Vehicular lighting fixture

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture in which a component attachment hole can be provided in a most peripheral edge part of a lamp body while rigidity is secured.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting fixture 1 comprises: a container-like lamp body 2 comprising a peripheral wall 7 and a back wall 6, and of which a front surface is opened; and a front cover 4 attached to a front opening part 2a of the lamp body 2, and defining a lighting chamber S on the inside. A component attachment hole 23 is formed in a peripheral edge part of the back wall 6. At least a portion of the peripheral wall 7 is formed as a double wall comprising an inner wall 8b and an outer wall 8a. The outer wall 8a is formed along an outer periphery of the component attachment hole 23. The inner wall 8b is formed so as to pass through the inside of the component attachment hole 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle lamp, and more particularly to a vehicle lamp including a container-shaped lamp body. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional vehicle lamp includes a lamp body that is a container-like resin molded product. The lamp body disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a component mounting hole formed therein for mounting a component such as a lamp unit.

[0003] In recent years, there has been an increase in vehicle lamps that have a long light guide along the periphery of the lamp, as disclosed in Patent Document 2. From the standpoint of appearance, there is a need to attach the light source as close to the edge as possible so that the light guide emits light from the end of the lamp, and to achieve this, it is necessary to provide the component mounting hole that will become the lamp unit mounting hole as close to the edge as possible. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-111582 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-59958 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to provide the component mounting hole at the outermost edge of the lamp body, it is possible to form the component mounting hole in the rear wall of the lamp body so that the peripheral wall of the lamp body passes through the inside of the component mounting hole. However, if the peripheral wall of the lamp body is formed so that it passes through the inside of the component mounting hole, the component mounting hole will protrude from the shape of the lamp body and become isolated, making it difficult to ensure rigidity.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle lamp capable of providing a component mounting hole at the outermost edge of the lamp body while ensuring rigidity.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present invention has the following configuration. 1. A container-shaped lamp body having a peripheral wall and a rear wall and an opening at the front, and a front cover assembled to the front opening of the lamp body and defining a lamp chamber inside, wherein component mounting holes are formed at the peripheral edge of the rear wall, at least a part of the peripheral wall is formed as a double wall having an inner wall and an outer wall, the outer wall is formed along the outer periphery of the component mounting holes, and the inner wall is formed so as to pass inside the component mounting holes.

[0008] In the above aspect, component mounting holes are formed at the outermost edge of the lamp body, and the peripheral wall is formed as a double wall so as to pass inside the component mounting holes. If a single wall is used and the peripheral wall is made to pass inside the component mounting holes, the component mounting holes will protrude and be isolated from the shape of the body due to the shape of the body. For this reason, the rigidity of the protruding portion is lowered. By adopting the configuration of a double wall in which the outer wall extends along the outer periphery of the component mounting holes and the inner wall passes inside the component mounting holes as in the above aspect, the component mounting holes are accommodated within the shape of the lamp body defined by the peripheral wall and are not isolated. As a result, it becomes possible to form component mounting holes at the outermost edge while ensuring rigidity.

[0009] 2. Further, in the aspect of 1 above, it is also preferable that the lamp body further includes a seal groove formed at the front end of the peripheral wall for connecting the front cover and the lamp body, and the seal groove is formed inside the outer wall.

[0010] 3. Further, in the aspects of 1 and 2 above, it is also preferable that the inner wall is curved inside the component mounting holes, and the inner wall and the outer wall extend so as to be parallel at the end surfaces in the front-rear direction.

[0011] 4. Further, in the above aspects 1 to 3, it further includes a light source and a long light guide that receives light from the light source, guides the light while internally reflecting it, and emits the light forward. It is also preferable that the component mounting hole is a lamp unit mounting hole for mounting a lamp unit including the light source.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] According to the above aspect, it becomes possible to provide a component mounting hole at the outermost edge of the lamp body while ensuring rigidity.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 9

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention. In addition, in the following description of the embodiments, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as appropriate. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, directions such as front, rear, left, and right refer to directions when viewing the vehicular lamp from the front.

[0015] 1. Overall structure of vehicle lighting fixture 1 is a schematic front view of a vehicle lamp (hereinafter simply referred to as a lamp) 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle lamp 1 is a headlamp mounted on the left and right corners of the front of a vehicle. The example shown is a headlamp mounted on the corner on the right side (left side of the vehicle) when viewed from the front.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, the lamp fixture 1 comprises a container-shaped lamp body 2 that is open at the front, and a front cover 4 that is attached to the front opening 2a of the lamp body 2. The front cover 4 is made of a translucent resin such as acrylic resin or polycarbonate resin, or glass. When the front cover 4 is attached to the front opening 2a of the lamp body 2, a lamp chamber S is defined inside.

[0017] The lamp chamber S contains a first lamp unit 30 for high beam, a second lamp unit 40 for low beam, a third lamp unit 50 for daytime running lamps, and a light driver module (hereinafter referred to as LDM) (not shown) that controls the on / off of each lamp unit.

[0018] The first lamp unit 30 and the second lamp unit 40 are optical units configured to irradiate light emitted from a light source ahead of the vehicle to form a high beam light distribution and a low beam light distribution, respectively. The first lamp unit 30 and the second lamp unit 40 may be of any type, and may be of a conventionally known configuration, such as a reflector type or projector type.

[0019] The third lamp unit 50 is an optical unit including a long light guide 51. Details of the third lamp unit 50 will be described later.

[0020] 2. Overall Shape of Lamp Body Next, the shape of the lamp body 2 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the entire lamp body 2.

[0021] The lamp body 2 is formed by injection molding using an opaque hard synthetic resin material. The lamp body 2 includes, as constituent surfaces, a rear wall 6 and a peripheral wall 7 having a bottom surface 7a, a ceiling surface 7b, a left side surface 7c, and a right side surface 7d. The rear wall 6 bulges rearward and is connected to the adjacent bottom surface 7a, ceiling surface 7b, left side surface 7c, and right side surface 7d via ridge lines to define a container shape.

[0022] On the outer surface of the peripheral edge of the front opening 2a of the lamp body 2, a vehicle body mounting portion 5 for mounting to the vehicle body is provided to project in correspondence with the shape of the mounting portion on the vehicle body side. In the illustrated example, the vehicle body mounting portion 5 is provided at a total of three locations on the outer surface of the lamp body 2, i.e., one location upward, one location at the lower left, and one location at the lower right, but is not limited thereto, and an appropriate number is provided according to the shape of the mounting portion on the vehicle body side and the lamp body 2.

[0023] A seal groove portion 3 is formed over the entire circumference at the peripheral edge of the front opening 2a of the lamp body 2, i.e., at the front end portion of the peripheral wall 7. The seal groove portion 3 is a double wall in which a groove 3c is formed between an outer peripheral side wall 3a defining the front shape of the lamp body 2 and an inner peripheral side wall 3b defining the front opening 2a (see also FIG. 6).

[0024] The seal groove portion 3 engages with a seal leg (not shown) provided at the peripheral edge of the front cover 4 to connect the lamp body 2 to the front cover 4. The seal leg and the seal groove portion 3 are joined by a sealing material or laser welding. The outer peripheral side wall 3a and the inner peripheral side wall 3b are each formed to have a thickness similar to that of the peripheral wall 7.

[0025] The bottom surface 7a of the peripheral wall 7 extends forward and downward from the lower edge of the rear wall 6 and is continuous with the seal groove portion 3 at the front end. The right side surface 7d extends rightward and slightly forward from the right edge of the rear wall 6 and is connected to the seal groove portion 3.

[0026] The left side surface 7c extends forward from the left edge of the rear wall 6 and is connected to the seal groove portion 3. The ceiling surface 7b has a small extension amount and extends while gently curving downward and rearward from the edge of the seal groove portion 3 of the rear wall 6 to connect to the rear wall 6, and is formed substantially integrally with the rear wall 6.

[0027] The bottom surface 7a has a large extension amount in the front-rear direction, and the ceiling surface 7b has a small extension amount in the front-rear direction. For this reason, the left side surface 7c and the right side surface 7d gradually increase in extension amount from top to bottom.

[0028] The rear wall 6 and the peripheral wall 7 are mainly composed of curved surfaces with a large radius of curvature rather than flat surfaces, and each of the rear wall 6, the bottom surface 7a, the ceiling surface 7b, the left side surface 7c, and the right side surface 7d forms a container surface in which the curved surfaces are smoothly continuous with each other. Also, although not shown in detail, the rear wall 6 has, for example, a truss-like beam structure as shown in Patent Document 1, whereby the rigidity of the rear wall 6 and the peripheral wall 7 is increased, and the rear wall 6 and the peripheral wall 7 are configured to be thin. However, since such a configuration is well-known, detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0029] The rear wall 6 is formed with a first unit mounting hole 21, a second unit mounting hole 22, and a third unit mounting hole 23. The first unit mounting hole 21 is a hole for mounting the first lamp unit 30 and is formed to the right of the center of the rear wall 6. The second unit mounting hole 22 is a hole for mounting the second lamp unit 40 and is formed to the left of the center of the rear wall 6. The third unit mounting hole 23 is a hole for mounting the third lamp unit and is formed at the left upper most edge of the rear wall 6. Details of the structure around the third unit mounting hole 23 will be described later.

[0030] In addition, the lamp body 2 may include an aiming screw mounting hole for mounting aiming screws for adjusting the optical axes of the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit, an LDM (light driver module) mounting hole, etc., but illustration thereof is omitted.

[0031] As described above, it is preferable in the present embodiment that the back wall 6 and the peripheral wall 7 are mainly composed of curved surfaces with a large radius of curvature rather than flat surfaces, and each of the back wall 6, the bottom surface 7a, the ceiling surface 7b, the left side surface 7c, and the right side surface 7d forms a container surface in which the curved surfaces are smoothly continuous with each other and is configured to be thin as described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the back wall 6 and the peripheral wall 7 may mainly have a conventionally known configuration in which they are composed of flat plate-like planes, the back wall 6 and the peripheral wall 7 are continuously connected so as to bend, and are reinforced with ribs or the like.

[0032] 3. Detailed Structure around the Third Unit Mounting Hole Figs. 3 to 5 are enlarged views of the peripheral portion A of the third unit mounting hole 23 shown by the broken line in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a front view, Fig. 4 is a rear view, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view seen from the back. Further, Fig. 6(A) is an end view along the VIA-VIA line of Fig. 3 of the peripheral portion A, and Fig. 6(B) is an end view along the VIB-VIB line of Fig. 3. Figs. 3 and 6 show a state in which the third lamp unit 50 is attached to the lamp body 2, and Figs. 4 and 5 show a state in which the third lamp unit 50 is removed.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 3, the peripheral wall 7 is formed so as to pass through the inside of the third unit mounting hole 23 in a front view. Further, as shown in Fig. 4, the portion 8 of the peripheral wall 7 passing through the third unit mounting hole 23 is formed as a double wall having an outer wall 8a and an inner wall 8b.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 6(B), the outer wall 8a is formed to extend forward from the outer peripheral edge of the rear wall 6 along the outer periphery of the third unit mounting hole 23. And at the front end of the outer wall 8a, the front wall 8c is formed to slightly extend forward toward the inside of the third unit mounting hole 23 and is continuous with the rear end of the seal groove portion 3.

[0035] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the inner wall 8b is formed to pass through the inside of the third unit mounting hole 23 in a front view. More specifically, the inner wall 8b extends inward from the outside of the third unit mounting hole 23 downward from above, curves so as to bulge toward the center of the lamp body 2 inside the third unit mounting hole 23, and then extends outward of the third unit mounting hole 23 again.

[0036] The inner wall 8b is connected to the outer wall 8a at positions intersecting the peripheries of the upper and lower third unit mounting holes 23, respectively, and is continuous to form a single wall outside the third unit mounting hole 23. The outer wall 8a and the inner wall 8b extend in parallel on the end surfaces extending in the front-rear direction. Here, the term "parallel" does not necessarily mean completely parallel, but means extending in the same direction, and may have an inclination for die cutting, for example. As a result, a space 81 having an almond-shaped vertical cross section in the left-right direction is formed between the outer wall 8a and the inner wall 8b.

[0037] Also, the front wall 8c is a recess 82 having a shape that slightly indents rearward at the base end portion of the outer peripheral side wall 3a of the seal groove portion 3. The recess 82 is formed to have the same thickness as the outer wall 82a, the inner wall 8b, and the front wall 8c. Therefore, the back surface of the recess 82 can also be visually recognized in FIG. 4 viewed from the rear.

[0038] In this way, the third unit mounting hole 23 is positioned inside the outer wall 8a, such that the third unit mounting hole 23 does not protrude from the outer shape of the lamp body 2, and rigidity can be ensured without the shape being isolated. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, since the circumferential wall 7, the circumferential walls 7 before and after the portion 8 passing through the third unit mounting hole 23, and the outer wall 8a of the third unit mounting hole 23 are arranged linearly, the isolation of the shape is further suppressed and rigidity is ensured.

[0039] Note that, in order to ensure the required rigidity, it is not necessarily essential that the inner wall 8b is curved so as to bulge toward the center of the lamp body 2 inside the third unit mounting hole 23. The inner wall 8b may pass through the inside of the third unit mounting hole 23 in a flat plate (linear) shape and form a double wall with the outer wall 8a along the outer periphery of the third unit mounting hole 23. However, by making the inner wall 8b a curved surface, stress is dispersed, so it is advantageous because rigidity is further enhanced.

[0040] Also, in the portion 8 of the circumferential wall 7 passing through the third unit mounting hole 23, the inner peripheral side wall 3b of the seal groove portion 3 is formed so as to be continuous with the inner wall 8b. The inner wall 8b is supported by the seal groove portion 3 at the front end, but the rear end is a free end. However, since the seal groove portion 3 has the double wall structure as described above and makes a large contribution to the rigidity of the lamp body 2, the rigidity can be increased by the inner wall 8b being supported by the seal groove portion 3. However, doing so is not essential, and it is possible to ensure the required rigidity if the seal groove portion 3 is formed inside the outer wall 8a.

[0041] 4. Third Lamp Unit Next, the third lamp unit 50 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3, 6, and 7. FIG. 7 is a schematic end view of the luminaire 1 along line VII-VII in FIG. 1.

[0042] The third lamp unit 50 includes a light guide 51, a light source 53 attached to a disk-shaped substrate 52, and a heat sink 54 formed on the back surface of the light source mounting surface of the substrate 52.

[0043] Light guide 51 is made of a light-transmitting resin and has a columnar shape with bent portion 51b. As shown in Fig. 7, light guide 51 is disposed so that end face 51a faces light source 53. Light guide 51 extends forward and outward (leftward) from light source 53 and is bent at bent portion 51b, with light guide portion 51c extending in the left-right direction along front cover 4. A step 51d is formed on the rear surface of light guide portion 51c to emit light guided in the left-right direction forward.

[0044] The light source 53 is, for example, an LED (light-emitting diode) light source equipped with a plurality of light-emitting elements. The light source 53 is attached so that its light-emitting surface faces the end surface 51a of the light guide 51, and as shown in Fig. 3, the light source 53 is attached at a position where the inner wall 8b intersects with the periphery of the third unit mounting hole 23 in the horizontal direction and connects to the outer wall 8a. A connector 55 is provided on the substrate 52 for connecting to an LDM that controls the on / off of the third lamp unit 50.

[0045] 3 and 6, the substrate 52 is attached to a substrate attachment portion 54a formed at the front end of the heat sink 54. An annular body attachment portion 54b is formed on the outer periphery of the substrate attachment portion 54a. A plurality of fitting groove forming portions 54b1 are formed in the body attachment portion 54b. The third lamp unit 50 is attached to the lamp body 2 by fitting the fitting groove forming portions 54b1 into unit fitting portions 23a formed on the periphery of the third unit mounting hole 23 and fixing with screws 54b2.

[0046] The heat sink 54 has a plurality of heat dissipation fins 54c extending rearward from the rear surface of the board mounting portion 54a. The board mounting portion 54a is formed so that the board mounting surface is inclined outward (leftward) from the lamp body 2. As a result, the light source 53 is also mounted so as to be inclined outward from the lamp body 2.

[0047] Therefore, when the light source 53 is turned on, light enters the light guide 51 from the end surface 51a of the light guide 51, is bent at the bent portion 51b, and is guided to the right while being internally reflected within the light guide portion 51c. The light guided to the right is reflected by the step 51d formed on the rear surface of the light guide portion 51c and is emitted forward of the lamp. This allows the light guide portion 51c of the light guide 51 to be positioned across the entire width of the front cover 4. As a result, it is possible to meet the needs for recent daytime running lamps that use light guides, such as shining the light from a position as close as possible to the outer periphery of the lamp and providing the light-emitting portion across the entire width of the front cover 4.

[0048] Furthermore, if, to meet the above needs, the light source were to be located at the very edge of the lamp body, rather than being directed outward as described above, and the light from the light source were to be directed straight forward into the light guide, then bent just before the front cover 4 and directed to the right, strong light would be emitted forward from the bent portion 51b of the light guide 51, which could dazzle oncoming vehicles. However, this problem can be prevented by arranging the light source 53 so that it is tilted outward. The spatial margin for this is ensured by mounting the light source 53 horizontally at a position where the inner wall 8b intersects with the outer wall.

[0049] 5. Manufacturing method of lamp body 2 Finally, a method for manufacturing the lamp body 2 will be described. As described above, the lamp body 2 is formed by injection molding. FIG. 8(A) is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the conceptual structure of a mold 90 for injection molding the lamp body 2, showing a cross section corresponding to the third unit mounting hole 23. FIG. 8(B) is an enlarged view of portion B, which is surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 8(A), i.e., the portion corresponding to the third unit mounting hole 23. The cross section in FIG. 8(B) corresponds to an end face of the lamp body 2 along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 3.

[0050] The mold 90 includes a cavity-side mold 91, a core-side mold 92, and a slide mold 93. By clamping the cavity-side mold 91, the core-side mold 92, and the slide mold 93, a cavity 70 corresponding to the lamp body 2 is formed. The lamp body 2 is molded by injecting resin melted from a heating cylinder 94 into this cavity 70 through a gate 95 (not shown).

[0051] Further, the slide mold 93 is configured to move in the direction of arrow a2 by opening the core-side mold 92 in the direction of arrow a1 from the illustrated clamped state. Although not shown in the schematically shown Fig. 8(A), as shown in Fig. 8(B), the portion 73 corresponding to the seal groove portion 3 of the actual cavity 70 has a complex structure, and an undercut portion is formed in the portion 78c corresponding to the front wall 8c. However, by using the mold shown in Fig. 8(A), it is possible to manufacture the lamp body 2 in which the third unit mounting hole 23 passes through the double wall.

[0052] In addition, in Fig. 8(A) and Fig. 8(B), the arrow a2 indicating the slide direction seems to be inclined rather than 90° with respect to the arrow a1 indicating the moving direction of the core mold 92. However, the direction of arrow a1 indicates a state inclined 15° with respect to the reference line, and the direction of arrow a2 maintains 90° with respect to the direction of arrow a1.

[0053] Note that the shape of the recess 82 formed at the base end portion of the outer peripheral side wall 3a of the seal groove portion 3 of the front wall 8c described above is formed so that no flash is generated in the slide direction during this injection molding.

[0054] 6. Comparative Example Finally, for comparison, a case where the unit mounting holes are provided at the outermost peripheral portion of the lamp body without providing a double-wall portion on the peripheral wall will be described. The lamp body 902 according to the comparative example has a configuration equivalent to that of the lamp body 2, except that the portion passing through the inside of the third unit mounting hole 23 provided at the outermost edge of the peripheral wall 7 of the lamp body 2 is not configured as a double wall but is a single wall like the other portions. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 3. Further, FIG. 9 shows a slide mold 993 equivalent to the slide mold 93 in FIG. 8(B) and its slide direction when the lamp body 902 is injection-molded.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 9, the peripheral wall 910 of the lamp body 902 is configured as a single wall even inside the third unit mounting hole 23. In this case, the fitting portion into which the third lamp unit 50 is fitted protrudes from the outer shape of the lamp fixture 900 defined by the peripheral wall 907 supported by the seal groove portion 3, and the shape of the protruding portion is isolated and has low rigidity.

[0056] Also, as shown in FIG. 9, when the lamp body 902 is injection-molded, in the same manner as when the above-described lamp body 2 is injection-molded, when using the slide mold 993, in order to enable sliding in the direction of arrow a2, it is necessary to form a flash portion 903a between the seal groove portion 3 and the peripheral wall 910. For this reason, the weight is increased.

[0057] In the lamp fixture 1 according to the above embodiment, by passing the peripheral wall 907 configured as a single wall through the inside of the third unit mounting hole 23, the inconveniences that occur when the third unit mounting hole 23 is provided at the outermost peripheral portion of the lamp body are prevented, and both weight reduction and rigidity ensuring of the lamp body 2 are achieved.

[0058] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. The above embodiments are examples of the present invention, and it is possible to combine them based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such forms are also included in the scope of the present invention. In particular, in this specification, the case where it is applied to the lamp unit mounting hole for a daylight running lamp has been described, but it is also possible to apply it to a component mounting hole for mounting other lamp units or components other than the lamp unit such as an LDM.

Explanation of Signs

[0059] 1: Vehicle lamp 2: Lamp body 2a: Front opening 3: Seal groove 3c: Groove 4: Front cover 6: Rear wall 7: Peripheral wall 8a: Outer wall 8b: Inner wall 23: Third unit mounting hole (component mounting hole) 51: Light guide 51a: End face 53: Light source S: Lamp chamber

Claims

1. A container-shaped lamp body having a peripheral wall and a rear wall, with an opening at the front; A front cover assembled to the front opening of the lamp body and defining a lamp chamber inside; Comprising: Component mounting holes are formed at the peripheral edge of the rear wall; At least a part of the peripheral wall is formed as a double wall having an inner wall and an outer wall; The outer wall is formed along the outer periphery of the component mounting hole, and the inner wall is formed to pass inside the component mounting hole. A vehicle lamp characterized by this.

2. The lamp body further includes a seal groove formed at the front end of the peripheral wall for connecting the front cover and the lamp body; The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the seal groove is formed inside the outer wall.

3. The inner wall is curved inside the component mounting hole; The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner wall and the outer wall extend so as to be parallel at an end surface extending in the front-rear direction.

4. Further comprising a light source and a long light guide that receives light from the light source, guides the light while internally reflecting it, and emits it forward; The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the component mounting hole is a lamp unit mounting hole for mounting a lamp unit including the light source.

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