Vehicular lamp

Abstract

To provide a new technique which reduces impact of a heating wire on appearance.SOLUTION: A vehicular lamp includes: a lamp body in which an opening is formed on a front face; a cover attached to the opening; and a light source provided inside a lamp chamber 16 surrounded by the lamp body and the cover. The cover has a light transmission part through which light emitted from a light source passes. In the light transmission part, a heating part which generates heat by power feeding is provided on an inner face 20a on a side of the lamp chamber. The heating part has: a first layer 32a formed of conductive metal; and a second layer 32b arranged between the first layer 32a and the light transmission part. The second layer 32b is colored.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a vehicle lamp having a heating wire disposed in the outer lens is known as a means for melting snow accumulated on the surface of the lamp. For example, a heating wire has been devised in which a metal paste containing a resin component is directly applied to the lamp chamber side of the outer lens (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-072855 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, even when the lamp is not lit, if the color of the heating wire mentioned above is different from the color of the outer lens or the colors of the parts that make up the lamp body, the heating wire may be noticeable, which may detract from the appearance of the entire lamp.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of its exemplary purposes is to provide a new technique for reducing the effect of a heating wire in a vehicle lamp on the appearance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a vehicle lamp according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a lamp body having an opening formed on the front surface, a cover attached to the opening, and a light source provided inside a lamp chamber surrounded by the lamp body and the cover. The cover has a light-transmitting portion through which light emitted from the light source passes. The light-transmitting portion has a heating portion that generates heat when power is supplied to the lamp chamber, the heating portion having a first layer made of a conductive metal and a second layer disposed between the first layer and the light-transmitting portion. The second layer is colored.

[0007] According to this aspect, when the heat generating portion is viewed from the outside of the vehicle lamp, the conductive metal is hardly visible.

[0008] The lamp may further include a decorative component that is provided inside the lamp chamber and can be seen from the outside through the cover. The second layer is colored to prevent the first layer from being seen through the light-transmitting portion, and may be formed from a material that is closer to the color of the decorative component than the color of the first layer. This makes the second layer less noticeable compared to the decorative component. Here, being close in color means, for example, that the chromaticity difference is small.

[0009] The first layer may be a resin material having silver dispersed therein.

[0010] The design elements may be red or black.

[0011] The second layer may be black.

[0012] The second layer may be in a predetermined pattern with a width of 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

[0013] The second layer may have a thickness of 3 to 20 μm.

[0014] The light source may include a semiconductor light emitting element.

[0015] The cover may be formed of a translucent member and include a colored first translucent portion and a colorless second translucent portion. The heat generating portion may have a first heat generating portion provided on the inner surface of the first translucent portion and a second heat generating portion provided on the inner surface of the second translucent portion. The first heat generating portion may have a first layer and a second layer. The second heat generating portion may have a first layer. Thereby, by providing the second layer in the colored first translucent portion, the conductive metal becomes less visible.

[0016] Any combination of the above components, and any conversion of the expression of the present invention between a manufacturing method, a device such as a lamp or lighting, a light-emitting module, a light source, etc. are also valid as aspects of the present invention. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, a new lighting unit that is lightweight can be realized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a region R shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a rear view of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle lamp according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3, and is a schematic diagram mainly showing the configuration of a rear fog lamp. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp according to a third embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 is a schematic diagram of the outer lens shown in FIG. 5 as viewed from direction B. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted as appropriate. In addition, the embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

[0020] (First embodiment) Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment. The vehicle lamp 10 shown in Fig. 1 is a vehicle headlamp. The vehicle lamp 10 includes a lamp body 12 having a horizontally elongated opening formed on the front surface thereof, and a front cover 14 attached to the periphery of the opening of the lamp body 12 so as to cover the horizontally elongated opening. The lamp body 12 and the front cover 14 define a lamp chamber 16. A lamp unit 18 is disposed within the lamp chamber 16, and the lamp unit 18 irradiates light emitted from a semiconductor light-emitting element serving as a light source to the outside via the front cover 14.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, the front cover 14 integrally comprises a main cover part 20 as a light-transmitting part made of a material such as resin or glass through which light emitted from the light source passes, and a peripheral wall part 22 rising from the peripheral part of the main cover part 20 toward the inner side of the main cover part 20. The main cover part 20 occupies most of the irradiation surface, and has a flat surface. The peripheral wall part 22 and the main cover part 20 form an internal space 24. The peripheral part of the tip opening of the peripheral wall part 22 fits into the peripheral part of the opening of the lamp body 12. A seal member 26 is sandwiched between the peripheral part of the tip opening of the peripheral wall part 22 and the peripheral part of the opening of the lamp body 12 to ensure sealing.

[0022] 1, an extension reflector 28 is housed in the internal space 24 inside the front cover 14. The extension reflector 28 has a front view shape similar to that of the front cover 14 when viewed from the front of the vehicle, and is formed to be slightly smaller than the front cover 14. A hole 30 is formed in the center of the extension reflector 28 to allow the irradiation light emitted from the lamp unit 18 to pass therethrough.

[0023] Snow adhering to the main cover part 20 of the vehicle lamp 10 prevents proper light irradiation. Therefore, in the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, a heat generating part that generates heat when powered is provided in the main cover part 20. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the region R shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, a heater 32, which is a heat generating part, is provided on the inner surface 20a of the main cover part 20 on the lamp chamber 16 side.

[0024] The heater 32 has a first layer 32a made of a conductive metal, and a second layer 32b disposed between the first layer 32a and the main cover part 20. The second layer 32b is a colored layer that is colored so as to prevent the first layer 32a from being visible through the main cover part 20. This makes the first layer 32a less visible when the heater 32 is viewed from the outside of the vehicle lamp. "Preventing it from being visible" does not mean that it is completely prevented from being visible from the outside, but means the degree to which the first layer 32a is less visible from the outside.

[0025] Being colored means that the colored layer has an object color such that it has a specific color. For example, a red colored layer may have a characteristic that the wavelength region of 640 nm to 770 nm corresponding to red has a higher reflectance than other wavelength regions of visible light. Also, for example, a black colored layer may have a characteristic that the reflectance is 10% or less over the entire wavelength region of visible light.

[0026] The first layer 32a is a metal resistor obtained by baking a silver paste in which silver is dispersed in a resin material, and generates heat by resistance heating due to power supply. The line width of the first layer 32a according to this embodiment is about 0.5 to 1 mm, but the line width is not limited to this range as long as snow melting can be realized. The second layer 32b is formed by screen printing, pad printing, etc., and has a thickness of 3 to 20 μm. Ink for screen printing or pad printing is appropriately selected from known materials in consideration of the material of the cover part and heat resistance performance. In addition, the second layer 32b preferably has a line width equal to or greater than that of the first layer 32a, and may have a predetermined pattern with a line width of, for example, 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

[0027] The vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment is provided with an extension reflector 28 as a design component inside the lamp chamber 16. The extension reflector 28 is disposed at a position that can be seen from the outside through the main cover part 20, and is a colored component such as a metallic color or black color. Therefore, the second layer 32b is preferably formed of a material whose color is closer to the color of the extension reflector 28 than the color of the first layer 32a. This makes the second layer 32b less noticeable compared to the extension reflector 28. For example, both the second layer 32b and the extension reflector 28 may be black.

[0028] (Second embodiment) Fig. 3 is a rear view of a vehicle 36 equipped with a vehicle lamp 34 according to a second embodiment. The vehicle lamp 34 is a rear combination lamp. Fig. 3 shows an example in which the rear combination lamp is disposed at the right rear of a vehicle body 38, and the rear combination lamp disposed at the left rear is omitted from the illustration because it has a symmetrical configuration.

[0029] The vehicle lamp 34 is composed of an outside unit 40 disposed on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of a vehicle body 38, and an inside unit 42 disposed in a rear trunk 41 on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle lamp 34 is configured such that the outside unit 40 and the inside unit 42 are disposed adjacent to each other in the left-right direction.

[0030] The outside unit 40 is configured such that the outermost area in the vehicle width direction is a turn signal lamp 40a, the area inside the turn signal lamp 40a is a back amplifier lamp 40b, the upper area on the inside adjacent to the back amplifier lamp 40b is a tail lamp 40c, and the lower area is a stop lamp 40d.

[0031] The inside unit 42 is composed of a tail lamp 42c in an upper region in the vehicle width direction, a stop lamp 42d on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the lower region, and a rear fog lamp 42e adjacent to the stop lamp 42d in the innermost lower region in the vehicle width direction.

[0032] Furthermore, in the vehicle lamp 34 according to the present embodiment, the rear fog lamp 42e is provided with a snow melting function. The snow melting function will be described in detail below.

[0033] (Rear fog lamp) Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 3, and is a schematic diagram mainly showing the configuration of the rear fog lamp 42e. The rear fog lamp 42e includes a lamp body 44 with one open side, and a lamp cover 48 attached to the opening of the lamp body 44 and defining a lamp chamber 46 therein.

[0034] The lamp chamber 46 accommodates a lamp unit 50 for the rear fog lamp, an extension 52, and a fixing member 54 for fixing these.

[0035] The lamp cover 48 is a two-color molded product in which different resin materials are integrally formed, and has a light-transmitting portion 48a made of a light-transmitting resin material and a non-light-transmitting portion 48b that forms at least a part of the outer periphery of the light-transmitting portion 48a, is made of a non-light-transmitting material, and is integrally formed with the light-transmitting portion 48a. The light-transmitting portion 48a is disposed in front of the lamp unit 50.

[0036] The lamp unit 50 has a substrate 56, a light emitting element 58 attached to the surface of the substrate 56, and an inner lens 60. The light emitting element 58 is a light source that generates little heat, such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an LD (Laser Diode), or an EL (Electro Luminescence). In this embodiment, a red LED is used.

[0037] The inner lens 60 is a projection optical member that forms a predetermined light distribution, and is disposed in front of the light emitting element 58. The light emitted from the light emitting element 58 is incident on the inner lens 60, which forms the light distribution (diffused light) of the rear fog lamp and emits it forward. The light that has exited the inner lens 60 passes through the light transmitting portion 48a and illuminates the rear of the vehicle 36.

[0038] The extension 52 is a concealing member, and the mechanical parts of the lamp unit 50 other than the projection optical members are concealed by the extension 52 .

[0039] Heaters 62 that generate heat when powered are arranged in a predetermined pattern on the inner side 48c of the lamp cover 48. The heaters 62 are snow melting mechanisms for the rear fog lamps 42e, and are connected to the vehicle battery to generate heat when powered. The heat melts the snow adhering to the outside of the lamp cover 48, ensuring proper illumination by the lamp unit 50.

[0040] The heater 62 has a first layer 62a made of a conductive metal and a second layer 62b disposed between the first layer 62a and the lamp cover 48. The second layer 62b is a colored layer that is colored to prevent the first layer 62a from being visible through the light-transmitting portion 48a. In the rear fog lamp 42e according to the present embodiment, the extension 52 and the second layer 62b may be colored red. This makes it difficult to see the first layer 62a when the heater 62 is viewed from the outside of the rear fog lamp 42e.

[0041] (Third embodiment) Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp according to a third embodiment. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the outer lens shown in Fig. 5 as viewed from the direction B. The vehicle lamp shown in Fig. 5 is a combination lamp provided at the rear of the vehicle. The combination lamp 64 shown in Fig. 5 has a tail lamp 64a arranged at the top and a backup lamp 64b arranged at the bottom. The combination lamp 64 includes a lamp housing 66 and an outer lens 68 attached so as to close the opening of the lamp housing 66. The outer lens 68 according to this embodiment is a cover formed of a light-transmitting member.

[0042] A lamp chamber 70 surrounded by the lamp housing 66 and the outer lens 68 is provided with a plurality of light-emitting elements 74a, 74b mounted on a circuit board 72. Each of the light-emitting elements 74a, 74b is mounted on the circuit board 72 such that its light-emitting surface faces the outer lens 68.

[0043] The outer lens 68 includes a first light-transmitting portion 68a having a colored red portion facing the light-emitting element 74a for the tail lamp 64a, and a second light-transmitting portion 68b having a colorless portion facing the light-emitting element 74b for the backup lamp. A heater 76 for melting snow adhering to the surface of the outer lens 68 is provided on an inner surface 68c of the outer lens 68 on the lamp chamber 70 side.

[0044] The heater 76 has a first heating part 76a provided on the inner surface of the first light-transmitting part 68a and a second heating part 76b provided on the inner surface of the second light-transmitting part 68b. The first heating part 76a has a first layer 78a made of conductive metal and a second layer 78b which is a red printed layer. The ink for pad printing may be appropriately selected from known materials taking into consideration the material of the cover part and heat resistance performance. The second heating part 76b has a first layer 80 made of conductive metal. This makes it difficult to see the first layer 78a which is conductive metal in the colored first light-transmitting part 68a.

[0045] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and suitable combinations or substitutions of the configurations of the embodiment are also included in the present invention. In addition, it is possible to suitably rearrange the combinations and processing order in the embodiment based on the knowledge of a person skilled in the art, and to add modifications such as various design changes to the embodiment, and the embodiment with such modifications is also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, it is also possible to adopt the present invention not only for combination lamps, but also for tail lamps alone or backup lamps alone. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 10 vehicle lamp, 12 lamp body, 1 front cover, 16 lamp chamber, 18 lamp unit, 20 main cover portion, 20a inner surface, 32 heater, 32a first layer, 32b second layer, 68 outer lens, 68a first light-transmitting portion, 68b second light-transmitting portion, 68c inner surface, 70 lamp chamber, 72 circuit board, 74a light-emitting element, 76 heater, 76a first heat generating portion, 76b second heat generating portion, 78a first layer, 78b second layer, 80 first layer.

Claims

1. A lamp body having an opening formed on a front surface thereof; A cover attached to the opening; a light source provided inside a lamp chamber surrounded by the lamp body and the cover, the cover has a light-transmitting portion through which light emitted from the light source passes, The light transmitting portion has a heat generating portion that generates heat when powered, the heat generating portion being provided on an inner surface on the side facing the lamp chamber, The heat generating portion is a first layer made of a conductive metal; a second layer disposed between the first layer and the light transmitting portion, The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the second layer is colored.

2. A design component is provided inside the lamp chamber and can be seen from the outside through the cover.

2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the second layer is colored to prevent the first layer from being visible through the light-transmitting portion, and is formed of a material that is closer to the color of the decorative component than the color of the first layer.

3. 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first layer is made of a resin material in which silver is dispersed.

4. 3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 2, wherein the decorative component is red or black.

5. 5. The vehicular lamp according to claim 4, wherein the second layer is red or black.

6. 4. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the second layer has a predetermined pattern with a width of 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

7. 4. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the second layer has a thickness of 3 to 20 μm.

8. 4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the light source has a semiconductor light emitting element.

9. the cover is formed of a light-transmitting member and includes a colored first light-transmitting portion and a colorless second light-transmitting portion; the heat generating portion includes a first heat generating portion provided on an inner surface of the first light transmitting portion and a second heat generating portion provided on an inner surface of the second light transmitting portion, the first heat generating portion has the first layer and the second layer, The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 , wherein the second heat generating portion includes the first layer.

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