Vehicle lamps

Abstract

To provide an automobile lamp which can secure a sufficient irradiation range while allowing size reduction.SOLUTION: An automobile lamp (10) is attached to an automobile. A base part (11) in which a light source (14) is installed on its surface (12), a reflector part (21) for reflecting light emitted from the light source, and a lens part (31) for making reflection light from the reflector part permeate through it are arranged at the automobile lamp. The reflector part and the lens part are installed on the surface of the base part, and a lamp chamber (39) is formed on the surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A vehicle lamp in which the outer edge of an outer lens is bonded to the edge of an opening in a housing is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1, a lamp chamber is formed by the housing and the outer lens, and a reflector and an LED (Light Emitting Diode) are installed in the lamp chamber. Because the edge of the opening in the housing and the adhesive are made of a non-translucent material, when the LED emits light, reflected light from the reflector is irradiated onto the bonded portion between the housing and the outer lens so that the edge of the opening in the housing does not stand out as a black border, thereby ensuring the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle lamp. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-069860 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the vehicle lamp described in Patent Document 1 requires a reflector to be installed with a gap inside the housing, which is an obstacle to ensuring a wide illumination range while miniaturizing the lamp.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a vehicle lamp that can ensure a sufficient illumination range while being miniaturized. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle lamp attached to a vehicle, comprising: a base portion having a light source mounted on a surface thereof; a reflector portion that reflects light emitted from the light source; and a lens portion that transmits the light reflected from the reflector portion. The reflector portion and the lens portion are mounted on the surface of the base portion to form a lamp chamber. The reflector portion is formed with a first convex portion that protrudes toward the surface of the base portion, and the lens portion is formed with a second convex portion that protrudes toward the surface of the base portion. The surface of the base portion is formed with a recess that receives the first convex portion and the second convex portion, and the first convex portion and the second convex portion are bonded to the recess. The reflector portion and the lens portion are integrally formed from a light-transmitting member, and the reflector portion has a metal film laminated on the inner surface of the light-transmitting member and a light-shielding film laminated on the outer surface of the light-transmitting member. This solves the above problem. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, the vehicle lamp has a reflector that doubles as a housing, eliminating the need for a housing to cover the reflector and allowing the vehicle lamp to be made smaller. The reflector and lens are mounted on the surface of the base, forming a lamp chamber. This allows the vehicle lamp to be made smaller while still ensuring a sufficient illumination range. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In a vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present invention, a light source is mounted on the surface of a base, and a reflector and a lens are mounted on the surface of the base to form a lamp chamber. The reflector reflects light emitted from the light source, and the lens transmits the light reflected from the reflector. Because the reflector also serves as the housing, a housing covering the reflector is not required, allowing the vehicle lamp to be made smaller. By mounting the reflector and the lens on the surface of the base, the lamp chamber is formed by the reflector and the lens. This allows the vehicle lamp to be made smaller while still ensuring a sufficient illumination range. [Example]

[0010] <First Example> The vehicle lamp of the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp of the first embodiment;

[0011] As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle lamp 10 is a headlight for a saddle-ride type vehicle, and is attached to a vehicle body frame (not shown) via a lamp brace (not shown) or the like. The vehicle lamp 10 is configured by attaching a dome-shaped light-transmitting member 20 to a surface 12 of a plate-shaped base portion 11. A circuit board 13 is mounted on the surface 12 of the base portion 11, and an LED 14 is mounted on the circuit board 13 as a light source. The rear side of the light-transmitting member 20 forms a reflector portion 21 that reflects light emitted from the LED 14, and the front side of the light-transmitting member 20 forms a lens portion 31 that transmits the light reflected from the reflector portion 21.

[0012] The base portion 11 forms the upper wall of the vehicle lamp 10. An LED 14 is installed via a circuit board 13 approximately in the center of a surface 12 (lower surface) of the base portion 11, and a shade 15 that blocks direct light from the LED 14 to the lens portion 31 is screwed in front of the LED 14. An annular recess 16 is formed in the surface 12 of the base portion 11 so as to surround the LED 14 and the shade 15. A flange portion 17 extends radially outward from the recess 16, and a screw hole 18 is formed in the flange portion 17. The base portion 11 is made of die-cast aluminum, and also functions as a heat sink that dissipates heat generated by the LED 14.

[0013] The front wall of the light-transmitting member 20 extends downward from the surface 12 of the base portion 11, and the rear wall of the light-transmitting member 20 extends diagonally upward and rearward from the lower end of the front wall in a semi-dome shape. A metal film 22 is laminated on the inner surface of the rear wall of this light-transmitting member 20, and a light-shielding film 23 is laminated on the outer surface of the rear wall of the light-transmitting member 20, thereby forming a reflector portion 21 on the rear wall of the light-transmitting member 20. The metal film 22 and the light-shielding film 23 are laminated on all parts of the light-transmitting member 20 except for the front wall, and the front wall of the light-transmitting member 20 is exposed to the outside, thereby forming a lens portion 31. In this way, the reflector portion 21 and the lens portion 31 are integrally formed by the dome-shaped light-transmitting member 20.

[0014] The metal film 22 of the reflector portion 21 is laminated on the rear wall of the light-transmitting member 20 by aluminum vapor deposition plating. A step 24 is formed at the boundary between the inner surface of the reflector portion 21 and the inner surface of the lens portion 31, and the rear wall of the light-transmitting member 20 is aluminum vapor deposition plated while the lens portion 31 side of the step 24 is masked to prevent the metal film 22 from being laminated on the lens portion 31. This improves the workability of the aluminum vapor deposition plating. The light-shielding film 23 of the reflector portion 21 is laminated on the opposite side of the metal film 22, with the rear wall of the light-transmitting member 20 sandwiched between them, by painting with black paint. A reflective surface is formed on the reflector portion 21 by the metal film 22, and the reflective surface reflects the light emitted from the LED 14 toward the lens portion 31.

[0015] The reflective surface of the reflector portion 21 includes a plurality of concave surfaces that are arch-shaped in cross section. The shape and number of the plurality of concave surfaces are optically designed to reflect light emitted from above the LEDs 14 forward. When light is emitted downward from the LEDs 14 on the surface 12 of the base portion 11, the emitted light is reflected forward by the reflective surface of the reflector portion 21, and the reflected light passes through the lens portion 31 and is emitted to the outside. At this time, in order to reduce the glare of the vehicle lamp 10, the direct light from the LEDs 14 is partially blocked by the shade 15, preventing the direct light from the LEDs 14 from being emitted to the outside through the lens portion 31.

[0016] As described above, the base portion 11 is formed by aluminum die-casting in order to function as a heat sink. Because aluminum die-casting does not have the sufficient elasticity that resin molding does, the reflector portion 21 and the lens portion 31 cannot be attached to the base portion 11 even if a mechanical attachment structure such as claws or lances is used. For this reason, an annular recess 16 formed in the surface 12 of the base portion 11 is filled with adhesive 38 such as hot melt, and the reflector portion 21 and the lens portion 31 are attached to the surface 12 of the base portion 11 via the adhesive 38 received in the recess 16.

[0017] A first convex portion 25 protruding upward is formed on the upper edge of the reflector portion 21, and a second convex portion 32 protruding upward is formed on the upper edge of the lens portion 31. The first convex portion 25 and the second convex portion 32 are formed to be thinner than the recess 16 in the surface 12 of the base portion 11 so that they can be received in the recess 16. A flange portion 26 extends outward from the upper edge of the reflector portion 21, and a through hole 27 for screwing is formed in the flange portion 26. A flange portion 33 extends forward from the upper edge of the lens portion 31, and a through hole 34 for screwing is formed in the flange portion 33.

[0018] The first convex portion 25 of the reflector portion 21 and the second convex portion 32 of the lens portion 31 fit into the recess 16 of the base portion 11, and the first convex portion 25 and the second convex portion 32 are bonded to the recess 16 with adhesive 38. At this time, a screw 28 is tightened into the threaded hole 18 of the base portion 11 through the through hole 27 of the reflector portion 21 so that there is no gap between the reflector portion 21 and the base portion 11. Similarly, a screw 35 is tightened into the threaded hole 18 of the base portion 11 through the through hole 34 of the lens portion 31 so that there is no gap between the lens portion 31 and the base portion 11. In this way, the reflector portion 21 and the lens portion 31 are installed on the surface 12 of the base portion 11, and a lamp chamber 39 is formed.

[0019] As described above, the first convex portion 25 protrudes upward from the reflector portion 21, the second convex portion 32 protrudes upward from the lens portion 31, and the concave portion 16 is recessed upward from the surface 12 of the base portion 11. Therefore, the light-transmitting member 20 that becomes the reflector portion 21 and the lens portion 31 can be molded using a top-bottom punching mold (not shown), and the base portion 11 can be molded using a top-bottom punching mold (not shown). Therefore, no slide core is required when molding the light-transmitting member 20 and the base portion 11, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the vehicle lamp 10. Molding the reflector portion 21 and the lens portion 31 integrally also reduces the number of parts.

[0020] The base portion 11 and reflector portion 21 also serve as the housing for the vehicle lamp 10. This allows the lamp size to be smaller than in a typical configuration in which the reflector portion is installed inside a housing. A black light-blocking film 23 is laminated on the reflector portion 21, and the aesthetic appearance of the saddle-ride type vehicle is ensured by covering the reflector portion 21 from the side with a cowl (not shown). In addition, the gap between the first convex portion 25 of the reflector portion 21 and the concave portion 16 of the base portion 11, and the gap between the second convex portion 32 of the lens portion 31 and the concave portion 16 of the base portion 11 are each sealed with adhesive 38, thereby ensuring waterproofing of the vehicle lamp 10.

[0021] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the reflector portion 21 also serves as the housing for the vehicle lamp 10, eliminating the need for a housing to cover the reflector portion 21 and enabling the vehicle lamp 10 to be made smaller. The reflector portion 21 and the lens portion 31 are disposed on the surface 12 of the base portion 11, and thus the lamp chamber 39 is formed by the reflector portion 21 and the lens portion 31. Therefore, the vehicle lamp 10 can be made smaller while still ensuring a sufficient illumination range.

[0022] <Second Example> The vehicle lamp of the second embodiment will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp of the second embodiment;

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle lamp 40 of the second embodiment is a headlight for a saddle-ride type vehicle, and is attached to a vehicle body frame (not shown) via a lamp brace (not shown) or the like. The vehicle lamp 40 is configured by attaching a reflector portion 51 and a lens portion 61 to a surface 42 of a plate-shaped base portion 41. A circuit board 43 is mounted on the surface 42 of the base portion 41, and an LED 44 is mounted on the circuit board 43 as a light source. Light emitted from the LED 44 is reflected forward by the reflector portion 51, and the reflected light from the reflector portion 51 is transmitted through the lens portion 61 and emitted to the outside.

[0024] The base portion 41 forms the upper wall of the vehicle lamp 40. An LED 44 is installed via a circuit board 43 approximately in the center of a surface 42 (lower surface) of the base portion 41, and a shade 45 that blocks direct light from the LED 44 to the lens portion 61 is screwed in front of the LED 44. An annular recess 46 is formed in the surface 42 of the base portion 41 so as to surround the LED 44 and the shade 45. A flange portion 47 extends radially outward from the recess 46, and a screw hole 48 is formed in the flange portion 47. The base portion 41 is made of die-cast aluminum, and also functions as a heat sink that dissipates heat generated by the LED 44.

[0025] The reflector portion 51 is made of a non-translucent resin material and is formed in a semi-dome shape that covers the rear side of the base portion 41. A metal film 52 is laminated on the inner surface of the reflector portion 51 by aluminum vapor deposition plating, and this metal film 52 forms the reflective surface of the reflector portion 51. The reflective surface of the reflector portion 51 is optically designed to reflect light emitted from above the LED 44 forward. The lens portion 61 is made of a translucent resin material and is formed in a semi-dome shape that covers the front side of the base portion 41. In this way, in the vehicle lamp 40 of the second embodiment, the reflector portion 51 and the lens portion 61 are molded as separate bodies.

[0026] The front edge of the reflector portion 51 and the rear edge of the lens portion 61 are welded together to form a dome-shaped member on the surface 42 of the base portion 41. The front edge of the reflector portion 51 juts outward to widen the welding margin, and the rear edge of the lens portion 61 also juts outward to widen the welding margin. The mating surfaces 59 of the front edge of the reflector portion 51 and the rear edge of the lens portion 61 are welded together. Because the reflector portion 51 and the lens portion 61 are molded separately, undercuts are eliminated when the reflector portion 51 and the lens portion 61 are removed from the mold, and design quality is not compromised by restrictions on the mold removal direction. In addition, masking the lens portion 61 is not required when applying aluminum vapor deposition plating to the reflector portion 51.

[0027] A first convex portion 53 protruding upward is formed on the upper edge of the reflector portion 51, and a second convex portion 63 protruding upward is formed on the upper edge of the lens portion 61. The first convex portion 53 and the second convex portion 63 are formed to be thinner than the recessed portion 46 in the surface 42 of the base portion 41 so that they can be received in the recessed portion 46. A flange portion 54 extends outward from the upper edge of the reflector portion 51, and a through hole 55 for screwing is formed in the flange portion 54. A flange portion 64 extends forward from the upper edge of the lens portion 61, and a through hole 65 for screwing is formed in the flange portion 64.

[0028] The first convex portion 53 of the reflector portion 51 and the second convex portion 63 of the lens portion 61 fit into the recess 46 of the base portion 41, and are bonded to the recess 46 with an adhesive 68 such as hot melt. At this time, screws 56 are tightened into the threaded holes 48 of the base portion 41 through the through holes 55 of the reflector portion 51 so that no gap is left between the reflector portion 51 and the base portion 41. Similarly, screws 66 are tightened into the threaded holes 48 of the base portion 41 through the through holes 65 of the lens portion 61 so that no gap is left between the lens portion 61 and the base portion 41. In this way, the reflector portion 51 and the lens portion 61 are installed on the surface 42 of the base portion 41, and a lamp chamber 69 is formed.

[0029] As described above, the semi-dome-shaped reflector portion 51 and lens portion 61 are molded separately. The reflector portion 51 and lens portion 61 are molded using a front-to-back punching mold (not shown), but the reflector portion 51 and lens portion 61 can also be molded using a top-to-bottom punching mold (not shown). This eliminates the constraints on the mold punching direction when molding the reflector portion 51 and the lens portion 61, ensuring design freedom while reducing the manufacturing cost of the vehicle lamp 40. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture vehicle lamps with a variety of designs, not just the dome-shaped vehicle lamp 40 of this embodiment.

[0030] As in the first embodiment, the base portion 41 as a heat sink and the reflector portion 51 also serve as the housing of the vehicle lamp 40. This allows the lamp size to be smaller than in a typical configuration in which the reflector portion is installed inside a housing. Although the reflector portion is formed of a non-transparent resin material, the aesthetic appearance of the saddle-ride type vehicle is ensured by covering the reflector portion 51 with a cowl (not shown). Furthermore, the gap between the first convex portion 53 of the reflector portion 51 and the concave portion 46 of the base portion 41, and the gap between the second convex portion 63 of the lens portion 61 and the concave portion 46 of the base portion 41 are each sealed with adhesive 68, thereby ensuring waterproofing.

[0031] As described above, even if the reflector portion 51 and the lens portion 61 are molded separately as in the vehicle lamp 40 of the second embodiment, it is possible to ensure a sufficient illumination range while reducing the size of the vehicle lamp 40.

[0032] In the first embodiment, the reflector portion is formed in a half dome shape and the lens portion is formed in a flat plate shape, and in the second embodiment, the reflector portion and the lens portion are formed in a half dome shape, but the shapes of the reflector portion and the lens portion are not particularly limited. The reflector portion may be formed in a shape that can reflect light emitted from the light source, and the lens portion may be formed in a shape that can transmit the light reflected from the reflector portion.

[0033] In the first and second embodiments, the base is made of die-cast aluminum and functions as a heat sink, but the heat sink may be molded separately from the base. The base may be molded from resin, and the reflector and lens may be attached to the base by a mechanical structure.

[0034] Furthermore, although an LED is used as the light source in the first and second embodiments, the light source may have any configuration as long as it can be installed on the surface of the base portion.

[0035] In the first and second embodiments, the reflector portion has a first convex portion, the lens portion has a second convex portion, and the base portion has a concave portion, but the reflector portion may have a first concave portion, the lens portion may have a second concave portion, and the base portion may have convex portions that fit into the first and second concave portions. Also, it is sufficient that the reflector portion and the lens portion are molded so that they can be attached to the base portion.

[0036] In addition, in the first and second embodiments, the reflector portion and lens portion are attached to the surface of the base portion with the surface of the base portion facing downward, but the surface of the base portion may be facing upward or sideways.

[0037] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, a headlamp is exemplified as a vehicle lamp, but the structure of the vehicle lamp can also be applied to other lamps such as a rear lamp or a turn signal lamp.

[0038] Furthermore, the vehicle lamps of the first and second embodiments are not limited to saddle-ride vehicles, but may be used on other vehicles such as four-wheeled vehicles, jet skis, etc. Furthermore, saddle-ride vehicles are not limited to all vehicles on which a rider sits astride a seat, but also include scooter-type vehicles on which a rider does not sit astride a seat.

[0039] As described above, the vehicle lamp (10, 40) of this embodiment is a vehicle lamp attached to a vehicle and includes a base portion (11, 41) having a light source (LED 14, 44) mounted on its surface (12, 42), a reflector portion (21, 51) that reflects light emitted from the light source, and a lens portion (31, 61) that transmits the light reflected from the reflector portion. The reflector portion and lens portion are mounted on the surface of the base portion to form a lamp chamber (39, 69). With this configuration, the reflector portion also serves as the housing, eliminating the need for a housing to cover the reflector portion, thereby enabling the vehicle lamp to be made more compact. Mounting the reflector portion and lens portion on the surface of the base portion allows the lamp chamber to be formed by the reflective surface of the reflector and the incident surface of the lens portion. This allows the vehicle lamp to be made more compact while still providing a sufficient illumination range.

[0040] In the vehicle lamp of this embodiment, the reflector portion 21 and the lens portion 31 are integrally molded from a light-transmitting member 20, and the reflector portion has a metal film 22 laminated on the inner surface of the light-transmitting member and a light-shielding film 23 laminated on the outer surface of the light-transmitting member. With this configuration, the reflector portion and the lens portion are integrally molded, thereby reducing the number of parts.

[0041] In the vehicle lamp of this embodiment, the reflector portion 51 and the lens portion 61 are molded separately, and the mating surfaces 59 of the reflector portion and the lens portion are welded together. With this configuration, the reflector portion and the lens portion are molded separately, which eliminates restrictions on the mold removal direction during molding, ensuring design freedom while reducing manufacturing costs.

[0042] In the vehicle lamp of this embodiment, the reflector portion is formed with a first convex portion (25, 53) protruding toward the surface of the base portion, the lens portion is formed with a second convex portion (32, 63) protruding toward the surface of the base portion, and the surface of the base portion is formed with recesses (16, 46) that receive the first and second convex portions, and the first and second convex portions are bonded to the recesses. With this configuration, the mold can be removed in the direction in which the first and second convex portions protrude during molding, thereby making it possible to eliminate the need for a slide core.

[0043] In the vehicle lamp of this embodiment, the base also functions as a heat sink. With this configuration, the reflector and lens form a lamp chamber on the surface of the heat sink, making it possible to reduce the number of parts while also downsizing the vehicle lamp.

[0044] Although the present embodiment has been described, other embodiments may be made by combining the above-described embodiments and modifications in whole or in part.

[0045] Furthermore, the technology of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the technical idea. Furthermore, if the technical idea can be realized in a different way due to technological advances or other derived technologies, it may be implemented using that method. Therefore, the claims cover all embodiments that may fall within the scope of the technical idea. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 10, 40: Vehicle lamps 11, 41: Base section 12, 42: Surface 14, 44: LED (light source) 16, 46: Recess 21, 51: Reflector part 25, 53: First convex part 31, 61: Lens section 32, 63: Second convex part 39, 69:Light room 20: Translucent member 22: Metal film 23: Light-shielding film 59:Mating surface 69: Lamp room

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a base portion having a light source disposed on its surface; a reflector portion that reflects light emitted from the light source; a lens portion that transmits the reflected light from the reflector portion, the reflector and the lens are disposed on a surface of the base to form a lamp chamber; a first protrusion protruding toward a surface of the base portion is formed on the reflector portion; a second convex portion protruding toward the surface of the base portion is formed on the lens portion; a recess for receiving the first protrusion and the second protrusion is formed on a surface of the base portion, and the first protrusion and the second protrusion are bonded to the recess; the reflector portion and the lens portion are integrally formed from a light-transmitting member, The vehicle lamp is characterized in that the reflector portion has a metal film laminated on the inner surface of the light-transmitting member and a light-shielding film laminated on the outer surface of the light-transmitting member.

2. A vehicle lamp mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a base portion having a light source disposed on its surface; a reflector portion that reflects light emitted from the light source; a lens portion that transmits the reflected light from the reflector portion, the reflector and the lens are disposed on a surface of the base to form a lamp chamber; a first protrusion protruding toward a surface of the base portion is formed on the reflector portion; a second convex portion protruding toward the surface of the base portion is formed on the lens portion; a recess for receiving the first protrusion and the second protrusion is formed on a surface of the base portion, and the first protrusion and the second protrusion are bonded to the recess; The reflector portion and the lens portion are molded separately, A vehicle lamp, characterized in that mating surfaces of the reflector portion and the lens portion are welded together.

3. A vehicle lamp mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a base portion having a light source disposed on its surface; a reflector portion that reflects light emitted from the light source; a lens portion that transmits the reflected light from the reflector portion, the reflector and the lens are disposed on a surface of the base to form a lamp chamber; a first protrusion protruding toward a surface of the base portion is formed on the reflector portion; a second convex portion protruding toward the surface of the base portion is formed on the lens portion; a recess for receiving the first protrusion and the second protrusion is formed on a surface of the base portion, and the first protrusion and the second protrusion are bonded to the recess; A vehicle lamp, wherein the reflector portion and the lens portion are integrated, and the recessed portion is formed in an annular shape.

4. 4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the first convex portion protrudes upward from an upper edge of the reflector portion, and the second convex portion protrudes upward from an upper edge of the lens portion.

5. 5. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1, wherein the base portion also functions as a heat sink.

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