Bracket of lighting fixture for vehicle and bracket member of lighting fixture for vehicle

Abstract

The present invention provides a bracket member for a lighting fixture for a vehicle, the bracket accommodating and securing at least a portion of a lamp unit that emits light forward and having a peripheral wall surface that opens in the front-rear direction and extends in the front-rear direction to partition the housing space of the lamp unit, wherein at least a portion of the peripheral wall surface serves as a double wall, and there is a partition wall that partitions the double wall and defines a small space that is sandwiched by the double wall and extends in the front-rear direction. Since a front wall and a back wall are not provided, the weight can be reduced correspondingly, and rigidity can be secured by the double wall and the partition wall inside the double wall.

Description

Bracket for vehicle lamp and bracket member for vehicle lamp

[0001] The present invention relates to a bracket for a vehicle lamp that is lightweight and has sufficient rigidity, and a bracket member for a vehicle lamp.

[0002] In recent years, there has been a demand for lighter vehicle lamps from the perspective of carbon neutrality. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a bracket member in which a locking portion that supports a light source and a reflector and a bearing portion of an aiming screw are connected by a pier. The pier structure makes the bracket member lightweight. The reflector is lance-fixed to the locking portion by inserting a protrusion on its back surface into a hole in the locking portion.

[0003] Conventionally, brackets for fixing lamp units have been used that have a planar structure based on a surface facing the front as a whole. For example, the bracket shown in Patent Document 2 has a planar structure facing the front on the rear side, and a recess for fixing the lamp unit is provided within the planar structure.

[0004] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-165130 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-160603

[0005] However, since the locking portion, bearing portion, and pier are on the same plane and the bracket member as a whole is configured to be flat, there is a problem that the rigidity is low enough to support the lamp unit.

[0006] Furthermore, in the bracket of Patent Document 2, the aiming screw mounting holes and component fastening holes for fixing components such as lamp units are formed within the planar structure, which increases the front dimensions of the bracket and results in an increase in weight, which is a problem.

[0007] Furthermore, brackets with a surface structure facing the front have low rigidity against bending stress in the front-to-rear direction. For this reason, although omitted in Patent Document 2, it is common technical practice to provide reinforcing members such as ribs around the aiming screw mounting holes and component fastening holes, which results in an increase in weight. Therefore, there has been a growing demand for a new lightweight bracket design.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and has as its object to provide a lightweight and highly rigid bracket member that supports at least a portion of a lamp unit.

[0009] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a lightweight bracket with a new shape.

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, in one aspect of the present disclosure, the bracket member for a vehicle lamp is configured to accommodate and fix at least a portion of a lamp unit that emits light forward, the bracket member having a peripheral wall surface that opens in the fore-and-aft direction and extends in the fore-and-aft direction to partition the storage space for the lamp unit, at least a portion of the peripheral wall surface being a double wall, and having a partition wall that separates the double walls and is sandwiched between the double walls to define a small space extending in the fore-and-aft direction.

[0011] According to this aspect, the bracket member does not have a front wall or a rear wall, so it can be made lighter, and rigidity can be ensured by the double wall and the partition wall inside the double wall.

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, a bracket for a vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present disclosure has the following configuration: a wall that extends in a front-rear direction to form a tubular structure that opens in the front-rear direction and defines an accommodation space for accommodating and fixing at least a portion of at least one lamp unit that emits light forward, and at least one through-hole forming portion that has a through-hole formed in its center and has an outer shape generally similar to that of the through-hole and is provided on the wall so as to protrude from the wall in a direction intersecting the front-rear direction, and the wall extends in the front-rear direction so as to follow at least a portion of an outer periphery of the through-hole forming portion.

[0013] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the bracket of a vehicle lamp has an upper surface, a lower surface, and both side surfaces, and also has a space that penetrates from the front side to the rear side, and at least a portion of a highly rigid bracket fixture is accommodated and fixed within this space, and a partition peripheral wall is provided that defines an accommodation space within the space to accommodate the bracket fixture, and a fixing portion is provided on the partition peripheral wall to fix the bracket fixture.

[0014] According to this aspect, the bracket has a frame shape with an upper surface, a lower surface, and both side surfaces, so that the rigidity for fixing the bracket fixture can be ensured, and the bracket has a space that penetrates from the front side to the rear side, so that the weight can be reduced. Furthermore, by providing a partitioning peripheral wall that defines an accommodation space for accommodating the bracket fixture within the space, and providing a fixing portion on the partitioning peripheral wall that fixes the bracket fixture, and by accommodating and fixing a highly rigid bracket fixture within the accommodation space, the rigidity of the bracket fixture can be utilized to further improve the rigidity of the bracket.

[0015] As is clear from the above description, the configuration of the present disclosure can provide a bracket and bracket member for a vehicle lamp that are lightweight and highly rigid.

[0016] Furthermore, the configuration of the present disclosure can provide a lightweight bracket with a new shape.

[0017] 8A, 8B, 9A, and 9B. A cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 7. A cross-sectional view mainly showing part AA in FIG. 6. A cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 7. A cross-sectional view mainly showing part BB in FIG. 6. A cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in FIG. 7. A cross-sectional view mainly showing part CC in FIG. 6. A cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG. 7. A cross-sectional view mainly showing part DD in FIG. 6. A molding process for the bracket member is shown. A molding process for the bracket member is shown. A molding process for the bracket member is shown. A cross-sectional view of a vehicle lamp including a bracket according to an embodiment. A front view of the bracket. A rear view of the bracket. A front perspective view of the bracket. A rear perspective view of the bracket. 8A to 8C. FIG. 8B is a front view showing a state in which a lamp unit is supported on the bracket. FIG. 8C is a front view of the bracket, illustrating a portion in which the walls constituting the bracket are double-walled. FIG. 8D is a front view of the bracket, illustrating the cutting lines of the cross-sectional views shown in FIGS. 19A to 21B. FIG. 8C is a cross-sectional view of the bracket, taken along line A-A in FIG. 8. FIG. 8D is a cross-sectional view of the bracket, taken along line B-B in FIG. 8. FIG. 8D is a cross-sectional view of the bracket, taken along line CC in FIG. 8. FIG. 8D is a cross-sectional view of the bracket, taken along line D-D in FIG. 8. FIG. 8D is a cross-sectional view of the bracket, taken along line E-E in FIG. 8. FIG. 8D is a cross-sectional view of the bracket, taken along line F-F in FIG. 8. FIG. 8D is a diagram showing a molding process of the bracket. FIG. 8D is a diagram showing a molding process of the bracket. FIG. 8D is a diagram showing a molding process of the bracket. FIG. 8D is a schematic front view of a vehicle lamp including a bracket according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8D is a rear view of the bracket. FIG. 8D is a front perspective view of the bracket. FIG. 8D is a rear perspective view of the bracket. FIG. 8D is a front view showing a state in which a lamp unit is supported on the bracket. FIG. 8D is a partially enlarged rear view showing the state. FIG. 8E is a front view showing a main double-wall surface portion of the bracket. FIG. 8F is a front view showing a cutting line of the bracket.A cross-sectional view taken along the AA cutting line of the bracket in Figure 9. A cross-sectional view taken along the BB cutting line of the bracket in Figure 9. A cross-sectional view taken along the CC cutting line of the bracket in Figure 9. A cross-sectional view taken along the DD cutting line of the bracket in Figure 9. An explanatory diagram showing a molding process of the bracket. An explanatory diagram showing a molding process of the bracket. An explanatory diagram showing a molding process of the bracket.

[0018] First Embodiment Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment does not limit the invention but is merely an example, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential to the invention.

[0019] (Vehicle Lamp) FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a vehicle lamp 1 including a bracket member 6 according to a preferred embodiment of the configuration of the present disclosure.

[0020] The vehicle lamp 1 is a headlamp mounted on each of the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle. The vehicle lamp 1 comprises a lamp body 2 and a front cover 4 as lamp housings. The lamp body 2 is a housing with an opening at the front, and the front cover 4 is attached to the opening to form a lamp chamber S inside. The front cover 4 is a so-called outer cover, and is a substantially transparent lens made of a translucent resin such as polycarbonate. However, the front cover 4 may also be formed with an optical step to diverge or diffuse light emitted from a light source when each lamp is turned on.

[0021] Three lamp units LU supported by bracket members 6 are housed in a row in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction) within the defined lamp chamber S. The lamp units LU are optical units configured to emit light forward and form a predetermined light distribution, such as a high beam distribution or a low beam distribution, using a single lamp unit or multiple lamp units LU. The light emitted from the lamp units LU is directed toward a front cover 4 disposed in front of the vehicle, passes through the front cover 4, and forms a predetermined light distribution in front of the vehicle. The lamp units LU may be of any type, and may be of a conventionally known configuration, such as a reflector type or projector type.

[0022] The bracket member 6 is attached to the rear wall of the lamp body 2 by three aiming screws E. By rotating the aiming screws E, the optical axis of the lamp unit LU can be adjusted in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0023] The bracket member 6 of the present disclosure can be used not only for headlights but also for vehicle lighting fixtures such as rear combination lamps and marker lights. In the vehicle lighting fixture 1, the direction in which the front cover 4 is disposed and the light of the lamp unit LU is emitted is defined as the forward direction, and this is used as the reference. When the vehicle lighting fixture is, for example, a rear lamp and is disposed on the rear of the vehicle, the vehicle lighting fixture is rotated 180 degrees on the vehicle and mounted, and the front of the vehicle lighting fixture becomes the rear of the vehicle. Furthermore, in the bracket member 6, the extension direction of the bracket member 6, which will be described later, is defined as the fore-and-aft direction, and will be described as coinciding with the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle lighting fixture 1.

[0024] (Bracket member) The shape of the bracket member 6 will be described in detail. Fig. 2 is a front view of the bracket member 6. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the bracket member 6. Fig. 4 is a front perspective view of the bracket member 6. Fig. 5 is a rear perspective view of the bracket member 6. In Figs. 2 to 5, the bracket member 6 is colored in light ink.

[0025] The bracket member 6 is injection molded from a hard synthetic resin material. The bracket member 6 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape and is primarily composed of an upper wall surface 100, a right side wall surface 200, a lower wall surface 300, and a left side wall surface 400. The bracket member 6 does not have a rear wall or a front wall, and is a large cylindrical body that opens forward and backward. Hereinafter, the upper wall surface 100, right side wall surface 200, lower wall surface 300, and left side wall surface 400 that form the outer shape of the bracket member 6 will be collectively referred to as the peripheral wall surface 10.

[0026] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the wall surfaces of the bracket member 6 are composed mainly of wall surfaces that have a generally constant thickness and extend in one direction (the front-to-rear direction). Most of the wall surfaces are curved surfaces or free-form surfaces with a non-constant radius of curvature. The bracket member 6 does not have a front wall or a rear wall, and is therefore lighter than a housing that has a rear wall. In addition, because the bracket member 6 does not have a front wall or a rear wall and is composed mainly of wall surfaces that extend in the front-to-rear direction, it is suitable for injection molding using a mold with the extraction direction of the mold aligned with the extension direction (front-to-rear direction) of the wall surfaces of the bracket member (as will be described in detail below).

[0027] Because each wall surface of the bracket member 6 extends in the front-to-rear direction, only the end surface of each wall surface is visible when viewed from the front (see the front view in FIG. 2 and the rear view in FIG. 3). Although each wall surface of the bracket member 6 extends in the same direction (front-to-rear direction), each wall surface is not an extruded shape formed by extruding a predetermined cross-sectional shape by a predetermined length. The depth length (length in the front-to-rear direction) of each wall surface is different, and the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the depth direction is not the same at any position. Furthermore, each wall surface does not extend a uniform length. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the left side wall surface 400 has a shorter depth length than the right side wall surface 200. Furthermore, the depth length (length in the front-to-rear direction) of the left side wall surface 400 is very short in the upper region, but the depth length in the lower region is longer than the depth length in the upper region.

[0028] An accommodation space SP for accommodating at least a portion of the lamp unit LU is formed inside the compartment defined by the circumferentially configured peripheral wall surface 10. In this embodiment, the bracket member 6 is relatively short in the depth direction (front-rear direction) and is long in the width direction (left-right direction) compared to the height direction (up-down direction), so the accommodation space SP inside the peripheral wall surface 10 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the width direction.

[0029] Furthermore, the storage space SP is divided into three roughly equal left-right sections by a right inner wall surface 600 and a left inner wall surface 500, which are substantially vertical surfaces provided within the storage space SP. The right inner wall surface 600 and the left inner wall surface 500 extend in the same direction (front-to-back direction) as the peripheral wall surface 10, similar to the peripheral wall surface 10. One lamp unit LU is disposed in each of the three storage spaces SP1 to SP3 aligned in the left-to-right direction and partitioned by the peripheral wall surface 10, the right inner wall surface 600, and the left inner wall surface 500.

[0030] Bosses 7 and plate-like mounting portions 8 that protrude toward the three storage spaces SP1 to SP3 are provided on the left side wall surface 400, the right side wall surface 200, and the right inner wall surface 600 and the left inner wall surface 500, i.e., the upright wall surfaces that make up the bracket member 6. Mounting holes in the bosses 7 and the mounting portions 8 are provided so as to penetrate in the front-to-rear direction, which is the extension direction of the bracket member 6. The lamp unit LU is attached to and supported by the bosses 7 and the mounting portions 8 on the bracket member 6 with fixing members (not shown).

[0031] In this embodiment, the storage space SP is divided into three sections in order to support three lamp units LU, but there is no limit to the number or arrangement of the lamp units LU to be supported, and it is also possible to have a configuration in which one lamp unit is supported without providing an inner wall surface, or a configuration in which four lamp units are fixed using a cross-shaped inner wall surface in which vertical planes are approximately perpendicular to each other. The boss 7 and the mounting portion 8 may be provided on the upper wall surface 100 or the lower wall surface 300.

[0032] Aiming supports 9 are formed at three corners of the bracket member 6: the upper left corner, the upper right corner, and the lower right corner. The aiming supports 9 are configured in the shape of flat plates, and are arranged so that the respective plate surfaces are parallel. A mount (not shown) is attached to a rectangular through-hole 9c provided inside the aiming support 9, and the bracket member 6 is supported on the rear wall of the lamp body 2 by an aiming screw E screwed into this mount so that the optical axis of the lamp unit LU can be adjusted.

[0033] The aiming support 9 is in the shape of a rectangular flat plate. The aiming support 9 is provided at the corner of the bracket member 6, and the corners of the upper wall surface 100, right side wall surface 200, lower wall surface 300, and left side wall surface 400 are formed in a concave shape so as to avoid the aiming support 9, and the aiming support 9 is provided on the outer surface of the concave corner of the peripheral wall surface 10.

[0034] The bracket member 6, which is a cylindrical body with an outer shape of a roughly rectangular parallelepiped, has corners on its peripheral wall surface 10 formed so as to be recessed into a rectangle, with horizontal surfaces 9a and vertical surfaces 9b formed at each corner. The rectangular aiming support 9 is formed so that the horizontal and vertical sides of the rectangular outer shape are integrated with the horizontal surfaces 9a and vertical surfaces 9b of the recesses provided at the corners. Therefore, the aiming support 9 functions as a rib that supports the horizontal surfaces 9a and vertical surfaces 9b of the recesses provided at the corners.

[0035] (Double Wall: Right Side Wall Surface) The bracket member 6 is configured so that the upper wall surface 100, the right side wall surface 200, the lower wall surface 300, and the left side wall surface 400, i.e., at least a portion of the peripheral wall surface 10, is a double wall. In this embodiment, the bracket member 6 is also provided with a right inner wall surface 600 and a left inner wall surface 500, and therefore at least a portion of the wall surfaces of the bracket member 6, including the right inner wall surface 600 and the left inner wall surface 500, are configured as a double wall.

[0036] FIG. 6 is a front view of the bracket member 6, with the main double-walled portion of the bracket member 6 shown in light grey.

[0037] First, the double-wall structure will be described using the right side wall surface 200 (part AA in FIG. 6) as an example.

[0038] As shown in Figure 2, the right wall surface 200 forms the right side surface of the bracket member 6 and extends in a substantially vertical direction from the aiming support portion 9 provided at the upper right corner to the aiming support portion 9 provided at the lower right corner.

[0039] The right side wall 200 is configured as a double wall overall, and includes a right side wall main body 201, which is the outer wall that forms the outer shape of the bracket member 6, and a right side auxiliary wall 202 located inside (to the left of) it. The right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall 202 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, both are approximately vertical surfaces, have approximately the same and uniform plate thickness, and extend in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, when viewed from the front, only the end faces of the right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall 202 are visible. The right side wall 200 of the bracket member 6 is configured as a double wall by the right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall 202.

[0040] The right auxiliary wall surface 202 extends downward from the lower end of the vertical surface 9b in the upper right corner so as to extend the vertical surface 9b, and is connected to the lower wall surface 300. In other words, the vertical surface 9b in the upper right corner forms a part of the right auxiliary wall surface 202.

[0041] The right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall surface 202 are both free-form, approximately vertical surfaces extending in the same direction (front-to-back direction) and are arranged side by side in the left-to-right direction, but the center of the right side wall main body 201 curves leftward, and the center of the right side auxiliary wall surface 202 curves slightly rightward. As a result, the right side wall surface 200 has a narrowed shape in the center, and the distance between the right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall surface 202 is shortest at the center and slightly longer at the top and bottom.

[0042] Between the right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall 202, which are substantially vertical surfaces, three right side partition walls 241 to 243, which are substantially horizontal surfaces, are provided to vertically divide the space between the two walls.

[0043] Like the other wall surfaces, the right partition walls 241 to 243 are free-form surfaces of a constant thickness and extend in the same direction (front-to-rear direction). Therefore, when viewed from the front, only the front end surfaces of the right partition walls 241 to 243 are visible.

[0044] The right side small spaces AR201 to AR204 are formed as four small spaces arranged vertically inside the right side wall surface 200, separated by three right side partition walls 241 to 243. The four small spaces separated by approximately horizontal and vertical planes are open in the front-rear direction and extend in the front-rear direction.

[0045] Inside the double wall consisting of two substantially vertical surfaces (the space sandwiched between the right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall 202), substantially horizontal right partition walls 241-243 are provided that are substantially perpendicular to the double wall and further divide the space, thereby improving the load-bearing capacity of the right side wall 200 in multiple directions. By having the wall surface of the above configuration for the right side wall 200, the amount of deformation of the right side wall 200 in response to a load can be reduced, and the rigidity of the bracket member 6, which does not have a front wall or a rear wall, is improved.

[0046] In this embodiment, right-side internal walls 251-254 are further provided in the right-side small spaces AR201-AR204 extending in the front-rear direction, respectively, to divide the right-side small spaces AR201-AR204 into front and rear sections. In the right-side small spaces AR201-AR204 that are aligned vertically, the right-side internal walls 251-254 of adjacent small spaces are arranged in a staggered manner in the front-rear direction. More specifically, the right-side internal walls 251-254 are provided so as to block either the front opening or the rear opening of the right-side small spaces AR201-AR204, and each right-side internal wall 251-254 is formed so as to block either the front opening or the rear opening of the small space, or the opening in a different direction between adjacent small spaces.

[0047] Specifically, of the four right-side small spaces AR201 to AR204 lined up in the vertical direction, the first right-side small space AR201, which is the first from the top, and the third right-side small space AR203, which is the third from the top, are formed with a first right-side internal wall 251 and a third right-side internal wall 253, respectively, to close their rear openings. Additionally, the second right-side small space AR202, which is the second from the top, and the fourth right-side small space AR204, which is the fourth from the top, are formed with a second right-side internal wall 252 and a fourth right-side internal wall 254, respectively, to close their front openings.

[0048] The effects of the bracket member 6 configured in this manner will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a front view of the bracket member 6, and shows the cutting lines of the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 8A, 8B, 9A, and 9B. In FIG. 7, the bracket member 6 is shown colored in light ink. FIGS. 8A, 8B, 9A, and 9B are cross-sectional views of the bracket member 6. FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 7. It mainly shows the double-wall portion of the right side wall surface 200 (portion AA in FIG. 6). FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 7. It mainly shows the double-wall portion of the bottom wall surface 300 (portion BB in FIG. 6). FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in FIG. 7. FIG. 9A mainly shows the double-wall portion of the left inner wall surface 500 (portion CC in FIG. 6). FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG. 7. FIG. 9B mainly shows the double wall portion of the upper wall surface 100 (part DD in FIG. 6).

[0049] 8A, right-side inner walls 251-254 are formed so as to alternately close the openings of four right-side small spaces AR201-AR204 partitioned by right-side partition walls 241-243. For this reason, the cross-sectional shape of right-side wall surface 200 is configured such that, from top to bottom, horizontal surface 9a, which is a substantially horizontal surface, right-side partition walls 241-243, and bottom wall surface 300 are connected to the front end face or rear end face of the wall surface by right-side inner walls 251-254, which are substantially vertical surfaces, and are formed in a zigzag pattern so as to form a continuous angular S-shape.

[0050] In addition, the left and right end surfaces of the right partition walls 241 to 243 and the right inner walls 251 to 254 are all connected to and integrated with the right wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202, so the right wall 200 has an extremely strong shape.

[0051] The right side wall 200 is composed of a right side wall main body 201 and a right side auxiliary wall 202 that form a double wall with a substantially vertical surface; right side partition walls 241-243 that are substantially horizontal and perpendicular to the double wall; and right side interior walls 251-254 that are arranged substantially perpendicular to both the double wall and the right side partition walls 241-243. The right side wall 200 is formed by connecting and integrating surfaces that extend in three substantially perpendicular directions, and therefore has high load-bearing capacity and strain resistance in multiple directions. The improved load-bearing capacity of the right side wall 200 also improves the rigidity of the bracket member 6.

[0052] (Double Wall: Lower Wall) Next, a detailed description will be given of the double wall portion (section BB in FIG. 6) of the lower wall 300. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower wall 300 is configured to include a substantially horizontal lower wall main body 301 which is an outer wall surface that forms the outer shape of the bracket member 6, and a substantially horizontal lower auxiliary wall 302 which is located inside (above) the lower wall main body 301.

[0053] The lower auxiliary wall 302 is bent at its right end toward the lower wall main body 301 and connected to the lower wall main body 301, so that only a portion of the lower wall 300 is configured as a double wall, not the entire area of ​​the lower wall 300. The lower wall 300 is configured as a double wall from roughly the left storage space SP1 to the central storage space SP2.

[0054] The lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302 are formed to extend in the front-rear direction, so that when viewed from the front, only the front end surfaces of the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302 are visible.

[0055] The space inside the double wall of the lower wall 300, i.e., the space sandwiched between the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302, is a flat, approximately rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the left-right direction, and lower partition walls 341 to 343 are provided to divide this elongated space in the left-right direction. The lower partition walls 341 to 343 are formed to extend in the up-down direction between the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302, which are arranged side by side in the up-down direction and are in the approximately horizontal plane that constitutes the double wall surface, and are connected to the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302.

[0056] In this embodiment, the lower partition walls 341-343 are tilted from the vertical direction, with the ends of adjacent partition walls abutting. That is, of the three lower partition walls 341, 342, and 343 arranged in order from left to right, the first lower partition wall 341, which is the leftmost, is tilted to the right from the vertical direction. The second lower partition wall 342 has its upper end connected to the upper end of the first lower partition wall 341 and is tilted to the left from the vertical direction. The third lower partition wall 343 has its lower end connected to the lower end of the second lower partition wall 342 and is tilted to the right from the vertical direction. The three lower partition walls 341-343 are arranged diagonally in a staggered manner, so that the end faces form an N-shape when viewed from the front. That is, the three lower partition walls 341-343 are arranged in a truss shape.

[0057] In this way, the partition walls do not need to be approximately perpendicular to the double wall surfaces or arranged approximately parallel to each other, but only need to be connected to both constituent surfaces of the double wall surfaces between the double wall surfaces. Arranging them in a truss shape, as with the three lower partition walls 341 to 343, is preferable because it improves load-bearing capacity.

[0058] 2, the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302 are substantially horizontal, but are not horizontal. They are free-form surfaces that are bent at the points where they connect to the partition walls and are made up of a plurality of slightly curved surfaces. All of the partition walls 341 to 343 and the lower wall 300 have substantially the same thickness and are provided to extend in the front-to-rear direction.

[0059] Here, at least a portion of the left inner wall surface 500 is also configured as a double wall, and the left inner wall surface main body 501 and left inner auxiliary wall surface 502, which are substantially vertical surfaces that configure the left inner wall surface 500 as a double wall, are provided so as to be substantially perpendicular to the lower auxiliary wall surface 302 and further extend to the inside of the double wall of the lower wall surface 300, and are connected to the lower wall surface main body 301. For this reason, the lower end of the left inner wall surface 500, more specifically the portions of the left inner wall surface main body 501 and the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 inside the double wall of the lower wall surface 300, are also configured as part of the partition wall of the lower wall surface 300.

[0060] In this way, two double walls may intersect, with one auxiliary wall surface forming part of the partition wall or peripheral wall surface of the other, or conversely, one partition wall forming part of the auxiliary wall surface of the other. Double walls are more rigid than single walls, and by intersecting and forming the double walls into an integrated structure, they reinforce each other and further increase the rigidity of the bracket member 6.

[0061] In the internal space of the double wall surface of the lower wall surface 300, five small spaces, lower small spaces AR301 to AR305, are formed side by side in the left-right direction by being partitioned by lower partition walls 341, 342, and 343 and by a left inner wall surface 500 that extends further into the lower wall surface 300. In these lower small spaces AR301 to AR305 inside the lower wall surface 300, lower inner walls 351 to 355 that close openings alternately in the front-rear direction are provided, similar to the right wall surface 200.

[0062] Specifically, of the five lower small spaces AR301 to AR305 lined up in the left-right direction, the first lower small space AR301 (the first from the left), the third lower small space AR303 (the third from the left), and the fifth lower small space AR305 (the fifth from the left) are respectively formed with a first lower internal wall 351, a third lower internal wall 353, and a fifth lower internal wall 355 so as to close the rear opening. Furthermore, the second lower small space AR302 (the second from the left) and the fourth lower small space AR304 (the fourth from the left) are formed with a second lower internal wall 352 and a fourth lower internal wall 354 so as to close the front opening. As shown in FIG. 8B , the cross-sectional shape of the lower wall surface 300 is configured by, from left to right, the left side wall surface 400, the lower partition walls 341, 342, and 343, and the left inner wall surface main body 501 and left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 of the left inner wall surface 500, which are connected in the vertical direction, and the lower inner walls 351, 352, 353, 354, and 355, which are connected in the horizontal direction, being continuously connected to their ends, forming a zigzag shape with a series of angular S-shapes.

[0063] In addition, the upper and lower end faces of the lower partition walls 341 to 343 and the lower inner walls 351 to 355 are all connected to and integrated with the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302, giving the lower wall 300 an extremely strong structure. This improves the load-bearing capacity of the lower wall 300 and also improves the rigidity of the bracket member 6.

[0064] As described above, the partition wall extends in the same direction as the double wall (front-to-back direction), and is provided to separate the space inside the double wall. Both end faces are connected to both component faces of the double wall. The partition wall does not have to be substantially perpendicular to the double wall, nor does it have to be parallel to each other. The form, number, and shape of the partition wall are not important. The internal wall does not have to completely close the small space, as long as it is provided within the small space and both end faces are connected to the partition walls that form the small space. The internal wall, like the other wall surfaces, may be a curved, bent, or free-form surface.

[0065] (Double Wall: Left Inner Wall Surface) Next, the left inner wall surface 500 (section CC in FIG. 6 ) will be described in detail. Like the right side wall surface 200, the left inner wall surface 500 is also configured as a double wall. As described above, the left inner wall surface 500 is configured as a double wall, and has a left inner wall surface main body 501 and a left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 that are aligned in the left-right direction in a substantially vertical plane. The left inner wall surface 500 is configured as a double wall by the left inner wall surface main body 501 and the left inner auxiliary wall surface.

[0066] The inside of the double wall of the left inner wall surface 500, i.e., the space sandwiched between the left inner wall surface main body 501 and the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502, is a flat, approximately rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the vertical direction, and left inner partition walls 541, 542 are provided to vertically divide this elongated space. Divided by the left inner partition walls 541, 542, three small spaces, left inner small spaces AR501, AR502, AR503, are formed side by side in the vertical direction inside the double wall.

[0067] Of the three left small spaces AR501, AR502, and AR503 arranged vertically, the upper first left small space AR501 has no inner wall. The central second left small space AR502 has a first left inner wall 551 that closes the front opening. The lower third left small space AR503 has a second left inner wall 552 that closes the rear opening.

[0068] The left inner wall main body 501, the left inner auxiliary wall 502, and the left inner partition walls 541, 542 are provided to extend in the front-to-rear direction, and when viewed from the front, only the front end faces of the walls are visible. These front end faces have a uniform thickness, but are free-form, such as being curved or bent at multiple points.

[0069] For example, the upper part of the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 is connected to the upper wall surface 100 at a considerable incline to the right. Therefore, the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 cooperates with the left inner partition wall 541 to function as a rib between the left inner wall surface main body 501 and the upper wall surface 100. Furthermore, since the boss 7 is disposed on the left inner wall surface 500 so as to extend inward, the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 at the location where the boss 7 is provided is curved in an arc shape to match the outer periphery of the boss 7 and become integrated with the boss 7. Furthermore, the second left inner partition wall 542 is formed so as to connect the curved portion of the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 to the lower auxiliary wall surface 302.

[0070] 9A , the vertical cross-sectional shape of the left inner wall surface 500 is a shape in which the boss 7 is inserted and integrated, but is basically a series of angular S-shapes. As described above, the left inner wall surface 500 having such a shape has high load-bearing capacity in multiple directions and high rigidity.

[0071] It is not necessary to provide an inner wall surface in all of the small spaces formed inside the double wall surfaces, such as the left inner wall surface 500. Also, as shown in Fig. 9A, bosses 7 or through holes may be provided in the wall surfaces.

[0072] In this embodiment, the lower portion of the left inner wall surface 500 is integrated with the lower wall surface 300. In addition, the upper portion of the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 is provided at an angle, so that it also functions as a double wall surface with the upper wall surface 100. In this way, by forming the wall surface into a free-form surface, it is possible to form a wall surface that fulfills two or more roles.

[0073] (Double Wall: Upper Wall) Next, the right region of the upper wall 100, more specifically, the shape of the upper wall 100 of the right storage space SP3 formed on the right side, will be described.

[0074] The upper wall surface 100 has a very complex structure, and includes an upper wall surface main body 101 that forms part of the outer shape of the bracket member 6, a first upper auxiliary wall surface 102 and a second upper auxiliary wall surface 103 that are formed at an angle from the horizontal to the lower right so as to connect the upper wall surface main body 101 and the right side wall surface 200, and a third upper auxiliary wall surface 104, a fourth upper auxiliary wall surface 105, and a fifth upper auxiliary wall surface 106 that are formed at an angle from the horizontal to the lower left so as to connect the upper wall surface main body 101 and the right inner wall surface 600.

[0075] In the upper wall surface 100, a plurality of auxiliary wall surfaces are provided at different angles, intersect with each other and are integrated, and the auxiliary wall surfaces also function as partition walls. By providing a plurality of auxiliary wall surfaces, at least a portion of the upper wall surface 100 is configured as a double wall, and further a portion of that is configured as a triple wall. In this way, a plurality of auxiliary wall surfaces may be provided in the peripheral wall surface 10, and at least a portion may be configured as not only a double wall, but also a triple wall or a quadruple wall.

[0076] The inside of the upper wall surface 100 is partitioned by upper auxiliary wall surfaces 102 to 106 to form eight small spaces, namely upper small spaces AR101 to AR108.

[0077] Some of the eight upper small spaces AR101 to AR108 have internal walls that close the front or rear openings. In this embodiment, a second upper internal wall 152 is formed to close the front opening of the central fourth upper small space AR104, which is defined by the first upper auxiliary wall surface 102, the second upper auxiliary wall surface 103, the third upper auxiliary wall surface 104, and the fourth upper auxiliary wall surface 105. The first upper small space AR101 and the eighth upper small space AR108, which are formed adjacent to the top and bottom of the fourth upper small space AR104, have first upper internal walls 151 and third upper internal walls 153, respectively, that close the rear openings.

[0078] The upper wall surface 100 is provided with a plurality of intersecting auxiliary wall surfaces, each of which also functions as a partition wall, so that at least a portion of the upper wall surface 100 is configured as a double wall.

[0079] 9B , the cross-sectional shape of the portion of left inner wall surface 500 where the inner wall is provided is a continuous rectangular S-shape. As described above, upper wall surface 100 configured in this manner has high load-bearing capacity in multiple directions and high rigidity.

[0080] In small spaces formed within a double wall, such as the upper wall surface 100, the locations where an inner wall surface is provided / not provided are not particularly specified, and an inner wall surface may be provided in any of the small spaces, or no inner wall surface may be provided at all.

[0081] It is not specified which part of the peripheral wall surface 10 of the bracket member 6 is configured as a double wall, but it is preferable if it is configured to reinforce parts that are subject to load, such as support parts, as this greatly improves the rigidity of the bracket member 6.

[0082] For example, in the bracket member 6 of this embodiment, the right side wall surface 200 and the bottom wall surface 300 connecting the three aiming supports 9 are configured as double walls. In addition, the double-walled portion of the top wall surface 100, particularly the portion where the inner wall surface is provided, forms a small space extending toward the lower-left aiming support 9. This is because the bracket member 6 is supported at three locations where the aiming supports 9 are provided, and the upper right, lower right, and lower left corners are particularly load-bearing portions, and the portions connected to these are primarily configured as double walls. By providing double walls at the load-bearing portions, it is possible to suppress the increase in mass that would otherwise occur due to the provision of double walls and appropriately improve the rigidity of the bracket member 6.

[0083] Simulation calculations were performed on the bracket member 6 configured in this way and a conventional bracket member for comparison, i.e., a conventional bracket member with a back wall but no double wall surface. The results showed that the mass of the bracket member 6 was 24% lower and the maximum displacement was 62% lower than the conventional bracket member. By applying the above configuration, the bracket member 6 was lighter than the conventional bracket member and had significantly improved rigidity.

[0084] (Molding method) The molding process and molding die for the bracket member 6 configured as described above will be described. Figures 10A to 10C are schematic diagrams of the molding die for the bracket member, and are explanatory diagrams for explaining the molding process. The cross-sectional lines of the die cross-sectional views shown in Figures 10A to 10C correspond to line A-A in Figure 7.

[0085] As shown in Figure 10A, the fixed mold 30 and the movable mold 40 are first arranged facing each other and then clamped. The direction in which the molds are clamped / opened is referred to as direction DR. In the clamped state, a molding space (cavity) CAV corresponding to the shape of the bracket member 6 is defined inside the mold. The molding space CAV is provided so that the extension direction (front-to-back direction) of the peripheral wall surface 10 of the corresponding bracket member 6 coincides with the clamping direction DR.

[0086] 10B, a resin member heated to a predetermined melting temperature is injected into the molding space CAV and fills the molding space CAV. The resin member filled in the molding space CAV is cooled and solidified, and the bracket member 6 is formed.

[0087] Next, as shown in Figure 10C, the mold is opened, and first the movable mold 40 is moved away in the direction DR, and the bracket member 6 attached to the fixed mold 30 is pushed out and removed by an ejection pin (not shown).

[0088] Since the bracket member 6 is configured to extend along the mold opening direction DR, the movable mold 40 can be moved away in the direction DR without any problems. The bracket member 6 is also pushed out from the fixed mold 30 along the direction DR and removed without any problems.

[0089] The bracket member 6 is arranged to extend in the front-to-rear direction, and the extension direction of the bracket member 6 can be aligned with the mold opening direction DR of the mold, and the bracket member 6 can be molded by injection molding using a mold.

[0090] Although the bracket member 6 has a complex shape, it can be mass-produced by injection molding using a mold, resulting in high productivity.

[0091] Second Embodiment A second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiment is an example and does not limit the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential to the invention. In addition, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same components as in the first embodiment.

[0092] (Vehicle Lamp) FIG. 11 is a schematic front view of a vehicle lamp 1001 including a bracket 6 according to an embodiment. The vehicle lamp 1001 is a headlamp and is mounted on each of the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle. The vehicle lamp 1001 comprises a lamp body 2 and a front cover 4 as a lamp housing. The lamp body 2 has a container shape with an open front, and the front cover 4 is attached to the opening to form a lamp chamber S inside. The front cover 4 is a so-called outer cover, and is a substantially transparent lens made of a translucent resin such as polycarbonate. The front cover 4 may be formed with an optical step to diverge and diffuse light emitted from the light source when the lamp is turned on.

[0093] Three lamp units LU1 to LU3 supported by brackets 6 are housed within the defined lamp chamber S, lined up in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction). Lamp units LU1 to LU3 are single or multiple lamp units that emit light forward, and each is an optical unit configured to form a predetermined light distribution such as a high beam distribution or a low beam distribution. Light emitted from lamp units LU1 to LU3 is directed toward a front cover 4 disposed in front of the vehicle, passes through the front cover 4, and forms a predetermined light distribution in front of the vehicle. Lamp units LU1 to LU3 are of any type, and may be of a conventionally known configuration, such as a reflector type or projector type.

[0094] Fig. 16 is a front view of the bracket 6 showing the state in which the lamp units are supported. As shown in Fig. 16, the lamp units LU1 to LU3 are provided with support frames LU12, 22, and 32 on the front cover side, and the support frames LU12, LU22, and LU32 support projection lenses LU11, 21, and 31, respectively. The lamp units LU1 to LU3 also include reflectors (not shown) that cover the light sources in a semi-dome shape and metallic heat sinks LU14, LU24, and LU34, and are fixed to boss formation portions 71 to 74 that serve as fixing portions of the bracket 6 and to mounting members 81 to 84 using fixing members F11, F21 to F24, and F31 to F34, such as bolts, aiming screws, and mounts.

[0095] The bracket 6 is attached to the rear surface of the lamp body 2 by three aiming screws E1 to E3. The optical axes of the lamp units LU1 to LU3 are adjusted in the horizontal and vertical directions by rotating the aiming screws E1 and E3.

[0096] The bracket 6 according to this embodiment can be used not only for headlights but also for vehicle lighting fixtures such as rear combination lamps and signs. In the vehicle lighting fixture 1001, the direction in which the light of the lamp units LU1 to LU3 is emitted, where the front cover 4 is disposed, is defined as the forward direction, and the rearward, left-right, and up-down directions are determined based on this. When the vehicle lighting fixture 1001 is, for example, a rear lamp and is disposed on the rear of the vehicle, the vehicle lighting fixture 1001 is rotated 180 degrees on the vehicle and mounted thereon, and it goes without saying that the front of the vehicle lighting fixture 1001 becomes the rear of the vehicle. Furthermore, in the bracket 6, the extension direction of the bracket 6, which will be described later, is defined as the front-to-rear direction, and will be described as coinciding with the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle lighting fixture.

[0097] (Bracket) The shape of the bracket 6 will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 12 to 15. Fig. 12 is a front view of the bracket 6. Fig. 13 is a rear view of the bracket 6. Fig. 14 is a front perspective view of the bracket 6. Fig. 15 is a rear perspective view of the bracket 6. In Figs. 12 to 15, the bracket 6 is colored in light ink.

[0098] The bracket 6 is injection molded from a hard synthetic resin material. The bracket 6 has a cylindrical structure that extends in the front-rear direction and is open in the front-rear direction. The bracket 6 is primarily composed of an upper wall surface 100, a right side wall surface 200, a lower wall surface 300, and a left side wall surface 400. Hereinafter, the upper wall surface 100, right side wall surface 200, lower wall surface 300, and left side wall surface 400 that form the outer shape of the bracket 6 will be collectively referred to as the peripheral wall surface 10.

[0099] As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the peripheral wall surface 10 is primarily composed of a wall with a generally constant thickness and extending in one direction (the front-to-rear direction). Most of the outer and inner surfaces of the peripheral wall surface 10 are free-form surfaces, with curved or non-uniform radii of curvature. Because the bracket 6 has a cylindrical structure without a front or rear wall, it is lighter than a housing with a front and rear wall and necessary vertical walls. Furthermore, the bracket 6 has higher rigidity than flat or arch-shaped brackets. Additionally, because the bracket 6 does not have a front or rear wall and is primarily composed of walls extending in the front-to-rear direction, it is suitable for injection molding using a mold with the extraction direction of the peripheral wall surface 10 of the bracket 6 (the front-to-rear direction). Details of the molding process will be described later.

[0100] The peripheral wall surface 10 extends in the front-to-rear direction, and only the end surface of the peripheral wall surface 10 is visible from the front (see Figures 12 and 13). Although the peripheral wall surface 10 extends in the same direction (front-to-rear direction), each wall is not an extruded shape in which a predetermined cross-sectional shape is extruded by a predetermined length, and the depth length (length in the front-to-rear direction) varies from wall to wall. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the depth direction is not the same at every position. Furthermore, each wall does not extend a uniform length. For example, as shown in Figure 14, the left side wall surface 400 has a shorter depth length than the right side wall surface 200. Furthermore, the depth length (length in the front-to-rear direction) of the left side wall surface 400 is shorter in the upper region, but the depth length in the lower region is longer than the depth length in the upper region.

[0101] An accommodation space SP in which at least a portion of the lamp units LU1 to LU3 are accommodated is formed inside the compartment defined by the cylindrical peripheral wall surface 10. In this embodiment, the bracket 6 is relatively short in the depth direction (front-to-back direction) and longer in the width direction (left-to-right direction) than in the height direction (up-and-down direction), so the accommodation space SP as a whole inside the peripheral wall surface 10 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the width direction. For this reason, the lamp units LU1 to LU3 are accommodated in the accommodation space SP, particularly on the upper surface side, protruding outward from the accommodation space SP.

[0102] The storage space SP is divided into three spaces (storage spaces SP1 to SP3) in the left-right direction by a right intermediate wall 600 and a left inner wall surface 500 (hereinafter, when referring to both, they will simply be referred to as the intermediate wall) that are provided within the storage space SP and extend in the up-down direction. Therefore, the storage space SP refers to the storage spaces SP1 to SP3 as a whole. The right intermediate wall 600 and the left inner wall surface 500 extend in the same direction (front-to-back direction) as the peripheral wall surface 10. Lamp units LU1 to LU3 are disposed one by one in each of the three storage spaces SP1 to SP3 that are aligned in the left-to-right direction and defined by the peripheral wall surface 10, the right intermediate wall 600, and the left inner wall surface 500 (see FIG. 16 ). The term "walls" in the claims encompasses the peripheral wall surfaces 10, i.e., the upper wall surface 100, right side wall surface 200, lower wall surface 300, and left side wall surface 400, as well as the intermediate walls, i.e., the right intermediate wall surface 600 and the left inner wall surface 500.

[0103] The right side wall surface 200, the left side wall surface 400, the right intermediate wall 600, and the left inner wall surface 500 are provided with boss formation portions 71-74 and plate-shaped mounting members 81-84 as through-hole formation portions, which protrude toward the three storage spaces SP1-SP3 in a direction intersecting the front-to-rear direction of the lamp fixture. The boss formation portions 71-74 and the mounting members 81-84 are each provided with through-holes 71a-74a and 81a-84a that penetrate in the front-to-rear direction, which is the extension direction of the bracket 6. As shown in FIG. 16 , the lamp units LU1-LU3 are housed in their respective storage spaces SP1-SP3 and are attached to and supported by the bracket 6 by being fixed to the corresponding boss formation portions 71-74 and mounting members 81-84 with fixing members such as screws or bolts. The boss formation portions 71, 72, and 74 correspond to the through-hole formation portions in the claims, and will be described later.

[0104] In this embodiment, the storage space SP is divided into three to support the lamp units LU1 to LU3. However, there is no limit to the number or arrangement of the lamp units, and the storage space SP may be defined by the peripheral wall surface 10 alone without providing an intermediate wall, and a single lamp unit may be supported. Alternatively, an intermediate wall extending in the vertical direction and another intermediate wall extending in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the intermediate wall may be provided to form an intermediate wall with a cross-shaped vertical cross section, and the cross-shaped intermediate wall and the peripheral wall surface 10 may define four storage spaces to fix the four lamp units. In this case, the boss formation portions 71 to 74 and the mounting members 81 to 84 may be provided on the peripheral wall surface 10.

[0105] Aiming support portions 91 to 93 are formed at three corners, namely the lower left corner, the lower right corner, and the upper right corner, of the bracket 6. The aiming support portions 91 to 93 are rectangular flat plates and are provided so as to define three corners of the approximate rectangle, as viewed from the front, that constitutes the peripheral wall surface 10. The aiming support portions 91 to 93 will be described later.

[0106] (Double Wall) The structure of the walls that make up the bracket 6 will be described using the drawings. In addition to Figures 12 to 16, Figure 17 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the walls that make up the bracket 6. Figure 18 is a front view of the bracket 6, showing the cutting lines of the cross-sectional views of the bracket 6 in Figures 19A to 20B. In Figure 18, the bracket 6 is also shown colored in light ink. Figures 19A, 19B, 20A, and 20B are cross-sectional views of the bracket 6. Figure 19A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 18. Figure 19A mainly shows the double-wall portion of the right side wall surface 200 (portion AA in Figure 17). Figure 19B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 18. Figure 19B mainly shows the double-wall portion of the bottom wall surface 300 (portion BB in Figure 17). Figure 20A is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C in Figure 18. Figure 20A mainly shows the double-wall portion of the left inner wall surface 500 (portion CC in Figure 17). Figure 20B is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in Figure 18. Figure 20B mainly shows the double wall portion (part DD in Figure 17) of the upper wall surface 100. Note that Figure 18 also shows the cutting line of the cross-sectional view of the bracket in Figure 21, but this point will be discussed later.

[0107] The bracket 6 is configured so that at least a portion of the upper wall surface 100, right side wall surface 200, lower wall surface 300, and left side wall surface 400, i.e., the peripheral wall surface 10, and the right intermediate wall 600 and left inner wall surface 500, i.e., the intermediate wall 60, are double-walled. The peripheral wall surface 10 and the intermediate wall do not necessarily both have to be double-walled. Only the peripheral wall surface 10 may include a double wall, or only the intermediate wall may include a double wall. The lightly shaded portions in Figure 17 are the main double-walled portions of the bracket 6. Also, in Figure 17, the purpose is to show the portions including the double wall, so the reference numerals for each portion have been omitted.

[0108] (Double Wall: Right Side Wall) First, the structure of the right side wall 200 (section AA in FIG. 17) will be described with reference to Fig. 12. As shown in Fig. 12, the right side wall 200 forms the right side surface of the bracket 6, and extends in the vertical direction from the aiming support 93 provided at the upper right corner to the aiming support 92 provided at the lower right corner where it connects to the lower wall 300.

[0109] The right side wall 200 is configured as a double wall, comprising a right side wall main body 201 that defines the outer shape of the bracket 6 and a right auxiliary wall 202 located inside (to the left of) the right side wall 201. The right side wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, have approximately the same and uniform thickness, and extend in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, when viewed from the front, only the end surfaces of the right side wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202 are visible. Furthermore, the right side wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202 each have surfaces that curve in opposite directions and extend in the up-down direction. Furthermore, the wall surfaces of the right side wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202 are free-form surfaces with free curves that extend in the front-to-rear direction. The right side wall 200 of the bracket 6 is configured as a double wall by the right side wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202.

[0110] The right auxiliary wall 202 extends downward from the left edge wall 93b of the aiming support 93 at the upper right corner, extending the left edge wall 93b, and is connected to the lower wall surface 300. The right auxiliary wall 202 extends in the front-rear direction along the left side of the outer periphery of the aiming support 93, and constitutes the left edge wall 93b of the aiming support 93. In addition, the wall that defines the upper end of the right side wall surface 200 extends in the front-rear direction along the lower side of the outer periphery of the aiming support 93, and constitutes the lower edge wall 93a of the aiming support 93.

[0111] The right side wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, but the center of the right side wall main body 201 curves leftward, and the center of the right auxiliary wall 202 curves slightly rightward. As a result, the right side wall 200 has a narrowed shape in the center, and the distance between the right side wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202 is shortest at the center and slightly longer at the top and bottom.

[0112] 12 and 13, an inter-wall space extending in the front-to-rear direction is formed between the right side wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202, which extend in the up-down direction. Right partition walls 241-243 are provided in this inter-wall space so as to cross between the right side wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202. The right partition walls 241-243 extend in the left-to-right direction and divide this inter-wall space into four small spaces AR201-AR204 that extend in the front-to-rear direction. As can be seen from Figure 19A, which will be described later, the small spaces AR201-AR204 are arranged side by side in the up-to-down direction.

[0113] The right partition walls 241 to 243 have a constant thickness, similar to the other walls, and each wall has opposing free-form surfaces extending in the front-to-rear direction. Only the front end faces of the right partition walls 241 to 243 are visible when viewed from the front.

[0114] In this way, in the cylindrically formed bracket 6, by forming a portion of the peripheral wall surface 10 that defines the outer shape as a double wall, the right partition walls 241 to 243 are provided that further divide the inter-wall space formed between the double walls extending in the vertical direction, thereby improving the load-bearing performance in multiple directions of the right side wall surface 200. By providing the right partition walls 241 to 243 on the right side wall surface 200, the amount of deformation caused by a load on the right side wall surface 200 can be reduced, and the rigidity of the bracket 6 is improved.

[0115] 19A , in this embodiment, right interior walls 251-254 are provided that connect the lower edge wall 93a of the aiming support 93 to the right partition wall 241, the right partition wall 241 to the right partition wall 242, the right partition wall 242 to the right partition wall 243, and the right partition wall 243 to the lower wall main body 301 (described later), so as to divide the right small spaces AR201-AR204 extending in the front-rear direction into the front and rear of the bracket 6. The right interior walls 251-254 are arranged alternately in the front-rear direction, offset from each other in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the right interior walls 251-254 are provided so as to close either the front opening or the rear opening of the right small spaces AR201-AR204, and each right interior wall 251-254 is formed so as to close the opening in a different direction in the adjacent small spaces. It should be noted that the term "closing" does not necessarily mean that each of the small spaces AR201 to AR204 is completely closed, but includes partial closing.

[0116] Specifically, of the four right-side small spaces AR201 to AR204 lined up in the vertical direction, the first right-side small space AR201, which is the first from the top, and the third right-side small space AR203, which is the third from the top, are formed with a first right-side inner wall 251 and a third right-side inner wall 253, respectively, to close their rear openings. Additionally, the second right-side small space AR202, which is the second from the top, and the fourth right-side small space AR204, which is the fourth from the top, are formed with a second right-side inner wall 252 and a fourth right-side inner wall 254, respectively, to close their front openings.

[0117] In this way, the right interior walls 251-254 are formed so as to alternately close the openings of the four right small spaces AR201-AR204 partitioned by the right partition walls 241-243. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the right side wall surface 200 is formed, from top to bottom, by the lower edge wall 93a, the right partition walls 241-243, and the bottom wall surface 300, which are substantially horizontal, with the right interior walls 251-254 connected to the front or rear end faces of the walls, forming a zigzag, angular S-shape. In addition, the left and right end faces of the right partition walls 241-243 and the right interior walls 251-254 are all connected to and integrated with the right side wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202, giving the right side wall surface 200 a very strong shape. The right inner walls 251 to 254 are not necessarily arranged to close the openings of each small space at the front or rear end of the bracket 6 in the fore-and-aft direction, but may be arranged, for example, to close the openings of each small space at the middle part of the bracket 6 in the fore-and-aft direction.

[0118] The right side wall 200 is composed of right partition walls 241-243 that cross the inter-wall space between the right side wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202, which constitute a double wall extending in the vertical direction, and right inner walls 251-254 that are arranged approximately perpendicular to both the right side wall main body 201, the right auxiliary wall 202, and the right partition walls 241-243 that constitute the double wall. The right side wall 200 has a bridge structure in which the right inner walls 251-254 support the right partition wall, and the right side wall 200 has three surfaces that extend in approximately perpendicular directions and are connected to each other to form an integrated structure. This provides high load-bearing capacity and strain resistance in multiple directions. As a result, the improved load-bearing capacity of the right side wall 200 also improves the rigidity of the bracket 6. Similar effects are also achieved for the other double walls described below.

[0119] (Double Wall: Lower Wall) Next, the double wall portion of the lower wall 300 (portion BB in FIG. 17) will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 12, the lower wall 300 is configured to include a lower wall main body 301 that defines the outer shape of the bracket 6, and a lower auxiliary wall 302 that is arranged inside (above) it. The right end of the lower auxiliary wall 302 is bent toward the lower wall main body 301 and connected to the lower wall main body 301, so that only a portion of the lower wall 300 is configured as a double wall, not the entire area. The lower wall 300 is a double wall extending from the storage space SP1 to the storage space SP2.

[0120] The lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302 are formed to extend in the front-rear direction, so that when viewed from the front, only the front end surfaces of the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302 are visible.

[0121] The space inside the double walls of the lower wall surface 300, i.e., the inter-wall space sandwiched between the lower wall surface main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302, is a flat, approximately rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the left-right direction. Lower partition walls 341-343 are provided to partition this elongated space in the left-right direction. That is, the lower partition walls 341-343 are provided to divide the inter-wall space between the double walls of the lower wall surface 300 into a plurality of small spaces extending in the front-to-rear direction. The lower partition walls 341-343 are also provided to cross the double wall of the lower wall surface 300. The lower partition walls 341-343 extend in the up-down direction between the lower wall surface main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302, connected to the lower wall surface main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302.

[0122] The lower partition walls 341-343 are tilted from the vertical direction, with the ends of adjacent partition walls touching. That is, of the three lower partition walls 341, 342, and 343 arranged in order from left to right, the first lower partition wall 341, which is the leftmost, is tilted to the right from the vertical direction. The second lower partition wall 342 has its upper end connected to the upper end of the first lower partition wall 341 and is tilted to the left from the vertical direction. The third lower partition wall 343 has its lower end connected to the lower end of the second lower partition wall 342 and is tilted to the right from the vertical direction. The three lower partition walls 341-343 are arranged diagonally in a staggered manner, so that the end faces form an N-shape when viewed from the front. That is, the three lower partition walls 341-343 are arranged in a truss shape.

[0123] In this way, the partition walls do not need to be approximately perpendicular to the double walls or arranged approximately parallel to each other, but only need to be connected between the double walls and to the two walls that make up the double walls. Arranging the partition walls in a truss shape, like the three lower partition walls 341 to 343, is more preferable because it improves load-bearing capacity.

[0124] 12, the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302 extend in the left-right direction but do not need to extend horizontally, and are bent at the points where they connect to the partition walls, forming a free-form surface made up of a plurality of slightly curved surfaces. All of the partition walls 341 to 343, including the lower wall surface 300, have approximately the same thickness and are provided to extend in the front-to-rear direction.

[0125] As will be described later, at least a portion of the left inner wall surface 500 is also configured as a double wall. The left inner wall surface 500 has a left inner wall surface main body 501 and a left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 that are substantially perpendicular to the lower auxiliary wall 302 and extend to the inside of the double wall of the lower wall surface 300, connecting to the lower wall surface main body 301. Therefore, the lower end of the left inner wall surface 500, more specifically, the portions of the left inner wall surface main body 501 and the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 that are inside the double wall of the lower wall surface 300, are also configured as part of the partition wall of the lower wall surface 300.

[0126] In this way, two double walls may intersect, with one auxiliary wall forming part of the partition wall or peripheral wall of the other, or conversely, one partition wall forming part of the other auxiliary wall. Double walls are more rigid than single walls, and by intersecting and forming the double walls into an integrated structure, they reinforce each other and further increase the rigidity of the bracket 6.

[0127] In the space between the double walls of the lower wall surface 300, five small spaces, lower small spaces AR301 to AR305, are defined by lower partition walls 341, 342, and 343 and a left inner wall surface 500 that extends further into the lower wall surface 300. These lower small spaces AR301 to AR305 inside the lower wall surface 300 are provided with lower inner walls 351 to 355 that close openings alternately in the front-to-rear direction, similar to the right wall surface 200.

[0128] 12 to 15 and 19B, of the five lower small spaces AR301 to AR305 lined up in the left-right direction, the first lower small space AR301 (first from the left), the third lower small space AR303 (third from the left), and the fifth lower small space AR305 (fifth from the left) are respectively formed with a first lower internal wall 351, a third lower internal wall 353, and a fifth lower internal wall 355 so as to close their rear openings. Furthermore, the second lower small space AR302 (second from the left) and the fourth lower small space AR304 (fourth from the left) are formed with a second lower internal wall 352 and a fourth lower internal wall 354 so as to close their front openings.

[0129] The cross-sectional shape of the lower wall surface 300 is such that, arranged from left to right, the left side wall surface 400, the lower partition walls 341, 342, 343, and the left inner wall surface main body 501 and left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 of the left inner wall surface 500 are continuously connected at their ends by lower inner walls 351, 352, 353, 354, 355 that connect in the left-right direction, forming a continuous angular S-shape.

[0130] In addition, the upper ends of the lower partition walls 341 to 343 and the lower inner walls 351 to 355 are connected to the lower auxiliary wall 302, and the lower ends are connected to the lower wall main body 301, so that the lower wall 300 has an extremely strong structure. This improves the load-bearing capacity of the lower wall 300 and also improves the rigidity of the bracket 6.

[0131] As described above, the partition wall extends in the same direction as the double wall (front-to-back direction), and is provided to separate the space between the double walls. Both end faces are connected to both component faces of the double wall. The partition wall does not need to be substantially perpendicular to the double wall, nor does it need to be parallel to each other. The form, number, and shape of the partition wall are not important. The internal wall does not need to completely close the small space, as long as it is provided within the small space and both end faces are connected to the partition walls that form the small space. The internal wall, like the other walls, may have a curved, bent, or free-form surface.

[0132] (Double Wall: Left Inner Wall Surface, Right Intermediate Wall) Next, the left inner wall surface 500 (section CC in FIG. 17 ) will be described in detail. Like the right side wall surface 200, the left inner wall surface 500 is also configured as a double wall. As shown in FIG. 16 , the left inner wall surface 500 extends in the up-down direction. The left inner wall surface 500 is configured as a double wall including a left inner wall surface main body 501 and a left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 aligned in the left-right direction.

[0133] The inside of the double wall of the left inner wall surface 500, i.e., the inter-wall space sandwiched between the left inner wall surface main body 501 and the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502, is a flat, approximately rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the vertical direction, and left inner partition walls 541, 542 are provided to divide this elongated space in the vertical direction into three left inner small spaces AR501, AR502, AR503 that are lined up in the vertical direction.

[0134] Of the left small spaces AR501, AR502, and AR503, the first left small space AR501 located at the top has no internal wall. The second left small space AR502 located in the center has a first left internal wall 551 that closes the front opening. The third left small space AR503 located at the bottom has a second left internal wall 552 that closes the rear opening.

[0135] The left inner wall main body 501, the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502, and the left inner partition walls 541 and 542 are provided to extend in the front-to-rear direction, and when viewed from the front, only the front end faces of each wall are visible. These front end faces have a uniform thickness, but are free-form, such as being curved or bent in multiple places.

[0136] For example, the upper portion of the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 is connected to the upper wall surface 100 at a significant rightward incline. Therefore, the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 cooperates with the left inner partition wall 541 to function as a rib between the left inner wall surface main body 501 and the upper wall surface 100. Furthermore, since the boss-forming portion 71 is disposed on the left inner wall surface 500 so as to extend inward, the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 at the location where the boss 7 is provided is curved in an arc shape to follow the outer periphery of the boss-forming portion 71. As a result, the boss-forming portion 71 of the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 functions as part of the boss. The second left inner partition wall 542 is formed to connect the curved portion of the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 to the lower auxiliary wall 302.

[0137] 20A , the vertical cross-sectional shape of the left inner wall surface 500 is basically a series of angular S-shapes, although boss-forming portion 71 is formed. As described above, the left inner wall surface 500 having such a shape has high load-bearing capacity in multiple directions and high rigidity.

[0138] As with the left inner wall surface 500, it is not necessary to provide an intermediate wall in every small space formed inside the double wall. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 20A , a boss forming portion 71, which is a through-hole forming portion, may be provided in the wall that constitutes the double wall. In this embodiment, the lower portion of the left inner wall surface 500 is integrated with the lower wall surface 300. Furthermore, since the upper portion of the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 is provided at an angle, it also functions as a double wall for the upper wall surface 100. In this way, by forming the wall into a free-form surface, it is possible to form a wall that fulfills two or more roles.

[0139] Furthermore, internal walls do not need to be provided in all of the small spaces contained in the space between the double walls, and the formation of internal walls may be omitted as long as the required rigidity can be ensured. By configuring the walls that define the shape of the bracket 6 with double walls, and further dividing the space between the walls into small spaces, and making it possible to decide whether to provide an internal wall in each small space, it is possible to provide the minimum number of internal walls necessary to ensure the required rigidity, and therefore it is possible to reduce the weight of the bracket 6.

[0140] Although the right intermediate wall 600 is small in area, it is also configured as a double wall, similar to the left inner wall surface 500. As shown in Figure 16, the right intermediate wall 600 extends in the up-down direction. The right intermediate wall 600 is configured as a double wall including a right intermediate wall main body 601 and a right intermediate auxiliary wall 602 aligned in the left-right direction, and provides the same effects as the left inner wall surface 500 described above.

[0141] (Double Wall: Upper Wall Surface) Next, the right region of the upper wall surface 100, more specifically, the shape of the upper wall surface 100 of the storage space SP3 formed on the right side will be described.

[0142] As shown in Figure 12, the upper wall surface 100 has an upper wall surface main body 101 that forms part of the outer shape of the bracket 6, a first upper auxiliary wall 102 and a second upper auxiliary wall 103 that are formed at an angle downward and to the right from the horizontal so as to connect the upper wall surface main body 101 and the right side wall surface 200, and three auxiliary walls, a third upper auxiliary wall 104, a fourth upper auxiliary wall 105, and a fifth upper auxiliary wall 106 that are formed at an angle downward and to the left from the horizontal so as to connect the upper wall surface main body 101 and the right intermediate wall 600.

[0143] In the upper wall surface 100, a plurality of auxiliary walls 102, 103 are provided at different angles, intersecting and integrating with each other, and the auxiliary walls also function as partition walls. By providing a plurality of auxiliary walls, at least a portion of the upper wall surface 100 is configured as a double wall, and a portion of that is configured as a triple wall. In this way, the peripheral wall surface 10 may be provided with a plurality of auxiliary walls, and at least a portion of it may be configured as a multiple wall having three or more layers.

[0144] Inside the upper wall surface 100, the inter-wall space formed by the upper wall surface main body 101 and the upper auxiliary walls 102 to 106 is divided by the upper auxiliary walls 102 to 106 to form eight small spaces, namely upper small spaces AR101 to AR108.

[0145] Some of the eight upper small spaces AR101 to AR108 have internal walls that close the front or rear openings. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 12 to 15, a second upper internal wall 152 is formed to close the front opening of the central fourth upper small space AR104, which is defined by the first upper auxiliary wall 102, the second upper auxiliary wall 103, the third upper auxiliary wall 104, and the fourth upper auxiliary wall 105. The first upper small space AR101 and the eighth upper small space AR108, which are formed adjacent to the top and bottom of the fourth upper small space AR104, have first upper internal walls 151 and third upper internal walls 153, respectively, that close the rear openings.

[0146] The upper wall surface 100 is provided with a plurality of intersecting auxiliary walls, each of which also functions as a partition wall, so that at least a portion of the upper wall surface 100 is configured as a double wall.

[0147] 20B , the cross-sectional shape of the portion of left inner wall surface 500 where the internal wall is provided is a continuous rectangular S-shape. As described above, upper wall surface 100 configured in this manner has high load-bearing capacity in multiple directions and high rigidity.

[0148] In the small spaces AR101 to AR108 formed within the double wall, it is not necessary to specify where an internal wall is provided or not provided, such as the upper wall surface 100. An internal wall may be provided in any of the small spaces according to the required rigidity and weight reduction, or no internal wall may be provided at all.

[0149] There is no particular limitation as to which parts of the peripheral wall surface 10 of the bracket 6 are configured as double walls, but it is preferable to configure them to reinforce parts that are particularly subject to load, such as the aiming support parts 91 to 93, the boss forming parts 71 to 74, and the areas around the mounting members 81 to 84, as this greatly improves the rigidity of the bracket 6.

[0150] The aiming support portions 91 to 93 and boss forming portions 71, 72, and 74, which are the main features of the bracket 6 according to this embodiment, will be described in detail below.

[0151] (Aiming Support Portion) Here, with reference to Figures 12 to 15 and Figure 21B, the structure around the aiming supports 91 to 93 will be described in detail. Figure 21B is a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F in Figure 18. It mainly shows the boss forming portion 71 and the mounting member 82. As described above, the aiming supports 91 to 93 are formed at three corners of the bracket 6: the lower left corner, the lower right corner, and the upper right corner. Each of the aiming supports 91 to 93 has a rectangular flat plate shape, and through-holes 91c to 93c having shapes substantially similar to the outlines of the aiming supports 91 to 93 are formed in the approximate center thereof. Furthermore, the aiming supports 91 to 93 each have edge walls 91a, 91b, 92a, 92b, 93a, and 93b extending forward from the plane of the aiming support 91 at their peripheral edges.

[0152] Specifically, the aiming support 91 includes an upper edge wall 91a extending in the left-right direction and a right edge wall 91b extending in the up-down direction. The aiming support 92 includes an upper edge wall 92a extending in the left-right direction and a left edge wall 92b extending in the up-down direction. The aiming support 93 includes a lower edge wall 93a extending in the left-right direction and a left edge wall 93b extending in the up-down direction. As shown in FIG. 12 and other figures, the aiming support 93 is provided in contact with the right end of the upper wall surface 100 and the upper end of the right side wall surface 200. As described above, the right end of the upper wall surface 100 and the upper end of the right side wall surface 200 are configured as double walls. Therefore, the lower edge wall 93a, which is the peripheral portion of the aiming support 93, shares a wall surface with the upper end wall of the right side wall surface 200, and the left edge wall 93b shares a wall surface with the right end wall of the upper wall surface 100. The upper end wall of the right side wall surface 200 and the right end wall of the upper wall surface 100 are configured as double walls. In this way, the left edge wall 93b is continuous with the right auxiliary wall 202, and the lower edge wall 93a is continuous with the fifth upper auxiliary wall 106, and the right auxiliary wall 202 and the fifth upper auxiliary wall 106 intersect at the lower left corner of the aiming support portion 93. As a result, the aiming support portion 93 is supported by four walls at the lower left corner.

[0153] For example, in the bracket 6 of this embodiment, the right side wall surface 200 and the bottom wall surface 300 connecting the three aiming supports 91-93 are configured as double walls. In addition, the double-walled portion of the top wall surface 100 extends toward the upper right aiming support 93, while the double-walled portion extending from the left inner wall surface 500 toward the bottom wall surface 300 forms a small space extending toward the lower left aiming support 91. Because the bracket 6 is supported at three locations where the aiming supports 91-93 are provided, the upper right, lower right, and lower left corners are particularly subject to load, and the areas connected to these corners are primarily configured as double walls. By providing double walls at the load-bearing locations, the increase in mass due to the provision of double walls can be suppressed, thereby appropriately improving the rigidity of the bracket 6.

[0154] Also, Fig. 21A is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in Fig. 18. While Fig. 18 is a front view of only the bracket 6, Fig. 21A shows the two aiming supports 92 and 93 formed mainly in the upper right and lower corners of the bracket 6 with the aiming screws E2 and E3 attached. For convenience's sake, the cross-section is taken along a plane that runs from line E-E in Fig. 18 through the centers of the aiming screws.

[0155] Using Figure 21A, the aiming supports 92 and 93 will be mainly described, but the same applies to the aiming support 91. The aiming supports 91 to 93 are configured so that their respective plate surfaces are parallel. As shown in Figure 21A, the aiming screw E3 is engaged by attaching a mount M10 to the corresponding aiming support 93, and the aiming screw E3 screwed into this mount M10 is inserted into a through hole 93c. Reference numeral E12 denotes an actuator for the aiming screw. The same applies to the aiming support 92. The bracket 6 is supported on the rear surface of the lamp body 2 so that the optical axes of the lamp units LU1 to LU3 can be adjusted.

[0156] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional bracket that extends as a plane in the left-right direction when viewed from the front and includes an aiming support portion. The bracket disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a basic configuration that is flat when viewed from the front. Therefore, aiming screw mounting portions are provided at three corners on the flat surface of the bracket. Although omitted from Patent Document 1, a bracket with this shape has a standing wall that surrounds the through hole and protrudes rearward on the back side of the through hole that serves as the aiming screw mounting hole. This configuration is used to provide necessary rigidity around the aiming screw mounting hole, but the additional standing wall increases the weight.

[0157] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the aiming supports 91-93 are each provided so as to share a wall surface with the double wall that is part of the peripheral wall surface 10. These shared walls (i.e., edge walls 91a, 91b, 92a, 92b, 93a, and 93b) all constitute part of the peripheral wall surface 10 that constitutes the outer shape of the bracket 6, and are not additional. Therefore, with the bracket 6 according to this embodiment, there is no need to provide additional vertical walls in the aiming supports 91-93, and weight is not increased. Furthermore, the outer shapes of the aiming supports 91-93 are approximately similar in shape to the through-holes 91c-93c, which are aiming screw mounting holes, formed roughly in the center. This is particularly preferable because it allows the aiming supports 91-93 to be configured in the smallest size compared to other cases. Furthermore, by making the shape of the aiming support 91 similar to that of the through hole 91c, the distance from the peripheral side surface of the through hole 91c, where the load is actually applied, to the end face is approximately the same, so there is no bias in the moment and the load is applied approximately uniformly to the end face of the aiming support 91. As a result, the stress applied to the base end of the aiming support 91 is distributed approximately evenly, making it possible to prevent breakage due to uneven distribution of stress.

[0158] 12 to 16, etc. and 21B, the boss forming portions 71, 72, 74, which are through-hole forming portions, will be described. As shown in Figures 12 to 16, the boss forming portions 71, 72, 74 have a generally circular, flat plate shape and have through-holes 71a, 72a, 74a in their centers that are similar in shape to the boss forming portions 71, 72, 74. The boss forming portions 71, 72, 74 are configured such that the walls that make up the double wall of the peripheral wall surface 10 or the intermediate wall extend in the front-rear direction along the circular outer peripheral edge of the boss forming portions 71, 72, 74, and share a wall surface.

[0159] The boss forming portion 71 is provided in a portion of the left inner wall surface 500 that is configured as a double wall having a left inner wall surface main body 501 and a left intermediate auxiliary wall 502, so as to share the wall surface of the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 as a wall surface that extends in the front-to-rear direction along the outer peripheral edge of the boss forming portion 71. In other words, the position on the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 where the boss forming portion 71 is provided is curved in an arc shape so as to follow the outer peripheral edge of the boss forming portion 71.

[0160] As a result, the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502 constituting the left inner wall surface 500 shown in FIG. 21B functions as the boss-forming portion 71, i.e., part of the boss. A typical boss is formed in a flat plate-shaped member and has a circular through-hole for inserting a fixing member such as a bolt and a cylindrical upright wall surrounding the through-hole and protruding from the flat plate-shaped member. Such a upright wall increases the strength and rigidity of the area near the boss, but also increases weight. However, with the above configuration, the wall surface of the left inner wall surface 500 that defines the lamp unit storage space SP2 is configured to follow the outer periphery of the boss-forming portion 72 and functions like a boss upright wall. This eliminates the need for an additional upright wall, making it possible to increase strength and rigidity without increasing weight.

[0161] Furthermore, with the above configuration, the boss formation portions 71, 72, and 74 do not protrude from a flat wall, but can be provided on a wall surface extending in the same direction as the boss mounting direction (the extension direction of the through hole; in this embodiment, the front-to-rear direction). Generally, because a boss is cylindrical, it can only contact a plane extending in the same direction as the extension direction of the boss hole (through hole) at a single point, and therefore an enlarged portion must be provided to fill the gap between the horizontal surface and the boss. As mentioned above, the base end of a mounting portion that is not similar in shape to the through hole experiences a large moment and is prone to fracture. By providing the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502, which is integrated with the boss formation portion 71, so as to surround the outer periphery of the boss formation portion 71, the distance from the through hole 71a to the wall surface is approximately the same, thereby substantially uniforming the moment applied to the boss formation portion 71. In addition, the wall surface is curved to match the peripheral wall surface, increasing the contact area between the wall surface and the boss formation portion 71 and further distributing the load on the end surface.

[0162] Furthermore, the boss forming portion 71 is configured to contact the three left internal small spaces AR501 to AR503 within the left internal wall surface 500. That is, the boss forming portion 71 is disposed at a position on the left internal wall surface 500 where the left intermediate auxiliary wall 502, the first left internal partition wall 541, and the second left internal partition wall 542 are connected. As a result, the boss forming portion 71 is supported by four walls, ensuring sufficient load resistance.

[0163] The boss forming portion 72 is provided in a portion of the lower wall 300 configured as a double wall including the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302, and in a portion of the right intermediate wall 600 configured as a double wall including the right intermediate wall main body 601 and the right intermediate auxiliary wall 602, so that the wall surfaces of the lower auxiliary wall 302 and the right intermediate wall main body 601 share the outer circumferential edge of the boss forming portion 72. The positions where the boss forming portions 72 are provided on the right intermediate wall 600 and the lower auxiliary wall 302 are curved in an arc along the outer circumferential edge of the boss forming portion 72. As a result, the arc-shaped portions of the lower auxiliary wall 302 and the right intermediate wall main body 601 function as the upright walls of the boss. Therefore, the structure near the boss forming portion 72 can achieve the same effect as the structure near the boss forming portion 71, that is, increased strength and rigidity without increasing weight.

[0164] Like the boss forming portion 71, the boss forming portion 72 is also integrated with the outer peripheral edge of the boss forming portion 72, and the right intermediate wall 61 and the lower auxiliary wall 302 are provided so as to surround the outer peripheral edge. The boss forming portion 72 is provided at the orthogonal portion between the right intermediate wall 600 and the lower wall surface 300, and is supported by both walls, which constitute a double wall, thereby improving its rigidity. In addition, the lower inner wall 355 is provided approximately perpendicular to the lower auxiliary wall 302, thereby improving the rigidity of the lower auxiliary wall 302 and the boss forming portion 72.

[0165] Similarly, the boss forming portion 74 is formed in a double-walled portion of the right side wall 200, which includes a right side wall main body 201 and a right auxiliary wall 202. The wall surface of the right auxiliary wall 202 is provided along the outer periphery of the boss forming portion 74, surrounding the outer periphery of the boss forming portion 72. As a result, the arc-shaped portion of the right auxiliary wall 202 functions as a so-called standing wall of a boss. The boss forming portion 74 also contacts multiple small spaces. As a result, the boss forming portion 74 can achieve the same effect as the boss forming portions 71 and 72.

[0166] It should be noted that boss formation portion 73 does not have the features described above for boss formation portions 71, 72, and 74. That is, boss formation portion 73 is provided so as to protrude from upper support wall 102 toward accommodation space SP3, but its outer shape is not generally similar to the shape of the through hole, and instead has an enlarged portion 73b that moves from a shape generally similar to the through hole to one that fits along the curved surface of the wall surface of upper support wall 102. In this way, in bracket 6, it is not necessary for all boss formation portions to have the advantageous features described above, and the features may be adopted only in necessary locations.

[0167] (Simulation) To confirm the effect of the bracket 6 configured as described above, a simulation of mass and maximum displacement was performed using the bracket 6 and a conventional bracket that has a flat rear wall in front view and does not have a portion configured as a double wall. The results showed that the bracket 6 had a mass that was 24% smaller than the conventional bracket, and the maximum displacement when stress was applied was 60% lower. By applying the above configuration, the bracket 6 according to this embodiment was lighter than the conventional bracket, while also achieving significantly improved rigidity.

[0168] (Molding method) Next, the molding process and molding die for the bracket 6 configured as described above will be described. Figures 22A to 22C are schematic diagrams of the molding die for the bracket 6, and are explanatory diagrams for explaining the molding process. The cross-sectional lines of the cross-sectional views of the die shown in Figures 22A to 22C correspond to line A-A in Figure 18.

[0169] As shown in Figure 22A, the fixed mold 30 and the movable mold 40 are first arranged facing each other and then clamped. The direction in which the molds are clamped / opened is referred to as direction DR. In the clamped state, a molding space (cavity) CAV corresponding to the shape of the bracket 6 is defined inside the mold. The molding space CAV is provided so that the extension direction (front-rear direction) of the peripheral wall surface 10 of the corresponding bracket 6 coincides with the clamping direction DR.

[0170] 22B, a resin material heated to a predetermined melting temperature is injected into the molding space CAV, filling the molding space CAV. The resin material filled in the molding space CAV is cooled and solidified, and the bracket 6 is formed.

[0171] Next, as shown in Figure 22C, the mold is opened, the movable mold 40 is moved away in the direction DR, and the bracket 6 attached to the fixed mold 30 is pushed out and removed by an ejection pin (not shown).

[0172] Since the bracket 6 is configured to extend along the mold opening direction DR, the movable mold 40 can be moved away in the direction DR without any problems. The bracket 6 is also pushed out from the fixed mold 30 along the direction DR and removed without any problems.

[0173] The bracket 6 is configured in a shape that extends in the front-to-rear direction, and the extension direction of the bracket 6 can be aligned with the mold opening direction DR of the mold, so that the bracket 6 can be molded by injection molding using a mold.

[0174] Although the bracket 6 has a complex shape, it can be mass-produced by injection molding using a mold, resulting in high productivity.

[0175] (Third Embodiment) Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiment does not limit the invention but is merely an example, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiment are not necessarily essential to the invention.

[0176] (Vehicle Lamp) Figure 23 is a schematic front view of a vehicle lamp 2001 including a bracket 6. The vehicle lamp 2001 is a headlamp and is mounted on each of the left and right sides of the front of a vehicle. The vehicle lamp 2001 includes a lamp body 2 and a front cover 4 as a lamp housing. The lamp body 2 is a housing with an opening at the front, and by attaching the front cover 4 to the opening, a lamp chamber S is formed inside. The front cover 4 is a so-called outer cover, and is a substantially transparent lens made of a translucent resin such as polycarbonate. The front cover 4 is not limited to this, and may be formed with an optical step for diverging and diffusing light emitted from a light source when each lamp is turned on.

[0177] Within the defined lamp chamber S, three lamp units LU1 to LU3, which are fixedly supported by a bracket 6, are housed side by side in the vehicle width direction (left and right direction). Lamp units LU1 to LU3 are optical units that emit light forward, either individually or in combination, and are configured to form a predetermined light distribution, such as a high beam distribution or a low beam distribution. The light emitted from lamp units LU1 to LU3 is directed toward a front cover 4 disposed in front of the vehicle, passes through the front cover 4, and forms a predetermined light distribution in front of the vehicle. Lamp units LU1 to LU3 are of any type, and may be of a conventionally known configuration, such as a reflector type or projector type.

[0178] For example, as shown in Fig. 28, lamp units LU1 to LU3 are provided with support frames LU12, 22, and 32 on the front cover 4 side, and each support frame LU12, 22, and 32 supports projection lenses LU11, 21, and 31, respectively. Also, as shown in Fig. 29, the lamp units LU1 to LU3 (only lamp unit LU1 is shown) are provided with a reflector LU13 that covers a light source (not shown) in a semi-dome shape and a metal heat sink LU14, and are fixed to bosses 71 to 74 and mounting members 81 to 84, which are fixing portions of the bracket 6 described below, by the heat sink LU14. Since the heat sink LU14 is made of metal, it has high rigidity, which in turn increases the rigidity of the lamp units LU1 to LU3.

[0179] The bracket 6 is attached to the rear surface of the lamp body 2 by three aiming screws E. By rotating the aiming screws E, the optical axes of the lamp units LU1 to LU3 can be adjusted in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0180] The bracket 6 of this embodiment can be used not only for headlights but also for vehicle lighting fixtures such as rear combination lamps and marker lights. In the vehicle lighting fixture 2001, the direction in which the light of the lamp units LU1 to LU3, where the front cover 4 is disposed, is defined as the forward direction, and the rearward, left-right, and up-down directions are determined based on this. When the vehicle lighting fixture 2001 is, for example, a rear lamp and is disposed on the rear of the vehicle, the vehicle lighting fixture 2001 is rotated 180 degrees on the vehicle and mounted thereon, and it goes without saying that the front of the vehicle lighting fixture 2001 is the rear of the vehicle. Furthermore, the extension direction of the bracket 6, which will be described later, is defined as the front-to-rear direction, and will be described as coinciding with the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle lighting fixture 2001.

[0181] (Bracket) Here, the configuration of the bracket 6 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 24 to 27. Fig. 24 is a front view of the bracket 6. Fig. 25 is a rear view of the bracket 6. Fig. 26 is a front perspective view of the bracket 6. Fig. 27 is a rear perspective view of the bracket 6. In Figs. 24 to 27, the bracket 6 is colored in light ink.

[0182] The bracket 6 is injection molded from a hard synthetic resin material. The bracket 6 is frame-shaped with a space that runs through it from the front to the rear, and is primarily composed of an upper wall 100, a right side wall 200, a lower wall 300, and a left side wall 400, but does not have a rear wall or a front wall. Hereinafter, the upper wall 100, right side wall 200, lower wall 300, and left side wall 400 that form the outer shape of the bracket 6 will be collectively referred to as the peripheral wall 10.

[0183] As shown in Figures 24 and 25, the peripheral wall surface 10 of the bracket 6 is primarily composed of a wall surface of approximately constant thickness extending in one direction (front-to-rear direction). Most of this peripheral wall surface 10 is a curved surface or a free-form surface with a non-constant radius of curvature. Because the bracket 6 is frame-shaped and lacks a front or rear wall, it is lighter than a housing having a front and rear wall. It also has higher rigidity than flat or arch-shaped brackets. Additionally, because the bracket 6 does not have a front or rear wall and is primarily composed of the peripheral wall surface 10 extending in the front-to-rear direction, it is suitable for injection molding using a mold with the extraction direction of the peripheral wall surface 10 of the bracket 6 (front-to-rear direction). Details of the molding process will be described later.

[0184] Although the extending direction of the peripheral wall surface 10 of the bracket 6 is the same, i.e., the front-to-rear direction, each wall surface 100, 200, 300, 400 is not an extruded shape in which a predetermined cross-sectional shape is extruded by a predetermined length. The depth length (length in the front-to-rear direction) of each wall surface is different, and the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the depth direction is not the same at every position. Furthermore, each wall surface 100, 200, 300, 400 does not extend with a uniform length. For example, as can be seen in FIG. 26 , the left side wall surface 400 has a shorter depth length than the right side wall surface 200. Furthermore, the depth length (length in the front-to-rear direction) of the left side wall surface 400 is very short in the upper region, and the depth length in the lower region is longer than the depth length in the upper region.

[0185] An accommodation space SP in which at least a portion of the lamp units LU1 to LU3 are accommodated is formed inside the compartment defined by the frame-shaped peripheral wall surface 10. In this embodiment, the bracket 6 is relatively short in the depth direction (front-to-back direction) and is long in the width direction (left-to-right direction) compared to the height direction (up-down direction), so the accommodation space SP inside the peripheral wall surface 10 has a shape that is long in the width direction. For this reason, the lamp units LU1 to LU3 are accommodated in the accommodation space SP, particularly on the upper surface side, in a state where they protrude outward from the accommodation space SP.

[0186] As shown in Figures 24 to 27, the storage space SP is divided into three spaces in the left-right direction by a right inner wall surface 600 and a left inner wall surface 500 that extend in the up-down direction within the storage space SP. Like the peripheral wall surface 10, the right inner wall surface 600 and the left inner wall surface 500 extend in the same direction (front-to-back direction) as the peripheral wall surface 10. Lamp units LU1 to LU3 are disposed one each in three storage spaces SP1 to SP3 that are aligned in the left-right direction and are defined by the peripheral wall surface 10, the right inner wall surface 600, and the left inner wall surface 500 (see Figure 28). That is, the peripheral wall surface 10, the right inner wall surface 600, and the left inner wall surface 500 form a partition peripheral wall.

[0187] Bosses 71-74 and plate-shaped mounting members 81-84 that protrude toward the three storage spaces SP1-SP3 are provided on the left side wall surface 400, the right side wall surface 200, and the right inner wall surface 600 and the left inner wall surface 500, i.e., the upright wall surfaces that make up the bracket 6. The bosses 71-74 and the mounting members 81-84 form fixing portions, and the mounting holes of the bosses 71-74 and the mounting members 81-84 are provided to penetrate in the front-to-rear direction, which is the extension direction of the bracket 6. As shown in Figures 28 and 29, each lamp unit LU1-LU3 is housed in a predetermined storage space SP1-SP3 and is attached and supported by being fixed to the corresponding bosses 71-74 and mounting members 81-84 with fixing members 91-96 such as screws or bolts (only LU1 is shown in Figure 29).

[0188] In this embodiment, the storage space SP is divided into three sections to support three lamp units LU1 to LU3, but there are no restrictions on the number or arrangement of the lamp units LU to be supported. For example, a partition peripheral wall may be formed using only the peripheral wall surface 10 without providing an inner wall surface, and one lamp unit LU may be supported, or four lamp units LU may be fixed using a cross-shaped inner wall surface in which vertical and perpendicular surfaces are approximately perpendicular to each other. In this case, the cross-shaped inner wall surface and the peripheral wall 10 form the partition peripheral wall. The bosses 71 to 74 and the mounting members 81 to 84 may be provided on the upper wall surface 100 or the lower wall surface 300 that form part of the partition peripheral wall.

[0189] 24 to 27, aiming supports 9 are formed at three corners of the bracket 6: the upper left corner, the upper right corner, and the lower right corner. The aiming supports 9 are configured in the shape of flat plates, and are arranged so that the respective plate surfaces are parallel. A mount (not shown) is attached to a rectangular through-hole 9c provided on the inside of the aiming support 9, and the bracket 6 is supported on the back surface of the lamp body 2 by an aiming screw E screwed into this mount so that the optical axes of the lamp units LU1 to LU3 can be adjusted.

[0190] The aiming support 9 is a rectangular flat plate. The aiming support 9 is provided at the corner of the bracket 6, and the corners of the upper wall surface 100, right side wall surface 200, lower wall surface 300, and left side wall surface 400 are formed in a concave shape so as to avoid the aiming support 9, and the aiming support 9 is provided on the outer surface of the concave corner of the peripheral wall surface 10.

[0191] The corners of the peripheral wall surface 10 of the frame-shaped bracket 6 are formed so as to be recessed into a rectangle, with a horizontal surface 9a and a vertical surface 9b formed at each corner. The rectangular aiming support 9 is formed so that the horizontal and vertical sides of the rectangular outline are integrated with the horizontal and vertical surfaces 9a and 9b of the recesses provided at the corners. Therefore, the aiming support 9 functions as a rib that supports the horizontal and vertical surfaces 9a and 9b of the recesses provided at the corners.

[0192] (Double Wall: Right Side Wall) The bracket 6 has a double-wall structure including an upper wall surface 100, a right side wall surface 200, a lower wall surface 300, and a left side wall surface 400, i.e., a peripheral wall surface 10, and at least a portion of a right inner wall surface 600 and a left inner wall surface 500 which form a partition peripheral wall together with the peripheral wall surface 10. The lightly shaded portions shown in Figure 30 are the main double-wall portions.

[0193] Here, the double-wall structure of the right side wall 200 (section AA in Figure 30) will be described. As shown in Figure 24, the right side wall 200 forms the right side surface of the bracket 6, and extends in a substantially vertical direction from the aiming support 9 provided at the upper right corner to the aiming support 9 provided at the lower right corner.

[0194] The right side wall 200 is configured as a double wall overall, and includes a right side wall main body 201, which is the outer wall that forms the outer shape of the bracket 6, and a right side auxiliary wall 202 located inside (to the left) of it. The right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall 202 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and are both surfaces that extend in the up-down direction and curve in opposite directions, have approximately the same and uniform plate thickness, and extend in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, when viewed from the front, only the end faces of the right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall 202 are visible. The right side wall 200 of the bracket 6 is configured as a double wall by the right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall 202.

[0195] The right auxiliary wall surface 202 extends downward from the lower end of the vertical surface 9b in the upper right corner so as to extend the vertical surface 9b, and is connected to the lower wall surface 300. In other words, the vertical surface 9b in the upper right corner forms a part of the right auxiliary wall surface 202.

[0196] The right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall surface 202 are both free-form curved surfaces that extend in the same direction (front-to-back) and are arranged side by side in the left-to-right direction, but the center of the right side wall main body 201 curves leftward, and the center of the right side auxiliary wall surface 202 curves slightly rightward. As a result, the right side wall surface 200 has a narrowed shape in the center, and the distance between the right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall surface 202 is shortest at the center and slightly longer at the top and bottom.

[0197] Between the right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall 202, three roughly horizontal right side partition walls 241-243 are provided to vertically divide the space between the two walls. Like the other wall surfaces, the right side partition walls 241-243 are free-form surfaces of a constant thickness and extend in the same direction (front-to-rear direction). Therefore, when viewed from the front, only the front end faces of the right side partition walls 241-243 are visible.

[0198] As shown in Figures 24 and 25, the right side wall 200 is partitioned by three right partition walls 241-243 to form four vertically aligned small spaces, AR201-AR204, inside the right side wall 200. The four small spaces, partitioned by a substantially horizontal plane and a plane extending in the vertical direction, are open in the front-to-rear direction and extend in the front-to-rear direction (see Figure 32A). The right side partition walls 241-243, which are substantially horizontal planes substantially perpendicular to the double wall and further divide the space into smaller spaces, are provided inside the double wall (the space between the right side wall main body 201 and the right side auxiliary wall 202) formed by the planes extending in the vertical direction. This improves the load-bearing capacity of the right side wall 200 in multiple directions. Having the wall surfaces configured as described above on the right side wall 200 reduces the amount of deformation of the right side wall 200 in response to a load, improving the rigidity of the bracket 6, which does not have a front wall or a rear wall.

[0199] In this embodiment, right-side internal walls 251-254 are further provided in the right-side small spaces AR201-AR204 extending in the front-rear direction, respectively, to divide the right-side small spaces AR201-AR204 into front and rear sections. In the right-side small spaces AR201-AR204 that are aligned vertically, the right-side internal walls 251-254 of adjacent small spaces are offset in the front-rear direction so as to alternate in the front-rear direction. More specifically, the right-side internal walls 251-254 are provided so as to block either the front opening or the rear opening of the right-side small spaces AR201-AR204, and each right-side internal wall 251-254 is formed so as to block either the front opening or the rear opening of the small space, with the opening in a different direction being blocked between adjacent small spaces (see FIG. 32A ).

[0200] Specifically, of the four right-side small spaces AR201 to AR204 lined up in the vertical direction, the first right-side small space AR201, which is the first from the top, and the third right-side small space AR203, which is the third from the top, are formed with a first right-side internal wall 251 and a third right-side internal wall 253, respectively, to close their rear openings. Additionally, the second right-side small space AR202, which is the second from the top, and the fourth right-side small space AR204, which is the fourth from the top, are formed with a second right-side internal wall 252 and a fourth right-side internal wall 254, respectively, to close their front openings.

[0201] The effects of the double walls of the bracket 6 configured in this manner will be explained using the drawings. FIG. 31 is a front view of the bracket 6, and shows the cutting lines of the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 32A, 32B, 33A, and 33B. In FIG. 31, the bracket 6 is colored in light ink. FIGS. 32A, 32B, 33A, and 33B are cross-sectional views of the bracket 6. FIG. 32A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 31. FIG. 32A mainly shows the double-wall portion of the right side wall surface 200 (portion AA in FIG. 30). FIG. 32B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 31. FIG. 32B mainly shows the double-wall portion of the bottom wall surface 300 (portion BB in FIG. 30). FIG. 33A is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 31. FIG. 33A mainly shows the double-wall portion of the left inner wall surface 500 (portion CC in FIG. 30). Figure 33B is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in Figure 31. Figure 33B mainly shows the double wall portion of the upper wall surface 100 (part DD in Figure 30).

[0202] As shown in Figure 32A, the right-side inner walls 251-254 are formed so as to alternately close the openings of the four right-side small spaces AR201-AR204 partitioned by the right-side partition walls 241-243. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the right-side wall surface 200 is configured, from top to bottom, by the horizontal plane 9a, which is a substantially horizontal plane, the right-side partition walls 241-243, and the bottom wall surface 300, with the right-side inner walls 251-254, which are surfaces extending in the vertical direction, connected to the front end face or rear end face of the wall surfaces, forming a zigzag shape that forms a continuous angular S-shape. In other words, the cross-sectional shape of the right-side wall surface 200 is such that the right-side inner walls 251-254 are bent continuously so as to protrude in opposite directions.

[0203] In addition, the left and right end surfaces of the right partition walls 241 to 243 and the right inner walls 251 to 254 are all connected to and integrated with the right wall main body 201 and the right auxiliary wall 202, so the right wall 200 has an extremely strong shape.

[0204] Thus, the right side wall 200 is composed of the right side wall main body 201 and right side auxiliary wall 202, which form a double wall that is a surface extending in the vertical direction; the right side partition walls 241-243, which are substantially horizontal surfaces that are substantially perpendicular to the double wall; and the right side interior walls 251-254, which are arranged substantially perpendicular to both the double wall and the right side partition walls 241-243. The right side wall 200 is formed by connecting and integrating surfaces that extend in three substantially perpendicular directions, and therefore has high load-bearing capacity and strain resistance in multiple directions. The improved load-bearing capacity of the right side wall 200 also improves the rigidity of the bracket 6.

[0205] (Double Wall: Lower Wall) Next, a detailed description will be given of the double wall portion (section BB in Fig. 30) of the lower wall 300. As shown in Fig. 24, the lower wall 300 is configured to include a substantially horizontal lower wall main body 301 which is the outer wall surface that forms the outer shape of the bracket 6, and a substantially horizontal lower auxiliary wall 302 which is located inside (above) the lower wall main body 301 and has a central portion in the left-right direction.

[0206] The right end of the lower auxiliary wall 302 is bent toward the lower wall main body 301 and connected to the lower wall main body 301, so that only a portion of the lower wall 300 is configured as a double wall, rather than the entire area of ​​the lower wall 300. The lower wall 300 is configured as a double wall from roughly the storage space SP1 to the storage space SP2. The lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302 are formed to extend in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, when viewed from the front, only the front end surfaces of the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302 are visible.

[0207] The space inside the double wall of the lower wall 300, i.e., the space sandwiched between the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302, has a flat shape that is long in the left-right direction, and lower partition walls 341 to 343 are provided to divide this elongated space in the left-right direction. The lower partition walls 341 to 343 are formed to extend in the up-down direction between the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302, which are arranged side by side in the up-down direction and are on the approximately horizontal plane that constitutes the double wall surface, and are connected to the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302.

[0208] In this embodiment, the lower partition walls 341-343 are tilted from the vertical direction, with the ends of adjacent partition walls touching. That is, of the three lower partition walls 341-343 arranged in order from left to right, the first lower partition wall 341, which is the leftmost, is tilted to the right from the vertical direction. The second lower partition wall 342 has its upper end connected to the upper end of the first lower partition wall 341 and is tilted to the left from the vertical direction. The third lower partition wall 343 has its lower end connected to the lower end of the second lower partition wall 342 and is tilted to the right from the vertical direction. The three lower partition walls 341-343 are arranged diagonally in a staggered manner, so that the end faces form an N-shape when viewed from the front. That is, the three lower partition walls 341-343 are arranged in a truss shape.

[0209] As such, the partition walls do not need to be approximately perpendicular to the double wall surfaces or arranged approximately parallel to each other; they simply need to be connected to both constituent surfaces of the double wall surfaces. A truss-like arrangement, like the three lower partition walls 341-343, is preferable because it improves load-bearing capacity. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 24, the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall surface 302 are approximately horizontal, but not completely horizontal. Rather, they are free-form surfaces composed of multiple curved surfaces that bend at the points where they connect to each partition wall and are slightly curved. All of the lower partition walls 341-343 and the lower wall surface 300 have approximately the same thickness and are arranged to extend in the front-to-rear direction.

[0210] As will be described in detail later, at least a portion of the left inner wall surface 500 is also configured as a double wall. That is, as shown in Figures 24 and 25 , a left inner wall surface main body 501 and a left inner auxiliary wall surface 502, which are surfaces extending in the up-down direction and which configure the left inner wall surface 500 as a double wall, are provided so as to be substantially perpendicular to the lower auxiliary wall surface 302 and further extend to the inside of the double wall of the lower wall surface 300, and are connected to the lower wall surface main body 301. Therefore, the lower end of the left inner wall surface 500, more specifically, the portions of the left inner wall surface main body 501 and the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 inside the double wall of the lower wall surface 300, are also configured as part of the partition wall of the lower wall surface 300.

[0211] In this way, two double walls may intersect, with one auxiliary wall surface forming part of the partition wall or peripheral wall surface of the other, or conversely, one partition wall forming part of the auxiliary wall surface of the other. Double walls are more rigid than single walls, and by intersecting and forming the double walls into an integrated structure, they reinforce each other and further increase the rigidity of the bracket 6.

[0212] 24 and 25, five lower small spaces AR301 to AR305 are formed in the internal space of the double wall surface of the lower wall surface 300, and are defined by the lower partition walls 341 to 343 and the left inner wall surface 500 that extends into the inside of the lower wall surface 300. Similar to the right wall surface 200, lower small spaces AR301 to AR305 inside the lower wall surface 300 are provided with lower inner walls 351 to 355 that close openings alternately in the front-to-rear direction.

[0213] Specifically, of the five lower small spaces AR301 to AR305 lined up in the left-right direction, the first lower small space AR301 (the first from the left), the third lower small space AR303 (the third from the left), and the fifth lower small space AR305 (the fifth from the left) are respectively formed with a first lower internal wall 351, a third lower internal wall 353, and a fifth lower internal wall 355 so as to close the rear opening. Furthermore, the second lower small space AR302 (the second from the left) and the fourth lower small space AR304 (the fourth from the left) are formed with a second lower internal wall 352 and a fourth lower internal wall 354 so as to close the front opening.

[0214] 32B , the cross-sectional shape of lower wall 300 is configured by, from left to right, connecting the ends of left side wall 400, lower partition walls 341, 342, and 343, and left inner wall main body 501 and left inner auxiliary wall 502 of left inner wall 500 in the vertical direction, and lower inner walls 351, 352, 353, 354, and 355 in the horizontal direction, forming a zigzag shape with a series of angular S-shapes. In other words, the cross-sectional shape of lower wall 300 is a shape in which lower inner walls 351 to 355 are bent consecutively so as to protrude in opposite directions.

[0215] In addition, the upper and lower end faces of the lower partition walls 341 to 343 and the lower inner walls 351 to 355 are all connected to and integrated with the lower wall main body 301 and the lower auxiliary wall 302, giving the lower wall 300 an extremely strong structure. This improves the load-bearing capacity of the lower wall 300 and also improves the rigidity of the bracket 6.

[0216] As described above, the partition wall extends in the same direction as the double wall (front-to-back direction), and is provided to separate the space inside the double wall. Both end faces are connected to both component faces of the double wall. The partition wall does not need to be substantially perpendicular to the double wall, nor does it need to be parallel to each other. The form, number, and shape of the partition wall are not important. The internal wall does not need to completely close the small space, as long as it is provided within the small space and both end faces are connected to the partition walls that form the small space. The internal wall, like the other wall surfaces, may be a curved, bent, or free-form surface.

[0217] (Double Wall: Left Inner Wall Surface) Next, the left inner wall surface 500 (section CC in Figure 30) will be described in detail. Like the right side wall surface 200, the left inner wall surface 500 is also configured as a double wall. As shown in Figures 24 and 25 , the left inner wall surface 500 has a left inner wall surface main body 501 and a left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 that are aligned in the left-right direction on surfaces that extend in the up-down direction, and these left inner wall surface main body 501 and left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 configure a double wall.

[0218] The inside of the double wall of the left inner wall surface 500, i.e., the space sandwiched between the left inner wall surface main body 501 and the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502, has a flat shape that is long in the vertical direction, and left inner partition walls 541, 542 are provided to vertically divide this elongated space. As shown in Figure 33A, left inner partition walls 541, 542 partition the inside of the double wall into three small spaces, left inner small spaces AR501, AR502, AR503, which are aligned vertically.

[0219] Of the three left interior small spaces AR501 to AR503 arranged vertically, the first left interior small space AR501, which is located at the top, has no interior wall. The second left interior small space AR502, which is located in the center, has a first left interior wall 551 that closes the front opening. The third left interior small space AR503, which is located at the bottom, has a second left interior wall 552 that closes the rear opening.

[0220] The left inner wall main body 501, the left inner auxiliary wall 502, and the left inner partition walls 541, 542 are provided to extend in the front-to-rear direction, and when viewed from the front, only the front end faces of the walls are visible. These front end faces have a uniform thickness, but are free-form, such as being curved or bent at multiple points.

[0221] For example, the upper part of the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 is connected to the upper wall surface 100 at a considerable incline to the right. Therefore, the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 cooperates with the left inner partition wall 541 to function as a rib between the left inner wall surface main body 501 and the upper wall surface 100. Furthermore, since the boss 71 is disposed on the left inner wall surface 500 so as to extend inward, the portion of the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 where the boss 71 is provided is curved in an arc shape to match the outer periphery of the boss 71 and become one with the boss 71. Furthermore, the second left inner partition wall 542 is formed so as to connect the curved portion of the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 to the lower auxiliary wall surface 302.

[0222] As shown in FIG. 33A , the vertical cross-sectional shape of the left inner wall surface 500 is an integrated shape with the boss 71 inserted, but is basically a continuous rectangular S-shape. In other words, the cross-sectional shape of the left inner wall surface 500 is a bent shape in which the first left inner wall 551 and the second left inner wall 552 sequentially protrude in opposite directions. As described above, the left inner wall surface 500 having such a shape has high load-bearing capacity in multiple directions and high rigidity. It is not necessary to provide an inner wall surface in all of the small spaces formed inside the double wall surface, as with the left inner wall surface 500. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 33A , bosses 71 or through holes may be provided in the wall surface.

[0223] In this embodiment, the lower portion of the left inner wall surface 500 is integrated with the lower wall surface 300. In addition, the upper portion of the left inner auxiliary wall surface 502 is provided at an angle, so that it also functions as a double wall surface with the upper wall surface 100. In this way, by forming the wall surface into a free-form surface, it is possible to form a wall surface that fulfills two or more roles.

[0224] (Double Wall: Upper Wall) Next, the right region of the upper wall 100, more specifically, the shape of the upper wall 100 of the storage space SP3 formed on the right, will be described. As shown in Figures 24 and 25 , the upper wall 100 has a very complex configuration, and includes an upper wall main body 101 that forms part of the outer shape of the bracket 6, a first upper auxiliary wall surface 102 and a second upper auxiliary wall surface 103 that are formed at an angle downward and to the right from the horizontal so as to connect the upper wall main body 101 and the right wall surface 200, a third upper auxiliary wall surface 104 and a fourth upper auxiliary wall surface 105 that are formed at an angle downward and to the left from the horizontal so as to connect the upper wall main body 101 and the right inner wall surface 600, and a fifth upper auxiliary wall surface 106 that connects the first upper auxiliary wall surface 102 and the second upper auxiliary wall surface 103.

[0225] In the upper wall surface 100, a plurality of auxiliary wall surfaces are provided at different angles, intersect with each other and are integrated, and the auxiliary wall surfaces also function as partition walls. By providing a plurality of auxiliary wall surfaces, at least a portion of the upper wall surface 100 is configured as a double wall, and further a portion of that is configured as a triple wall. In this way, a plurality of auxiliary wall surfaces may be provided in the peripheral wall surface 10, and at least a portion may be configured as not only a double wall, but also a triple wall or a quadruple wall.

[0226] The inside of the upper wall surface 100 is partitioned by upper auxiliary wall surfaces 102-106 to form eight small spaces, namely upper small spaces AR101-AR108. Some of the eight upper small spaces AR101-AR108 have internal walls that close the front or rear openings. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 33B , 24 , and 25 , a second upper internal wall 152 is formed to close the front opening of the central fourth upper small space AR104, which is partitioned by the first upper auxiliary wall surface 102, the second upper auxiliary wall surface 103, the third upper auxiliary wall surface 104, and the fourth upper auxiliary wall surface 105. In addition, the first upper small space AR101 and the eighth upper small space AR108, which are formed diagonally adjacent to the fourth upper small space AR104 above and below, have first upper internal walls 151 and third upper internal walls 153, respectively, that close the rear openings.

[0227] The upper wall surface 100 is formed by intersecting multiple auxiliary wall surfaces, each of which also functions as a partition wall, thereby forming at least a portion of the upper wall surface 100 as a double wall. As shown in FIG. 33B , the cross-sectional shape of the portion of the upper wall 100 where the internal walls are provided is a continuous S-shape. In other words, the cross-sectional shape of the portion of the upper wall 100 where the internal walls are provided is a bent shape in which the first upper internal wall 151, the second upper internal wall 152, and the third upper internal wall 153 sequentially protrude in opposite directions. As described above, the upper wall surface 100 configured in this manner has high load-bearing capacity in multiple directions and high rigidity. In the small spaces formed within the double wall, such as the upper wall surface 100, the locations where internal walls are provided or not provided are not particularly specified; internal walls may be provided in any of the small spaces, or no internal walls may be provided at all.

[0228] Although it is not specified whether any portion of the peripheral wall surface 10 of the bracket 6 is configured as a double wall, providing a double wall to reinforce load-bearing portions, such as support portions, is preferable because it significantly improves the rigidity of the bracket 6. For example, in the bracket 6 of this embodiment, the right side wall surface 200 and the bottom wall surface 300 connecting the three aiming support portions 9 are configured as double walls. In addition, the double-walled portion of the top wall surface 100, particularly the portion extending toward the right inner wall surface 600, extends from the upper right aiming support portion 9 to the lower left aiming support portion 9 and has multiple small spaces AR101, 104, 108. This is because the bracket 6 is supported at three locations where the aiming support portions 9 are provided, and the upper right, lower right, and lower left corners are particularly load-bearing portions, and the portions connected to these are primarily configured as double walls. By providing double walls at load-bearing portions, the increase in mass that would be otherwise caused by using a double-wall structure overall can be suppressed, thereby reducing the weight of the bracket 6 and appropriately improving its rigidity.

[0229] When simulation calculations were performed on the bracket 6 configured in this manner and a conventional bracket for comparison, i.e., a conventional bracket having a back wall but no double wall surface, the bracket 6 had a mass that was 24% lower and a maximum displacement that was 62% lower than the conventional bracket. By applying the above configuration, the bracket 6 according to this embodiment was lighter in weight than the conventional bracket, and at the same time, its rigidity was significantly improved.

[0230] As is clear from the above description, the bracket 6 according to this embodiment is lightweight yet highly rigid. However, as shown in FIGS. 28 and 29 , when lamp units LU1-LU3 equipped with a metal heat sink LU14, which is a highly rigid bracket fixture, are accommodated and fixed in the accommodation spaces SP1-SP3, the rigidity is further enhanced. The bracket 6 achieves high rigidity by having at least a portion of the partition peripheral wall, which is made up of the peripheral wall surface 10 and the right and left inner wall surfaces 600 and 500, configured as a double-wall structure. Even if the partition peripheral wall is not configured as a double wall, the frame shape having an upper surface, a lower surface, and both side surfaces ensures sufficient rigidity for fixing bracket fixtures such as the lamp units LU1-LU3. Even if the partition peripheral wall is not configured as a double wall, the rigidity of the bracket 6 can be further improved by accommodating and fixing highly rigid bracket fixtures such as the lamp units LU1-LU3 equipped with a metal heat sink LU14 in the accommodation spaces SP1-SP3, utilizing the rigidity of the fixed bracket fixture.

[0231] (Molding method) Next, the molding process and molding die for the bracket 6 configured as described above will be described. Figures 34A to 34C are schematic diagrams of the molding die for the bracket 6, and are explanatory diagrams for explaining the molding process. The cross-sectional lines of the cross-sectional views of the die shown in Figures 34A to 34C correspond to the A-A cutting line in Figure 31.

[0232] As shown in Figure 34A, first, the fixed mold 30 and the movable mold 40 are arranged facing each other and then clamped. The direction in which the molds are clamped and opened is referred to as direction DR. In the clamped state, a molding space (cavity) CAV corresponding to the shape of the bracket 6 is defined inside the mold. The molding space CAV is provided so that the extension direction (front-to-back direction) of the corresponding peripheral wall surface 10 of the bracket 6 coincides with the clamping direction DR.

[0233] 34B, a resin member heated to a predetermined melting temperature is injected into the molding space CAV and fills the molding space CAV. The resin member filled in the molding space CAV is cooled and solidified, and the bracket 6 is formed.

[0234] 34C, the molds are opened, the movable mold 40 is moved away in the direction DR, and the bracket 6, which is attached to the fixed mold 30, is pushed out and removed by an ejector pin (not shown). Because the bracket 6 is configured to extend along the mold opening direction DR, the movable mold 40 can be moved away in the direction DR without any problems. The bracket 6 is also pushed out from the fixed mold 30 along the direction DR and removed without any problems.

[0235] The bracket 6 is provided so as to extend in the front-to-rear direction, and the extension direction of the bracket 6 can be aligned with the mold opening direction DR of the mold, and the bracket 6 can be molded by injection molding using a mold. In this way, although the bracket 6 has a complex shape, it can be mass-produced by injection molding using a mold, resulting in high productivity.

[0236] The above describes preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, but the above embodiments are examples of the present disclosure, and these can be combined based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such forms are also included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[0237] As described above, this specification discloses the following: (1) A bracket member for a vehicle lamp that houses and fixes at least a portion of a lamp unit that emits light forward, the bracket member having a peripheral wall surface that opens in the front-rear direction and extends in the front-rear direction to define an accommodation space for the lamp unit, at least a portion of the peripheral wall surface being a double wall, and having a partition wall that separates the double wall and is sandwiched between the double walls to define small spaces extending in the front-rear direction. (2) The bracket member for a vehicle lamp described in (1), characterized in that at least one of the small spaces separated by the partition wall is provided with an internal wall that divides the small space in the front-rear direction, and in at least one pair of adjacent small spaces, the internal walls are provided so as to be staggered in the front-rear direction. (3) The bracket member for a vehicle lamp according to (2), wherein the inner wall is provided so as to close a front opening or a rear opening of at least one pair of adjacent small spaces, and a cross section in the front-to-rear direction including the partition wall and the inner wall is S-shaped. (4) The bracket member for a vehicle lamp according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the double walls are each a free-form surface extending in the front-to-rear direction. (5) The bracket for a vehicle lamp according to (2), wherein the bracket member comprises: a wall extending in the front-to-rear direction to form a tubular structure opening in the front-to-rear direction, and defining an accommodation space for accommodating and fixing at least a portion of at least one lamp unit that irradiates light forward; and at least one through-hole forming portion formed in the wall, the through-hole having a central through-hole and an outer shape generally similar to the through-hole, the wall extending in the front-to-rear direction so as to protrude from the wall in a direction intersecting the front-to-rear direction. (6) The bracket for a vehicle lamp according to (5), characterized in that the wall is a peripheral wall surface that defines the storage space. (7) The bracket for a vehicle lamp according to (5) or (6), characterized in that the wall divides the storage space into two or more spaces that open in the front-rear direction and has at least one intermediate wall that extends in the front-rear direction.(8) The vehicle lamp bracket according to any one of (5) to (7), characterized in that at least a portion of the wall is configured as a double wall, and the through-hole forming portion is provided on a wall surface of the portion of the wall configured as the double wall. (9) The vehicle lamp bracket according to any one of (5) to (8), characterized in that the wall surface is a free-form surface extending by extruding a free curve in the fore-and-aft direction. (10) The vehicle lamp bracket according to (8), characterized in that it further includes at least one partition wall that divides the inter-wall space extending in the fore-and-aft direction, defined between the double walls, into a plurality of small spaces extending in the fore-and-aft direction, and at least one of the partition walls is provided so as to cross the double walls. (11) The vehicle lamp bracket according to (10), characterized in that the through-hole forming portion is provided so that the outer circumferential edge portion contacts walls that define two or more of the small spaces defined by the partition wall that is provided so as to cross the double walls. (12) The bracket for a vehicle lamp according to either one of (10) or (11), characterized in that at least one of the small spaces separated by the partition wall is provided with an internal wall that closes the small space in the front-to-rear direction, and at least a pair of adjacent small spaces are each provided with the internal walls, and the internal walls are provided alternately in the front-to-rear direction. (13) A bracket for a vehicle lamp having an upper surface, a lower surface, and both side surfaces and a space that penetrates from the front side to the rear side, and in which at least a part of a highly rigid bracket fixture is housed and fixed, the bracket for a vehicle lamp being characterized in that a partition peripheral wall is provided to define within the space an accommodation space that houses the bracket fixture, and the partition peripheral wall is provided with a fixing part that fixes the bracket fixture. (14) The bracket for a vehicle lamp described in (13) is characterized in that at least a portion of the partition peripheral wall is formed in a double wall shape, and a partition wall is provided that connects this double wall portion at a distance in the longitudinal direction, and the small spaces separated by the partition wall are provided with internal walls that divide the small spaces in the front-to-rear direction, and the internal walls are provided so as to alternate in the front-to-rear direction in adjacent small spaces.(15) The bracket for a vehicle lamp according to (13) or (14), characterized in that at least a part of the partition peripheral wall has a longitudinal cross-sectional shape that is bent and continuous so as to protrude in opposite directions in sequence.

[0238] This application is based on Japanese Patent Applications No. 2023-100451, No. 2023-100452, and No. 2023-100455, filed on June 20, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A bracket member for a vehicle lamp, which houses and fixes at least a part of a lamp unit that emits light forward, the bracket member having a peripheral wall surface that opens in the fore-and-aft direction and extends in the fore-and-aft direction to partition an accommodation space for the lamp unit, at least a part of the peripheral wall surface being a double wall, the bracket member having a partition wall that separates the double walls and is sandwiched between the double walls to define a small space extending in the fore-and-aft direction.

2. A bracket member for a vehicle lamp as described in claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the small spaces separated by the partition wall is provided with an internal wall that divides the small space in the fore-and-aft direction, and in at least one pair of adjacent small spaces, the internal walls are provided so as to be staggered in the fore-and-aft direction.

3. A bracket member for a vehicle lamp as described in claim 2, characterized in that in at least one pair of adjacent small spaces, the inner wall is provided so as to close a front opening or a rear opening of the small space, and the cross-sectional shape in the fore-and-aft direction including the partition wall and the inner wall is S-shaped.

4. A bracket member for a vehicle lamp as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the double walls are free-form surfaces extending in the front-rear direction.

5. A bracket for a vehicle lamp comprising: a wall that extends in a fore-and-aft direction to form a tubular structure that opens in the fore-and-aft direction, and that defines an accommodation space for accommodating and fixing at least a portion of at least one lamp unit that irradiates light forward; and at least one through-hole forming portion that has a through-hole formed in the center, has an external shape roughly similar to that of the through-hole, and is provided on the wall so as to protrude from the wall in a direction intersecting the fore-and-aft direction, wherein the wall extends in the fore-and-aft direction so as to follow at least a portion of the outer circumferential edge of the through-hole forming portion.

6. The bracket for a vehicle lamp according to claim 5, wherein the wall is a peripheral wall surface that defines the storage space.

7. A bracket for a vehicle lamp as described in claim 5, characterized in that the wall divides the storage space into two or more spaces that open in the fore-and-aft direction and is provided with at least one intermediate wall that extends in the fore-and-aft direction.

8. A bracket for a vehicle lamp as described in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that at least a portion of the wall is configured as a double wall, and the through hole forming portion is provided on a wall surface of the portion of the wall configured as the double wall.

9. The vehicle lamp bracket according to claim 8, wherein the wall surface of the wall is a free-form surface extending by extruding a free-form curve in the front-rear direction.

10. A bracket for a vehicle lamp as described in claim 8, further comprising at least one partition wall that divides the inter-wall space extending in the fore-and-aft direction defined between the double walls into a plurality of small spaces extending in the fore-and-aft direction, and at least one of the partition walls is arranged so as to cross between the double walls.

11. A bracket for a vehicle lamp as described in claim 10, characterized in that the through hole forming portion is arranged so that the outer peripheral edge portion is in contact with a wall that defines two or more small spaces defined by the partition wall that is arranged to cross between the double walls.

12. A bracket for a vehicle lamp as described in claim 10, characterized in that at least one of the small spaces separated by the partition wall is provided with an internal wall that closes the small space in the fore-and-aft direction, and at least a pair of adjacent small spaces are each provided with the internal walls, which are arranged alternately in the fore-and-aft direction.

13. A bracket for a vehicle lamp having an upper surface, a lower surface, and both side surfaces, and a space extending from the front side to the rear side, in which a highly rigid bracket fixture is housed and fixed at least in part, characterized in that a partition peripheral wall is provided which defines an accommodation space within the space for accommodating the bracket fixture, and a fixing portion is provided on the partition peripheral wall for fixing the bracket fixture.

14. A bracket for a vehicle lamp as described in claim 13, characterized in that at least a portion of the partition peripheral wall is formed into a double wall shape, and a partition wall is provided which connects the double wall portion at a distance in the longitudinal direction, and an internal wall is provided in each small space separated by the partition wall which divides the small space in the fore-and-aft direction, and the internal walls are provided so as to be staggered in the fore-and-aft direction in adjacent small spaces.

15. The bracket for a vehicle lamp as described in claim 13, characterized in that at least a portion of the partition peripheral wall has a vertical cross-sectional shape that is bent and continuous so as to protrude in opposite directions in sequence.

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