Vehicle lamp fitting

Abstract

To provide a vehicle lamp fitting having an extension made of a polypropylene resin.SOLUTION: In a vehicle lamp fitting 10, a lamp unit 40 and an extension 50 which encloses the lamp unit 40 are disposed in a lamp chamber 11 formed by a lamp cover 30 and a lamp body 20. The extension 50 comprises: a main part 52 made of polypropylene; and a lens part 53 mainly composed of polypropylene and including a light diffusion material. The main part 52 is integrally formed so as to enclose an outer peripheral area 54 of the lens part 53.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an extension provided inside a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, from the perspective of carbon neutrality, there has been a demand for further weight reduction in vehicle lighting fixtures, with the aim of improving fuel efficiency by reducing vehicle weight. In particular, extensions are becoming more and more prominent in vehicle lighting fixtures as decorative parts with a high level of design. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-169115 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-094729 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, extensions, which are design components of vehicle lamps, have been made of polycarbonate resin, as shown in Patent Document 1, from the viewpoints of dimensional stability during molding, lightness, transparency, and the like.

[0005] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a two-color molded product in which a non-transparent portion constituting an extension made of polycarbonate resin and a transparent portion constituting an inner lens are integrally molded.

[0006] If such extensions are integrated with other lighting components, the proportion of the extension in the overall component will increase, and there is a demand for resin components made from lighter materials.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to further reduce the weight of vehicle lighting fixtures by using polypropylene resin, which has a lower specific gravity than polycarbonate resin, for the extension, thereby promoting the formation of an integrally molded product of the main body and lens portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The vehicle lamp of the present disclosure is a vehicle lamp in which a lamp unit and an extension surrounding the lamp unit are arranged within a lamp chamber formed by a lamp cover and a lamp body, and the extension comprises a main body portion made of polypropylene and a lens portion whose main component is polypropylene and which also contains a light diffusing material, and the main body portion is integrally molded so as to surround the outer peripheral region of the lens portion.

[0009] The lens portion is a long light guide.

[0010] The lamp body is made of polypropylene, and the extension is welded and fixed to the lamp body.

[0011] The optical fiber further includes a reflector made of polypropylene, which is welded and fixed to the extension so as to cover the back surface of the light guide.

[0012] According to the present disclosure, by integrating the main body and lens portions of the extension from polypropylene resin, the number of parts can be reduced and a lightweight vehicle lamp can be provided that has a lower specific gravity than an extension made from polycarbonate resin.

[0013] Furthermore, in the extension according to the present disclosure, the main body is integrally molded to surround the outer peripheral region of the lens, and therefore the lens, which has poor heat resistance due to the inclusion of a light diffusing material, is surrounded by the main body, which has high heat resistance, thereby suppressing deformation of the lens due to heat and maintaining appropriate light distribution.

[0014] Furthermore, since the extension according to the present disclosure has a lens portion that is a long light guide, the light guide that serves as the light-emitting portion is positioned along the main body portion that constitutes the design surface, thereby further enhancing the design of the extension.

[0015] Furthermore, the extension according to the present disclosure can be welded when attached to the lamp body made of polypropylene, eliminating the need for fastening means such as screws or lances.

[0016] Furthermore, the extension according to the present disclosure allows for welding when attaching a reflector made of polypropylene to a position corresponding to the light guide, eliminating the need for fastening means such as screws or lances. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an extension member that is lightweight, has high rigidity, and has a reduced number of parts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a vehicle lamp showing an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a specific embodiment of an extension in a vehicle lamp according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Example]

[0020] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of the configuration of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a vehicle lamp 10 has lamp units 40 that respectively constitute a high beam unit and a low beam unit, and extensions 50 that have openings 51 surrounding each lamp unit 40, provided in a lamp chamber space 11 formed by a lamp body 20 and a lamp cover 30.

[0022] The extension 50 is made of polypropylene as a base resin, and is integrally formed with a main body 52 made of a black opaque material and a lens portion 53 made of a semi-transparent material.

[0023] The main body 52 is made of a polypropylene base blended with a black pigment appropriately selected from carbon black, titanium oxide, iron oxide, graphite, etc., and organic crystal nucleating agents such as aromatic metal carboxylates and metal phosphates, etc., to maintain a surface smoothness of 20 nm or less while ensuring rigidity and heat resistance to temperatures of 120°C or more.

[0024] On the other hand, the lens portion 53 has a polypropylene main skeleton that is a random copolymer of ethylene and propylene, which suppresses the coarsening of crystals that cause light scattering and reduces the haze value, thereby improving the transparency of the polypropylene. Alternatively, the addition of a crystal nucleating agent can promote the crystallization of small crystals, thereby improving transparency.

[0025] Furthermore, when the lens portion 53 is used as a light guide, a light diffusion effect can be obtained by adding a light diffusing agent. Examples of light diffusing agents include glass particles, glass fibers, silica particles, aluminum hydroxide particles, aluminum carbonate particles, titanium oxide particles, and talc.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, the main body portion 52 that constitutes the main body of the extension 50 is integrally molded to surround the outer peripheral region 54 of the lens portion 53, which is a long rod-shaped light guide provided at two locations above and below the main body portion 52. This allows the lens portion 53, which is easily deformed by heat, to be suppressed by the main body portion 52.

[0027] 2, a reflector 70 may be provided on the back surface of the lens unit 53. In this case, if the reflector 70 is made of a white polypropylene resin, light emitted from an LED light source (not shown) provided at the end of the lens unit 53 can be guided inside the lens unit 53, and light leaking to the back surface side of the lens unit 53 can be reflected to the front surface side.

[0028] Furthermore, since the reflector 70 is made of the same polypropylene resin as the extension 50, the two can be fixed together by welding, eliminating the need for a fixing structure using screws.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, this extension 50 can be attached to the lamp body 20 at a welding portion 55 by utilizing the seal groove 21 of the lamp body 20 made of polypropylene resin.

[0030] In this case, crystalline polypropylene resin has poor adhesion to amorphous polycarbonate resin or acrylic resin, making it difficult to integrally mold or weld these resin parts together. Therefore, the lamp cover 30 made of polycarbonate resin is adhered and fixed to the lamp body 20 made of polypropylene resin via a sealing material 60 such as hot melt.

[0031] On the other hand, it is possible to weld an extension 50 made of polypropylene resin to the front end of the inner seal wall of the seal groove 21 into which the seal material 60 is inserted, so that it is closed by the end of the main body 52, and no means of fixing the extension 50 to the lamp body 20, such as a screw, is required.

[0032] Furthermore, if the entire lamp chamber 11 is concealed by the black extension 50, the lighting components inside the lamp can be prevented from being seen through the lamp cover 30.

[0033] In this way, in the vehicle lamp 10 to which the extension 50 having the main body portion 52 made of black is attached, functional lamps such as turn signal lamps, tail lamps, and daytime running lamps flash or light from the integrated lens portion 53, while lamps such as high beam, low beam, and stop lamp are emitted from the lamp units 40, 40, and by covering everything except the lamp opening with the extension 50 having the black surface portion 53, the lamp chamber 11 is divided into front and rear portions, improving the external design of the lamp and concealing the inside of the lamp.

[0034] Furthermore, by making the extension 50, which accounts for a large proportion of the lamp components, from polypropylene resin, which has a light specific gravity, it is possible to contribute to reducing the weight of the vehicle lamp.

[0035] Furthermore, if many of the components of the lamp are made of the same polypropylene resin, it becomes possible to weld the two together, eliminating the need for a fastening structure, simplifying the component structure and reducing the number of components. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 Vehicle lighting fixtures 11 Light room 20 Lamp body 30 Lamp cover 40 Lamp unit 50 Extension 52 Main body 53 Lens part (light guide) 54 Outer area 60 Sealing material 70 Reflector

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp in which a lamp unit and an extension surrounding the lamp unit are disposed within a lamp chamber formed by a lamp cover and a lamp body, The extension comprises a main body made of polypropylene and a lens part mainly made of polypropylene and containing a light diffusing material, The main body portion is integrally molded to surround the outer peripheral region of the lens portion. Vehicle lighting fixtures.

2. 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the lens portion is an elongated light guide.

3. 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the lamp body is made of polypropylene, and the extension is fixed to the lamp body by welding.

4. 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, further comprising a reflector made of polypropylene, the reflector being fixed to the extension by welding so as to cover the back surface of the light guide.

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