JP6716761B2 - Vehicle lighting - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp configured to control light distribution from a light source by a projection lens.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, as a configuration of a vehicular lamp, a configuration is known in which light from a light source is controlled by a projection lens.

As a configuration of such a vehicular lamp, "Patent Document 1" includes a lens in which an optical part and a turning part are integrally molded, and the turning part is vertically rotatable with respect to a housing. A supported movable lens is described.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-522929

In such a vehicular lamp, leg portions extending toward the rear of the lamp are formed at both ends of the lens holder in the vehicle width direction, and a fulcrum protrusion is formed on the outer surface of the rear end of each leg portion. If the fulcrum engaging portion that engages with the fulcrum protrusion of each leg is formed at a position on the rotation axis of both side walls of the housing, the rotation axis and the projection are projected. The degree of freedom of the positional relationship with the lens can be increased.

When such a configuration is adopted, it is necessary to allow the fulcrum protrusions of the legs to easily engage with the fulcrum engaging portions of the housing when the lamp is assembled. It is desired for improvement.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in a lens-movable vehicular lamp that is configured to control light distribution from a light source by a projection lens, the assembling property of the lamp is improved. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicular lamp capable of achieving the above.

The present invention is intended to achieve the above object by devising the structure of the housing.

That is, the vehicle lamp according to the present invention is
In a vehicular lamp configured to control light distribution from a light source by a projection lens,
A lens holder that supports the projection lens, and a housing that rotatably supports the lens holder around a rotation axis extending in the vehicle width direction,
At both ends of the lens holder in the vehicle width direction, leg portions extending toward the rear of the lamp are formed,
A fulcrum protrusion is formed on the outer surface of each leg, and a fulcrum engagement portion that engages with the fulcrum protrusion of each leg is provided on each side wall of the housing on the rotation axis. Has been formed,
A groove extending from the fulcrum engaging portion toward the front of the lamp is formed on at least one inner surface of both side wall portions of the housing.

The type of the vehicular lamp according to the present invention is not particularly limited, and for example, a fog lamp, a headlamp, or the like can be adopted.

The type of the “light source” is not particularly limited, and for example, a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode or a laser diode, a light source bulb or the like can be adopted.

The above-mentioned “lens holder” is not particularly limited in its specific configuration as long as it is supported rotatably around a rotation axis extending in the vehicle width direction with respect to the housing.

The above-mentioned "fulcrum engagement portion" is not particularly limited in its specific shape as long as it is configured to be able to engage with the fulcrum projection portion.

The “groove” is not particularly limited in its specific shape as long as it is formed so as to extend from the fulcrum engagement portion toward the front of the lamp.

In the vehicular lamp according to the present invention, the lens holder that supports the projection lens is supported so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction with respect to the housing. Therefore, the optical axis in the vertical direction is maintained with the light source fixed to the housing. Adjustments can be made. Therefore, the vehicular lamp can have a compact structure, and can be particularly suitable for a fog lamp or the like.

In addition, leg portions extending toward the rear of the lamp are formed at both ends of the lens holder in the vehicle width direction, and fulcrum protrusions are formed on the outer surface of each leg portion and both side walls of the housing. Since a fulcrum engagement portion that engages with the fulcrum protrusion of each leg is formed at a position on the rotation axis of each portion, the degree of freedom of the positional relationship between the rotation axis and the projection lens can be increased. it can.

In addition, since a groove extending from the fulcrum engaging portion toward the front of the lamp is formed on at least one inner side surface of both side wall portions of the housing, the following operational effects can be obtained.

That is, when the lamp is assembled, the lens holder is inserted into the interior space of the housing from the front side of the lamp, and the fulcrum protrusions of the pair of left and right legs engage with the pair of left and right fulcrum engaging portions. However, at that time, by inserting the lens holder in a state where the fulcrum protrusion is engaged with the groove formed on at least one inner surface, each fulcrum protrusion and each fulcrum engaging portion Can be easily engaged.

As described above, according to the invention of the present application, it is possible to improve the assembling property of the lamp in the vehicle movable lamp of the lens type configured to control the light distribution from the light source by the projection lens.

In the above-mentioned configuration, if the vertical width of the front region is set to a value larger than the vertical width of the rear region as the configuration of the groove portion, the fulcrum protrusion portion in the front region with the large vertical width is formed. The fulcrum protrusion can be moved toward the rear region having a narrow vertical width after the engagement is facilitated, and thus the fulcrum engagement portion can be easily guided. Therefore, the assembling property of the lamp can be further improved.

At that time, if the groove is formed so that the vertical width gradually increases toward the front of the lamp, the fulcrum protrusion engaged with the groove can be smoothly moved rearward of the lamp. This makes it possible to further improve the assembling property of the lamp.

In the above structure, if the depth of the front region of the groove is set to a value larger than the depth of the rear region of the groove, the relationship between the fulcrum protrusions in the relatively deep front region is further increased. The fulcrum protrusion can be moved toward the relatively shallow rear area after the adjustment is easily performed, and thus the fulcrum engagement portion can be easily guided. Therefore, the assembling property of the lamp can be further improved.

At that time, if the groove is configured to be gradually deeper toward the front of the lamp, the fulcrum protrusion can be smoothly moved toward the rear of the lamp along the groove. It is possible to further improve the assembling property of the lamp.

1 is a plan sectional view showing a vehicle lamp according to a first embodiment of the present invention. II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. Front view showing the vehicle lamp Detailed drawing of the main part of FIG. 3A is a detailed view of the Va portion of FIG. 3, and FIG. 3B is a detailed view of the Vb portion of FIG. FIG. 5B is a view taken in the direction of arrow VI in FIG. 5B, showing how the filter is attached to the housing in the vehicle lamp. FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing how the lens holder is assembled to the housing in the vehicle lamp. Front view showing how the light source unit is assembled to the housing in the vehicle lamp (A) is a rear view which shows the said vehicle lamp partially, (b) shows the 1st modification of the said 1st Embodiment, The same figure as (a) A diagram similar to FIG. 1, showing a second modification of the above embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view showing a vehicular lamp according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Detailed sectional view taken along line XII-XII of FIG. The front view which shows the housing in which the light source unit was mounted in the said 2nd Embodiment. A rear view showing how the projection lens is attached to the lens holder in the second embodiment. The perspective view which shows the state of the said assembly seen from diagonally downward and rearward.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view showing a vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. Further, FIG. 3 is a front view showing the vehicle lamp 10. In addition, in FIG. 3, a part of the components is shown in a broken state.

In these figures, the direction indicated by X is "front" as the lamp (also "front" for the vehicle), and the direction indicated by Y is "left direction" orthogonal to "front" (also "left direction" for the vehicle). However, when viewed from the front of the lamp, it is "rightward"), and the direction indicated by Z is "upward". The same applies to the other figures.

As shown in these drawings, a vehicle lamp 10 according to the present embodiment is a fog lamp provided at a right front end portion of a vehicle, and is attached to a housing 12 having a function as a lamp body and a front end opening portion thereof. A light emitting element 22 as a light source and a light distribution control unit 30 for controlling the light distribution from the light emitting element 22 are housed in a lamp chamber formed of a transparent light-transmitting cover 14. ing.

The light distribution control unit 30 is supported rotatably in the vertical direction with respect to the housing 12. The light emitting element 22 is configured as a part of the light source unit 20 mounted on the rear wall portion 12c of the housing 12.

The translucent cover 14 includes a cover main body portion 14A having a laterally oblong outer shape when viewed from the front of the lamp, and an outer peripheral flange portion 14B located on the outer peripheral side thereof. The cover body portion 14A is formed so as to extend along a convex curved surface close to a spherical surface, and is arranged in a state of being inclined toward the lamp rear side from the left end portion (right end portion in front view of the lamp) toward the right end portion thereof. There is.

The outer peripheral flange portion 14B has a laterally elongated oval outer shape that is slightly larger than the cover main body portion 14A, but an overhanging flange portion 14Ba is formed in the lower left portion thereof. The projecting flange portion 14Ba is formed in a right-angled triangular shape having two sides extending in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction so as to project from the general portion of the outer peripheral flange portion 14B to the outer peripheral side.

As described above, the translucent cover 14 has the protruding flange portion 14Ba formed on the outer peripheral flange portion 14B thereof, so that the translucent cover 14 is erroneously mounted upside down. In addition to preventing it, it is possible to prevent erroneous assembly of the translucent cover 14 between the fog lamp (that is, the lamp that should be paired with the vehicle lamp 10) provided at the left front end of the vehicle. It is supposed to do.

The housing 12 has the same outer shape as the outer shape of the translucent cover 14 when the lamp is viewed from the front. The translucent cover 14 is fixed to the housing 12 in a state where the annular protrusion 14Bb formed on the rear surface of the outer peripheral flange 14B is inserted into the annular groove 12e formed in the front end opening of the housing 12. .. This fixing is performed by ultrasonic welding in a state where the tip of the annular protrusion 14Bb of the translucent cover 14 is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the annular groove 12e of the housing 12.

The vehicular lamp 10 is adapted to be attached to a vehicle body side member (not shown) in a state of being embedded in a vehicle bumper 100 (a member indicated by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1).

Specifically, the vehicle lamp 10 includes two pairs of left and right brackets 12f formed on the housing 12 with the cover body 14A of the translucent cover 14 exposed to the opening 100a formed in the bumper 100. In, it is designed to be attached to the vehicle body side member. At that time, the opening 100a of the bumper 100 is formed in an inner peripheral edge shape of a horizontally elongated oval shape slightly larger than an outer peripheral edge shape of the cover main body portion 14A of the translucent cover 14, so that the outer peripheral flange portion 14B is projected. Most of the flange portion 14Ba can be covered by the bumper 100.

Next, a specific configuration of the light distribution control unit 30 and a supporting structure for the housing 12 will be described.

The light distribution control unit 30 is configured to include a projection lens 32 that controls deflection of the direct light from the light emitting element 22, and a lens holder 34 that supports the projection lens 32.

The projection lens 32 is made of a colorless transparent acrylic resin or the like, and its optical axis Ax extends in the front-rear direction of the lamp near the lower part of the light emitting element 22.

The projection lens 32 has a lens body 32A having a convex front surface and a flat rear surface, and an annular ring which is flush with the rear surface of the lens body 32A on the outer peripheral side of the lens body 32A. And an outer peripheral flange portion 32B formed in. The projection lens 32 has a laterally elongated elliptical outer shape when viewed from the front of the lamp, and is arranged in a state of being inclined rearward of the lamp from its left end portion to its right end portion. The projection lens 32 causes the lens body 32A to emit the direct light from the light emitting element 22 toward the front of the lamp as light that is slightly downward and spreads widely in the vehicle width direction, thereby forming a fog lamp light distribution pattern. It is supposed to do. At this time, the projection lens 32 has a lens body portion 32A of which the maximum diffusion angle of the light emitted from the projection lens 32 to the outside in the vehicle width direction is larger than the maximum diffusion angle to the inside in the vehicle width direction. The surface shape is set.

The lens holder 34 is made of a transparent member such as colorless and transparent polycarbonate resin. The lens holder 34 is formed such that an annular main body portion 34A that supports the projection lens 32 at its outer peripheral edge portion is inclined along the rear surface of the projection lens 32 from the left end portion toward the right end portion toward the lamp rear side. A pair of leg portions 34L and 34R extending rearward of the lamp are formed on both left and right sides thereof.

The projection lens 32 is supported by the lens holder 34 by fixing the projection lens 32 to the lens holder 34 at four points by thermal caulking. In order to realize this, the caulking protrusions 32a are formed at four positions on the rear surface of the outer peripheral edge of the projection lens 32, and the caulking protrusions 32a are inserted into the main body portion 34A of the lens holder 34. Through hole 34Aa is formed. In addition, in FIGS. 1-3, each caulking projection part 32a is shown in the state after thermal caulking.

In the vehicular lamp 10, external light is transmitted from the front side of the lamp through the translucent cover 14 and the projection lens 32 to the internal space of the housing 12 (that is, the space located on the rear side of the lamp in the lamp chamber). Is incident, but a reflecting member 36 for reflecting the external light is arranged on the rear side of the lamp with respect to the projection lens 32.

The reflecting member 36 is supported by the lens holder 34. Specifically, the reflecting member 36 is integrally formed with the lens holder 34, and is thereby supported by the lens holder 34. Therefore, the reflecting member 36 is also made of a transparent member such as colorless and transparent polycarbonate resin.

The reflecting member 36 is configured as an annular member that extends from the outer peripheral edge of the main body portion 34A of the lens holder 34 toward the rear of the lamp in the direction toward the optical axis Ax. Specifically, the reflecting member 36 is formed so that its front surface extends along a curved surface having an intermediate shape between a conical surface and an elliptic cone surface, and its rear end portion is centered on the optical axis Ax. An opening 36a having an inner peripheral edge shape close to a circle is formed. At this time, the reflecting member 36 is arranged in such a positional relationship that the light for controlling the light distribution from the light emitting element 22 to the projection lens 32 is not blocked.

On the rear surface of the reflecting member 36 (that is, the portion that overlaps the peripheral portion of the lens body 32A of the projection lens 32 in the front view of the lamp), the external light that has entered the internal space of the housing 12 through the projection lens 32 is projected. A plurality of reflecting elements 36s for reflecting toward the lens 32 are formed. Each of the reflecting elements 36s has a surface shape such as a triangular pyramid surface or a triangular prism surface, which allows the external light reaching the reflecting element 36s to be totally reflected. That is, the reflection member 36 is configured such that when the vehicle lamp 10 is observed from the front side of the lamp, some reflection elements 36s arranged at an angle for totally reflecting external light in the observation direction appear to shine. ing.

The light distribution control unit 30 has a pair of left and right legs 34L and 34R of the lens holder 34 around a rotation axis Ax1 extending in the vehicle width direction (that is, a horizontal direction orthogonal to the optical axis Ax) with respect to the housing 12. It is rotatably supported.

The specific configuration for realizing this is as follows.

That is, the pair of left and right leg portions 34L and 34R are formed to extend in a plate shape from the left and right side portions of the main body portion 34A of the lens holder 34 toward the rear of the lamp in a plan view.

Each of the pair of left and right legs 34L and 34R is formed so as to extend in a tongue shape from the main body portion 34A of the lens holder 34 toward the rear of the lamp in a side view. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the pair of left and right leg portions 34L, 34R are formed so as to extend in a direction in which the leg portions 34L, 34R slightly extend toward the rear of the lamp with respect to a vertical plane extending in the lamp front-rear direction in a plan view. There is. At that time, as the body portion 34A of the lens holder 34 is inclined toward the rear side of the lamp from the left end portion to the right end portion, the left leg portion 34L is longer than the right leg portion 34R ( Specifically, the length is twice or more). A reinforcing rib 34Lb for increasing the bending rigidity of the leg portion 34L is formed on the inner side surface of the left leg portion 34L (that is, the side surface located on the optical axis Ax side).

On the outer surface of the rear end portion of each leg portion 34L, 34R, fulcrum protrusion portions 34La, 34Ra protruding outward on the rotation axis Ax1 are formed. Each of the fulcrum protrusions 34La and 34Ra is formed in a truncated cone shape and its base end is formed in a cylindrical shape, but the base end is a fulcrum protrusion on the left side of the right fulcrum protrusion 34Ra. The portion 34La is longer.

Then, in the light distribution control unit 30, the fulcrum protrusion portion 34Ra of the right leg portion 34R of the lens holder 34 is inserted into the fulcrum engagement concave portion 12a1 formed in the right side wall portion 12a of the housing 12, and the left side portion The fulcrum protrusion portion 34La of the leg portion 34L is inserted into the fulcrum engagement hole 12b1 formed in the left side wall portion 12b of the housing 12 so that the leg portion 34L is supported rotatably around the rotation axis Ax1 with respect to the housing 12. It is like this.

That is, the fulcrum engaging recess 12a1 that constitutes the right fulcrum engaging portion is formed as a truncated cone-shaped recess on the inner surface of the right side wall 12a of the housing 12, and constitutes the left fulcrum engaging portion. The fulcrum engagement hole 12b1 is configured as a cylindrical through hole that penetrates the left side wall portion 12b of the housing 12 in the vehicle width direction.

A filter 50 for closing the fulcrum engagement hole 12b1 is attached to the left side wall portion 12b of the housing 12 from the outer surface side thereof (this will be described later).

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the main parts of FIG.

As shown in the figure, the left rear end of the housing 12 is configured as a projecting portion 12d that projects from the rear wall 12c to the rear side of the lamp. An optical axis adjusting screw 40 for rotating the light distribution control unit 30 about the rotation axis Ax1 is rotatably supported on the lower wall of the overhanging portion 12d about an axis Ax2 extending in the vertical direction. ..

The optical axis adjusting screw 40 is a resin (for example, polyamide resin) member, and is formed so that the diameter gradually decreases from the lower end to the upper end, and the screw is provided on the upper end. The part 40a is formed. The screw portion 40a is composed of a metric screw. The optical axis adjusting screw 40 is supported by the housing 12 at a shaft portion 40b located in the middle while the screw portion 40a is exposed inside the lamp chamber and the lower end portion is exposed to the external space. There is.

A driver insertion hole 40c is formed at the lower end of the optical axis adjusting screw 40, and a driver (not shown) is inserted into the driver inserting hole 40c to operate the optical axis adjusting screw 40 around the axis Ax2. It can be rotated. An O-ring 42 for securing airtightness in the lamp chamber is attached to a shaft portion 40b of the optical axis adjusting screw 40.

On the left side of the lens holder 34, a protruding piece 34B extending rearward of the lamp is formed. The protruding piece 34B is formed so as to extend in a plate shape on the same vertical plane as the left leg portion 34L, and the rear edge thereof is on the rear side of the lamp from the rotation axis Ax1 (further than the optical axis adjusting screw 40). It is located behind the lamp).

In the side view, the protruding piece 34B has a portion from the main body portion 34A of the lens holder 34 to a position on the rear side of the lamp with respect to the rotation axis Ax1 and has a left leg portion 34L through a substantially U-shaped slit 34a. A rear region 34Ba that is formed so as to surround the lamp and is located rearward of the lamp is formed to extend rearward of the lamp with a substantially constant vertical width at the same height position as the optical axis Ax.

The outer surface (side surface located on the side opposite to the optical axis Ax) of the protruding piece 34B is formed in a single plane shape, but a step is formed in the middle surface of the rear region 34Ba on the inner surface thereof. The portion located on the rear side of the lamp is thinner than other general portions (see FIG. 1). A plurality of (specifically, three) groove portions 34Ba1 for screwing with the optical axis adjusting screw 40 are formed on the inner surface of the thinned portion.

When the light distribution control unit 30 is at the rotation reference position that is the reference position for the optical axis adjustment, the plurality of groove portions 34Ba1 are centered on the same height position as the optical axis Ax, and the screw portion of the optical axis adjustment screw 40. It is adapted to be screwed with 40a.

Each groove portion 34Ba1 is formed in a substantially wedge-shaped vertical cross-sectional shape so as to extend in the lamp front-rear direction, and the vertical width thereof is set to the same value as the pitch of the screw portion 40a of the optical axis adjusting screw 40.

In the rear region 34Ba of the projection piece 34B, a portion near the rear end edge of the inner surface thereof is formed in a tapered shape in a plan view, and accordingly, the rear end faces of the plurality of groove portions 34Ba1 are formed in a zigzag shape in a side view. Has been done.

The inner surface of the left side wall portion 12b of the housing 12 is formed to extend to the overhanging portion 12d while maintaining a smooth planar shape, and the groove portion 34Ba1 of the projection piece 34B is formed at the rear end portion of the optical axis adjusting screw 40. A detachment prevention portion 12d1 is formed to prevent the detachment from the screwed state with. The detachment prevention portion 12d1 is formed by displacing a partial region of the rear end portion on the inner side surface of the left side wall portion 12b toward the inner side surface side relative to other general portions to make it thicker, and thus the rear portion area 34Ba of the protruding piece 34B. Is formed so as to be close to the outer surface of the.

A pair of upper and lower detachment preventing protrusions 34Bb is formed on the outer surface of a front region of the protrusion piece 34B located on the front side of the lamp with respect to the rotation axis Ax1. Specifically, the pair of upper and lower separation preventing protrusions 34Bb are formed at positions adjacent to the upper and lower sides of the substantially U-shaped slit 34a at the front end portion of the protrusion piece 34B.

Each of the detachment preventing protrusions 34Bb has a trapezoidal outer shape that is long in the lamp front-rear direction in a plan view, and is formed such that its tip end surface is close to the inner surface of the left side wall portion 12b of the housing 12. There is. At this time, the gap between the tip end surface of each detachment preventing protrusion 34Bb and the inner surface of the left side wall portion 12b of the housing 12 is such that the fulcrum of the leg portion 34R on the right side of the lens holder 34 is the fulcrum of the housing 12. It is set to a value smaller than the insertion depth into the fulcrum engagement recess 12a1 in the state of being engaged with the engagement recess 12a1.

5A is a detailed view of the Va portion in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5B is a detailed view of the Vb portion in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5A, a groove 12a2 extending from the fulcrum engagement recess 12a1 toward the front of the lamp is formed on the inner surface of the right side wall 12a of the housing 12.

The vertical width of the front region of the groove 12a2 is set to be larger than the vertical width of the rear region thereof. Specifically, the groove 12a2 is formed so that the vertical width thereof gradually increases toward the front of the lamp. At that time, the vertical width of the groove portion 12b2 is set to a value approximately equal to the outer diameter of the base end portion of the fulcrum projection portion 34Ra of the lens holder 34 at the rear end position, and the rear end position at the front end position. It is set to a value about 2 to 4 times the vertical width of.

The depth of the front region of the groove 12a2 is set to a value larger than the depth of the rear region. Specifically, the groove 12a2 is formed such that the depth thereof gradually increases toward the front of the lamp. At that time, the depth of the groove portion 12a2 is set to a value of about 0.2 to 0.6 times the insertion depth of the fulcrum projection portion 34Ra into the fulcrum engagement concave portion 12a1 at the rear end position. At the front end position, the insertion depth is set to a value of about 0.6 to 1.2 times.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, a groove 12b2 extending from the fulcrum engagement hole 12b1 toward the front of the lamp is formed on the inner surface of the left side wall 12b of the housing 12.

The vertical width of the front region of the groove 12b2 is set to be larger than the vertical width of the rear region. Specifically, the groove 12b2 is formed such that the vertical width thereof gradually increases toward the front of the lamp. At that time, the vertical width of the groove portion 12a2 is set to a value approximately equal to the outer diameter of the base end portion of the fulcrum projection portion 34La of the lens holder 34 at the rear end position, and the rear end position at the front end position. It is set to a value of about 2 to 6 times the vertical width of the.

The depth of the front region of the groove 12b2 is set to be larger than the depth of the rear region thereof. Specifically, the groove 12b2 is formed such that the depth thereof gradually increases toward the front of the lamp. At that time, the depth of the groove portion 12b2 is set to a value of about 0.2 to 0.6 times the insertion depth of the fulcrum protrusion portion 34La into the fulcrum engagement hole 12b1 at the rear end position, and the front end thereof is set. At the position, the insertion depth is set to a value of about 0.6 to 1.2 times.

FIG. 6 is a view in the direction of arrow VI in FIG. 5B, showing how the filter 50 is attached to the housing 12.

As shown in the figure, the left side wall 12b of the housing 12 is formed with a ventilation hole 12b3 penetrating the left side wall 12b in the vehicle width direction above the fulcrum engagement hole 12b1. The vent hole 12b3 is for absorbing the pressure fluctuation due to the temperature change of the gas in the lamp chamber, is formed so as to surround the fulcrum protrusion portion 34La in an arc shape, and is more than the fulcrum engagement hole 12b1. It has a large opening shape.

A filter 50 for closing the fulcrum engagement hole 12b1 and the ventilation hole 12b3 is attached to the left side wall portion 12b of the housing 12 from the outer side surface thereof.

The filter 50 is configured as a sheet-shaped filter having waterproofness and moisture diffusivity, and has a circular outer shape. The filter 50 is made of, for example, a sheet-shaped material having a thickness of several tens of μm such as expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), and has a plurality of fine holes (for example, holes having a diameter of 10 μm or less) formed like a mesh. It has a formed structure.

An annular bead portion 12b4 that annularly surrounds the fulcrum engagement hole 12b1 and the vent hole 12b3 is formed on the outer surface of the left side wall portion 12b. The height of the annular bead 12b4 is set to a value larger than the thickness of the filter 50 (for example, a value of about 0.5 to 1 mm). Further, on the outer surface of the left side wall portion 12b, a region located on the inner peripheral side of the annular bead portion 12b4 is formed as a flat surface portion 12b5.

The filter 50 is mounted by adhering the filter 50 to the outer surface of the left side wall portion 12b of the housing 12 at the flat surface portion 12b5 on the inner peripheral side of the annular bead 12b4 portion. At that time, the annular bead portion 12b4 functions as a positioning guide when the filter 50 is attached to the left side wall portion 12b of the housing 12, and also has a function of making it difficult for the filter 50 attached to the left side wall portion 12b to be peeled off. It is supposed to be fulfilled.

FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view showing how the lens holder 34 of the light distribution control unit 30 is assembled to the housing 12 in the present embodiment.

As shown in the figure, in a state in which the light distribution control unit 30 is inclined in the horizontal plane, the rear end portion of the protrusion piece 34B of the lens holder 34 and the fulcrum protrusion portion 34La of the left leg portion 34L are connected to the left side of the housing 12. The inner surface of the wall 12b is brought into contact with each other to elastically deform them. In this state, the right leg portion 34R is inserted into the housing 12, and the fulcrum protrusion portion 34Ra of the leg portion 34R is inserted into the fulcrum engagement concave portion 12a1 of the right side wall portion 12a of the housing 12. After that, the light distribution control unit 30 is pushed in so as to rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure around the fulcrum protrusion portion 34Ra as a center, and thereby the rear end portion of the protrusion piece 34B and the fulcrum protrusion portion 34La of the leg portion 34L. The lamp is moved rearward along the inner surface of the left side wall 12b of the housing 12. Then, after the rear end portion of the protrusion piece 34B is mounted on the separation prevention portion 12d1 formed on the rear end portion of the inner surface of the left side wall portion 12b, the fulcrum of the leg portion 34L is fulcrumed to the fulcrum of the left side wall portion 12b. Insert into the engagement hole 12b1.

As a result, the light distribution control unit 30 is in a state of being supported by the housing 12 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis Ax1. At this time, the protruding piece 34B is in a state of being screwed with the screw portion 40a of the optical axis adjusting screw 40 in the plurality of groove portions 34Ba1 formed on the inner side surface thereof, and the outer side surface thereof being close to the separation preventing portion 12d1 of the housing 12. Becomes

Since the groove 12a2 extending from the fulcrum engagement recess 12a1 toward the front of the lamp is formed on the inner surface of the right side wall 12a of the housing 12, when the right leg 34R is inserted into the housing 12, By engaging the fulcrum protrusion 34Ra with the groove 12a2, it is possible to move the lamp rearward in a state of being guided in the up-down direction, which facilitates insertion into the fulcrum engaging recess 12a1. Becomes

Further, since the groove 12b2 extending from the fulcrum engagement hole 12b1 toward the front of the lamp is formed on the inner surface of the left side wall 12b of the housing 12, when the left leg 34L is inserted into the housing 12. By engaging the fulcrum protrusion portion 34La with the groove portion 12b2, it is possible to move the lamp rearward in a state of being guided in the up-down direction, thereby facilitating the insertion into the fulcrum engaging concave portion 12a1. Is possible.

As shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 7, assuming that the projection piece 34B and the left leg portion 34L are integrally formed as the configuration of the lens holder 34, the fulcrum projection portion 34La of the leg portion 34L is the housing 12. When contacting the inner side surface of the left side wall portion 12b, the protruding piece 34B separates from the inner side surface of the left side wall portion 12b, and its rear end portion interferes with the optical axis adjusting screw 40. However, since the lens holder 34 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the projection piece 34B and the left leg portion 34L are elastically deformed independently of each other, such a problem does not occur and the light distribution control unit does not occur. Assembling of 30 will be performed smoothly.

Next, a specific configuration of the light source unit 20 and a mounting structure of the light source unit 20 on the housing 12 will be described.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing how the light source unit 20 is assembled to the housing 12 in the vehicle lamp 10. In addition, FIG. 9A is a rear view partially showing the vehicular lamp 10.

As shown in FIG. 8, an opening 12c1 for mounting the light source unit 20 is formed in the rear wall 12c of the housing 12.

The light source unit 20 is configured to include a substrate 24 on which the light emitting element 22 is mounted and a socket 26 that supports the substrate 24.

The light-emitting element 22 has a configuration in which three white light-emitting diodes are arranged adjacent to each other in the vehicle width direction (that is, the left-right direction), and thus has a configuration that has a horizontally long rectangular light-emitting surface. The light emitting element 22 is arranged with its light emitting surface facing the front of the lamp (that is, the front of the vehicle).

The light source unit 20 is a rotary mounting type light source unit, and its socket 26 is inserted into the opening 12c1 of the housing 12 from the rear side of the lamp and rotated clockwise by a predetermined angle (specifically 45°). As a result, it is attached to the housing 12.

The socket 26 of the light source unit 20 includes a resin socket body 26A and a metal (for example, aluminum die cast) heat sink 26B fixed to the socket body 26A.

The socket body 26A is formed in a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the opening 12c1 of the housing 12, and the outer peripheral surface of the front end thereof has a rear wall portion of the housing 12 around the opening 12c1. A plurality of engaging projections 26Aa for engaging with 12c are formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 9A, a connector portion 26Ab for supplying power to the light source unit 20 is formed at the rear end portion of the socket body 26A.

A front end portion 26B1 of the heat sink 26B is formed in a disc shape, and is fixed to the socket body 26A at the front end portion 26B1. The heat sink 26B has a structure in which five radiating fins 26B2 extending in a strip shape toward the rear side of the lamp are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion 26B1. These five radiating fins 26B2 are formed at the apex position of the light source unit 20 and at positions at equal intervals (specifically, 45° intervals) on the left and right sides from the apex position.

The light source unit 20 has a structure in which an elastic seal member 28 is attached to the front end portion of the socket 26. The elastic seal member 28 is composed of an elastic annular member such as an O-ring fitted in the outer peripheral surface of the socket body 26A, and is mounted in contact with the front end portion 26B1 of the heat sink 26B. When the light source unit 20 is mounted on the housing 12, the elastic sealing member 28 is pressed against the wall portion 12c to be elastically compressed and deformed, thereby ensuring airtightness in the lamp chamber. It is like this.

As shown in FIG. 8, the opening 12c1 of the housing 12 has an uneven opening shape corresponding to the plurality of engaging protrusions 26Aa formed in the socket body 26A. The concavo-convex shape of the opening 12c1 is formed by a positional relationship in which the plurality of engaging projections 26Aa of the light source unit 20 (shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure) in the mounted state are rotated 45° clockwise in the front view of the lamp. Has been done.

At one location around the opening 12c1 on the front surface of the rear wall 12c of the housing 12, a projection for engagement of the socket main body 26A when the socket main body 26A inserted into the opening 12c1 is rotated 45° clockwise. A stopper 12c2 for contacting the portion 26Aa and restricting further rotation is formed.

As shown in FIG. 9A, a rib 12c3 extending rearward of the lamp is formed on the rear surface of the rear wall 12c of the housing 12 so as to surround the opening 12c1.

The rib 12c3 is formed so as to surround the opening 12c1 over the entire circumference, and has a notch 12c3a formed at the lower end thereof.

The rib 12c3 is formed to extend along a cylindrical surface centered on the central axis of the light source unit 20. At this time, the rib 12c3 is formed so as to extend to the rear side of the lamp from the position where the elastic seal member 28 is pressed against the rear wall portion 12c of the housing 12. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the rear end surface of the rib 12c3 is located further to the rear side of the lamp than the contact position between the elastic seal member 28 and the front end portion 26B1 of the heat sink 26B. The central axis of the light source unit 20 is located near the upper side of the optical axis Ax. When the light source unit 20 is attached to the housing 12, the light emitting element 22 is arranged such that the lower end edge of the light emitting surface thereof extends in the horizontal direction near the upper side of the optical axis Ax ( See Figures 3 and 8).

As shown in FIG. 9A, a mark 12c3b indicating a predetermined mounting position of the rotary mounting type light source unit 20 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rib 12c3. The mark 12c3b is formed at a position directly above the central axis of the light source unit 20, and is for indicating that the light source unit 20 is mounted in an upright state.

Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the rib 12c3, another mark 12c3c is formed at a position rotated by 45° counterclockwise from the mark 12c3b in the rear view of the lamp. The mark 12c3c is for indicating the angular position when the light source unit 20 is inserted into the opening 12c1.

At that time, the mark 12c3b is formed as a triangular protrusion in a rear view of the lamp. On the other hand, the marks 12c3c are formed as semi-circular projections when viewed from the rear of the lamp.

Next, the function and effect of this embodiment will be described.

In the vehicular lamp 10 according to the present exemplary embodiment, the lens holder 34 that supports the projection lens 32 is supported rotatably in the vertical direction with respect to the housing 12, so that the light emitting element 22 remains fixed to the housing 12. In this state, the vertical optical axis can be adjusted. Therefore, the vehicular lamp 10 can have a compact structure, and can be particularly suitable for a fog lamp or the like.

In addition, since the groove 12a2 extending from the fulcrum engagement recess 12a1 toward the front of the lamp is formed on the inner surface of the right side wall 12a of the housing 12, the right leg 34R is inserted into the housing 12. In doing so, by engaging the fulcrum protrusion portion 34Ra with the groove portion 12a2, the fulcrum protrusion portion 34Ra can be moved to the rear side of the lamp in a state of being guided in the vertical direction and inserted into the fulcrum engagement concave portion 12a1. Therefore, the fulcrum protrusion 34Ra and the fulcrum engagement recess 12a1 can be easily engaged with each other.

Further, since the groove 12b2 extending from the fulcrum engagement hole 12b1 toward the front of the lamp is formed on the inner surface of the left side wall 12b of the housing 12, when the left leg 34L is inserted into the housing 12. By engaging the fulcrum protrusion portion 34La with the groove portion 12b2, the fulcrum protrusion portion 34La can be moved to the rear side of the lamp and guided into the fulcrum engaging concave portion 12b1 while being guided in the vertical direction. Therefore, the fulcrum protrusion portion 34La and the fulcrum engagement hole 12b1 can be easily engaged with each other.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, in the lens-movable vehicular lamp 10 configured to control the light distribution of the light from the light emitting element 22 by the projection lens 32, it is possible to improve the assembling property of the lamp.

Moreover, since the vertical width of the front region of each of the grooves 12a2 and 12b2 is set to a value larger than the vertical width of the rear region thereof, the fulcrum protrusions 34Ra and 34La of the front regions having large vertical widths are not formed. The fulcrum protrusions 34Ra and 34La can be moved toward the rear region having a narrow vertical width after the engagement is facilitated, whereby each of the fulcrum engagement recess 12a1 and the fulcrum engagement hole 12b1 can be moved. Can be easily induced. Therefore, the assembling property of the lamp can be further improved.

At that time, since the respective groove portions 12a2, 12b2 are formed so that the vertical width gradually increases toward the front of the lamp, the fulcrum protrusions 34Ra, 34La engaged with the groove portions 12a2, 12b2 are directed toward the rear of the lamp. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly move the lamp, and thus, the assembling property of the lamp can be further improved.

Further, since the depth of the front region of each groove 12a2, 12b2 is set to a value larger than the depth of the rear region thereof, the relationship between the fulcrum protrusions 34Ra, 34La in the relatively deep front region is large. The fulcrum protrusions 34Ra, 34La can be moved toward the relatively shallow rear region after the adjustment is easily performed, whereby the fulcrum engagement recesses 12a1 and the fulcrum engagement holes 12b1 are respectively moved. Can be easily induced. Therefore, the assembling property of the lamp can be further improved.

At that time, since each groove 12a2, 12b2 is formed so as to become gradually deeper toward the front of the lamp, the fulcrum protrusions 34Ra, 34La engaged with each groove 12a2, 12b2 are formed along each groove 12a2, 12b2. It is possible to smoothly move the lamp toward the rear of the lamp, thereby further improving the assembling property of the lamp.

In the first embodiment, the groove portions 12a2, 12b2 have been described as being configured such that the vertical width and the depth thereof gradually increase toward the front of the lamp, but both groove portions 12a2 are described. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which at least one of the vertical width and the depth of 12b2, 12b2 is formed so as to gradually increase toward the front of the lamp.

In the first embodiment, the description has been made assuming that the groove portions 12a2 and 12b2 are formed in the right side wall portion 12a and the left side wall portion 12b, respectively, but even in the case of the configuration formed in only one of them, As compared with the case where these are not formed, the assembling property of the lamp can be improved.

In the above-described first embodiment, the projection lens 32 is described as being formed in a plano-convex lens shape, but a projection lens 32 formed in a biconvex lens shape, a convex meniscus lens shape, or a Fresnel lens shape may be used. It is also possible to adopt.

Although the opening 36a is formed at the rear end of the reflecting member 36 in the first embodiment, the portion located at the opening 36a is formed in the shape of a transparent lens. Is also possible.

In the first embodiment, the housing 12 that supports the light distribution control unit 30 has been described as a lamp body, but other lamp component members (for example, a member supported by the lamp body) are used. Is also possible.

Although the vehicular lamp 10 is described as a fog lamp in the first embodiment, the vehicular lamp 10 may be configured as a lamp other than this (for example, a headlamp).

Next, a modified example of the first embodiment will be described.

First, a first modified example of the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 9B is a view similar to FIG. 9A, which partially shows the vehicular lamp according to the present modification.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the basic configuration of this modification is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the mounting structure of the light source unit 20 to the housing 112 is the same as that of the first embodiment. And partly different.

That is, also in this modified example, the socket 26 of the light source unit 20 is inserted into the opening (not shown) of the housing 112 from the rear side of the lamp and rotated clockwise by a predetermined angle, so that the light source unit 20 is moved to the housing 112. Although it is mounted, it differs from the above embodiment in that the housing 112 is provided with the reverse rotation preventing structure 160.

The reverse rotation prevention structure 160 is a structure for preventing the light source unit 20 from rotating in a loosening direction from a predetermined mounting position by contact with the socket 26 thereof.

Specifically, the reverse rotation preventing structure 160 includes an abutting member 162 for abutting on the socket 26, and a screw 164 as a fastening member for fastening the abutting member 162 to the rear wall portion 112c of the housing 112. It is configured with and.

The screw 164 fixes the contact member 162 to the rear wall portion 112c of the housing 112 at a position directly below the light source unit 20.

In order to realize this, the rear wall portion 112c of the housing 112 is formed with a boss portion 112c4 for fixing the screw 164 at a position directly below the optical axis Ax.

Also in the housing 112 of this modification, a rib 112c3 extending along a cylindrical surface centered on the central axis of the light source unit 20 is formed on the rear surface of the rear wall portion 112c. At this time, the rib 112c3 is formed so that the lower end portion thereof extends to the vicinity of the boss portion 112c4, whereby the cutout portions 112c3a are formed on both left and right sides of the boss portion 112c4.

The height (that is, the amount of rearward protrusion) of the rib 112c3 is set to the same value as the rib 12c3 of the above-described embodiment. Further, the same marks 112c3b and 112c3c are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rib 112c3 at the same positions as in the above embodiment.

The contact member 162 is a plate member made of resin, and extends along the rib 112c3 in the left and right directions from the fastening portion 162A fixed to the boss portion 112c4 of the housing 112 by the screw 164. It is configured to include a pair of arm portions 162B.

The contact member 162 is fixed to the boss portion 112c4 of the housing 112 by the screw 164 so that the front end surfaces of the pair of left and right arm portions 162B contact (or approach) the heat sink 26B of the light source unit 20. It has become. At that time, the contact of the contact member 162 with the heat sink 26B is performed with respect to the pair of left and right heat dissipation fins 26B2 located at the lowermost end of the five heat dissipation fins 26B2. The contact member 162 prevents the light source unit 20 from rotating in a loosening direction from a predetermined mounting position by contact with the heat radiation fin 26B2 of the heat sink 26B.

Further, the contact member 162 is formed so that the inner peripheral edge of each arm 162B extends along the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion 26B1 of the heat sink 26B when being fixed to the boss portion 112c4 of the housing 112.

The screw 164 is configured as a screw with a seat, and has a screw hole shape capable of transmitting only a rotational force in a direction in which the screw 164 is tightened. That is, the screw hole 164a of the screw 164 has a shape in which the wall surface located in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the plus (+) shaped groove portion is missing.

Even when the configuration of this modification is adopted, the same operational effect as in the case of the first embodiment can be obtained.

In addition, since the light source unit 20 is always held at the predetermined mounting position by adopting the configuration including the reverse rotation preventing structure 160 as in this modification, it is formed by the light from the light source emitted from the projection lens 32. It is possible to prevent the shape of the light distribution pattern for the fog lamp from becoming different from the desired shape.

Next, a second modified example of the first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a vehicular lamp 210 according to this modification.

As shown in the figure, the basic configuration of this modification is similar to that of the first embodiment, but the configuration of the light distribution control unit 230 is partially different from that of the first embodiment. ..

The light distribution control unit 230 of this modification also has a configuration including a projection lens 232, a lens holder 234, and a reflecting member 236, but the reflecting member 236 is configured separately from the lens holder 234. However, this is different from the above embodiment.

Specifically, in the light distribution control unit 230 of this modified example, thermal caulking is performed with the reflection member 236 sandwiched between the projection lens 232 and the lens holder 234.

In order to realize this, an outer peripheral flange portion 236b is formed at the front end portion of the reflecting member 236, while an inner peripheral edge portion of the main body portion 234A of the lens holder 234 is engaged with the outer peripheral flange portion 236b of the reflecting member 236. In addition, an annular lens holding portion 234Ab for positioning the reflecting member 236 in a state where the reflecting member 236 is in contact with the rear surface of the projection lens 232 is formed. Then, with the reflection member 236 sandwiched between the projection lens 232 and the lens holder 234, the caulking projections 232 a formed at four locations on the outer peripheral edge of the rear surface of the projection lens 232 are attached to the main body of the lens holder 234. Thermal caulking is performed in a state in which it is inserted through insertion holes (not shown) formed at four positions of 234A.

The projection lens 232 has a configuration in which the caulking projection 232a is formed longer than the projection lens 32 of the first embodiment, but other configurations are the same as in the case of the first embodiment. Is.

Also, the lens holder 234 is different from the lens holder 34 of the first embodiment in the configuration of the main body portion 34A, but the configuration of the pair of left and right legs 234L, 234R and the protruding piece 234B is the same as in the first embodiment. It is similar to the case of the form.

Further, the configuration of the reflection member 236 other than the outer peripheral flange portion 236b is similar to that of the first embodiment.

Even when the configuration of this modification is adopted, the same operational effect as in the case of the first embodiment can be obtained.

Further, by adopting the configuration of the present modification, even though the reflecting member 36 and the lens holder 34 are separately configured, the supporting of the reflecting member 36 can be realized by an inexpensive fixing structure. ..

Further, by forming the reflecting member 36 separately from the lens holder 34 as in this modification, the degree of freedom in shape of the reflecting member 36 can be increased.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

11 is a plan sectional view showing a vehicle lamp 510 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 12 is a detailed sectional view taken along line XII-XII of FIG.

As shown in these drawings, the vehicle lamp 510 according to the present embodiment has the same basic configuration as that of the first embodiment, but the vehicle lamp 510 is provided at the left front end portion of the vehicle. It is configured as a fog lamp.

In this vehicular lamp 510, the shapes of the housing 512 and the translucent cover 514 are partly different from those in the first embodiment, and the light distribution control unit 530 and the reflecting member 536 are configured in the first embodiment. Is different from the case.

That is, the translucent cover 514 of the present embodiment also includes a cover main body 514A having a laterally oblong outer shape when viewed from the front of the lamp, and an outer peripheral flange portion 514B located on the outer peripheral side thereof. The cover 514 is arranged so as to face the front direction of the vehicle, and is supported by the housing 512 in a vertical plane orthogonal to the vehicle front-rear direction.

Further, the light distribution control unit 530 of the present embodiment also has a configuration including a projection lens 532 that controls deflection of the direct light from the light emitting element 22 and a lens holder 534 that supports the projection lens 532. This support is performed by fitting the projection lens 532 into the lens holder 534 (this will be described later).

The projection lens 532 has a lens body portion 532A having a convex front surface and a flat rear surface, and an annular ring which is flush with the rear surface of the lens body portion 532A on the outer peripheral side of the lens body portion 532A. The outer peripheral flange portion 532B is formed. The projection lens 532 has a laterally elongated elliptical outer shape when viewed from the front of the lamp, but an outer peripheral surface of an outer peripheral flange portion 532B is formed with an uneven portion for fitting into the lens holder 534. (I will also discuss this later).

The lens holder 534 has a configuration in which a pair of leg portions 534L and 534R extending toward the rear of the lamp are formed on both left and right sides of a ring-shaped main body portion 534A. The pair of left and right legs 534L and 534R are formed to have the same length, and fulcrum protrusions 534La and 534Ra are formed on the outer surfaces of the rear ends thereof.

Then, the fulcrum protrusion 534Ra of the right leg 534R is inserted into the fulcrum engagement recess 512a1 formed in the right wall 512a of the housing 512, and the fulcrum protrusion 534La of the left leg 534L is left of the housing 512. The lens holder 534 is supported rotatably around the rotation axis Ax1 with respect to the housing 512 by being inserted into the fulcrum engagement hole 512b1 formed in the wall portion 512b.

A vent hole (not shown) similar to the vent hole 12b3 of the first embodiment is formed in the left side wall portion 512b of the housing 512, and the left side wall portion 512b has the vent hole and the fulcrum member. A filter 50 for closing the joint hole 512b1 is attached from the outer surface side thereof.

Release prevention protrusions 534Lb and 534Rb are formed on the outer surfaces of the front ends of the legs 534L and 534R, respectively.

Each of the detachment preventing protrusions 534Lb and 534Rb has a trapezoidal outer shape that is long in the lamp front-rear direction when seen in a plan view, and its tip end surface is on the inner surface of the left side wall portion 512b and the right side wall portion 512a of the housing 512. The heights are close to each other. At this time, the fulcrum projections 534La and 534Ra are fulcrum engagement holes 512b1 in the gaps between the tip surfaces of the separation preventing projections 534Lb and 534Rb and the inner side surfaces of the left side wall 512b and the right side wall 512a, respectively. Further, the insertion depth is set to a value smaller than the insertion depth of the fulcrum engaging recesses 512a1 in the engaged state.

On the left side of the lens holder 534, a projection piece 534B extending rearward of the lamp is formed. The projection piece 534B is formed below the left leg portion 534L so as to extend in a plate shape along a vertical plane parallel to the optical axis Ax, and is formed on the inner surface of the rear end portion of the rear region 534Ba. The groove portion 534Ba1 is adapted to be screwed with the optical axis adjusting screw 40 arranged in the overhanging portion 512d of the housing 512.

Also in the present embodiment, the rotary mounting type light source unit 20 is mounted on the rear wall portion 512c of the housing 512, and the opening 512c1 for this mounting is located on the right side (that is, the vehicle width) from the center position of the rear wall portion 512c. It is formed at a position displaced inward (in the direction). Thus, the maximum diffusion angle of the light emitted from the projection lens 532 to the outside in the vehicle width direction is made larger than the maximum diffusion angle to the inside of the vehicle width direction.

The rear wall portion 512c of the housing 512 is formed as a cylindrical stepped portion 512g in which the peripheral portion of the opening 512c1 is displaced toward the front side of the lamp with respect to other general portions.

The step-up portion 512g has an inner peripheral surface shape that is slightly larger than the outer peripheral shape of the light source unit 20, and the amount of forward displacement is such that the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 22 of the light source unit 20 is a rotation axis in the lamp front-rear direction. It is set to be in the same position as Ax1.

Also in this embodiment, a rib 512c3 extending rearward of the lamp is formed on the rear surface of the rear wall portion 512c of the housing 512 so as to surround the opening portion 512c1, and the rib 512c3 is a general portion of the rear wall portion 512c. In, the inner peripheral surface is formed so as to extend flush with the inner peripheral surface of the step-up portion 512g.

The rib 512c3 is set to have the same amount of rearward protrusion from the general portion of the rear wall portion 512c as that of the rib 12c3 of the above embodiment. Therefore, the position of the rear end surface of the rib 512c3 is considerably displaced to the rear side of the lamp from the contact position between the elastic seal member 28 and the front end portion 26B1 of the heat sink 26B.

Also in the present embodiment, a reflecting member for reflecting the external light incident on the interior space of the housing 12 from the front side of the lamp through the translucent cover 14 and the projection lens 32 to the rear side of the lamp with respect to the projection lens 532. 536 is arranged.

The reflecting member 536 is an opaque resin member, is formed separately from the lens holder 34, and is supported by the housing 512.

The reflecting member 536 is formed in a flat plate shape so as to surround the light source unit 20, and a front surface thereof is subjected to a reflecting surface treatment such as aluminum vapor deposition and a plurality of reflecting elements 536s are formed. Each reflection element 536s is formed as a triangular pyramid-shaped recess, and retroreflects the light reaching the reflection element 536s.

The reflecting member 536 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the step-up portion 512g in the cylindrical portion 536a extending from the rear surface toward the rear of the lamp. At this time, the reflecting member 536 is configured such that the plurality of reflecting elements 536s are located on the lamp rear side with respect to the light emitting surface of the light emitting element 22 in the light source unit 20, and thereby the light emitted from the light emitting element 22 is emitted. It is designed so as not to be incident on each reflection element 536s.

FIG. 13 is a front view showing the housing 512 in which the light source unit 20 is mounted.

As shown in the figure, also in this embodiment, a groove portion 512a2 extending from the fulcrum engagement recess 512a1 toward the front of the lamp is formed on the inner surface of the right side wall portion 512a of the housing 512. A groove portion 512b2 extending from the fulcrum engagement hole 512b1 toward the front of the lamp is formed on the inner side surface of the left side wall portion 512b of 512.

The respective groove portions 512a2, 512b2 are formed so that the vertical width and the depth thereof gradually increase toward the front of the lamp.

Further, a ventilation hole 512h penetrating the rear wall portion 512c is formed in the rear wall portion 512c of the housing 512.

The ventilation hole 512h is located in the middle between the step-up portion 512g and the overhanging portion 512d on which the optical axis adjusting screw 40 is arranged in the vehicle width direction, and is located above the rotation axis Ax1 in the vertical direction. Is formed.

As shown in FIG. 12, the ventilation hole 512h is formed in a boss portion 512i protruding rearward from the rear wall portion 512c.

The ventilation hole 512h includes a penetrating portion formed in the upper half of the boss portion 512i and extending in the front-rear direction of the lamp, a deep hole opening in the lower half of the boss portion 512i toward the rear side of the lamp, and a lower end of the boss portion 512i. And a notch portion formed by notching a part of the deep hole portion.

A filter 552, which is formed in a short cylindrical shape with an outer diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the boss 512i, is attached to the rear end surface of the boss 512i.

The filter 552 is housed so as to be fitted into the internal space of the resin cap 554. When the cap 554 is mounted on the rear end of the boss portion 512i, the filter 552 contacts the rear end surface of the boss portion 512i. It is like this. The filter 552 blocks the ventilation hole 512h in the middle of the ventilation path.

The filter 552 is configured as a breathable sponge-like filter. That is, the filter 552 is configured as a porous filter in which a plurality of holes (for example, holes having a diameter of about 0.3 to 2.5 mm) are formed in a three-dimensional mesh shape.

Comparing this filter 552 with the filter 50 shown in FIG. 11 (the filter mounted on the left side wall portion 512b of the housing 512), the filter 50 is superior to the filter 552 in terms of waterproofness and moisture diffusion, The filter 552 is superior to the filter 50 in terms of air permeability.

FIG. 14 is a rear view showing how the projection lens 532 is assembled to the lens holder 534 in the light distribution control unit 530 of this embodiment. Further, FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the state of this assembly as seen obliquely from the lower rear.

As shown in these drawings, the lens holder 534 is provided with lens fastening portions 534Ab and 534Ac at two upper and lower positions on the rear surface of the main body portion 534A, and is positioned on the inner surface of the right leg portion 534R. The rib 534Rc is formed, and the positioning rib 534Bc is formed on the inner surface of the protruding piece 534B.

As shown in FIG. 11, the lens fastening portion 534Ac located on the lower side is formed as an H-shaped projection that extends rearward from the rear surface of the main body portion 534A of the lens holder 534. That is, the lens fastening portion 534Ac has a horizontally long rectangular lens locking hole 534Ac1 formed at the front end thereof and a horizontally elongated rectangular guide recess 534Ac2 formed at the rear end thereof.

The lens fastening portion 534Ab located on the upper side also has the same configuration as the lens fastening portion 534Ac, and has a configuration in which a lens locking hole 534Ab1 and a guide recess 534Ab2 are formed. However, the left and right width of the lens fastening portion 534Ab is set to a value larger than that of the lens fastening portion 534Ac.

The positioning rib 534Rc of the right leg portion 534R and the positioning rib 534Bc of the protrusion piece 534B are formed to extend from the rear surface of the main body portion 534A toward the rear of the lamp. At that time, as shown in FIG. 11, the positioning rib 534Bc is formed to extend longer than the positioning rib 534Rc.

If the positioning rib 534Rc is made as long as the positioning rib 534Bc, the leg 534L is prevented from elastically deforming when the light distribution control unit 530 is assembled to the housing 512. Therefore, the positioning rib 534Rc is formed to be short. Has been done.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, on the outer peripheral flange portion 532B of the projection lens 532, fastening engaging portions 532Ba and 532Bb are formed on the upper and lower portions of the outer peripheral surface thereof, and on the left and right sides of the outer peripheral surface thereof. Rib engaging portions 532Bc and 532Bd are formed at the locations.

Each of the fastening engaging portions 532Ba, 532Bb has a configuration in which engaging protrusions 532Ba2, 532Bb2 are formed in the central portions of the cutout portions 532Ba1, 532Bb1.

The engaging protrusions 532Ba2, 532Bb2 of the respective fastening engaging portions 532Ba, 532Bb are formed with a width slightly narrower than the lens engaging holes 534Ab1, 534Ac1 of the respective lens fastening portions 534Ab, 534Ac of the lens holder 534. Also, as shown in FIG. 11, the outer surface of the portion located near the front of the lamp is formed in a sloped shape.

The notch portions 532Ba1 and 532Bb1 of the fastening engaging portions 532Ba and 532Bb are formed to be slightly wider than the lens fastening portions 534Ab and 534Ac of the lens holder 534.

The rib engaging portion 532Bc located on the right side is a concave portion having the same shape as the positioning rib 534Rc of the leg portion 534R, which is formed in the central portion of the convex portion 532Bc1 formed so as to be close to the inner surface of the leg portion 534R of the lens holder 534. 532Bc2 is formed.

The rib engagement portion 532Bd located on the left side has the same shape as the positioning rib 534Bc of the protrusion piece 534B at the lower portion of the convex portion 532Bd1 formed so as to be close to the leg portion 534L of the lens holder 534 and the inner side surface of the protrusion piece 534B. The concave portion 532Bd2 having the above is formed.

Further, on the outer peripheral flange portion 532B of the projection lens 532, hemispherical positioning protrusions 532Be are formed at three positions on the front surface in an L-shaped arrangement.

The light distribution control unit 530 is assembled by fitting the projection lens 532 into the lens holder 534 from the rear side of the lamp. At that time, the projection lens 532 is placed upward with the lens holder 534 arranged downward. By fitting from the side, it is possible to easily assemble.

Specifically, when the pair of upper and lower engaging projections 532Ba2, 532Bb2 of the projection lens 532 are placed along the pair of upper and lower guide recesses 534Ab2, 534Ac2 of the lens holder 534, the recess 532Bd2 on the left side of the projection lens 532 is placed. Naturally engages with the positioning rib 534Bc of the lens holder 534. At this time, the right concave portion 532Bc2 of the projection lens 532 is not yet engaged with the positioning rib 534Rc of the lens holder 534, but when the projection lens 532 is pushed further downward in this state, the right concave portion 532Bc2 becomes the positioning rib 534Rc. Engagement allows vertical and lateral positioning. At this time, the positioning projections 532Be formed at three positions on the front surface of the outer peripheral flange portion 532B of the projection lens 532 come into contact with the rear surface of the main body portion 534A of the lens holder 534, so that the depth direction (that is, the lamp front-rear direction) is increased. Positioning is done.

Next, the function and effect of this embodiment will be described.

In the vehicular lamp 510 according to the present exemplary embodiment, the lens holder 534 that supports the projection lens 532 is supported so as to be vertically rotatable with respect to the housing 512, so that the light emitting element 22 remains fixed to the housing 512. In this state, the vertical optical axis can be adjusted. Therefore, the vehicular lamp 510 can have a compact structure, and can be particularly suitable for a fog lamp or the like.

In addition, since the groove 512a2 extending from the fulcrum engagement recess 512a1 toward the front of the lamp is formed on the inner surface of the right side wall 512a of the housing 512, the right leg 534R is inserted into the housing 512. At this time, by engaging the fulcrum protrusion 534Ra with the groove 512a2, the fulcrum projection 534Ra can be moved to the rear side of the lamp and guided into the fulcrum engaging recess 512a1 while being guided in the vertical direction. Therefore, the fulcrum protrusion 534Ra and the fulcrum engagement recess 512a1 can be easily engaged with each other.

Further, since a groove portion 512b2 extending from the fulcrum engagement hole 512b1 toward the front of the lamp is formed on the inner surface of the left side wall portion 512b of the housing 512, when the left leg portion 534L is inserted into the housing 512. By engaging the fulcrum protrusion portion 534La with the groove portion 512b2, the fulcrum protrusion portion 534La can be moved to the rear side of the lamp and guided into the fulcrum engagement concave portion 512b1 while being guided in the vertical direction. Therefore, the fulcrum protrusion 534La and the fulcrum engagement hole 512b1 can be easily engaged with each other.

As described above, also in the vehicular lamp 510 according to the present embodiment, the assembling property of the lamp can be improved.

Moreover, since the vertical width of the front region of each of the groove portions 512a2 and 512b2 is set to be larger than the vertical width of the rear region of the groove portions 512a2 and 512b2, the fulcrum protrusions 534Ra and 534La of the fulcrum protrusion portions 534Ra and 534La are large in the front region having the large vertical width. The fulcrum protrusions 534Ra and 534La can be moved toward the rear region having a small vertical width after the engagement is facilitated, whereby each of the fulcrum engagement recess 512a1 and the fulcrum engagement hole 512b1 can be moved. Can be easily induced. Therefore, the assembling property of the lamp can be further improved.

At that time, since the respective groove portions 512a2, 512b2 are formed so that the vertical width gradually increases toward the front of the lamp, the fulcrum protrusions 534Ra, 534La engaged with the groove portions 512a2, 512b2 are directed toward the rear of the lamp. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly move the lamp, and thus, the assembling property of the lamp can be further improved.

In addition, since the depth of the front region of each of the grooves 512a2 and 512b2 is set to be larger than the depth of the rear region thereof, the relationship between the fulcrum protrusions 534Ra and 534La in the relatively deep front region is large. The fulcrum protrusions 534Ra and 534La can be moved toward the relatively shallow rear region after the adjustment is easily performed, and thereby the fulcrum engagement recess 512a1 and the fulcrum engagement hole 512b1 are respectively moved. Can be easily induced. Therefore, the assembling property of the lamp can be further improved.

At that time, since the respective groove portions 512a2, 512b2 are formed so as to gradually become deeper toward the front of the lamp, the fulcrum projections 534Ra, 534La engaged with the respective groove portions 512a2, 512b2 are formed along the respective groove portions 512a2, 512b2. It is possible to smoothly move the lamp toward the rear of the lamp, thereby further improving the assembling property of the lamp.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the projection lens 532 is supported by the lens holder 534 by fitting the projection lens 532 into the lens holder 534, the assembly process of the light distribution control unit 530 is simplified. Can be transformed.

It is needless to say that the numerical values shown as the specifications in each of the above embodiments and the modifications thereof are merely examples, and these may be appropriately set to different values.

Further, the invention of the present application is not limited to the configurations described in the above-described respective embodiments and the modified examples thereof, and configurations in which various modifications other than this are added can be adopted.

10, 210, 510 Vehicle lamp 12, 112, 512 Housing 12a, 512a Right side wall portion 12a1, 512a1 Support point engaging recess (support point engaging section)
12a2, 12b2, 512a2, 512b2 Groove part 12b, 512b Left side wall part 12b1, 512b1 Support point engaging hole (support point engaging part)
12b3 Vent hole 12b4 Annular bead portion 12b5 Flat surface portion 12c, 112c, 512c Rear wall portion 12c1, 512c1 Opening portion 12c2 Stopper 12c3, 112c3, 512c3 Rib 12c3a, 112c3a Cutout portion 12c3b, 12c3d, 5c12c3112, 112c3112 12d1 Separation prevention part 12e Annular groove part 12f Bracket 14,514 Light transmitting cover 14A, 514A Cover body part 14B, 514B Outer peripheral flange part 14Ba Overhanging flange part 14Bb Annular protrusion part 20 Light source unit 22 Light emitting element (light source)
24 Substrate 26 Socket 26A Socket Main Body 26Aa Engaging Projection 26Ab Connector Section 26B Heat Sink 26B1 Front End 26B2 Radiating Fin 28 Elastic Seal Member 30, 230, 530 Light Distribution Control Unit 32, 232, 532 Projection Lens 32a, 232a Caulking Projection 32A, 532A Lens body portion 32B, 532B Outer peripheral flange portion 34, 234, 534 Lens holder 34a Slit 34A, 234A, 534A Body portion 34Aa Insertion hole 34B, 234B, 534B Projection piece 34Ba, 534Ba Rear area 34Ba1, 534Ba1 groove prevention portion 34Bb Projections 34L, 34R, 234L, 234R legs 34La, 34Ra fulcrum projections 34Lb reinforcing ribs 36, 236, 536 reflection member 36a openings 36s, 536s reflection element 40 optical axis adjusting screw 40a screw portion 40b shaft portion 40c driver insertion Hole 42 O-ring 50,552 Filter 100 Bumper 100a Opening 112c4 Boss part 160 Reverse rotation prevention structure 162 Abutment member 162A Fastening part 162B Arm part 164 Screw 164a Screw hole 234Ab Lens pressing part 236b Outer peripheral flange part 512g Step up part 512h Pore 512i Boss portion 532Ba, 532Bb Fastening engaging portion 532Ba1, 532Bb1 Notch portion 532Ba2, 532Bb2 Engaging protrusion portion 532Bc, 532Bd Rib engaging portion 532Bc1, 532Bd1 Lens portion 532Bc2, 532Bd5 protrusion portion 532Bc2, 532Bd5 concave portion 532Bd5 532Bd5 concave portion Fastening part 534Ab1, 534Ac1 Lens locking hole 534Ab2, 534Ac2 Guide concave part 534Bc, 534Rc Positioning rib 534L, 534R Leg part 534La, 534Ra Support point projection part 534Lb, 534Rb Rotation preventing projection part 536a Cylindrical part A 554 Optical cap 554 Axis Ax2 Axis

Claims (5)

In a vehicular lamp configured to control light distribution from a light source by a projection lens,
A lens holder that supports the projection lens, and a housing that rotatably supports the lens holder around a rotation axis extending in the vehicle width direction,
At both ends of the lens holder in the vehicle width direction, leg portions extending toward the rear of the lamp are formed,
A fulcrum protrusion is formed on the outer surface of each leg, and a fulcrum engagement portion that engages with the fulcrum protrusion of each leg is provided on each side wall of the housing on the rotation axis. Has been formed,
A vehicle lamp characterized in that a groove extending from the fulcrum engaging portion toward the front of the lamp is formed on at least one inner surface of both side wall portions of the housing. 2. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the groove portion is set such that a vertical width of a front area of the groove portion is larger than a vertical width of a rear area of the groove portion. 3. The vehicular lamp according to claim 2, wherein the groove is formed so that the vertical width thereof gradually increases toward the front of the lamp. The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the groove portion is set such that a depth of a front region of the groove portion is larger than a depth of a rear region of the groove portion. The vehicular lamp according to claim 4, wherein the groove portion is formed so as to gradually become deeper toward the front of the lamp.

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