Vehicular lighting fixture

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture comprising a bracket having sufficient strength even if being thin and lightweight, in a lamp body.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting fixture 1 comprises: a lamp body 2 comprising an opening part; a front cover 4 attached to the opening part of the lamp body 2, and forming a lighting chamber S inside the lamp body 2; and a bracket 5 provided in the lamp body 2 as a fitting part for a vehicle body. The bracket 5 comprises a main body part 6 connected to the lamp body 2, and a fitting part 7 engaged with the vehicle body. The main body part 6 is constituted of semicylindrical parts 8a, 8b, and 9 each including a curved part in at least a portion, and having a semicylindrical shape in a transverse section. Base end parts 8a3, 8b3, and 9b of the semicylindrical parts 8a, 8b, and 9 are formed integrally with a curved surface 2a of the lamp body 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This technology relates to a vehicle lamp having a lamp body with a bracket that is thin, lightweight, and sufficiently strong. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there has been a demand for lighter vehicle lighting fixtures from the perspective of carbon neutrality, and so there is a demand for lighter lamp bodies in which parts are mounted. On the other hand, in recent vehicle lighting fixtures, the number of parts mounted on the lamp body, such as sensors, has been increasing from the perspective of improving safety, and there is a demand for stronger rigidity in particular for the bracket that is the mounting part to the vehicle body.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses, in FIGS. 4 and 5, a lamp body having a vehicle body mounting portion (bracket) whose rigidity is enhanced by adding a rib. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-123292 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Adding ribs to each vehicle mounting part (bracket) increases the rigidity of the bracket, but it also increases the weight of the lamp body, which goes against the need for weight reduction. Also, simply making the bracket thinner promotes weight reduction, but it is undesirable because it reduces the strength of the bracket.

[0006] In view of the above problems, the present application provides a vehicle lamp that achieves weight reduction by providing a bracket that is thin and lightweight but has sufficient strength on a lamp body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In a vehicle lamp having a lamp body with a front end opening, a front cover attached to the front end opening of the lamp body and forming a lamp chamber inside the lamp body, and a bracket provided on the lamp body as an attachment part to a vehicle body, the bracket has a main body part connected to the lamp body and an attachment part engaged with the vehicle body, the main body part is composed of a semi-cylindrical part having a semi-cylindrical cross section that includes at least a curved part, and the base end part of the semi-cylindrical part is formed integrally with the curved surface of the lamp body.

[0008] (Function) By forming the main body of the bracket, which is the part that is integrated into the lamp body, from a semi-cylindrical portion, the bracket has a larger second moment of area than a main body formed in a flat plate shape, and has high rigidity against bending.

[0009] It is also preferable that a seal portion is provided at a front end opening of the lamp body, and the semi-cylindrical portion is formed integrally with the seal portion.

[0010] (Function) Since the semi-cylindrical portion of the bracket is integrally formed with the seal portion of the lamp body, bending stress occurring in the bracket acts not only on the bracket but also on the lamp body via the seal portion.

[0011] It is also desirable that the semi-cylindrical portion be configured as a plurality of continuous semi-cylindrical portions in which convex semi-cylindrical portions and concave semi-cylindrical portions are alternately formed in succession, and that the front end portions of the concave semi-cylindrical portions be integrally formed with the seal portion.

[0012] (Operation) Since a bottomed box-like portion is formed in the area surrounded by the concave semi-cylindrical portion, the seal portion, and the curved surface of the lamp body, the rigidity of the bracket is further improved via the box portion.

[0013] It is also preferable that the base end of the concave semi-cylindrical portion has a drain hole.

[0014] (Function) By defining the box portion, the rigidity of the concave semi-cylindrical portion is further improved, so that even if a drain hole for draining water inside the box portion due to condensation or the like is formed in the concave semi-cylindrical portion, the rigidity is less likely to decrease.

[0015] It is preferable that a base end of the concave semi-cylindrical portion is integrally formed with the inclined curved surface of the lamp body, and the drain hole is formed so as to be continuous with the lowest part of the inclined curved surface.

[0016] (Function) By forming the drain hole at the base end of the concave semi-cylindrical portion continuously with the lowest part of the inclined curved surface of the lamp body, a highly efficient drain hole is formed without impairing the rigidity of the bracket. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the vehicle lighting fixture, by constructing the main body of the bracket from a semi-cylindrical portion, the main body has high rigidity against bending stress, so that even if the main body is made thin, high rigidity against bending can be obtained, and even without providing reinforcing ribs, the bracket has sufficient rigidity against bending, so that further weight reduction of the vehicle lighting fixture can be achieved via the lamp body.

[0018] In the vehicle lighting fixture, the bending stress occurring in the bracket is also borne by the seal portion of the lamp body, and therefore the rigidity of the bracket can be achieved by both the seal portion and the semi-cylindrical portion, so that the bracket is made lighter by being made thinner while still improving its rigidity, thereby enabling further weight reduction in the lamp body and vehicle lighting fixture to be achieved.

[0019] According to the vehicle lamp, the box portion further improves the rigidity of the bracket, so that the bracket can be made lighter and more rigid by being thinner, thereby enabling further weight reduction of the lamp body and the vehicle lamp to be achieved.

[0020] According to the vehicle lamp, even if a drain hole is formed for water droplets generated inside the box portion, the bracket can have sufficient rigidity, so that the lamp body and the vehicle lamp can be further lightened.

[0021] According to the vehicle lamp, a bracket having a water droplet hole with high drainage properties is formed without impairing rigidity, and further weight reduction of the lamp body and the vehicle lamp can be achieved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment (details of a bracket 5 are omitted). [Diagram 2] 2 is a perspective view of the bracket of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1, viewed obliquely from the front right. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bracket of FIG. 1, seen obliquely from the right rear. [Figure 4] (a) A rear view of the bracket in FIG. 1. (b) An end view of the bracket body cut horizontally at position II. [Diagram 5] (a) is a plan view of the bracket of FIG. 1. (b) is an end view of the main body of the bracket cut vertically at II-II position. (c) is an end view of the main body of the bracket cut vertically at III-III position. [Figure 6] 6(a) is a perspective view showing a modified example of the bracket, and (b) is an end view of the bracket main body of FIG. 6(a) cut horizontally. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] A preferred embodiment of a vehicle lamp of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 6. In each drawing, the vehicle lamp will be described with the directions being (front: rear: left: right: top: bottom).

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a front view of a vehicle lamp 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle lamp 1 in FIG. 1 includes a lamp body 2 and a front cover 4. In a vertical cross section along the front-rear direction, the lamp body 2 has a container shape with a rear wall extending vertically and a bottom wall extending longitudinally, and has an opening at its front end. A groove-shaped seal portion 3 recessed backward is provided around the entire periphery of the front end opening of the lamp body 2, as shown by reference numeral 3 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5(b)(c). The front cover 4 is made of a translucent resin, glass, or the like. The front cover 4 is engaged with the seal portion 3 from the front via a sealing elastic member (not shown) and defines a lamp chamber S sealed inside the lamp body 2.

[0025] A high beam lamp unit Hi and a low beam lamp unit Lo that irradiate headlight forward (toward the viewer in the drawing) are housed in the defined lamp chamber S shown in Fig. 1. The high beam lamp unit Hi and the low beam lamp unit Lo are optical units configured to irradiate light emitted from a light source forward of the vehicle to form a high beam light distribution / low beam light distribution. Each lamp unit (Hi, Lo) uses a lamp unit of a conventionally known configuration, such as a reflector type or projector type, and the type is not important.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 1, a plurality of brackets 5 shown in Fig. 2 to Fig. 5 are integrally formed at the upper end of the lamp body 2. Although the detailed configuration of the brackets 5 is omitted in Fig. 1, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bracket 5 as viewed from the diagonally front side of the lamp body 2 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bracket 5 as viewed from the diagonally rear right side of the lamp body 2 in Fig. 1.

[0027] 2 and 3, the bracket 5 is composed of a main body 6 and an attachment portion 7. The main body 6 is formed integrally with the lamp body 2 while being connected thereto, and extends upward. The attachment portion 7 is integrated with the main body 6 while being bent obliquely rearward and upward from a tip 6a of the main body 6. The attachment portion 7 is engaged and fixed to a vehicle body (not shown) through an attachment hole 7a.

[0028] FIG. 4(a) is a rear view of the bracket 5, and FIG. 4(b) is an end view of FIG. 4(a) cut at the position of the cutting line II of the main body 6. The main body 6 shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4(a) is composed of a plurality of semi-cylindrical parts having a semi-cylindrical cross section as shown in the end view of FIG. 4(b). In this embodiment, the main body 6 is composed of a convex semi-cylindrical part 9 that is convex toward the front, and a pair of concave semi-cylindrical parts 8a, 8b that are integrally formed so as to be smoothly continuous with the left and right sides of the convex semi-cylindrical part 9 and are concave toward the front. The main body 6 is formed into a wave shape as shown in FIG. 4(b) by being composed as a continuous semi-cylindrical part in which concave and convex semi-cylindrical parts are alternately formed in the order of the concave semi-cylindrical part 8a-the convex semi-cylindrical part 9-the concave semi-cylindrical part 8b.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, base ends 8a3, 8b3, and 9b, which are the lowest portions of the concave semi-cylindrical portions 8a and 8b and the convex semi-cylindrical portion 9, are all integrally formed with the curved surface 2a of the lamp body 2. As shown in FIG.

[0030] In this way, by forming the main body 6 of the bracket 5, which is a part integrated with the lamp body 2, from one or more semi-cylindrical parts, the bracket has a larger second moment of area than a conventional main body formed in a flat plate shape, and has high rigidity against bending. Conventional main bodies formed in a flat plate shape require the installation of ribs to strengthen bending rigidity, or the plate thickness of the main body needs to be increased. However, the main body of this embodiment does not require ribs and has a corrugated shape even if the plate thickness is thin, so that it has sufficient rigidity against bending, and is configured to contribute to weight reduction of the bracket and lamp body required from the viewpoint of carbon neutrality. Note that the number of semi-cylindrical parts forming the main body 6 is not limited to three as in this embodiment, and may be two or four or more, as long as the semi-cylindrical parts are alternately repeated.

[0031] In addition, the base ends 8a3, 8b3, and 9b of the main body 6 of the bracket 5 shown in FIG. 3 are integrated with the lamp body 2 at the curved surface 2a, which has a larger moment of inertia than a flat surface, and therefore have even higher rigidity than if they were integrated with a flat surface of the lamp body 2.

[0032] 2 and 3, front end portions 8a1, 8a2 of the concave semi-cylindrical portion 8a of the main body 6 and front end portions 8b1, 8b2 of the concave semi-cylindrical portion 8b are integrally formed with the rear end portion 3a of the seal portion 3. The front end portion 9a of the convex semi-cylindrical portion 9 also protrudes forward from the front end portions 8a2, 8b1 of the concave semi-cylindrical portions, and is therefore integrally formed with the rear end portion 3a of the seal portion 3.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, the lamp body 2 has a front cover 4 fixed to the seal portion 3. As shown in FIG. 2, when the concave semi-cylindrical portions 8a, 8b and the convex semi-cylindrical portion 9 of the main body portion 6 of the bracket 5 are integrally formed with the seal portion 3 of the lamp body 2, the bending stress generated in the bracket 5 acts not only on the bracket 5 but also on the lamp body 2 via the seal portion 3. According to the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the bending stress generated in the bracket 5 is also received by the seal portion 3 of the lamp body 2, so that the rigidity of the bracket 5 can be realized by both the seal portion 3, which is a part of the lamp body 2, and the main body portion 6 having the corrugated semi-cylindrical portion. Therefore, the weight of the bracket 5 is reduced by thinning, while the rigidity is further improved, and the weight of the lamp body 2 and the vehicle lamp 1 can be further reduced.

[0034] 2, the area consisting of the concave semi-cylindrical portion 8a on the left side (8b on the right side), the seal portion 3, and the curved surface 2a of the lamp body 2 has stronger rigidity than other areas by defining the box portions 12, 12. The bottom surfaces of the box portions 12, 12 (parts of the curved surface 2a of the lamp body 2) are provided with boss portions 11, 11 for mounting to the vehicle body.

[0035] 5(c), 2 and 3, the base ends 8a3, 8b3 of the concave semi-cylindrical portions 8a, 8b are provided with drainage holes 10, 10 penetrating from the inside to the outside of the box portions 12, 12. The drainage holes 10, 10 are formed to penetrate from the box portions 12, 12 to the outside of the lamp chamber S, and drain water generated inside the box portions 12, 12 due to condensation or the like to the outside of the lamp body 2, i.e., to the outside of the lamp chamber S.

[0036] 5(b), the rigidity of the concave semi-cylindrical portions 8a, 8b is strengthened by forming the box portions 12, 12, so that the rigidity is not easily reduced even when the drainage holes 10, 10 are formed. Therefore, the bracket 5 can have sufficient rigidity even when the drainage holes 10, 10 are provided.

[0037] As shown in the enlarged portion of symbol K in Fig. 5(c) (enlarged portion of the portion surrounded by the dashed line), the bottom surface (curved surface 2a) of the box portions 12, 12 is provided with an inclined curved surface 12a that gently descends from the vicinity of the lowest end portion 11a of the boss portion 11 to the base ends 8a3, 8b3 of the concave semi-cylindrical portions 8a, 8b. The inclined curved surface 12a is formed so as to be continuous with the drain holes 10, 10 located at the lowest portion of the box portions 12, 12. As a result, water generated by condensation or the like inside the box portions 12, 12 is promoted to be discharged to the outside of the box portions 12, 12 via the descending inclined curved surface 12a.

[0038] Moreover, Fig. 6(a) is a diagram showing a bracket 5' which is a modified example of the bracket 5 shown in Figs. 1 to 5, and Fig. 6(b) is a diagram showing an end view of the bracket 5' cut horizontally. Except for the shape of the main body 6', the bracket 5' has a configuration common to the bracket 5 shown in Figs. 1 to 5. The mounting portion 7 of the bracket 5' is bent obliquely backward and upward from the tip 6a' of the main body 6' and is integrated with the main body 6'.

[0039] The main body 6' shown in Fig. 6(a) and Fig. 6(b) is composed of a continuous half cylinder with repeated concaves and convexes, i.e., convex half cylinders 13a and 13b that are convex toward the front and concave half cylinder 14 that is concave toward the front. As shown in Fig. 6(b), the main body 6' has a crank-shaped cross section. The convex half cylinders 13a and 13b are composed of a pair of plate-shaped portions 13a2 and 13b2 and curved portions 13a3 and 13b3, and the concave half cylinder 14 is composed of plate-shaped portions 14a, plate-shaped portions 13a2 and 13b2, and curved portion 14b. The main body 6' has a crank shape with a curved portion in part, and thus has a large second moment of area and high rigidity. Furthermore, since the front ends 13a1, 13b1 of the convex semi-cylindrical portions 13a, 13b are integrally formed with the seal portion 3, the main body portion 6' also has a higher rigidity than the main body portion 6. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Vehicle lighting fixtures 2 Lamp body 2a Curved surface of the lamp body 3. Seal Part 4 Front cover 5, 5' bracket 6, 6' Main body 7 Mounting part 8a,8b Concave half cylinder part 8a1,8a2,8b1,8b2 Front end 8a3,8b3 Base end 9 Convex half cylinder 9a Front end 9b Proximal end 10 Drain hole 12a Inclined curved surface 13a, 13b Convex semi-cylindrical portion 13a1,13b1 Front end 14 Concave semi-cylindrical portion 14 13a3, 13b3, 14b curved section

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp having a lamp body having a front end opening, a front cover attached to the front end opening of the lamp body and forming a lamp chamber inside the lamp body, and a bracket provided on the lamp body as an attachment part to a vehicle body, The bracket has a main body portion connected to the lamp body and an attachment portion engaged with a vehicle body, The main body portion is composed of a semi-cylindrical portion having a cross section that includes at least a curved portion, A vehicle lamp, wherein a base end of the semi-cylindrical portion is integrally formed with a curved surface of the lamp body.

2. A seal portion is provided at a front end opening of the lamp body, 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the semi-cylindrical portion is integrally formed with the seal portion.

3. The semi-cylindrical portion is configured as a plurality of continuous semi-cylindrical portions in which convex semi-cylindrical portions and concave semi-cylindrical portions are alternately and continuously formed, 3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 2, wherein a front end of the concave semi-cylindrical portion is integrally formed with the seal portion.

4. 4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein a drain hole is provided at a base end of the concave semi-cylindrical portion.

5. A base end of the concave semi-cylindrical portion is integrally formed with an inclined curved surface of the lamp body, 5. The vehicular lamp according to claim 4, wherein the drain hole is formed so as to be continuous with a lowermost portion of the inclined curved surface.

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