Vehicle-mounted component and vehicle lamp

Abstract

A first member (2) is provided with: a first facing part (6) that faces a second member (3); a first locking part (7) that is provided to the first facing part (6); a pair of first cutout parts (10) that are provided on the back surface side of the first facing part (6); and an elastic piece (11) that is positioned between the pair of first cutout parts (10) and can be elastically displaced; and a second cutout part (12) that is provided on the base end side of the elastic piece (11). The second member (3) has a second facing part (8) that faces the first member (2), and a second locking part (9) that is provided to the second facing part (8). The first locking part (7) and the second locking part (9) are locked to each other, thereby attaching the second member (3).

Description

Vehicle mounted parts and vehicle lighting fixtures

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-009787, filed on January 25, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] For example, a vehicle lamp mounted on a vehicle has a structure in which components such as a light source, inner lens, reflector, extension, and bracket are arranged inside a lamp body made up of a housing with an opening at the front and an outer lens that covers the opening of the housing, and these components are attached to the inside of the lamp body (see, for example, Patent Document 1 listed below).

[0003] Specifically, Patent Document 1 listed below describes a light guide that is attached to a reflector, and that emits light by totally reflecting the light incident from the entrance surface at the longitudinal end and guiding it along the longitudinal direction, whereby the light is reflected by a cut surface formed on the back surface and the reflected light is emitted in a forward direction from an exit surface formed on the front surface.The light guide is attached to the reflector by having an attachment rib protruding from the back surface toward the rear surface and engaging a hook or hook formed in the attachment rib with a hook or hook hole formed in the reflector.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-041388

[0005] Incidentally, in the invention described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, although the light guide is attached to the reflector by engaging the hook with the hook hole, no consideration is given to disengaging the hook from the hook hole to remove the light guide from the reflector, and the structure makes it difficult to disengage the hook from the hook hole.

[0006] In particular, when the hook and the hook hole are engaged from the front side of the lamp body, it is extremely difficult to release the engagement between the hook and the hook hole from the front side of the lamp body and remove the light guide from the reflector. Furthermore, if you try to forcibly release the engagement between the hook and the hook hole, there is a risk of plastic deformation or damage to the hook.

[0007] An aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle-mounted component that allows the engagement between the first and second engagement portions to be easily released from the front side of the first member in a structure in which the second member is detachably attached to the front side of the first member by engaging a first engagement portion on the first member with a second engagement portion on the second member, and a vehicle lamp equipped with such a vehicle-mounted component.

[0008] The present invention provides the following configuration: [1] A vehicle-mounted component includes a first member and a second member to be mounted on a vehicle, wherein the first member has a first opposing portion facing the second member, a first locking portion provided in the first opposing portion, a pair of first notches cutting the first opposing portion from an end on a rear side toward a front side, an elastic piece positioned between the pair of first notches and elastically displaceable toward an opposite side to the side facing the second member, and a second notch positioned on a base end of the elastic piece cutting the first opposing portion from an end on a front side toward a rear side, the second member has a second opposing portion facing the first member and a second locking portion provided in the second opposing portion, wherein the first locking portion and the second locking portion are locked to each other, thereby attaching the second member to the front side of the first member. [2] The vehicle-mounted component described in [1], characterized in that the first member has a pair of third notches located on both sides of the second notch and outside the pair of first notches, cutting out the first opposing portion from the front end toward the back side. [3] The vehicle-mounted component described in [2], characterized in that the first member has a pair of fourth notches located outside the pair of third notches, cutting out the first opposing portion from the back end toward the front side. [4] The vehicle-mounted component described in [1], characterized in that the engaged state between the first locking portion and the second locking portion is released by elastically displacing the elastic piece from the front side of the first member toward the side opposite to the side facing the second opposing portion. [5] The vehicle-mounted component described in [1], characterized in that a plurality of the first locking portions and the second locking portions are provided on the first opposing portion and the second opposing portion. [6] The vehicle-mounted component described in [1], characterized in that the first member is a case having an opening on the front side, the second member is a cover that closes the opening of the case, the first opposing portion has a flat plate shape and is arranged with a gap between it and the peripheral wall portion of the case, and the second opposing portion has a flat plate shape and is arranged so as to be able to enter the gap from the front side of the case.[7] The vehicle-mounted component according to [6], characterized in that a replacement part is disposed inside the case. [8] A vehicle lamp including the vehicle-mounted component according to any one of [1] to [7].

[0009] As described above, according to the aspects of the present invention, in a structure in which the first locking portion on the first member and the second locking portion on the second member are locked together, thereby allowing the second member to be detachably attached to the front side of the first member, a vehicle-mounted component is provided in which the locked state between the first locking portion and the second locking portion can be easily released from the front side of the first member, and a vehicle lamp equipped with such a vehicle-mounted component is provided.

[0010] Fig. 4 is a front view showing a vehicle lamp including a vehicle-mounted component according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted component shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle-mounted component shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a top view of the vehicle-mounted component shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle-mounted component taken along line V-V shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle-mounted component taken along line VI-VI shown in Fig. 4.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used in the following description, the dimensions of the components may be shown at different scales to make them easier to see, and the dimensional ratios of the components may not necessarily be the same as those in reality.

[0012] As an embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle lamp 100 including a vehicle-mounted component 1 shown in, for example, FIGS. 1 to 6 will be described.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a vehicle lamp 100 equipped with a vehicle-mounted component 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle-mounted component 1. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle-mounted component 1. FIG. 4 is a top view of the vehicle-mounted component 1. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle-mounted component 1 taken along line V-V shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle-mounted component 1 taken along line VI-VI shown in FIG. 4.

[0014] In addition, in the drawings shown below, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is set up, with the X-axis direction representing the front-to-rear direction (length direction) of the vehicle lamp 100, the Y-axis direction representing the left-to-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle lamp 100, and the Z-axis direction representing the up-to-down direction (height direction) of the vehicle lamp 100.

[0015] 1, the present invention is applied to a front combination lamp mounted on both corners of the front end of a vehicle. In this embodiment, the vehicle lamp 100 mounted on the right front corner will be illustrated and described.

[0016] The vehicle lamp 100 of this embodiment comprises a lamp unit 102 arranged inside a lamp body 101 and a distance image sensor 103 mounted on the front side of the lamp body 101 .

[0017] The lamp body 101 is composed of a housing with an opening at the front and a transparent outer lens that covers the opening of the housing. The shape of the lamp body 101 can be changed as needed to suit the design of the vehicle.

[0018] The lighting unit 102 has a low beam lamp 104 that emits a low beam toward the front of the vehicle, a high beam lamp 105 that emits a high beam toward the front of the vehicle, a position lamp 106 that emits white light, and a turn lamp 107 that flashes with orange light.

[0019] In the vehicle lamp 100 of this embodiment, a low beam lamp 104 located on the inside in the vehicle width direction and a high beam lamp 105 located on the outside in the vehicle width direction are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction. In addition, a position lamp 106 and a turn signal lamp 107 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction above and outside the high beam lamp 105 in the vehicle width direction. The distance image sensor 103 is arranged below and outside the high beam lamp 105 in the vehicle width direction.

[0020] It should be noted that the vehicle lighting fixture 100 is not necessarily limited to this configuration, and the arrangement and shape of the lamps 104 to 107 and the distance image sensor 103 can be changed as appropriate to suit the design of the vehicle, etc.

[0021] In addition to the above-mentioned lamp unit 102, components such as extensions and brackets are also arranged inside the lamp body 101, and these components are attached to the inside of the lamp body 101 to form the above-mentioned front combination lamp.

[0022] The distance image sensor 103 constitutes the vehicle-mounted component 1 of this embodiment as shown in, for example, FIGS.

[0023] Specifically, this vehicle-mounted component 1 has a housing 4 composed of a case 2 having an opening 2a on the front side and a cover lens 3 that closes the opening 2a of the case 2, and has a configuration in which a sensor unit 5 that employs a method such as LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) or TOF (Time of Flight) is arranged inside this housing 4.

[0024] The housing 4 is attached integrally with the outer lens, with the case 2 embedded in a recess provided in the outer lens on the front side of the lamp body 101 shown in Fig. 1. The cover lens 3 is also positioned so as to be flush with the front side of the outer lens.

[0025] In the vehicle-mounted component 1, a cover lens 3, which is a second member, is detachably attached to the front side of a case 2, which is a first member. This allows the sensor unit 5, which is a replaceable part arranged inside a housing 4, to be replaced.

[0026] The case 2 has a bottom wall portion 2b that forms the back side of the housing 4, an outer peripheral wall portion 2c that rises forward from around the bottom wall portion 2b, and an inner peripheral wall portion 2d that rises forward from the inside of the outer peripheral wall portion 2c, and is formed as a roughly rectangular box overall, with the front end of the inner peripheral wall portion 2d opening as an opening 2a.

[0027] The cover lens 3 has a top wall portion 3a that forms the front side of the housing 4, and a peripheral wall portion 3b that rises from the periphery of the top wall portion 3a toward the rear side, and is formed into a generally rectangular lid shape overall.

[0028] The housing 4 is configured such that the peripheral wall portion 3b of the cover lens 3 is fitted between the outer peripheral wall portion 2c and the inner peripheral wall portion 2d of the case 2, thereby causing the cover lens 3 to close the opening 2a of the case 2.

[0029] The vehicle-mounted component 1 of this embodiment has a first engaging portion 7 provided on a first opposing portion 6 facing the cover lens 3 of the case 2, and a second engaging portion 9 provided on a second opposing portion 8 of the cover lens 3 facing the case 2, and has a hook-fastening structure in which the first engaging portion 7 and the second engaging portion 9 are engaged with each other, thereby providing an attachment structure in which the cover lens 3 is attached to the front side of the case 2.

[0030] In the vehicle-mounted component 1 of this embodiment, two hook fastening structures are provided on the upper sides of the case 2 and the cover lens 3, which are symmetrical to each other.

[0031] In the vehicle-mounted component 1 of this embodiment, the hook fastening structures can be provided not only on the upper sides of the case 2 and the cover lens 3 but also on the lower sides and both left and right side surfaces of the case 2 and the cover lens 3, as necessary. In addition, the number and intervals at which the hook fastening structures are arranged can also be changed as appropriate.

[0032] The first opposing portion 6 has a flat plate shape and is disposed with a gap S between it and the upper outer peripheral wall portion 2c of the case 2. The first opposing portion 6 is formed integrally with the case 2 via a connecting portion 2e that connects the rear end portion of the first opposing portion 6 to the upper outer peripheral wall portion 2c.

[0033] A plurality of first locking portions 7 (two in this embodiment) are provided side by side in the longitudinal direction (vehicle width direction) of the first opposing portion 6. In this embodiment, the first locking portions 7 are configured by claw portions (locking protrusions) protruding from the surface (lower surface) of the first opposing portion 6 that faces the second opposing portion 8.

[0034] The first opposing portion 6 has a pair of first notches 10 located on both sides of the first engaging portion 7, an elastic piece 11 located between the pair of first notches 10, a second notch 12 located on the base end side of the elastic piece 11, a pair of third notches 13 located on both sides of the second notch 12 and outside the pair of first notches 10, and a pair of fourth notches 14 located outside the pair of third notches 13.

[0035] Of these, the pair of first notches 10 and the pair of fourth notches 14 are formed so as to cut out the first opposing portion 6 from the end on the rear side toward the front side, while the second notch 12 and the pair of third notches 13 are formed so as to cut out the first opposing portion 6 from the end on the front side toward the rear side.

[0036] As a result, a serpentine portion 6a is formed in the first opposing portion 6, which serpentines between the pair of first notches 10 and the pair of fourth notches 14 and the second notch 12 and the pair of third notches 13.

[0037] The elastic piece 11 is formed by a portion that protrudes toward the rear surface side from between the pair of first cutout portions 10. As a result, the elastic piece 11 forms a flexible portion that can be elastically displaced toward the opposite side (upward) from the side facing the second facing portion 8. The first locking portion 7 is provided at a position facing the second locking portion 9 on the tip side of the elastic piece 11.

[0038] The second opposing portion 8 has a flat plate shape and is provided so as to protrude rearward from the outside of the peripheral wall portion 3b. The second opposing portion 8 is provided so as to be able to enter the gap S between the first opposing portion 6 and the front side of the case 2. The second opposing portion 8 is also capable of penetrating the gap S and protruding rearward beyond the rear end of the first opposing portion 6. Therefore, the connecting portions 2e of the first opposing portion 6 are provided on both sides of the second opposing portion 8.

[0039] Furthermore, the width W2 of the second opposing portion 8 is larger than the width W1 of the elastic piece 11, and the width W2 of the second opposing portion 8 is smaller than the width W3 of the meandering portion 6a of the first opposing portion 6.

[0040] A plurality of second locking portions 9 (two in this embodiment) are provided side by side in the longitudinal direction (vehicle width direction) of the second opposing portion 8. In this embodiment, the second locking portions 9 are configured as hole portions (locking recesses) penetrating the surface (top surface) of the second opposing portion 8 that faces the first opposing portion 6. Note that the locking recesses are not limited to the above-described hole portions, and may be holes formed by recessing the surface (top surface) of the second opposing portion 8 that faces the first opposing portion 6.

[0041] In the vehicle-mounted component 1 of this embodiment having the above-described configuration, when the cover lens 3 closes the opening 2a of the case 2, the second opposing portion 8 enters the gap S between the first opposing portion 6 and the cover lens 3 from the front side of the case 2, thereby locking the first locking portion 7 and the second locking portion 9 to each other. This makes it possible to attach the cover lens 3 to the front side of the case 2.

[0042] On the other hand, in the vehicle-mounted component 1 of this embodiment, the engagement between the first engaging portion 7 and the second engaging portion 9 is released by elastically displacing (flexibly deforming) the elastic piece 11 from the front side of the case 2 toward the side opposite (upward) to the side facing the second opposing portion 8. This allows the cover lens 3 to be removed from the front side of the case 2.

[0043] As described above, in the vehicle-mounted component 1 of this embodiment, by providing the serpentine portion 6a formed by the first to fourth notches 10, 12, 13, and 14 in the first opposing portion 6 described above, it is possible to ensure an elastic displacement amount (flexural deformation amount) of the elastic piece 11 sufficient to release the engagement state between the first engagement portion 7 and the second engagement portion 9.

[0044] Furthermore, in the vehicle-mounted component 1 of this embodiment, even from the front side of the case 2, it is possible to make it easier for the elastic piece 11 to be elastically displaced (flexibly deformed) from the base end side of the elastic piece 11 where the above-mentioned second cutout portion 12 is located toward the opposite side (upper side) from the side facing the second opposing portion 8 through the gap S between the first opposing portion 6 and the second opposing portion 8.

[0045] Therefore, in the vehicle-mounted component 1 of this embodiment, the first locking portion 7 provided on the first opposing portion 6 and the second locking portion provided on the second opposing portion 8 are locked to each other, so that in an attachment structure in which the cover lens 3 is attached to the front side of the case 2, the locked state between the first locking portion 7 and the second locking portion 9 can be released from the front side of the case 2, and the cover lens 3 can be easily removed from the case 2.

[0046] Furthermore, in the vehicle-mounted component 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent plastic deformation and breakage of the elastic piece 11 even when the cover lens 3 is repeatedly attached to and detached from the case 2. That is, by providing the serpentine portion 6a in the first opposing portion 6 described above, it is possible to make the amount of elastic displacement (amount of deflection deformation) of the elastic piece 11 required to release the locked state between the first locking portion 7 and the second locking portion 9 smaller than the amount of displacement of the elastic piece 11 when a yield stress (plastic deformation) is applied to the elastic piece 11.

[0047]

[0033] It should be noted that the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the mounting structure for the vehicle-mounted component 1 described above, the locking protrusions such as claws that constitute the first locking portion 7 are configured to lock into the locking recesses such as holes or apertures that constitute the second locking portion 9. However, the opposite configuration, that is, the locking protrusions such as claws that constitute the second locking portion 9 are formed in the locking recesses such as holes or apertures that constitute the first locking portion 7, may be used as long as the first locking portion 7 and the second locking portion 9 can be locked to each other.

[0048] Furthermore, in the mounting structure for the vehicle-mounted component 1, the serpentine portion 6a is formed between the pair of first notches 10 and the pair of fourth notches 14 and the second notches 12 and the pair of third notches 13. On the other hand, it is also possible to omit the pair of fourth notches 14 and form the serpentine portion 6a between the pair of first notches 10 and the second notches 12 and the pair of third notches 13, while ensuring the elastic displacement (flexural deformation) of the elastic piece 11 necessary to release the locked state between the first locking portion 7 and the second locking portion 9, or to omit the pair of third notches 13 and the pair of fourth notches 14 and form the serpentine portion 6a between the pair of first notches 10 and the second notches 12.

[0049] Furthermore, in the mounting structure of the vehicle-mounted component 1, two symmetrical serpentine portions 6a are provided on both the left and right sides of the first opposing portion 6 described above, but these serpentine portions 6a may also form serpentine portions that are continuous with each other.

[0050] Furthermore, the above-described vehicle-mounted component 1 illustrates a configuration in which the cover lens 3, which is the second component, is detachably attached to the front side of the case 2, which is the first component. However, the present invention can be widely applied to vehicle-mounted components that include a first component and a second component mounted on a vehicle, and in which the second component is detachably attached to the front side of the first component. For example, examples of combinations of the first component and the second component include a bracket and an inner lens, an inner lens and an extension, and a housing and an outer lens.

[0051] Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted component 1 is configured to include the above-mentioned sensor unit 5 as a replacement part, but the replacement part is not particularly limited, and it is also possible to configure the component to include a light source such as a lamp as a replacement part.

[0052] Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted components to which the present invention is applied are not limited to those mounted on the front side of the vehicle, such as the front combination lamp described above, but may also be those mounted on the rear side of the vehicle, such as rear combination lamps.

[0053] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Vehicle-mounted component 2...Case (first member) 3...Cover lens (second member) 4...Housing 5...Sensor unit (replacement component) 6...First opposing portion 7...First locking portion 8...Second opposing portion 9...Second locking portion 10...First cutout portion 11...Elastic piece 12...Second cutout portion 13...Third cutout portion 14...Fourth cutout portion 100...Vehicle lamp 101...Lamp body 102...Lamp unit 103...Distance image sensor (vehicle-mounted component) S...Gap

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted component, comprising a first member and a second member mounted on a vehicle, wherein the first member has a first opposing portion facing the second member, a first locking portion provided on the first opposing portion, a pair of first notches that notch the first opposing portion from the end on the back side toward the front side, an elastic piece located between the pair of first notches and capable of elastically displacing toward the side opposite to the side facing the second member, and a second notch that notches the first opposing portion from the end on the front side toward the back side and is located on the proximal end side of the elastic piece; the second member has a second opposing portion facing the first member and a second locking portion provided on the second opposing portion; and the second member is attached to the front side of the first member by locking the first locking portion and the second locking portion to each other.

2. The vehicle-mounted component according to claim 1, wherein the first member has a pair of third notches that notch the first opposing portion from the end on the front side toward the back side and are located on both sides sandwiching the second notch and outside the pair of first notches.

3. The vehicle-mounted component according to claim 2, wherein the first member has a pair of fourth notches that notch the first opposing portion from the end on the back side toward the front side and are located outside the pair of third notches.

4. The vehicle-mounted component according to claim 1, wherein the locking state between the first locking portion and the second locking portion is released by elastically displacing the elastic piece from the front side of the first member toward the side opposite to the side facing the second opposing portion.

5. The vehicle-mounted component according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the first locking portions and the second locking portions are provided on the first opposing portion and the second opposing portion.

6. The vehicle-mounted component according to claim 1, wherein the first member is a case having an opening on the front side, the second member is a cover that closes the opening of the case, the first opposing portion has a flat plate shape and is disposed with a gap between it and the peripheral wall portion of the case, and the second opposing portion has a flat plate shape and is provided so as to be able to enter the gap from the front side of the case.

7. The vehicle-mounted component according to claim 6, wherein a replacement part is arranged inside the case.

8. A vehicle lamp provided with the vehicle-mounted component according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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