddling the CL connecting portion 64 and the HL connecting portion 65, a region between the upper edge portion 61a and the lower edge portion 61b of the CL light transmissive portion 61, and a region further sandwiched between the flange portion 61f of the CL light transmissive portion 61 and the flange portion 62f of the HL light transmissive portion 62.

[0037] Figure 7a , Figure 7b is a cross-sectional view taken along lines A-A and B-B of Figure 5b For illustration, the dimensions in the thickness direction of the lens are shown enlarged. From these figures, it can be seen that the light shielding resin constituting the light shielding portion 66 is laminated on the light transmissive resin at the flange portions 61f and 62f of the CL light transmissive portion 61 and the HL light transmissive portion 62, and is also laminated on the light transmissive resin only at the CL connecting portion 64 and the HL connecting portion 65. That is, the light shielding resin is not laminated at the CL light transmissive portion 61 and the HL light transmissive portion 62. In addition, in the CL connecting portion 64 and the HL connecting portion 65, a window portion w is formed in a part, and at this window portion w, the light shielding resin is not laminated on the light transmissive resin. Moreover, the light shielding resin is formed in a region where there is no light transmissive resin so as to be coplanar with the light transmissive resin.

[0038] Therefore, it is possible to reduce the resin amounts of the light transmissive resin and the light shielding resin required to form the outer lens 6 having a required area. In particular, the light transmissive resin only needs to be in an amount for forming each of the CL light transmissive portion 61 and its flange portion 61f, the HL light transmissive portion 62 and its flange portion 62f, the CL connecting portion 64, and the HL connecting portion 65. The light shielding resin is in an amount for forming the entire region of the outer lens 6 except for the window portions w of the CL connecting portion 64 and the HL connecting portion 65. Therefore, compared with a structure in which a light transmissive resin is formed across substantially the entire surface of the lens as shown in Patent Document 1 and a light shielding resin is formed so as to overlap with the light transmissive resin, the resin amount can be reduced, and cost reduction can be achieved. In addition, by reducing the resin amount, the weight of the outer lens can be reduced.

[0039] As Figure 3As shown, the composite headlamp 1 configured as described above is configured such that the CL unit 20 and the HL unit 30 are installed inside the lamp body 5, and the outer lens 6 is installed so as to further cover the front surface opening of the lamp body 5. In the installed outer lens 6, the CL light transmissive portion 61, that is, the CL lens portion 6C, is disposed opposite to the CL unit 20. Further, the HL light transmissive portion 62, that is, the HL lens portion 6H, is disposed opposite to the HL unit 30. The light emitted from the CL unit 20 is irradiated through the CL lens portion 6C, and the light emitted from the HL unit 30 is irradiated through the HL lens portion 6H. The light-shielding portion 66 of the outer lens 6 shields the internal area of the lamp housing 1 other than the CL unit 20 and the HL unit 30 so that this internal area portion does not appear to the outside through the outer lens 6.

[0040] On this basis, the composite headlamp 1 is installed at the front part of the body of the motor vehicle CAR. Further, the body panel BP is installed on the body from its front side. When the body panel BP is installed, the CL lens portion 6C is exposed through the upper side opening window UW having a horizontally U-shaped configuration, and the HL lens portion 6H is exposed through the lower side opening window LW having a circular configuration. Therefore, the light of the CL unit 20 is irradiated from the CL lens portion 6C through the upper side opening window UW, and the light of the HL unit 30 is irradiated from the HL lens portion 6H through the lower side opening window LW. Thus, as Figure 1 shown, the composite headlamp 1 formed by combining the CL lamp 2 and the HL lamp 3 is provided to the motor vehicle CAR.

[0041] Here, in the embodiment, there is a window portion w formed by a part of each of the CL connection portion 64 and the HL connection portion 65 where no light-shielding resin overlaps, and this window portion w is covered by the body panel BP on the front surface side when the composite headlamp 1 is installed on the motor vehicle CAR. Therefore, the window portion w is not exposed to the outside of the motor vehicle and does not impair the aesthetic appearance.

[0042] Further, in the CL connection portion 64 and the HL connection portion 65, sometimes a part of the light of the CL unit 20 or a part of the light of the HL unit 30 is guided inside. However, since the CL connection portion 64 and the HL connection portion 65 are bent in the thickness direction, particularly in the HL connection portion 65, the light guided from the CL lens portion 6C to the HL lens portion 6H or the light guided from the HL lens portion 6H to the CL lens portion 6C is suppressed from being guided in this bent portion. Thus, for example, when only the CL unit 20 emits light, it is possible to prevent this light from being emitted from the HL lens portion 6H and making the HL unit 30 appear to emit light suspiciously.

[0043] As described above, the outer lens is integrally formed of a light-transmitting resin in a state where a plurality of light-transmitting portions of a lens portion for forming a plurality of independent lamps are connected by a connecting portion, and an opaque resin is two-color molded with respect to the formed light-transmitting portions and the connecting portion. In this structure, the connecting portion is formed to have a size that is required and sufficient for appropriately molding each light-transmitting resin, and on the other hand, a size as small as possible with respect to the size of the light-transmitting portion. In addition, the opaque resin is laminated on a part of the connecting portion and the edge portion of the light-transmitting portion on the light-transmitting resin, and is formed coplanar with the light-transmitting resin in other regions. By doing so, the amounts of the light-transmitting resin and the opaque resin required to form the outer lens are suppressed, and a low-cost and lightweight outer lens can be obtained.

[0044] In the embodiment, an example in which flange portions 61f and 62f are provided around the CL light-transmitting portion 61 and the HL light-transmitting portion 62 has been described, but these flange portions 61f and 62f may exist only in a part, and may not necessarily exist across the entire circumferences of the CL light-transmitting portion 61 and the HL light-transmitting portion 62. In this case, the amount of the light-transmitting resin used to form each of the flange portions 61f and 62f can be reduced.

[0045] In the embodiment, as a lamp device according to the present invention, an example of a combined headlamp including a CL unit and an HL unit has been shown, but the present invention can also be applied to a combined lamp composed of other lamp units. For example, it may be a combination of a headlamp unit and an auxiliary lamp unit. In any structure of the combined lamp, the light-transmitting members forming the lens portions of the respective lamp units may be formed as a single light-transmitting primary molded article connected by a connecting portion.

[0046] In addition, even when a single lamp unit includes a plurality of lens portions, the light-transmitting portions forming these plurality of lens portions may be connected by a connecting portion. On this basis, a region other than the light-transmitting portion of the primary molded article and a part of the connecting portion may be two-color molded with an opaque resin to form a secondary molded article. In this way, appropriate molding of the outer lens based on the light-transmitting resin and the opaque resin can be achieved, and the amounts of the light-transmitting resin and the opaque resin can be reduced, and cost reduction and weight reduction of the outer lens can be achieved.

[0047] In addition, the present invention can also be used for a lamp having a structure in which a vehicle body panel does not exist on the front surface side of the outer lens. In this case, at the connecting portion connecting a plurality of light-transmitting portions, an opaque resin is laminated on the entire surface of the connecting portion. Even so, even if the region where the light-transmitting resin and the opaque resin are laminated includes the connecting portion, it is a small area. In addition, for the connecting portion, since its area is designed to be a size required and sufficient for molding, the amount of resin used for molding can be reduced, achieving cost reduction and weight reduction. Furthermore, in the present invention, the present invention can also be similarly applied when the outer lens is formed by a light-transmitting member and an opaque member made of materials other than resin.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp, comprising an outer lens composed of a plurality of light-transmitting portions formed by a light-transmitting member and a light-impermeable portion formed by a light-impermeable member, characterized in that: The plurality of light-transmitting portions have flange portions and are integrally formed by the light-transmitting member in a state of being connected to each other via connecting portions, and the opaque member is stacked on the light-transmitting member at the flange portions and the connecting portions, and is coplanar with the light-transmitting member in an area where the light-transmitting member does not exist.

2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light-impermeable member is formed with a window portion that is not laminated at the connection portion.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer lens is formed by resin molding, the light-transmitting portion having the flange portion and the connecting portion are formed of light-transmitting resin as a primary molded product, and the light-impermeable portion is formed of light-impermeable resin in two-color molding as a secondary molded product.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting portion connects the plurality of light-transmitting portions to each other at a portion of each portion, and is curved in a lens thickness direction of the outer lens.

5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle lamp comprises the outer lens and a lamp housing including a lamp body on which the outer lens is mounted, and is a composite vehicle lamp in which a plurality of lamp units are arranged in the lamp housing. The plurality of light-transmitting portions of the outer lens are portions through which light emitted from the plurality of lamp units passes.

6. The vehicle lamp according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lamp housing is mounted on a vehicle body, the plurality of lamp units are configured as independent lamps each having a different function, and the plurality of light-transmitting portions are configured as lens portions of the independent lamps.

7. The vehicle lamp according to claim 6, characterized in that: In the lamp unit, the light-transmitting portion constituting the lens portion has a plurality of locations, and the plurality of locations are connected to each other via the connection portion.

8. The vehicle lamp according to claim 6, characterized in that: The connecting portion is shielded by a body of the vehicle.

9. The vehicle lamp according to claim 5, characterized in that: The plurality of lamp units include a headlamp unit and an auxiliary lamp unit.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Lighting fixture cover member

    JP2023020396A