JP2006286262A - Vehicular lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular lamp composed by arranging rib parts among a plurality of lens parts and capable of simplifying its structure and manufacturing process. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicular lamp comprise: the plurality of lenses 331, 332 and 333 installed in a lamp chamber part 321 for housing a light source 322 and arranged among its circumferential edge parts with spaces; rib parts 342 and 343 arranged by being sandwiched between the circumferential edge parts opposite to each other of the plurality of lens parts 331, 332 and 333 and formed separately from the lens parts 331, 332 and 333; and connection parts 334 and 335 formed by straddling areas between the plurality of lens parts 331, 332 and 333 and each having at least a part thereof arranged on the lamp chamber part 221 side relative to the rib parts 342 and 343. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp in which a rib portion is disposed between a plurality of lenses.

Lights such as head lamps (headlights), turn signal lamps, position lamps and the like of vehicles such as automobiles are housed in a housing having an outer cover exposed on the outer surface side of the vehicle and assembled into a combination lamp It is known (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
Such a combination lamp is required to improve its appearance in order to produce a high-class feeling of the vehicle.
For example, the combination lamp guides a part of the light emitted from the bulb as a light source to the peripheral part of the extension reflector arranged around the headlamp inner lens arranged in the outer cover, and emits light. A device whose appearance is improved is known (for example, Patent Document 3).
Also, the combination lamp is known to have a sub-reflector in order to make it difficult to see the gap formed around the main reflector that moves relative to the housing along with its aiming (optical axis adjustment), and to improve the appearance. (For example, Patent Document 4).
JP 2003-267122 A JP 2003-260978 A JP 2004-95294 A JP 2001-143507 A

In order to improve the appearance of the combination lamp, for example, it is proposed that a lens such as a turn signal lamp is divided into a lattice-shaped rib portion subjected to a decoration process such as an aluminum vapor deposition process. .
In this way, a combination lamp having a plurality of lenses divided by ribs may be assembled by, for example, molding individual lenses separately, but the number of parts increases and the assembly becomes complicated. .
In addition, it is conceivable that after forming a plurality of lens portions and rib portions integrally, a vapor deposition process is performed only on the rib portions. However, the vapor deposition process becomes complicated, and the heat of the lens section is increased by the heat applied during the vapor deposition process. Performance may be impaired.
In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle lamp that is configured by disposing a rib portion between a plurality of lens portions, and that simplifies the structure and the manufacturing process.

The present invention solves the above-described problems by the following means.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of lens portions are provided in a lamp chamber portion that accommodates a light source, and are arranged with an interval between the outer peripheral edge portions, and the outer peripheral edge portions that face the plurality of lens portions. A rib portion that is disposed between the lens portion and the lens portion, and is formed integrally with the plurality of lens portions between the plurality of lens portions, and at least a part of the rib portions is disposed between the lens portions. It is a vehicle lamp provided with the connection part arrange | positioned at the said lamp chamber part side rather than a part.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle lamp according to the first aspect, the connecting portion is attached to the rib portion by a relative movement substantially along the extending direction of the rib portion. This is a vehicle lamp.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicular lamp according to the first or second aspect, the rib portion includes a plurality of rib portions sandwiching at least one of the plurality of lens portions and inclining the extending directions thereof. The vehicular lamp is provided, wherein the connecting portion is disposed at an end portion on a side where the interval between the plurality of rib portions is small.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle lamp according to any one of the first to third aspects, the rib portion is formed integrally with at least one of the plurality of lens portions. It is a lamp | ramp for vehicles provided with the reflector part arrange | positioned facing the surface part of this.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle lamp according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the connecting portion is formed by recessing a part thereof toward the lamp chamber side, and the rib. A vehicular lamp comprising a groove portion into which an end portion of the lamp portion on the lamp chamber side is inserted.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be achieved.
(1) Since the plurality of lens portions and the connecting portion are integrally formed, the number of parts can be reduced and the structure and the manufacturing process can be simplified. As a result, the cost of the mold for forming the lens portion can be reduced.
Moreover, since at least a part of the connecting portion is disposed closer to the lamp chamber than the rib portion, the connecting portion is hidden by the rib portion, so that it is difficult to visually recognize from the outside, and appearance quality can be ensured.
(2) Since the connecting portion is attached to the rib portion by a relative movement substantially along the extending direction, the connecting portion can be easily assembled by sliding the lens portion along the extending direction of the rib portion. it can.
(3) When the lens portion is mounted between a plurality of inclined rib portions, the connecting portion is provided at the end portion on the side where the interval is narrow, so first, the connecting portion of the lens portion is opposite to the connecting portion. It can be easily assembled by placing the end portion between the rib portions and then attaching the connecting portion to the rib portion. Thereby, the freedom degree of the applicable lens design can be improved.
(4) Since the reflector portion is formed integrally with the rib portion, the number of parts can be reduced, and further, for example, surface treatment processing such as vapor deposition processing can be performed simultaneously and the process can be simplified.
(5) Since the connecting portion includes a groove portion into which the end portion of the rib portion is inserted, by inserting the rib portion along the groove portion, it can be used as a guide at the time of assembly, and the assembly can be easily performed. it can.

  The present invention is configured by arranging a rib portion between a plurality of lens portions, and provides a vehicle lamp having a simplified structure and manufacturing process. The problem is solved by integrally forming the lens portion and the connecting portion provided between these lens portions, and mounting the connecting portion along the end of the rib portion on the lamp chamber side.

Hereinafter, a combination lamp which is an embodiment of a vehicle lamp to which the present invention is applied will be described.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the combination lamp 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part II in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. In FIG. 2, a lens 311 and the like of a front turn signal 310 (to be described later) are shown in a removed state.
The combination lamp 1 is provided at a front end portion of a vehicle such as a passenger car, for example, and includes a high beam unit 100, a low beam unit 200, a turn signal unit 300, and an extension reflector 400.

The combination lamp 1 includes an outer cover (outer lens) 10 and a housing 20 (see FIG. 3) which are joined to each other to form a housing, and each unit described above is disposed in a space formed inside these. ing.
The high beam unit 100 and the low beam unit 200 are arranged in a substantially horizontal direction, and the low beam unit 200 is arranged outside in the vehicle width direction. Further, the low beam unit 200 is disposed at a position retracted from the high beam unit 100 in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

The turn signal unit 300 is provided above the low beam unit 200 and includes a front turn signal 310 and a side turn signal 320.
As shown in FIG. 3, the front turn signal 310 includes a lens 311, a valve 312, and a reflector 313.
The lens 311 is formed in a substantially circular shape, and is disposed with one surface portion thereof facing substantially the front side of the vehicle.
The bulb 312 includes a light emitting unit such as a light bulb or an LED, for example, and is disposed on the vehicle rear side of the lens 311.
The reflector 313 is a reflecting member having a cup-shaped concave surface provided around the bulb 312, and includes a space portion 313 a functioning as a lamp chamber.

  The side turn signal 320 is provided on the rear side of the front turn signal 310. The side turn signal 320 will be described in detail later.

  The extension reflector 400 is provided on the inner surface side of the outer cover 10 and has openings for accommodating the low beam unit 100, the high beam unit 200, and the turn signal unit 300. For example, it is a resin member that covers the gap between the two. The surface of the extension reflector 400 is substantially mirror-like by forming a metal thin film such as an aluminum alloy by vapor deposition, and reflects light.

As shown in FIG. 2, the extension reflector 400 includes a cylindrical surface portion 410 that houses the front turn signal 310 on the inner diameter side thereof. The cylindrical surface portion 410 has a central axis arranged substantially in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and a lens 311 of the front turn signal 310 is provided at the opening of the front end portion.
The lens surface of the side turn signal 320 is provided on the outer peripheral surface portion of the cylindrical surface portion 410, and includes a lamp chamber 321, a bulb 322, an inner lens unit 330, and a reflex / reflector (RR) unit 340 ( (See FIG. 3 for the lamp chamber 321 and the bulb 322).

As shown in FIG. 3, the lamp chamber 321 is a space portion formed in a region on the rear side of the reflector 313 of the front turn signal 310.
The bulb 322 includes a light emitting unit such as a light bulb or an LED, and is disposed in the lamp chamber 321.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inner lens unit 330 includes a plurality of lens portions 331, 332, and 333. The lens portions 331, 332, and 333 are sequentially arranged in the vertical direction (the circumferential direction of the cylindrical surface portion 410), and are formed in a substantially rectangular shape having a longitudinal direction along the axial direction of the cylindrical surface portion 410. These lens portions 331, 332, and 333 are formed such that the dimensions in the circumferential direction (vertical direction) of the cylindrical surface portion 410 are slightly larger on the rear side than on the front side of the vehicle.
In addition, the lens portions 331, 332, and 333 are opposed to each other at the positions adjacent to the other lenses, with the end surfaces of the outer peripheral edge portions of the lens portions spaced apart from each other at substantially constant intervals. Are arranged as follows.

The RR unit 340 includes a plurality of rib portions 341, 342, 343, and 344.
The rib portion 341 is disposed along the end surface of the lens portion 331 opposite to the end surface facing the lens portion 332 (upper end portion).
The rib portion 342 is disposed between the end surfaces of the lens portion 331 and the lens portion 332 facing each other.
The rib portion 343 is disposed between the end surfaces of the lens portion 332 and the lens portion 333 that face each other.
The rib portion 344 is arranged along the end surface of the lens portion 333 opposite to the end surface facing the lens portion 332 (lower end portion).
These rib portions 341, 342, 343, and 344 are adapted to the shapes of the lens portions 331, 332, and 333 described above, and the distance between adjacent rib portions is slightly wider on the rear side than on the front side of the vehicle. They are arranged so as to be inclined with respect to each other.

  FIG. 4 is a side view of the inner lens unit 330 and the RR unit 340 as viewed from the vehicle width direction. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the extension reflector 400, the inner lens unit 330, and the RR unit 340.

As shown in FIG. 5, each rib part 341,342,343,344 is mutually connected by the reflector part 351,352,353 provided in between between adjacent rib parts. The RR unit 340 is obtained by integrally forming the rib portions 341, 342, 343, 344 and the reflector portions 351, 352, 353. The reflector portions 351, 352, and 353 are formed to have continuous surface portions at the connecting portions between them, and the rib portions 342 and 343 sandwiched between the lens portions are formed to protrude from the surface portions to the vehicle exterior side. ing.
The reflector portions 351, 352, and 353 are disposed to face the surface portions of the lens portions 331, 332, and 333 on the lamp chamber 321 side with a space therebetween. As shown in FIG. 7, the reflector portion 352 has an opening 352a for taking light from the inside of the lamp chamber 321 to the lens 332 side.
The RR unit 340 is formed by injection molding a resin material such as polycarbonate (PC), and forms a substantially mirror-like metal thin film on at least a portion of the surface outside the vehicle, for example, by vapor deposition of an aluminum alloy. Is supposed to be reflected.
Further, in the region shown in FIG. 5 (intermediate portion in the extending direction of the rib portion), the lens portions 331, 332, and 333 are in a state of being separated from each other.

As shown in FIG. 6, the inner lens unit 330 is connected to the lens portion 331 and the lens portion 332 and between the lens 332 and the lens portion 333 at the front end portion of the vehicle. 334, 335 are provided. The inner lens unit 330 is obtained by integrally forming these lens portions 331, 332, 333 and connecting portions 334, 335 by, for example, injection molding of a resin material.
The inner lens unit 330 is formed of a translucent material that is colored amber when, for example, the light emission of the turn signal lamp is amber, but the light source itself is colored using an LED or the like. If possible, the lens portions 331, 332, and 333 may be transparent.

The RR unit 340 includes notches 354 and 355, which are space portions secured to prevent interference with the connecting portions 334 and 335 described above.
The notch 354 is provided with a space between the reflector 351 and the reflector 352, and the rib 342 is disposed in the space apart from the reflectors 352 and 353, respectively.
Similarly, the notch portion 355 is provided with a space between the reflector portion 352 and the reflector portion 353, and the rib portion 343 is disposed separately from the reflector portions 352 and 353 within this space. .
As shown in FIG. 7, the notches 354 and 355 have a shape in which the end portion on the vehicle front side of the RR unit 340 is recessed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the vehicle width direction.

The coupling portions 334 and 335 of the inner lens unit 330 described above are partially disposed in the notches 354 and 355 of the RR unit 340, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 6, the connecting portions 334 and 335 are formed to bypass the end portions of the rib portions 342 and 343 on the lamp chamber 321 side in order to prevent interference with the corresponding rib portions 342 and 343, respectively. Grooves 334a and 335a into which the end portions on the lamp chamber 321 side of the rib portions 342 and 343 are respectively formed are formed by denting the surface portions on the rib portions 342 and 343 side. The groove portions 334a and 335a are formed along the extending direction of the corresponding rib portions 342 and 343, respectively, and the end surfaces of the rib portions 342 and 343 on the lamp chamber 321 side are in contact with the groove bottom surfaces. Further, the width of the groove portions 334a and 335a in the arrangement direction (vertical direction) of the lens portions 331, 332, and 333 is formed larger than the thickness of the rib portions 342 and 343.

Next, a method for assembling the inner lens unit 330 and the RR unit 340 described above will be described.
8A and 8B are diagrams showing an assembly method of the inner lens unit 330 and the RR unit 340. FIG. 8A is a side view seen from the vehicle width direction, and FIG. 8B is FIG. Bb part arrow sectional drawing of FIG.8 (c), FIG.8 (c) is cc part arrow sectional drawing of Fig.8 (a). Hereinafter, the steps will be described step by step.
(1) End portions (rear end portions) on the vehicle rear side of the lens portions 331, 332, and 333 of the inner lens unit 330 are disposed between the corresponding rib portions 341, 342, 343, and 344, respectively. The rear end portions of the lens portions 331, 332, and 333 are disposed on the vehicle front side by an amount in consideration of the width of the connecting portions 334 and 335 with respect to the rear end portions of the rib portions 341, 342, 343, and 344. .
At this time, the front end portions (front end portions) of the lens portions 331, 332, and 333 are separated from the RR unit 340.
(2) The inner lens unit 330 is rotated with the rear end portion as a fulcrum, and the front end portion of the inner lens unit 330 is moved to the front side of the vehicle from the front end portion of the RR unit 340. At this time, the rear end portions of the connecting portions 334 and 335 are disposed closer to the vehicle front side than the front end portion of the RR unit 340.
(3) The inner lens unit 330 is moved substantially parallel (slid) to the vehicle rear side with respect to the RR unit 340 substantially along the extending direction of the rib portions 342 and 343. At this time, the groove portions 334 a and 335 a of the connecting portions 334 and 335 function as guide portions that guide the movement of the inner lens unit 330 by inserting the rib portions 342 and 343.
(4) The claw portions 331a and 333a having flexibility formed at the rear end portions of the lens portions 331 and 333 are respectively connected to the locking target portions 351a formed at the rear end portions of the reflectors 351 and 353 of the RR unit 340. , 353a and the front end of the inner lens unit 330 and the front end of the RR unit 340 are fastened with a tapping screw (not shown) to complete the assembly.

Next, the effects of the above-described embodiment will be described in comparison with comparative examples described below. In addition, in each comparative example, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the location similar to the Example mentioned above, description is abbreviate | omitted, and a difference is mainly demonstrated.
(Comparative Example 1)
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a side turn signal portion that is Comparative Example 1 of the present invention, and shows a cross section at a location corresponding to FIG. 5 in the above-described embodiment.
In Comparative Example 1, instead of the inner lens unit 330 of Example 1, lens parts 531, 532, and 533 formed separately from each other are provided. These lens portions 531, 532, and 533 include flexible claw portions 531a, 532a, and 533a that are formed to protrude toward the corresponding reflector portions 351, 352, and 353, respectively. , 353 are respectively inserted into and locked in corresponding openings formed in the RR unit 340.

(Comparative Example 2)
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a side turn signal portion that is Comparative Example 2 of the present invention, and shows a cross section at a location corresponding to FIG. 5 in the above-described embodiment.
In Comparative Example 2, the lens portions 631, 632, 633 and the rib portions 641, 642, 643, 644 are integrally formed of a material having transparency.
The regions A1, A2, A3, A4 of the surface portions of the rib portions 641, 642, 643, 644 are surfaces such as vapor deposition in a state where the light-transmitting surface portions of the lens portions 631, 632, 633 are masked with a predetermined jig. Processing is performed to form a metal thin film.

As in Comparative Example 1, when a plurality of lens portions 531, 532, and 533 are formed separately and individually mounted on the RR unit 340, the number of parts increases, so that the mold cost increases and the assembly thereof The process is also complicated.
Furthermore, when the claw portions 531a, 532a, and 533a formed on the individual lens portions 531, 532, and 533 are visually recognized from the outside of the vehicle, the appearance quality is impaired.

Further, as in Comparative Example 2, when the lens portions 631, 632, 633 and the rib portions 641, 642, 643, 644 are integrally formed and only the rib portions 641, 642, 643, 644 are surface-treated, the surface treatment is performed. The performance of the lens portions 631, 632, and 633 may be impaired by heat applied at times, and the surface treatment work involving masking requires a jig or the like and is complicated. Furthermore, a parting step is required for the surface treatment, and the appearance quality is impaired.
In this case, it is difficult to integrally form the reflector portion, and a separate part is required.

On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.
(A) The lens portions 331, 332 and 333 are connected by connecting portions 334 and 335 formed integrally therewith, and the connecting portions 334 and 335 are formed on the lamp chamber 221 side of the rib portions 342 and 343. Since the cutout portions 354 and 355 are inserted and attached along the extending direction, the number of components can be reduced and the structure can be simplified. By reducing the number of parts in this way, the die cost can be reduced.
(B) A plurality of lens portions 331, 332, and 333 can be simultaneously attached to the rib portions 342 and 343, and the assembly process can be simplified.
(C) Since the rib portions 342, 343 are formed separately from the lens portions 331, 332, 333, the performance of the lens portions 331, 332, 333 is affected when surface treatment such as vapor deposition is performed. Furthermore, the degree of freedom in selecting the material of the rib portions 342 and 343 and selecting the surface treatment method can be improved.
(D) When viewed from the outside, since the connecting portions 334 and 335 are hidden by the rib portions 342 and 343, appearance quality can be ensured.
(E) Since the connecting portions 334 and 335 are provided on the front end side of the inner lens unit 330 in which the interval between the rib portions 342 and 343 is relatively narrow, the rear end portions of the lens portions 331, 332 and 333 are first placed between the corresponding ribs. By disposing and then attaching the connecting portions 334 and 335 to the rib portions 342 and 343, the lens portion 332 whose rear end side is widened can be easily attached.
(F) Since the reflector portions 351, 352, and 353 are integrally formed with the rib portions 341, 342, 343, and 344, the number of parts can be further reduced, and surface treatment processing such as vapor deposition processing can be performed simultaneously, The process can be simplified.
(G) Since the connecting portions 334 and 335 include the groove portions 334a and 335a into which the end portions of the rib portions 342 and 343 are inserted, respectively, by inserting and sliding the rib portions along the groove portions 334a and 335a, It can be used as a guide at the time of assembly and can be easily assembled.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible, and these are also within the equivalent scope of the present invention.
(1) Although the embodiment relates to a side turn signal lamp provided in a front combination lamp, for example, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to other lamps. For example, the present invention can be applied to brake lamps, position lamps, reverse lamps, front and rear fog lamps, headlamps, and the like. It may be exposed to.
(2) The shape, number, material, surface treatment, and the like of the lens and rib portion are not limited to those of the above-described embodiments, and can be changed as appropriate.

It is a general-view perspective view of the combination lamp which is an Example of the vehicle lamp to which this invention is applied. It is the II section enlarged view of the combination lamp of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2. It is a side view of the inner lens unit and RR unit of the side turn signal in the combination lamp of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4. It is VI-VI part arrow directional cross-sectional view of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the side turn signal in the combination lamp of FIG. It is a figure which shows the assembly method of the inner lens unit and RR unit in the combination lamp of FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing of the side turn signal which is the comparative example 1 of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the side turn signal which is the comparative example 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Combination lamp 10 Outer cover 20 Housing 100 Low beam unit 200 High beam unit 300 Turn signal unit 310 Front turn signal 320 Side turn signal 321 Lamp chamber 322 Bulb 330 Inner lens unit 331,332,333 Lens part 340 Reflex reflector (RR) unit 341, 342, 343, 344 Rib part 351, 352, 353 Reflector part 400 Extension reflector

Claims (5)

A plurality of lens units provided in a lamp chamber for storing a light source and arranged with an interval between outer peripheral edges thereof;
A rib portion disposed between the outer peripheral edge portions of the plurality of lens portions facing each other, and formed separately from the lens portion;
A vehicle lamp comprising: a connecting portion formed integrally with the plurality of lens portions between the plurality of lens portions, at least a part of which is disposed closer to the lamp chamber portion than the rib portion. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1,
The vehicular lamp, wherein the connecting portion is attached to the rib portion by a relative movement substantially along the extending direction of the rib portion. The vehicle lamp according to claim 1 or 2,
A plurality of the rib portions are provided with at least one of the plurality of lens portions sandwiched therebetween and inclined in an extending direction thereof,
The connecting portion is arranged at an end portion on a side where the interval between the plurality of rib portions is small. The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
A vehicular lamp, comprising: a reflector portion formed integrally with the rib portion and disposed to face at least one surface portion on the lamp chamber side of the plurality of lens portions. The vehicle lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:
The connecting portion is formed by recessing a part thereof toward the lamp chamber side, and has a groove portion into which an end portion of the rib portion on the lamp chamber side is inserted.

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