Vehicle lamp, housing, method for manufacturing housing, and method for manufacturing vehicle lamp

Abstract

A vehicle lamp (10) comprises a housing (46), an outer lens (14) that forms a lamp chamber (16) by covering an opening of the housing (46), an electronic component that is provided within the lamp chamber (16), a wire harness (34) that supplies electric power to the electronic component, and a hook-and-loop fastener (44) that fixes the wire harness (34) to the housing (46).

Description

Vehicle lighting fixture, housing, housing manufacturing method, and vehicle lighting fixture manufacturing method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle lamp, a housing, a method for manufacturing a housing, and a method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp.

[0002] Various ideas have been proposed for fixing a cord for supplying power to a light source of a vehicle lamp within a housing. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cord clamp structure for a vehicle lamp in which three support posts are provided on the back surface of the housing in parallel with one another along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a hook claw is formed at the tip of each support post, the distance between adjacent hook claws is set smaller than the outer diameter of the cord, a cord holding portion is formed between the parts of the adjacent support posts other than the hook claws, and the width of the cord holding portion is set approximately equal to the outer diameter of the cord.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a vehicle lamp that includes a lamp body that is open at the front and a lamp cover that is made of a translucent resin and is attached to the opening of the lamp body to form a lamp chamber, with the lamp body and lamp cover fastened together with screws.

[0004] Patent Document 3 discloses a structure in which, to waterproof a vehicle lamp, a seal groove is formed in the front opening of the lamp body, and an elastic seal material is filled into the engagement part with the seal leg of the front lens to seal the engagement part.

[0005] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-130367 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-177854 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-349094

[0006] However, the cord clamp structure described in Patent Document 1 requires that three hook claws be provided on the housing at each fastening point to prevent the cord from shifting or coming off due to vibration. Furthermore, at the fastening point, the cord must be U-shaped and pushed between adjacent hook claws, leaving room for improvement in terms of operability.

[0007] A first object of the present disclosure is to provide a new technique for fixing a cord in a predetermined position.

[0008] When a lamp body and a lamp cover are fastened together with screws, as in the vehicle lamp disclosed in Patent Document 2, bosses and recesses with screw holes must be formed in each part. This makes the part shape complex. Furthermore, in some cases, the mold used to manufacture the parts must be designed to take into account thick portions such as bosses. Furthermore, multiple parts must be fastened together with screws after being assembled, which increases assembly costs.

[0009] A second object of the present disclosure is to provide a new technique for easily fastening components together.

[0010] In recent years, recycling of various parts has been recommended, and vehicle lighting fixtures are no exception. However, the elastic seal material inserted between two parts, such as the vehicle lighting fixture of Patent Document 3, is often firmly adhered to the parts, leaving room for improvement in the ease of disassembling the parts.

[0011] A third object of the present disclosure is to provide a new technique for fixing components that constitute a vehicle lamp together.

[0012] A vehicle lamp according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a housing, an outer lens that covers an opening of the housing to form a lamp chamber, electronic components provided within the lamp chamber, a harness that supplies power to the electronic components, and a hook-and-loop fastener that secures the harness to the housing.

[0013] The housing according to one aspect of the present disclosure forms a lamp chamber of a vehicle lamp, and has a plurality of hook portions that function as hook-and-loop fasteners on an inner surface facing the lamp chamber.

[0014] A method for manufacturing a housing according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a housing that constitutes a lamp chamber of a vehicle lamp. The method includes the steps of preparing a first mold for a core and a second mold for a cavity, combining the first mold and the second mold and injecting resin into a cavity between the first mold and the second mold, separating the first mold and the second mold after the cavity is filled with resin, and removing the housing from the first mold that is held by the first mold separated from the second mold. The first mold has a molding surface on which a plurality of fine recesses that become hook portions of a hook-and-loop fastener are formed.

[0015] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicle lamp comprising a first resin molded part that constitutes the vehicle lamp, a second resin molded part that constitutes the vehicle lamp and is assembled to the first resin molded part, and a hook-and-loop fastener that secures the first resin molded part to the second resin molded part.

[0016] A vehicle lamp according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes a lamp body that forms part of the lamp chamber of the vehicle lamp, a translucent member that is attached to an opening of the lamp body to form the lamp chamber, a hook-and-loop fastener that fixes the translucent member to the lamp body, and a sealing member that is sandwiched between the lamp body and the translucent member to seal the inside of the lamp chamber.

[0017] A method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes the steps of preparing a lamp body that constitutes a part of a lamp chamber of the vehicle lamp, preparing a light-transmitting member that is to be attached to an opening of the lamp body to form the lamp chamber, and attaching the light-transmitting member to the opening of the lamp body. The attaching step includes a clamping step of clamping a sealing member that seals the interior of the lamp chamber between the lamp body and the light-transmitting member, and a fixing step of fixing the light-transmitting member to the lamp body with a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0018] According to the present disclosure, a new technique for fixing a cord in a predetermined location can be realized.

[0019] According to the present disclosure, components can be easily fixed to each other.

[0020] According to the present disclosure, a new technique for fixing components that constitute a vehicle lamp together can be realized.

[0021] 1 is a front view of a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating an example of a hook-and-loop fastener. FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustrating a state in which a wire harness is fixed to a housing using a hook-and-loop fastener. FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating another aspect of the engaging portion of the hook-and-loop fastener. FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating a mold used in a manufacturing method for a housing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a vehicle lamp according to a second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a design member of a vehicle lamp according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a rear view of an outer lens according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating an example of a hook-and-loop fastener. FIG. 11 is a schematic view illustrating another aspect of the engaging portion of the hook-and-loop fastener. FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a main part of the vehicle lamp of FIG. 7 taken along line XII-XII. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lamp equipped with an electronic unit. FIG. 14 is a schematic view illustrating an example of an arrangement of hook-and-loop fasteners and sealing members when an opening of a lamp body is viewed from the front. FIG. 15 is a schematic view illustrating another example of an arrangement of hook-and-loop fasteners and sealing members when an opening of a lamp body is viewed from the front. FIG. 16 is a schematic view illustrating an example of a hook-and-loop fastener. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another aspect of the engaging portion of the hook and loop fastener. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the relationship between the diameter of the O-ring and the height of the hook portion of the hook and loop fastener. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the mounting step in the manufacturing method for a vehicle lamp. Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the mounting step in the manufacturing method for a vehicle lamp. Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining a modified example of the mounting step in the manufacturing method for a vehicle lamp.

[0022] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings based on preferred embodiments. The same or equivalent components, parts, and processes shown in each drawing are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted where appropriate. Furthermore, the embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention.

[0023] (First embodiment) Fig. 1 is a front view of a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vehicle lamp according to the first embodiment. The vehicle lamp 10 shown in Fig. 1 is a vehicle headlamp. The vehicle lamp 10 includes a lamp body 12 having a horizontally elongated opening formed on the front surface, and an outer lens 14 attached to the periphery of the opening of the lamp body 12 so as to cover the horizontally elongated opening.

[0024] The lamp body 12 is formed of one or more housing components. The outer lens 14 covers an opening of the lamp body 12 to form a lamp chamber 16. A lamp unit 18 is disposed within the lamp chamber 16. The lamp unit 18 includes a semiconductor light-emitting element 20 (e.g., a light-emitting device (LED)) serving as a light source, a reflector 22 that reflects light emitted downward from the semiconductor light-emitting element 20 forward, a circuit board 24 on which the semiconductor light-emitting element 20 is mounted, and a connector 26 mounted on the circuit board 24. The lamp unit 18 irradiates the light reflected by the reflector 22 to the outside via the outer lens 14. The vehicle lamp 10 of the first embodiment includes three lamp units 18 arranged side by side (in the vehicle width direction), and the light distribution patterns of the respective units are combined to form a low beam light distribution pattern and a high beam light distribution pattern.

[0025] An electronic unit 28 is disposed below the lamp chamber 16. The electronic unit 28 controls the lighting of the semiconductor light-emitting elements 20 of each lamp unit 18, and is equipped with various passive and active elements, connectors 30, 32, etc. A wire harness 34 is connected to the connector 30 for transmitting control signals output from the vehicle main body and for supplying power. The wire harness 34 is drawn into the lamp body 12 from an opening 12a provided on the back surface of the lamp body 12.

[0026] One end of a wire harness 36, which transmits power and signals for controlling the light emission of the semiconductor light-emitting elements 20, is connected to the connector 32 of the electronic unit 28. The other end of the wire harness 36 is connected to the connector 26. In this manner, the wire harnesses 34, 36 are used to supply power to the electronic unit 28 and the semiconductor light-emitting elements 20. The electronic unit 28 and the semiconductor light-emitting elements 20 are examples of electronic components, and the wire harnesses 34, 36 are examples of harnesses. Note that the vehicle lamp 10 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with three electronic units 28 for each lamp unit 18. The connector 32 of each electronic unit 28 is connected to the connector 26 of each semiconductor light-emitting element 20, but this configuration is not limited thereto. For example, a wire harness connected to one electronic unit 28 may branch midway and be connected to the connectors 26 of each semiconductor light-emitting element 20. Furthermore, the wire harness 34 for transmitting control signals output from the vehicle body and supplying power may be connected to the connector 30 of one electronic unit 28 without branching midway.

[0027] The vehicle lamp 10 according to the first embodiment also includes a leveling device 38 that adjusts the illumination range (vertical direction) of the vehicle lamp 10, which is a headlight, in accordance with the fore-and-aft inclination of the vehicle. The leveling device 38 is fixed to a housing component that forms the lamp body 12. In the leveling device 38, a rod 38a that moves in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle due to movement of the actuator is tiltably engaged with the fixed portion 18a of the unit bracket. The orientation of the optical axis of the lamp unit 18 is adjusted by pushing or pulling the fixed portion 18a of the lamp unit 18.

[0028] The lamp unit 18 also supports aiming screws 40, 42 below the rod 38a of the leveling device 38 in a state in which they can rotate freely but cannot move in the fore-and-aft direction (axial direction). The aiming screws 40, 42 are spaced apart in the left-right direction of the vehicle, with their rear ends protruding rearward from the lamp body 12 and tiltably engaging with fixed portions 18b, 18c of the unit bracket. The unit bracket is supported on the lamp body 12 via the leveling device 38 and the aiming screws 40, 42. Leveling adjustment, up-down aiming adjustment, and left-right aiming adjustment are performed by moving the rod 38a back and forth or rotating the aiming screws 40, 42.

[0029] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the wire harnesses 34, 36, etc. are routed in gaps inside the lamp chamber 16. When routing the wire harnesses 34, 36, etc., consideration must be given to interference with other components and unevenness inside the lamp chamber. In particular, when a movable component such as the lamp unit 18 that tilts due to leveling adjustment or aiming adjustment is present inside the lamp chamber 16, the gap between the movable component and other components fluctuates, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 2. Therefore, the wire harness must be fixed to the housing of the lamp body so that it does not move in a predetermined routing state.

[0030] Therefore, in the vehicle lamp 10 according to the first embodiment, a hook-and-loop fastener 44 is used to fasten the wire harnesses 34, 36 to the housing. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the hook-and-loop fastener. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the wire harness is fastened to the housing 46 by the hook-and-loop fastener.

[0031] The hook-and-loop fastener 44 shown in Figure 3 has an engaging portion 48 consisting of multiple hook portions 48a provided on the housing 46, and an engaged portion 50 consisting of multiple loop portions 50a fixed to the wire harness 34 (36).

[0032] The engaging portion 48 has a plurality of hook portions 48a arranged two-dimensionally on the surface of a plate 48b. A plurality of through holes 48c are formed in the plate 48b. The housing 46 has a plurality of positioning bosses 46a for fixing the engaging portion 48 in a predetermined position. The positioning bosses 46a have their tips heat-caulked while protruding from the through holes 48c, thereby fixing the engaging portion 48 to the housing 46. In this way, when the plurality of hook portions 48a are separate components fixed to the housing 46, the plurality of hook portions 48a can be fixed to locations other than predetermined locations on the housing 46. As a method for fixing the plurality of hook portions 48a, the plate 48b on which the plurality of hook portions 48a are provided may be screwed to a fixing portion or attached using an adhesive or double-sided tape.

[0033] Furthermore, if the multiple hook portions 48a are separate components from the housing 46, they may be formed from a different material than the housing 46. In this way, the housing 46 can be formed from a first material suitable for the properties required for the housing 46, and the hook portions 48a can be formed from a second material suitable for the properties required for the hook portions 48a.

[0034] Meanwhile, the engaged portion 50 has a plurality of loop portions 50a arranged two-dimensionally on the surface of the plate 50b. The engaged portion 50 is fixed to the wire harness 34 with double-sided tape 52 attached to the back surface of the plate 50b. The loop portion 50a is formed by arranging a large number of annular raised portions on the plate 50b. When the annular raised portions come into contact with the hook portion at the tip of the hook portion 48a, the outer shape of the annular raised portions changes or the orientation of the annular portions changes, thereby engaging with the hook portion of the hook portion 48a. The tip of the hook portion 48a may have any shape as long as it is bent, and may be bent (folded) at a 90-degree angle as illustrated in FIG. 3, bent in an arc, or may be spherical with a larger shaft diameter at the tip.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the hook-and-loop fastener's engaging portion. The hook portion 48a of the engaging portion 54 shown in FIG. 5 is integrally molded with the housing 46. This reduces the number of parts and eliminates the need for a process for attaching the hook portion 48a to the housing 46. As shown in FIG. 4, the hook-and-loop fastener 44 secures the wire harness 34 to the housing 46 by contacting and applying pressure between the engaging portion 48 and the engaged portion 50 in an opposing state. The wire harness 34 is secured to the housing 46 by the single hook-and-loop fastener 44 so as not to shift in any of the vehicle longitudinal direction (X direction), vehicle width direction (Y direction), and vehicle up-down direction (Z direction). Here, securing the wire harness 34 to the housing 46 by contact between the engaging portion 48 and the engaged portion 50 includes microscopic engagement between the contacting tips of the hook portion 48a and the loop portion 50a.

[0036] Furthermore, the housing 46 according to the first embodiment is a resin part manufactured using a mold. If the hook portions 48a are separate parts from the housing 46, the hook portions 48a may be arranged side by side so that the direction in which the shafts of the hook portions 48a extend is different from the direction in which the housing 46 is removed from the mold. This allows for the shape and layout of the hook portions 48a to be freely set.

[0037] Furthermore, when the hook portions 48a are molded integrally with the housing 46, the hook portions 48a may be formed from a material different from that of the housing 46. This allows the housing 46 to be formed from a first material that is suitable for the characteristics required of the housing 46, while also being formed from a second material that is suitable for forming the hook portions 48a having a complex shape by force removal using a mold. In this case, the second material (e.g., PBT (polybutylene terephthalate)) is preferably a material that is not easily damaged even when the hook portions 48a are forcefully removed from the mold.

[0038] As described above, the housing 46 according to this embodiment forms the lamp chamber 16 of the vehicle lamp 10. Furthermore, a plurality of hook portions 48a that function as hook-and-loop fasteners 44 are provided on the inner surface on the lamp chamber 16 side. As a result, the wire harness 34 is fixed to a predetermined location in the housing 46 by the hook-and-loop fasteners 44.

[0039] Next, an example of a manufacturing method for the housing 46 according to the first embodiment will be described. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating molds used in the manufacturing method for the housing according to the first embodiment. This manufacturing method includes the steps of preparing a first core-side mold 56 and a second cavity-side mold 58, combining the first mold 56 and the second mold 58 and injecting resin into a cavity C formed between the first mold and the second mold, separating the first mold 56 and the second mold 58 after the cavity C is filled with resin 60, and removing the housing 46 held by the first mold 56 separated from the second mold 58 from the first mold 56. Note that the combination of the core-side mold and the cavity-side mold is not limited to the configuration described above.

[0040] First mold 56 has a molding surface on which a plurality of fine recesses 56a that become hook portions 48a of hook-and-loop fastener 44 are formed. As a result, hook portions 48a of hook-and-loop fastener 44 are formed integrally with the inner surface of housing 46 by a manufacturing method using a mold. In fine recesses 56a, direction D1 from the opening toward the bottom is aligned with direction D2 in which housing 46 is removed from first mold 56. As a result, hook portions 48a can be easily formed using a mold.

[0041] Second Embodiment Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a vehicle lamp according to a second embodiment. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a design component of the vehicle lamp according to the second embodiment. Fig. 9 is a rear view of an outer lens according to the second embodiment. The vehicle lamp 110 shown in Fig. 7 is a vehicle headlamp. The vehicle lamp 110 includes a lamp body 112 having a horizontally elongated opening formed on the front surface thereof, an extension 114 attached to the periphery of the opening of the lamp body 112 so as to cover the horizontally elongated opening, and an outer lens 116 covering the front surface of the extension 114. The extension 114 is a design component made of polybutylene terephthalate. The outer lens 116 is a transparent component made of polycarbonate.

[0042] The lamp body 112, the extension 114, and the outer lens 116 are each a resin molded part manufactured using a mold. The outer lens 116 is assembled to the extension 114. At this time, the outer lens 116 and the extension 114 are fixed together with a hook-and-loop fastener 144, which will be described later. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0043] The hook-and-loop fastener 144 shown in Figure 10 has an engaging portion 148 including multiple hook portions 148a provided on the outer lens 116, and an engaged portion 150 fixed to the extension 114 and including multiple loop portions 150a.

[0044] In the engaging portion 148, a plurality of hook portions 148a are provided on the surface of a plate 148b in a two-dimensional array. A plurality of through holes 148c are formed in the plate 148b. A plurality of positioning bosses 146a are provided on the outer lens 116 to fix the engaging portion 148 at a predetermined position. The bosses 146a have their tips heat-caulked while protruding from the through holes 148c, thereby fixing the engaging portion 148 to the outer lens 116. In this way, when the plurality of hook portions 148a are separate components fixed to the outer lens 116, the plurality of hook portions 148a can be fixed to locations other than predetermined locations on the outer lens 116. As a method for fixing the plurality of hook portions 148a, the plate 148b on which the plurality of hook portions 148a are provided may be screwed to the fixing portion or attached with an adhesive or double-sided tape.

[0045] Meanwhile, the engaged portion 150 has a plurality of loop portions 150a arranged two-dimensionally on the surface of the plate 150b. The engaged portion 150 is fixed to the extension 114 with double-sided tape 152 attached to the back surface of the plate 150b. The loop portion 150a is formed by arranging a large number of annular raised portions on the plate 150b. When the annular raised portions come into contact with the hook portion at the tip of the hook portion 148a, the outer shape of the annular raised portions changes or the orientation of the annular portions changes, and the hook portion engages with the hook portion of the hook portion 148a. The tip of the hook portion 148a may have any shape as long as it is bent, and may be bent (folded) at a 90-degree angle, bent in an arc, or spherical with a larger shaft diameter at the tip, as illustrated in FIG. 10 .

[0046] Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the hook-and-loop fastener's engaging portion. The hook portion 148a of the engaging portion 154 shown in Fig. 11 is integrally molded with the outer lens 116. This reduces the number of parts and eliminates the need for a process for attaching the hook portion 148a to the outer lens 116. Furthermore, the outer lens 116 according to this embodiment is formed of a material (polycarbonate) that is softer than the extension 114. This increases the degree of freedom in the shape of the multiple hook portions 148a. Here, the degree of softness is expressed, for example, by the modulus of elasticity (Young's modulus) or the hardness.

[0047] 10 , hook-and-loop fastener 144 has engaging portion 148 and engaged portion 150 that come into contact with each other and are pressurized, thereby firmly engaging engaging portion 148 and engaged portion 150. This secures extension 114 to outer lens 116. Extension 114 is secured to outer lens 116 by one hook-and-loop fastener 144 so that it does not shift in any of the vehicle longitudinal direction, vehicle width direction, and vehicle vertical direction. Here, securing extension 114 to outer lens 116 by contact between engaging portion 148 and engaged portion 150 includes a state in which the tips of hook portion 148a and loop portion 150a, which are in contact with each other, are engaged in a microscopic view.

[0048] In the vehicle lamp 110 according to this embodiment, the resin molded parts can be fastened together without using screws. Furthermore, the resin molded parts can be disassembled more easily than when the resin molded parts are fastened together with adhesive or double-sided tape, making the parts easier to recycle. Furthermore, when the resin molded parts are fastened together with screws, a slide mechanism is required in the mold to prevent sink marks in the boss hole in one of the resin molded parts, which increases the cost of the mold. However, when the resin molded parts are fastened together with hook-and-loop fasteners, the mold configuration can be simplified.

[0049] Figure 12 is a view showing a main portion of the AA cross section of the vehicle lamp of Figure 7. As shown in Figure 12, the outer lens 116 has a pin 116a for positioning with respect to the extension 114, and an engaging portion 154 that is integrally formed on the inner surface. A through hole 114a corresponding to the pin 116a is formed in the extension 114. As a result, by assembling the outer lens 116 to the extension 114 so that the pin 116a is inserted into the through hole 114a, the components can be easily fixed in place with the hook-and-loop fastener 156.

[0050] (Third embodiment) (Vehicle lamp) Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle lamp equipped with an electronic unit according to a third embodiment. The vehicle lamp 210 shown in Fig. 13 is a device for providing external illumination to a vehicle. The vehicle lamp 210 is, for example, a headlamp. The vehicle lamp 210 includes a housing 212 and a light source unit 214.

[0051] The housing 212 is a member that forms the enclosure of the vehicle lamp 210. The housing 212 holds the light source unit 214. For example, the housing 212 has a lamp body 216 and a front cover 218 that serves as a light-transmitting member. The lamp body 216 defines a part of a lamp chamber 220 that houses the light source unit 214. The lamp chamber 220 is also formed by attaching the front cover 218 to cover the opening of the lamp body 216.

[0052] The light source unit 214 is a unit that emits light. The light source unit 214 has a light source 222 that emits light that illuminates the area ahead of the vehicle. In FIG. 13 , only one light-emitting element is depicted in the light source 222, but typically, the light source 222 is provided with a plurality of light-emitting elements. The light source unit 214 has a switch circuit (not shown). The light source unit 214 also has other members such as a reflector 224, a projection lens 226, an extension 228, and a base member 230. The light source unit 214 is accommodated inside the housing 212.

[0053] The vehicle lamp 210 includes a hook-and-loop fastener 244 that fastens the lamp body 216 and the front cover 218, and a sealing member 232 that is sandwiched between the lamp body 216 and the front cover 218 to seal the interior of the lamp chamber 220. This allows the lamp body 216 and the front cover 218 to be easily fixed together by the hook-and-loop fastener 244. Furthermore, having the sealing member 232 sandwiched between the lamp body 216 and the front cover 218 improves waterproofing. The sealing member 232 is, for example, an O-ring or a rubber string.

[0054] A flange 216a is formed on the edge of the opening of the lamp body 216. A flange 218a facing the flange 216a is formed on the edge of the front cover 218. The hook-and-loop fastener 244 and sealing member 232 described above are sandwiched between the flange 216a and the flange 218a. The flanges 216a and 218a are also partially fastened together with screws 234.

[0055] 14A and 14B are schematic diagrams showing an example of the arrangement of hook-and-loop fasteners and sealing members when the opening of the lamp body is viewed from the front, respectively, and another example of the arrangement of hook-and-loop fasteners and sealing members when the opening of the lamp body is viewed from the front.

[0056] The sealing member 232 shown in Figures 14A and 14B is disposed around the entire periphery of a flange 216a, which is the edge of an opening 216b of the lamp body 216. A hook-and-loop fastener 244 is disposed on the outer periphery of the sealing member 232. This increases the degree of freedom in arranging the hook-and-loop fastener 244 while still providing waterproofing, making it easier to fasten components together. Alternatively, the hook-and-loop fasteners 244 may be disposed in multiple locations, as shown in Figure 14B. This reduces the number of hook-and-loop fasteners 244 used, and reduces the cost and effort required to install the hook-and-loop fasteners 244.

[0057] Next, details of the hook and loop fastener 244 will be described. Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hook and loop fastener. The hook and loop fastener 244 shown in Fig. 15 has an engaging portion 248 including a plurality of hook portions 248a provided on the lamp body 216, and an engaged portion 250 including a plurality of loop portions 250a fixed to the front cover 218.

[0058] In the engagement portion 248, a plurality of hook portions 248a are provided on the surface of a plate 248b in a two-dimensionally aligned state. A plurality of through holes 248c are formed in the plate 248b. A plurality of positioning bosses 246a are provided in the lamp body 216 to fix the engagement portion 248 at a predetermined position. The bosses 246a are heat-caulked at their tips while protruding from the through holes 248c, thereby fixing the engagement portion 248 to the lamp body 216. In this way, when the plurality of hook portions 248a are separate parts fixed to the lamp body 216, the plurality of hook portions 248a can be fixed to locations other than predetermined locations on the lamp body 216. The plurality of hook portions 248a can be fixed by screwing the plate 248b on which the plurality of hook portions 248a are provided to the fixing portion, or by attaching it using adhesive or double-sided tape.

[0059] Meanwhile, the engaged portion 250 has a plurality of loop portions 250a arranged two-dimensionally on the surface of the plate 250b. The engaged portion 250 is fixed to the front cover 218 with double-sided tape 252 attached to the back surface of the plate 250b. The loop portion 250a is formed by arranging a large number of annular raised portions on the plate 250b. When the annular raised portions come into contact with the hook portion at the tip of the hook portion 248a, the outer shape of the annular raised portions changes or the orientation of the annular portions changes, thereby engaging with the hook portion of the hook portion 248a. The tip of the hook portion 248a may have any shape as long as it is bent. For example, the tip may be bent at 90 degrees (folded) as illustrated in FIG. 15, bent in an arc as illustrated in FIG. 17, or may be spherical with an enlarged shaft diameter at the tip as illustrated in FIG. 18.

[0060] Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram showing another embodiment of the hook-and-loop fastener engaging portion. The hook portion 248a of the engaging portion 254 shown in Fig. 16 is formed integrally with the lamp body 216. This reduces the number of parts and eliminates the need for a step of attaching the hook portion 248a to the lamp body 216.

[0061] 15 , the hook-and-loop fastener 244 has an engaging portion 248 and an engaged portion 250 that come into contact with each other while facing each other and are pressurized, so that the engaging portion 248 and the engaged portion 250 are eventually firmly engaged with each other, and the front cover 218 is fixed to the lamp body 216. Note that the engaging portion 248 may be provided on the front cover 218, and the engaged portion 250 may be provided on the lamp body 216. Here, the state in which the engaging portion 248 and the engaged portion 250 come into contact with each other to fix the front cover 218 to the lamp body 216 includes a state in which the tips of the hook portions 248a and the loop portions 250a, which are in contact with each other, are engaged with each other in a microscopic sense.

[0062] Next, the crushing margin when the sealing member 232 is an O-ring will be described. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the diameter of the O-ring and the height of the hook portion of the hook-and-loop fastener. For example, when the engaging portion 248 and the engaged portion 250 are not intertwined, the height H of the hook portion 248a is smaller than the diameter D of the O-ring 236. When the front cover 218 is brought closer to the lamp body 216 in this state to be attached to the lamp body 216, the hook portion 248a and the loop portion 250a engage while the O-ring 236 is crushed. When the front cover 218 is fixed to the lamp body 216, the distance between the lamp body 216 and the front cover 218 is approximately the height H of the hook portion 248a. As a result, the O-ring 236 is crushed while the components are fixed together by the hook-and-loop fastener 244, thereby improving the waterproofing of the vehicle lamp 210.

[0063] (Manufacturing Method) Next, a method for manufacturing the vehicular lamp according to this embodiment will be described. This manufacturing method includes a preparation step of preparing the lamp body 216 and the front cover 218 shown in Fig. 13, and an attachment step of attaching the front cover 218 to cover the opening of the lamp body 216. The attachment step includes a clamping step of aligning the flange 216a of the lamp body 216 and the flange 218a of the front cover 218 and sandwiching the sealing member 232 between the flanges, and a fixing step of fixing the front cover 218 to the lamp body 216 with hook-and-loop fasteners 244. As a result, the sealing member 232 is sandwiched between the lamp body 216 and the front cover 218, and the front cover 218 is fixed to the lamp body 216 with the hook-and-loop fasteners 244.

[0064] 13, the sealing member 232 and the hook-and-loop fastener 244 are sandwiched between the same surfaces of the flanges 216a and 218a. Therefore, the direction in which the engaging portion 248 and the engaged portion 250 of the hook-and-loop fastener are brought closer to each other is the same as the direction in which the sealing member 232 is pressed. If the relationship between the height of the hook portion 248a and the diameter of the O-ring 236 is as described in FIG. 17, the engaging portion 248 and the engaged portion 250 are unlikely to engage with each other before the sealing member 232 is deformed when the flanges are brought closer to each other.

[0065] However, depending on the shapes of the flanges of the lamp body 216 and the front cover 218, the sealing member 232 and the hook-and-loop fastener 244 may not be (cannot be) arranged on the same surface. Figures 18A to 18C are schematic diagrams for explaining a modified example of the mounting step in the manufacturing method of a vehicle lamp.

[0066] 18A , the lamp body 238 has a first end face 238a that presses against the sealing member 232 in the mounting direction when the front cover 240 is mounted, and a first side face 238b that intersects with the first end face 238a and is provided with an engaging portion 248. The front cover 240 has a second end face 240a that presses against the sealing member 232 in the mounting direction, and a second side face 240b that intersects with the second end face 240a and is provided with an engaged portion 250.

[0067] 18A , the tip of the engaged portion 250 comes into contact with the end of the engaging portion 248 on the first end face 238a side before the sealing member 232 is clamped between the first end face 238a and the second end face 240a. Therefore, without any ingenuity, the engaged portion 250 may get caught on the engaging portion 248 before the engaging portion 248 and the engaged portion 250 reach a predetermined fixed position, which may interfere with the installation work.

[0068] Therefore, in a modified example of the manufacturing method for a vehicle lamp according to the third embodiment, the fixing step includes a shielding step and a removing step. As illustrated in FIG. 18B , the shielding step is a step of covering the engaging portion 248 with a shielding member 256 so that the engaging portion 248 and the engaged portion 250 do not come into contact with each other until they face each other at the fixed position P1 when the front cover 240 is attached to the lamp body 238. As illustrated in FIG. 18C , the removing step is a step of removing the shielding member 256 when the engaging portion 248 and the engaged portion 250 face each other at the fixed position P1. The shielding member 256 is held by a jig 258, and is pulled out in the direction of the arrow by the jig 258 when the front cover 240 reaches the fixed position P1. This makes it difficult for the engaging portion 248 and the engaged portion 250 to come into contact with each other and engage with each other before they face each other at the predetermined fixed position P1. As a result, the lamp body 238 and the front cover 240 are fixed together with the sealing member 232 pressed against it.

[0069] While the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the above-described embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate combinations or substitutions of the configurations of the embodiments are also included in the present disclosure. Furthermore, it is possible to appropriately rearrange the combinations and processing orders in the embodiments based on the knowledge of a person skilled in the art, and to make modifications to the embodiments, such as various design changes, and the embodiments to which such modifications have been made are also included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[0070] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-057715 filed on March 29, 2024, Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-057716 filed on March 29, 2024, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-057717 filed on March 29, 2024, and all of the contents of the above applications are incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp comprising: a housing; an outer lens that covers an opening of the housing to form a lamp chamber; electronic components provided within the lamp chamber; a harness that supplies power to the electronic components; and a hook-and-loop fastener that secures the harness to the housing.

2. A vehicle lamp as described in claim 1, wherein the hook-and-loop fastener has an engaging portion consisting of a plurality of hook portions provided on the housing, and an engaged portion consisting of a plurality of loop portions that is fixed to the harness, and the harness is fixed to the housing by contact between the engaging portion and the engaged portion.

3. The vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of hook portions are formed integrally with the housing.

4. The vehicle lamp according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of hook portions are formed from a material different from that of the housing.

5. A vehicle lamp according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of hook portions are separate components fixed to the housing.

6. A vehicle lamp according to claim 5, wherein the housing is a resin part manufactured using a mold, and the plurality of hook portions are arranged so that the direction in which the respective shanks extend is different from the direction in which the housing is removed from the mold.

7. A housing that constitutes a lamp chamber of a vehicle lamp, the housing having a plurality of hook portions that function as hook-and-loop fasteners on the inner surface on the lamp chamber side.

8. A method for manufacturing a housing that constitutes a lamp chamber of a vehicle lamp, comprising the steps of: preparing a first mold on the core side and a second mold on the cavity side; combining the first mold and the second mold and injecting resin into a cavity formed between the first mold and the second mold; separating the first mold and the second mold after the cavity has been filled with resin; and removing the housing held by the first mold separated from the second mold from the first mold, wherein the first mold has a molding surface on which a plurality of fine recesses that become hook portions of a hook-and-loop fastener are formed.

9. The method for manufacturing a housing according to claim 8, wherein the direction from the opening to the bottom of the minute recess is aligned with the direction in which the housing is removed from the first mold.

10. A vehicle lamp comprising: a first resin molded part that constitutes the vehicle lamp; a second resin molded part that constitutes the vehicle lamp and is assembled to the first resin molded part; and a hook-and-loop fastener that fixes the first resin molded part to the second resin molded part.

11. The vehicle lamp according to claim 10, wherein the second resin molded part is provided with a pin for positioning with respect to the first resin molded part.

12. A vehicle lamp as described in claim 10 or 11, wherein the hook-and-loop fastener has an engaging portion consisting of a plurality of hook portions provided on the second resin molded part, and an engaged portion consisting of a plurality of loop portions provided on the first resin molded part, and the second resin molded part is fixed to the first resin molded part by contact between the engaging portion and the engaged portion.

13. A vehicle lamp as described in claim 12, wherein the second resin molded part is made of a material softer than the first resin molded part, and the plurality of hook portions are formed integrally with the second resin molded part.

14. A vehicle lamp according to claim 12, wherein the second resin molded part is a lens made of polycarbonate, and the first resin molded part is a design component containing polybutylene terephthalate.

15. A vehicle lamp according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of hook portions are integrally formed on the inner surface of the lens.

16. A vehicle lamp comprising: a lamp body that forms part of a lamp chamber of a vehicle lamp; a translucent member that forms the lamp chamber by being attached so as to cover an opening of the lamp body; a hook-and-loop fastener that fixes the translucent member to the lamp body; and a sealing member that is sandwiched between the lamp body and the translucent member to seal the inside of the lamp chamber.

17. A vehicle lamp according to claim 16, wherein the sealing member is disposed around the entire periphery of the edge of the opening of the lamp body, and the hook-and-loop fastener is disposed on the outer periphery of the sealing member.

18. A vehicle lamp according to claim 17, wherein the hook-and-loop fasteners are disposed in a plurality of locations.

19. A vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the hook-and-loop fastener has an engaging portion consisting of a plurality of hook portions provided on one of the lamp body or the translucent member, and an engaged portion consisting of a plurality of loop portions provided on the other of the lamp body or the translucent member, and the translucent member is fixed to the lamp body by contact between the engaging portion and the engaged portion.

20. A vehicle lamp according to claim 19, wherein the sealing member is an O-ring, and the height of the hook portion is smaller than the diameter of the O-ring.

21. A method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp, comprising: a step of preparing a lamp body that forms part of a lamp chamber of a vehicle lamp; a step of preparing a translucent member that is attached to an opening of the lamp body to form the lamp chamber; and a mounting step of mounting the translucent member to the opening of the lamp body, wherein the mounting step comprises a clamping step of clamping a sealing member that seals the inside of the lamp chamber between the lamp body and the translucent member; and a fixing step of fixing the translucent member to the lamp body with a hook-and-loop fastener.

22. A method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp as claimed in claim 21, wherein the hook-and-loop fastener has an engaging portion consisting of a plurality of hook portions provided on one of the lamp body or the translucent member, and an engaged portion consisting of a plurality of loop portions provided on the other of the lamp body or the translucent member, and the fixing step comprises: a shielding step of covering the engaging portion or the engaged portion with a shielding member so that the engaging portion and the engaged portion do not come into contact with each other until they are opposed to each other at a fixed position when the translucent member is attached to the lamp body; and a removal step of removing the shielding member when the engaging portion and the engaged portion are opposed to each other at a fixed position.

23. A method for manufacturing a vehicle lamp as described in claim 22, wherein the lamp body has a first end face that presses the sealing member in the installation direction in which the translucent member is installed, and a first side face that intersects with the first end face and has the engaging portion or the engaged portion provided thereon, and the translucent member has a second end face that presses the sealing member in the installation direction, and a second side face that intersects with the second end face and has the engaging portion or the engaged portion provided thereon.

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