Vehicle lamp, housing, and method for manufacturing housing

Abstract

To provide a novel technique for fixing a cord to a predetermined portion.SOLUTION: A vehicle lamp 10 comprises: a housing; an outer lens 14 that forms a lamp chamber 16 by covering an opening of the housing; an electronic component provided within the lamp chamber 16; a wire harness 34 that supplies electric power to the electronic component; and a hook-and-loop fastener 44 that fixes the wire harness 34 to the housing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp. [Background technology]

[0002] Various ideas have been proposed for fixing a cord for supplying power to a light source of a vehicle lamp within a housing. For example, a cord clamp structure for a vehicle lamp is known, which has three support posts protruding parallel to one another along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle from the rear surface of the housing, with hook claws formed at the tip of each support post, the spacing between adjacent hook claws set smaller than the outer diameter of the cord, and a cord holding portion formed between the adjacent support posts at the portions other than the hook claws, with the width of the cord holding portion set approximately equal to the outer diameter of the cord (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-130367 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned cord clamp structure requires the provision of three hook claws on the housing at each fixing point to prevent the cord from shifting or coming loose due to vibration. Furthermore, at the fixing point, the cord must be shaped like a U and pushed between adjacent hook claws, leaving room for improvement in workability.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of its exemplary purposes is to provide a new technique for fixing a cord at a predetermined location. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the vehicle lamp of the present invention comprises a housing, an outer lens that covers an opening of the housing to form a lamp chamber, electronic components provided within the lamp chamber, a harness that supplies power to the electronic components, and a hook-and-loop fastener that secures the harness to the housing.

[0007] According to this embodiment, a cord such as a harness can be fixed to the housing with a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0008] The hook-and-loop fastener may have an engaging portion consisting of a plurality of hook portions provided on the housing, and an engaged portion consisting of a plurality of loop portions and fixed to the harness. The hook-and-loop fastener may also fasten the harness to the housing by contact between the engaging portion and the engaged portion. By providing the engaging portion on the housing, the harness can be fastened to the housing simply by bringing the engaged portion fixed to the harness into contact with the engaging portion. Here, "fastening parts to each other by contact between the engaging portion and the engaged portion" includes a state in which a portion of the engaging portion and a portion of the engaged portion that are in contact with each other are engaged at a microscopic level.

[0009] The plurality of hook portions may be formed integrally with the housing, which reduces the number of parts and eliminates the need for a step of attaching the hook portions to the housing.

[0010] The hook portions may be made of a different material than the housing, allowing a first material to be selected that is suited to the properties required for the housing, while a second material to be selected that is suited to the properties required for the hook portions.

[0011] The hook portions may be separate components that are fixed to the housing, thereby allowing the hook portions to be fixed to locations other than the predetermined locations on the housing.

[0012] The housing may be a resin part manufactured using a mold. The plurality of hook portions may be arranged such that the direction in which the shaft portions extend is different from the direction in which the housing is removed from the mold.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is a housing that constitutes a lamp chamber of a vehicle lamp, and has a plurality of hooks that function as hook-and-loop fasteners on the inner surface of the housing that faces the lamp chamber.

[0014] According to this embodiment, a cord such as a harness can be fixed to the housing with a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0015] Yet another aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a housing. This method is for manufacturing a housing that constitutes a lamp chamber of a vehicle lamp. The method includes the steps of preparing a first mold for a core and a second mold for a cavity; combining the first mold and the second mold and injecting resin into the cavity between the first mold and the second mold; separating the first mold and the second mold after the cavity is filled with resin; and removing the housing held by the first mold separated from the second mold from the first mold. The first mold has a molding surface on which multiple fine recesses that become hook portions of a hook-and-loop fastener are formed.

[0016] According to this aspect, the hook portion of the hook-and-loop fastener can be formed integrally with the inner surface of the housing by a manufacturing method using a mold.

[0017] The direction from the opening to the bottom of the minute recess may be aligned with the direction in which the housing is removed from the first mold, which makes it easier to form the hook portion with the mold.

[0018] Any combination of the above components, and conversion of the present invention between a manufacturing method, a lighting fixture or lighting device, a light emitting module, a light source, etc. are also valid aspects of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, a new technique for fixing a cord in a predetermined position can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1]1 is a front view of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hook-and-loop fastener. [Figure 4] 10 is a schematic diagram showing how the wire harness is fixed to the housing using a hook-and-loop fastener. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the engaging portion of the hook-and-loop fastener. FIG. [Figure 6] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams for explaining a mold used in the manufacturing method of the housing according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing will be given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted where appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

[0022] Fig. 1 is a front view of a vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp according to this embodiment. The vehicle lamp 10 shown in Fig. 1 is a vehicle headlamp. The vehicle lamp 10 includes a lamp body 12 having a horizontally elongated opening formed on the front surface, and an outer lens 14 attached to the periphery of the opening of the lamp body 12 so as to cover the horizontally elongated opening.

[0023] The lamp body 12 is composed of one or more housing components. The outer lens 14 covers the opening of the lamp body 12 to form a lamp chamber 16. A lamp unit 18 is disposed within the lamp chamber 16. The lamp unit 18 includes a semiconductor light-emitting element 20 (e.g., an LED: Light Emitting Device) serving as a light source, a reflector 22 that reflects light emitted downward from the semiconductor light-emitting element 20 forward, a circuit board 24 on which the semiconductor light-emitting element 20 is mounted, and a connector 26 mounted on the circuit board 24. The lamp unit 18 irradiates the light reflected by the reflector 22 to the outside via the outer lens 14. The vehicle lamp 10 of this embodiment has three lamp units 18 arranged side by side (in the vehicle width direction), and by combining the light distribution patterns of each unit, a low beam light distribution pattern or a high beam light distribution pattern can be selectively formed.

[0024] An electronic unit 28 is disposed below the lamp chamber 16. The electronic unit 28 controls the lighting of the semiconductor light-emitting elements 20 of each lamp unit 18, and is equipped with various passive and active elements, connectors 30, 32, etc. The connector 30 is connected to a wire harness 34 for transmitting control signals output from the vehicle body and for supplying power. The wire harness 34 is drawn into the lamp body 12 from an opening 12a provided on the back surface of the lamp body 12.

[0025] The connector 32 of the electronic unit 28 is connected to one end of a wire harness 36, which transmits power and signals for controlling the light emission of the semiconductor light emitting element 20. The other end of the wire harness 36 is connected to the connector 26. In this manner, the wire harnesses 34, 36 are used to supply power to the electronic unit 28 and the semiconductor light emitting element 20. Note that the vehicle lamp 10 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with three electronic units 28 for each lamp unit 18, and the connector 32 of each electronic unit 28 is connected to the connector 26 of each semiconductor light emitting element 20, but this configuration is not limited thereto. For example, a wire harness connected to one electronic unit 28 may be branched midway and connected to the connectors 26 of each semiconductor light emitting element 20. Alternatively, the wire harness 34 for transmitting control signals output from the vehicle body and for supplying power may be connected to the connector 30 of one electronic unit 28 without branching midway.

[0026] The vehicle lamp 10 according to this embodiment is also equipped with a leveling device 38 that adjusts the illumination range (vertical direction) of the vehicle lamp 10, which is a headlight, in accordance with the fore-and-aft inclination of the vehicle. The leveling device 38 is fixed to a housing component that constitutes the lamp body 12, and a rod 38a that moves in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle due to the movement of the actuator is tiltably engaged with the fixed portion 18a of the unit bracket. The direction of the optical axis of the lamp unit 18 can be adjusted by pushing or pulling the fixed portion 18a of the lamp unit 18.

[0027] Furthermore, the lamp unit 18 supports aiming screws 40, 42 below the rod 38a of the leveling device 38 in a state in which they are rotatable but immovable in the fore-and-aft direction (axial direction). The aiming screws 40, 42 are arranged separately in the left-and-right direction of the vehicle, with their rear ends protruding rearward from the lamp body 12 and tiltably engaging with fixed portions 18b, 18c of the unit bracket. The unit bracket is supported by the lamp body 12 via the leveling device 38 and the aiming screws 40, 42, and leveling adjustment, up-and-down aiming adjustment, and left-and-right aiming adjustment are performed by moving the rod 38a back and forth or rotating the aiming screws 40, 42.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the wire harnesses 34, 36, etc. are routed in gaps inside the lamp chamber 16. Furthermore, when routing the wire harnesses 34, 36, etc., consideration must be given to interference with other components and unevenness inside the lamp chamber. In particular, when a movable component such as the lamp unit 18 that tilts due to leveling adjustment or aiming adjustment is present inside the lamp chamber 16 (see the dotted line in Figure 2), the gap between the movable component and other components fluctuates. For this reason, the wire harness must be fixed to the lamp body housing so that it does not move in the specified routing state.

[0029] Therefore, in the vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, a hook-and-loop fastener 44 is used to fasten the wire harnesses 34, 36 to the housing. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of the hook-and-loop fastener. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing how the wire harness is fastened to the housing 46 using the hook-and-loop fastener.

[0030] The hook-and-loop fastener 44 shown in Figure 3 has an engaging portion 48 consisting of multiple hook portions 48a provided on the housing 46, and an engaged portion 50 fixed to the wire harness 34 (36) and consisting of multiple loop portions 50a.

[0031] The engaging portion 48 has a plurality of hook portions 48a arranged two-dimensionally on the surface of a plate 48b. The plate 48b has a plurality of through holes 48c formed therein. The housing 46 has a plurality of positioning bosses 46a for fixing the engaging portion 48 in a predetermined position. The positioning bosses 46a have their tips heat-caulked while protruding from the through holes 48c, thereby fixing the engaging portion 48 to the housing 46. In this way, when the plurality of hook portions 48a are separate parts fixed to the housing 46, the plurality of hook portions 48a can be fixed to locations other than predetermined locations on the housing 46. The plurality of hook portions 48a can be fixed by screwing the plate 48b, on which the plurality of hook portions 48a are provided, to the fixing portion, or by using adhesive or double-sided tape.

[0032] Furthermore, if the multiple hook portions 48a are separate parts from the housing 46, they can be made of a different material from that of the housing 46. This allows a first material suitable for the properties required for the housing 46 to be selected, while a second material suitable for the properties required for the hook portions 48a can be selected.

[0033] On the other hand, the engaged portion 50 has a plurality of loop portions 50a arranged two-dimensionally on the surface of the plate 50b. The engaged portion 50 is fixed to the wire harness 34 by double-sided tape 52 attached to the back side of the plate 50b. The loop portions 50a have a large number of annular raised portions arranged on the plate 50b. When the annular raised portions come into contact with the hook portion at the tip of the hook portion 48a, the outer shape of the annular raised portions changes or the orientation of the annular portion changes, and the hook portion engages with the hook portion of the hook portion 48a. The shape of the tip of the hook portion 48a may be bent, bent at 90 degrees (see FIG. 3), bent in an arc, or spherical with a larger shaft diameter at the tip.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the engaging portion of the hook-and-loop fastener. The hook portion 48a of the engaging portion 54 shown in FIG. 5 is integrally molded with the housing 46. This reduces the number of parts and eliminates the need for a process for attaching the hook portion 48a to the housing 46. As shown in FIG. 4, the hook-and-loop fastener 44 can secure the wire harness 34 to the housing 46 by contacting and applying pressure between the engaging portion 48 and the engaged portion 50 in an opposing state. The wire harness 34 is secured to the housing 46 by the single hook-and-loop fastener 44 so as not to shift in any of the vehicle longitudinal direction (X direction), vehicle width direction (Y direction), and vehicle up-down direction (Z direction). Here, securing the wire harness 34 to the housing 46 by contact between the engaging portion 48 and the engaged portion 50 includes a state in which the tips of the hook portion 48a and the loop portion 50a, which are in contact with each other, are engaged with each other in a microscopic sense.

[0035] Furthermore, the housing 46 according to this embodiment is a resin part manufactured using a mold. When the multiple hook portions 48a are separate parts from the housing 46, the multiple hook portions 48a can be arranged side by side so that the direction in which the shafts of each of the multiple hook portions 48a extend is different from the direction in which the housing 46 is removed from the mold. This allows the shape and layout of the hook portions 48a to be freely set.

[0036] Furthermore, when the plurality of hook portions 48a are integrally molded with the housing 46, the plurality of hook portions 48a may be made of a different material from that of the housing 46. This allows a first material to be selected that is suited to the properties required for the housing 46, while a second material that is suited to the case where the hook portions 48a having a complex shape are forcibly removed from a mold can be selected. In this case, the second material (e.g., PBT (polybutylene terephthalate)) is preferably a material that is not easily damaged even when the hook portions 48a are forcibly removed from the mold.

[0037] As described above, the housing 46 according to this embodiment constitutes the lamp chamber 16 of the vehicle lamp 10. Furthermore, a plurality of hook portions 48a that function as hook-and-loop fasteners 44 are provided on the inner surface on the lamp chamber 16 side. This allows the wire harness 34 to be fixed to a predetermined location in the housing 46 with the hook-and-loop fasteners 44.

[0038] Next, an example of a manufacturing method for the housing 46 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating molds used in the manufacturing method for the housing according to this embodiment. This manufacturing method includes the steps of preparing a first core-side mold 56 and a second cavity-side mold 58, combining the first mold 56 and the second mold 58 and injecting resin into a cavity C between the first mold and the second mold, separating the first mold 56 and the second mold 58 after the cavity C is filled with resin 60, and removing the housing 46 held by the first mold 56 separated from the second mold 58 from the first mold 56. Note that the combination of the core-side mold and the cavity-side mold is not limited to the configuration described above.

[0039] First mold 56 has a molding surface on which a plurality of minute recesses 56a that become hook portions 48a of hook-and-loop fastener 44 are formed. This makes it possible to form hook portions 48a of hook-and-loop fastener 44 integrally with the inner surface of housing 46 using a manufacturing method that uses a mold. Direction D1 of minute recesses 56a from the opening toward the bottom is aligned with direction D2 in which housing 46 is removed from first mold 56. This makes it easier to form hook portions 48a using a mold.

[0040] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the above-mentioned embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and suitable combinations and substitutions of the configurations of the embodiments are also included in the present invention. Furthermore, it is possible to suitably rearrange the combinations and processing orders in the embodiments based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and to make modifications to the embodiments such as various design changes, and such modified embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10 Vehicle lamp, 12 Lamp body, 14 Outer lens, 16 Lamp chamber, 18 Lamp unit, 20 Semiconductor light emitting element, 22 Reflector, 26 Connector, 28 Electronic unit, 30 Connector, 32 Connector, 34 Wire harness, 36 Wire harness, 44 Hook and loop fastener, 46 Housing, 46a Boss, 48 ​​Engaging portion, 48a Hook portion, 48b Plate, 48c Through hole, 50 Engaged portion, 50a Loop portion, 50b Plate, 56 First mold, 56a Fine recess, 58 Second mold.

Claims

1. Housing and an outer lens that covers the opening of the housing to form a lamp chamber; Electronic components provided within the lamp chamber; a harness for supplying power to the electronic components; a hook-and-loop fastener for fastening the harness to the housing; A vehicle lamp comprising:

2. The hook and loop fastener is an engaging portion formed of a plurality of hook portions provided on the housing; an engaged portion fixed to the harness and consisting of a plurality of loop portions; 2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the harness is fixed to the housing by contact between the engaging portion and the engaged portion.

3. 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of hook portions are formed integrally with the housing.

4. 4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of hook portions are made of a material different from that of the housing.

5. 3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of hook portions are separate components fixed to the housing.

6. the housing is a resin part manufactured using a mold, 6. The vehicle lamp according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of hook portions are arranged such that the direction in which the shaft portions extend is different from the direction in which the housing is removed from the mold.

7. A housing that constitutes a lamp chamber of a vehicle lamp, A housing characterized in that a plurality of hook portions functioning as hook-and-loop fasteners are provided on the inner surface on the lamp chamber side.

8. A method for manufacturing a housing that constitutes a lamp chamber of a vehicle lamp, comprising: A step of preparing a first mold on the core side and a second mold on the cavity side; a step of combining the first mold and the second mold and injecting a resin into a cavity between the first mold and the second mold; a step of separating the first mold and the second mold after the cavity is filled with resin; and removing the housing held by the first mold spaced apart from the second mold from the first mold, A method for manufacturing a housing, wherein the first mold has a molding surface on which a plurality of minute recesses that become hook portions of a hook-and-loop fastener are formed.

9. The method for manufacturing a housing according to claim 8, wherein the direction from the opening to the bottom of the minute recess is aligned with the direction in which the housing is removed from the first mold.

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