Vehicle lamp

Abstract

To provide a vehicular lighting fixture which reduces failure due to wiring fixed to a housing of the vehicular lighting fixture.SOLUTION: A vehicular lighting fixture 1 includes: a plurality of lamp units 3, 4, 5 in a lamp chamber 6 formed by a housing 10 and an outer cover 5; and a wiring cord 12 in which a signal for controlling them flows. At the housing 10, a cord holding structure 20 is formed integrally. The cord holding structure 20 comprises a plate-like first protrusion wall 21 and a second protrusion wall 22 protruding in a first direction. A wall surface 23 of the first protrusion wall 21 and a wall surface 28 of the second protrusion wall 22 are orthogonal to each other, and a holding space for holding the wiring cord 12 is formed by the wall surface 28 of the second protrusion wall 22 and an outer edge surface 24 of the first protrusion wall 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cord support structure in a vehicle lamp.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, many vehicle lamps have adopted LEDs as light sources. For example, headlamps arranged on the left and right of the front of a vehicle are configured by housing an LED light source, a light source substrate on which the LED light source is mounted, optical components such as a reflector that reflects light emitted from the LED light source forward of the vehicle, a control circuit that drives and controls the LED light source, etc. in a lamp chamber defined by a housing and an outer lens that covers the concave opening thereof. In such a headlamp, the control circuit and the light source are electrically connected by a cord, and the cord is clamped to a lamp body such as a housing by a support member such as a clamp (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the vehicle lamp of Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 7, on the upper part of the back surface of the housing, a vehicle body mounting portion 90 is formed with a cord clamping structure, which includes a leg portion whose base end is fixed to the housing, and a fixing portion that extends from the leg portion in a cantilever beam shape and is fixed to the tip side. The cord clamping structure includes two contour ribs 91 provided on the leg portion, and a claw portion 92 for clamping a cord C between the end of the contour rib 91 that extends from the leg portion in a cantilever beam shape. The interval between the free end 93 of the claw portion 92 and the end of the contour rib 91 is set smaller than the diameter of the cord C. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the cord C from dropping out from that interval. Further, a central rib 94 extending from the fixing portion to the claw portion 92 is also formed at the central portion of the leg portion on the claw portion 92 to reinforce the vehicle body mounting portion 90. Two contour ribs 91 are provided on both sides of the claw portion 92 and are formed in an alternating pattern. The housing and the vehicle body mounting portion 90 are integrally formed by injection molding using a resin material.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-181954 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] The claw portion 92 cannot be integrally formed with the vehicle body mounting portion 90 without using a mold with a slide mechanism. Further, in order to integrally form the vehicle body mounting portion 90 with the housing, it has to be formed in accordance with the housing shape. Therefore, the opening direction of the pair of molds for forming the housing needs to be in accordance with the shape of the recess opening. As a result, the mold structure for forming the vehicle body mounting portion 90 tends to become complicated. Consequently, the mold becomes expensive. Furthermore, since a slide mechanism is adopted, the incidence of defective products tends to be higher than when no slide mechanism is used. There is also a problem that maintenance of the slide mechanism is required.

[0006] In addition, with the recent progress in the high functionality of vehicle lamps, the amount of wiring has a tendency to increase. Along with this, since there are many cords when manufacturing vehicle lamps, there is a risk that the light distribution characteristics for irradiation will be partially darkened due to interference with the optical components inside the vehicle lamp, or that the cords will be damaged due to interference with other components. Also, with the increase in the amount of wiring, a plurality of cord clamp structures are required. If all of the plurality of cord clamp structures are to be formed by a slide mechanism, there is a problem that the mold structure becomes even more complicated and expensive.

[0007] The present invention has been proposed in view of such conventional circumstances, and the main object thereof is to reduce problems caused by the wiring of vehicle lamps by means of an easily moldable cord holding structure. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle lamp according to the following [1] to [4] in order to achieve the above problems.

[0009] [1] In a lamp chamber formed by a resin housing and an outer cover, there are provided a first lamp unit and a second lamp unit that transmit light through the outer cover and irradiate light toward the outside of the lamp chamber, and a plurality of wiring cords electrically connected to the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit. Each of the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit is provided with a light source. A code holding structure for holding the wiring cord is integrally formed on the housing. The code holding structure is composed of a pair of protruding walls having a first protruding wall and a second protruding wall protruding in a first direction from the housing side. The first protruding wall has a plate shape and includes a pair of wall surfaces extending from the housing and an outer edge surface connecting the pair of wall surfaces in the plate thickness direction. The outer edge surface has a code holding side surface located on the second protruding wall side, an opposite side surface located opposite to the second protruding wall side, and a guide side surface that gradually inclines toward the first direction side from the code holding side surface toward the opposite side surface, and the code holding side surface and the guide side surface are smoothly continuous. The second protruding wall has a base end portion extending in a cantilever shape from the housing side, an inclined portion extending obliquely from the base end portion toward the first protruding wall side, and a tip portion extending along the first direction from the tip of the inclined portion. The base end portion, the inclined portion, and the tip portion have a plate shape including a pair of wall surfaces extending from the housing from the base end portion to the tip portion and an outer edge surface connecting the pair of wall surfaces in the plate thickness direction. The pair of wall surfaces of the second protruding wall are composed of a code holding wall surface located on the first protruding wall side and an opposite wall surface located in a direction opposite to the first protruding wall side. The in-plane direction of the code holding wall surface is orthogonal to the pair of wall surfaces of the first protruding wall. The cord retaining wall surfaces in the base end portion and the inclined portion and the cord retaining side surface of the first protruding wall are spaced apart from each other and face each other, and a retaining space capable of retaining the wiring cord is formed in the space therebetween. The retaining space is formed such that the distance between the cord retaining wall surface in the inclined portion and the cord retaining side surface at a position facing the cord retaining wall surface is narrower than the distance between the cord retaining wall surface in the base end portion and the cord retaining side surface at a position facing the cord retaining wall surface. The tip portion has a shape that expands such that the distance between the cord retaining wall surface at the tip portion and the guide side surface at a position facing the cord retaining wall surface increases as it goes in the first direction. The first direction is the mold opening direction of the mold when molding the housing, and the vehicle lamp is characterized by this.

[0010] [2] The vehicle lamp according to [1] above, wherein the second protruding wall has a plate shape having spring properties in a direction orthogonal to the in-plane direction of the cord retaining wall surface. [3] The wiring cord is a wiring cord that connects between the first lamp unit or the second lamp unit and the connector portion. The wiring cord is held by the cord holding structure at at least two locations between the first lamp unit or the second lamp unit and the connector portion, and is characterized by this. The vehicle lamp according to [1] or [2] above. [4] The vehicle lamp according to [2], wherein the wiring cord is bent around the first protruding wall. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent problems such as the wiring cord being damaged due to interference with other parts. In addition, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp having a cord holding structure that is easy to mold and has a simple fixation of the wiring cord. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0012]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the vehicle lamp according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the terms "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper", and "lower" refer to the central axis of the irradiation direction of the light emitted by the vehicle lamp when installed in a vehicle (automobile). Therefore, "front" corresponds to the main irradiation direction of the light of the lamp (in the case of a headlamp, the direction seen from the driver, that is, the traveling direction of the automobile), "rear" corresponds to the opposite direction of the front (in the case of a headlamp, the back direction of the driver), "left" corresponds to the left side as seen from the driver when irradiating forward (in the case of a headlamp, the left side as seen from the driver, that is, the left side in the traveling direction of the vehicle). "Lower" corresponds to the road surface side (the foot side of the driver).

[0014] 〔First Embodiment〕 FIG. 1 is a front view showing a vehicle lamp 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and will be described by taking a headlamp disposed at the left front corner of a vehicle as an example. The headlamp is a vehicle lamp that irradiates the front in the traveling direction of the automobile. The vehicle lamp 1 includes lighting units with a plurality of functions in addition to the function as a headlamp. For example, a headlamp unit that irradiates the front of the vehicle, a turn lamp unit that gives a direction indication, a daytime running light unit (DRL unit), etc. are incorporated. A lamp provided in front of the vehicle with such a plurality of irradiation function units is also called a front combination lamp or a headlamp. In the present embodiment, a unit means a lump composed of a plurality of members including an optical system that exhibits at least one function in a vehicle lamp having a plurality of light emitting or reflecting functions. It is a sub-assembly product assembled so that each unit can be integrated and handled independently, and in some cases, it cannot be handled independently, but is assembled into a single unit by attaching it to another unit or the housing or outer cover of the vehicle lamp. The optical system means a lump of a light source and optical members such as a reflecting surface and a refracting lens for irradiating the emitted light from the light source in a desired direction.

[0015] In FIG. 1, the area indicated by reference numeral 2 is the headlamp unit, and the passing beam distribution and the oncoming beam distribution can be switched by one lamp unit. A DRL unit 3 is provided at a position closer to the center of the vehicle than the headlamp unit 2. A turn lamp unit 4 is located extending from below the DRL unit 3 to below the headlamp unit 2. The headlamp unit 2, the DRL unit 3, and the turn lamp unit 4 are attached and fixed in a housing 10 having an opening on the front side. The opening of the housing 10 is covered with an outer cover 5, and the space surrounded by the housing 10 and the outer cover becomes a lamp chamber 6. The DRL unit 3 and the turn lamp unit 4 correspond to the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit in the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing an enlarged part of the housing 10 in FIG. 1, corresponding to the rear of the vehicle lamp 1. The wiring cord 12 is provided at the position shown by the broken line in FIG. 2 and is not shown here for simplicity of explanation. A plurality of socket mounting holes 11 for mounting a light source are formed in the housing 10. A connector provided at the end of the wiring cord 12 is connected to a socket (not shown) mounted in the socket mounting hole 11 to be electrically connected. Also, a connector portion 16 for connecting to a power source (battery) and a switch of the vehicle lamp (not shown) is provided. A connector having a wiring cord connected to a power source (not shown) from below in FIG. 2 is detachably fixed to the connector portion 16.

[0017] Reference numerals 11a and 11b are socket mounting holes 11 for mounting a socket with a coupler on which an LED is mounted, and also function as light source mounting holes at the same time. In FIG. 2, a light source mounting hole 11a for fixing the light source of the DRL unit 3 and a light source mounting hole 11b for fixing the light source of the turn lamp unit 4 are shown. The socket mounting holes for connecting to the headlamp unit 2 are omitted. In each of the light source mounting holes 11a and 11b, a socket with a coupler on which an LED is mounted is fitted and fixed into the lamp chamber 6 from the back side of the housing. Such a socket with a coupler on which an LED is mounted can use, for example, the light source unit described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-244973 by the present applicant. By detachably mounting the socket portion of the LED light source to the light source mounting hole 11 provided on the back (rear) side of the housing 10 (vehicle lamp 1), the front side thereof can be arranged inside the lamp chamber 6. A heat sink is integrally attached to the back (rear) side of the socket portion and is thermally coupled in an insulated state with the circuit board on which the LED is mounted. Also, lead terminals extend from the circuit board toward the back (rear) side of the socket portion, and the lead terminals constitute the terminals of the socket portion. The wiring cord 12 is connected to the socket portion of the socket with a coupler on which an LED is mounted using a connector (not shown).

[0018] Note that the light source of the headlamp unit 2 is an LED mounted on an LED substrate (not shown) fixed to the headlamp unit 2, and a socket with a coupler on which the LED is mounted is not used. Instead, a connector (not shown) that is connected to a wiring (not shown) routed inside the lamp chamber 6 is fixed to a socket mounting hole 11 (not shown) provided in the housing. Inside the lamp chamber, the LED substrate on which the LED, which is the light source of the headlamp unit, is mounted and the above-described connector are electrically connected by a wiring cord (not shown). Outside the lamp chamber, power supply and lighting control are performed by electrically connecting the wiring cord 12 to the above-described connector.

[0019] On the back surface of the housing 10, a cord holding structure 20 is integrally formed with the housing 10. Also, a connector portion 16 for connecting to a power source (battery) and a switch of a vehicle lamp (not shown) is provided. Further, a mounting leg portion 13 for attaching the vehicle lamp 1 to the vehicle body is integrally formed with the housing 10. Also, reference numeral 14 is an aiming screw for adjusting the optical axis of the headlamp unit 2, and reference numeral 15 is an adjustment tool guide. The headlamp unit 2 is fixed to the housing 10 via a known aiming structure. By rotating the aiming screw using an adjustment tool such as a driver, the headlamp unit 2 can be adjusted to move closer to or away from the housing 10, and thereby the optical axis of the headlamp unit 2 can be adjusted.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the cord holding structure 20 provided on the back surface of the housing 10 as viewed from an obliquely upward direction from the back surface, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the cord holding structure of FIG. 3. The cord holding structure 20 is composed of a first protruding wall 21 and a second protruding wall 22 that protrude from the housing 10. A pair of protruding walls 21, 22 are integrally formed with the housing. The housing 10, the first protruding wall 21, and the second protruding wall 22 are integrally formed by an injection molding technique using a thermoplastic resin material having elasticity such as ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) resin, PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) resin, or PP (polypropylene) resin. In the present embodiment, PP (polypropylene) resin is used for the protruding wall 22 to give it spring properties.

[0021] The housing 10 has a substantially box shape with a central portion recessed rearward and open forward compared to the periphery to form the lamp chamber 6. When taking out the molded product from the mold, it is preferably formed so as not to form an undercut that cannot be demolded in its original state. By also making the first protruding wall 21 and the second protruding wall 22 into shapes that do not form an undercut, the occurrence of defective products in the molding process can be reduced and the yield can be improved. In addition, the mold structure can be simplified and cost reduction can be achieved. In the present embodiment, the first protruding wall 21 has a simple plate shape as shown in FIG. 3 and is formed along the first direction D which is the mold opening direction of the mold, so it does not form an undercut and can be molded with a simple mold structure. The second protruding wall 22 has a bent portion compared to the first protruding wall 21 as shown in FIG. 3. Therefore, an undercut is likely to occur. However, in the present embodiment, by using a resin material having viscosity and elasticity and making the degree of bending small to form a plate shape extending in the direction along the first direction D, it can be made into a shape that can be demolded from the mold even in a two-way ejection mold.

[0022] The first protruding wall 21 includes a pair of wall surfaces 23 extending from the housing 10 and an outer edge surface 24 connecting the pair of wall surfaces 23 in the plate thickness direction. The wall surfaces 23, 23 facing each other are plate-shaped plate surfaces and are formed in parallel. Strictly speaking, it is located at a position away from the housing 10, that is, it is slightly wedge-shaped so as to become narrower toward the tip side. This is because the mold release property from the mold can be improved by making the tip narrower than the housing side. The outer edge surface 24 has a cord holding side surface 24a located on the side of the second protruding wall 22, an opposite side surface 24b located opposite to the side of the second protruding wall 22, and a guide side surface 24c inclined from the cord holding side surface 24a toward the opposite side surface 24b. The guide side surface 24c is an inclined surface extending from the cord holding side surface 24a toward the opposite side surface 24b as it goes toward the tip side away from the housing 10.

[0023] The second protruding wall 22 is roughly composed of a base end portion 25 extending in a cantilever shape in order from the housing 10 side, an inclined portion 26 extending while inclining from the base end portion 25 toward the first protruding wall 21 side, and a tip portion 27 extending along the first direction D from the tip of the inclined portion 26. The base end portion 25 and the tip portion 27 are formed substantially in parallel. Similar to the first protruding wall 21, the second protruding wall 22 also has a shape approximating a plate shape as a whole, and is structured to be less likely to cause problems during molding by injection molding technology. The base end portion 25, the inclined portion 26, and the tip portion 27 that form a plate shape as a whole include a pair of wall surfaces 28 extending from the housing 10 side across the base end portion 25 to the tip portion 27 and an outer edge surface 29 connecting the pair of wall surfaces 28 in the plate thickness direction. The pair of wall surfaces 28 of the second protruding wall 22 consists of a cord holding wall surface 28a located on the side of the first protruding wall 21 and an opposite side wall surface 28b located in the opposite direction to the side of the first protruding wall 21.

[0024] The first protruding wall 21 and the second protruding wall 22, which are generally formed in a plate shape, are formed such that their plate surfaces are orthogonal to each other as shown in FIG. 3. Specifically, in FIG. 3, the plate surface (wall surface 23) of the first protruding wall 21 is in the vertical direction on the paper surface, and is formed in a direction where the left - right direction on the paper surface is the thickness direction. On the other hand, the second protruding wall 22 is formed such that the plate surface (wall surface 23) is in the left - right direction on the paper surface, and the thickness direction is in the vertical direction on the paper surface. In other words, the in - plane direction of the wire - holding wall surface 28a is orthogonal to the pair of wall surfaces 23 of the first protruding wall. Orthogonal does not mean exactly 90 degrees in the strict sense. It means an angle that can be regarded as approximately 90 degrees. In this embodiment, since it is a shape that can be molded simultaneously with the housing 10, depending on the shape of the housing 10, due to the relationship of the mold release direction, even if the intersection angle of the wall surfaces is off by 10 or so degrees from 90 degrees, it is considered to be included in the orthogonal case.

[0025] The wire - holding side surface 24a of the first protruding wall 21 and the wire - holding wall surface 28a in the regions of the base end portion 25 and the inclined portion 26 of the second protruding wall 22 are installed at positions facing each other with a space therebetween as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Thereby, a holding space 30 capable of holding the wiring cord 12 is formed in the space between the two. Note that FIG. 3 shows the state before the wiring cord 12 is inserted into the holding space 30, and FIG. 4 shows the state after the wiring cord 12 is inserted into the holding space 30.

[0026] The size of the holding space 30 is different between the size on the housing 10 side and the size at a position away from the housing 10 (tip side), and the size at the tip side is narrower than that on the housing side. Specifically, compared with the distance H1 between the cord holding wall surface 28a at the base end portion 25 and the cord holding side surface 24a at the position facing thereto, the distance H2 between the cord holding wall surface 28a at the inclined portion 26 and the cord holding side surface 24a at the position facing thereto is formed to be narrower. Also, the distance H2 is formed to be, for example, from C×1 / 2 to C×3 / 4 with respect to the minor diameter C of the wiring cord 12 so as to be smaller than the minor diameter C of the wiring cord 12. Thereby, when the wiring cord 12 is inserted into the holding space 30, a structure that is not easily detached can be achieved. The distance H1 is the same as the minor diameter C of the wiring cord 12 or a distance that is about 10% larger or smaller than the minor diameter C. When the distance is smaller than the minor diameter C, the wiring cord 12 is sandwiched while being crushed. When the distance is larger than the minor diameter C, there is a play distance for the wiring cord 12 to move, so the attachment work of the wiring cord C becomes easy. It is preferable to design at the same distance as the minor diameter C according to the actual minor diameter C of the cord held by the cord holding structure 20. Therefore, it is not necessary to form all of the plurality of cord holding structures 20 provided on the housing 10 to have the same dimensions.

[0027] Also, the tip portion 27 is formed in an expanding shape such that the distance between the cord holding wall surface 28a at the tip portion 27 and the guide side surface 24c at the position facing thereto increases as it moves away from the housing 10 (as it goes in the first direction D) as shown in FIG. 4. Thereby, it is possible to facilitate the insertion of the wiring cord 12 into the holding space 30. The cord holding wall surface 28a and the cord holding side surface 24a are both formed to have a smoothly continuous shape. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the wiring cord 12 from being damaged when the wiring cord 12 is inserted and to be formed so as to be inserted smoothly.

[0028] Further, the second protruding wall 22 is formed in a plate shape so as to have spring properties in a direction orthogonal to the in-plane direction of the code holding wall surface 28a. Thereby, when inserting the wiring code 12 into the holding space 30 from the gap between the tip 27 and the guide side surface 24c, the second protruding wall 22 moves in a direction to expand the holding space 30 as shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 schematically shows a state when the wiring code 12 is fitted into the code holding structure 20, and the dotted line indicates the state where the second protruding wall 22 expands when introducing the wiring code 20 into the holding space. Since the second protruding wall 22 has spring properties, after being inserted into the holding space 30, the second protruding wall 22 becomes a distance H2 smaller than the minor diameter C of the wiring code 12 as shown in FIG. 4. This makes it difficult for the inserted wiring code 12 to come out.

[0029] On the other hand, since the first protruding wall 21 serves as a fixed side responsible for the function of holding the wiring code 12, it is made not to have spring properties. For this purpose, it is made orthogonal to the second protruding wall 22. Specifically, the distance W1, which is the distance in the direction passing through the holding space 30 on the wall surface side (base end portion side) of the housing, in other words, the distance W1 corresponding to the width of the first protruding wall 21 on the base end portion side, is formed to have a size with a distance of 2 to 4 times the minor diameter C of the wiring code 12 for fixing the wiring code 12. The distance W2 on the inclined portion 26 side is also formed to have a size with a distance of 2 to 4 times the minor diameter C. However, the distance W2 < the distance W1. By doing so, the first protruding wall 21 is not deformed, so that the wiring code 12 can be stably held. In addition, when attaching the wiring code 12, the first protruding wall 21 is less likely to be damaged, which is also preferable from the aspect of the assembly work.

[0030] FIG. 6 shows a mold for forming the housing 10 by injection molding, and is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged portion of the cord holding structure 20. The fixed mold and the movable mold are butted against each other with the parting line PL as a boundary. The molten resin material is pressure-injected through the gate C into the cavity C formed in the gap between the fixed mold and the movable mold. The resin material injected into the cavity is cooled to form the housing 10. Reference numeral G is a gate for injecting the resin and is a direct gate for injecting from the fixed mold into the cavity C. After injecting the molten resin into the cavity C, the movable mold is moved in the direction of arrow D to open the mold. This figure shows a case where the cord holding structure 20 is formed on the back side of the housing 10 shown in FIG. 3. Therefore, the mold opening direction D is a direction from the back side of the housing 10 toward the recess side that becomes the lamp chamber 6. Further, the first protruding wall 21 and the second protruding wall 22 are parallel to the mold opening direction D and are in a direction substantially orthogonal to the back surface of the housing 10. The first protruding wall 21 is provided with a draft angle inclined with respect to the mold opening direction D to facilitate the release of the product. Similarly, a draft angle is also set for the second protruding wall 22. Further, since there is a portion corresponding to the holding space 30 in the second protruding wall 22, it becomes an undercut, but it is formed so that it can be demolded without difficulty. Specifically, the tip end portion 27 and the base end portion 25 are made parallel to the mold opening direction D, and a draft angle is also set for the tip end portion 27. As a result, when the movable mold is moved in the mold opening direction D so as to separate from the fixed mold, the tip end portion 27 and the inclined portion 26 are deformed and separated from the mold.

[0031] One end of each of the plurality of wiring cords 12 is connected to each of the headlight unit 2, the DRL unit 3, and the turn lamp unit 4. The other end is provided with one connector 17 as shown in FIG. 2, and the connector 17 is fixed to the connector portion 16 provided on the back surface of the housing 10. The connector 17 is connected to a wiring connected to a power source (battery) provided in the vehicle as described above when the vehicle lamp 1 is attached to the vehicle. In the present embodiment, it branches from the connector 17 into three wiring cords 12. Such a wiring cord is also referred to as a harness. The line routing the wiring cord 12 shown by the broken line in FIG. 2 includes a line 12a for the DRL unit from the connector 17 to the light source mounting hole 11a for fixing the light source of the DRL unit, a line 12b for the turn lamp unit from the connector 17 to the light source mounting hole 11b for fixing the light source of the turn lamp unit 4, and a line 12c routed from the connector 17 to a socket mounting hole connected to the headlight unit 2 (not shown).

[0032] The line 12a passes through three cord holding structures 20 between the connector 17 and the light source mounting hole 11a. That is, the wiring cord 12 routed by the line 12a is fixed by three cord holding structures. The three cord holding structures 20 are illustrated with reference numerals 20a1, 20a2, and 20a3 in order from the light source mounting hole 11a side. In the cord holding structures 11a2 and 11a3, the wiring cord 12 is bent and routed. At this time, the first protruding wall 21 is positioned on the acute angle side where the line 12a bends around each of the cord holding structures 11a2 and 11a3, and the second protruding wall 22 is positioned on the obtuse angle side. By positioning the first protruding wall 21 on the acute angle side, the wiring cord 12 bends around the cord holding side surface 24a of the first protruding wall 21 when it bends. The cord holding side surface 24a is the outer edge surface 24 corresponding to the side surface in the plate thickness direction of the first protruding wall 21 having a plate shape. Therefore, most of the stress applied when bending the wiring cord 12 is applied to the outer edge surface 24 of the first protruding wall, and the stress applied to the second protruding wall 22 is small.

[0033] Further, when comparing the code holding side surface 24a and the code holding side wall surface 28a with which the wiring code comes into contact in the holding space 30, the area of the code holding side wall surface 28a is larger than that of the code holding side surface 24a. Further, the second protruding wall 22 provided with the code holding side wall surface 28a is a movable piece when fitting the wiring code 12, and the first protruding wall 21 serves as a fixed piece. Therefore, it is preferable to position the first protruding wall 21, which is less likely to deform with respect to stress, on the acute angle side when bending. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the code holding side surface 24a is the side surface in the plate thickness direction of the first protruding wall 21, the wiring code before and after bending can cope with bending in various directions. Therefore, since it is possible to cope with many bends without adjusting the orientation of forming the code holding structure 11 according to the bending direction, it is possible to cope with the code holding structure 11 formed in the same orientation, and the mold structure when forming the code holding structure 11 by injection molding can be simplified. The orientation of the code holding structure 11 is, for example, the in-plane direction of the wall surface 23 of the first protruding wall 21.

[0034] Also, in the code holding structure 11a1, the wiring code 12 is bent. However, in the code holding structure 11a1, the first protruding wall 21 is not positioned on the acute angle side but is routed so as to be positioned on the obtuse angle side. This is because the light source of the DRL unit 3 attached to the light source attachment hole 11a is detachable from the light source attachment hole 11a, so the wiring code 12 in the vicinity of the portion attached to the light source of the DRL unit 3 cannot be easily attached to and detached from the light source attachment hole 11a unless the movable range is widened. Although there are three code holding structures 11 between the connector 17 and the light source attachment hole 11a in the line 12a, the code holding structure 11a2 may be omitted to make it three. By fixing with at least two code holding structures 11, even if the distance from the connector is large and the wiring code 12 is routed with a bent portion that requires a bent portion, the bent portion can be provided and the wiring code 12 can be securely held.

[0035] Line 12b is provided with one code holding structure 11 between the connector 17 and the light source mounting hole 11b. The one code holding structure 11 is illustrated by reference numeral 11b1. In line 12b, the distance between the connector 17 and the light source mounting hole 11b is shorter compared to line 12a, being only about twice the diameter of the light source mounting hole 11b. If the length is less than three times the diameter of the light source mounting hole 11b in this way, there is little need to provide a bent portion so that the wiring cord 12 does not interfere with other components. Therefore, only one code holding structure 11b1 is provided for the purpose of preventing the wiring cord from rising or falling off.

[0036] Line 12c passes through a plurality of code holding structures 11 between the connector 17 and a socket mounting hole 11 (not shown) provided in the housing. In FIG. 2, two locations, reference numerals 11c1 and 11c2 in order from the connector 17 side, are illustrated. In the code holding structure 11c2, the wiring cord 12 is bent and routed. At this time, the first protruding wall 21 is positioned on the acute angle side where the line 12c bends around the code holding structure 11c2, and the second protruding wall 22 is positioned on the obtuse angle side. The stress applied when bending the wiring cord 12 is applied to the outer edge surface 24 of the first protruding wall. Also, in the code holding structure 11c1, the wiring cord 12 is bent. However, in the code holding structure 11c1, the first protruding wall 21 is not positioned on the acute angle side, but is routed so that the first protruding wall 21 is positioned on the obtuse angle side. This is because the connector 17 located near the code holding structure 11c1 is made insertable and removable from the housing 10, so in order to widen the movable range of the wiring cord 12, the second protruding wall 22 having spring properties is made movable and held with the acute angle side.

[0037] In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of code holding structures 20 were formed on the back side of the housing 10. The code holding structure 20 may be provided on the inner surface (the lamp chamber 6 side) of the housing 10. This is because the wiring code may be routed inside the lamp chamber 6. Further, the wiring code is not limited to the code connected to the lamp unit. For example, when the headlamp unit 2 performs the switching between the passing beam light distribution and the driving beam light distribution by mechanical means, a wiring code for controlling a mechanical movable member such as a solenoid is also required. Thus, the present invention also targets the holding of the wiring code routed for cooperation with the lamp unit, such as the wiring code used to move a part of any of the lamp units 2, 3, 4 housed in the lamp chamber 6, or the wiring code used for control synchronized with any of the lamp units 2, 3, 4. In the present invention, the lamp unit includes, in a broad sense, an electronic component to which a wiring code through which a signal related to the control of the lamp unit flows is connected.

[0038] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments are merely illustrative in every respect. The present invention is not to be construed in a limited sense by these descriptions. The present invention can be configured in various other forms without departing from its gist, such as addition, omission, substitution, and other changes. For example, although the headlamp has been described as an example of the vehicle lamp, other vehicle lamps having other functions, such as a rear combination lamp, may be used.

Industrial Applicability

[0039] The present invention is applicable not only to the vehicle lamps of four-wheel automobiles but also to various types of vehicle lamps such as the vehicle lamps of two-wheel motorcycles.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0040] 1... Vehicle lamp 2... Headlamp unit 3... DRL unit 4... Turn lamp unit 5... Outer cover 6... Lamp chamber 10... Housing 11…Socket mounting hole 11a, 11b…Light source mounting hole 12…Wiring cord 17…Connector 20…Cord holding structure 21…First protruding wall 22…Second protruding wall 23…Wall surface of the first protruding wall 24…Outer edge surface of the first protruding wall 24a…Cord holding side surface 24b…Opposite side surface 24c…Guide side surface 25…Base end portion 26…Inclined portion 27…Tip end portion 28…Wall surface of the second protruding wall 28a…Cord holding wall surface 28b…Opposite side wall surface 29…Outer edge surface of the second protruding wall 30…Holding space D…First direction

Claims

【Claim 1】 In a lamp chamber formed by a resin housing and an outer cover, a first lamp unit and a second lamp unit that irradiate light through the outer cover toward the outside of the lamp chamber, and a plurality of wiring cords electrically connected to the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit are provided. Each of the first lamp unit and the second lamp unit is provided with a light source. A code holding structure for holding the wiring cord is integrally formed in the housing. The code holding structure is composed of a pair of protruding walls having a first protruding wall and a second protruding wall protruding in a first direction from the housing side. The first protruding wall has a plate shape and includes a pair of wall surfaces extending from the housing and an outer edge surface connecting the pair of wall surfaces in the plate thickness direction. The outer edge surface has a code holding side surface located on the second protruding wall side, an opposite side surface located opposite to the second protruding wall side, and a guide side surface that gradually inclines toward the first direction side from the code holding side surface toward the opposite side surface. The code holding side surface and the guide side surface are smoothly continuous. The second protruding wall has a base end portion extending in a cantilever shape from the housing side, an inclined portion extending obliquely from the base end portion toward the first protruding wall side, and a tip portion extending along the first direction from the tip of the inclined portion. The base end portion, the inclined portion, and the tip portion have a plate shape including a pair of wall surfaces extending from the housing from the base end portion to the tip portion and an outer edge surface connecting the pair of wall surfaces in the plate thickness direction. The pair of wall surfaces of the second protruding wall are composed of a code holding wall surface located on the first protruding wall side and an opposite wall surface located in a direction opposite to the first protruding wall side. The in-plane direction of the code holding wall surface is orthogonal to the pair of wall surfaces of the first protruding wall. The code holding wall surface in the base end portion and the inclined portion and the code holding side surface of the first protruding wall are spaced apart from each other and opposed to each other, and a holding space capable of holding the wiring cord is formed in the space therebetween. The holding space is formed such that the distance between the code holding wall surface in the inclined portion and the code holding side surface at a position facing the code holding wall surface is narrower than the distance between the code holding wall surface in the base end portion and the code holding side surface at a position facing the code holding wall surface. The tip part has a shape that expands such that the distance between the cord holding wall surface at the tip part and the guide side surface at a position facing the cord holding wall surface increases as it goes in the first direction. The first direction is the mold opening direction of the mold when molding the housing, and is a vehicle lamp characterized by this. **Claim 2** The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, characterized in that the second protruding wall has a plate shape with spring properties in a direction orthogonal to the in-plane direction of the cord holding wall surface. **Claim 3** The wiring cord is a wiring cord that connects between the first lamp unit or the second lamp unit and the connector part. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the wiring cord is held by the cord holding structure at at least two locations between the first lamp unit or the second lamp unit and the connector part. **Claim 4** The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, characterized in that the wiring cord is bent around the first protruding wall.

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