Vehicular lighting fixture and manufacturing method of the same

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture which decreases production cost and which can prevent powdering and breakage due to vibration, and to provide a manufacturing method of the same.SOLUTION: In housing extension / outer lens fixing parts 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 arranged evenly, in order to fix an extension 3 to a housing 1, the housing 1 includes an abutting shape part 1a in the lighting fixture axis direction, and the extension 3 includes a spring structure 3a for lighting fixture radial direction vibration. In order to fix an outer lens 4 to the extension 3, the outer lens 4 includes spring structures 4a, 4b for lighting fixture radial direction vibration. At the same time as the fixing of the outer lens 4 to the extension 3, the outer lens 4 is fixed to the housing 1 in a lighting fixture outer peripheral part 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp and a method for manufacturing the same.

Background Art

[0002] FIG. 5 shows a conventional vehicle lamp (for example, a headlamp), where (A) is an exploded perspective view, (B) is a front perspective view, and (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of (B). Note that "up", "down", "front", "rear", "right", and "left" in FIG. 5(A) are the directions as seen from the driver.

[0003] In FIG. 5(A), 101 is a housing, 102 is an optical component housed in the housing 101, 103 is an extension, and 104 is an outer lens. As shown in FIGS. 5(A) and (B), the optical component 102 includes a light-emitting unit 1021 including a light-emitting element such as a light-emitting diode (LED) element, an inner lens 1022, a reflector 1023, and the like. The extension 103 is housed between the housing 101 and the outer lens 104 and acts as a partition wall while supporting each element of the optical component 102.

[0004] The manufacturing method of the conventional vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 5 is as follows.

[0005] In the extension fixing step of fixing the extension 103 to the housing 101, the fixing of the extension 103 to the housing 101 is performed by tightening three fixing screws 105 as shown in FIGS. 5(A) and (C).

[0006] Next, in the outer lens fixing step of fixing the outer lens 104 to the housing 101, the fixing of the outer lens 104 to the housing 101 is performed at the outer peripheral portion of the lamp not shown. For example, at the outer peripheral portion of the lamp, it is sealed and screwed using a molten resin (melt), sealed and fixed using a hot plate welding method, sealed and fixed using a laser welding method, or sealed and fixed using a vibration welding method. In any case, the outer periphery of the outer lens 104 and the outer periphery of the housing 101 are fixed.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, in the extension fixing step of the conventional vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 5 above, when fixing the extension 103 to the housing 101, since the fixing screw 105 is used, the fixing screw itself is costly, and also requires a laborious tightening process of the fixing screw 105. As a result, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is high. Also, in the outer lens fixing step of the conventional vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 5 above, the outer lens 104 and the extension 103 are not fixed. Therefore, there is also a problem that during the use of the vehicle lamp, the portion of the extension 103 that is not fixed to the housing 101 vibrates and interferes with other parts, causing problems such as powder blowing and damage.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a vehicle lamp according to the present invention is a vehicle lamp including a housing, an outer lens facing the housing in the axial direction of the lamp, and an extension accommodated between the housing and the outer lens, wherein the outer lens is fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the housing of the lamp, the housing is disposed inside the outer peripheral portion of the lamp and has a first abutting shape portion extending toward the outer lens in the axial direction of the lamp, the extension has a first spring structure that abuts against the first abutting shape portion from the inside of the lamp in the radial direction of the lamp orthogonal to the axial direction of the lamp, and the outer lens has second and third spring structures that sandwich the first abutting shape portion and the first spring structure in the radial direction of the lamp to fix the extension.

[0009] Moreover, a manufacturing method of a vehicle lamp according to the present invention is the manufacturing method of the above-described vehicle lamp, and includes an extension fixing step of assembling the first spring structure to the first abutting shape portion to fix the extension to the housing, and an outer lens fixing step of fixing the outer lens to the extension by sandwiching the assembled first abutting shape portion and the first spring structure with the second and third spring structures and fixing the outer lens to the outer peripheral portion of the housing of the lamp.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, in the extension fixing step, fixing screws and fixing screw tightening are not required, so the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, in the outer lens fixing step, since the outer lens is also fixed to the extension, vibration of the portion of the extension fixed to the outer lens and interference with other components are reduced, and as a result, problems such as powder blowing and breakage can be prevented.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0012] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle lamp (for example, a headlamp) according to the present invention, where (A) is an exploded perspective view, (B) is a perspective front view, and (C) is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of (B). In FIG. 1(A), “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “right”, and “left” are the directions as seen from the driver. In FIG. 1(C), the “lamp axis direction” and the “lamp diameter direction” are the lamp axis direction and the lamp diameter direction of the vehicle lamp, respectively. The lamp axis direction coincides with the front-rear direction of FIG. 1(A), and the lamp diameter direction is a direction orthogonal to the lamp axis direction.

[0013] In FIG. 1(A), 1 is a housing, 2 is an optical component housed in the housing 1, 3 is an extension, and 4 is an outer lens. As shown in FIGS. 1(A), (B), and (C), the optical component 2 includes a light-emitting unit 21 including a light-emitting element, for example, a light-emitting diode (LED) element, an inner lens 22, a reflector 23, a printed wiring board 24, a heat sink 25, and the like. The extension 3 is housed between the housing 1 and the outer lens 4 and acts as a partition wall while supporting each element of the optical component 2.

[0014] As shown in (B) and (C) of FIG. 1, in the housing / extension / outer lens fixing parts 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, the extension 3 is fixed to the housing 1, and the outer lens 4 is fixed to the extension 3 and the housing 1. That is, in the extension fixing step, after the extension 3 is fixed to the housing 1, in the outer lens fixing step, the outer lens 4 is fixed to the extension 3 and the housing 1. Incidentally, the housing / extension / outer lens fixing parts 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 are evenly arranged on the outer periphery of the lamp except for the lamp outer peripheral part 5, but the number of the housing / extension / outer lens fixing parts excluding the lamp outer peripheral part 5 can be other numbers than 4.

[0015] Also, as shown in (C) of FIG. 1, in order to fix the extension 3 to the housing 1, the housing 1 has a contact shape part 1a in the lamp axis direction, and the extension 3 has a spring structure 3a for radial vibration of the lamp. In this case, the spring structure 3a is formed into a flat shape when the extension 3 is molded using a thermoplastic resin injection molding machine to increase the spring constant in the lamp radial direction, and has a bent part 3a' (see FIG. 2) that bends toward the inner surface of the contact shape part 1a. Therefore, the spring structure 3a acts so as to bend with respect to the contact shape part 1a.

[0016] Furthermore, as shown in (C) of FIG. 1, in order to fix the outer lens 4 to the extension 3 fixed to the housing 1, the outer lens 4 has spring structures 4a and 4b for vibration in the lamp diameter direction. In this case, the spring structure 4a is formed into a flat shape when the outer lens 4 is molded using a thermoplastic resin injection molding machine to increase the spring constant in the lamp diameter direction, and has a bent portion 4a' (see FIG. 3) that bends toward the outer surface of the contact shape portion 1a. Therefore, the spring structure 4a acts so as to bend with respect to the contact shape portion 1a. Also, the spring structure 4b is formed into a flat shape when the outer lens 4 is molded using a thermoplastic resin injection molding machine to increase the spring constant in the lamp diameter direction, and has a bent portion 4b' (see FIG. 3) that bends toward the inner surface of the spring structure 3a of the extension 3. Therefore, the spring structure 4b acts so as to bend with respect to the spring structure 3a.

[0017] Furthermore, as shown in (C) of FIG. 1, in the same manner as fixing the outer lens 4 to the extension 3, the fixing of the outer lens 4 and the housing 1 is performed at the outer peripheral portion 5 of the lamp. For example, it is sealed and screwed using molten resin (melt), sealed and fixed using a hot plate welding method, sealed and fixed using a laser welding method, or sealed and fixed using a vibration welding method. In this case, the outer periphery of the outer lens 4 and the outer periphery of the housing 1 are fixed.

[0018] The extension fixing step of fixing the extension 3 to the housing 1 in the housing / extension / outer lens fixing portion 6-1 (6-2, 6-3, 6-4) of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0019] First, referring to the state before fixing the extension 3 to the housing 1 in (A) of FIG. 2, the overlapping value (also referred to as the wrap amount) L1 of the spring structure 3a of the extension 3 with respect to the contact shape portion 1a is preset, for example, L1 = 0.5 mm. That is, the contact shape portion 1a and the spring structure 3a have a positional relationship that overlaps by a predetermined value L1 in the lamp diameter direction in advance. Also, in this case, if it is assumed that the extension 3 slides in the lamp axis direction, the force F1R that causes the extension 3 to slide off is F1R = M·g where M is the mass (kg) of the extension 3 g is the gravitational acceleration (9.8 m / s 2 ) and can be expressed as such.

[0020] Next, referring to the state after fixing the extension 3 to the housing 1 in (B) of FIG. 2, when the extension 3 moves in the lamp axis direction with respect to the housing 1, due to the existence of the wrap amount L1, the bent portion 3a' of the spring structure 3a bends toward the inner surface of the contact shape portion 1a, and the contact portion of the bent portion 3a' contacts the inner surface on the base end side of the contact shape portion 1a. As a result, the extension 3 is fixed to the housing 1. At this time, the spring structure 3a deforms within the elastic region corresponding to the wrap amount L1 and generates a reaction force F1 in the lamp diameter direction against the contact shape portion 1a in the lamp axis direction. In this case, F1 > F1R Since the wrap amount L1 is appropriately set so that this is the case, the extension fixing process is completed. Note that the safety factor F1 / F1R is set to a predetermined value or more, for example, 1.5 to 3.0.

[0021] Next, the outer lens fixing process of simultaneously fixing the outer lens 4 to the extension 3 and the housing 1 in the housing / extension / outer lens fixing portion 6 - 1 (6 - 2, 6 - 3, 6 - 4) of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0022] First, referring to the state before fixing the outer lens to the extension 3 and the housing 1 in Fig. 3(A), for the mating shape portion 1a in the state after fixing the extension and the spring structures 3a of the extension 3, the wrap amounts L2 and L3 of the spring structures 4a and 4b of the outer lens 4 are preset, for example, as L2 = L3 = 0.5 mm. That is, the mating shape portion 1a and the spring structure 4a have a positional relationship that overlaps by a predetermined value L2 in the radial direction of the lamp, and the spring structure 3a and the spring structure 4b have a positional relationship that overlaps by a predetermined value L3 in the radial direction of the lamp. Also, the force F2R that the extension 3 tries to move in the radial direction and the axial direction of the lamp is, F2R = M·g·α where α is the acceleration (m / s 2 ) when the outer lens 4 vibrates and can be expressed as such.

[0023] Next, referring to the state after fixing the outer lens 4 to the extension 3 and the housing 1 in Fig. 3(B), when the outer lens 4 is moved in the axial direction of the lamp with respect to the extension 3 and the housing 1, due to the existence of the wrap amounts L2 and L3, the mating shape portion 1a and the spring structure 3a are sandwiched by the spring structures 4a and 4b. At this time, the spring structure 4a has a bent portion 4a' that bends toward the outer surface of the mating shape portion 1a, and the contact portion provided on the bent portion 4a' contacts the outer surface of the proximal end side of the mating shape portion 1a. Also, the spring structure 4b has a bent portion 4b' that bends toward the inner surface of the spring structure 3a, and the contact portion provided on the bent portion 4b' contacts the inner surface of the proximal end side of the spring structure 3a. As a result, the spring structure 4a deforms within the elastic region corresponding to the wrap amount L2 and generates a reaction force F2 in the radial direction of the lamp against the mating shape portion 1a of the housing 1, and the spring structure 4b deforms within the elastic region corresponding to the wrap amount L3 and generates a reaction force F3 (F3 = F2) in the radial direction of the lamp against the spring structure 3a of the extension 3. At this time, F2 > F2R F3 > F2R Since the wrap amounts L2 and L3 are appropriately set so that this is the case, the extension fixing process is completed. Note that the safety factors F2 / F2R and F3 / F2R are set to a predetermined value or more, for example, 1.5 to 3.0.

[0024] Figure 4 shows a modified example of the vehicle lamp of FIG. 1.

[0025] In FIG. 4, a spring structure 3b for suppressing the axial vibration of the lamp is provided in contact with the housing 1 continuously with the spring structure 3a of the extension 3, and the housing 1 is provided with a contact shape portion 1b extending in the radial direction of the lamp on the base end side of the contact shape portion 1a. When a reaction force F4, F5 (F4 = F5) greater than the axial vibration force is generated by the spring structure 3b, the axial vibration of the extension 3 can be suppressed. Further, a protrusion 3a” is provided on the spring structure 3a, and a through hole 1a’ is provided in the contact shape portion 1a of the housing 1 corresponding to this. Thereby, the axial vibration of the extension 3 can be further suppressed.

[0026] Note that the present invention can be applied to any modification within the obvious scope of the above-described embodiment.

Industrial Applicability

[0027] The vehicle lamp according to the present invention can be used not only for a headlamp but also for other vehicle lamps equipped with a housing, an extension, and an outer lens.

Explanation of Signs

[0028] 1: Housing 1a, 1b: Contact shape portion 1a’: Through hole 2: Optical component 21: Light emitting unit 22: Inner lens 23: Reflector 24: Printed wiring board 25: Heat sink 3: Extension 3a: Spring structure 3a’: Bending portion 3a”: Protrusion 3b: Spring structure 4: Outer lens 4a, 4b: Spring structure 4a’, 4b’: Bending portion 5: Outer peripheral portion of lamp 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4: Housing / Extension / Outer Lens Fixing Part 101: Housing 102: Optical Component 1021: LED Element Substrate 1022: Inner Lens 1023: Reflector 103: Extension 104: Outer Lens 105: Fixing Screw

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp comprising a housing, an outer lens facing the housing in the lamp axis direction, and an extension accommodated between the housing and the outer lens, wherein the outer lens is fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the lamp of the housing, the housing has a first abutting shape portion disposed inside the outer peripheral portion of the lamp and extending toward the outer lens in the lamp axis direction, the extension has a first spring structure that abuts against the first abutting shape portion from the inside of the lamp in the lamp radial direction orthogonal to the lamp axis direction, the outer lens has second and third spring structures that sandwich the first abutting shape portion and the first spring structure in the lamp radial direction to fix the extension, a vehicle lamp.

2. The first spring structure has a first bent portion that bends toward the inner surface of the first abutting shape portion and a first abutting portion provided on the first bent portion, and the first abutting portion abuts against the inner surface on the tip side of the first abutting formation portion, the second spring structure has a second bent portion that bends toward the outer surface of the first abutting shape portion and a second abutting portion provided on the second bent portion, and the second abutting portion abuts against the outer surface on the base end side of the first abutting formation portion, The third spring structure has a third bent portion that bends toward the inside of the first spring structure and a third abutting portion provided on the third bent portion, and the third abutting portion abuts against the inner surface on the base end side of the first spring structure. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

3. The housing has a second abutting shape portion extending in the lamp radial direction on the base end side of the first abutting shape portion, the extension has a fourth spring structure that is continuous with the first spring structure and is provided on the base end side of the first spring structure, The fourth spring structure abuts against the inner surface of the first spring structure in the lamp axis direction. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

4. A method for manufacturing the vehicle lamp according to claim 1, an extension fixing step of assembling the first spring structure to the first abutting shape portion to fix the extension to the housing, Fixing the outer lens to the extension by sandwiching the assembled first contact-shaped portion and the first spring structure between the second and third spring structures, and fixing the outer lens to the housing at the outer periphery of the lamp, an outer lens fixing step A method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp comprising the steps of: [

5. ] Before the extension fixing step, the first contact-shaped portion and the first spring structure have a positional relationship in which they overlap in advance by a first predetermined value in the radial direction of the lamp. Before the outer lens fixing step, the first contact-shaped portion and the second spring structure have a positional relationship in which they overlap in advance by a second predetermined value in the radial direction of the lamp. The method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp according to claim 4, wherein before the outer lens fixing step, the first spring structure and the third spring structure have a positional relationship in which they overlap in advance by a third predetermined value in the radial direction of the lamp.

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