Fitting structure and disassembly method

Abstract

To provide a novel technique which can easily dismantle components from each other.SOLUTION: A fitting structure 100 comprises: a first component constituting a part of a vehicle lamp; a second component constituting a part of the vehicle lamp; and a fitting part 22 in which the first component and the second component are fit to each other. In the first component, a release part 24 for releasing the fitting between the first component and the second component is formed on a side opposite to the fitting part 22 across the first component. The release part 24 is configured such that the fitting part 22 is deformed by being preferentially broken when a tool 26 is pressed against it and the fitting between the first component and the second component is released.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[[TECHNICAL FIELD]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a disassembly technique for components. [[BACKGROUND ART]]

[0002] In recent years, developments targeting carbon neutrality have been progressing in various fields. Therefore, for each component used in vehicles, it is desirable to disassemble and sort recyclable components. However, many components are designed with priority given to ease of assembly and prevention of separation between assembled components, and are not necessarily designed on the premise that they will be disassembled. Therefore, a lot of time and effort is required for disassembling components, which leads to an increase in the recycling cost of components and a decrease in the recycling rate.

[0003] Accordingly, it is necessary to devise component designs based on the premise that the components will be disassembled. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle lamp in which a housing and a lens are fixed by engaging an engaging projection provided on one of the housing and the lens with an engaging hole provided on the other. In this vehicle lamp, a tongue piece formed with the aforementioned engaging projection or engaging hole is provided on the housing or the lens, and a slit serving as a breaking means is formed in the tongue piece. Accordingly, when disassembling the housing and the lens, the tongue piece can be easily broken with the slit as a base point, so the engagement between the engaged engaging projection and the engaging hole is released, facilitating the disassembly of the housing and the lens. [[PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS]] [[PATENT DOCUMENTS]]

[0004] [[Patent Document 1]] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-232904 [[Summary of the Invention]] [[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]]

[0005] The aforementioned tongue-shaped tab is the engagement point between the housing and the lens, and is located in an area that is relatively easy to disassemble. However, the joining points and methods of the parts vary, and it may not always be easy to disassemble the assembled parts in the reverse order of assembly.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and one of its exemplary objectives is to provide a new technology that facilitates the disassembly of parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, a fitting structure according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a first part that constitutes part of a vehicle light fixture, a second part that constitutes part of a vehicle light fixture, and a fitting portion into which the first part and the second part fit together. The first part has a release portion formed on the opposite side of the fitting portion with the first part in between, which releases the fitting between the first part and the second part. The release portion is configured to be preferentially destroyed when a tool is pressed against it, thereby deforming the fitting portion and releasing the fitting between the first part and the second part.

[0008] In this embodiment, the release portion, which is pressed against the tool, is preferentially destroyed, causing the mating portion to deform and releasing the mating between the first and second parts, thereby making it easier to disassemble the parts.

[0009] The release mechanism may have a recess formed to correspond to the shape of the tool tip. This allows the tool tip to be precisely aligned with the release mechanism.

[0010] The release mechanism may have a notch shape. This allows for a release mechanism with a simple shape that is preferentially destroyed.

[0011] The mating portion comprises a linear recess formed in the first part and a linear protrusion formed in the second part, and the linear recess may be configured to position the linear protrusion in the short direction and to allow movement of the linear protrusion in the longitudinal direction. This allows tolerances in the position and shape of the recess and the protrusion to be absorbed, at least the tolerance in the longitudinal direction of the linear protrusion, even if there are tolerances in the position and shape of the recess and the protrusion when they are mated together.

[0012] The mating portion may have a first mating portion and a second mating portion. The first mating portion is formed by the mating of a first linear recess formed in the first part and a first linear protrusion formed in the second part, and the second mating portion is formed by the mating of a second linear recess formed in the first part and a second linear protrusion formed in the second part, and the longitudinal direction of the first linear recess and the longitudinal direction of the second linear recess may be different. This makes it possible to accurately position the corresponding protrusion and recess in at least two directions when they are mated.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is a disassembly method. This method disassembles a vehicle light fixture by deforming a mating portion into which a first part and a second part, which are part of a vehicle light fixture, are fitted together. The method involves deforming the mating portion by destroying a release portion formed on the opposite side of the mating portion from the first part, which is used to release the mating between the first part and the second part, while pressing a tool against it, thereby releasing the mating between the first part and the second part.

[0014] In this embodiment, the release portion, which is pressed against the tool, is preferentially destroyed, causing the mating portion to deform and releasing the mating between the first and second parts, thereby making it easier to disassemble the parts.

[0015] Any combination of the above components, or any conversion of the expression of the present invention between manufacturing methods, devices such as luminaires and lighting fixtures, light-emitting modules, light sources, etc., are also valid embodiments of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the present invention, components can be easily disassembled from each other. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] [Figure 1] It is a front view of a rear-side lamp according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] It is an A-A cross-sectional view of the rear-side lamp shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3(a) to FIG. 3(d) are diagrams for explaining a fitting portion and a release portion according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view of a linear convex portion according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] It is an enlarged perspective view of a fitting portion according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a schematic diagram for explaining a lamp in which two components are joined by a plurality of fitting portions. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. In addition, the embodiments are illustrative rather than limiting the present invention, and not all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the present invention.

[0019] In the present embodiment, a rear-side lamp is described as an example of a vehicle lamp, but the present invention can also be applied when the vehicle lamp is another type of lamp. FIG. 1 is a front view of a rear-side lamp according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an A-A cross-sectional view of the rear-side lamp shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3(a) to FIG. 3(d) are diagrams for explaining a fitting portion and a release portion according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a linear convex portion according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a fitting portion according to the present embodiment.

[0020] The rear-side lamp 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a turn signal lamp or a tail lamp, and is formed by assembling a plurality of components made of resin material. As shown in FIG. 2, the rear-side lamp 10 includes, as components, an outer lens cover 12, an extension 14 provided inside the lens cover 12, inner lenses 16a and 16b provided below the extension 14, a reflector 18 disposed behind the inner lens 16b (on the vehicle front side), and a body 20 disposed behind the reflector 18.

[0021] Further, the fitting structure 100 according to the present embodiment includes the reflector 18, the body 20, and a fitting portion 22 where the reflector 18 and the body 20 are fitted to each other. As described above, when promoting the recycling of various components accompanying the scrapping and dismantling of a vehicle, it is necessary to disassemble the components. Accordingly, the body 20 is formed with a releasing portion 24 for releasing the fitting between the body 20 and the reflector 18 on the opposite side of the fitting portion 22 across the body 20. The releasing portion 24 is formed with a recess 24a corresponding to the tip shape of a tool 26. This enables the tip of the tool to be aligned with the releasing portion 24 with high accuracy.

[0022] Next, the recess shape on the body 20 side that constitutes the fitting portion will be described. The components shown in FIGS. 3(a) to 3(d) are modeled after a part of the body 20 for the destructive test of the releasing portion. In the following description, the components shown in FIGS. 3(a) to 3(d) will be described as a part of the body 20. As shown in FIG. 3(a) and FIG. 3(b), the body 20 is formed with a linear recess 20a. The recess 20a is formed with a pair of opposing snap fits 20b, and a linear groove 20c formed between the pair of snap fits 20b (see FIG. 5).

[0023] As shown in Figures 2 and 3(d), the release portion 24 has a notch-shaped recess 24a formed on the back side of the body 20. The recess 24a may be thinner than the surrounding area. On the other hand, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, a line-shaped protrusion 18a is formed in an area close to the outer circumference of the reflector 18. The protrusion 18a has a cylindrical clamped portion 18b at its tip, which is firmly clamped by the snap fit 20b of the recess 20a. The clamped portion 18b may be spherical or hemispherical.

[0024] As described above, the release portion 24 of the body 20 is preferentially destroyed when the tool 26 is pressed against it, causing a crack 28 as shown in Figure 3(a), which deforms the fitting portion 22 and releases the fitting between the body 20 and the reflector 18. As a result, compared to cases where the parts are fixed together with fasteners such as screws or bolts, the fitting can be released with a simple action of just pressing a tool against it, making it easier to disassemble the parts.

[0025] Furthermore, the release portion 24 according to this embodiment is notch-shaped. This makes it possible to realize a release portion 24 that is preferentially destroyed with a simple shape. The fitting portion 22 according to this embodiment is realized by fitting a linear recess 20a formed in the body 20 with a linear protrusion 18a formed in the reflector 18. The linear recess 20a is configured to position the linear protrusion 18a in the short direction and to allow movement of the linear protrusion 18a in the longitudinal direction. This makes it possible to absorb tolerances in the position and shape of the recess and the protrusion when fitting the recess 20a and the protrusion 18a, at least tolerances in the longitudinal direction of the linear protrusion 18a.

[0026] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a lamp fixture in which two parts are joined by multiple mating parts. In the lamp fixture 30 shown in Figure 6, the body 20 and the reflector 18 are fixed to each other by mating parts 22a, 22b, and 22c. The mating parts 22a and 22c are fitted together by recesses 23a and 23c formed in the body 20 and protrusions 19a and 19c formed in the reflector 18. The mating part 22b is fitted together by a recess 23b formed in the body 20 and a protrusion 19b formed in the reflector 18. The longitudinal direction X1 of the linear recesses 23a and 23c is different from the longitudinal direction X2 of the linear recess 23b. This allows for accurate positioning in at least two directions when the corresponding protrusions and recesses are fitted together.

[0027] The fitting structure 100 according to the above embodiment can also be considered as an invention of a disassembly method. That is, the disassembly method according to this embodiment is a disassembly method that separates the parts by deforming the fitting portion 22 into which the body 20, which constitutes part of the rear lamp 10, and the reflector 18, which also constitutes part of the rear lamp 10, are fitted together. In this method, the fitting portion 22 is deformed by destroying the release portion 24, which is formed on the opposite side of the fitting portion 22 across the body 20 and is used to release the fitting between the body 20 and the reflector 18, while pressing a tool 26 against it, thereby releasing the fitting between the body 20 and the reflector 18.

[0028] Furthermore, the combination of parts to be fitted together is not limited to the body and reflector as described above, but may also be the lens and extension. Alternatively, other combinations of lighting components may also be used. In addition, the lighting fixture that has the fitting structure described above may be the front lighting fixture as well as the rear lighting fixture.

[0029] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the present invention also includes combinations and substitutions of the configurations of the embodiments as appropriate. Furthermore, it is possible to appropriately rearrange the combinations and processing order in the embodiments or to make various design changes and other modifications to the embodiments based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such modified embodiments may also be included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0030] 10 Rear light fixture, 18 Reflector, 18a Protrusion, 18b Clamped part, 19a Protrusion, 19b Protrusion, 20 Body, 20a Recess, 20b Snap fit, 20c Groove, 22 Fitting part, 22a Fitting part, 22b Fitting part, 23a Recess, 23b Recess, 24 Release part, 24a Recess, 26 Tool, 30 Light fixture, 100 Fitting structure.

Claims

1. A first component that constitutes part of a vehicle lighting fixture, A second component that forms part of a vehicle lighting fixture, The first part and the second part are fitted together, comprising a fitting portion, The first component has a release portion formed on the opposite side of the fitting portion, with the first component in between, which releases the fitting between the first component and the second component. The fitting structure is characterized in that the release portion is configured to be preferentially destroyed when a tool is pressed against it, thereby deforming the fitting portion and releasing the fitting between the first part and the second part.

2. The fitting structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the release portion has a recess formed therein corresponding to the tip shape of the tool.

3. The fitting structure according to claim 2, characterized in that the release portion is notch-shaped.

4. The fitting portion is formed by fitting together a linear recess formed in the first part and a linear protrusion formed in the second part. The fitting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the linear recess is configured to position the linear protrusion in the short direction and to allow movement of the linear protrusion in the longitudinal direction.

5. The fitting portion has a first fitting portion and a second fitting portion. The first fitting portion is formed by fitting together a first linear recess formed in the first component with a first linear protrusion formed in the second component. The second fitting portion is formed by fitting together a second linear recess formed on the first component with a second linear protrusion formed on the second component. The fitting structure according to claim 4, characterized in that the longitudinal direction of the first linear recess and the longitudinal direction of the second linear recess are different.

6. A disassembly method for separating parts by deforming a fitting portion in which a first part constituting part of a vehicle lighting fixture and a second part constituting part of a vehicle lighting fixture are fitted together, A disassembly method characterized by deforming the fitting portion by destroying a release portion formed on the opposite side of the fitting portion with respect to the first component, which is used to release the fitting between the first component and the second component, while pressing a tool against it, thereby releasing the fitting between the first component and the second component.

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