JP2011046304A - Lighting fixture for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lighting fixture for vehicle which is equipped with a means of having pedestrians and the like recognize that a vehicle with small running sound such as an electric vehicle has approached them, the means requiring no electric power and being of the type on which failures are hard to occur. <P>SOLUTION: The mounting removably of a sound generating device 8 on the lighting fixture 1 for vehicle, the sound generating device being such that an air flow A guided in from an air introduction part 9 formed at the outer peripheral edge generates sound at the time a vehicle travels, keeps pedestrians and the like aware that a vehicle has approached them with a simple structure using no electric power. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp used for a vehicle having a low traveling sound such as an electric vehicle, and a vehicular lamp provided with means for allowing a pedestrian or the like to recognize that the traveling vehicle is approaching. It is.

  Vehicles with low running noise, such as electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, solar cars, and some hybrid vehicles running at low speeds, have the advantage of low noise during running, while pedestrians etc. There is a danger that a traffic accident may occur without recognition.

  Therefore, in order to avoid the above-mentioned danger, an attempt has been made to provide a vehicle with a low traveling sound with means for allowing a pedestrian or the like to recognize the approach of the vehicle. The traveling sound generator of Patent Document 1 shown below is employed in an electric vehicle, and a generator 11 (see FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1) driven by a motor that is a power source of the electric vehicle is A sound for notifying the approach of the electric vehicle is generated from the speaker 13 to the pedestrian via the amplifier 12.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-68987

  In an electric vehicle or the like, since a motor is driven by a power source with a limited capacity, the power consumption of the mounted device is required to be reduced as much as possible. However, since the traveling sound generator of Patent Document 1 generates sound by consuming electric power, there is a problem in increasing power consumption. On the other hand, since the amplifier 12 and the speaker 13 require wiring, failure due to severing or poor contact is likely to occur.

  The present invention provides a vehicular lamp that is a means for causing a pedestrian or the like to recognize the approach of a vehicle with low running sound without requiring electric power, and is less prone to failure.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the vehicular lamp according to claim 1 is provided with a sound generator that generates a sound by the air flow introduced from the air introduction part during travel, thereby allowing a pedestrian or the like to recognize the approach of the vehicle. It was.

  (Operation) A sound that makes a pedestrian or the like recognize the approach of a vehicle is generated without using electric power. As a result, a power distribution structure becomes unnecessary. In addition, since the vehicular lamp is arranged in the square of the vehicle, the sound generated therefrom is easily recognized by pedestrians and the like, and is difficult to hear from the driver.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the vehicular lamp according to the first aspect, wherein the air introduction portion is formed on the outer peripheral edge portion of the dual-purpose lamp.

  (Operation) By forming the air introduction part at the outer peripheral edge of the vehicular lamp, the arrangement of the lamps of the vehicular lamp is not hindered.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the vehicular lamp according to the first or second aspect, wherein the sound generator includes a plurality of leads and a resonance chamber.

  (Operation) The air flow taken into the sound generating device from the air introducing portion generates sound by vibrating in the resonance chamber after colliding with the reed. Further, by providing the sound generator with a plurality of combinations (reeds and resonance chambers, which are the same hereinafter) having different airflows necessary for generating sound, the combination is performed each time the vehicle speed reaches a constant speed (air Each time the wind pressure of the flow rises, it starts to generate sound in turn. As a result, the sound that causes a pedestrian or the like to recognize the approach of the vehicle changes stepwise and abruptly according to the increase / decrease in vehicle speed (increase / decrease in the amount of air flow taken in).

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the vehicular lamp according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the sound generator is removable from the vehicular lamp.
(Function) The sound can be selected.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the vehicular lamp according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the sound generating device includes a sound generating / stopping switching unit.
(Operation) When the vehicle speed reaches a predetermined speed and the wind pressure of the airflow increases, the air introduction part is blocked and the generation of sound stops. Further, when the vehicle decelerates to a predetermined speed that is slower than the speed at the time of blocking the air introduction part, the wind pressure of the air flow is reduced and the air introduction part is opened again.

  According to the vehicular lamp of claim 1 of the present application, since no power is required to generate a sound for recognizing the approach of the vehicle, the power consumption of the mounted vehicle is reduced. Moreover, since the sound generator has a simple configuration, it does not easily fail. In addition, since the air introduction portion is not formed with a protruding portion that contacts a pedestrian or the like, the safety of the pedestrian or the like walking in the vicinity of the vehicle is ensured.

  According to the vehicular lamp of claim 2 of the present application, the arrangement of the lamps is not hindered.

  According to the vehicular lamp of claim 3 of the present application, the generated sound is increased when the traveling vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed (when the shape of the combination of the lead and the resonance chamber is the same), or the pitch of the generated sound is reduced. Since it can be changed (when the shape of the combination of the lead and the resonance chamber is different), the vehicle can approach the pedestrian or the like at high speed, and can be alerted to a higher degree of danger.

  According to the vehicular lamp of claim 4 of the present application, it is possible to select whether or not to generate a sound according to the user's will, for example, when it is not necessary to generate a sound that causes a pedestrian or the like to recognize the approach of the vehicle.

  According to the vehicular lamp of claim 5 of the present application, when it is not necessary to intentionally generate a sound for causing a pedestrian or the like to recognize the approach of the vehicle, such as during a high-speed traveling in which the traveling noise of the vehicle is necessarily loud. , The generation of extra sounds can be stopped. Furthermore, since the air introduction part once closed does not open unless the vehicle speed is sufficiently decelerated than the speed when the air introduction part is closed, the vehicle speed is increased when the vehicle travels in the vicinity of the predetermined speed at which the air introduction part is closed. Even if it fluctuates slightly, the air introduction part does not flutter.

It is a top view of the vehicle provided with the vehicle lamp of this application. It is a rear view of the vehicle provided with the vehicle lamp of this application. It is the perspective view which looked at the vehicle lamp of 1st Example from the front. FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the vehicular lamp (BUL and tail & stop lamp portion) in FIG. 3. It is explanatory drawing of the vehicle lamp of 2nd Example provided with two or more sound generators. It is the perspective view which looked at the vehicle lamp of 3rd Example from the front. It is a horizontal sectional view of the sound generator of the third embodiment. It is a horizontal sectional view of the vehicular lamp (BUL and tail & stop lamp part) of the 3rd example in the state where the sound generator was attached. It is explanatory drawing of the vehicle lamp of 4th Example provided with the switching mechanism of sound generation | occurrence | production and a stop in a sound generator.

  Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 and 2 show a plan view and a rear view of a vehicle provided with a vehicular lamp according to each embodiment of the present invention. In the present invention, a vehicle lamp is provided with a sound generator that generates a sound by an air flow so that a pedestrian or the like recognizes the approach of the vehicle. The sound generating device according to the present invention can be mounted on various vehicle lamps such as headlamps and rear combination lamps (hereinafter referred to as RCL) regardless of whether left or right. In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a sound generator is provided on the right RCL (vehicle lamp 1).

  The vehicle lamp 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. A vehicular lamp 1 is provided with a backup lamp (BUL) 1A, a tail & stop lamp 1B and a turn signal lamp (TSL) 1C. The vehicular lamp 1 includes a resin lamp body 2, a translucent front surface. A lens 3, a reflector 4, a bulb 5 serving as a light source, and resin first and second extension reflectors (6, 7) are provided. The reflector 4 includes a reflector 4A for BUL1A, a reflector 4B for tail and stop lamp 1B integrated with the reflector 4A, and a reflector for TSL1C (not shown). The valve 5 includes a valve 5A for BUL1A, a tail & A bulb 5B for the stop lamp 1B and a bulb for TSL1C (not shown) are provided. The lamp body 2 and the front lens 3 are integrated to define a lamp chamber inside. In the lamp chamber S1 of the BUL 1A and the lamp chamber S2 of the tail & stop lamp 1B, reflectors (4A, 4B), bulbs (5A, 5B) serving as light sources, and first and second extension reflectors (6, 7) are arranged. The The first and second extension reflectors (6, 7) are integrally formed and fixed to the front surface of the lamp body 2 and the back surface of the front lens 3, and the reflectors (4A, 4B) are connected to the bulb insertion ports (4a, 4b). ) Is fixed to the front surface of the extension reflector 6 with the valves (5A, 5B) attached thereto.

  The sound generator 8 includes an air introduction part 9, an air introduction path 10, a lead 11, a resonance chamber 12, an exhaust passage 13 and an air exhaust part 14.

  The air introduction part 9 is an opening formed on the side surface of the front lens 3 that is the outer peripheral edge part of the vehicular lamp 1, and takes in the air introduction path 10 that communicates the outside air of the vehicle during traveling. The air introduction path 10 is an air passage defined between the front surface of the lamp body 2 and the back surface of the extension reflector 7. It is desirable to form the air introduction part 9 and the air introduction path 10 in a tapered substantially trumpet shape in which the cross-sectional area decreases in the downstream direction of the air flow. In this case, the air introduction unit 9 can easily take in outside air, and the air taken in by the air introduction path 10 is accelerated, so that the lead 11 and the resonance chamber 12 can easily generate sound. In addition, the air introduction part 9, the air discharge part 14, etc. are arrange | positioned in the position which does not disturb arrangement | positioning of each lamp | ramp.

  A branching resonance chamber 12 and an exhaust passage 13 communicate with the end of the air introduction path 10. The resonance chamber 12 is defined between the front surface of the lamp body 2 and the back surface of the extension reflector 6 and has a certain volume. A rigid lead 11 protruding to the back side of the extension reflector 6 is provided at the entrance of the resonance chamber 12 so as to close a part of the entrance of the resonance chamber 12, and the end portion 12a of the resonance chamber 12 is closed. Yes. The lamp chambers (S1, S2) are defined on the vehicle rear side with respect to the resonance chamber 12, so that the definition of the resonance chamber 12 is not hindered.

  The exhaust passage 13 is an air flow exhaust passage defined between the opposing extension reflectors (6, 7), and communicates with an air exhaust portion 14 which is a through hole formed on the rear side of the front lens. .

  In the first embodiment, the sound generator 8 is provided in the lamp chamber to prevent the vehicle lamp 1 from projecting to the outside. However, the sound generator 8 is disposed outside the lamp chamber, that is, a lamp. The inner space of the lamp chamber may be widened by providing it on the back side of the body 2.

  Generation of sound by the sound generator 8 will be described with reference to FIG. When the vehicle travels, outside air A is taken into the air introduction path 10 from the air introduction unit 9. The outside air A becomes an air flow A1 accelerated in the air introduction path 10. A part of the air flow A1 collides with the lead 11 as an air flow A2 and enters the resonance chamber 12 through a gap between the lead 11 and the inlet of the resonance chamber 12, and the rest passes through the exhaust passage 13 as air flow A3. It is discharged from the discharge portion 14 to the vehicle rear side.

  The lead 11 and the resonance chamber 12 serve as a recorder (longitudinal flute). That is, the air flow A <b> 2 that collides with the lead 11 that is hard and does not vibrate itself becomes turbulent in the gap between the lead 11 and the inlet of the resonance chamber 12, and vibrates inside the resonance chamber 12. The oscillated air flow A <b> 2 generates a sound corresponding to the size of the protruding lead 11 (projection length) and the volume of the resonance chamber 12 in the resonance chamber 12. The volume of sound generated by the air flow A2 increases in proportion to the size of the lead 11 (projection length). In addition, the pitch of the sound generated by the air flow A2 decreases as the volume of the resonance chamber 12 increases, and increases as the volume decreases.

Note that the lead 11 in this embodiment is more desirable in terms of less change in pitch and sound volume due to manufacturing errors, and from the viewpoint that it is more desirable, the recorder 11 generates sound by turbulently colliding the air flow without vibrating itself. Although the method is adopted, it is also possible to adopt a method such as a harmonica in which the reed 11 itself vibrates and generates sound when an air flow collides. Next, referring to FIG. A vehicle lamp will be described. In the second embodiment, there are provided a plurality of sound generators including a main sound generator 8A having a main lead 11A and a main resonance chamber 12A, and a sub sound generator 8B having a sub lead 11B and a sub resonance chamber 12B. . In the second embodiment, when the vehicle starts to travel, a sound is first generated from the main sound generating device 8A, and when the vehicle reaches a predetermined speed, a sound is generated from the sub sound generating device 8B in addition to the main sound generating device 8A. Like that.

  Specifically, for example, the main sound generating device 8A is communicated so as to face the terminal outlet 10′a of the air introduction path 10 ′, and the wall of the lamp body 2 or the extension reflector 7 on the peripheral edge of the outlet of the terminal outlet 10′a. A through slit 15 is provided in a part, and the secondary sound generator 8B is communicated with the through slit 15. In this case, when the vehicle speed is low, the wind pressure of the air flow A1 flowing through the air introduction path 10 ′ is weak, and the air flow A1 flows only into the main sound generator 8A without flowing into the through slit 15, so that the sound is It is generated only from the main sound generator 8A. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed reaches a constant speed, the wind pressure of the air flow A1 becomes strong, and the partial air flow A4 branched from the air flow A1 flows into the through slit 15, so that the sound enters the main sound generator 8A. In addition, it is also generated from the secondary sound generator 8B.

  When the sub-tone generator 8B starts to sound when the vehicle speed reaches a certain speed in this way, a warning is given that a vehicle exceeding a certain speed is approaching a pedestrian or the like and the degree of danger is higher. Can be recognized. The main sound generating device 8A and the sub sound generating device 8B can reach a constant vehicle speed without changing the pitch if the shape of the lead (11A, 11B) and the volume of the resonance chamber (12A, 12B) are matched. If the volume of the lead (11A, 11B) and the volume of the resonance chamber (12A, 12B) are different from each other, the pitch when the vehicle speed reaches a constant speed changes. Further, the adjustment to start sounding the secondary sound generator 8B at a predetermined vehicle speed is adjusted by the cross-sectional area of the air introduction path 10 ', the rate of change of the cross-sectional area in the downstream direction, the cross-sectional area of the through slit 15, or the like.

  The vehicle lamp 21 of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the third embodiment, the vehicular lamp 21 is configured by assembling a sound generator 23 formed separately from resin or the like with respect to the vehicular lamp body 22.

  The vehicle lamp 22 includes a backup lamp (BUL) 22A, a tail and stop lamp 22B, and a turn signal lamp (TSL) 22C. The vehicular lamp body 22 includes a resin lamp body 24, a translucent front lens 25, a reflector 26, and a bulb 27 serving as a light source. The reflector 26 includes a reflector 26A for the BUL 22A, a reflector 26B for the tail and stop lamp 22B integrated with the reflector 26A, and a reflector for the TSL 22C (not shown). The valve 27 includes a valve 27A for the BUL 22A, & A bulb 27B for the stop lamp 22B and a bulb for TSL22C (not shown) are provided.

  The lamp body 24 and the front lens 25 are integrated to define a lamp chamber inside. In the lamp chamber S1 ′ of the BUL 22A and the lamp chamber S2 ′ of the tail & stop lamp 22B, the reflector (with the bulbs (27A, 27B) attached to the bulb insertion ports (26a, 26b) is provided on the front surface of the lamp body 24. 26A, 26B) are fixed.

  On the bottoms of the lamp body 24 and the front lens 25, recessed groove-shaped attachment portions (28, 29) to which the sound generation device 23 is attached are provided in accordance with the outer shape of the sound generation device 23. The attachment portions (28, 29) are arranged at positions that do not hinder the arrangement of the lamps.

  The sound generator 23 is a substantially y-shaped and hollow member formed of resin or the like, and communicates with an air introduction part 30 that opens at the upper right end, an air introduction path 31 that communicates with the air introduction part 31, and an air introduction part 31. The resonance chamber 33 whose end is closed, the lead 32 provided so as to close a part of the inlet of the resonance chamber 33, the exhaust passage 34 communicating with the air introducing portion 31 so as to branch from the resonance chamber 33, and the outside The air discharge part 35 opened to each is provided. The sound generator 23 is formed by separating the sound generator 8 in the first embodiment from the vehicular lamp body 22 and using another member. The sound generator 23 is fixed to the vehicular lamp main body 22 by, for example, forming the concave groove of the mounting portion (28, 29) in a shape substantially the same as the partial outer periphery 23a of the sound generator. 24 and the bottom surface of the front lens 25 may be attached by fitting the sound generator 23, or a flange portion (not shown) is provided on the sound generator 23 and the flange portion is screwed to the lamp body 24 ( (Not shown) or the like. The sound generator 23 is configured such that a vehicle user or the like can be detached from the vehicle lamp body 22 in any fixing method of fitting or screwing. The sound generator 23 can be exchanged. When the sound generator 23 is removed, no intentional sound is generated for detecting travel during travel.

  A vehicle lamp according to a fourth embodiment in which the sound generation device is provided with a sound generation / stop switching mechanism will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the fourth embodiment, an opening / closing lid 36 for blocking the flow of the air flow A1 is provided in the middle of the air introduction path 10 ''. The opening / closing lid 36 is constituted by a lid main body 37 and small blades 38 that are integrated substantially at right angles to each other, and an inner wall of the air introduction path 10 ″ by a rotation shaft 39 provided at the boundary between the lid main body 37 and the small blades 38. 10 ″ a is pivotally fixed. The central axis of the rotation shaft 39 is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the air introduction path 10 ″. Further, one end 40a of the rotating shaft 39 is fixed to the inner wall 10''a of the air introduction path 10 '' and the other end 40b is fixed to the lid body 37 (or the small blade 38). Is attached. The torsion spring 40 biases the lid body 37 toward the inner wall 10 ″ a by applying a biasing torque in the clockwise D1 direction of FIG. is doing.

  Next, the opening / closing means by the opening / closing lid 36 will be described. When the vehicle travels and an air flow A1 having a constant wind pressure acts on the small blades 38 as shown in FIG. 9A, the torque in the counterclockwise direction D2 in FIG. Work. When the vehicle reaches a predetermined speed and the torque in the direction D2 due to the wind pressure exceeds the torque in the direction D1 due to the torsion spring 40, the lid body 37 rotates counterclockwise in the direction D2 around the rotation shaft 39. For the first time, the state shifts to the state shown in FIG. If the slight gap 41 is defined between the wall surface 10 ″ a and the lid body 37 by the rotation of the lid body 37, the air flow A 1 enters the gap 41. Since the surface area of the wall-side facing surface 37a of the lid main body 37 is considerably larger than the wind pressure acting surface 38a of the small blade 38, the air flow A1 that has entered the gap 41 acts on the surface 37a to the open / close lid 36 as shown in FIG. A large rotational torque in the counterclockwise direction D2 shown in FIG. As a result, the open / close lid 36 moves to the state shown in FIG. 9C and closes the air introduction path 10 ″ when the lid body 37 is largely rotated counterclockwise in the direction D 2. The lid body 37 is rotated when the air introduction path 10 ″ is closed, the tip of the lid body 37 comes into contact with the wall surface 10 ″ b on the opposite side of the air introduction path 10 ″ or the small blade 38 is turned on. It is conceivable to stop so as to come into contact with the wall surface 10 ″ a.

  On the other hand, once the air introduction path 10 ″ is closed, the opening / closing lid 36 does not open the air introduction path 10 ″ unless the vehicle speed is sufficiently lowered to a predetermined speed. When the biasing torque of the torsion spring 40 exceeds the torque due to the wind pressure, the opening / closing lid 36 rotates in the clockwise direction D <b> 1 shown in FIG. 9A to open the air introduction path 10 ″ again. However, the rotational torque generated when the lid body 37 receives wind pressure is much larger than the rotational torque generated when the small blades 38 receive the same wind pressure because the surface area of the lid body 37 is considerably larger than the small blades 38. large.

  Therefore, in the opening / closing lid 36, if the vehicle speed decreases and the wind pressure of the air flow A1 sufficiently decreases, and the urging torque of the torsion spring 40 does not exceed the rotational torque of the wind pressure acting on the lid body 37, the air introduction path 10 ′. Do not release '. As a result, the open / close lid 36 with the air introduction path 10 ″ closed does not rotate even if the vehicle speed drops slightly from the closed speed, and thus may fluctuate due to a slight increase or decrease in the vehicle speed during travel. Absent. Note that the opening / closing lid 36 has a predetermined vehicle speed by appropriately adjusting the surface area of the wind pressure acting surface of the small blade 38, the biasing torque of the torsion spring 40, and the surface area of the wall side facing surface 37a of the lid body 37. The introduction path 10 '' can be closed and adjusted so that the air introduction path 10 '' is opened when the vehicle speed drops to another predetermined speed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle lamp 8 Sound generator 9 Air introduction part 11 Lead 11A Main lead 11B Sub lead 12 Resonance chamber 12A Main resonance chamber 12B Sub resonance chamber 21 Vehicle lamp 23 Sound generator 36 Opening and closing lid (36 to 40 is sound (Switching between generation and stoppage of the system)
37 Lid body 38 Small blade 39 Rotating shaft 40 Torsion spring A1 Air flow

Claims (5)

A vehicular lamp comprising a sound generation device that generates sound by an air flow introduced from an air introduction unit during traveling.   2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the air introduction part is formed at an outer peripheral edge of the vehicular lamp.   The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the sound generator includes a plurality of leads and a resonance chamber.   The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sound generator is removable from the vehicular lamp.   The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sound generation device includes a sound generation / stop switching unit.