JP2012109082A - Lamp device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lamp device for a vehicle which can restrain degradation of appearance while securing support strength of a light guide plate without bringing about cost rise.SOLUTION: A first concave part 10e extended along a light guide plate 15 and having a sufficient size for housing at least a part of the light guide plate 15 is formed on a housing member 10. Then, a second concave part 10f next to a bottom wall 10h of the first concave part 10e is formed in parallel to, and in a length over its whole length of the first concave part 10e, and an engagement hole 10g is formed on a bottom wall part 10j of the second concave part 10f.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle lamp device including a light guide plate.

  In a lamp device for an automobile, a light guide plate that emits light from an LED in addition to a lamp bulb may be provided in a housing member from the viewpoint of improving the appearance (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Since such a light guide plate generally has a small lens width and is weak against vibration of the vehicle body, it is necessary to increase the support strength of the light guide plate, particularly when the light guide plate is provided at a disadvantageous position against heat. For example, as shown in FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B, a pair of engaging claws 50 a are integrally formed in the middle in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate 50, and the light guide plate 50 can be accommodated in the housing 51. A recess 51a having a thickness is formed, and an engagement hole 51b is formed in the bottom wall of the recess 51a. The light guide plate 50 is supported by the housing 51 by inserting the engaging claws 50a into the engaging holes 51b of the recess 51a.

JP 2006-114309 A

  By the way, as described above, in the structure in which the engaging claws 50a formed on the light guide plate 50 are engaged with the engagement holes 51b of the housing 51, the support strength of the light guide plate 50 can be ensured, but the light guide plate is not illuminated. 50, the engaging claw 50a is reflected as a shadow a, and this appears to be dark, which causes a problem of poor appearance. The shadow a is easily noticeable because it looks like a scratch or a foreign object when viewed through the lens 52.

  Therefore, in order to prevent deterioration of appearance while ensuring support strength, it is possible to eliminate the engaging claws by adding a new reinforcing member to the light guide plate or forming the light guide plate with a high strength material. It is done. However, this increases the cost and cannot be adopted for a small vehicle for which a lower price is desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional situation, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lamp device that can secure the support strength of the light guide plate without causing an increase in cost and can prevent deterioration in appearance. .

  The present invention includes a housing member having a lens opening formed in one direction, a lamp bulb disposed at the bottom of the housing member, and a lens disposed on the housing member so as to cover the lens opening. A light guide plate disposed in the housing member, and engaging the light guide plate with an engagement claw formed in a midway portion in the longitudinal direction of the light guide plate in an engagement hole formed in the housing member. The vehicle lamp device is supported by the housing member by a first recess that extends along the light guide plate and can accommodate at least a part of the light guide plate in the housing member. And a second recess having a length parallel to and extending over the entire length of the first recess, and the engagement hole is formed in the bottom wall of the second recess. Characterized by the formation of That.

  According to the lamp device of the present invention, the first concave portion capable of accommodating at least a part of the light guide plate is formed in the housing member, and the second length over the entire length following the bottom wall of the first concave portion. Since the concave portion is formed and the engagement hole is formed in the bottom wall portion of the second concave portion, a thin band-like shadow extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper concave wall portion of the second concave portion of the housing member when not lit. When this is viewed through the lens from the outside, the shadow of the engaging claw overlaps with the strip-shaped shadow, making it difficult to see. As a result, the shadows of the engaging claws that looked like scratches or foreign objects are not noticeable, and deterioration in appearance can be prevented.

  Since the light guide plate is fixed to the housing member by the engaging claws, the support strength can be ensured and the light guide plate can be prevented from coming off due to vehicle vibration or heat. It is possible to avoid an increase in cost as in the case of changing to a material with high strength or adding a reinforcing structure, and in turn, it can be adopted for a small vehicle that is strongly demanded to reduce the price.

  In the present invention, since the engagement hole is formed in the second recess formed subsequent to the bottom wall of the first recess, the engagement claw comes into contact with the periphery of the engagement hole of the second recess when the light guide plate is assembled. Even if this occurs, it is difficult to see from the outside, and the appearance can be prevented from deteriorating. That is, since the second recess is located behind the first recess and is hidden by a strip-like shadow, the scratches are not noticeable, and the appearance can be prevented from deteriorating.

  In addition, since the second concave portion is formed in the bottom wall of the first concave portion, the rigidity and strength against the external force of the entire housing can be increased, and as a result, the support strength of the light guide plate can be further increased.

1 is a perspective view of a headlamp device for an automobile according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the said headlamp apparatus. It is sectional drawing (III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 2) of the said headlamp apparatus. It is sectional drawing (IV-IV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 2) of the said headlamp apparatus. It is a cross-sectional side view of the light guide plate of the headlamp device. It is a cross-sectional plan view of the light guide plate. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the effect of this Example 1. FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the modification of the 1st, 2nd recessed part in the said Example 1. FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating Example 2 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the formation process of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 7 are diagrams for explaining a vehicular lamp device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a left and right headlamp device disposed at the front end of a vehicle body. The left and right headlamp devices 1 have the same structure, a housing member 2 that opens toward the front of the vehicle, a high beam lamp bulb 3 and a low beam lamp bulb 4 that are disposed at the bottom of the housing member 2. And a substantially colorless and transparent lens 5 disposed on the housing member 2 so as to cover the opening.

  The housing member 2 includes an outer housing 9 and an inner housing 10 disposed in the outer housing 9.

  The outer housing 9 includes a front bottom portion 9b, a rear bottom portion 9c formed in a stepped shape so as to be positioned behind the front bottom portion 9b, and a peripheral wall portion 9d common to the front and rear bottom portions 9b and 9c. It has a generally bowl shape.

  A lens opening 9a is formed at the front edge of the peripheral wall 9d. A concave groove 9e is formed in the peripheral edge of the lens opening 9a, and the outer peripheral edge portion 5a of the lens 5 is inserted and fixed in the concave groove 9e with a seal member 13 interposed.

  The high beam lamp bulb 3 is detachably attached to the front bottom portion 9b of the outer housing 9, and the low beam lamp bulb 4 is detachably attached to the rear bottom portion 9c. Each of the lamp bulbs 3 and 4 is provided with a reflector 12 that reflects the light of the lamp bulbs 3 and 4 and irradiates the lens 5.

  The inner housing 10 is disposed in the outer housing 9 so as to cover the lens opening 9a. On the outer surface of the inner housing 10 that can be seen through the lens 5, a reflective surface is formed by aluminum vapor deposition.

  The inner housing 10 follows the generally cylindrical left and right irradiation openings 10a and 10b formed so as to face the lamp bulbs 3 and 4, and the lower edges of the left and right irradiation openings 10a and 10b. The front wall portion 10c extends forward so as to be close to the lens 5, and the turn signal irradiating portion 10d is bent and extended stepwise downward and rearwardly following the lower edge of the front wall portion 10c.

  The front wall portion 10c has a length that extends over substantially the entire length of the lens opening 9a in the vehicle width direction, and is slightly curved from the inner side toward the outer rear side.

  The headlamp device 1 includes a light guide plate 15 having a length that extends over substantially the entire length of the lens opening 9a in the vehicle width direction. The light guide plate may have a part of the length of the lens opening 9a in the vehicle width direction.

  The light guide plate 15 is disposed on the front surface of the front wall portion 10c of the inner housing 10, and has a substantially strip-shaped light guide lens portion 15a extending in the vehicle width direction, and a rear side of the light guide lens portion 15a. And a sawtooth reflecting portion 15b formed along the longitudinal direction.

  The light guide lens portion 15a is formed such that the thickness in the vehicle front-rear direction gradually decreases as it goes outward in the vehicle width direction (see FIG. 4).

  The light guide plate 15 includes a pair of left and right engaging claws 15c and 15c integrally formed so as to protrude rearward from the upper edge of the rear surface of the light guide lens portion 15a, and the left of the light guide lens portion 15a. , And engagement pieces 15d and 15d integrally formed so as to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction at the right end portion.

  Each engaging claw 15c is arranged at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal center portion of the light guide plate 15, and a claw portion 15e protruding in the vehicle width direction is formed at the tip of each engaging claw 15c. Has been.

  The LED 16 is disposed on the inner side in the longitudinal direction of the light guide lens portion 15a so as to face the inner end surface of the light guide lens portion 15a. The LED 16 is connected to a substrate 17 that is bolted to the fixed boss portion 18.

  The light from the LED 16 is applied to the front surface portion of the light guide lens portion 15a while being reflected by the reflecting portion 15b, whereby the light guide lens portion 15a emits light over the entire length (see broken line arrows in FIG. 4).

  A first recess 10 e is formed on the front surface of the front wall portion 10 c of the inner housing 10 so as to extend along the light guide plate 15. The first recess 10e is set to a size that can accommodate the rear portion of the light guide lens portion 15a, and the front portion of the light guide lens portion 15a is exposed forward from the first recess 10e.

  The bottom wall 10h of the first recess 10e is formed with a second recess 10f extending in parallel with the first recess 10e and having a length over the entire length of the first recess 10e. The second recess 10f is formed on the top of the bottom wall 10h of the first recess 10e, and the upper wall 10i of the second recess 10f forms a step with respect to the upper edge 10h 'of the first recess 10e. ing.

  The light guide lens portion 15a is formed to be substantially continuous with the front surface of the front wall portion 10c. When viewed through the lens 5 from the outside, the first recess 10 e is covered with the light guide plate 15.

  Engagement holes 10g and 10g are formed in portions corresponding to the respective engaging claws 15c of the bottom wall portion 10j of the second recess 10f. Each of the engagement holes 10g is formed in a rectangular tube shape following the bottom wall portion 10j of the second recess 10f. Insertion holes 10k and 10k are formed in portions corresponding to the respective engagement pieces 15d at both ends of the first recess 10e.

  The light guide plate 15 inserts the left and right engagement pieces 15d from the front of the vehicle into the respective insertion holes 10k of the first recess 10e to be engaged with the back surface of the front wall portion 10c, and engages the engagement claws 15c with the engagement holes. It is attached to the inner housing 10 by being inserted into 10g and locking the claw portion 15e to the rear edge portion of the engagement hole 10g.

  According to the present embodiment, the first recess 10e that can accommodate the light guide plate 15 is formed in the front wall portion 10c of the inner housing 10, and the length extending over the entire length following the bottom wall 10h of the first recess 10e. The second recess 10f is formed, and a pair of engagement holes 10g are formed at the bottom of the second recess 10f.

  Since the second recess 10f is formed on the further back side of the first recess 10e in this way, as shown in FIG. 7, since the second recess 10f portion is at the back, it is dark when not lit, so that the light guide plate 15 has a strip shape. A faint shadow b is produced. When the light guide plate 15 is viewed through the lens 5 from the outside, the band-shaped shadow b overlaps the shadows a and a of the engaging claws 15c, so that the shadows a and a of the engaging claws 15c are difficult to see. As a result, the shadow a of the engaging claw 15c that has been seen as a scratch or a foreign object becomes inconspicuous, and deterioration in appearance can be prevented.

  Since the light guide plate 15 is fixed to the inner housing 10 by the two engaging claws 15c, the support strength can be ensured and it can be prevented from coming off due to vehicle vibration or heat. It is possible to avoid an increase in cost as in the case of adding a reinforcing member or changing to a material having high strength, and it is possible to adopt it for a small vehicle that is strongly demanded to reduce the price.

  In the present embodiment, the second recess 10f is formed following the first recess 10e, and the engagement hole 10g is formed in the second recess 10f, so that the engaging claw 15c becomes the second recess when the light guide plate 15 is assembled. Even if it comes into contact with the periphery of the engagement hole 10g of 10f and is scratched, it is difficult to see from the outside, and the appearance can be prevented from deteriorating. That is, the second concave portion 10f is located behind the first concave portion 10e, and the band-like shadow b is formed, so that the scratches are not noticeable, and the appearance can be prevented from deteriorating from this point.

  Further, since the second recess 10f is further formed at the bottom of the first recess 10e, the rigidity and strength against the external force of the entire inner housing 10 can be increased, and the support strength of the light guide plate 15 can be further increased.

  In the first embodiment, the case where the bottom wall 10h of the first recess 10e continues smoothly up to the upper edge portion 10h 'has been described. However, the first recess 10e has a modification as shown in FIG. The upper edge portion may have a clearly-shaped side wall 10c ', and the second recess 10f may be formed following the bottom wall 10h.

  Even in this case, since the second concave portion 10f is formed further on the back side of the first concave portion 10e, the second concave portion 10f creates a thin band-like shadow on the light guide plate 15, and as a result, on the scratches and foreign matter. The shadow of the engaging claw that was visible becomes inconspicuous, and deterioration of the appearance can be prevented.

  FIGS. 9A and 9B show Example 2 of the present invention.

  In the second embodiment, the upper wall 10i ′ of the first recess 10e and the upper wall 10i of the second recess 10f are formed so as to be substantially continuous.

  In the second embodiment, the upper wall 10i ′ of the first recess 10e extends forward like a ridge from the second recess 10f. Therefore, when not lit, even when the sun beam s is inserted, the second recess 10f portion is darkened because the light is blocked by the eaves, and a thin band-like shadow on the light guide plate 15 can be made clearer. , Can prevent the deterioration of appearance more reliably.

  In each of the above embodiments, the headlamp device of an automobile has been described as an example. However, the lamp device of the present invention is not limited to this, for example, a rear combination lamp device disposed at the rear end of the vehicle body, Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to a lamp device such as a room lamp disposed in the vehicle interior.

  In the above embodiment, the pair of engaging claws 15c are formed on the light guide plate 15. However, the number of the engaging claws according to the present invention may be one or three or more, and is appropriately set according to the required support strength. It becomes.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Headlamp apparatus 2 Housing member 3 Lamp bulb 4 Lamp bulb 5 Lens 9 Outer housing (housing member)
10 Inner housing (housing member)
10e 1st recessed part 10f 2nd recessed part 10g Engagement hole 10h Bottom wall 10j Bottom wall part 15 Light-guide plate 15c Engagement claw

Claims (1)

A housing member having a lens opening formed in one direction, a lamp bulb disposed at the bottom of the housing member, a lens disposed on the housing member so as to cover the lens opening, and the housing member A light guide plate disposed inside,
A vehicular lamp device in which the light guide plate is supported by the housing member by engaging an engaging claw formed in the middle of the light guide plate in an engagement hole formed in the housing member. And
A first recess extending along the light guide plate and having a size capable of accommodating at least a part of the light guide plate in the housing member;
Forming a second recess having a length parallel to the first recess and extending over the entire length of the bottom wall of the first recess;
A vehicular lamp device, wherein the engagement hole is formed in a bottom wall portion of the second recess.

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