Vehicle lighting tool having snow melting function, and method for providing snow melting mechanism to vehicle lighting tool
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023177250
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-10-13
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-09
AI Technical Summary
The snow melting mechanism in existing vehicle lamps uses conductive metal paint as a member of the heat generation, resulting in metallic color exposure and affecting the aesthetics of the lamp design.
A pigment matching the color of the lampshade is printed on the inner surface of the vehicle lampshade and the conductive heat generation members are plated on it to form a film-like heat generation layer to hide the metallic color of the heat generation members.
It effectively solves the problem of color exposure of heat generation members, improves the design aesthetics of vehicle lamps, and ensures the normal operation of the snow melt function.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp having a snow-melting function and a method for providing a snow-melting mechanism in a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]
[0002] Since snow adhering to the lamp cover of a vehicle lamp can hinder the formation of an appropriate light distribution, some vehicle lamps are equipped with a snow melting mechanism that melts snow with heat. For example, in Patent Document 1, a heat generating member that generates heat when power is supplied is installed inside the lamp cover, and when power is supplied to this heat generating member, the heat generating member rises to a snow melting temperature, melting the snow adhering to the lamp cover. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 2022-189241 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] In Patent Document 1, a conductive metal paste such as silver paste is used as a heat generating member, which is applied to the inner surface of the lamp cover to be laid on the lamp cover. A snow melting mechanism is implemented by laying a heat generating member made of metal paste on the lamp cover, but the metallic color of the metal paste that constitutes the heat generating member is visible from the front side of the vehicle lamp, which makes it look bad and reduces the design value of the vehicle lamp.
[0005] The present invention provides a vehicle lamp having a snow-melting function that suppresses deterioration of design, and a method for providing a vehicle lamp with a snow-melting function. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] In order to solve the above problems, in one aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle lamp is configured with a snow-melting function, comprising a lamp body with an open front, a lamp cover made of a light-transmitting material and attached to the opening of the lamp body to form a lamp chamber, a colored portion provided on the inner surface of the lamp cover in a thin film form with paint of a desired color, and a heat-generating member made of a conductive paste that generates heat when power is supplied, laminated in a thin film form on the colored portion and laid inside the lamp cover.
[0007] In one embodiment, the colored portion is formed by printing the paint on the inner surface of the lamp cover.
[0008] In one embodiment, the lamp cover has, at least in part, a color cover portion made of a colored light-transmitting material, and the color portion is made of the paint of the same color as the color cover portion.
[0009] In one embodiment, a connector having terminals for supplying power to the heat-generating component is fixed to the inner surface of the lamp cover, and the terminals of the connector and the heat-generating component are connected by wire bonding. In one embodiment, the connector is fixed to a surface of the colored portion provided on the lamp cover.
[0010] In addition, as a method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for providing a snow-melting mechanism in a vehicle lamp having a lamp cover made of a translucent material, the method comprising: a coloring step of applying paint of a desired color to an elastic pad, pressing the pad against the inner surface of the lamp cover to transfer the paint to the inner surface of the lamp cover, and providing a colored portion on the inner surface of the lamp cover; and a lamination step of laminating a heat-generating member made of a conductive paste that generates heat when power is supplied thereto, on top of the colored portion.
[0011] In one aspect, the above method further includes a fixing step in which a connector having a terminal for supplying power to the heat-generating component is fixed to the inside of the lamp cover, and a connecting step in which the terminal of the connector is connected to the heat-generating component by wire bonding. Effect of the Invention
[0012] As is clear from the above description, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp with a snow melting function that suppresses deterioration of design, and a method for providing a vehicle lamp with a snow melting function. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lamp according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which a colored portion is shown in black. [Diagram 2] 2 is a front view illustrating a schematic configuration of the vehicle lamp, in which a colored portion is indicated by light ink. [Diagram 3] This is a vehicle lamp with the lamp cover removed (with the lamp cover and lamp body open). The components inside the lamp body (inside the lamp chamber) are omitted. [Figure 4] This is the connection between the body side and the cover side of the snow melting mechanism, and shows part A in Fig. 3. Fig. 4(A) is a rear view. Fig. 4(B) is an end view taken along line BB in Fig. 4(A). Fig. 4(C) is an end view taken along line CC in Fig. 4(A). [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a pad printing process. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing a process for forming a snow melting mechanism for a vehicle lamp. [Figure 7] A modified example is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention. In addition, the same symbols are used for the same configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted as appropriate. In each figure, dimensions, thicknesses, ratios, colors, etc. do not reflect actual values or colors, but the configurations are shown diagrammatically to show the features in an easy-to-understand manner.
[0015] (Vehicle lighting fixtures) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle lamp 1 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle lamp 1. In Fig. 1, the design portion of the vehicle lamp 1 is mainly shown by solid lines. Therefore, the contents inside are not shown. In Fig. 2, the contents inside are mainly shown. Therefore, the design portion is shown by light ink.
[0016] 1 and 2, the vehicle lamp 1 is a headlamp equipped with a snow melting mechanism, and is mounted as a pair on the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle. The vehicle lamp 1 includes a lamp body 2 and a lamp cover 4.
[0017] The lamp body 2 is a housing that is open at the front, and a lamp cover 4 is attached to the opening to form a lamp chamber S inside. The lamp cover 4 is a so-called outer lens, and is a nearly transparent lens made of a translucent resin such as polycarbonate.
[0018] A high beam lamp unit Hi and a low beam lamp unit Lo are housed in the defined lamp chamber S. 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 to form a high beam light distribution / low beam light distribution in front of the vehicle, either together or independently. Each of the lamp units Hi and Lo uses a conventionally known lighting unit of any type, such as a reflector type or projector type. The light source used in each of the lamp units Lo and Hi uses a light emitting element that does not generate heat, such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), LD (Laser Diode), or EL (Electro Luminescence) element.
[0019] (Laminated structure) FIG. 3 shows the vehicle lamp 1 with the lamp cover 4 removed (with the lamp cover 4 and the lamp body 2 open). The mechanisms housed in the lamp chamber S, such as the lamp units Hi and Lo, are omitted. FIG. 4 shows the connection between the body side and the cover side of the snow melting mechanism, part A in FIG. 3. FIG. 4(A) is a rear view. FIG. 4(B) is an end view taken along line BB in FIG. 4(A). FIG. 4(C) is an end view taken along line CC in FIG. 4(A). Note that the thickness and size in FIG. 4 do not reflect actual values, but are merely schematic representations of the configuration. Similarly, the colors in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 do not reflect actual colors, but are merely schematic representations of the characteristics using light and dark ink.
[0020] 3 and 4, the inner surface of the lamp cover 4 is provided with a colored portion 6 in which a paint of a predetermined color is formed in a thin film form by coating, printing, vapor deposition, transfer, pasting, or the like. The colored portion 6 is mainly configured in a linear shape, and is provided in a predetermined wiring pattern on almost the entire inner surface of the lamp cover 4. In this embodiment, a black paint is used for the colored portion 6, and the colored portion 6 is provided in a wiring pattern in which two lines continue almost parallel while zigzagging left and right.
[0021] A heat generating member 21 that generates heat when power is supplied is laminated on the colored portion 6. The heat generating member 21 is laminated on the colored portion 6 and laid over almost the entire inside surface of the lamp cover 4. The thickness of the colored portion 6 is very thin compared to the thickness of the lamp cover 4, and the heat generated by the heat generating member 21 is directly transferred to the lamp cover 4. The heat generating member 21 laid on the lamp cover 4 implements a snow melting mechanism of the vehicle lamp 1. That is, the heat generating member 21 is laid on the inner surface of the lamp cover 4 in a predetermined pattern, and when power is supplied to the heat generating member 21, the heat generating member 21 generates heat, which melts snow and ice attached to the outer surface of the lamp cover, and also eliminates fogging that has occurred inside and outside, ensuring appropriate light distribution of the lamp units Hi and Lo.
[0022] The outer surface of the lamp cover 4 may be coated with a volatile film (water-repellent coating), so that snow and ice adhering to the outer surface of the lamp cover 4 can be quickly removed by melting at the interface with the lamp cover 4.
[0023] The heat generating member 21 is formed in a thin thickness on the colored portion 6 by coating, printing, vapor deposition, transfer, pasting, etc., in the same manner as the colored portion 6. The heat generating member 21 is, for example, a conductive paste such as silver paste, and is configured to contain conductive particles. Note that gold, silver, nickel, and carbon may be used as the conductive paste. When power is supplied to the heat generating member 21, resistance heating occurs, and the heat generating member 21 rises to a temperature at which it can melt snow.
[0024] A rectangular connecting portion 6a with a relatively large area is provided at the end of the colored portion 6, which is formed mainly in a linear shape. The connecting portion 6a is provided at a lower corner of the inner surface of the lamp cover 4 so as not to interfere with the light distribution. The connecting portion 6a is where the end of the heat generating member 21 is located, and the heat generating member 21 is connected to a power supply mechanism on the body side in the region of the connecting portion 6a to receive power.
[0025] In this embodiment, a female connector 30 having a terminal 20 for power supply is fixed to the connection portion 6a, and an end portion of the heat-generating member 21 is connected to the terminal 20. A male body-side connector 40 having a cable C connected to the vehicle battery is fitted into the connector 30, thereby electrically connecting the two, and power from the vehicle battery is supplied to the heat-generating member 21 via both connectors.
[0026] The method of supplying power at the connection portion 6a is not limited to the present embodiment. For example, a metal piece may be fixed to the end of the heat generating member 21 with a conductive adhesive, a spring terminal for supplying power may be disposed in the lamp chamber S facing the metal piece, and when the lamp cover 4 is welded to the lamp body 2, the spring terminal may come into contact with the metal piece under a bias, resulting in an electrical connection.
[0027] The terminals 20 and heat generating member 21 of the connector 30 are connected, for example, by soldering or wire bonding a conductive connection member 41 that spans both of them. In this embodiment, a plurality of terminals 20 are arranged in close proximity at equal intervals, a wire is used as the connection member 41, and the wire and pad portion (terminals 20 and heat generating member 21) are joined by wire bonding using heat, ultrasonic waves, pressure, etc. A solder joining process is not required, and there is no need to consider reflow heat resistance for soldering. The reliability of the electrical connection of the snow melting mechanism is improved by connecting the heat generating member 21 with the connection member 41 by wire bonding, and by connecting the connector 30 and the body side connector 40 by fitting.
[0028] The colored portion 6 is formed in a thin film on the inner surface of the lamp cover 4, and the heat generating member 21 is formed in a thin film on the surface of the colored portion 6 so as not to protrude from the colored portion 6. Therefore, the heat generating member 21 is hidden by the colored portion 6, and the heat generating member 21 is not visible from the surface of the lamp cover 4. Conventionally, the heat generating member is formed directly on the inner surface of the lamp cover, so that the heat generating member is visible from the outside of the vehicle lamp. The heat generating member has a dull metallic color, which is the color of the conductive particles it contains, and this dull color line visible from the lamp cover reduces the design of the vehicle lamp. For this reason, in the vehicle lamp 1, the colored portion 6 is provided on the lamp cover 4 using paint of a desired color, and the heat generating member 21 is laminated, thereby preventing the heat generating member 21 of an undesirable color from being visible, and suppressing the deterioration of the design of the vehicle lamp.
[0029] (Pad printing) The colored portion 6 is formed by, for example, pad printing. Pad printing is a printing method in which paint is printed on a substrate using an elastic pad. Since the soft pad deforms to conform to the unevenness of the substrate surface, it is possible to print on substrates with complex three-dimensional shapes.
[0030] Pad printing will be described in detail with reference to Figure 5. Pad printing uses paint P for forming the colored portion 6, an elastic pad 82 made of a silicone resin material or the like, and an intaglio plate 81 in which the letters, marks, etc. to be printed are formed as recesses.
[0031] First, the paint P is poured onto the intaglio 81 from an ink tray 80 in which the paint P is stored (see FIG. 5(A)). Then, excess paint on the intaglio 81 is scraped off with a spatula 84 (see FIG. 5(B)). Next, a pad 82 is placed on the intaglio 81 and pressed against the intaglio 81 (see FIG. 5(C)). As a result, the paint P' in the print shape that has been stored in the recesses of the intaglio 81 adheres to the pad 82 (see FIG. 5(D)). Next, the pad 82 is lifted and pressed against the workpiece W (the lamp cover 4 in this embodiment), which is the object to be printed, and the paint P' in the print shape is pressed against the workpiece W and transferred to the surface of the workpiece W (see FIG. 5(E)). In this way, a colored portion 6 is formed on the inner surface of the lamp cover 4.
[0032] A conductive paste is further laminated by printing or coating on the surface of the colored portion 6 thus formed to form the heat generating member 21. It is preferable to use pad printing to form the heat generating member 21 as well. Coating of conductive paste is generally used to form linear heat generating members, but if both the colored portion and the heat generating member are formed by coating, the formation time is lengthened because the paste is applied twice, and the formation costs are also high. By using pad printing to form the colored portion 6 and the heat generating member 21, the number of steps and the formation costs of the vehicle lamp 1 can be reduced.
[0033] If the color of the heat-generating component is poor and the heat-generating component is visible from the outside of the vehicle lamp, the design of the vehicle lamp will be reduced. One method to solve this problem is to directly change the color of the components that make up the heat-generating component by mixing a colored paint into the conductive paste, but since the heat-generating component generates heat through resistance heating, it is essential to adjust the resistance value of the components, and if a colored paint is mixed in to adjust the color, this becomes difficult. By providing the colored portion 6, it is possible to arrange a line of any color on the inner surface of the lamp cover 4 without worrying about the color of the components that make up the heat-generating component 21. The paint that makes up the colored portion 6 can be a commonly available paint, and there is no need to consider the balance with the conductive paste.
[0034] Moreover, by changing the paint, the colored portion 6 can be formed in a desired color, and it is possible to meet the user's preferences, for example, by using paint that matches the color of the vehicle body.
[0035] Conventionally, different types of conductive paste were used to form the heat generating member depending on the constituent material of the outer lens (lamp cover 4 in this embodiment), such as glass, acrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, etc. However, by forming colored portion 6 using paint, the same conductive paste can be used regardless of the constituent material of lamp cover 4.
[0036] A power supply mechanism for supplying power to the heat generating member 21, i.e., a terminal as an electrical contact and a connector as an electrical connection, is necessary, but if these are visible, the design is reduced, so they need to be concealed. Conventionally, these have been concealed by using two-color molding or an extension member, but there are problems in that the cost of the mold and the forming process increase. By including the connection portion 6a in the colored portion 6, the power supply mechanism to the heat generating member 21 can be concealed at a desired location relatively easily and inexpensively. The connection portion 6a is not limited to a rectangular shape, and may be a desired shape such as a circle, a polygon, or a shape that follows the outer shape of the lamp cover 4. In addition, it is not necessary to layer the heat generating member 21 on the entire surface of the colored portion 6, and the design may be improved by adding a design line where the heat generating member 21 is not layered, or by adding a pattern such as a pattern or mark.
[0037] (flowchart) A process for forming the snow melting mechanism of the vehicle lamp 1 configured as above will be described below. Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the process for forming the snow melting mechanism.
[0038] First, in step S101, as a coloring process, paint P of a desired color is applied to a pad 82, and the pad 82 is pressed against the inner surface of the lamp cover 4 to transfer the paint to the inner surface of the lamp cover 4, thereby forming a colored portion 6 on the inner surface of the lamp cover 4 (see Figure 5).
[0039] Next, the process proceeds to step S102, in which a layering process is performed in which a conductive paste that generates heat when power is supplied is pad-printed on the colored portion 6, and layered on the colored portion 6 to form the heat-generating member 21.
[0040] Next, the process proceeds to step S103, where a female connector 30 having a terminal 20 for supplying power to the heat generating member 21 is fixed to the connecting portion 6a of the colored portion 6 with an adhesive or the like as a fixing step.
[0041] Next, the process proceeds to step S104, where the heat generating member 21 and the terminals 20 are electrically connected to each other by wire bonding as a connecting step.
[0042] Next, the process proceeds to step S105, where a fitting process is performed in which the male body side connector 40 having the cable C connected to the vehicle battery is fitted and electrically connected to the female connector 30 fixed to the inner surface of the lamp cover 4. This makes it possible to supply power from the vehicle battery to the heat generating member 21 via the cable C, the body side connector 40, the connector 30, the terminal 20, and the connecting member 41 in this order.
[0043] (Modification) 7 shows a modified vehicular lamp 1A. The same components are given the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted. The vehicular lamp 1A is a stop lamp equipped with a snow melting mechanism.
[0044] The vehicle lamp 1A has a lamp body 2 and a lamp cover 4A made of a red light-transmitting member, and within a lamp chamber S, an optical unit for a stop lamp (not shown) is disposed.
[0045] A colored portion 6A made of red paint is formed on the inner surface of the lamp cover 4A. A heat generating member 21 (not shown in FIG. 7) is laminated on the colored portion 6A, similar to the vehicle lamp 1. Since the colored portion 6A is formed with the same red paint as the lamp cover 4A, the colored portion 6A is inconspicuous and does not interfere with the design of the vehicle lamp 1A.
[0046] Thus, in the colored portion of the present disclosure, the color of the paint is not particularly specified, and paint of a desired color can be used according to the design of the vehicle lamp and the color of the vehicle. In lamps such as the vehicle lamp 1A, in which the light emission color is specified according to the type of lamp, such as a stop lamp (red) and a side turn signal lamp (amber), a lamp cover of the same color as the light emission color of the lamp is often used. In combination lamps, the lamp cover in front of the lamp is often made of a colored translucent material of the specified light emission color by two-color molding. When the lamp cover has a color cover portion at least in part made of a colored translucent material, such as the lamp cover 4A, it is preferable that the colored portion is made of paint of the same color as the color cover portion, since the colored portion is not noticeable.
[0047] Furthermore, in the vehicle lamp 1A, a temperature sensor 33 is provided on the back surface of the colored portion 6A. The temperature sensor 33 is connected to the connector 30 via a terminal 20 (not shown in FIG. 7). The temperature sensor 33, like the connector 30, is fixed on the colored portion 6A and is concealed by the colored portion 6A, so that it cannot be seen from the front surface of the vehicle lamp 1A.
[0048] The temperature sensor 33 is a sensor that measures the surrounding temperature and is used to detect the temperature of the lamp cover 4A. The power supply to the heat generating member 21 can be controlled based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 33. For example, the power supply can be controlled so that when the measurement value by the temperature sensor 33 falls below a threshold, the power supply to the heat generating member 21 is started, and when the measurement value by the temperature sensor 33 exceeds the threshold, the power supply to the heat generating member 21 is stopped. Since the temperature sensor 33 is fixedly disposed on the lamp cover 4, which is the object to be measured, the temperature of the lamp cover 4 can be measured with high accuracy.
[0049] The temperature sensor 33 also serves as a fail-safe against abnormally high temperatures. If power is supplied to the heat generating member 21 while the outside temperature is still high for some reason, such as the driver forgetting to turn off the power supply to the heat generating member 21 or a control error, the lamp cover 4A may melt due to the high temperature, or the heat generating member 21 may burn out. In order to avoid such breakdowns and malfunctions, when the temperature sensor 33 detects an abnormally high temperature, control can be performed to stop the power supply to the heat generating member 21. The temperature sensor 33, which accurately detects the temperature of the lamp cover 4A, can quickly detect an abnormally high temperature, and can quickly implement the fail-safe due to the above-mentioned temperature rise.
[0050] In addition, the temperature sensor 33 is connected to the connector 30 via the terminal 20, and the power supply mechanism of the snow melting mechanism can be consolidated in the connector 30. Consolidating the power supply mechanism allows the connector 30 and the connection part 6aA to which the connector 30 is fixed to be made small. By reducing the size of the connection part 6aA itself, it is possible to reduce its presence, and a decrease in the design of the vehicle lamp 1A can be suppressed.
[0051] The configuration of the present disclosure is not limited to headlights and stop lamps, but can also be applied to marker lights equipped with a snow-melting function for cold climates, rear lamps, combination lamps, and the like.
[0052] The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the above embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, and these can be combined based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such forms are also included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]
[0053] 1: Vehicle lighting fixtures 2: Lamp body 4, 4A: Lamp cover 6, 6A: Colored part 6a, 6aA: Connection part 20: Terminal 21: Heat generating material 30: Connector 33: Temperature sensor 82: Pad P:Paint S:Light room S101: Step (coloring process) S102: Step (Layering process) S103: Step (fixing process) S104: Step (connection process)
Claims
1. A lamp body with an opening at the front, A lamp cover made of a translucent member, attached to the opening of the lamp body to form a lamp chamber, A colored portion provided in a thin film form on the inner surface of the lamp cover with a paint of a desired color, A heating member composed of a conductive paste that generates heat when powered, laminated in a thin film form on the colored portion and laid inside the lamp cover, A vehicle lamp having a snow melting function, characterized by comprising the above.
2. The colored portion is formed by printing the paint on the inner surface of the lamp cover, The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized by the above.
3. The lamp cover has a color cover portion composed of a colored translucent member at least in part, and the colored portion is composed of the paint of the same color as the color of the color cover portion, The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized by the above.
4. A connector having a terminal for supplying power to the heating member is fixed to the inner surface of the lamp cover, and the terminal of the connector and the heating member are connected by wire bonding, The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized by the above.
5. The connector is fixed to the surface of the colored portion provided on the lamp cover, The vehicle lamp according to claim 4, characterized by the above.
6. A method of providing a snow melting mechanism for a vehicle lamp including a lamp cover made of a translucent member, comprising: A coloring step of attaching a paint of a desired color to an elastic pad, pressing the pad against the inner surface of the lamp cover to transfer it to the inner surface of the lamp cover, and providing a colored portion on the inner surface of the lamp cover; A lamination step of laminating a heating member composed of a conductive paste that generates heat when powered on the colored portion; A method of providing a snow melting mechanism for a vehicle lamp, characterized by comprising the above.
7. A fixing step of fixing a connector having a terminal for supplying power to the heating member inside the lamp cover; A connecting step of connecting the terminal of the connector and the heating member by wire bonding; The method of providing a snow melting mechanism for a vehicle lamp according to claim 6, further characterized by comprising the above.