Bracket member for vehicle lamp

Abstract

Provided is a bracket member having a bearing part provided on a side wall surface with the bearing part axially supporting a shaft body, the bracket member being configured such that: the side wall surface is a double wall comprising an inner wall and an outer wall and has formed therein a through hole that penetrates the inner wall and the outer wall; a recess is formed in the inner wall from an end surface of the inner wall to the through hole with the recess being recessed towards the outer wall, and a tongue part projecting toward the through hole is formed from an end of the recess that faces the through hole; and a shaft fitting part recessed in an arc shape is formed at the tip of the tongue part. By merely inserting the shaft body from the recess, the shaft body is inserted into the through hole, the tongue part serves as a stopper, and the shaft body can be fitted to the bearing part by a one-touch operation.

Description

Bracket member for vehicle lighting fixture

[0001] The present invention relates to a bracket member for a vehicle lamp.

[0002] In vehicle lamps, a bracket member that supports at least a portion of a lamp (lamp unit) disposed within a lamp chamber may be provided with a bearing that supports a shaft (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a shaft that is integrated with a portion of the lamp (reflector) is rotatably fitted into a bearing provided on the bracket member, and the reflector is supported so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis.

[0003] In recent years, vehicle lighting fixtures have been required to be lightweight from the perspective of carbon neutrality, and brackets that secure lamp units are also required to be lightweight while maintaining rigidity. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a bracket member in which a locking portion that supports a light source and a reflector and a bearing portion for 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.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-134980 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-165130

[0005] However, in Patent Document 1, the bearing portion is simply formed as an engagement hole provided horizontally on the inside of the side surface of the bracket member, and in order to fit the shaft portion to the bearing portion, it is necessary to elastically deform the bracket member or the shaft portion, or to forcibly fit the shaft portion into the shaft hole by using backlash. This does not allow for proper fitting when the shaft portion has high rigidity and is difficult to elastically deform, for example, when it is made of a metal material rather than a resin material, or when the shaft diameter is large. To solve this problem, another part is used to fit the shaft portion to the bearing, but the fitting process is time-consuming.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and provides a bracket member provided with a bearing portion into which a shaft body can be easily fitted.

[0007] Furthermore, the bracket member of Patent Document 2 has a problem in that the locking portion, bearing portion, and pier are on the same plane, and the bracket member as a whole is configured to be planar, so even though it is lightweight, it has low rigidity for supporting a lamp unit.

[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] In order to solve the above problems, in one aspect of the present disclosure, a bracket member is provided with a bearing portion on a side wall surface that supports a shaft, the side wall surface being a double wall consisting of an inner wall and an outer wall, with a through hole formed through the inner wall and the outer wall, the inner wall being formed with a recess that is recessed toward the outer wall from the end face of the inner wall to the through hole, and the bracket member is configured so that it has a tongue portion that protrudes toward the through hole from the end of the recess facing the through hole, and the tip of the tongue portion is formed with an axis fitting portion that is recessed in an arc shape.

[0010] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a bracket member that houses and fixes at least a portion of a lamp unit that emits light forward has front and rear openings, extends in the front-to-rear direction, and has a circular-shaped peripheral side wall that defines an accommodation section for the lamp unit on the inside, at least a portion of the peripheral side wall is formed as a double wall, and the double wall has an inner wall that is sandwiched between the double walls and extends circumferentially of the peripheral side wall at an intermediate portion spaced from both the front and rear openings.

[0011] (Function) A bracket having a circularly shaped peripheral side wall that extends forward and backward and has openings at the front and rear is formed at least partially as a double wall, and has an inner wall sandwiched between the double walls along the circumferential direction, making it lighter than if the entire peripheral side wall were a single thick wall, and has strong rigidity against bending stresses that occur around an axis extending along the front and rear direction due to the inner wall extending along the circumferential direction.

[0012] As is clear from the above description, it is possible to provide a bracket member provided with a bearing portion into which a shaft body can be easily fitted.

[0013] Furthermore, according to the bracket member for a vehicle lamp, the double wall provided on at least a portion of the peripheral side wall and the internal wall between the double walls enable the bracket member to be made lighter while maintaining strong rigidity against bending stresses generated around an axis extending along the fore-and-aft direction.

[0014] 4 is a schematic front view of a vehicle lamp including a bracket member according to a preferred embodiment. It shows a state before a shaft is fitted into the bracket member. It shows a state after the shaft has been fitted into the bracket member. A perspective view of the bracket member. A front view of the bracket member. A rear view of the bracket member. A side view of the bracket member. A cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 4. An end view taken along line B-B in FIG. 4. A bearing portion of the bracket member, showing portion D in FIG. 3. A side view of the bearing portion. A bearing portion of the bracket member, showing portion D in FIG. 3. It shows an inner perspective view of the bearing portion as seen from the inner peripheral wall side. It shows the bearing portion of the bracket member, showing portion D in FIG. 3. It shows an outer perspective view of the bearing portion as seen from the outer peripheral wall side. It shows a fitting process of the shaft. It shows a fitting process of the shaft. It shows a fitting process of the shaft. It is a schematic front view of a vehicle lamp having a bracket member according to an embodiment. It is a perspective view of the bracket member as seen from above diagonally forward left. A front view of the bracket member. A rear view of the bracket member. 12 is a left side view of the bracket member, FIG. 12 is an end view of the bracket member of FIG. 12 cut at the position of the symbol A-A, and FIG. 12 is an end view of the bracket member of FIG. 12 cut at the position of the symbol B-B.

[0015] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention 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.

[0016] (Vehicle Lamp) FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a vehicle lamp 1 including a bracket member 4 according to a preferred embodiment of the configuration of the present disclosure. The vehicle lamp 1 is a headlamp and is mounted on each of the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle. The vehicle lamp 1 includes a lamp body 2 and a front cover 3 as lamp housings. The lamp body 2 is a housing with an opening at the front, and the front cover 3 is attached to the opening to form a lamp chamber S inside. The front cover 3 is a so-called outer cover, and is a substantially transparent lens made of a translucent resin such as polycarbonate. However, the front cover 3 may be formed with an optical step for diverging or diffusing light emitted from a light source when each lamp is turned on.

[0017] A lamp unit LU journaled by a shaft 90 on a bracket member 4 is housed within the defined lamp chamber S. The lamp unit LU is an optical unit configured to project light forward and form a predetermined light distribution, such as a high beam distribution or a low beam distribution. The light emitted from the lamp unit LU is projected toward a front cover 3 disposed in front of the vehicle, passes through the front cover 3, and forms a predetermined light distribution in front of the vehicle. The lamp unit LU may be a conventionally known lighting unit of any type, such as a reflector type or projector type.

[0018] (Fitting of shaft body) The lamp unit LU is integrated with a horizontally disposed shaft body 90, and is supported by the bracket member 4 by the shaft body 90 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. Figures 2A and 2B show the fitted state of the bracket member 4 and the shaft body 90. Figure 2A shows the state before the shaft body 90 is fitted to the bracket member 4. Figure 2B shows the state after the shaft body 90 has been fitted to the bracket member 4.

[0019] 2A and 2B , the shaft 90 is inserted into a horizontal through-hole (not shown) provided in the lamp unit LU and is integrated with the lamp unit LU, with ends of the shaft 90 protruding from the left and right side surfaces of the lamp unit LU. In this embodiment, the shaft 90 and the lamp unit LU are configured as separate bodies and are combined to form an integrated body, but this is not limiting, and a pair of shafts protruding in the left and right directions from the sides of the lamp unit LU may also be provided as part of the lamp unit LU.

[0020] The bracket member 4 is composed of a peripheral side wall having a circular shape. Bearings 80 are provided on a pair of opposing wall surfaces of the peripheral side wall. In this embodiment, the bearings 80 are provided on the left and right side wall surfaces. The shaft 90 integrated with the lamp unit LU is inserted and fitted into the bearings 80 in a horizontal position from the front of the bracket member 4, and is supported by the bearings 80 so that it can rotate freely around the horizontal axis. In this way, the bearings 80 of the bracket member 4 are configured so that the shaft 90 can be fitted in with a single touch.

[0021] (Bracket Member) First, the shape of the bracket member 4 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 3 to 6. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the bracket member 4. Figure 4 is a front view of the bracket member 4. Figure 5 is a rear view of the bracket member 4. Figure 6 is a side view of the bracket member 4. Figures 7A and 7B are end views of the bracket member 4. Figure 7A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 4. Figure 7B is an end view taken along line B-B in Figure 4.

[0022] The bracket member 4 is composed of a circularly shaped peripheral wall 6. The circularly shaped peripheral wall 6 is formed in a circular shape by a top wall 7, a bottom wall 8, a left side wall 9, and a right side wall 10. The peripheral wall 6 extends in the front-to-rear direction and has a front end opening 17 and a rear end opening 18.

[0023] At least a portion of the peripheral side wall 6 is formed as a double wall 21 consisting of an outer peripheral wall 19 and an inner peripheral wall 20. Specifically, as shown in Figures 3 to 6, in the peripheral side wall 6 of this embodiment, except for the thick wall 12 of the top wall 7, the top wall 7, the bottom wall 8, the left side wall 9, and the right side wall 10 are all formed as double walls 21 consisting of the outer peripheral wall 19 and the inner peripheral wall 20. The peripheral side wall 6 is formed to extend in the front-to-rear direction, and the space inside the double-wall portion is also formed to extend in the front-to-rear direction.

[0024] The double wall 21 has an inner wall 13 on the inside. The inner wall 13 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral wall 19 and the inner peripheral wall 20 at a position (intermediate portion) spaced apart from both the front end opening 17 and the rear end opening 18.

[0025] The thickness of the inner wall 13 is uniform and approximately the same as that of the outer peripheral wall 19 and the inner peripheral wall 20, and the thickness direction is the front-to-rear direction, and the outer peripheral wall 19 and the inner peripheral wall 20 are connected to each other at both end faces to form an integrated unit. The inner wall 13 is provided so as to divide the space between the outer peripheral wall 19 and the inner peripheral wall 20 in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, when the bracket member 4 is viewed from the front or rear, the flat surface of the inner wall 13 can be seen between the outer peripheral wall 19 and the inner peripheral wall 20 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

[0026] In the bracket member 4 of this embodiment, the inner wall 13 is formed circumferentially around the entire periphery of the double wall 21, except for the left end 12a to the right end 12b of the thick wall 12 that forms part of the top wall 7.

[0027] The bracket member 4 has a circular peripheral side wall 6 that has front and rear openings and extends in the front-to-rear direction, and the portion excluding the thick wall 12 is formed as a double wall, and has an inner wall 13 that is sandwiched between the double walls 21 along the circumferential direction. This makes the bracket member 4 lighter than if the entire peripheral side wall were made of a single thick wall, and the inner wall 13 that extends along the circumferential direction gives the bracket member 4 strong rigidity against bending stress that occurs around an axis that extends along the front-to-rear direction.

[0028] Furthermore, the bracket member 4 of this embodiment has a plurality of branch walls 14 on the inside, sandwiched between the outer peripheral wall 19 and the inner peripheral wall 20 that constitute the double wall 21. The branch walls 14 have a uniform thickness that is approximately the same as that of the outer peripheral wall 19, the inner peripheral wall 20, and the interior wall 13, and the thickness direction is the circumferential direction. The outer peripheral wall 19 and the inner peripheral wall 20 are connected and integrated at both end faces. A plurality of branch walls 14 are provided around the entire circumferential direction so as to circumferentially partition the space between the outer peripheral wall 19 and the inner peripheral wall 20. Therefore, when the bracket member 4 is viewed from the front or rear, the end faces of the branch walls 14 can be seen between the outer peripheral wall 19 and the inner peripheral wall 20 (see FIGS. 3 and 4 ).

[0029] Some branch walls 14 are formed to extend in the front-rear direction from the front end surface to the rear end surface of the bracket member 4 so as to penetrate the inner wall 13, and are connected to and integrated with the inner wall 13. However, the branch walls 14 may be formed to extend from the inner wall 13 to either the front end surface or the rear end surface of the peripheral side wall 6.

[0030] The branch walls 14 provide the bracket member 4 with high rigidity against bending stresses that occur around an axis extending along the circumferential direction of the peripheral side wall 6 .

[0031] Although the bracket member 4 of this embodiment has the inner wall 13 over the entire circumferential area of ​​the double wall 21, excluding the thick wall 12 that is not a double wall, this is not limited to this, and the inner wall 13 may be formed only on a portion of the inside of the double wall. In other words, the space inside the double wall 21 is divided into several spaces in the circumferential direction by the branch walls 14 provided in the circumferential direction, and the inner wall 13 is provided to close these divided spaces, but some of the spaces divided in the circumferential direction may not have the inner wall 13 and may be formed as spaces that penetrate from front to back.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 7A , it is preferable that the inner wall 13 is provided so as to connect openings provided in the peripheral side wall 6 for attaching parts, such as the through holes of the bearing portion 80 described later, since this can suppress a decrease in the rigidity of the bracket member 4 due to the provision of openings in the peripheral side wall 6.

[0033] The bracket member 4 thus formed to extend in the front-to-rear direction can be produced by injection molding using a mold by aligning the front-to-rear direction, which is the extension direction of the peripheral side wall 6, with the mold separation direction. The inner wall 13 is provided corresponding to the parting line between the movable mold and the fixed mold, and the front surface is molded by the molding surface of one mold, and the back surface is molded by the molding surface of the other mold. In this way, the bracket member 4 has a shape that is suitable for injection molding.

[0034] (Bearings) Bearings 80 are provided on the left side wall 9 and the right side wall 10 of the bracket member 4. A pair of bearings 80 are formed on the opposing left side wall 9 and right side wall 10. The pair of bearings 80 are formed symmetrically. The bearing 80 provided on the left side wall 9 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 8A to 8C.

[0035] 8A to 8C show the bearing portion 80 (part D in FIG. 4) provided on the left side wall 9. FIG. 8A is a side view of part D. FIG. 8B is a perspective view of part D as seen from the inner peripheral wall side. FIG. 8B mainly shows the configuration of the inner peripheral wall 20 side of the bearing portion 80. FIG. 8C is a perspective view of part D as seen from the outer peripheral wall side. FIG. 8C mainly shows the configuration of the outer peripheral wall 19 side of the bearing portion 80. See also the cross-sectional view of the bearing portion 80 in FIG. 7B and part D in the front view of the bracket member 4 in FIG. 4.

[0036] As described above, the left side wall 9 is a side wall surface of the bracket member 4, and since the entire left side wall 9 is a double wall, it has an inner peripheral wall 20 as an inner wall and an outer peripheral wall 19 as an outer wall. As shown in Figures 8A to 8C, a through hole 83 is formed in the left side wall 9, penetrating the inner peripheral wall 20 and the outer peripheral wall 19. The through hole 83 is generally rectangular, with one side on the rear end side of the rectangle bulging out in a semicircular shape.

[0037] A recess 81 recessed toward the outer peripheral wall 19 is formed in the inner peripheral wall 20 of the bearing portion 80 in the region from the front end surface of the inner peripheral wall 20 to the through hole 83. The recess amount (width W, which is the distance from the inner peripheral wall 20 toward the outer peripheral wall, see FIG. 4 ) of the recess 81 is approximately half the thickness of the left side wall 9, i.e., approximately half the distance from the inner peripheral wall 20 to the outer peripheral wall 19.

[0038] Recess 81 is formed by bending inner circumferential wall 20 toward outer circumferential wall 19. Therefore, an upper surface 81a, a side surface 81b which is the bottom surface of recess 81, and a lower surface 81c which constitute recess 81 all constitute part of inner circumferential wall 20. Height H (see FIG. 4) of recess 81 is equal to the height of through hole 83, and upper surface 81a and lower surface 81c of recess 81 are formed by extending rearward from the front end surface of inner circumferential wall 20 to constitute recess 81, and continue to extend rearward to constitute part of the wall surface which defines through hole 83 and connect to curved surface 84 which defines the semicircular portion of through hole 83.

[0039] A tongue 85 that protrudes toward the through hole 83 is provided at the end (rear end) of the recess 81 facing the through hole 83. The tip of the tongue 85 is formed with a shaft fitting portion 85a that is recessed forward in an arc shape.

[0040] Specifically, the rear end of the recess 81 facing the through hole 83 is the rear end surface of the side surface 81 b, and a tongue 85 protrudes from the rear end surface of the side surface 81 b. As shown in Fig. 7B, the thickness of the tongue 85 is the same as the thickness of the side surface 81 b at the base end, and gradually increases toward the right side (inside) where the inner circumferential wall 20 is located toward the tip end, reaching a maximum thickness at the tip end.

[0041] As shown in Figure 8A, the shaft body 90 is clamped in the rear region of the through hole 83 between a curved surface 84, which is the wall surface of the through hole 83 and has an arc shape when viewed from the side, and the shaft fitting portion 85a at the tip of the tongue portion 85, and is held rotatably around a horizontal axis.

[0042] As described above, the peripheral side wall 6 is a double wall consisting of the inner peripheral wall 20 and the outer peripheral wall 19, and the internal space of the double wall is provided with the inner wall 13 and the branch wall 14. In the left side wall 9, the inner wall 13 is configured as a substantially vertical surface extending in the up-down direction, and the branch wall 14 is configured as a horizontal surface.

[0043] As shown in Figures 8B, 8C and 4, inside the left side wall 9, which is a double wall, a first auxiliary wall 14a is provided as a horizontal surface between the recess 81 of the inner wall 20 and the outer wall 19, and is connected to and integrated with the inner wall 20 and the outer wall 19.

[0044] The first auxiliary wall 14 a is one of the branch walls 14 , and like the other branch walls 14 , connects the inner peripheral wall 20 and the outer peripheral wall 19 to improve the rigidity of the left side wall 9 .

[0045] As shown in FIG. 7A , the inner wall 13 provided inside the left side wall 9 is connected to the wall surfaces defining the through hole 83, i.e., the boundary points between the upper surface 81 a, the lower surface 81 c, and the curved surface 84. Because the through hole 83 reduces the rigidity of the left side wall 9, the inner wall 13 is connected to and integrated with the wall surfaces of the through hole 83 to suppress this reduction in rigidity. In addition, a second auxiliary wall 14 b is provided as a horizontal surface connected to the curved surface 84 of the through hole 83 and sandwiched between the inner peripheral wall 20 and the outer peripheral wall 19. The second auxiliary wall 14 b is a branch wall 14 connected to the wall surfaces of the through hole 83.

[0046] The bearing portion 80 is a portion that is particularly subjected to load among the bracket member 4 because it is provided with the through hole 83 and the shaft 90 is inserted into the through hole 83 to hold the shaft 90. Providing the first auxiliary wall 14a, the second auxiliary wall 14b, the inner wall 13, and the like on the bearing portion 80 as in this embodiment is preferable because it increases the rigidity of the bearing portion 80.

[0047] The tongue portion 85 is configured to be particularly thick at the tip end. By thickening the shaft fitting portion 85a that abuts against the shaft body 90, the contact area with the shaft body 90 can be increased, and the shaft body 90 can be supported more stably.

[0048] 7A and 8A to 8C, auxiliary through holes 88, 88 are provided above and below the through hole 83 as through holes separate from the through hole 83. As described above, the bracket member 4 is molded by injection molding in a mold, with the mold separation direction (the mold removal direction of the molded bracket member 4) aligned with the front-to-rear direction in which the peripheral side wall 6 extends.

[0049] The through hole 83 and the tongue portion 85 are formed by a nest provided in the molding die. The sliding direction of this nest is the left-right direction, which is the extension direction of the through hole 83. By providing the auxiliary through hole 88, a third auxiliary wall 89 is provided as a vertical surface that defines the auxiliary through hole 88. The third auxiliary wall 89 is equivalent to the internal wall 13, and is formed by being sandwiched between the outer peripheral wall 19 and the inner peripheral wall 20, and is further connected to and integrated with the upper surface 81 a and the lower surface 81 c, thereby improving the rigidity of the bearing portion 80.

[0050] Providing the auxiliary through-holes 88 can further reduce the weight of the bracket member 4 and improve the breathability of the bracket member 4. This allows the heat generated from the lamp unit LU arranged inside the bracket member 4 to be dissipated efficiently.

[0051] (Fitting of the Shaft Body) The fitting of the shaft body 90 to the bearing portion 80 will be described using Figures 9A to 9C. Figures 9A to 9C show the process of fitting the shaft body 90 to the bearing portion 80. Figures 9A to 9C are end views corresponding to line B-B in Figure 4. See also Figures 2A and 2B.

[0052] Shaft body 90 is a rod-shaped body with a circular cross section, and is made up of a shaft body main body 92 and a reduced diameter portion 91 provided at the end of shaft body main body 92. First, as shown in Figure 9A, recess 81 of bearing portion 80 is formed from the front end surface of inner peripheral wall 20 to through-hole 83, and shaft body 90 is inserted horizontally into recess 81 from the front with reduced diameter portion 91 aligned with recess 81 (white arrow in Figure 9A). Next, as shown in Figure 9B, when shaft body 90 is guided into recess 81 and pushed rearward, reduced diameter portion 91 abuts against tongue portion 85 that bulges inward, and as shaft 90 is further pushed in, tongue portion 85 elastically deforms outward (toward outer peripheral wall 19) (black arrow in Figure 9B).

[0053] As shown in Figure 9C, when the shaft body 90 is pushed further rearward and reaches the through hole 83, the reduced diameter portion 91 fits into the through hole 83, the elastic deformation of the tongue portion 85 is released, and the shaft body 90 is rotatably supported in the through hole 83.

[0054] The reduced diameter portion 91 fits into the through hole 83, and the step between the reduced diameter portion 91 and the shaft body main body 92 engages with the opening peripheral edge of the inner peripheral wall 20 (the peripheral end of the through hole 83), providing stable support for the shaft body 90. The tongue portion 85 elastically deforms to fit the shaft body 90 into the through hole 83, and once the shaft body 90 is fitted, the load on the tongue portion 85 is released and the tongue portion 85 returns to its original state, where it acts as a retainer for the shaft body 90. The shaft body 90 is sandwiched between the arc-shaped curved surface 84 and the shaft fitting portion 85a in a side view, and is supported in the through hole 83 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. In this way, the shaft body 90 is fitted into the bearing portion 80 with a single touch.

[0055] Because the wall surface on which the bearing portion 80 is provided is a double wall surface, the surface area in contact with the shaft body 90 can be made larger than in a single wall surface, and an area for firmly supporting the shaft body 90 can be sufficiently secured, and the rigidity is high, allowing the shaft body 90 to be axially supported stably. A recess 81 recessed from the front end face of the double wall acts as a guide to guide the movement of the shaft body 90.

[0056] When the shaft body 90 is fitted, the tongue portion 85 elastically deforms, so there is no need for the shaft body 90 to elastically deform, and even if the shaft body 90 is highly rigid, such as when it is made of a metal material, when it has a large diameter, or when it is provided so as to protrude from the lamp unit LU, it can be fitted into the bearing portion 80 without any problems. There is no need to use any other parts for fitting, and the bearing portion 80 is structured so that the shaft body 90 can be easily fitted into it.

[0057] Second Embodiment A second embodiment of a bracket member of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 10 to 15B. In each figure, the directions of a vehicle lamp 1001 and the bracket member will be described as (upper: lower: left: right: front: rear = Up: Lo: Le: Ri: Fr: Re).

[0058] Fig. 10 shows a front view of a vehicle lamp 1001 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle lamp 1001 in Fig. 10 comprises a lamp body 1002 and a transparent or translucent lamp cover 1003 that closes the front of the lamp body 1002 and defines a lamp chamber S therein. A lamp unit 1005 is attached to the lamp chamber via a bracket member 1004, and light waves from the lamp unit 1005 pass through the lamp cover 1003 and are irradiated forward.

[0059] 11 to 15B, a bracket member 1004 according to this embodiment will be described. The bracket member 1004 is composed of a peripheral side wall 1006 having a circular shape. The peripheral side wall 1006 is formed in a circular shape by a top wall 1007, a bottom wall 1008, a left side wall 1009, and a right side wall 1010 that are continuous at positions 1006a to 1006b. The peripheral side wall 1006 also extends forward and backward and has a front end opening 1017 and a rear end opening 1018.

[0060] At least a portion of the peripheral side wall 1006 is formed as a double wall 1021 made up of an outer peripheral wall 1019 and an inner peripheral wall 1020. Specifically, as shown in Figures 11 to 14, in the peripheral side wall 1006 of this embodiment, except for the thick wall 1012 of the top wall 1007, the top wall 1007, the bottom wall 1008, the left side wall 1009, and the right side wall 1010 are all formed as double walls 1021 made up of the outer peripheral wall 1019 and the inner peripheral wall 1020.

[0061] 11 to 13 and 15A and 15B , the double wall 1021 has an inner wall 1013 on the inside. The inner wall 1013 is sandwiched between the outer peripheral wall 1019 and the inner peripheral wall 1020 at a position (middle portion 1013b) spaced apart from both the front end opening 1017 and the rear end opening 1018. In the bracket member 1004 of this embodiment, the inner wall 1013 is formed in the circumferential direction over the entire double wall 1021, from the left end 1012a to the right end 1012b of the thick walls 1012 that constitute a pair of circumferential ends of the double wall.

[0062] The bracket member 1004 has a front end opening 1017 and a rear end opening 1018, extends forward and backward, and has a circularly shaped peripheral side wall 1006. The portion excluding the thick wall 1012 is formed as a double wall 1021, and has an inner wall 1013 sandwiched between the double wall 1021 along the circumferential direction. This makes the bracket member 1004 lighter than if the entire peripheral side wall 1006 were a single thick wall, and the inner wall 1013 extending along the circumferential direction gives the bracket member 1004 strong rigidity against bending stresses that occur around an axis extending along the forward and backward direction.

[0063] 11 to 13, the double wall 1021 has a plurality of first branch walls 1014 on the inside thereof, which are sandwiched between the outer peripheral wall 1019 and the inner peripheral wall 1020. As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the plurality of first branch walls 1014 are formed to extend from the inner wall 1013 extending in the circumferential direction to the front end opening 1017 and the rear end opening 1018.

[0064] 15A and 15B , the first branch wall 1014 extending from the inner wall 1013 to the front end opening 1017 and the rear end opening 1018 provides the bracket member 1004 with high rigidity against bending stress occurring around an axis extending along the circumferential direction of the peripheral side wall 1006. Note that, as long as sufficient bending rigidity against bending stress about an axis extending along the circumferential direction of the bracket member 1004 can be obtained, the first branch wall 1014 may be formed to extend to either the front end opening 1017 or the rear end opening 1018 to further reduce weight.

[0065] 15A , the bracket member 1004 may be formed in a portion of the inside of the double wall 1021 so as to fill one of the pair of adjacent circumferential ends, with the left and right ends 1012a, 1012b of the thick wall 1012 as a pair of circumferential ends of the double wall 1021. In other words, a portion of the region between adjacent circumferential ends may be formed in a cylindrical shape penetrating from front to back without the inner wall 1013.

[0066] Furthermore, the inner wall 1013 may be formed integrally with both ends of a pair of adjacent circumferential end portions as in this embodiment, or may be formed integrally with only one of the pair of circumferential end portions, with the other circumferential end portion being formed so as to have a cavity penetrating in the front-to-rear direction without being integrated with the inner wall 1013. In this way, the bracket member 1004 can be made even lighter while maintaining the necessary and sufficient rigidity against bending stress generated around an axis extending in the front-to-rear direction.

[0067] 11 to 14 and 15B, the left side wall 1009 and the right side wall 1010 of the bracket member 1004 each have a component mounting portion 1016 that is integrated with part of the double wall 1021. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15B, the pair of component mounting portions 1016 are composed of a first pivot support portion 1016a having a concave semicircular shape and a second pivot support portion 1016b having a concave arc-shaped tip and installed facing each other in front of the first pivot support portion 1016a. The lamp unit 1005 in FIG. 10 is supported between the first pivot support portion 1016a and the second pivot support portion 1016b of each component mounting portion 1016 on the left and right side walls 1009 and 1010 by a cylindrical shaft member (not shown).

[0068] 15B , the component mounting portion 1016 is formed integrally with the upper and lower inner walls 1013. By being sandwiched inside the double wall 1021 and being integrated with the inner wall 1013 extending in the circumferential direction of the peripheral side wall 1006, the component mounting portion 1016 also has high rigidity against bending stress occurring around an axis extending along the front-rear direction.

[0069] 12 and 15B , the double wall 1021 extends from the first pivot support portion 1016 a of the component mounting portion 1016 to the rear end opening 1018 and has a second branch wall 1015 formed integrally with the outer peripheral wall 1019 on the inside. The component mounting portion 1016 is integrally formed with the outer peripheral wall 1019 via the second branch wall 1015 extending in the front-to-rear direction of the peripheral side wall 1006, and thus has high rigidity against bending stress generated around an axis extending along the circumferential direction of the peripheral side wall 1006. Note that the second branch wall 1015 formed integrally with the outer peripheral wall 1019 may also be formed from the second pivot support portion 1016 b to the rear end opening 1018.

[0070] 15B , the part mounting portion 1016 is integrally formed with the first branch wall 1014 by a pair of third branch walls 1016c extending upward and downward from the part mounting portion 1016 in front of the inner wall 1013. The pair of third branch walls 1016c integrally formed with the upper and lower first branch walls 1014 provides the part mounting portion 1016 with even greater rigidity against bending stress generated around an axis extending along the front-to-rear direction.

[0071] The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the above embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, 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 invention.

[0072] As described above, this specification discloses the following: (1) A bracket member having a side wall surface provided with a bearing portion that supports a shaft, wherein the side wall surface is a double wall consisting of an inner wall and an outer wall, and a through hole is formed that penetrates the inner wall and the outer wall, a recess is formed in the inner wall from an end face of the inner wall to the through hole toward the outer wall, a tongue is formed from an end of the recess facing the through hole toward the through hole, and a shaft fitting portion that is recessed in an arc shape is formed at the tip of the tongue. (2) The bracket member described in (1), wherein the double walls have a branch wall that is sandwiched between the double walls and is integrated with the inner wall and the outer wall, and is provided between the recess of the inner wall and the outer wall. (3) The bracket member according to (1) or (2), characterized in that the double wall has front and rear openings and is configured as a part of a circularly shaped peripheral side wall extending in the front-to-rear direction, the double wall having an inner wall sandwiched between the double walls and extending along the circumferential direction of the peripheral side wall in an intermediate portion spaced apart from both the front and rear openings. (4) A bracket member for a vehicle lamp that houses and fixes at least a part of a lamp unit that irradiates light forward, the bracket member having front and rear openings, a circularly shaped peripheral side wall extending in the front-to-rear direction and defining an accommodating portion for the lamp unit on the inside, at least a part of the peripheral side wall being formed as a double wall, the double wall having an inner wall sandwiched between the double walls and extending along the circumferential direction of the peripheral side wall in an intermediate portion spaced apart from both the front and rear openings. (5) The bracket member for a vehicle lamp according to (4), characterized in that the double wall has a pair of circumferential end portions, and the inner wall is formed integrally with at least one of the pair of circumferential end portions. (6) The bracket member for a vehicle lamp according to (4) or (5), characterized in that the double wall has a first branch wall sandwiched between the double walls and formed to extend from the inner wall to at least one of the front and rear openings.(7) The bracket member for a vehicle lamp according to any one of (4) to (6), characterized in that the double wall has a component mounting portion at least in a portion thereof, and the inner wall is integrally formed with the component mounting portion. (8) The bracket member for a vehicle lamp according to (7), characterized in that the double wall has a second branch wall sandwiched between the double walls and formed to extend from the component mounting portion to at least one of the front and rear openings.

[0073] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2023-100454 and 2023-100453, filed on June 20, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A bracket member having a side wall surface provided with a bearing portion for supporting a shaft, the side wall surface being a double wall consisting of an inner wall and an outer wall, with a through hole formed through the inner wall and the outer wall, the inner wall being formed with a recess extending from an end face of the inner wall to the through hole towards the outer wall, a tongue portion being formed from an end of the recess facing the through hole towards the through hole, and a shaft fitting portion recessed in an arc shape being formed at a tip of the tongue portion.

2. A bracket member as described in claim 1, characterized in that a branch wall is sandwiched between the double walls and integrated with the inner wall and outer wall, and is provided between the recess of the inner wall and the outer wall.

3. A bracket member as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the double walls have front and rear openings, are configured as part of a circularly shaped peripheral side wall extending in the front-to-rear direction, and the double walls have an inner wall in an intermediate portion spaced apart from both the front and rear openings, the inner wall being sandwiched between the double walls and extending circumferentially of the peripheral side wall.

4. A bracket member for a vehicle lamp which houses and fixes at least a part of a lamp unit which emits light forward, the bracket member having front and rear openings, extending in the front-to-rear direction, and having a circular shaped peripheral side wall which defines an accommodation section for the lamp unit on the inside, at least a part of the peripheral side wall being formed as a double wall, the double wall having an inner wall at an intermediate portion spaced from both the front and rear openings, the inner wall being sandwiched between the double walls and extending circumferentially of the peripheral side wall.

5. A bracket member for a vehicle lamp as described in claim 4, characterized in that the double wall has a pair of circumferential ends, and the inner wall is formed integrally with at least one of the pair of circumferential ends.

6. A bracket member for a vehicle lamp as described in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the double walls have a first branch wall sandwiched between the double walls and extending from the inner wall to at least one of the front and rear openings.

7. A bracket member for a vehicle lamp as claimed in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the double wall has a part mounting portion at least in a portion thereof, and the inner wall is formed integrally with the part mounting portion.

8. A bracket member for a vehicle lamp as described in claim 7, characterized in that the double walls have a second branch wall sandwiched between the double walls and extending from the component mounting portion to at least one of the front and rear openings.

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