CN114383111A

CN114383111A - Vehicle lamp

Info

Publication number: CN114383111A
Application number: CN202111128791.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 山本大悟
Original assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Koito Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-10-19
Filing date: 2021-09-26
Publication date: 2022-04-22
Also published as: JP2022066702A

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle lamp with a snow melting function, which has high snow melting effect and is easy to assemble. The vehicle lamp is provided with a lamp body; a lamp housing installed at the lamp body and partitioned into a lamp chamber; and an inner lens disposed in the lamp chamber in proximity to the lamp cover, wherein a transparent film heater is provided on a surface of the inner lens facing the lamp cover. Since the inner lens and the transparent film heater, which are main components of the snow melting apparatus, are transparent members, both light transmittance and snow melting function are achieved. In addition, the inner lens is close to the lampshade but not contacted with the lampshade, so that a structure which ensures the snow melting effect and is easier to assemble as a lamp is formed.

Description

Vehicle lamp

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp, and more particularly to a vehicle lamp having a snow melting function.

Background

Snow adhering to the lamp cover of the vehicle lamp constitutes an obstacle to proper light irradiation. Therefore, there is disclosed a vehicle lamp in which a heat generating member is attached to a lamp housing, or a heat generating member is attached to a separate member and is brought into close contact with the lamp housing, and snow is melted by heat generated by the heat generating member (for example, patent documents 1 and 2).

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2018-185988

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 2007 & Effector No. 242291

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in

patent documents

1 and 2, although the snow melting effect is improved by bringing the heat generating member into close contact with the globe, it takes time to bring the heat generating member into close contact with the globe, and since the heat generating member is brought into close contact with the globe, it takes time to attach and detach the globe. That is, there is a problem that the assembly work of the vehicle lamp takes a lot of time including the attachment and detachment of the shade and the attachment and detachment of the heat generating member.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a vehicle lamp having a snow melting function, which has a high snow melting effect and is easy to assemble.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicle lamp including: a lamp body; a lamp housing installed at the lamp body and partitioned into a lamp chamber; and an inner lens disposed in the lamp chamber in proximity to the lamp cover, wherein a transparent film heater is provided on a surface of the inner lens facing the lamp cover.

According to this aspect, snow adhering to the globe as the outer lens is melted by the transparent film heater provided in the inner lens. Since the inner lens and the transparent film heater have light transmittance, light emitted from the lamp unit disposed in the lamp chamber is not obstructed. The inner lens is close to the lampshade, so the snow melting effect is high, and the inner lens is close to but not in contact with the lampshade, so the inner lens is easy to mount. Since the addition of the snow melting function requires only the fitting of the inner lens, the assembly is easy. Whether or not the snow melting function is present can be set by whether or not the inner lens is disposed.

In one aspect, the transparent film heater has a substantially constant vertical width, and linear electrodes are provided at an upper edge and a lower edge. According to this aspect, the voltage applied to the transparent film heater is made constant, and uneven heat generation of the transparent film heater is suppressed.

In one aspect, the inner lens is provided with a flange portion protruding from an upper end portion and a lower end portion toward a side opposite to the side facing the lamp cover, and the electrode of the transparent film heater is provided on the flange portion. The flange portion makes the electrode inconspicuous, and the reduction of the light transmission performance by the electrode can be suppressed.

In one aspect, the inner lens has a frame shape provided with a window portion, and the transparent film heater is provided so as to cover the window portion. The decrease in light transmittance can be suppressed in accordance with the range in which the window portion is provided.

In one aspect, the inner lens is disposed only in a light passage portion through which light emitted from a lamp unit disposed in the lamp chamber passes. The lamp shade has a high effect and can be applied to a lamp shade having a complicated shape by having a snow melting function only in the minimum required portion.

In one aspect, the distance between the inner lens and the globe is 3mm ± 0.5 mm. The fog formation can be suppressed by minimizing the decrease in the snow melting function due to the long distance.

Effects of the invention

As is apparent from the above description, it is possible to provide a vehicle lamp having a snow melting function which has a high snow melting effect and is easy to assemble.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view schematically showing a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vehicle lamp. Is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line II-II of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the inner lens of the vehicle lamp.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural view of a transparent film heater.

Fig. 5 is a graph of experimental data.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vehicle lamp according to the second embodiment. Corresponding to fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the inner lens of the vehicle lamp.

Description of the reference numerals

1. 101: a vehicular lamp;

2: a lamp body;

4: a lamp shade;

20: an inner lens;

21: a surface;

24: a rib;

25: a rib;

30: a transparent film heater;

32: an electrode;

33: an electrode;

126: a window portion;

d: a distance;

l1: a light;

lo 2: a lamp unit;

s: a lamp chamber.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments are not intended to limit the invention but to exemplify the invention, and all of the features and combinations described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential contents of the invention.

(first embodiment)

Fig. 1 is a front view schematically showing a vehicle lamp 1 according to a first embodiment.

The vehicle lamp 1 is a headlamp, and is mounted on each of the left and right sides of the front portion of the vehicle. The vehicle lamp 1 includes a lamp body 2 and a cover 4. The lamp body 2 has an opening at the front, and a globe 4 made of translucent resin, glass, or the like is attached to the opening of the lamp body 2. The lamp body 2 and the shade 4 are a housing of the vehicle lamp 1, and a lamp chamber S is defined inside the lamp body 2 and the shade 4.

In the lamp chamber S formed by the division, a lamp unit Hi for high beam, lamp units Lo1, Lo2 for low beam, and an inner lens 20 are accommodated.

The high beam lamp unit Hi and the low beam lamp units Lo1 and Lo2 are optical units configured to irradiate light forward and form high beam light distribution and low beam light distribution in front of the vehicle.

The inner lens 20 is disposed to cover a passing portion of light emitted from each of the lamp units Hi, Lo1, Lo2 between each of the lamp units Hi, Lo1, Lo2 and the globe in the lamp room S.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vehicle lamp 1 taken along line II-II of fig. 1. As shown in fig. 2, the low beam lamp unit Lo2 includes a reflector 11, a light source 12 as a light emitting element, and a projection lens 14.

The reflector 11, the light source 12, and the projection lens 14 are fixed to a metal support member 13. The bottom surface of the support member 13 is formed as a heat sink for dissipating heat generated during lighting of the light source 12.

As the light source 12, a semiconductor light Emitting element such as an led (light Emitting diode), an ld (laser diode), or an el (electro luminescence) element, a bulb, an incandescent lamp (halogen lamp), a discharge lamp (discharge lamp), or the like can be used.

The reflector 11 is configured to guide light emitted from the light source 12 to the projection lens 14, and has an inner surface formed as a predetermined reflection surface 11 a.

The projection lens 14 is configured by, for example, a free-form surface lens having a free-form surface shape on the front surface and the rear surface. Is disposed in the vicinity of the front end opening of an extended reflector 5 provided in the lamp chamber S, and transmits the reflected light reflected by the reflector 11 toward the globe 4. The extension reflector 5 is disposed forward of the low-beam lamp unit Lo2 and hidden from view from the front of the vehicle.

In the present embodiment, the projection type optical unit is used as the low beam lamp unit Lo2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a conventionally known configuration, for example, an optical unit of an emission type or the like may be used as each lamp unit, and the type is not limited.

The inner lens 20 is disposed close to the lamp housing 4 in front of the projection lens 14. A transparent film heater 30 is provided on the surface of the inner lens 20 facing the globe 4. Light L1 emitted from the light source 12 is reflected forward by the reflection surface 11a of the reflector 11, passes through the projection lens 14, the inner lens 20, the transparent film heater 30 provided on the surface thereof, and the cover 4 in this order, and is emitted forward, thereby forming low beam light distribution in front of the vehicle.

(inner lens 20)

Fig. 3 shows the inner lens 20 and the transparent film heater 30 provided on the surface thereof. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the transparent film heater 30.

The inner lens 20 is a thin-walled lens made of a transparent member and having a substantially flat surface. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the vertical cross-sectional shape of the inner lens 20 is a reverse コ shape, and the

ribs

24 and 25 as standing walls extending toward the back side are formed at the upper edge end and the lower edge end. Mounting

portions

22 and 23 are formed above and on one side of the inner lens 20, and the inner lens 20 is mounted to the lamp body 2 by the mounting

portions

22 and 23.

A transparent film heater 30 is attached to a surface 21 of the inner lens 20 facing the globe 4 (see fig. 2. in fig. 2, the respective members are shown in a manner easy to understand, and the thicknesses do not reflect actual ratios).

The transparent film heater 30 is a heat generating member having a light transmitting thin film, and is mainly composed of a conductive film 31 and

electrodes

32 and 33.

The conductive film 31 is a heat-generating body, and is formed by arranging extremely fine copper wires or metal vapor-deposited in fine particles on a transparent member such as a transparent PET film in a mesh shape to such an extent that the copper wires are not visually recognized. A metal is extremely thin disposed on the surface of the film-shaped transparent member, and the light transmittance is very high.

The

linear electrodes

32 and 33 are provided along the upper edge and the lower edge of the conductive film 31, and the conductive film 31 generates heat by applying current between the

electrodes

32 and 33. Since the conductive film 31 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape and the

electrodes

32 and 33 are arranged substantially in parallel, when current is applied, the voltage is uniformly applied to the conductive film 31 without unevenness. Therefore, the transparent film heater 30 generates less heat unevenness, and generates heat substantially uniformly over the entire surface when conducting. Thus, the transparent film heater 30 can achieve both of the heat generating performance and the transparency performance, and can achieve high bending performance and high durability.

The transparent film heater 30 is not limited to the above configuration, and any other configuration may be used as long as it is a heating element having a thin film having light transmittance, such as a transparent heating film based on an ITO film (indium tin oxide film). In the present embodiment, the transparent film heater 30 is bonded to the surface 21 of the inner lens 20, but the transparent film heater 30 may be directly formed on the surface 21 of the inner lens 20.

The transparent film heater 30 bonded to the inner lens 20 is bent at the

electrodes

32 and 33 and is disposed along the

ribs

24 and 25, which are the upper surface and the bottom surface of the inner lens 20 (see fig. 2). Therefore, the

electrodes

32 and 33 are difficult to be visually recognized from the front. Further, since the

electrodes

32 and 33 are not disposed on the front surface 21, the decrease in light transmission performance of the inner lens 20 due to the

opaque electrodes

32 and 33 is suppressed. The

electrodes

32 and 33 are supplied with power from a vehicle battery 34 connected via a connector provided on the side. Since the connectors of the

electrodes

32, 33 are deviated from the light transmission part, the decrease of the light transmission performance of the inner lens 20 is still suppressed.

As shown in fig. 2, the inner lens 20 is inclined in cooperation with the inclined lamp housing 4. The front surface 21 is formed to substantially follow the shape of the inner surface of the globe 4 at the arrangement position. Therefore, the distance between the inner lens 20 and the shade 4 is substantially constant at the distance D, and the transparent film heater 30 that generates heat uniformly heats the portion of the shade 4 facing the inner lens without unevenness, thereby achieving excellent snow melting efficiency.

The inner lens 20 is disposed in front of each projection lens of three consecutive lamp units Hi, Lo1, Lo2 disposed in the lamp chamber S of the vehicle lamp 1, that is, in a transmission portion to which light is irradiated (see fig. 1). The inner lens 20 is disposed only in a portion where snow accumulation would interfere with light distribution formation, and snow can be efficiently melted at a desired portion. For example, even when the shape of the shade 4 is very complicated and the area is very large, the inner lens 20 is disposed only at a desired portion such as a light passing portion to efficiently heat the shade 4 and melt snow, thereby ensuring a desired illuminance as a vehicle lamp.

(Effect)

The operation and effects of the vehicle lamp 1 configured as described above will be described.

A transparent film heater 30 is provided on a surface 21 of the inner lens 20, and the inner lens 20 is disposed close to the lamp cover 4. Snow, ice, and mist adhering to the globe 4 are atomized by the heat generated by the transparent film heater 30, and the mist generated inside and outside the globe 4 is removed.

Since the inner lens 20 and the transparent film heater 30 have light-transmitting properties, the light L1 emitted from the lamp unit Lo2 disposed on the rear surface is emitted toward the front of the vehicle through the inner lens 20, the transparent film heater 30, and the globe 4.

Since the inner lens 20 is close to the globe 4 but does not contact with it, the attachment and detachment of the globe 4 are not hindered. Further, since the inner lens 20 is mounted only by being fixed to the lamp body 2 by the mounting

portions

22 and 23, there is no work of closely attaching and detaching the heat generating member to and from the globe 4, and therefore, assembly and disassembly are easy.

The presence or absence of the snow melting function of the vehicle lamp 1 is determined by the presence or absence of the inner lens 20 without directly providing the snow melting function of the shade 4 to the shade 4. Therefore, it is easy to set the specification of the same type of vehicle lamp in the cold district.

Since the inner lens 20 is disposed in the vicinity of the globe 4, the snow melting effect is high, and the fogging can be suppressed because there is a space between the two. If the heat generating member is disposed too close to the globe (including close contact), there is a problem that fogging is generated by heat, but the problem is suppressed. That is, a convection space of air is secured, and fogging of the lamp cover 4 is prevented. In this way, the snow melting function of the vehicle lamp 1 achieves both ventilation performance and heat transfer performance.

Further, by separating the inner lens 20 from the shade 4, interference between the inner lens 20 and the shade 4 is avoided at the time of assembly or vibration of the vehicle lighting device 1.

In addition, an inner surface of a lamp housing of a vehicle lamp is usually coated with an antifogging coating. If the transparent film heater is provided in contact with the inner surface of the lamp cover in order to improve the snow melting effect, there is a problem that the effect of the anti-fog coating is suppressed or the anti-fog coating itself cannot be performed. Such a problem can be avoided by bringing the inner lens 20 close to the globe 4 instead of being in close contact therewith.

(test data)

Fig. 5 is a graph of test data obtained by measuring the temperature of the outer surface of the globe when the transparent film heater is energized while changing the distance between the inner lens having the transparent film heater mounted on the surface thereof and the globe. The horizontal axis of the graph indicates the distance between the inner lens and the lamp cover (distance D in fig. 2). The vertical axis of the graph indicates the ratio of the temperature of the outer surface of the globe at each distance to the temperature of the outer surface of the globe when the distance between the inner lens and the globe is 0 (the inner lens and the globe are in close contact). Experiments were performed with two types of transparent film heaters.

As shown in fig. 5, the temperature ratio of the outer surface of the lamp cover (i.e., the temperature of the lamp cover) becomes smaller as the distance between the inner lens and the lamp cover becomes larger regardless of the type of the transparent film heater. This means that the ability to heat the lamp cover, i.e., the snow melting effect, is reduced as the transparent film heater as the heat generating member is farther from the lamp cover. However, if the distance is within about 3mm, at least 80% of the snow can be exhibited as compared with the state of close contact, and therefore it can be said that the snow-accumulation preventing effect and the snow-melting effect can be sufficiently exhibited. Based on this, the distance D between the inner lens 20 and the lamp housing 4 is preferably about 3mm ± 0.5 mm.

(second embodiment)

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vehicle lamp 101 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 7 shows an inner lens 120 provided in the vehicle lamp 101. The same reference numerals are given to the components having the same configurations as those of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

The vehicle lamp 101 has a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment except for the form of the inner lens 120 and the optical device 150 disposed below the low-beam lamp unit Lo 2.

In the inner lens 120, a window 126, which is a large-size hole, is formed on the surface 121. The transparent film heater 30 is bonded to the frame 127 defining the four sides of the window 126 so as to cover the window 126. The

electrodes

32 and 33 of the transparent film heater 30 are disposed on the

ribs

124 and 125 formed above and below the inner lens 120.

The inner lens 120 is disposed close to the globe 4 by the mounting

portions

122, 123 provided to the inner lens 120. Light L2 emitted from lamp unit Lo2 is mainly emitted toward the front of the vehicle through window 126.

The transparent film heater 30 is provided on the surface 121 of the inner lens 120, so that the snow melting capability is maintained as it is, and the decrease in the transmittance of light is suppressed in accordance with the range where the window portion 126 is formed.

The optical device 150 is a device including a light projecting unit and/or a light receiving unit. For example, the optical sensor, the imaging device, and the like project light such as visible light and infrared sensor forward and receive reflected light.

The optical device 150 is separated from the support member 13 and fixed to the lamp body 2 by a fixing member not shown. The inner lens 120 is disposed in front of the projection/reception unit of the optical device 150, and the light L3 projected/received by the optical device 150L 4 passes through the window 126.

In a snow melting area, when a vehicle lamp provided with an optical device does not have a snow melting function, snow is accumulated on a lamp cover to block projection and reception of light by the optical device, and an error may occur in the optical device. To avoid this, in the present embodiment, the inner lens 120 as a snow melting device is disposed on the optical path of the light of the optical device 150. As described above, the inner lens 120 and the transparent film heater 30 provided thereon have optical transparency, and do not interfere with the projection and reception of light by the optical device 150. As described above, the inner lens 120 is not limited to the illumination for headlamps and the like, and is suitable as a snow melting device for securing an optical path for sensors and the like. The structure of the present disclosure is not limited to the headlight, and is also suitable for a marker lamp, a tail lamp, and the like.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments are examples of the present invention, and they can be combined based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such a mode is also included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lamp for a vehicle, characterized in that,

the vehicle lamp includes:

a lamp body;

a lamp housing installed at the lamp body and partitioned into a lamp chamber; and

and an inner lens disposed in the lamp chamber in proximity to the lamp cover, wherein a transparent film heater is provided on a surface of the inner lens facing the lamp cover.

2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1,

the transparent film heater has a constant upper and lower width, and linear electrodes are provided at an upper edge and a lower edge.

3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1 or 2,

the inner lens is provided with a flange portion protruding from an upper end portion and a lower end portion toward a side opposite to the opposing side of the globe,

the electrode of the transparent film heater is provided to the flange portion.

4. A lamp for a vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3,

the inner lens has a frame shape provided with a window portion,

the transparent film heater is provided to the inner lens so as to cover the window portion.

5. A lamp for a vehicle as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4,

the inner lens is disposed only at a light passage portion through which light emitted from the lamp unit disposed in the lamp chamber passes.

6. A vehicle lamp as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a separation distance between the inner lens and the cover is 3mm ± 0.5 mm.