Vehicular lighting fixture and manufacturing method of the same

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture which enables a lighting fixture unit to be mounted on a housing properly, after mounting an outer lens on the housing.SOLUTION: A positioning recess part 21A includes a first sliding contact surface 21a and a second sliding contact surface 21b. A positioning protrusion part 22A includes a third sliding contact surface 22a and a fourth sliding contact surface 22b. A first mounting direction X1 in which an outer lens 3 is mounted with respect to a housing 2 and a second mounting direction X2 in which a lighting fixture unit 5 is mounted with respect to the housing 2 cross each other. By the first sliding contact surface 21a and the third sliding contact surface 22a sliding and contacting with each other along the first mounting direction X1, the lighting fixture unit 5 is guided in the first mounting direction X1 with respect to the housing 2, and by the second sliding contact surface 21b and the fourth contact surface 22b sliding and contacting with each other along the second mounting direction X2, the lighting fixture unit 5 is guided in the second mounting direction X2 with respect to the housing 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there have been vehicle lamps in which a lamp unit that emits light forward is arranged inside a lamp body composed of a housing with an opening at the front and an outer lens (cover lens) that covers the opening of the housing.

[0003] Such vehicle lamps have a structure in which components that make up the lamp unit, such as a lamp (light source), inner lens (light guide), reflector, extension, and bracket, are arranged inside the lamp body, and these components are attached to the inside of the lamp body.

[0004] Incidentally, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp, which includes a fitting process in which an internal component is placed in a hollow opening of a transparent, box-shaped outer lens component and fitted with the hollow to prevent the internal component from interfering with the housing component or the outer lens component when assembling the outer lens component and the housing component; an assembly process in which, after the fitting process, the opening of a recess formed in the housing component faces the opening of the hollow of the outer lens component, and a frame portion formed along the opening of the recess of the housing component is butted against a frame-shaped protrusion formed along the opening of the hollow of the outer lens component, and the frame portion is welded or bonded to the frame-shaped protrusion; and a fastening process in which, after the assembly process, a fastening screw is passed through a through-hole that penetrates from the surface of the housing component to the recess, and the fastening screw is fastened to the internal component to draw the internal component to the housing component and fix the internal component to the housing component. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-159054 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, if there is a misalignment between the through hole on the housing component side and the screw hole on the built-in component side, it becomes difficult to fasten the fastening screw through the through hole into the screw hole.

[0007] Furthermore, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, after assembling the outer lens component to the housing component, it becomes difficult to align the through-holes on the housing component with the screw holes on the built-in component. Furthermore, if you try to forcefully fasten the fastening screws in this state, the resin on the built-in component may be scraped off, potentially introducing foreign matter.

[0008] The present invention has been proposed in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle lamp and a manufacturing method thereof that allows a lamp unit arranged inside the lamp body to be properly attached to the housing after an outer lens is attached to the housing that constitutes the lamp body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means. [1] A vehicle lamp in which a lamp unit is disposed inside a lamp body that is composed of a housing with an opening at the front and an outer lens that covers the opening of the housing, a positioning recess provided in a component constituting the rear side of the lamp unit; a positioning protrusion provided on the front side of the housing, the positioning recess includes a first sliding contact surface and a second sliding contact surface, the positioning protrusion includes a third sliding contact surface and a fourth sliding contact surface, a first mounting direction in which the outer lens is mounted to the housing and a second mounting direction in which the lamp unit is mounted to the housing intersect with each other; the first sliding contact surface and the third sliding contact surface are brought into sliding contact with each other along the first mounting direction, thereby guiding the lamp unit in the first mounting direction relative to the housing; the second sliding contact surface and the fourth sliding contact surface are brought into sliding contact with each other along the second mounting direction, thereby guiding the lamp unit in the second mounting direction relative to the housing; The vehicle lamp is characterized in that the positioning protrusion is engaged with the positioning recess, thereby positioning the lamp unit relative to the housing. [2] The vehicular lamp according to [1], characterized in that the positioning recess has an opening between the first sliding contact surface and the second sliding contact surface into which the tip side of the positioning protrusion is inserted. [3] The outer lens has a shape curved from the inside to the outside in the vehicle width direction to match a slant shape given to a corner portion on the front or rear end side of the vehicle, and a corner portion located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction, the corner portion being located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of a line passing through a portion where the housing butts against the housing and which is parallel to the first mounting direction, The vehicle lamp according to [1] above, characterized in that components constituting the front side of the lamp unit are disposed in the corners. [4] The vehicle lamp according to [1], characterized in that the outer lens is butted against the front side of the housing from the first mounting direction, and the butted portion with the housing is joined by hot plate welding. [5] A screw hole provided in a component constituting the rear side of the lighting unit; a mounting hole provided through the rear side of the housing, The vehicle lamp described in [1] is characterized in that the lamp unit is attached to the front side of the housing from the second attachment direction by threading a screw through the attachment hole from the back side of the housing and into the screw hole. [6] A method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp according to any one of [1] to [3], a first mounting step of mounting the outer lens to the front side of the housing by joining the outer lens and the housing by hot plate welding in a state where the lamp unit is housed inside the outer lens and the outer lens is butted against the front side of the housing from the first mounting direction; and a second mounting step of, after the first mounting step, mounting the lamp unit to the front side of the housing in the second mounting direction by threading a screw through a mounting hole provided through the rear side of the housing from the rear side of the housing into a screw hole provided in a component constituting the rear side of the lamp unit, In the first mounting step, the outer lens is guided in the first mounting direction relative to the housing while the first sliding contact surface and the third sliding contact surface of the positioning recess and the positioning protrusion that are engaged with each other are in sliding contact with each other along the first mounting direction, A method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp, characterized in that in the second mounting step, the positioning recess and the positioning protrusion, which are engaged with each other, slide their second sliding surfaces and fourth sliding surfaces against each other along the second mounting direction, while guiding the lamp unit in the second mounting direction relative to the housing. [7] A method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp as described in [6], characterized in that, when the lamp unit is housed inside the outer lens, a part that constitutes the front side of the lamp unit is abutted against a positioning shape provided on the inside of the outer lens. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] As described above, according to the present invention, a vehicle lamp and a manufacturing method thereof are provided that make it possible to properly attach a lamp unit arranged inside the lamp body to the housing after attaching an outer lens to the housing that constitutes the lamp body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a positioning protrusion located on the front side of the housing of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1 and a positioning recess located on the rear side of the lamp unit. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp taken along line BB shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] 2 is a perspective view showing a state before a lamp unit is housed inside an outer lens of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lamp unit is housed inside an outer lens of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an outer lens is attached to a housing of the vehicle lamp shown in FIG. 1. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, the dimensions of the components may be shown at different scales to make them easier to see, and the dimensional ratios of the components may not necessarily be the same as in reality.

[0013] As one embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle lamp 1 shown in, for example, FIGS. 1 to 7 will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view of the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 1 taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing positioning protrusions 22A, 22B located on the front side of the housing 2 of the vehicle lamp 1 shown in FIG. 1 and positioning recesses 21A, 21B located on the rear side of the lamp unit 5. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp 1 taken along line BB in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state before the lamp unit 5 is housed inside the outer lens 3 of the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which the lamp unit 5 has been housed inside the outer lens 3 of the vehicle lamp 1. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which the outer lens 3 has been attached to the housing 2 of the vehicle lamp.

[0014] In addition, in the drawings shown below, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is set up, with the X-axis direction representing the front-to-rear direction (length direction) of the vehicle lighting fixture 1, the Y-axis direction representing the left-to-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle lighting fixture 1, and the Z-axis direction representing the up-to-down direction (height direction) of the vehicle lighting fixture 1.

[0015] The vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment is an application of the present invention to a rear combination lamp mounted, for example, at both corners on the rear end of a vehicle (not shown) (in this embodiment, the corner on the right rear end).

[0016] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "upper," and "lower" refer to the respective directions when the vehicle lamp 1 is viewed from the front (rear of the vehicle). Therefore, the respective directions when the vehicle is viewed from the front (front of the vehicle) are the reverse of the front, rear, left, and right directions.

[0017] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment has a structure in which a lamp unit 5 that emits light forward (towards the rear of the vehicle in this embodiment) is arranged inside a lamp body 4 that is composed of a housing 2 with an open front and an outer lens 3 that covers the opening of the housing 2.

[0018] The lamp body 4 has an outer lens 3 that curves from the inside to the outside in the vehicle width direction to match the slanted shape of the rear corner of the vehicle. Both the housing 2 and the outer lens 3 are made of molded synthetic resin. The shape of the lamp body 4 can be changed as needed to suit the design of the vehicle, etc.

[0019] In the lamp body 4, a joining recess 2a provided on the periphery of the housing 2 is butted against a joining protrusion 3a provided on the periphery of the outer lens 3 in the first mounting direction X1, and the butting portion T of the housing 2 and the outer lens 3 is joined by hot plate welding. This results in the outer lens 3 being attached to the front side of the housing 2 in the first mounting direction X1. In addition, the lamp body 4 forms a space K between the housing 2 and the outer lens 3 in which the lamp unit 5 is housed.

[0020] The lamp unit 5 has an integrated structure formed by assembling various components, such as a circuit board on which a light source such as an LED is mounted, a light guide such as an inner lens, a reflector, an extension, and a bracket. In this embodiment, the extension, which serves as a first component 6 (described later), constitutes the rear side of the lamp unit 5. The inner lens, which serves as a second component 7 and a third component 8 (described later), constitute the front side of the lamp unit 5.

[0021] The vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of (five in this embodiment) fixing portions 10 for fixing the lamp unit 5 to the housing 2.

[0022] The plurality of fixing parts 10 are threaded with screws 12 from the rear side of the housing 2 through mounting holes 11 provided penetrating the rear side of the housing 2 into screw holes 13 provided in the first component 6 constituting the rear side of the lamp unit 5. This results in a state in which the lamp unit 5 is attached to the front side of the housing 2 from the second attachment direction X2.

[0023] In the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, the first mounting direction X1 in which the outer lens 3 is mounted to the housing 2 and the second mounting direction X2 in which the lamp unit 5 is mounted to the housing 2 intersect with each other.

[0024] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first mounting direction X1 coincides with the front-rear direction of the vehicle lamp 1. On the other hand, the second mounting direction X2 is oblique to the front-rear direction of the vehicle lamp 1.

[0025] The outer lens 3 has a corner 3b located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction, the corner 3b being located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of a line S that is parallel to the first mounting direction X1 and passes through the butt portion T where the outer lens 3 butts against the housing 2. A second component 7 that constitutes the front side of the lamp unit 5 is disposed in the corner 3b.

[0026] In this configuration, if the lamp unit 5 is attached to the front side of the housing 2 from the second attachment direction X2 and then the outer lens 3 is attached to the front side of the housing 2 from the first attachment direction X1, the corner portion 3b will interfere with the second part 7, making it impossible to assemble the vehicle lamp 1.

[0027] Therefore, when assembling the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, it is necessary to attach the outer lens 3 to the front side of the housing 2 from the first mounting direction X1, and then attach the lamp unit 5 arranged inside the lamp body 4 to the front side of the housing 2 from the second mounting direction X2.

[0028] Furthermore, when attaching the lighting unit 5 arranged inside the lamp body 4 to the housing 2, it is necessary to align the positions of the mounting hole 11 on the housing side and the screw hole 13 on the lighting unit 5 (first part 6) side.

[0029] In contrast, the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of (two in this embodiment) positioning portions 20A, 20B for positioning the lamp unit 5 relative to the housing 2, as shown in FIGS.

[0030] Of the two positioning portions 20A, 20B, one positioning portion 20A has one positioning recess 21A provided in the first component 6 and one positioning protrusion 22A provided in the housing 2 and engaged with the one positioning recess 21A. The other positioning portion 20B has the other positioning recess 21B provided in the first component 6 and the other positioning protrusion 22B provided in the housing 2 and engaged with the other positioning recess 21B.

[0031] In this embodiment, the component that constitutes the rear side of the lighting unit 5 is the first component 6, and the first component 6 has two positioning recesses 21A and 21B on the rear side. On the other hand, the housing 2 has two positioning protrusions 22A and 22B on the front side that engage with the two positioning recesses 21A and 21B.

[0032] In one positioning portion 20A, one positioning recess 21A (on the lower left side in FIG. 3) has a first sliding contact surface 21a extending in the first mounting direction X1, a second sliding contact surface 21b extending in the second mounting direction X2, and an opening 21c between the first sliding contact surface 21a and the second sliding contact surface 21b into which the tip end side of the positioning protrusion 22A is inserted. In addition, one positioning recess 21A is provided in a state in which the back side of the first component 6 is recessed.

[0033] In contrast, one positioning protrusion 22A (the one on the upper right side in FIG. 2) has a third sliding contact surface 22a extending in the first mounting direction X1 and a fourth sliding contact surface 22b extending in the second mounting direction X2. One positioning protrusion 22A is provided in a flat plate shape protruding from the front side of the housing 2 to match the shape of one positioning recess 21A.

[0034] 2, in one positioning portion 20A, the first sliding contact surface 21a and the third sliding contact surface 22a of one positioning recess 21A and one positioning protrusion 22A are in sliding contact with each other along the first mounting direction X1, thereby guiding the lamp unit 5 in the first mounting direction X1 relative to the housing 2. In addition, the second sliding contact surface 21b and the fourth sliding contact surface 22b are in sliding contact with each other along the second mounting direction X2, thereby guiding the lamp unit 5 in the second mounting direction X2 relative to the housing 2.

[0035] In the other positioning portion 20B, the other positioning recess 21B (on the lower right side in FIG. 3) has two upper protrusions 21d and one lower protrusion 21e that protrude from the rear surface side of the first component 6. The other positioning recess 21B is provided so as to sandwich the other positioning protrusion 22B between the two upper protrusions 21d and the one lower protrusion 21e.

[0036] On the other hand, the other positioning protrusion 22B (on the upper left side in FIG. 3) is provided in a flat plate shape protruding from the front side of the housing 2 to match the shape of the other positioning recess 21B.

[0037] When manufacturing the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment having the above-described configuration, first, the lamp unit 5 is housed inside the outer lens 3 as shown in FIGS.

[0038] At this time, as shown in Fig. 4, the third component 8 constituting the front side of the lamp unit 5 is brought into contact with the positioning shape 23 provided on the back side of the outer lens 3. The positioning shape 23 is made of a rib wall protruding from the back side of the outer lens 3. With the third component 8 coming into contact with the positioning shape 23, the lamp unit 5 is positioned inside the outer lens 3.

[0039] 6 and 7, in a first mounting step, the outer lens 3 is mounted to the front side of the housing 2 from the first mounting direction X1. Specifically, with the joining recess 2a provided on the periphery of the housing 2 and the joining protrusion 3a provided on the periphery of the outer lens 3 butted against the joining recess 2a provided on the periphery of the housing 2, the butting portion T between the housing 2 and the outer lens 3 is joined by hot plate welding.

[0040] In the positioning portion 20A, when the housing 2 and the outer lens 3 are butted together, the positioning recess 21A and the positioning protrusion 22A, which are engaged with each other, slide their first sliding contact surfaces 21a and third sliding contact surfaces 22a along the first mounting direction X1, thereby guiding the outer lens 3 relative to the housing 2 in the first mounting direction X1.

[0041] 4, as a second mounting step, after the first mounting step, the lamp unit 5 is mounted on the front side of the housing 2 from the second mounting direction X2. Specifically, a screw 12 is threaded from the rear side of the housing 2 through the mounting hole 11 into the screw hole 13 on the lamp unit 5 (first component 6) side.

[0042] At this time, the above-described positioning recess 21A and positioning protrusion 22A are engaged, and the third component 8 is abutted against the positioning shape 23, thereby preventing misalignment between the mounting hole 11 on the housing side and the screw hole 13 on the lighting unit 5 (first component 6) side. Therefore, the screw 12 can be properly threaded into the screw hole 13 through the mounting hole 11.

[0043] In addition, in the positioning portion 20A, the positioning recess 21A and the positioning protrusion 22A, which are engaged with each other, guide the lighting unit 5 relative to the housing 2 in the second mounting direction X2 while sliding their second sliding surfaces 21b and fourth sliding surfaces 22b against each other along the second mounting direction X2.

[0044] This makes it possible to properly fix the lamp unit 5 to the front side of the housing 2 while pulling the lamp unit 5 toward the front side of the housing 2 in the second mounting direction X2. Note that when the lamp unit 5 is fixed to the front side of the housing 2, the third component 8 is spaced apart from the positioning shape 23.

[0045] As described above, in the vehicle lamp 1 of this embodiment, after the outer lens 3 is attached to the housing 2 constituting the above-mentioned lamp body 4, misalignment between the mounting hole 11 on the housing 2 side and the screw hole 13 on the lamp unit 5 side can be prevented, thereby making it possible to properly attach the lamp unit 5 arranged inside the lamp body 4 to the housing 2.

[0046] The present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, an example was given of the application of the present invention to a rear-side vehicle lamp such as a rear combination lamp, but the vehicle lamp to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to the rear side as described above, and the present invention can also be applied to a front-side vehicle lamp such as a front combination lamp (headlamp). [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...vehicle lamp 2...housing 3...outer lens 4...lamp body 5...lamp unit 6...first part 7...second part 8...third part 10...fixing part 11...mounting hole 12...screw 13...screw hole 20A, 20B...positioning part 21A, 21B...positioning recess 21a...first sliding contact surface 21b...second sliding contact surface 21c...opening 22A, 22B...positioning protrusion 22a...third sliding contact surface 22b...fourth sliding contact surface 23...positioning shape

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp having a lamp unit disposed inside a lamp body that is composed of a housing having an opening at the front and an outer lens that covers the opening of the housing, a positioning recess provided in a component constituting the rear side of the lamp unit; a positioning protrusion provided on the front side of the housing, the positioning recess includes a first sliding contact surface and a second sliding contact surface, the positioning protrusion includes a third sliding contact surface and a fourth sliding contact surface, a first mounting direction in which the outer lens is mounted to the housing and a second mounting direction in which the lamp unit is mounted to the housing intersect with each other, the first sliding contact surface and the third sliding contact surface are brought into sliding contact with each other along the first mounting direction, thereby guiding the lamp unit in the first mounting direction relative to the housing; the second sliding contact surface and the fourth sliding contact surface are brought into sliding contact with each other along the second mounting direction, thereby guiding the lamp unit in the second mounting direction relative to the housing; The vehicle lamp is characterized in that the positioning protrusion is engaged with the positioning recess, thereby positioning the lamp unit relative to the housing.

2. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the positioning recess has an opening between the first sliding contact surface and the second sliding contact surface into which a tip end of the positioning protrusion is inserted.

3. The outer lens has a shape that is curved from the inside toward the outside in the vehicle width direction in accordance with a slant shape that is imparted to a corner portion on the front or rear end side of the vehicle, and a corner portion located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction, the corner portion being located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction of a line passing through a portion where the housing butts against the housing and which is parallel to the first mounting direction, 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein a component constituting a front side of the lamp unit is disposed in the corner.

4. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the outer lens is butted against the front side of the housing from the first mounting direction, and the butted portion with the housing is joined by hot plate welding.

5. a screw hole provided in a component constituting the rear side of the lighting unit; a mounting hole provided through the rear side of the housing, 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the lamp unit is attached to the front side of the housing from the second attachment direction by threading a screw through the mounting hole from the rear side of the housing and into the screw hole.

6. A method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: a first mounting step of mounting the outer lens to the front side of the housing by joining the outer lens and the housing by hot plate welding in a state where the lamp unit is housed inside the outer lens and the outer lens is butted against the front side of the housing from the first mounting direction; and a second mounting step of, after the first mounting step, mounting the lamp unit to the front side of the housing in the second mounting direction by threading a screw through a mounting hole provided through the rear side of the housing and into a screw hole provided in a component constituting the rear side of the lamp unit from the rear side of the housing, In the first mounting step, the outer lens is guided in the first mounting direction relative to the housing while the first sliding contact surface and the third sliding contact surface of the positioning recess and the positioning protrusion that are engaged with each other are in sliding contact with each other along the first mounting direction, A method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp, characterized in that in the second mounting step, the positioning recess and the positioning protrusion, which are engaged with each other, slide their second sliding surfaces and fourth sliding surfaces against each other along the second mounting direction, while guiding the lamp unit in the second mounting direction relative to the housing.

7. 7. The method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp according to claim 6, wherein, when the lamp unit is housed inside the outer lens, a component constituting the front side of the lamp unit is abutted against a positioning shape provided on the back side of the outer lens.

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