Vehicle lighting
The vehicle lamp design uses a heat-resistant first cylindrical member to intercept concentrated sunlight, addressing melting issues in the cover member, while maintaining design aesthetics by using a less resistant material for the second member.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- KOITO MFG CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-05
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-19
AI Technical Summary
Vehicle lamps with projection lenses are prone to melting damage of the cover member due to concentrated sunlight, especially when the cover member is positioned close to the projection lens and made of materials that are not heat-resistant.
A vehicle lamp design featuring a cover member composed of two cylindrical resin components, where the first cylindrical member is made of a heat-resistant material and positioned to intercept concentrated sunlight, while the second member is made of a less heat-resistant material to maintain design aesthetics.
The design effectively suppresses melting damage to the cover member by using a heat-resistant material for the first cylindrical member, allowing the use of less expensive materials for the second member without compromising the lamp's appearance.
Smart Images

Figure 2026081529000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
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[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp provided with a projection lens.
Background Art
[0002] Conventionally, a vehicle lamp configured to irradiate light emitted from a light source forward of the lamp through a projection lens has been known.
[0003] "Patent Document 1" and "Patent Document 2" describe a configuration of such a vehicle lamp in which a cover member is disposed on the front side of the lamp of the projection lens.
[0004] At that time, the cover member described in "Patent Document 1" is composed of a plate-like member having an opening formed so as to surround the projection lens.
[0005] On the other hand, the cover member described in "Patent Document 2" is formed so as to surround the projection lens in a cylindrical shape and extend from the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the projection lens toward the front of the lamp.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0006]
Patent Document 1
[0009] In other words, depending on the angle of sunlight irradiation, as shown in Figure 31 of "Patent Document 1" above, sunlight incident from the front of the projection lens may undergo total internal reflection at the rear surface, then be emitted from the front surface as focused light and reach the cover member. In such cases, the cover member is locally heated due to the concentration of sunlight, which can cause melting damage to the cover member.
[0010] In that case, as described in "Patent Document 2" above, if the cover member is formed to surround the projection lens in a cylindrical shape and extend outwards in a cylindrical shape from near its outer edge toward the front of the lamp, the cover member will be positioned in close proximity to the projection lens, which makes it prone to significant melting damage due to the concentration of sunlight.
[0011] The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle lamp that can effectively suppress the occurrence of melting damage to the cover member due to sunlight irradiation of the projection lens, in a vehicle lamp configured to irradiate light emitted from a light source toward the front of the lamp through a projection lens. [Means for solving the problem]
[0012] The present invention aims to achieve the above objective by making improvements to the structure of the cover member.
[0013] In other words, the vehicle lighting device according to the present invention is A vehicle lamp comprising a light source and a projection lens, configured to project light emitted from the light source toward the front of the lamp through the projection lens, A cover member, formed to surround the projection lens in a cylindrical shape, is positioned on the front side of the projection lens of the lamp. The cover member comprises a first cylindrical member formed to extend outwards toward the front of the lamp from near the outer edge of the projection lens, and a second cylindrical member formed to extend outwards toward the rear of the lamp from near the front end of the first cylindrical member. The first and second cylindrical members are both made of resin, and the first cylindrical member is made of a material that has better heat resistance than the second cylindrical member.
[0014] The "cover member" described above is not particularly limited in its specific opening shape, as long as it is formed to surround the projection lens in a cylindrical shape.
[0015] The specific angle of expansion of the "first cylindrical member" is not particularly limited, as long as it is formed to extend outwards from the vicinity of the outer edge of the projection lens toward the front of the light fixture.
[0016] The specific angle of expansion of the "second cylindrical member" is not particularly limited, as long as it is formed to expand and extend from the vicinity of the front end of the first cylindrical member toward the rear of the lamp. [Effects of the Invention]
[0017] The vehicle lamp according to the present invention is configured to project light emitted from a light source towards the front of the lamp via a projection lens. However, a cover member formed to surround the projection lens in a cylindrical shape is positioned on the front side of the lamp, so that the surrounding structure of the projection lens is not visible from the front of the lamp.
[0018] At that time, the cover member includes a first cylindrical member formed so as to extend and expand from the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the projection lens toward the front of the lamp, and a second cylindrical member formed so as to extend and expand from the vicinity of the front end of the first cylindrical member toward the rear of the lamp. Further, both the first and second cylindrical members are made of resin members, and the first cylindrical member is made of a material having better heat resistance than the second cylindrical member. Therefore, the following operational effects can be obtained.
[0019] That is, even if the sunlight incident on the projection lens exits from the projection lens as convergent light and reaches the cover member, the convergent light reaches the first cylindrical member located on the inner peripheral side. Since this first cylindrical member is made of a material having excellent heat resistance, even if it is locally heated due to the light condensing phenomenon of sunlight, the occurrence of melting damage due to this can be effectively suppressed.
[0020] Thus, according to the present invention, in a vehicle lamp configured to irradiate the light emitted from the light source toward the front of the lamp through the projection lens, the occurrence of melting damage of the cover member due to sunlight irradiation on the projection lens can be effectively suppressed.
[0021] In the above configuration, further, as the configuration of the cover member, if the angle of expansion of the first cylindrical member toward the front of the lamp is set to a value larger than the angle of expansion of the second cylindrical member toward the rear of the lamp, the angle of expansion of the second cylindrical member toward the rear of the lamp can be suppressed to a small value such that the design property of the cover member is not impaired, and then the first cylindrical member can be easily formed with an angle of expansion having a size that is not easily damaged by melting due to the light condensing phenomenon of sunlight. And thereby, the range of selection of the resin member constituting the first cylindrical member can be increased.
[0022] In the above configuration, further, if the first cylindrical member is made of a polymer alloy of polyethylene terephthalate resin and polybutylene terephthalate resin, and the second cylindrical member is made of polycarbonate resin, the following operational effects can be obtained.
[0023] That is, by forming the first cylindrical member from a polymer alloy of polyethylene terephthalate resin and polybutylene terephthalate resin, its heat resistance can be sufficiently ensured. On the other hand, by forming the second cylindrical member from polycarbonate resin, the spreading angle to the rear of the lamp can be set to a relatively small value, thereby making it easy to maintain the designability of the cover member.
[0024] In the above configuration, further, as the configuration of the cover member, if the front end portion of the second cylindrical member is configured to cover the front end portion of the first cylindrical member from the front side of the lamp, even though the cover member is composed of two members, its designability can be prevented from being impaired.
[0025] The front end portion of the above "second cylindrical member" may be formed so as to completely cover the front end portion of the first cylindrical member from the front side of the lamp, or may be formed so as to partially cover it.
[0026] In the above configuration, further, as the configuration of the projection lens, if it is composed of a convex lens whose rear surface curvature is smaller than the front surface curvature, the following operational effects can be obtained.
[0027] That is, in a projection lens composed of such a convex lens, after sunlight enters as converging light from the front surface, it is totally reflected at the rear surface and then is likely to be emitted as converging light from the front surface. However, when such highly concentrated emitted light reaches the cover member, melting damage is likely to occur on the cover member. Therefore, it is particularly effective to adopt the configuration of the present invention.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0028] [Figure 1] Side sectional view showing a vehicle lamp according to an embodiment of the present invention [Figure 2] View taken in the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1 [Figure 3] Plan sectional view showing the main part of the above vehicle lamp [Figure 4] Perspective view showing the main part of the above vehicle lighting fixture. [Figure 5] Exploded perspective view showing the cover component of the above-mentioned vehicle light fixture. [Figure 6] A figure similar to Figure 1 shows a modified example of the above embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0029] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[0030] Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a vehicle light fixture 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a view taken in the direction of arrow II in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the main part of the vehicle light fixture 10.
[0031] In Figures 1-3, the direction indicated by X is "forward of the lamp," the direction indicated by Y is "leftward" (or "rightward" when viewed from the front of the lamp), which is perpendicular to "forward of the lamp," and the direction indicated by Z is "upward." The same applies to figures other than Figures 1-3.
[0032] As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle light fixture 10 according to this embodiment is a headlamp provided at the front end of a vehicle, and has a configuration in which a light fixture unit 20 and a cover member 50 surrounding it from the front side are housed in a light chamber formed by a lamp body 12 and a light-transmitting cover 14.
[0033] The lighting unit 20 is a projector-type lighting unit, configured to project light emitted from a light-emitting element 22 located behind the rear focal point F of the projection lens 26 towards the front of the lighting unit via the projection lens 26.
[0034] Specifically, the lighting unit 20 is configured to reflect the light emitted from the light-emitting element 22 towards the projection lens 26 using a reflector 24. A movable shade 28 is positioned between the light-emitting element 22 and the projection lens 26. By controlling the rotation of this movable shade 28, it is possible to selectively form a light distribution pattern for low beam and a light distribution pattern for high beam.
[0035] The light-emitting element 22 and the reflector 24 are supported on the heat sink 30, and the projection lens 26 is supported on the heat sink 30 via a lens holder 32. In addition, the movable shade 28 is rotatably supported on the heat sink 30, and an actuator 34 for driving this movable shade 28 is also supported on the heat sink 30.
[0036] The projection lens 26 is a convex lens having an optical axis Ax extending in the front-to-back direction of the lamp, and the curvature of its rear surface 26b is set to a smaller value than the curvature of its front surface 26a. When viewed from the front of the lamp, the projection lens 26 has a lens shape in which the upper and lower parts of a circle have been horizontally cut off, and is supported by the lens holder 32 at its outer peripheral flange portion 26c.
[0037] The cover member 50 is supported by the lamp body 12 on the front side of the lamp unit 20, in a position that surrounds its projection lens 26 in a cylindrical shape.
[0038] The cover member 50 comprises a first cylindrical member 52 formed to extend outwards toward the front of the luminaire from the vicinity of the outer peripheral flange portion 26c of the projection lens 26, and a second cylindrical member 54 formed to extend outwards toward the rear of the luminaire from the vicinity of the front end portion 52f of the first cylindrical member 52.
[0039] The first and second cylindrical members 52 and 54 are both made of resin material having a substantially constant wall thickness.
[0040] In this case, the first cylindrical member 52 is made of a material with superior heat resistance compared to the second cylindrical member 54. Specifically, the first cylindrical member 52 is made of a polymer alloy of polyethylene terephthalate resin and polybutylene terephthalate resin, while the second cylindrical member 54 is made of polycarbonate resin.
[0041] The first and second cylindrical members 52 and 54 both have a black appearance. Specifically, the surface of the first cylindrical member 52 is painted black, and the second cylindrical member 54 is made of a black base material.
[0042] Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the main parts of the vehicle lighting fixture 10. Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the cover member 50 separated into a first cylindrical member 52 and a second cylindrical member 54.
[0043] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the first cylindrical member 52 comprises a main body portion 52A that extends outward from the vicinity of the outer peripheral flange portion 26c of the projection lens 26 toward the front of the lamp, a peripheral edge portion 52B that extends toward the rear of the lamp from the front end position of the main body portion 52A, and a rear end flange portion 52C that extends toward the outer circumference from the rear end position of the peripheral edge portion 52B.
[0044] On the other hand, the second cylindrical member 54 includes a main body portion 54A that extends outward from the vicinity of the front end portion 52f of the first cylindrical member 52 toward the rear of the lamp, a front end flange portion 54B that extends toward the inner circumference from the front end position of the main body portion 54A, and a rear end flange portion 54C that extends toward the outer circumference from the rear end position of the main body portion 54A.
[0045] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the forward spreading angle θ1 of the main body portion 52A of the first cylindrical member 52 is set to a value greater than the rearward spreading angle θ2 of the main body portion 54A of the second cylindrical member 54. Specifically, the spreading angle θ1 is set to a value of approximately θ1 = 10 to 20°, and the spreading angle θ2 is set to a value of approximately θ2 = 5 to 10°, and θ1 > θ2 is set around the entire circumference of the cover member 50. The rearward spreading angle of the peripheral edge portion 52B of the first cylindrical member 52 is set to approximately the same value as the forward spreading angle θ1 of its main body portion 52A.
[0046] The main body portion 52A of the first cylindrical member 52 is positioned such that its rear end face is located near the front surface of the outer peripheral flange portion 26c of the projection lens 26, and has an inner peripheral edge shape that follows the outer peripheral edge shape of the front surface 26a of the projection lens 26. As shown in Figure 2, the main body portion 52A is formed with a width greater in the inner region in the vehicle width direction than in the outer region in the vehicle width direction, and accordingly, the upper and lower regions of the main body portion 52A are formed so that their vertical width gradually increases toward the inside in the vehicle width direction.
[0047] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the front end portion 52f of the first cylindrical member 52 has a substantially planar surface shape that slopes toward the rear of the lamp from the inside in the vehicle width direction to the outside in the vehicle width direction.
[0048] The rear end flange portion 52C of the first cylindrical member 52 is formed to extend inclined toward the rear of the lamp from the inside in the vehicle width direction to the outside in the vehicle width direction, but the left and right side portions 54Ca are formed to extend along a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the lamp.
[0049] The front end flange portion 54B of the second cylindrical member 54 is formed to extend inclined toward the rear of the lamp, from the inside in the vehicle width direction to the outside in the vehicle width direction, following the surface shape of the front end portion 52f of the first cylindrical member 52. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the inner circumferential end surface 54Ba of this front end flange portion 54B is formed to extend flush with the inner circumferential surface 52Aa of the main body portion 52A of the first cylindrical member 52.
[0050] The rear end flange portion 54C of the second cylindrical member 54 is formed to extend inclined toward the rear of the lamp from the inside in the vehicle width direction to the outside in the vehicle width direction, similar to the rear end flange portion 52C of the first cylindrical member 52, but both left and right side portions 54Ca are formed to extend along a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the lamp.
[0051] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the cover member 50 is fixed to the lamp body 12, for example by tightening screws, with the rear end flange portion 52C of the first cylindrical member 52 and the rear end flange portion 54C of the second cylindrical member 54 overlapping.
[0052] As shown by the dashed line in Figure 1, when sunlight S is shone onto the vehicle lamp 10 from diagonally above and in front of the lamp, this sunlight S may reach the projection lens 26 via the light-transmitting cover 14. At that time, the sunlight S that reaches the projection lens 26 enters as focused light from its front surface 26a, then undergoes total internal reflection at its rear surface 26b and is emitted from its front surface 26a as further focused light diagonally downward and in front of the lamp. The sunlight S emitted from this projection lens 26 then reaches the inner circumferential surface 52Aa of the main body portion 52A of the first cylindrical member 52 of the cover member 50, so this main body portion 52A is locally heated by the focusing phenomenon of sunlight S.
[0053] However, since the first cylindrical member 52 is made of a polymer alloy of polyethylene terephthalate resin and polybutylene terephthalate resin, which have excellent heat resistance, even if it is heated locally by the concentration of sunlight S, it will not melt or discolor.
[0054] The location where the focusing phenomenon of sunlight S occurs on the inner circumferential surface 52Aa of the main body portion 52A of the first cylindrical member 52 changes depending on the angle of incidence of sunlight S to the projection lens 26, but the focusing phenomenon is more likely to occur in the region Z shown by the dashed line in Figure 4.
[0055] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
[0056] In this embodiment, the vehicle lamp 10 is configured to project light emitted from a light-emitting element 22 as a light source towards the front of the lamp via a projection lens 26. However, a cover member 50 formed to surround the projection lens 26 in a cylindrical shape is placed on the front side of the lamp, so that the surrounding structure of the projection lens 26 is not visible from the front of the lamp.
[0057] In this configuration, the cover member 50 comprises a first cylindrical member 52 formed to extend outwards from near the outer peripheral edge of the projection lens 26 toward the front of the lamp, and a second cylindrical member 54 formed to extend outwards from near the front end 52f of the first cylindrical member 52 toward the rear of the lamp. Furthermore, both the first and second cylindrical members 54 are made of resin, and the first cylindrical member 52 is made of a material with superior heat resistance compared to the second cylindrical member 54, thus providing the following advantages and benefits.
[0058] In other words, even if sunlight S incident on the projection lens 26 is emitted from the projection lens 26 as focused light and reaches the cover member 50, this focused light reaches the first cylindrical member 52 located on the inner circumference side. Since this first cylindrical member 52 is made of a material with excellent heat resistance, even if it is locally heated by the focusing phenomenon of sunlight S, the occurrence of melting damage caused by this can be effectively suppressed.
[0059] Thus, according to this embodiment, in a vehicle lamp 10 configured to irradiate light emitted from a light-emitting element 22 toward the front of the lamp via a projection lens 26, the occurrence of melting damage to the cover member 50 due to sunlight irradiation of the projection lens 26 can be effectively suppressed.
[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cover member 50 is configured such that the angle θ1 of the first cylindrical member 52 spreading forward of the lamp is greater than the angle θ2 of the second cylindrical member 54 spreading backward of the lamp. This makes it easy to keep the angle θ2 of the second cylindrical member 54 spreading backward of the lamp small enough so as not to impair the aesthetic design of the cover member 50, while forming the first cylindrical member 52 with an angle θ1 that is less susceptible to melting due to the focusing phenomenon of sunlight S. This also increases the range of resin materials that can be used to make up the first cylindrical member 52.
[0061] In this embodiment, the cover member 50 is composed of a polymer alloy of polyethylene terephthalate resin and polybutylene terephthalate resin for the first cylindrical member 52, and a polycarbonate resin for the second cylindrical member 54, so the following effects can be obtained.
[0062] In other words, by constructing the first cylindrical member 52 from a polymer alloy of polyethylene terephthalate resin and polybutylene terephthalate resin, its heat resistance can be sufficiently ensured. On the other hand, by constructing the second cylindrical member 54 from polycarbonate resin, its rearward spreading angle θ2 can be set to a relatively small value, thereby making it easy to maintain the aesthetic design of the cover member 50.
[0063] Furthermore, by adopting this configuration, it becomes unnecessary to construct a portion of the first cylindrical member 52 from a steel plate or the like in order to ensure the heat resistance of the cover member 50, and therefore the cover member 50 can be made in an inexpensive form.
[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cover member 50 is configured such that the front end flange portion 54B of the second cylindrical member 54 covers the front end portion 52f of the first cylindrical member 52 from the front side of the lamp. Therefore, even though the cover member 50 is composed of two members, its aesthetic appeal is not compromised. Moreover, since the inner circumferential end surface 54Ba of the front end flange portion 54B is formed to extend flush with the inner circumferential surface 52Aa of the main body portion 52A of the first cylindrical member 52, the aesthetic appeal of the cover member 50 can be enhanced.
[0065] Furthermore, since the projection lens 26 of this embodiment is composed of a convex lens in which the curvature of the rear surface 26b is smaller than the curvature of the front surface 26a, the following effects can be obtained.
[0066] In other words, in a projection lens 26 composed of such a convex lens, sunlight S enters from the front surface 26a as focused light, then undergoes total internal reflection at the rear surface 26b and exits from the front surface 26a as further focused light. However, when such highly focused emitted light reaches the cover member 50, melting damage to the cover member 50 is likely to occur, so adopting a lamp configuration like that of this embodiment is particularly effective.
[0067] In the above embodiment, the cover member 50 was described as having a first cylindrical member 52 made of a polymer alloy of polyethylene terephthalate resin and polybutylene terephthalate resin, and a second cylindrical member 54 made of polycarbonate resin. However, other resin members can be used as long as the first cylindrical member 52 is made of a material with better heat resistance than the second cylindrical member 54.
[0068] In the above embodiment, the first and second cylindrical members 52 and 54 were described as having a black appearance, but it is also possible to configure them to have an appearance of other colors (for example, gray).
[0069] In the above embodiment, the projection lens 26 was described as being composed of a convex lens in which the curvature of the rear surface 26b is smaller than the curvature of the front surface 26a. However, even if it is composed of a different type of convex lens, substantially the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained. In that case, if the projection lens is composed of a plano-convex lens with a flat rear surface, total internal reflection is more likely to occur on the rear surface, so adopting a lighting fixture configuration like that of this embodiment is particularly effective.
[0070] In the above embodiment, the lighting unit 20 was described as having a reflector 24 and a movable shade 28, but other configurations are also possible (for example, a configuration with a fixed shade instead of a movable shade 28, or a configuration in which direct light from the light-emitting element 22 is incident on the projection lens 26).
[0071] Next, a modified example of the above embodiment will be described.
[0072] Figure 6 is a diagram similar to Figure 1, showing a vehicle lighting device 110 according to this modified example.
[0073] As shown in Figure 6, the basic configuration of this modified example is the same as that of the above embodiment, however, the configuration of the cover member 150 differs in part from that of the above embodiment.
[0074] In other words, the cover member 150 of this modified example also comprises a first cylindrical member 152 formed to extend outwards toward the front of the luminaire from the vicinity of the outer peripheral flange portion 26c of the projection lens 26, and a second cylindrical member 154 formed to extend outwards toward the rear of the luminaire from the vicinity of the front end portion 152f of the first cylindrical member 152.
[0075] In this modified example, the first cylindrical member 152 includes a main body portion 152A that extends outward from the vicinity of the outer peripheral flange portion 26c of the projection lens 26 toward the front of the lamp, a peripheral edge portion 152B that extends toward the rear of the lamp from the front end position of the main body portion 152A, and a rear end flange portion 152C that extends toward the outer circumference from the rear end position of the peripheral edge portion 152B. The second cylindrical member 154 includes a main body portion 154A that extends outward from the vicinity of the front end portion 152f of the first cylindrical member 152 toward the rear of the lamp, a widening front end flange portion 154B that extends toward the inner circumference from the front end position of the main body portion 154A, and a rear end flange portion 154C that extends toward the outer circumference from the rear end position of the main body portion 154A.
[0076] Furthermore, in this modified example, the cover member 150 has a front end portion 152f of the first cylindrical member 152 that is wider in the radial direction than in the above embodiment, and the main body portion 152A is displaced outward by that amount.
[0077] Furthermore, in this modified example, the cover member 150 has an inner circumferential end surface 154Ba of the front end flange portion 154B of the second cylindrical member 154 located midway in the radial direction of the front end portion 152f of the first cylindrical member 152. In this case, this inner circumferential end surface 154Ba is composed of a cylindrical surface extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp.
[0078] Furthermore, in this modified example, the cover member 150 is formed such that the lower region 154A1 of the main body portion 154A of the second cylindrical member 154 extends along its peripheral edge portion 152B at approximately the same inclination angle as the main body portion 152A of the first cylindrical member 152. That is, in this modified example, the cover member 150 is also set such that the angle θ1 of the main body portion 152A of the first cylindrical member 152 toward the front of the lamp is greater than the angle θ2 of the main body portion 154A of the second cylindrical member 154 toward the rear of the lamp (θ1 > θ2), but in its lower region 154A1, θ1 ≈ θ2.
[0079] Even when adopting the configuration of this modified example, the same effects and advantages as in the above embodiment can be obtained.
[0080] Furthermore, by adopting the configuration of this modified example, even if the positional relationship between the first cylindrical member 152 and the second cylindrical member 154 is slightly shifted in the radial direction, it is possible to maintain a state in which the first cylindrical member 152 and the second cylindrical member 154 appear to overlap without any gaps when viewed from the front of the lamp.
[0081] Furthermore, in this modified example, the lower region 154A1 of the main body portion 154A of the second cylindrical member 154 is formed to extend along the main body portion 152A of the first cylindrical member 152 at approximately the same inclination angle (θ1 ≈ θ2) as the main body portion 152A. However, this lower region 154A1 is not visible from the diagonally upper front of the lamp. Therefore, by adopting the configuration of this modified example, the moldability of the second cylindrical member 154 can be improved without compromising the design of the lamp.
[0082] It should be noted that the numerical values shown as specifications in the above embodiment are merely examples, and these may be set to different values as appropriate.
[0083] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiments, and various other modified configurations can be adopted. [Explanation of symbols]
[0084] 10, 110 Vehicle lighting fixtures 12 Lamp body 14 Translucent cover 20 Lighting Units 22 Light-emitting element (light source) 24 Reflectors 26 Projection lens 26a front 26b Rear 26c Outer flange section 28. Adjustable Shade 30 Heatsink 32 Lens holder 34 Actuators 50, 150 cover members 52, 152 First cylindrical member 52A, 152A Main Unit 52Aa Inner surface 52B, 152B Peripheral area 52C, 152C Rear end flange section 52Ca (both left and right sides) 52f, 152f front end 54, 154 Second cylindrical member 54A, 154A Main Unit 54B, 154B Front flange section 54Ba, 154Ba inner circumferential end face 54C, 154C Rear end flange section 54Ca (both left and right sides) 154A1 Lower area Ax optical axis F back focus S Sunlight Z area θ1: Angle of spread towards the front of the light fixture. θ2: Angle of spread towards the rear of the light fixture.
Claims
1. A vehicle lamp comprising a light source and a projection lens, configured to project light emitted from the light source toward the front of the lamp through the projection lens, A cover member, formed to surround the projection lens in a cylindrical shape, is positioned on the front side of the projection lens of the lamp. The cover member comprises a first cylindrical member formed to extend outwards toward the front of the lamp from near the outer edge of the projection lens, and a second cylindrical member formed to extend outwards toward the rear of the lamp from near the front end of the first cylindrical member. A vehicle light fixture characterized in that both the first and second cylindrical members are made of resin, and the first cylindrical member is made of a material with superior heat resistance compared to the second cylindrical member.
2. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that the angle of expansion of the first cylindrical member toward the front of the lamp is set to a value greater than the angle of expansion of the second cylindrical member toward the rear of the lamp.
3. The first cylindrical member described above is made of a polymer alloy of polyethylene terephthalate resin and polybutylene terephthalate resin. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second cylindrical member is made of polycarbonate resin.
4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cover member is configured such that the front end of the first cylindrical member is covered from the front side of the lamp by the front end of the second cylindrical member.
5. The vehicle light fixture according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the projection lens is composed of a convex lens whose rear curvature is smaller than the front curvature.