Vehicular lighting fixture

Abstract

To secure a sufficient air blowing state for a plurality of light emitting parts while reducing size and manufacturing cost.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting fixture comprises a lamp housing comprising an opening, a translucent cover forming a lighting chamber while closing the opening, a plurality of light emitting parts including at least a first light emitting part and a second light emitting part, and a cooling fan for sending cooling air. The plurality of light emitting parts each comprise a light source for emitting light, and a heat sink for releasing heat at the time of emission of the light. The lamp housing is provided with a straightening protrusion part protruded inside the lighting chamber, and for controlling a flow direction of the cooling air sent from the cooling fan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technical field of a vehicle lamp having a plurality of light emitting portions and a cooling fan for suppressing a temperature rise of the light emitting portions. [Background technology]

[0002] Some vehicle lamps have a configuration in which multiple light emitting sections are arranged inside a lamp outer casing formed by a translucent cover and a lamp housing, and light is emitted from each light emitting section (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1 is provided as a vehicle headlamp, and is configured so that light is emitted from each of a plurality of light emitting portions (shown as "lamp" in Patent Document 1) arranged in the left-right direction. When light is emitted, heat is generated in each light emitting portion, so a cooling fan (shown as "blower" in Patent Document 1) is provided to suppress a rise in temperature in each light emitting portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-46788 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In vehicle lighting fixtures that have multiple light-emitting sections, it is necessary to suppress the temperature rise of each light-emitting section when light is emitted to ensure proper light emission. However, if a cooling fan is provided for each light-emitting section, for example, it will be impossible to achieve compactness and there is a risk that manufacturing costs will rise.

[0006] Therefore, like the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1, it becomes possible to reduce the size and manufacturing cost by suppressing the temperature rise of all the light emitting portions by one cooling fan. However, when one cooling fan is provided, it is desirable to ensure a sufficient blowing state for each light emitting portion regardless of the positional relationship between the plurality of light emitting portions and the cooling fan.

[0007] Therefore, the vehicle lamp of the present invention aims to ensure a sufficient blowing state for a plurality of light emitting portions while reducing the size and manufacturing cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The vehicle lamp according to the present invention includes a lamp housing having an opening, a light-transmitting cover that forms a lamp chamber in a state of closing the opening, a plurality of light emitting portions including at least a first light emitting portion and a second light emitting portion, and a cooling fan that blows cooling air. Each of the plurality of light emitting portions has a light source that emits light and a heat sink that releases heat generated during the emission of the light. The lamp housing is provided with a rectifying protrusion that protrudes into the interior of the lamp chamber and controls the flow direction of the cooling air sent from the cooling fan.

[0009] Thereby, the flow direction of the cooling air sent from the cooling fan is controlled by the rectifying protrusion provided in the lamp housing, and the cooling air is sent toward the plurality of light emitting portions.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, since the flow direction of the cooling air sent from the cooling fan is controlled by the rectifying protrusion provided in the lamp housing and the cooling air is sent toward the plurality of light emitting portions, it is possible to ensure a sufficient blowing state for the plurality of light emitting portions while reducing the size and manufacturing cost.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] In the following, the front, rear, up, down, left and right directions will be described assuming that the direction of light emitted from the vehicle lamp is the front. However, the front, rear, up, down, left and right directions shown below are for the convenience of explanation, and the present invention is not limited to these directions in terms of implementation.

[0014] The vehicle lamp 1 is provided as, for example, a vehicle headlamp. However, the vehicle lamp 1 may be provided as a vehicle lamp other than a vehicle headlamp as long as it has a configuration having a plurality of light emitting portions.

[0015] The vehicle lamp 1 comprises a lamp housing 2 having an opening at the front end and a light-transmitting cover 3 attached to the lamp housing 2 in a state of closing the opening of the lamp housing 2 (see Figure 1). The lamp housing 2 and the light-transmitting cover 3 form a lamp outer casing 4, and the internal space of the lamp outer casing 4 forms a lamp chamber 5.

[0016] The lamp housing 2 has a rear portion 6 oriented substantially in the front-rear direction and a peripheral surface portion 7 protruding substantially forward from the outer peripheral portion of the rear portion 6. In the peripheral surface portion 7, a portion corresponding to the inner side P in the left-right direction of the vehicle is provided as a first side portion 8, and a portion corresponding to the outer side Q in the left-right direction of the vehicle is provided as a second side portion 9.

[0017] The first side portion 8 is provided as an inclined wall portion 10 whose intermediate portion in the front-rear direction is displaced inwardly toward P as it goes forward. A portion on the rear side of the inclined wall portion 10 is provided as a guide wall portion 11 oriented substantially in the left-right direction, and a portion on the front side of the inclined wall portion 10 is provided as a front side wall portion 12 oriented substantially in the left-right direction. The length of the first side portion 8 in the front-rear direction is longer than the length of the second side portion 9 in the front-rear direction. The front edge of the guide wall portion 11 is the emission portion side edge 11a and the rear edge is the base end side edge 11b.

[0018] A convex rectifying protrusion 13 is provided on the rear portion 6 of the lamp housing 2 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Accordingly, a recess 13a opened rearward is formed in the lamp housing 2 by the rectifying protrusion 13. The rectifying protrusion 13 is provided at the end of the inner side P in the left-right direction of the rear portion 6 and is positioned continuously with the guide wall portion 11. The rectifying protrusion 13 is composed of a flat tip surface portion 14 positioned at the foremost side and a cylindrical surface portion 15 protruding substantially rearward from the outer peripheral portion of the tip surface portion 14. A part of the rear edge of the cylindrical surface portion 15 is continuous with the base end side edge 11b of the guide wall portion 11. The front surface of the tip surface portion 14 is formed as a rectifying surface 14a and is inclined in a direction approaching the emission portion side edge 11a as it goes from the outer side Q to the inner side P.

[0019] A lamp unit 16 is arranged in the lamp chamber 5 (see FIG. 1). The lamp unit 16 has a bracket 17 and a plurality of light emission portions 18.

[0020] The bracket 17 is formed, for example, in a horizontally elongated shape and has three arrangement holes 17a spaced apart on the left and right (see FIG. 3). The bracket 17 is formed in a stepped shape in the left-right direction, with the arrangement hole 17a on the inner side P being located furthest forward and the arrangement hole 17a on the outer side Q being located furthest rearward.

[0021] For example, one component connecting hole 17b is formed on the upper side of the bracket 17, and two component connecting holes 17c are formed on the lower side, spaced apart from each other on the left and right. The component connecting hole 17b is formed directly above one component connecting hole 17c, and is positioned between the inner P arrangement hole 17a and the central arrangement hole 17a.

[0022] A pivot receiving member (not shown) is inserted into and connected to the member connecting hole 17b, and connecting members (not shown) provided as part of the aiming adjustment mechanism are inserted into and connected to the member connecting hole 17c. The connecting members are, for example, tiltable in the up-down and left-right directions relative to the bracket 17.

[0023] The front end portions of the aiming screws are threadedly engaged with the connecting members, and the rear end portions of the aiming screws are supported, for example, by the rear portion 6 of the lamp housing 2 in a state where they can rotate but cannot move in the axial direction.

[0024] The light emitting portion 18 includes, for example, three light emitting portions, a first light emitting portion 18A, a second light emitting portion 18B, and a third light emitting portion 18C, which are provided in this order from the inside P to the outside Q. However, it is sufficient that the vehicle lamp 1 is provided with at least two light emitting portions 18.

[0025] The light emitting units 18 are each arranged with a part thereof inserted into the placement holes 17a and attached to the bracket 17 by means such as screwing. The light emitting unit 18 has, for example, a heat sink 18a, a projection lens 18b, a light source 18c, a lens holder (not shown), a reflector (not shown), and a shade (not shown). The heat sink 18a is provided with a plurality of heat radiation fins arranged in the left-right direction. The projection lens 18b has a function of controlling the incident light to make it parallel light. As the light source 18c, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) is used.

[0026] When light is emitted from the light source 18c in the light emitting unit 18, the emitted light is reflected by the reflector and controlled by the projection lens 18b and irradiated in a predetermined direction. At this time, in the light emitting unit 18, heat is generated along with the driving of the light source 18c, and the generated heat is mainly released from the heat sink 18a.

[0027] A leveling mechanism 19 is arranged in the lamp chamber 5 (see FIG. 1). The leveling mechanism 19 has an actuator 20, a support member 21, and a drive member 22 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). In the leveling mechanism 19, the actuator 20 is attached to the lamp housing 2 by means such as screwing.

[0028] The actuator 20 has a case portion 20a in which a drive mechanism is arranged inside and a drive shaft 20b protruding upward provided as a part of the drive mechanism, and the drive shaft 20b is made movable in the front-rear direction.

[0029] The support member 21 has an intermediate portion 23 located at the central portion in the left-right direction, a first coupling portion 24 protruding from the intermediate portion 23 to one side in the left-right direction, and a second coupling portion 25 protruding from the intermediate portion 23 to the other side in the left-right direction.

[0030] The intermediate portion 23 has a base portion 26 formed in a shape extending in the front-rear direction and a protruding portion 27 protruding upward from the front end portion of the base portion 26. A guide portion 26a is provided at the rear end portion of the base portion 26. An insertion hole 26b penetrating vertically is formed in the base portion 26. An insertion hole 27a penetrating in the front-rear direction is formed in the protruding portion 27, and a slide support portion 27b is provided above the insertion hole 27a.

[0031] The first coupling portion 24 is located inside P with respect to the intermediate portion 23, and the second coupling portion 25 is located outside Q with respect to the intermediate portion 23. A notch 24a opened outward in the front-rear and lateral directions is formed in the first coupling portion 24.

[0032] The support member 21 has the lower end portion of the first coupling portion 24 and the lower end portion of the second coupling portion 25 attached to the case portion 20a of the actuator 20 from above by screwing or the like.

[0033] The drive member 22 has a flat base portion 22a whose thickness direction is the left-right direction. The base portion 22a is formed in a shape where the substantially rear half portion extends in the front-rear direction and the substantially front half portion is formed in a shape that is displaced upward as it goes forward. The drive member 22 has a guided shaft portion 22b protruding rearward from the rear end portion of the base portion 22a, a pivot shaft portion 22c protruding forward from the upper end portion at the front end portion of the base portion 22a, and a connecting protrusion 22d protruding downward from a portion near the rear end of the base portion 22a. The tip end portion of the pivot shaft portion 22c is formed in a substantially spherical shape.

[0034] A part of the drive member 22 is inserted into the insertion hole 26b and another part is inserted into the insertion hole 27a. The connecting protrusion 22d is connected to the drive shaft 20b from above. The guided shaft portion 22b is slidably supported in the front-rear direction by the guide portion 26a. The upper end portion at the front end portion of the base portion 22a is slidably supported in the front-rear direction by the slide support portion 27b. The pivot shaft portion 22c is rotatably connected to a pivot receiving member connected to the member connection hole 17b of the bracket 17. Therefore, the drive member 22 is moved in the front-rear direction with respect to the support member 21 as the drive shaft 20b in the actuator 20 moves.

[0035] When the drive member 22 is moved in the front-rear direction, the pivot shaft 22c rotates relative to the pivot receiving member, and the lamp unit 16 is tilted up and down around the pivot shaft 22c as a fulcrum, thereby performing leveling adjustment. At this time, the bracket 17 is tilted up and down relative to the connecting member.

[0036] In addition, in the vehicle lamp 1, when one of the aiming screws is rotated relative to one of the connecting members connected to the member connecting hole 17c of the bracket 17, the lamp unit 16 is tilted up and down or left and right around the line segment connecting the pivot shaft portion 22c and the other connecting member as an axis, thereby performing aiming adjustment.

[0037] A cooling fan 28 is attached to the rear portion 6 of the lamp housing 2 (see Figures 1 and 2). The cooling fan 28 is configured with a rotating blade 30 held by a holding frame 29. The holding frame 29 of the cooling fan 28 is attached to the rear portion 6 by screws or the like, and is disposed in the lamp chamber 5.

[0038] The holding frame 29 has a holding base 31 partially attached to the rear portion 6, a substantially annular protective wall portion 32 protruding forward from the holding base 31, and a plurality of guard portions 33 that protect the rotor blades 30 from the front side (see Figure 2).

[0039] The protective wall portion 32 has the function of protecting the rotary vane 30 from the surroundings, and the rotational axis direction of the rotary vane 30 is the width direction, with, for example, approximately half of the inner side P being provided as a first portion 34 and approximately half of the outer side Q being provided as a second portion 35. The width of the first portion 34 is larger than the width of the second portion 35, for example, approximately twice the width of the second portion 35. The part of the front end portion 34a of the first portion 34 that is located on the innermost side P is located close to the outer periphery of the tip surface portion 14 of the rectifying protrusion 13 in the lamp housing 2.

[0040] The guard portion 33 is formed in the shape of a narrow flat plate, with one end 33a continuing to the front end 35a of the second portion 35 and the other end being joined to form a joint portion 33b. For example, three guard portions 33 are provided, with all one end portions 33a continuing to the second portion 35 and the joint portion 33b being located in the center of the protective wall portion 32. Therefore, the guard portion 33 is located only on the second portion 35 side of the protective wall portion 32, and approximately half of the space inside the protective wall portion 32 on the first portion 34 side is entirely open.

[0041] The cooling fan 28 is positioned directly behind the second light-emitting portion 18B, and an extension line S of the rotation axis 30a of the rotary vanes 30 is oriented in a direction that intersects with the first light-emitting portion 18A, for example (see FIG. 1). Because the cooling fan 28 is positioned directly behind the second light-emitting portion 18B in this manner, the first light-emitting portion 18A is positioned on the inner side P in front of the cooling fan 28, and the third light-emitting portion 18C is positioned on the outer side Q of the cooling fan 28. The distance from the cooling fan 28 to the first light-emitting portion 18A is greater than the distance from the cooling fan 28 to the second light-emitting portion 18B, and the rectifying protrusion 13 and the guide wall portion 11 of the lamp housing 2 are positioned between the cooling fan 28 and the first light-emitting portion 18A, in that order from the rear.

[0042] An extension 36 is attached to the lamp housing 2 and disposed in the lamp chamber 5 (see FIGS. 1 and 6). Three openings 36a are formed in the extension 36, spaced apart from one another on the left and right, penetrating the extension 36 from front to back. The extension 36 is disposed with the projection lenses 18b of the light emitting portion 18 inserted into the openings 36a, and covers the front of the lamp unit 16 except for the projection lenses 18b.

[0043] In the vehicle lamp 1 configured as described above, when light is emitted from the light source 18c, heat is generated in the light-emitting portion 18. At this time, the generated heat is mainly released from the heat sink 18a, and the light-emitting portion 18, and in particular the heat sink 18a, is cooled by the cooling air generated by the rotation of the rotary blades 30 of the cooling fan 28 (see FIG. 7).

[0044] The cooling air generated by the cooling fan 28 circulates in the lamp chamber 5 as cooling air A and cooling air B.

[0045] The cooling air A sent from the cooling fan 28 is rectified by the rectifying surface 14a of the rectifying protrusion 13 and reaches the guiding wall portion 11. At this time, although the first coupling portion 24 of the leveling mechanism 19 exists in the path of the cooling air A, since the notch 24a is formed in the first coupling portion 24, the cooling air A reaches the guiding wall portion 11 through the notch 24a. Therefore, the notch 24a ensures a smooth flow state of the cooling air A.

[0046] Also, the cooling air A sent from the cooling fan 28 is rectified by the rectifying surface 14a and reaches the guiding wall portion 11. However, since the rectifying surface 14a is inclined in a direction approaching the emission portion side edge 11a as it goes toward the inner side P, the cooling air A is not blown from a direction orthogonal to the guiding wall portion 11. Therefore, the cooling air A rectified by the rectifying surface 14a smoothly flows forward along the guiding wall portion 11 and reaches the first light emission portion 18A to cool the first light emission portion 18A. The cooling air A that has reached the first light emission portion 18A reaches the third light emission portion 18C through the front side of the second light emission portion 18B by the suction force of the rotating blade 30, cools the third light emission portion 18C, and is sucked into the interior of the cooling fan 28.

[0047] On the other hand, the cooling air B sent from the cooling fan 28 reaches the second light emission portion 18B and cools the second light emission portion 18B. The cooling air B that has reached the second light emission portion 18B reaches the third light emission portion 18C through the front side of the second light emission portion 18B by the suction force of the rotating blade 30, cools the third light emission portion 18C, and is sucked into the interior of the cooling fan 28.

[0048] In this way, in the vehicle lamp 1, the first light emission portion 18A and the second light emission portion 18B are respectively cooled by the cooling air A and the cooling air B, and the third light emission portion 18C is cooled by both the cooling air A and the cooling air B. Therefore, high cooling performance for the three light emission portions 18 can be ensured.

[0049] As described above, the vehicle lamp 1 is provided with a plurality of light emitting sections 18 including at least a first light emitting section 18A and a second light emitting section 18B, and a cooling fan 28 that blows cooling air, and the lamp housing 2 is provided with a straightening protrusion 13 that protrudes toward the light emitting sections 18 and controls the flow direction of the cooling air blown from the cooling fan 28.

[0050] Therefore, the flow direction of the cooling air sent from the cooling fan 28 is controlled by the straightening protrusion 13 provided on the lamp housing 2, and the cooling air is sent toward the multiple light-emitting sections 18, thereby ensuring sufficient air flow to the multiple light-emitting sections 18 while achieving miniaturization and reduced manufacturing costs.

[0051] In particular, since the straightening protrusion 13 is provided as part of the lamp housing 2, there is no need for a dedicated straightening section to direct cooling air toward the first light-emitting section 18A, and a simple structure can ensure sufficient air flow to the multiple light-emitting sections 18 without increasing the number of parts.

[0052] In addition, the distance from the cooling fan 28 to the first light-emitting portion 18A is made larger than the distance from the cooling fan 28 to the second light-emitting portion 18B, and the lamp housing 2 is provided with a guide wall portion 11 between the first light-emitting portion 18A and the cooling fan 28 to guide the cooling air toward the first light-emitting portion 18A, and a straightening protrusion 13 is positioned between the cooling fan 28 and the guide wall portion 11.

[0053] Therefore, the cooling air controlled by the straightening protrusion 13 is guided by the guide wall portion 11 toward the first light emitting portion 18A, so that the cooling air can be reliably directed toward the first light emitting portion 18A, which is at a greater distance from the cooling fan 28.

[0054] Furthermore, the tip surface of the straightening projection 13 is formed as a straightening surface 14a inclined relative to the guide wall portion 11, and the straightening surface 14a is inclined in a direction approaching the emission portion side edge 11a as it moves in the direction of the flow of the cooling air.

[0055] Therefore, since the cooling air flowing along the rectifying surface 14a inclined with respect to the guiding wall portion 11 reaches the guiding wall portion 11, the cooling air easily flows along the guiding wall portion 11 toward the first light emitting portion 18A, and the cooling efficiency for the first light emitting portion 18A can be improved.

[0056] Furthermore, the holding frame 29 of the cooling fan 28 is provided with a protective wall portion 32 located around the rotating blades 30, and the width of the first portion 34 located on the side of the rectifying protrusion 13 of the protective wall portion 32 is made larger than the width of the second portion 35.

[0057] Therefore, it becomes possible to position the protective wall portion 32 close to the rectifying protrusion 13, and it can function as a rectifying portion for flowing the first portion 34 toward the rectifying protrusion 13, and the cooling air can be reliably and in a large air volume made to flow in the required direction.

[0058] In addition, the holding frame 29 is provided with a guard portion 33 that is continuous with the end portion in the width direction of the protective wall portion 32 and protects the rotating blades 30, and the guard portion 33 is located only on the side of the second portion 35.

[0059] Therefore, since the output of the cooling air from the cooling fan 28 toward the rectifying protrusion 13 is not suppressed by the guard portion 33, it is possible to ensure a sufficient air volume of the cooling air sent toward the rectifying protrusion 13 while protecting the rotating blades 30 by the protective wall portion 32.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0060] 1 Vehicle lamp 2 Lamp housing 3 Translucent cover 11 Guiding wall portion 11a End portion on the light emitting portion side 13 Rectifying protrusion 14a Rectifying surface 18 Light emitting portion 18A First light emitting portion 18B Second light emitting portion 28 Cooling fan 29 Retaining Frame 30 Rotating Blades 32 Protective wall section 33 Guard section 34 First Part 35 Second Part

Claims

1. A lamp housing having an opening, A light-transmitting cover that forms a lamp chamber in a state of closing the opening, A plurality of light-emitting portions including at least a first light-emitting portion and a second light-emitting portion, A cooling fan that sends cooling air, Each of the plurality of light-emitting portions has a light source that emits light and a heat sink that releases heat generated when the light is emitted, The lamp housing is provided with a rectifying protrusion that protrudes into the interior of the lamp chamber and controls the flow direction of the cooling air sent from the cooling fan, A vehicle lamp.

2. The distance from the cooling fan to the first light-emitting portion is set to be greater than the distance from the cooling fan to the second light-emitting portion, The lamp housing is provided with a guiding wall portion that guides the cooling air toward the first light-emitting portion between the first light-emitting portion and the cooling fan, The rectifying protrusion is located between the cooling fan and the guiding wall portion, The vehicle lamp according to claim 1.

3. The edge of the guiding wall portion on the first light-emitting portion side is the emission portion side edge, The tip surface of the rectifying protrusion is formed as a rectifying surface inclined with respect to the guiding wall portion, The rectifying surface is inclined in a direction approaching the emission portion side edge as it goes in the flow direction of the cooling air, The vehicle lamp according to claim 2.

4. The cooling fan has a rotating blade that generates the cooling air and a holding frame that holds the rotating blade, The holding frame is provided with a protective wall portion located around the rotating blade, The protective wall portion has the rotation axis direction of the rotating blade in the width direction, The protective wall portion is composed of a first portion located on the rectifying protrusion side and a second portion other than the first portion, and the width of the first portion is made larger than the width of the second portion, The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, claim 2, or claim 3.

5. The holding frame is provided with a guard portion that is continuous with an end portion of the protective wall portion in the width direction and protects the rotating blade, The guard portion is located only on the second portion side, The vehicle lamp according to claim 4.

Images